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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Indian man urinates hair after 'botched' operation
Ratnagiri businessman Murad Mulla, 48, who has lost his sleep, appetite, sexual life and ability to work has landed up at the state-run St George Hospital with the hope of leading a normal life again. He has spent the past seven years chasing doctors and undergoing six surgeries to fix a not-so-unusual problem of urine retention. Mulla suffers from an odd condition where he passes pubic hair every time he urinates. The constant itching inside his private parts, the pain and the restlessness have driven him to a point where he moves around with sleeping pills.
"The pills give me strength in a way. Every time the pain becomes unbearable, I feel I have something to end it all," says Mulla. Once a well-to-do businessman, married with three children, Mulla now survives on loans, and goes to bed on an empty stomach. He has already lodged complaints of negligence with the Maharashtra Medical Council against two surgeons-one based in Ratnagiri and the other in Pune-who he claims have turned his life upside down. The one responsible for his current condition, Mulla alleges, is the urosurgeon from Pune who used a procedure that some doctors consider "outdated".
The doctor, while performing urethroplasty, an open surgical procedure to treat narrowing of urethra, used a patch of skin from his scrotum. While medical literature says that certain portions of scrotum have no hair growth, Mulla's case turned to be quite the opposite. Soon after, Mulla started experiencing severe itching in his private parts. "This is when, to my horror, I found out that pubic hair had started growing inside my body," said Mulla. The doctor, he said, did not find anything amiss. "He injected chemicals inside my body through the penis saying it would take care of the problem. But these were all temporary solutions."
The constant itching began to give him sleepless nights. He started approaching other specialists who wanted to know why the surgeon could not perform the surgery using buccal mucosa, skin from the mouth. Mulla had to go back to the urosurgeon who, this time, used skin from his mouth. "Never once did the doctor regret his decision. I was charged for the second surgery too." Several experts said that the results of urethroplasty using skin from the mouth are almost similar to those performed using skin from scrotum. "But nowadays, we avoid using skin from scrotum because of such complications," said a specialist.
"The pills give me strength in a way. Every time the pain becomes unbearable, I feel I have something to end it all," says Mulla. Once a well-to-do businessman, married with three children, Mulla now survives on loans, and goes to bed on an empty stomach. He has already lodged complaints of negligence with the Maharashtra Medical Council against two surgeons-one based in Ratnagiri and the other in Pune-who he claims have turned his life upside down. The one responsible for his current condition, Mulla alleges, is the urosurgeon from Pune who used a procedure that some doctors consider "outdated".
The doctor, while performing urethroplasty, an open surgical procedure to treat narrowing of urethra, used a patch of skin from his scrotum. While medical literature says that certain portions of scrotum have no hair growth, Mulla's case turned to be quite the opposite. Soon after, Mulla started experiencing severe itching in his private parts. "This is when, to my horror, I found out that pubic hair had started growing inside my body," said Mulla. The doctor, he said, did not find anything amiss. "He injected chemicals inside my body through the penis saying it would take care of the problem. But these were all temporary solutions."
The constant itching began to give him sleepless nights. He started approaching other specialists who wanted to know why the surgeon could not perform the surgery using buccal mucosa, skin from the mouth. Mulla had to go back to the urosurgeon who, this time, used skin from his mouth. "Never once did the doctor regret his decision. I was charged for the second surgery too." Several experts said that the results of urethroplasty using skin from the mouth are almost similar to those performed using skin from scrotum. "But nowadays, we avoid using skin from scrotum because of such complications," said a specialist.
Indian temple elephants embark on journey to rejuvenation
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has ordered a holiday for elephants employed by temples as part of an official program to "rejuvenate" the weary creatures.
State foresters herded 45 domestic pachyderms from Hindu shrines and hermitages to the coastal state's Mudumalai forests for a 48-day break to help them regain lost vigour, officials said on Wednesday.
"The elephants were brought in two batches in trucks from various temples and mutts (hermitages) across the state," said senior forest department official Ameer Haja. They will eat a special diet of sugarcane, coconuts and banana laced with herbal medication and vitamins during their stay at the rejuvenation camp, Haja added.
Elephants form a traditional part of Hindu rituals in temples, where they bless pilgrims and devotees with their raised trunks. They are also trained to perform other physical duties at the shrines.
State foresters herded 45 domestic pachyderms from Hindu shrines and hermitages to the coastal state's Mudumalai forests for a 48-day break to help them regain lost vigour, officials said on Wednesday.
"The elephants were brought in two batches in trucks from various temples and mutts (hermitages) across the state," said senior forest department official Ameer Haja. They will eat a special diet of sugarcane, coconuts and banana laced with herbal medication and vitamins during their stay at the rejuvenation camp, Haja added.
Elephants form a traditional part of Hindu rituals in temples, where they bless pilgrims and devotees with their raised trunks. They are also trained to perform other physical duties at the shrines.
Indonesian punks detained and shaved by police
Police in Indonesia's most conservative province have stripped away body piercings and shaved off mohicans from 65 youths detained at a punk-rock concert because of their perceived threat to Islamic values. The teens and young men were also stripped of dog-collar necklaces and chains and then thrown in pools of water for "spiritual" cleansing, the local police chief, Iskandar Hasan, said on Wednesday.
After replacing their "disgusting" clothes, he handed each a toothbrush and barked: "Use it." It was the latest effort by authorities to promote strict moral values in Aceh, the only province in this secular but predominantly Muslim nation of 240 million people to have imposed Islamic laws. Here, adultery is punishable by stoning to death, gay people have been thrown in jail or lashed in public with rattan canes, and women must wear headscarves.
Punk rockers have complained for months about harassment, but Saturday's roundup at a concert attended by more than 100 people was by far the most dramatic. Baton-wielding police broke up the concert, scattering young music lovers, many of whom had travelled from other parts of the sprawling archipelagic nation. Dozens were loaded into vans and taken to a police detention centre in the hills, 30 miles (60km) from the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, for rehabilitation, training in military-style discipline and religious classes, including Qur'an recitation.
They will be held there for at least 10 days, after which they will be returned to their parents. But the police chief, Hasan, insisted he had done nothing wrong. "We're not torturing anyone," he said. "We're not violating human rights. We're just trying to put them back on the right moral path." However, Nur Kholis, a national human rights commissioner, deplored the detention, saying police must explain what criminal laws were violated by the youngsters.
There's a photo gallery here.
After replacing their "disgusting" clothes, he handed each a toothbrush and barked: "Use it." It was the latest effort by authorities to promote strict moral values in Aceh, the only province in this secular but predominantly Muslim nation of 240 million people to have imposed Islamic laws. Here, adultery is punishable by stoning to death, gay people have been thrown in jail or lashed in public with rattan canes, and women must wear headscarves.
Punk rockers have complained for months about harassment, but Saturday's roundup at a concert attended by more than 100 people was by far the most dramatic. Baton-wielding police broke up the concert, scattering young music lovers, many of whom had travelled from other parts of the sprawling archipelagic nation. Dozens were loaded into vans and taken to a police detention centre in the hills, 30 miles (60km) from the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, for rehabilitation, training in military-style discipline and religious classes, including Qur'an recitation.
They will be held there for at least 10 days, after which they will be returned to their parents. But the police chief, Hasan, insisted he had done nothing wrong. "We're not torturing anyone," he said. "We're not violating human rights. We're just trying to put them back on the right moral path." However, Nur Kholis, a national human rights commissioner, deplored the detention, saying police must explain what criminal laws were violated by the youngsters.
There's a photo gallery here.
South African woman caught smuggling drugs in her dreadlocks
A South African woman has been caught smuggling cocaine in her dreadlocks by customs officials at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. Nobanda Nolubabalo, 23, was searched by police after arriving in Bangkok on a Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo via Doha.
Police saidthey had noticed a white substance in her hair, and upon searching Nolubabalo's dreadlocks, found 3.3 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated 4.5 million baht ($145,000). Police said Nolubabalo admitted to smuggling the drugs in her dreadlocks. She was to be paid 60,000 baht ($1,900) to deliver the cocaine to a customer at a hotel in Bangkok, Thai media reported.
Nolubabalo, nicknamed "Babsie," is from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province. Thailand has severe penalties for drug convictions, including long jail sentences and even the death penalty for some offences.
YouTube link.
Nolubabalo is the 12th South African to be caught for drug trafficking in Thailand this year. The group Locked Up Abroad said that the number of South African drug mules imprisoned in foreign countries "is rising at an alarming rate every month."
Police saidthey had noticed a white substance in her hair, and upon searching Nolubabalo's dreadlocks, found 3.3 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated 4.5 million baht ($145,000). Police said Nolubabalo admitted to smuggling the drugs in her dreadlocks. She was to be paid 60,000 baht ($1,900) to deliver the cocaine to a customer at a hotel in Bangkok, Thai media reported.
Nolubabalo, nicknamed "Babsie," is from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province. Thailand has severe penalties for drug convictions, including long jail sentences and even the death penalty for some offences.
YouTube link.
Nolubabalo is the 12th South African to be caught for drug trafficking in Thailand this year. The group Locked Up Abroad said that the number of South African drug mules imprisoned in foreign countries "is rising at an alarming rate every month."
Prune eating contest suggested after EU rules they are not a laxative
The EU has ruled that prunes do not have a laxative effect and producers cannot say that they do. It comes after the organisation was mocked last month a ruling that led to a ban on claims that drinking water can prevent dehydration. Despite a long held belief that prunes, traditionally served with custard, are good for improving bowel function, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has ruled this is not the case.
Its experts said there was "insufficient" evidence of a link between the dried plums and normal bowel function after looking at three studies of prune consumption. Sir Graham Watson MEP has now challenged an EU Commissioner to a prune-eating contest after his food safety committee ruled that prunes do not have a laxative effect.
Sir Graham, the Liberal Democrat member for South West England and Gibraltar, raised the issue in Strasbourg after the EU refused to recognise the high fibre content of fruits like pomegranates, berries and prunes. "The European Commission's advisory panel which does this work has rejected 95 per cent of claims for plant-based foods, maybe in many cases with good reason, but among the claims rejected is the claim that prunes have a laxative effect," he said.
"I have asked the Commission if it is satisfied with the criteria and the methodology used for testing such claims because I know that prunes contain two substances sorbitol and dihydrophenylisatin, which have laxative effects. But most of our constituents do not require a scientific test. I have also invited the Commissioner responsible for health and consumer policy, John Dalli, to a prune eating contest to see for himself."
Its experts said there was "insufficient" evidence of a link between the dried plums and normal bowel function after looking at three studies of prune consumption. Sir Graham Watson MEP has now challenged an EU Commissioner to a prune-eating contest after his food safety committee ruled that prunes do not have a laxative effect.
Sir Graham, the Liberal Democrat member for South West England and Gibraltar, raised the issue in Strasbourg after the EU refused to recognise the high fibre content of fruits like pomegranates, berries and prunes. "The European Commission's advisory panel which does this work has rejected 95 per cent of claims for plant-based foods, maybe in many cases with good reason, but among the claims rejected is the claim that prunes have a laxative effect," he said.
"I have asked the Commission if it is satisfied with the criteria and the methodology used for testing such claims because I know that prunes contain two substances sorbitol and dihydrophenylisatin, which have laxative effects. But most of our constituents do not require a scientific test. I have also invited the Commissioner responsible for health and consumer policy, John Dalli, to a prune eating contest to see for himself."
Police car parks up telephone pole by mistake
A police officer in the US city Miami went from being on patrol to being up a pole - when he accidentally drove his car up a wire connected to a telephone mast.
He'd been leaning over to grab a pen when the accident happened.
The policeman managed to climb out unhurt with the help of firefighters and even managed to have a laugh about it, as did many of his colleagues.
YouTube link.
The spectacle got local residents out talking and taking pictures. One woman even pulled up a chair and watched the entire rescue from her lawn, saying it was better than any movie.
He'd been leaning over to grab a pen when the accident happened.
The policeman managed to climb out unhurt with the help of firefighters and even managed to have a laugh about it, as did many of his colleagues.
YouTube link.
The spectacle got local residents out talking and taking pictures. One woman even pulled up a chair and watched the entire rescue from her lawn, saying it was better than any movie.
First ever World Watching Paint Dry Championships to be held in UK
Apparently the most boring thing to do is watch paint dry so what better test of endurance and concentration than the World Watching Paint Dry Championships, which are due to be held in the UK next year. Those looking to compete in the championships must send in a picture of themselves watching paint dry and state the longest time they’ve managed to stare at a wall of drying paint without looking away.
They will also need to tell organisers what their favourite colour is and why. A shortlist will then be drawn up and those contestants will be invited to attend an ultimate final in front of media at a location in central England.
The final stare down will see six paint watchers from around the world fight it out for the international title and an iPad. A spokesman for the organisers LocalTraders.com said: 'We’ve all heard the phrase, "I’d rather watch paint dry" and so we have decided the time has come to give people the chance to do so, for as long as they can bear.
'You don’t need to be physically fit or participate in a vigorous training regime, what’s more important is mental strength, concentration and endurance. Previous paint-watching experience isn’t essential, but a bit of practice might help prepare contestants for the mammoth task ahead of them.'
They will also need to tell organisers what their favourite colour is and why. A shortlist will then be drawn up and those contestants will be invited to attend an ultimate final in front of media at a location in central England.
The final stare down will see six paint watchers from around the world fight it out for the international title and an iPad. A spokesman for the organisers LocalTraders.com said: 'We’ve all heard the phrase, "I’d rather watch paint dry" and so we have decided the time has come to give people the chance to do so, for as long as they can bear.
'You don’t need to be physically fit or participate in a vigorous training regime, what’s more important is mental strength, concentration and endurance. Previous paint-watching experience isn’t essential, but a bit of practice might help prepare contestants for the mammoth task ahead of them.'
Beatboxing vicar raps nativity story to churchgoers
For many vicars penning their sermons is what gets the creative juices flowing. The Rev Gavin Tyte has gone a little further, producing a rap and human-beatbox version of the nativity story, and a video to go with it.
Tyte, a part-time vicar in Devon, raps the story of Jesus's birth while providing his own beatbox backing.
YouTube link.
The video features him playing the part of a shepherd, angel and narrator.
The vicar of Uplyme and Axmouth churches has been beat-boxing since the age of eight and was a professional musician before being ordained. The nativity rap combines his two loves — beat-boxing and the Bible.
Tyte, a part-time vicar in Devon, raps the story of Jesus's birth while providing his own beatbox backing.
YouTube link.
The video features him playing the part of a shepherd, angel and narrator.
The vicar of Uplyme and Axmouth churches has been beat-boxing since the age of eight and was a professional musician before being ordained. The nativity rap combines his two loves — beat-boxing and the Bible.
Teenager with fear of holes is terrified by crumpets
Teenager Stefani Ingamells of Scarborough, North Yorks has a phobia of crumpets. She claims the mere sight of the dimpled English snack makes her feel sick and want to flee. Stefani, 19, said: "If I was forced to look at one for any length of time I think I would be sick.
"My first reaction is always to destroy the crumpet. But then I have a strong urge to run away." It is their cluster of dimples that spook make-up artist Stefani, who recently discovered she has trypophobia — a fear of holes.
She added: "The other day I saw a group of straws pointing upwards and I was terrified. I also hate Crunchies because of the holes in the honeycomb. But my biggest fear has always been crumpets. My first memory of them was when I was five. My mum gave me one for breakfast and I just screamed."
After years of thinking she was alone she finally discovered fellow sufferers. She said: "I looked up 'fear' and 'crumpets' on the internet. I found lots of forums and support groups full of other people with trypophobia. We all have a fear of small clusters of holes."
"My first reaction is always to destroy the crumpet. But then I have a strong urge to run away." It is their cluster of dimples that spook make-up artist Stefani, who recently discovered she has trypophobia — a fear of holes.
She added: "The other day I saw a group of straws pointing upwards and I was terrified. I also hate Crunchies because of the holes in the honeycomb. But my biggest fear has always been crumpets. My first memory of them was when I was five. My mum gave me one for breakfast and I just screamed."
After years of thinking she was alone she finally discovered fellow sufferers. She said: "I looked up 'fear' and 'crumpets' on the internet. I found lots of forums and support groups full of other people with trypophobia. We all have a fear of small clusters of holes."
PCSO threatens photographer with arrest for taking photos in the street
A photographer has expressed his shock at being threatened with arrest after taking photos in the street. Tom Maddick, 25, was taking pictures of his home town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, when he was stopped by two police community support officers. He said he was told taking the photos was illegal and to delete the images.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said there had been a "training issue" and that the "officers concerned had been spoken to". Mr Maddick said he had been taking photos of Stockwell Gate, in Mansfield, as part of a project documenting life in the town. "I was walking along and took a photograph where they [PCSOs] were in frame, nothing was said until I was roughly 50 metres or so away when I heard someone shout," said Mr Maddick.
"The male PCSO then asked me what I was doing, so [I] explained, politely. The officer then went on to demand I delete the images. I was told by the female officer I should get permission of everyone I photograph in a public space. I then refused to delete the images I had captured." Mr Maddick said he was told "it was illegal to take photographs in a public place". In a statement, the force said: "Nottinghamshire Police has clear guidelines for dealing with photographers at incidents.
YouTube link.
"We are looking to ensure all our officers and staff are aware of this guidance that prevents photos from being deleted or equipment from being seized - unless there are reasonable grounds that it contains evidence in relation to an offence and it is deemed necessary to prevent the evidence being concealed, lost, altered or destroyed. No-one - whether that be a member of the public or an officer - should have to be photographed and if a photographer repeatedly continues to ignore requests to refrain from doing so, it could be deemed to be causing harassment, alarm or distress." Police said an arrest could be made if a photographer's actions were deemed to be causing harassment.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said there had been a "training issue" and that the "officers concerned had been spoken to". Mr Maddick said he had been taking photos of Stockwell Gate, in Mansfield, as part of a project documenting life in the town. "I was walking along and took a photograph where they [PCSOs] were in frame, nothing was said until I was roughly 50 metres or so away when I heard someone shout," said Mr Maddick.
"The male PCSO then asked me what I was doing, so [I] explained, politely. The officer then went on to demand I delete the images. I was told by the female officer I should get permission of everyone I photograph in a public space. I then refused to delete the images I had captured." Mr Maddick said he was told "it was illegal to take photographs in a public place". In a statement, the force said: "Nottinghamshire Police has clear guidelines for dealing with photographers at incidents.
YouTube link.
"We are looking to ensure all our officers and staff are aware of this guidance that prevents photos from being deleted or equipment from being seized - unless there are reasonable grounds that it contains evidence in relation to an offence and it is deemed necessary to prevent the evidence being concealed, lost, altered or destroyed. No-one - whether that be a member of the public or an officer - should have to be photographed and if a photographer repeatedly continues to ignore requests to refrain from doing so, it could be deemed to be causing harassment, alarm or distress." Police said an arrest could be made if a photographer's actions were deemed to be causing harassment.
Apples fall from the sky over Coventry
Stunned motorists were forced to brake sharply to avoid the falling fruit, believed to be swept up by a vortex caused by freak weather conditions in Coventry. An avalanche of more than 100 apples rained down over a main road in Keresley, Coventry on Monday night. The street was left littered with apples after they pelted car windscreens and bonnets just after rush-hour. The bizarre downpour may have been caused by a current of air that lifted the fruit from a garden or orchard, releasing it over the junction of Keresley Road and Kelmscote Road.
One driver said: "The apples fell out of the sky as if out of nowhere. They were small and green and hit the bonnet hard. There were other cars on the road at the time too and everyone had to stop their cars suddenly. It wouldn't surprise me if some cars were damaged. I know the area well and there are no apple trees around." Yesterday, the smashed apples could still be seen up and down the 20-yard stretch of road.
Dave Meakins, a retired fork lift truck driver, said he thought the apples had been thrown as a prank by children. "I honestly don't know where the apples could have come from," he said. I assumed kids must have thrown them because we do get the occasional egg and apple thrown but there's way too much for that. I would love to know where they came from." Some said they thought the apples had fallen from a passing plane.
Keresley parish councillor Sandra Camwell said a freak black-out happened on the same road last year. She said: "Strange things do happen in this part of the world. I think it's highly likely that apples did fall from the sky. We're in an area with a spooky history, where there have been witches for centuries, after all." The Met Office said it was possible the apples had been scooped up by a tornado. He said: "It's hypothetically possible that a tornado could have picked them up and that they were transported in turbulent air until they fell."
One driver said: "The apples fell out of the sky as if out of nowhere. They were small and green and hit the bonnet hard. There were other cars on the road at the time too and everyone had to stop their cars suddenly. It wouldn't surprise me if some cars were damaged. I know the area well and there are no apple trees around." Yesterday, the smashed apples could still be seen up and down the 20-yard stretch of road.
Dave Meakins, a retired fork lift truck driver, said he thought the apples had been thrown as a prank by children. "I honestly don't know where the apples could have come from," he said. I assumed kids must have thrown them because we do get the occasional egg and apple thrown but there's way too much for that. I would love to know where they came from." Some said they thought the apples had fallen from a passing plane.
Keresley parish councillor Sandra Camwell said a freak black-out happened on the same road last year. She said: "Strange things do happen in this part of the world. I think it's highly likely that apples did fall from the sky. We're in an area with a spooky history, where there have been witches for centuries, after all." The Met Office said it was possible the apples had been scooped up by a tornado. He said: "It's hypothetically possible that a tornado could have picked them up and that they were transported in turbulent air until they fell."
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