Welcome to Sott.net
Wed, 29 Nov 2023
The World for People who Think

Society's Child
Map

Smoking

British smokers being denied treatment by State-run healthcare service

David Atherton
Breitbart
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 00:00 UTC
Image
Scotland's second largest health board, NHS Lothian, will not be giving further treatment to smokers for non-urgent cases, with referrals from GPs being refused.

Dr. Zahid Raza said: "In Edinburgh, we will not see patients at the clinic that are still smoking. Evidence shows that they would not do well with the treatment." He also went onto say: "We try to avoid intervention and, in around 80 percent of cases, a smoker's condition will improve just simply by stopping smoking and smoking other lifestyle changes."

Dr Jean Turner of the Scotland Patients Association said that she was "extremely disappointed", adding: "I'm really quite shocked. You should not refuse to see anybody and certainly not penalise patients who are smoking.

"It is very God like and highly unfair to refuse to see anybody referred...Doctors are there to see if they can help and relieve symptoms."

NHS Lothian is by no means unique. NHS Hertfordshire back in January 2012 also withdrew treatment to smokers and, as an ominous sign of the slippery slope, those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30 - i.e. the obese - are refused services too.

Smokers may well have a case of righteous indignation.

Comment: Doctors and health services in general nowadays are way past contraventions (minor legal infraction) of any ethical oath to protect its clients, they are in criminal neglect of it! As for real data on smoking, so much have been suppressed:


Also read:
Dr. Relic's sure-fire no-risk unequivocally-guaranteed method to completely eliminate the pain and stress of quitting smoking!

      Read More...
Pocket Knife

Sharp encounter: Mysterious knife falls from city skies and land on man's head


Mirror
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 09:49 UTC
A Chinese man has suffered a lucky escape after a knife fell from the sky and landed in the top of his head.
Image

Mr Xiao is still being treated in his local intensive care unit
Xiao Yunzhi, 57, was out for a walk in his hometown of Guangyuan, Sichaun Province, before a five-inch kitchen knife fell from the top of a high-rise apartment block.

Even more unbelievably, Mr Xiao did not immediately notice the impact, despite reporting that his head started to feel heavy.

However, as soon as the problem was pointed out by the astonished local tobacconist, pain rushed though Mr Xiao's body as bemused onlookers called for an ambulance.
Image
He was still being treated by local intensive care on Monday after the knife which was lodged in his head was finally removed. The man's sister was quick to the scene and explained the horror.
      Read More...
Cardboard Box

Biting the hand that feeds:​ British food exporters feel the pressure from Russian embargo


RT
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 23:13 UTC
fish
© Reuters/Dylan Martinez
Skipper of the Whitby Rose, Howard Locker sorts his catch aboard his trawler in the North Sea, off the coast of Whitby, northern England
UK food firms said they've already started feeling the brunt of the Russian import ban on some agricultural products. British businesses are warning they would lose out if the tension ratchets up to other industries.

On August 7, Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev ordered a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry meat, fish, cheese, milk, vegetables and fruit from Australia, Canada, the EU, the US and Norway.

UK food exporters are concerned over the possible damage caused from losing sales in the Russian market.

"It will have a big impact on business," the BBC quotes Sinclair Banks, the boss of fishing and fish processing firm Lunar.


Comment: D'uh! That's the whole point. And guess what, you deserve it for following the wholly irrational whims of a certifiably insane country.


Half of Lunar's annual turnover of £60 million comes from Russian exports.

"We've £200,000 of herring sitting at St Petersburg, we don't know if it will go through or even if it will be paid for," Sinclair Banks complained, adding that his company had already cancelled a boat exporting herring because of the sanctions.

Another food producer, cheese maker Belton Cheese is also suffering.

Comment: Simple solution, people: end the ridiculous sanctions on Russia and start listening to common sense.

      Read More...
Stormtrooper

Officer shoots service dog for "attacking" him; Owner claims it was only barking

Paul Brown
Opposing Views
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 23:01 UTC
jake
© Unknown
While investigating a hit-and-run accident on Saturday, officer Tony Redmond of Medway, Maine officer shot a dog he claims attacked him.

According to the Bangor Daily News, the dog's owner, Frank Bishop, who witnessed the incident, says his dog was only barking and posed no threat whatsoever to the officer.

"My dog doesn't attack people. He is a service dog," Bishop said Sunday. "The dog is very peaceful. But when people pull in the yard, he barks. That is his job."

The dog, a mix named Jake, had parts of his ear and shoulder blown off by the gunfire, though he is expected to survive.

The incident occurred while Redmond was looking for the owner of the car seen at the scene of the hit-and-run accident. It turns out Bishop was not the perpetrator, though Redmond did not know this at the time.

Bishop recalled, "I came to the door, and I said to the officer, 'Can I help you?' He said, 'Are you Frank?' I said, 'Yeah, just let me get my shoes on.' And I was pulling on one shoe when I heard the bang (of the gun)."

Jake the dog began to bark when the officer approached the home. The officer, who felt threatened, shot the dog, apparently aiming for his face, as the ear and shoulder took the brunt of the gunshot.

Following the gunshot, "Bishop said he looked outside and saw Jake running into the house. Then he saw Redmond, his gun still drawn, laying on his back on the ground, apparently having fallen as he backed away from the dog," reports the Bangor Daily News.

Police Chief Cameron McDunnah commented on the incident, stating, "I don't want to sound callous about what happened to the dog: That's not how I feel, but Tony [Redmond] did what he was supposed to do. In speaking to Tony, it was clear that he was reacting to a threat. It's just an unfortunate incident."
      Read More...
Wolf

Puppy helps find 4yo girl lost in Siberia for almost 2 weeks


RT
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 16:50 UTC
puppy_lost girl
© Still from Ruptly video
Family and rescue workers almost lost hope of finding a 4-year-old girl who went missing with her puppy in bear-infested Siberian marshes and forests almost two weeks ago. Luckily, her pet returned and this helped find the trail to the missing girl.

Karina, from the village of Olom, in the Yakutia Republic in the east of Russia, left home on July 29 and went wandering in the swamps and forests.

The rescue operation started on August 2 and was joined by almost a hundred locals, who roamed the harsh Siberian taiga for several days. They entered the forest accompanied by armed hunters and special police forces as the area is inhabited by bears.

An array of technologies were involved in the search and rescue operation, including an unmanned aerial vehicle that surveiled the area in real time, while a helicopter crew also looked for signs of the little girl.

Several days ago Karina's puppy returned home, said rescue worker Afanasy Nikolaev, adding that at first the family had lost all hope that Karina was alive.

"We hoped that the pet was with the girl and kept her warm during the cold nights, when temperatures drop below zero," he told the NTV channel.

However, it was the puppy that helped the rescuers find a trail, which led to the missing child.
      Read More...
Handcuffs

College student sent to prison for Knockout Game attacks

Jonathan Wolfe
Opposing Views
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 21:49 UTC
Dillon P. Destefano
© Patrick Whittemore
Dillon P. Destefano, 20, will spend the next four years in prison after injuring three people in "Knockout Game" assaults, the Boston Herald reports.

Destefano was convicted this week of punching at least three people at random on the campus of Endicott College in Massachusetts. One victim suffered a broken jaw and had to have his mouth wired shut for weeks. The second victim had his eye socket smashed, and the third was fortunate enough to suffer only a bruised lip.

Prosecutors say Destefano was drunk on the day he carried out the assaults. He allegedly told numerous witnesses he would hurt them if they reported him to authorities.

In court this week, Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett condemned Destefano's violent behavior.

"These were unprovoked, random attacks on unsuspecting victims and will never be tolerated," Blodgett said.
      Read More...
Che Guevara

Forget iPhones - Hundreds of Russians (and Mickey Rourke) line up for Putin T-shirts


Itar-Tass
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 21:09 UTC
Image
© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Metzel
US movie star Mickey Rourke bought a T-shirt bearing a print of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a new collection of the item went on sale in Moscow on Monday, T-shirt designers said.

Rourke, visiting the capital at the invitation of the Russian Boxing Federation, chose a grey T-shirt showing Putin in a cap.

Anna Trifonova and Ivan Yershov, known as the Anyavanya design duo, said their collection was inspired by Russia's numerous victories on the international stage, such as the Sochi Olympics triumph, the world ice hockey championship and reunification with Crimea.

Their stall at Moscow's prestigious GUM department store gathered crowds as some 7,000 new T-shirts went on sale. They sell for 1,200 roubles ($33). Putin fans can also buy an iPhone case for 600 rubles ($17).

In early June, some 5,000 Putin T-shirts sold out in one day.
      Read More...
Nuke

Japan's 'hottest' export this year, radioactive cars, keep turning up in Central Asia

Jay Ramey
AutoWeek
Thu, 10 Jul 2014 20:46 UTC
Image
© David McKelvey
A total of 70 used cars imported from Japan and found to have increased levels of radiation are being stored in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and cannot be sent back, according to Silk Road Reporters citing local news outlets. Car retailers in Kyrgyzstan, who have been importing significant numbers of used cars from Japan for resale in the country, have been finding cars that exhibit levels of radiation above normal. Several batches of cars have been seized by the government during the last three years and have at times been sent back to Japan through an agreement with the Japanese government. However, irradiated cars keep turning up in Bishkek, the capital, and not all of them are being detected in a timely manner.

"These cars cannot be dispatched back. Neither China nor Japan will accept them. For this reason, we have to keep them here and deal with their further disposal," Tolo Isakov, director of the Disease Prevention Department in Bishkek, told the AKIpress news outlet, according to Silk Road Reporters.
      Read More...
Question

Japanese cucumber glows in the dark, sparks concern from internet

Oona McGee
RocketNews24
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 19:03 UTC
Glowing Pickle
© imgurKGTBaTE
One netizen in Japan created quite a pickle recently, after posting these photos online in an internet chat forum. The accompanying thread, titled "the pickled cucumbers my mum made are glowing in the dark", caught the attention of hundreds of users, who began discussing possible causes for the mysterious luminescence. Speculation ranged from light-hearted banter, questioning whether the dawn of cognitive vegetables had finally arrived, to more serious concerns about radiation. What do you think caused the unique phenomenon?

A look at reader reactions unearthed some gems, including:
"This is simply the sign of a good pickle. It's a well-known fact that good quality pickles glow in the dark."

"LED cucumbers!"

"Could it be a result of pesticides?"

"Looks like you've discovered STAP cells!"

"These are some awesome quantum pickles."

"Beware! RADIATION!"

"Do your mum and dad glow in the dark too? (Ouch!)"
The glow was evident in both light and dark environments
      Read More...
Handcuffs

Mother of two facing 11.5 years in prison for honest mistake

Bill Anderson
Fox News
Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:45 UTC
Image
© ChasingNJ
Shaneen Allen is now facing a decade of jail time for admitting she had her gun with her during a routine traffic stop
Chasing New Jersey first brought you the story of Shaneen Allen, the single mother from Philadelphia who didn't know it was illegal to bring the gun she was legally licensed to carry in Philly into New Jersey. When she got pulled over for a minor traffic offense she told the police about the gun and was arrested facing a mandatory three-year sentence.

After hearing about the case, most people thought there's no way she would do time for an honest mistake. Well, yesterday she was in court and she can now face a maximum sentence of 11.5 years in prison. Ten years for possession of a weapon and another 18 months for possession of the bullets.

Allen's attorney Evan Nappen discussed how a person with no prior offenses could end up spending a decade behind bars for being honest.

"New Jersey's gun law is as unforgiving as a prosecutor or judge wants to make it. Either of those two, the judge or the prosecutor could have taken steps to relieve Shaneen from this situation, but it didn't happen," he said.
      Read More...
Revolt! T-shirts