Tag Archives: medical

Oklahoma Tornado Kills 51, Death Toll Likely to Rise

At least 51 people, including seven children at an elementary school, were killed Monday by a massive tornado in an area just outside Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Tornado The tornado was estimated to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metro area. Videos showed a huge funnel cloud stretching from the sky to the ground, kicking up dangerous debris . Officials say the death toll is likely to rise. Emergency personnel were scouring the school’s rubble Monday evening, reports indicate. Footage also showed a number of other leveled buildings. The casualties may be even worse than are being confirmed at this time: Twelve adults and eight children are being treated at the Oklahoma University Medical Center and The Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. The Norman Regional Hospital and the Healthplex in Norman, Ok., are treating an unspecified number of people for “trauma, lacerations and broken bones.” Thirteen patients have been moved from Moore Hospital to other hospitals, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management officials said. Oklahoma Tornado Keli Pirtle, a spokeswoman for the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla., said the tornado touched down at 2:56 p.m. and traveled for 20 miles. It was on the ground for 40 minutes, she said, striking the town of Newcastle and traveling 10 miles to Moore, a populous suburb of Oklahoma City. Pirtle said preliminary data suggested that it was a Category 4 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which measures tornado strength on a scale of 0-5. Television on Monday showed destruction spread over a vast area of the region, with blocks upon blocks of homes and businesses destroyed. Residents, some partly clothed and apparently caught by surprise, were shown picking through rubble, while several large structures were on fire. Cars were upended, flipped and stacked on top of each other. The deadly storm system continued to churn through the region on Monday afternoon, and forecasters warned that new tornadoes could still form. An earlier storm system also spawned several strong tornadoes across Oklahoma on Sunday. Several deaths were reported then as well. Russell Schneider, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center, said the area’s tornado risk is still high. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.

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Oklahoma Tornado Kills 51, Death Toll Likely to Rise

Bowler Shoots Himself in Florida, Will Be Okay

A bowler pulled a Plaxico Burress in Florida this week, shooting himself in the leg prior at the Jupiter Lanes Bowling Alley and scaring his fellow patrons half to death. Officers confirm that the man’s own gun discharged during his back swing with the ball. A bullet struck this idiot in the leg and he was taken away in a stretcher once paramedics arrived. The unnamed individual was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries and authorities will not be pressing any charges.

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Bowler Shoots Himself in Florida, Will Be Okay

For Discussion: Jury Finds Jodi Arias Eligible For The Death Penalty…Would Life Be A Harsher Punishment?

Jodi Arias tried the ” I don’t remember” defense and now it looks like it will lead her to the grave. Jury Finds Jodi Arias Eligible For Death Penalty According to The NY Daily News Jurors in Jodi Arias’ trial on Wednesday found the former waitress should be eligible for the death penalty after they convicted her last week of murdering her one-time boyfriend. The decision came after a day of testimony in the “aggravation” phase of the trial, during which prosecutor Juan Martinez hoped to prove the June 2008 killing was committed in an especially cruel and heinous manner. Family members of victim Travis Alexander sobbed in the front row as Martinez took the jury through the killing one more time. He described how blood gushed from Alexander’s chest, hands and throat as the motivational speaker and businessman stood at the sink in his master bathroom and looked into the mirror with Arias behind him. “The last thing he saw before he lapsed into unconsciousness … was that blade coming to his throat,” Martinez said. “And the last thing he felt before he left this earth was pain.” The trial now moves into the final phase, in which prosecutors will call Alexander’s family and other witnesses in an effort to convince the panel Arias should face the ultimate punishment. Arias’ attorneys also will call witnesses, likely members of her family, in an attempt to gain sympathy from jurors so they give her life in prison. The aggravation phase played out in quick fashion, with only one prosecution witness and none for the defense. The most dramatic moments occurred when Martinez displayed photos of the bloody crime scene for the jury and paused in silence for two minutes to describe how long he said it took for Alexander to die at Arias’ hands on June 4, 2008. The defense didn’t have much of a case given how many times Alexander was stabbed, the defensive wounds on his hands, the length of the attack, and the sheer amount of blood found at the scene. Defense lawyers said Alexander would have had so much adrenaline rushing through his body that he might not have felt much pain. The only witness was the medical examiner who performed the autopsy and explained to jurors how Alexander did not die calmly and fought for his life as evidenced by the numerous defensive wounds on his body. It’s up to the jury to recommend a sentence. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy testified Wednesday that Alexander did not die calmly and fought for his life as evidenced by the numerous defensive wounds on his body. Prosecutors said Arias planned the killing in a jealous rage, as Alexander wanted to end their affair and planned to take a trip to Mexico with another woman. Testimony in Arias’ trial began in early January. The jury reached its verdict after about 15 hours of deliberations over four days. All 12 jurors — eight men and four women — unanimously agreed the killing was premeditated. If she gets life she will have to live with her crime everyday until her death. If she gets the death penalty it will be an easy way out. What do you think?

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For Discussion: Jury Finds Jodi Arias Eligible For The Death Penalty…Would Life Be A Harsher Punishment?

Chris Christie Stomach Surgery: N.J. Governor Confirms Secret Weight Loss Operation

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie secretly underwent lap-band stomach surgery this year to lose weight, the politician himself confirmed to the N.Y. Post. He told the newspaper he was thinking of his four young children and how it was time to start improving his health when he decided to have the procedure. “I’ve struggled with this issue for 20 years,” he said. “For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them.” The Republican also insisted that, contrary to what observers may say, the effort to slim down was not motivated by thoughts of the 2016 election . “It’s so much more important than that,” he said. Christie checked in to a surgery center on February 16, possibly under a false name, to have the operation that has already helped him drop 40 pounds. The operation places a silicone tube around the top of his stomach, where it restricts the amount of food he can eat at one time and makes him feel fuller, faster. “A week or two ago, I went to a steakhouse and ordered a steak and ate about a third of it and I was full,” Christie said of his newly tamed appetite. Christie has struggled with his weight for decades. He sometimes jokes about it, while other times, it’s a sensitive topic. Insiders say it may have been keeping the straight-talking executive from higher office. Despite Christie’s denials, political fundraisers say that the surgery is a clear sign that he’s going to join the 2016 race, and will do whatever it takes to win. “This means he’s running for president. He’s showing people he can get his weight in control. It was the one thing holding him back,” a top donor said. Christie has never revealed his weight, but estimates have run from 300 pounds to even higher. He said it was not an easy decision, but it was the right one. The N.J. Governor hired renowned laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon George Fielding, head of NYU Medical Center’s Weight Management Program. He managed to keep the surgery under wraps for nearly three months, but when word finally leaked and he was asked, Christie spoke candidly about it. Christie is often mentioned as a potential GOP candidate for President in the 2016 race, along with Rand Paul , Ted Cruz , Marco Rubio and others. First up, though, will be winning reelection in New Jersey this fall.

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Chris Christie Stomach Surgery: N.J. Governor Confirms Secret Weight Loss Operation

Digger Phelps Diagnosed with Cancer

Digger Phelps, a former coach and long-time college basketball analyst for ESPN, has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. The network announced the sad news this morning and added that Phelps has already undergone surgery. He will soon begin follow-up treatment near his residence in Indiana. In a statement, Phelps said that “he and his family appreciate your thoughts and prayers as he prepares for the 2013-2014 college basketball season.” The 71-year old has been with ESPN since 1993 and coached Notre Dame from 1972-1991. Our thoughts go out to him and his loved ones.

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Digger Phelps Diagnosed with Cancer

Dr. Conrad Murray Today Interview: Don’t Blame Me!

Dr. Conrad Murray is – again – proclaiming innocence when it comes to the death of Michael Jackson, telling Today in a phone interview that he’s not to blame. Murray also says he hopes to practice medicine again some day. Even if he can legally pull that off, we can’t exactly envision the patients lining up … Conrad Murray on Today Speaking with the NBC morning show, Murray did say that he’s sorry Michael Jackson died, but he still says he is in no way responsible for his death. Murray is sticking to his story, which did not play well with a jury in his manslaughter trial, that Michael Jackson killed himself with a fatal dose of Propofol. Conrad is also potentially a key figure in the MJ wrongful death suit , though he has insisted he wants no part of that when it comes to either side. The doc, who’s serving a four-year prison term, says he did not appeal it to shorten his sentence – though he would no doubt take it – but for another reason: So he can restore his medical license and see patients again. Again … we’re all for second chances and all, but … no.

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Dr. Conrad Murray Today Interview: Don’t Blame Me!

Boston Bombing Suspect Throat Injury May Hinder Interrogation; More Violence Planned

The Boston bombing suspect captured alive Friday night suffered an injury to his throat and may not be able to talk, a federal official said this weekend. Officials also believe that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his deceased brother were hoping to launch more violent attacks before they were caught last week. This is likely, given the large quantity of explosives and ammunition they possessed, yet all evidence suggests the two brothers were acting alone. “All of the information I have is they acted alone, these two individuals, the brothers,’’ Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said on ABC’s This Week .’ “The older brother’s dead now. We have the second one … in very serious condition,’’ he said. “We don’t know if we’ll ever be able to question the individual.” Menino’s comment only fueled more questions about the medical condition of Dzhokar Tsarnaev, whose injuries have not been disclosed – officially. The official, who was briefed on Tsarnaev’s condition and reported the throat injury, spoke on condition of anonymity. It’s clear Tsarnaev hasn’t spoken at all – yet. Federal prosecutors continue to patrol the heavily guarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where Tsarnaev is being treated for his wounds. CNN, which first reported the throat injury, did not describe it in detail or indicate how it might impact the captured suspect’s long-term prognosis. Authorities have not publicly detailed the injuries sustained by the teen, but another official said Sunday that he has been “intubated and sedated.” The official also spoke on condition of anonymity. A Justice Department official said that the 19-year-old will likely face federal terrorism charges and possibly state murder charges, no matter what. The government has invoked the public safety exception, a designation that allows investigators to question the teen without reading him his Miranda rights. Tsarnaev, 19, and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev , 26, are accused of setting off two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. Three people died and more than 170 were injured. The most serious charge available to federal prosecutors would be the use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a possible death sentence. Massachusetts does not have the death penalty. U.S. officials said an elite interrogation team would question the Massachusetts college student, assuming that’s even an option. At this point, it’s unclear. Other reports say that the sedated suspect could be charged officially as soon as today, at which point a judge would have to come to his bedside. Story developing …

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Boston Bombing Suspect Throat Injury May Hinder Interrogation; More Violence Planned

R.I.P: Legendary Film Critic Roger Ebert Dead At Age 70 After Battle With Cancer

Sad news to report… Roger Ebert Passes Away Via Chicago Sun Times reports: For a film with a daring director, a talented cast, a captivating plot or, ideally, all three, there could be no better advocate than Roger Ebert, who passionately celebrated and promoted excellence in film while deflating the awful, the derivative, or the merely mediocre with an observant eye, a sharp wit and a depth of knowledge that delighted his millions of readers and viewers. “No good film is too long,” he once wrote, a sentiment he felt strongly enough about to have engraved on pens. “No bad movie is short enough.” Ebert, 70, who reviewed movies for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years and on TV for 31 years, and who was without question the nation’s most prominent and influential film critic, died Thursday in Chicago. He had been in poor health over the past decade, battling cancers of the thyroid and salivary gland. He lost part of his lower jaw in 2006, and with it the ability to speak or eat, a calamity that would have driven other men from the public eye. But Ebert refused to hide, instead forging what became a new chapter in his career, an extraordinary chronicle of his devastating illness that won him a new generation of admirers. “No point in denying it,” he wrote, analyzing his medical struggles with characteristic courage, candor and wit, a view that was never tinged with bitterness or self-pity. RIP Roger Ebert. Now you and Gene Siskel are back together reviewing films in the heavens. See you at the movies!

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R.I.P: Legendary Film Critic Roger Ebert Dead At Age 70 After Battle With Cancer

Idiots: Father Arrested For Feeding His 2-Month-Old Baby Bleach, He “Heard It Helped Clear Up Congestion”

You have to be one dumb motherfawker to think that filling your 2-month-old baby’s bottle with bleach is going to be beneficial… Via WESH: A 2-month-old baby was recovering Sunday after authorities said her father added bleach to her baby formula. Ocala Police Department Sgt. Michael Summer said Carron Washington, 20, fed Caelynn Washington bleach because he heard it could help with the baby’s congestion. According to a police report, the child’s mother went into the child’s room after she heard her crying, and the child spit up a clear liquid that smelled like bleach. She called 911, and the child was taken to the hospital. A hospital employee called police. “You smell the baby bottle and it smells like complete bleach. And the parents aren’t giving us a good story about how it got in there,” the caller told a 911 dispatcher. Police said Carron Washington broke down crying at the police station and admitted to putting bleach in the child’s bottle, saying he heard from a friend in school that it works as a medical cure. He said he mixed less than a cap-full of bleach with less than two ounces of formula. The baby was originally taken to Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala but was moved to Shands Medical Center in Gainesville, where she was listed in stable condition. Medical staff said they noticed the baby’s vomit smelled like bleach, and the bottle of baby formula also smelled the same way. Washington faces charges of aggravated child abuse. He was held on $25,000 bond. Seriously, though??? He could not have really thought that feeding his baby bleach was a good idea. SMH.

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Idiots: Father Arrested For Feeding His 2-Month-Old Baby Bleach, He “Heard It Helped Clear Up Congestion”

Jerry Buss Dies; Lakers Owner Was 79

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who recently checked into the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, has passed away from cancer. He was 79 years old. A former aerospace engineer and real estate developer, Buss purchased the Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the Forum from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. The Lakers won 10 titles under his watch, with Buss earning respect from past and present players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and Kobe Bryant. He was inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. “He’s meant everything to me in my career in terms of taking a risk on a 17-year-old kid coming out of high school and then believing in me my entire career. And then for the game itself, the brand of basketball that he implemented in Showtime carried the league,” Bryant said at a news conference during the NBA’s All-Star weekend. Mike Bresnahan, the team’s beat writer for The Los Angeles Times , confirmed Buss’ passing on Twitter this morning. Our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.

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Jerry Buss Dies; Lakers Owner Was 79