WebProNews

Author: Lacy Langley

  • “Two Fat Ladies” Star Lived Life, Inspired Many

    Two Fat Ladies star Clarissa Dickson Wright died Saturday at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary of an unspecified illness, according to CBS.

    The surviving member of the hilarious duo that made the world laugh on the hit BBC show was 66 years old. Her full name was Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright, and like her name, her personality was larger than life itself.

    She was described as “a marvelous cook and hugely knowledgeable about food and food history” by the shows producer, Patricia Llewellyn. “She was a force of nature and a true character, someone who knew how to tell a great story and had a fabulous sense of humor.”

    After Two Fat Ladies ended in 1999 with the death of co-star Jennifer Paterson, Clarissa Dickson Wright moved on to make other TV series and wrote books including A History of English Food and her memoir called Spilling the Beans.

    Dickson Wright began life in an affluent London family as the daughter of a brilliant and respected surgeon who also happened to be a violent alcoholic.

    She grew up to become a lawyer, but alcohol addiction brought an early end to her promising career. So, she ran a cookbook store until she was discovered for the BBC show. The rest is BBC history.

    Her agent Heather Holden-Brown said of her, “Her fun and laughter, extraordinary learning and intelligence, will be missed always, by so many of us.”, according to the BBC.

    She went on to say, “Loved dearly by her friends and many fans all over the world, Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost.”

    She led the fantastical life comparable to her huge personality, and is recently quoted as saying, “I’ve had a fantastic life and I’ve done everything I could have wanted to do and more”.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jessa Duggar Could Start Courting Trend

    Jessa Duggar made waves with the announcement of her courtship last year with beau Ben Seewald, prompting most Americans to ask, “What’s courtship?”

    Now she has begun talking about what it’s really like, opening the eyes of a new generation to the time-tested process.

    Jessa and her sister explained on Good Morning America that courting is “a new season of life. It’s exciting. We call it dating with a purpose and not just frivolous, really considering the person as a potential life partner.”

    This is truly a new concept in this generation of casual hook-ups and marriage decline. However, with new teen celebrities making waves like Sadie Robertson, Kolby Koloff, and Jessa Duggar, perhaps the tide could be turned. Is this the beginning of a new conservative generation?

    Would today’s teens turn away from casual dating in favor of a more serious approach? Jessa’s sister Jill thinks courting is a better way to meet Mr. Right. She is encouraging young women to look deeper than looks or money to find their perfect match and not waste time on a relationship that could end with a broken heart and a lost sense of self.

    Her advice is to ask some vital questions when cosidering who to enter courtship with, like “Is he going to be a good father? Is he slow to anger?”.

    The girls and their parents set rules for courtship which almost completely omit any physical contact, according to Fox 411. “I think we’re saving like hand holding and that stuff more for engagement and we’re saving our first kiss for our wedding day,” Jessa explained.

    The trend toward a more wholesome life experience is absolutely encouraging as a mother, but can today’s tweens and teens ditch dating for an old-fashioned idea like courtship? Time will tell on this one!

    Image via YouTube

  • Death Row for 30 Years, Now Glenn Ford is Free

    Louisiana man, Glenn Ford, walked free on Tuesday evening for the first time since being incarcerated 30 years ago for a murder he didn’t commit, according to CBS.

    “My mind’s going all different kinds of directions, but it feels good,” Ford said moments after taking his first steps outside the Angola prison. He feels good, but does harbor some incredibly understandable resentment.

    “I’ve been locked up almost 30 years for something I didn’t do,” Ford said. “I can’t go back and do anything I should have been doing when I was 35, 38, 40, stuff like that.”

    He is now 64, and most of his life has passed. Ford was convicted in 1984 for the 1983 murder of Isadore Rozeman, 56, a Shreveport jeweler and watchmaker for whom he said he did some occasional yard work.

    Rozeman was found shot to death behind the counter of his shop on Nov. 5, 1983 and no murder weapon was ever found. There were also no eyewitnesses to the crime.

    The wrinkles in the case against Ford were numerous and are now a little disturbing. The most damning testimony came from a woman named Marvella Brown who happened to be the girlfriend of Jake Robinson, the man Ford implicated in the murder. Brown later testified that she had lied to the court.

    There was also the fact that Ford’s court-appointed attorneys had never tried a murder case before. And there was the entirely white jury of his “peers” which, after his conviction, called for the death penalty.

    In 2013, prosecutors notified the defense that “a confidential informant for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office stated that Jake Robinson told him that he, not Mr. Ford, shot and killed Isadore Rozeman.”

    The family of Isadore Rozeman welcomed the overturning of Glenn Ford.

    “This is a positive reflection on the criminal justice system,” Phillip Rozeman, Isadore Rozeman’s nephew said. “We don’t have animosity for anyone. If someone else was involved or others were involved in his death there also will be justice for those people.”

    According to The Shreveport Times, he also stated about the incident, “From a personal viewpoint for our family, this was a hard time and it was tragic that he was killed. It had a major impact, especially on my father, I think it had a negative impact on his health. My uncle was a kind and gentle person. He never hurt anyone. It was tragic he was killed for a few antique watches and clocks, that someone felt they needed to kill him for that.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Doris Day: 90th B-Day Bash is for “Four-Leggers”

    Doris Day is coming up on a big birthday on April 3rd and instead of cards and gifts, the Hollywood legend would like the focus to be somewhere else, according to CBS.

    Day is hosting a fundraising bash at her Cypress Inn in Carmel, California to benefit animals, which have been her life and cause since retiring from stage and screen.

    She says, “I’m all about the four-leggers.”, and she puts her money and energy behind it. She started the Doris Day Animal Foundation because she felt the animal rescue efforts in the 1970’s were severely lacking.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuq8X4mn8P4

    According to the website, she was “affectionately known to some as ‘The Dog Catcher of Beverly Hills’, Doris would often find unwanted dogs dropped off at her gate. It was not uncommon for her to knock on neighbors’ doors in an attempt to reunite lost dogs with their owners or check to make sure those that were either reunited or in new homes were doing well and receiving proper care and attention.

    ‘One star was famously quoted as saying, ‘We all had at least one of those Doris Day animals. If you would see Doris on the street or at the studio, chances are you would end up with some homeless cat or dog Doris was sponsoring. She carried around photos of the animals who needed homes, and then she’d actually come over to inspect your house to make sure you were up to it.’”

    Her heart for animals is the center of the affair which will include a doggie fashion show, adoption event, and an April 4th tribute dinner for fans and friends. An online auction will begin April 1st featuring items signed by her celebrity friends Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, and Doris Day herself.

    “There is so much work still to do to rescue animals, and to inform people about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets,” Day said.

    She is most famous for the dozens of films stretching from the 1940s all the way to the 1960s, including “Pillow Talk” and “Calamity Jane,” and recorded hit songs including “Que Sera, Sera.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Says Show Is For God First

    Duck Dynasty has been in the news several times for causing a stir and for a family that is first and foremost trying to change the way the world looks at life, this is sometimes a good thing.

    Sadie Robertson, daughter of Willie and Korie Robertson, told Fox 411 that the Robertson Clan started the show for one purpose only, and that wasn’t fame.

    “When we began ‘Duck Dynasty,’ we weren’t starting it for fame,” she said. “We started it to get the message of God out there.”

    She added, “We could have easily done a reality show like everyone else,” she said. “But it’s our faith that catches people’s eyes because sadly, it’s not something we’re used to seeing [on TV] these days.”

    This is something that is sad, and true. Sadie recalled the family dinner where they decided to go ahead with the show, “We had a family dinner before the show started and we talked about if at any time in this journey that God is not first, then we have to put the show away.”

    And if fame starts to go to their heads?

    “If we start to think of ourselves too highly, we remember that we were happy before the show and we will be happy after the show.”, she said.

    Sadie has amazingly strong character for a 16-year-old, and has carried her family’s values over into her own life as she begins to strike out on her own and begin her work for God.

    She has walked the runway at New York’s Fashion Week, designed dresses, sang with Allison Krauss, and many other things that girls her age could only dream of. But her most important work doesn’t center around herself or her life at all.

    She co-hosts a popular Youtube series called “The New Different” with “Preacher’s Daughters” star Kolby Koloff which is making a difference in the lives of kids her age, and holding fast to the family’s principle of bringing God into the lives of those who watch.

    “We started ‘The New Different‘ because we saw all of these people get famous from doing stupid things on Vine and YouTube and we thought if they can put the stupidest things online and have millions of views, why don’t we start a Christian-based video series?”

    Sadie admitted that she gets mean tweets all the time and at least one a day that expresses someone’s hope that she does or does not end up like Miley Cyrus, but she keeps moving forward and says that if they just help one person, it’s worth the abuse.

    “When you’re famous you do get so much attention that I can see how you could just think the world of yourself. I think if you go into it thinking that this is not for me, that this is for God, you’ll be okay.”

    Image via YouTube

  • U.S. Economy Adds 175,000 Jobs in February

    U.S. Economy Adds 175,000 Jobs in February

    The American economy added 175,000 jobs in February which is higher than the goal of 149,000 set by Wall Street economists. However, the numbers on actually hiring were a little less impressive.

    With all the new jobs, the unemployment rate still rose .1% to rest at 6.7% for February. That’s 10.5 million people if you’re counting.

    What’s the cause of the uptick in unemployment? The severe weather experienced around the nation this winter has been one possibility tossed around at some pretty heated debates among economists and traders, according to the New York Times. However, the uptick can also be attributed to optimistic unemployed people returning to the job search market.

    In fact, some involved in the debate will not even consider the numbers for February “clean data”. Those will wait for the weather to clear and look forward to the numbers from March and April for a more accurate account of how things really look for the U.S. economy.

    February’s report was difficult to predict because other surveys have offered contradictory signs about the labor market this week, such as the private sector adding 162,000 jobs, and the public sector adding 13,000.

    Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said before February’s numbers were announced, “We are braced for just about anything tomorrow. Mixed payroll signals and unpredictable seasonals make tomorrow’s number a very tough call.”

    February’s numbers for some people undoubtedly create a bright outlook after previous uninspiring reports. December saw the economy only adding 75,000 jobs. January was a little better with 129,000 jobs added, but both fell short of the hopes presented by Wall Street. With the announcement, the blow was softened by about 25,000 as the jobs numbers for January and February were revised, according to AFP.

    However, the optimistic numbers for February are still down from last year’s average of 190,000 added jobs.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bindi Irwin: Making a Splash, Ruffling Feathers

    Bindi Irwin is holding her own in the world of wildlife conservation. Her famous dad, the late Steve Irwin, would be proud of his daughter in her efforts but would he agree with her latest venture?

    Bindi has just joined up with SeaWorld and is catching a lot of fire from those who, you know, like to harass 15-year-olds for trying to save animals.

    The sweet native Australian appeared on Good Morning America Thursday with her mother, Terri, and brother, Robert. She was happy to announce her new partnership, according to Australia’s AAP.

    “I’m thrilled to be partnered up with SeaWorld,” Bindi said. “Thrilled to be part of this new project Generation Nature and just encouraging kids to change the world.” She added that she was “excited to be carrying on in Dad’s footsteps” and she also urged viewers to log on to seaworldkids.com, which is full of great info and educational games for kids.

    However, some find her enthusiasm…misplaced. And they don’t mind sharing.

    Aaaand there’s always this guy,

    SeaWorld on the other hand, is excited to have Bindi on board,

    “We are proud to partner with Bindi Irwin in a program that couples the world’s most incredible young conservationist with the passionate wildlife experts at SeaWorld,” SeaWorld spokesperson Becca Bides said. “SeaWorld has been a global leader in education, conservation and animal care for 50 years. We are excited to join forces with Bindi as we continue to educate and encourage kids to take part in helping to save wildlife.”

    Is this new partnership between Bindi and SeaWorld a great way to raise wildlife conservation awareness in a new generation? Or a simple ploy by SeaWorld to clean up it’s image after the Blackfish fiasco?

    Image via Twitter

  • “Hot Facebook Mom” Now Respected Health Guru

    “Hot Facebook Mom” is no longer a joke. Maria Kang, who rose to short-lived internet fame after posting the infamous “What’s your excuse?” photo on Facebook, has helped found the “No Excuses Moms Movement”.

    The movement has over 700 groups of moms all over the nations, and internationally, that meet for free exercise at local parks and other spaces.

    Kang was on the bad end of some serious heat after posting this picture to Facebook:

    Post by Maria Kang.

    She was accused of boasting, fat-shaming, and many other sins. Some of the criticism grew serious during a scuffle with “real women” campaign supporters out of California.

    “We have a health issue in America with over 2/3 overweight or obese,” and a “healthcare crisis,” and a “childhood obesity issue. We need to change this strange mentality we are breeding in the U.S. and start celebrating people who are a result of hard work, dedication and discipline. I’m not bashing those who are proud and overweight, I am empowering those who are proud and healthy to come out and be the real role models in our society.”

    Post by Maria Kang.

    Well, she has certainly been successful in that aspiration. The women who meet at the groups she has started are ready to get healthier for their families and their future. The ladies truly have no excuses, which is the point. They meet at free locations and use body weight and gravity to do their workouts, no equipment required. Children are even encouraged to attend.

    “I feel like all the backlash was worth it,” Kang tells Yahoo. “I feel like my original image and message sparked an international dialogue that woke people up and made them question their excuses. I’ve always stood my ground that my intention was to inspire — and I have —and it’s exciting.”

    Like her or hate her, she has used the (sometimes truly hateful) backlash from her stand against obesity to inspire and help many women who are ready for a change. In my book, that’s pretty admirable.

    Image via Facebook

  • Massachusetts Upskirting Ban Passed

    Wednesday, Massachusetts’ highest court surprisingly ruled that Micheal Robertson, who was caught taking cellphone pictures up the skirts of women riding the Boston subway by transit authorities, wasn’t doing anything illegal.

    Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley called for a rewrite of the law right after the case’s dismissal on Wednesday during a press conference.

    Thursday, they had legislation for that.

    Lawmakers have approved a bill that would punish those who secretly take photographs of “the sexual or other intimate parts” of women or children in public.

    In fact, anyone who does such a thing would face a pretty stiff penalty of a maximum penalty of two-and-a-half years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Jail time and fines double if the victim is under 18 years of age, according to AP.

    If they distribute such filth or put the photos on pornographic websites, that would carry a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

    The bill could be before Governor Deval Patrick as early as Friday. He has publicly committed to signing it.

    Senate President Therese Murray had this to say just moments after the Senate unanimously approved the bill, “It is sexual harassment. It’s an assault on another person whether it’s a child or an adult. Woman and children should be able to go to public places without feeling that they are not protected by the law.”

    Robert DeLeo, House Speaker, said that after Wednesday’s ruling, Legislature moved quickly to find a solution to the problem. In the past three years, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police have investigated 13 “secretly photographing” cases.

    “Not only did we get it done quickly, but I think there was a feeling that we did it right,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that this would be a law that would pass all legal questions that could arise.”

    According to CNN, he later added, “The House took action today to bring Massachusetts laws up-to-date with technology and the predatory practice of ‘upskirting.’ We must make sure that the law protects women from these kind of frightening and degrading acts.”

    Image Via YouTube

  • Teen Who Sued Parents Denied Support

    Teen Who Sued Parents Denied Support

    The eighteen-year-old girl who sued her parents for child support and tuition has lost her case. The judge’s reasoning for denying her support was that the case, if won, would set a bad precedent on limits for parenting, which could lead to a flood of these kinds of cases.

    Rachel Canning insisted in court that her parents kicked her out of their house 2 days before her eighteenth birthday back in October. Her parents, including former Lincoln Park Police Chief Sean Canning, say that the teen left on her own because she didn’t want to follow basic rules of their household like doing chores, being respectful, and the curfew, according to Fox News.

    Ms. Canning was asking for $654 per week in child support and for her parents to pay tuition to her catholic high school for the remainder of the year. A new case, tentatively scheduled for April 22nd, will determine if her parents will have to pay for her college or not. Rachel has already been accepted to several colleges for next year.

    The judge in the case, Morris County Court Judge Peter Bogaard, did rule that her parents will keep Rachel on their health insurance policy and that they will continue to contribute to her college savings account.

    Sean Canning paints a picture of a bit of a spoiled brat, saying that their expectations were very reasonable, perhaps even too lenient.

    “I’m a liberal, liberal parent,” he said. “I wish I could have grown up in my house. I was tougher on my cops at work than I’ve ever been at my home, that’s for sure.”

    He just wishes the whole thing was over, and that Rachel would come back home. Her parents both want her to be a part of their family again.

    “This whole thing is just destroying our family,” he said. “We love our daughter. She’s our pride and joy. The door is wide open. We want her to come home.”

    What do you think? Is this the latest manifestation of the “entitlement generation” or do you believe that Rachel Canning deserves to have her family’s financial support?

    Image via YouTube

  • Snake Eating Croc Actually Not Rare Occurrence

    If people who don’t care for all things huge, creepy and dangerous needed yet another reason to steer clear of Australia, this would be it.

    Several bystanders at Lake Moondarra witnessed an enormous water python devouring a small crocodile in a shocking display of food chain action.

    Mother Tiffany Corlis was having breakfast near the lake on Sunday when some nearby canoeists directed her attention to the epic reptilian battle going on not far from where she was, according to the Brisbane Times.

    She said of the events that slowly unfolded, ‘‘[The crocodile] was fighting at the start, so it was trying to keep its head out of water and survive. But, as the morning sort of progressed, you could tell that both of them were getting a little weaker. Finally, the croc sort of gave in and the snake had uncoiled for a little while and had a brief break and then actually started to consume the crocodile.’’

    ‘‘It was just unbelievable.” she continued,”We were sort of thinking that the snake had bitten off a little more than it could chew. But it did. It actually ate the crocodile. The aftermath showed the overstuffed snake lying still, where presumably it stayed for some time as it digested its dinner. When you actually looked at the snake, you could actually see the crocodile’s ridges, legs and everything inside its belly.’’

    (Cringe)

    Strangely enough, this sort of event is not uncommon. Snake expert and Associate Professor at the University of Queensland’s School of Biological Science Brian Fry, said of the occurence, ‘‘Crocs are more dangerous to catch but easier to sneak up on,’’ he said. ‘‘Up in Kakadu, for example, they feed heavily on small rodents but that’s not to say they won’t take the crocs as well. The problem is they are risking being injured or killed, so they have to be judicious.’’

    The crazy part of this whole ordeal is that swimming in this particular lake has always been considered a safer choice. I’m sure residents will rethink this evaluation. I know I would if I realized that this huge snake called the mud and waters of Lake Moondarra his home.

    Image via Twitter

  • Warren Buffett Successor Still a Mystery

    Warren Buffett’s immensely successful insurance and investment company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc will surely be left in good hands after he steps down, but the mystery surrounding the successor is disquieting to its investors.

    Buffett sought to comfort those investors in his annual letter to shareholders over the weekend, but there was little comfort to be had without knowledge of his plan for the company after the 89-year-old fiscal icon steps down. The angst is caused, in part, by a long string of examples of what can happen when a phenomenal leader of a company departs and leaves another in charge, according to Reuters.

    Take what happened at Microsoft, for instance, when Bill Gates left his company in the hands of Steve Ballmer. Ballmer has been struggling ever since to get share prices back up to where they were under the direction of Gates. A similar problem happened when Apple CEO Tim Cook took the helm from Steve Jobs.

    Opinions of experts that are floating around offer little condolence.

    “I don’t know of any good examples of an iconic CEO like Buffett ever being successfully followed,” said Meyer Shields, who is an analyst with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.

    Dave Sather, president at Sather Financial Group, said, “I feel sorry for the person who follows in his shoes.”

    The problem that lies in wait for Buffett’s successor is his aptitude and freedom in taking serious risks that would easily get any other CEO fired immediately. The next head of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. will have nowhere near that kind of freedom.

    One thing that is known for sure is that Buffett’s role in the company will be split into 3 roles: CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and Chairman, which will be filled by his son, Howard.

    Speculation has been rampant for years, and seemed to get a boost on Saturday when Buffett praised some of the names that have been floated for his replacement, including Ajit Jain, the head of his insurance operations, Greg Abel, the chief of his power utility MidAmerican, and Matthew Rose who leads his railroad company BNSF.

    Perhaps the finalized plan will not be disclosed until Buffett departs for good, but one thing we know is that Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway have always looked far into the future when deciding the direction for the company. Surely it will be left in capable hands.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Food Labels Will Soon Be Easier to Decipher

    Food labels are changing for the first time in 20 years in an effort to continue the fight against obesity. They will begin prominently displaying things like calories for the typical serving size for regular people, not supermodels.

    They will also have to clearly state added sugars like corn syrup, white and brown sugar, and fruit juice concentrate, according to Reuters.

    Michelle Obama, champion of the “Let’s Move” Campaign, made the big announcement on Thursday on behalf of the FDA.

    She explained in a statement the principle behind the new label concept, saying it is “very simple”. She added, “You as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf, and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family.”

    That will be nice to not have to become a detective every time you enter the grocery store in order to decode food labels and add up calories because obviously, no one eats half a cup of ice cream.

    Dr. David Kessler, former Commissioner of the FDA, said the new label are a “critically important” advance in the way food is presented to the consumer.

    “The food label is not just about giving consumers information but about creating incentives for the industry to create healthier products. No company wants their product to look bad on the food label.”

    The updates won’t be immediate. In fact, you may not see widespread use of them for up to 3 years. The transition begins with a 90-day public comment period, then the FDA will finalize the rules. After rules are finalized, food companies have 2 whole years to comply.

    Current FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg stated that the proposed label change reflects what “has been learned about the connection between what we eat and the development of serious chronic diseases impacting millions of Americans.”

    Perhaps this will be a good weapon in the already fairly successful fight against the American obesity epidemic.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mayim Bialik Says Breast is Best, Study Says Maybe

    Mayim Bialik has defended her right to breastfeed all over the place including a New York City subway. She has been a staunch advocate of attachment parenting and nursing until children are ready to be done, even if that means the “baby” is 2 or 3.

    She recently defended said subway incident, according to The Huffington Post. She said of the ensuing firestorm,

    “What I like to point out is that was the best way for that subway ride to be pleasant for everyone,” she said, adding later: “I don’t believe you need to cover up a baby eating anymore than you need to cover a baby drinking a bottle.”

    She went on to blame the controversy over breastfeeding on our society’s “very, very bizarre relationship with breasts.”

    Ok, so we may have a weird relationship with breasts. Consider the never-ending and always heated (for some reason) discussion on breastfeeding amongst new mothers and the mom-shaming that goes on for choosing not to, or not being able to, breastfeed.

    Is it really that big of a deal? A new study says it may not be.

    “I do think a lot of the effects of breastfeeding have been overstated,” lead researcher Cynthia Colen, assistant professor of sociology, tells Yahoo Shine.

    She added, “African-American women breastfeed children much less than white women do, for example, and I thought, this has to be affecting the findings,” she explains. “But I didn’t expect the research to be this striking.”

    1,773 sibling pairs were followed between 1986 and 2010 to make up the study. The result was that siblings raised in the same family but fed differently as infants had virtually no differences in outcomes including BMI, obesity, hyperactivity, parental attachment, and test scores predicting academic achievement in vocabulary, reading, math, and general intelligence in the ages between 4 and fourteen.

    Interesting. Perhaps this research will prompt a cease-fire in the endless debate between breast and bottle? One can hope.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Infected Rat Bite Death: Is Rat Bite Fever Common?

    An infected rat is being blamed for taking the life of 10-year-old Aidan Pankey, and now his grieving parents are suing Petco. The rat was reportedly infected with streptobacillus moniliformis which causes what is commonly known as rat bite fever, according to Fox News.

    Aidan was rushed to the emergency room on June 11, 2013 and died hours later on June 12th. He was lethargic, pale, and complaining of severe stomach pain. He was barely able to walk.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, Rat Bite Fever can be contracted from the bite or scratch, or simple handling, of an infected rodent such as a rat, mouse, gerbil, hamster, etc. It can also be contracted through contaminated water or food.

    The CDC says that Rat Bite Fever is underdiagnosed since it responds well to common antibiotics like penicillin and is hard to detect as it presents like common viruses and bacterial infections. They also say it is rarely fatal.

    Petco expressed condolences in a statement saying,

    “We are deeply saddened by the Pankey family’s tragic loss. The health and safety of people and pets is always a top priority, and we take the family’s concerns very seriously.”

    That doesn’t do much for the Pankey family who want to prevent this happening to anyone else’s child. They say that Petco should have had more information on the health of the rodents that they sell, and should have warned about the danger to children.

    “It’s a means to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Family Attorney John Gomez said of the lawsuit. “Apparently there was some breakdown in procedures. They want tighter controls.”

    Although they know that no win in court will bring back their son, hopefully they can honor Aidan’s memory by reducing the chances of another family losing a child to Rat Bite Fever.

    “He was a bright, energetic, friendly, happy kid who actually had a prior rat, who was a female, and he had this idea in his young head of having his female rat get married,” Gomez said of Aidan.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tiny Houses Efficient Way to House Homeless

    Tiny Houses have been steadily growing in popularity among people who want to downsize, simplify their lives, or just want cheaper housing. Now they are helping society with a more serious issue. Homelessness.

    There are several benefits to using tiny houses to fill the need of communities across the nation, according to CBS. The tiny houses are much cheaper to build than traditional shelters.

    For this purpose they are being built without plumbing for kitchen or bathroom, making the cost only about $5,000 per unit. In addition, many are built with donated materials as well as volunteer labor, sometimes from those that will eventually live in them.

    Another benefit is the community atmosphere that these tiny houses provide. Since there are no bathrooms or kitchens, there will be facilities provided in shared buildings. Those who are not that social will have a chance to get used to getting along with others in a controlled environment where cooperation is a necessity.

    Having your own tiny house also provides those that are looking for a fresh start something to call their own.

    “You’re out of the elements, you’ve got your own bed, you’ve got your own place to call your own,” said Harold “Hap” Morgan, who has suffered injury, depression and alcohol addiction. “It gives you a little bit of self-pride: This is my own house.” He added, “My goal is to go back to that and get my own place, but it’s really nice to have this to fall back on.”

    The tiny housing for homeless movement sprang out of the Occupy movement in Eugene, Oregon. What was once an Occupy camp slowly became a tent city for the homeless, which became an idea. Andrew Heben and some others worked with the city, which donated land for a tiny house community, to create a solution.

    That solution was Opportunity Village Eugene, which opened up in September. Most of the units, nine huts of 60 square feet and 21 bungalows of 64 and 80 square feet, are already built and ready for tenants.

    “It’s an American success story. … Now we see in different cities people coming up with citizen driven solutions,” Heben said.

    Image via YouTube

  • Amanda Knox Saga: Meredith Kercher Forgotten?

    The saga of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito is huge and intriguing. There’s murder, sex, lies, a possible government set up, and who knows what else. Are they guilty? Not guilty? Lying to keep each other safe or turning on each other?

    We may never know the whole story. However, there is one person that seems to be getting lost in the frenzy and that is victim Meredith Kercher. Her family is now speaking out in a documentary that will air on Monday, and they are asking that we not forget that Meredith was a life taken too soon. She had family and friends that suffer through news reports and documentaries about the murder of their daughter and sister, according to The Guardian.

    In the interview Kercher’s sister Stephanie said, “Mez has been forgotten in all of this. The media photographs aren’t really of her. There’s not a lot about what actually happened in the beginning. So it is very difficult to keep her memory alive in all of this.”

    Meredith Kercher was a bright 21-year-old with a bright future. She was from Coulsdon, Surrey, and was on a university exchange in Perugia. Her sister said of Meredith’s fateful decision to study in Italy,

    “She was very excited about coming to Italy, looking forward to learning about Italian culture. Seeing the city of Perugia and making new friends. She really fought to be here. She wanted to be here.”

    Their last moments together before she left were bittersweet,”We were just talking on the sofa and having a little cuddle of goodbye, and I just remember her suddenly crying and saying she was going to be sad but she was excited to come and I remember being quite taken aback and I thought, ‘Don’t make me sad. I’ll miss you but you’ll go and have fun’.”

    Kercher was brutally murdered on November 7, 2007 in the space she shared with Amanda Knox. Whether or not Amanda had anything to do with it is still up in the air, but Meredith Kercher’s family’s suffering will go on even after we’ve figured it all out.

    Speaking of his family’s long ordeal, brother Lyle Kercher said: “Anybody losing anyone close is hard, losing someone so young and the way we did is obviously 100 times worse, and on top of that to have all the media attention that has gone for so long makes it very difficult to cope with.”

    Once there is a final decision, after all of the appeals and arguments can be made, perhaps this family can forget the painful process and just focus on celebrating Meredith’s life, which was ended way too soon.

    Image via YouTube

  • Childhood Obesity Rate Plummets Shocking 43%

    It seems that telling our kids “no” to some of the sodas and candy has really paid off.

    Federal health authorities reported Tuesday that childhood obesity rates in children ages 2-5 are down by 43%, which is much lower than expected, according to the New York Times.

    “This is the first time we’ve seen any indication of any significant decrease in any group,” said Cynthia Ogden, researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is also the author of the report, which will be published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, on Wednesday. “It was exciting.”

    Exciting, for sure. A few states have reported some underwhelming progress toward eliminating childhood obesity in recent years, but nothing like this.

    Experts say that the reason for the sharp fall is really beyond understanding. Is Michelle Obama really having the kind of effect that she wanted to have on this serious issue? She has worked to lead a push to change young children’s eating and exercise habits. Over 10,000 child care centers across the country have signed on to implement her Let’s Move program.

    The science on whether or not a program like Mrs. Obamas can really affect society as a whole and that society’s bad habits is foggy at best. However, supporters of her program say that a good system applied regularly becomes the new habit and can change the way a society does things.

    Mrs. Obama commented on the impressive new numbers Tuesday saying,

    “I am thrilled at the progress we’ve made over the last few years in obesity rates among our youngest Americans.”

    The trend is an encouraging one as research shows that if kids are overweight in those young and habit-forming years, they are about 5 times as likely to be overweight, or even obese, adults. They are also much more likely to have issues with cancer, heart disease and stroke.

    Yay! Go us!

    Image via YouTube

  • Amanda Knox: Sollecito Questioning Her Innocence?

    Amanda Knox just can’t catch a break. After being convicted last month for the now infamous 2007 murder of roommate Meredith Kercher, her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito is now admitting that he has questions about Knox’s behavior on the morning after Kercher’s murder, according to the Daily Mail.

    “Certainly I asked her questions,” Sollecito said in the interview for Italian TV, which aired in part on the Today show on Monday.

    He specified, “Why did you take a shower? Why did she spend so much time there?”.

    These are questions he says he doesn’t have the answers to. After the two have stuck together in their alibi for that night for so long and have refused to turn on each other in exchange for reduced jail time, why would he change his tune this late in the game?

    Sollecito could possibly be taking precautions by distancing himself from Knox, according to NBC legal analyst Lisa Bloom.

    “He’s saying that there’s some evidence that may apply to her that doesn’t apply to him.” she said. She could be right. There would be many benefits to distancing himself from Amanda Knox, however, earlier this month she denied the growing speculation.

    Knox states in her personal blog, “It has been claimed that, in this most recent round of closing arguments and in interviews since the latest guilty verdict, Raffaele and his defense attorneys have finally betrayed their resentment and started to put distance between him and me legally and personally. This is not the case. Actually, Attorney Bongiorno’s closing arguments and Raffaele’s latest statements pinpoint and attack a fundamental weakness in the prosecution’s case against both Raffaele and me that has been ignored for far too long: Raffaele is not a slave.”

    She then added, “Raffaele has plenty of reason for resentment, but not against me. The only reason he has been dragged into this is because he happens to be my alibi.”

    Knox also says that Sollecito has been in contact with her by email, and recently said this to her, “I don’t want to be punished for, nor have to continue to justify, those things that regard you and not me. Obviously the evidence demonstrates both of our innocence, but it seems that for the judges and the people this objectivity is of no importance.”

    So is this implication of his attempt at distance true or simply a ploy to insist on her guilt?

    Image via YouTube

  • Israeli Airstrikes Reportedly Hit Hezbollah Target

    Israeli aircraft reportedly carried out an airstrike near the Syria-Lebanon border late Monday. Israel has declined to comment on the situation and there has been no confirmation from Lebanon, according to the AP.

    However, Lebanon’s National News Agency has taken a guess that the strikes happened near Nabi Sheet which is a remote village in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

    The residents of Nabi Sheet say otherwise. Jaafar al-Musawi, head of Nabi Sheet Municipality, said there was no airstrike on the town.

    “We heard warplanes followed by explosions, it could be along the border with Syria,” he said.

    A report from AFP includes commentary from a Lebanese security source who said, “two Israeli raids hit a Hezbollah target on the border of Lebanon and Syria.”

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to take military action before, which would prevent Syria from shipping weapons to Hezbollah, Syria’s ally. Israel has also carried out several airstrikes inside Syria to halt suspicious shipments of missiles. These shipments sometimes include Russian anti-aircraft missiles and guided missiles from Iran.

    There is also this seeming confirmation from Israel’s “Yediot Aharonot”, which blared from the front page, “Foreign reports: Israeli strike in Lebanon”. The paper also referred to strikes Israel supposedly admitted carrying out against Hezbollah in Syria last year.

    Israeli officials do believe that Hezbollah has restocked its arsenal with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles after the month-long war back in 2006 between the archenemies that ended in a blood-soaked stalemate. Some of these rockets and missiles are said to be able to reach just about anywhere in the Jewish state.

    Over the weekend, Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz made remarks that seemed to imply that something could go down.

    “We are monitoring closely the transfer of all types of weapons to all fronts,” Gantz said. “Sometimes, in case of necessity, something can happen.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Debt Consolidation: Beware of Student Loan Scams

    It seems that just about everyone has student loan debt at one time in their lives, and as far as debt is concerned, that seems to be the kind that holds on the longest.

    If you’re having trouble paying down your student loans, debt consolidation is sometimes the way to go. Wrapping several loans into one can make the payment easier to handle, and sometimes you can get a better interest rate.

    However, experts say that these days the student loan debt consolidation market is ripe for fraud. It is recommended that if you have federal loans, you should always consider consolidating through the federal government’s own programs first, according to MainStreet.

    “Scammers are definitely taking advantage young adults’ needs for student loan repayment options,” says Reyna Gobel, student loan expert for Wisebread.com and author of CliffsNotes Graduation Debt . “If you have Federal student loans, you automatically qualify for free debt consolidation programs offered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the agency that oversees federal student loan programs, which offers the best repayment plans and terms on Federal student loans.”

    If you have private loans, it is a good idea to try to work with your lender directly before contacting a student loan consolidation company. By simply calling and asking what your options are to lower your payment, you could avoid dealing with a scammer who may have some pretty harsh tricks up their sleeves.

    Just how common is student loan scamming and why should you be so careful? Surprisingly, it is quite common and widespread. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of a new student protection unit to investigate the student loan “debt relief” industry just last month. Already, the unit has issued 13 subpoenas to student loan debt relief companies for false advertising, unreasonable fees, and enrolling people in programs for a fee which are supposed to be free.

    If you decide to try an outside company, there are a few things to watch for. First, be sure you are the one that contacted them.

    “Chances are, if you didn’t contact them, they are looking to sign you on to collect fees you would not have to pay by going through the Federal Student Loan Consolidation program or even through your own private lender for personal loans, and that’s a scam,” says Gobel.

    Second, a reputable company won’t pressure you to complete the deal. Beware the “expiring interest rate”, “urgent” deadlines, and the like.

    Third, be leery of discounts. Scam companies sometimes promise discounts, only to put conditions on them in the fine print. You may fall into a trap wherein that discounted rate only applies to part of the loan, or goes away after a time. Sometimes the rate is low until you miss a payment, then it skyrockets for the rest of the life of the loan.

    And of course, never, ever, ever give personal info over the phone or email. Ever.

    Again, if you have federal loans always check first with the federal government’s options. They will most likely have the best terms, best rates, and you don’t have to worry about getting scammed.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons