WEIRD NEWS
Baby Walkers - Yeah They're Out
Isn't it so cute when you put Junior in that baby walker - you know to help him scoot around before he's ready to walk. Sorry - the head of an American Academy of Pediatrics injuries committee begs to differ. Dr. Benjamin Hoffman said walkers are "inherently dangerous objects that have no benefit whatsoever," and he thinks they should be banned. The remarks represent a reinvigorated movement to stop the manufacture and sale of the wheeled walkers in the US, and that mission is backed by a new study published this week in the journal Pediatrics. The study found that, between 1990 and 2014, more than 230,000 kids younger than 15 months ended up in ERs after using a walker and more than 90 percent of the injuries were to the head and neck! The main problem is that little ones can zip along at too-fast speeds: One estimate says they can propel themselves 4 feet in just one second, meaning they may end up in dangerous situations before adults can catch up, like falling down stairs, burning themselves by pulling pots off of stoves, and plummeting into pools. Federal safety standards, including walker brakes, put into place eight years ago led to a 23 percent decrease in injuries over the four years after the standards were implemented-but researchers say that's not good enough. As the study notes: "Despite the decline in injuries, infant walkers remain an important and preventable source of injury among young children." (Pediatrics)
Tragic End for Fertility Blogger
Vanessa Fernandez Arango started her Instagram blog last May with a photo of a positive pregnancy test, explaining that after two ectopic pregnancies damaged her fallopian tubes, she was five months pregnant thanks to assisted reproductive technology. She soon had thousands of followers joining her virtual fertility journey - a journey that suddenly ended in tragedy. Arango died giving birth to her son during an emergency C-section. At 38 weeks and in pain, she passed out at the breakfast table her husband, Jonathan Garcia, posted on her Instagram account Sept. 2. Doctors decided she needed to deliver the baby via emergency C-section. The couple's son survived the birth, but Arango had a heart attack during the surgery and did not recover. Garcia posted a photo of baby Alvaro Sept. 6, noting that he had received "an avalanche of messages of support" from his wife's followers-and that while he initially planned to close his wife's account, he decided to continue on with her mission of helping others trying to become parents. He has since posted more updates on Alvaro's progress, noting in one that the baby had been receiving breast milk donations. On Saturday, he posted a photo of himself, Alvaro, and their dog, announcing the baby had been allowed to leave the hospital and come home. "Here you have our first family photo, missing the fourth member of the group that watches us from the sky and helps us get up at 3," he wrote, ending the post with his gratitude for the clinic that helped him and his wife get pregnant. (Newser)
They're Not Going to Bite Me! I'm Superman!
Marisa Medici was always concerned about her nephew, Arthur, when he went boogie boarding in what the Boston Herald describes as the "shark-infested waters" of Cape Cod. "Medici said "I asked him, 'Don't go. Please, don't go.' But "he'd say, 'Aunt, they're not going to bite me. The sharks don't bite me. I'm Superman!'" By now you've heard on Saturday, 26-year-old Arthur Medici became Cape Cod's first shark attack fatality in 82 years. Arthur left Friday night with Isaac Rocha, whom Medici describes as his future brother-in-law. They set out for the water that night and again the next morning. Rocha said what happened next was "just horrible, the worst feeling in the world." The shark attacked Arthur from behind, biting his legs and severing his femoral arteries, per his aunt. Rocha estimates he was 5 to 10 yards away when he saw Arthur going down, then saw a lot of blood and heard Arthur screaming. "And when (Arthur) came up out of the water, (Rocha) went to him to rescue him and take him to the sand." Rocha says Arthur was no longer speaking at that point. "Because the shark bit on the back of his legs, the calves, he lost a lot of blood. A lot of blood. Basically everything. They did CPR, they did everything. They didn't save him." A GoFundMe campaign has been started to bring Arthur's body home to his native Brazil to be buried. He had been in the US four years, was studying engineering and was planning to marry his girlfriend of nearly two years. (Boston Herald)
Oh the Humanity!
This week Germany rolled out the world's first hydrogen-powered train, signaling the possible end of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology. Two bright blue trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, began running a 62-mile route between the towns and cities in northern Germany - a stretch normally plied by diesel trains. Alstom has said it plans to deliver another 14 of the zero-emissions trains by 2021, with other German states also expressing an interest as well. Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions. Excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the train. So don't worry - nothing like the Hindenburg! (Raw Story)
I Thought You Said I Should Use Car Pools
Perhaps they didn't understand the concept of car pools. In Montgomery Village, Maryland, a driving lesson went off the deep end after the car jumped a curb, crashed through a fence and landed in the middle of a swimming pool. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said driver and passenger were uninjured, although soaking wet. He says the occupants were a man and a woman in their 50s or 60s, but it's unclear who was behind the wheel when the driver turned into a diver. The car landed in the North Creek Community Center Pool, which fortunately was closed for the season. (New York Post)
Show and Tell Alabama Style
At Blossomwood Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama, a student suffered a gunshot wound to the hand after bringing the gun to school, apparently to show it off. The shooting was ruled accidental and Superintendent Christy Finley said, "We never put the campus on lock down because this was an accident." In a message to parents Finley said the involved students are second-graders and that the shooting happened in a restroom. The gun was immediately taken into custody and the injured student was given medical treatment. The superintendent said she is working with other school officials to implement a district-wide clear backpack policy. She said she also plans to form a task force to find a way to hold parents accountable for gun safety. Blossomwood doesn't have metal detectors currently, but some said school officials should consider installing them. (AL.com)
Rosanne - This is How They Kill Me!
Note: If you don't want to know how Rosanne Conner dies - stop reading now! So at this point it's pretty much public knowledge that the Roseanne show is going on without its namesake in an ABC spinoff called The Conners. Roseanne Barr, who was fired by ABC after posting a racist tweet earlier this year, has confirmed that the door won't be open for her Roseanne character to return unless there is a crossover with The Walking Dead. On Brandon Straka's YouTube show she said, "Oh ya, they killed her. They have her die of an opioid overdose." She also said it was an insult to fans "who loved that family in that show," but acknowledged there wasn't much she could do about it. The character was depicted as having a secret prescription pill addiction in Roseanne's revival season. (New York Post)
What the What?
Meanwhile in Moscow, a woman has sensationally claimed that several little chicks hatched from supermarket eggs while she was away on vacation. According to local media, she went away with her partner for three weeks and returned to the sound of strange noises in their flat. They then found several of the eggs left on the kitchen windowsill had begun hatching. They haven't said what they have planned for the chicks, but are currently feeding them and caring for them. (Metro)
Isn't it so cute when you put Junior in that baby walker - you know to help him scoot around before he's ready to walk. Sorry - the head of an American Academy of Pediatrics injuries committee begs to differ. Dr. Benjamin Hoffman said walkers are "inherently dangerous objects that have no benefit whatsoever," and he thinks they should be banned. The remarks represent a reinvigorated movement to stop the manufacture and sale of the wheeled walkers in the US, and that mission is backed by a new study published this week in the journal Pediatrics. The study found that, between 1990 and 2014, more than 230,000 kids younger than 15 months ended up in ERs after using a walker and more than 90 percent of the injuries were to the head and neck! The main problem is that little ones can zip along at too-fast speeds: One estimate says they can propel themselves 4 feet in just one second, meaning they may end up in dangerous situations before adults can catch up, like falling down stairs, burning themselves by pulling pots off of stoves, and plummeting into pools. Federal safety standards, including walker brakes, put into place eight years ago led to a 23 percent decrease in injuries over the four years after the standards were implemented-but researchers say that's not good enough. As the study notes: "Despite the decline in injuries, infant walkers remain an important and preventable source of injury among young children." (Pediatrics)
Tragic End for Fertility Blogger
Vanessa Fernandez Arango started her Instagram blog last May with a photo of a positive pregnancy test, explaining that after two ectopic pregnancies damaged her fallopian tubes, she was five months pregnant thanks to assisted reproductive technology. She soon had thousands of followers joining her virtual fertility journey - a journey that suddenly ended in tragedy. Arango died giving birth to her son during an emergency C-section. At 38 weeks and in pain, she passed out at the breakfast table her husband, Jonathan Garcia, posted on her Instagram account Sept. 2. Doctors decided she needed to deliver the baby via emergency C-section. The couple's son survived the birth, but Arango had a heart attack during the surgery and did not recover. Garcia posted a photo of baby Alvaro Sept. 6, noting that he had received "an avalanche of messages of support" from his wife's followers-and that while he initially planned to close his wife's account, he decided to continue on with her mission of helping others trying to become parents. He has since posted more updates on Alvaro's progress, noting in one that the baby had been receiving breast milk donations. On Saturday, he posted a photo of himself, Alvaro, and their dog, announcing the baby had been allowed to leave the hospital and come home. "Here you have our first family photo, missing the fourth member of the group that watches us from the sky and helps us get up at 3," he wrote, ending the post with his gratitude for the clinic that helped him and his wife get pregnant. (Newser)
They're Not Going to Bite Me! I'm Superman!
Marisa Medici was always concerned about her nephew, Arthur, when he went boogie boarding in what the Boston Herald describes as the "shark-infested waters" of Cape Cod. "Medici said "I asked him, 'Don't go. Please, don't go.' But "he'd say, 'Aunt, they're not going to bite me. The sharks don't bite me. I'm Superman!'" By now you've heard on Saturday, 26-year-old Arthur Medici became Cape Cod's first shark attack fatality in 82 years. Arthur left Friday night with Isaac Rocha, whom Medici describes as his future brother-in-law. They set out for the water that night and again the next morning. Rocha said what happened next was "just horrible, the worst feeling in the world." The shark attacked Arthur from behind, biting his legs and severing his femoral arteries, per his aunt. Rocha estimates he was 5 to 10 yards away when he saw Arthur going down, then saw a lot of blood and heard Arthur screaming. "And when (Arthur) came up out of the water, (Rocha) went to him to rescue him and take him to the sand." Rocha says Arthur was no longer speaking at that point. "Because the shark bit on the back of his legs, the calves, he lost a lot of blood. A lot of blood. Basically everything. They did CPR, they did everything. They didn't save him." A GoFundMe campaign has been started to bring Arthur's body home to his native Brazil to be buried. He had been in the US four years, was studying engineering and was planning to marry his girlfriend of nearly two years. (Boston Herald)
Oh the Humanity!
This week Germany rolled out the world's first hydrogen-powered train, signaling the possible end of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology. Two bright blue trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, began running a 62-mile route between the towns and cities in northern Germany - a stretch normally plied by diesel trains. Alstom has said it plans to deliver another 14 of the zero-emissions trains by 2021, with other German states also expressing an interest as well. Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions. Excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the train. So don't worry - nothing like the Hindenburg! (Raw Story)
I Thought You Said I Should Use Car Pools
Perhaps they didn't understand the concept of car pools. In Montgomery Village, Maryland, a driving lesson went off the deep end after the car jumped a curb, crashed through a fence and landed in the middle of a swimming pool. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said driver and passenger were uninjured, although soaking wet. He says the occupants were a man and a woman in their 50s or 60s, but it's unclear who was behind the wheel when the driver turned into a diver. The car landed in the North Creek Community Center Pool, which fortunately was closed for the season. (New York Post)
Show and Tell Alabama Style
At Blossomwood Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama, a student suffered a gunshot wound to the hand after bringing the gun to school, apparently to show it off. The shooting was ruled accidental and Superintendent Christy Finley said, "We never put the campus on lock down because this was an accident." In a message to parents Finley said the involved students are second-graders and that the shooting happened in a restroom. The gun was immediately taken into custody and the injured student was given medical treatment. The superintendent said she is working with other school officials to implement a district-wide clear backpack policy. She said she also plans to form a task force to find a way to hold parents accountable for gun safety. Blossomwood doesn't have metal detectors currently, but some said school officials should consider installing them. (AL.com)
Rosanne - This is How They Kill Me!
Note: If you don't want to know how Rosanne Conner dies - stop reading now! So at this point it's pretty much public knowledge that the Roseanne show is going on without its namesake in an ABC spinoff called The Conners. Roseanne Barr, who was fired by ABC after posting a racist tweet earlier this year, has confirmed that the door won't be open for her Roseanne character to return unless there is a crossover with The Walking Dead. On Brandon Straka's YouTube show she said, "Oh ya, they killed her. They have her die of an opioid overdose." She also said it was an insult to fans "who loved that family in that show," but acknowledged there wasn't much she could do about it. The character was depicted as having a secret prescription pill addiction in Roseanne's revival season. (New York Post)
What the What?
Meanwhile in Moscow, a woman has sensationally claimed that several little chicks hatched from supermarket eggs while she was away on vacation. According to local media, she went away with her partner for three weeks and returned to the sound of strange noises in their flat. They then found several of the eggs left on the kitchen windowsill had begun hatching. They haven't said what they have planned for the chicks, but are currently feeding them and caring for them. (Metro)
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