Society's ChildS


Attention

German surgeons leave 16 objects in patient, lawyer claims

Image
© Fabrizio Bensch/ReutersA lawyer representing a now-deceased man says doctors removed a needle, compresses and surgical strips from German banker Helmut Brecht after his wounds failed to heal properly following surgery in 2009.
A lawyer in Germany claims surgeons left up to 16 objects in her client's body after an operation for prostate cancer.

Annette Corinth says doctors removed a needle, compresses and surgical strips from banker Helmut Brecht after his wounds failed to heal properly following surgery in 2009.

Health

Man revives woman after snow burial in Utah backcountry avalanche; pair rescued

Image
© Obtained by ABC NewsThe survivor of a backcountry avalanche, Elizabeth Malloy, left, and her skiing companion, during a press conference, Jan. 16, 2013.
A 43-year-old backcountry skier revived after she was buried in an avalanche is now in fair condition at University of Utah Hospital, hospital officials said.

On Saturday, Jan. 12, Elizabeth Malloy and a male friend were in Millcreek Canyon, Utah, a popular spot near Salt Lake City with no designated ski resorts but well-known for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

At approximately 5 p.m., police believe Malloy and her friend triggered an avalanche while backcountry skiing.

"When the avalanche happened, she was completely buried," Lt. Justin Hoyal of the Utah Unified Police of Greater Salt Lake told ABC News. "The male party that she was with had the necessary equipment. He was able to locate her and get her out."

Once the male dug out Malloy from the snow, he noticed she was unconscious, Hoyal said.

Pistol

Mississippi governor moves to 'make gun control illegal'

Image
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) on Wednesday sent a letter to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) and state Speaker of the House Philip Gunn (R) asking them to make President Barack Obama's effort to control gun violence "illegal."

Bryant made his letter public by posting it on Facebook hours before the president had even announced the gun safety measures.

"President Obama will likely issue an Executive Order today that infringes our constitutional right to keep and bear arms as never before in American history," Bryant writes. "I am asking that you immediately pass legislation that would make any unconstitutional order the the President illegal to enforce in Mississippi by state or local law enforcement."

Question

Mysterious deaths blamed on stray dogs


Dozens of protesters gathered in front of Mexico City's Public Security offices on Friday (January 11). They were protesting the capture of 54 street dogs after accusations they mauled five people to death.

Holding banners that read: "The dogs are innocent," "It's easy to blame those who don't have a voice" and "Arrest criminals" the protesters say the dogs are a scapegoat.

[Leslie Vargas, Protester] :"Of course these animals are innocent. They (authorities) are trying to hide another thing and that is why they are taking advantage because they are unable to defend themselves. That is why they were captured."

A member of the Citizen Front for Animal Rights said local authorities had agreed to sit down and discuss solutions to the dog problem.

They also agreed to stop policemen from hunting dogs. [Jose Luis Carranza, Member of Citizen Front for Animals]:"We want a dignified and respectful treatment of dogs and above all respect of the animal protection law."

Arrow Down

At least 3 bald eagles found shot; state offers reward

Dead Eagles
© Courtesy WDFW Facebook
Granite Falls, Wash. - Four dead eagles discovered floating in a lake Jan. 9 outside Granite Falls, Wash. appeared to be the victims of a poacher, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police said.

The four eagles were retrieved by WDFW Police on Jan. 10. Initial observations show at least three of the birds were killed by a small caliber rifle. All of the birds appeared to be perched on trees before they fell into the lake.

Bald eagles are protected under state and federal laws. Killing an eagle is a Class A misdemeanor, and carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 and 90 days in jail.

WDFW, the Humane Society and other groups offered a $3,750 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons or people responsible for killing the eagles. Anyone with information related to the crime can call the WDFW tip line at (877) 933-9847.

Airplane

FAA grounds Boeing 787 Dreamliners

B787
© David McNew/Getty Images/AFPA Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by United Airlines takes off at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on January 9, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a temporary halt of operations of Boeing 787 jets following a series of technical failures that struck the model within a matter of days.

The regulator said that operators must prove that batteries, which have been the origin of the malfunctions causing the groundings, are safe before the planes can get back in the air. The examination of faulty batteries is to be included in a comprehensive high-priority review, which was announced last week.

United Airlines is the only American airline operating the 787, with six in its fleet.­ The carrier said it will immediatelly comply with the FAA order.

The FAA has pledged to work with Boeing to "develop a corrective action plan to allow the US 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible."

The decision to ground the jets was prompted by a second incident involving a lithium ion battery failure on an All Nippon Airways flight, which forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport in western Japan on Wednesday, the FAA said.

Comment:

Come fly with me! Sure, but not on a Boeing 787


Black Cat 2

Traffic accident in China rescues over 1,000 cats from restaurant slaughterhouses

Cats Rescued
© Medical Daily
A car accident in China saved over 1,000 cats from being shipped off to restaurants to be slaughtered as cat meat.

Animal activists in Changsha, the capital city of China's Hunan province had time to free the starving cats crammed in some 40 cages after the truck hauling over 1,000 felines destined for restaurants in Guangdong got in a traffic accident, Care for Chinese Animals reports.

The accident delayed the journey by 24 hours, which allowed 50 locals to rescue the animals. Apparently, while the truck was stranded by the side of the road, a call went out through the social network Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) for all Changsha residents who were willing to save the cats.

Some of the cats died in the accident, but the survivors had been nursed with food, water and milk before being sent to Changsha Small Animal Protection Association for treatment.

Cats in China can spend months stuffed 25 at a time inside small 2ft by 3ft cages. While many of the animals die before they reach their final destination, the cats are usually sold to restaurants for about $1 or $2 or less if they are bought in bulk.

Eye 2

Man accused of threatening to eat judge's kids

Man threatens judge

A north Georgia man has been arrested after authorities say he mailed a letter to the wife of a Cobb County Superior Court judge saying he would cook the couple's children and eat them.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports 58-year-old James Edward Satterfield is accused of sending the threatening letter Dec. 20 to the home of Cobb County Superior Court Judge Reuben Green.

Green Light

Evangelical minister calls to embrace LGBT instead of 'condemn and exclude' policy

Image
© Flickr user HowardLake
The Rev Steve Chalke says Christians need to find ways to support those in or seeking faithful same-sex partnerships

An influential evangelical minister has declared his support for monogamous and loving same-sex relationships, and called on the church to stop treating gay people as pariahs.

The Rev Steve Chalke, a Baptist minister who founded the Christian charity Oasis, says the time has come for the church to demonstrate its compassion and commitment to inclusivity.

His intervention comes amid the Church of England's continuing struggles with the highly divisive issues of celibacy for gay bishops and the introduction of female bishops.

In a long and passionately articulated piece for Christianity magazine, Chalke writes: "I believe that when we treat homosexual people as pariahs and push them outside our communities and churches; when we blame them for what they are; when we deny them our blessing on their commitment to lifelong, faithful relationships, we make them doubt whether they are children of God, made in his image."

Star of David

American-born Israeli settler convicted of murdering Palestinians

Image
An Israeli court on Wednesday found a US-born Jewish settler guilty of murdering two Palestinians and convicted him on two counts of attempted murder.

Jack Teitel, a 41-year-old extreme right religious activist, was found guilty of the killings in 1997 of a bus driver and a shepherd, both Palestinians.

He was also found guilty of two attempted murders, making and illegally possessing weapons and incitement to violence, according to the Jerusalem district court decision, a copy of which was seen by AFP.

The court ruled that Teitel was mentally competent when the offences he was accused of were carried out, and rejected defence lawyers' arguments that their client had not been mentally stable and was therefore not guilty.