Sunday, November 30, 2014
Call to ban commercial use of intravenous drips as hangover cure
A senior doctor from the US Government's health institute has said that the commercial use of Intravenous (IV) drips to treat hangovers should not be allowed.
Dr Lorenzo Leggio runs a unit at the National Institutes of Health that specialises in the research and treatment of alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
He said: "In my opinion it should not be allowed for the simple reason that there is not scientific evidence that suggests that such a treatment is effective. The concern with this approach is that doctors are treating a consequence of excessive alcohol use, but they are not addressing the underlying medical problem which is the excessive alcohol use."
But Dr Jake Deutsch disagrees. He runs an urgent care clinic in Manhattan and has been administering IV therapy for hangovers, fatigue and other non-urgent conditions for several years. Each treatment costs around $200 and the IV cocktail can contain saline, vitamins and anti-nausea medicine. Although he treats a small number of patients per week at the moment, he says there is a growing demand for the service.
He said: "When you drink water you can absorb it but it takes a bit longer, putting an IV in is direct access and in effect immediate results for the problem." IV therapy is available at clinics across the States in places like Chicago, Miami Atlanta and Las Vegas. For those who really cannot get out of bed, some businesses even offer an in-home service for an extra fee.
With news video.
He said: "In my opinion it should not be allowed for the simple reason that there is not scientific evidence that suggests that such a treatment is effective. The concern with this approach is that doctors are treating a consequence of excessive alcohol use, but they are not addressing the underlying medical problem which is the excessive alcohol use."
But Dr Jake Deutsch disagrees. He runs an urgent care clinic in Manhattan and has been administering IV therapy for hangovers, fatigue and other non-urgent conditions for several years. Each treatment costs around $200 and the IV cocktail can contain saline, vitamins and anti-nausea medicine. Although he treats a small number of patients per week at the moment, he says there is a growing demand for the service.
He said: "When you drink water you can absorb it but it takes a bit longer, putting an IV in is direct access and in effect immediate results for the problem." IV therapy is available at clinics across the States in places like Chicago, Miami Atlanta and Las Vegas. For those who really cannot get out of bed, some businesses even offer an in-home service for an extra fee.
With news video.
Bride hospitalised with alcohol poisoning, groom and best man arrested following wedding brawl
A bride has been hospitalised and her groom and his best man charged with disorderly conduct following an alcohol-fuelled brawl at their wedding reception in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, early on Saturday morning.
Celebrations were in full swing when the bride became unwell just after midnight and guests called an ambulance. When paramedics arrived they called for police back-up because of the drunk and rowdy crowd.
Police said when they turned up some of the wedding party became aggressive and threw punches. It took six police units to bring the situation under control, they said.
The groom and the best man were taken into police custody and have now been charged with disorderly conduct. Police said the maid of honour was also spoken to but not taken into custody. The bride is receiving treatment in the Royal Hobart Hospital for alcohol poisoning.
Celebrations were in full swing when the bride became unwell just after midnight and guests called an ambulance. When paramedics arrived they called for police back-up because of the drunk and rowdy crowd.
Police said when they turned up some of the wedding party became aggressive and threw punches. It took six police units to bring the situation under control, they said.
The groom and the best man were taken into police custody and have now been charged with disorderly conduct. Police said the maid of honour was also spoken to but not taken into custody. The bride is receiving treatment in the Royal Hobart Hospital for alcohol poisoning.
Hearse with human rights lawyer's body in the back stolen moments before his funeral
It was a dramatic farewell for a human rights lawyer from Sydney in Australia.
Seth Richardson's family say that it would have appealed to his wicked sense of humour.
As his family prepared for the funeral of the 52-year-old in the Blue Mountains on Thursday a man jumped in the hearse and stole it – with Mr Richardson still in a coffin in the back.
"One of the funeral guys who works for the funeral home went out to the hearse to grab the trolley to put it under the coffin and in a split second this guy jumped out of the bushes, jumped straight into the hearse and started it up," Mr Richardson's sister-in-law Hayley West said.
"The funeral guy was banging on the window going 'what the hell are you doing? You can't drive away in the hearse'. Then he ran into the hall and yelled 'someone has taken the hearse, with Seth!'" Mr Richardson's brother, Tobias Richardson, was in the foyer of the Wentworth Falls School of Arts preparing for the service as the drama unfolded. He called police telling them "someone had stolen a car with my dead brother in the back. And the police thought it was a murder," Ms West said. "And there was this weird confusion, and he was like 'no, he's already dead, it's a hearse'."
Tobias Richardson took matters into his own hands, jumping into his car and giving chase. Fortunately the hearse had turned into a cul-de-sac and Tobias Richardson blocked the only way out with his own car. The police arrived moments later and detained the driver. "At one stage we were imaging an OJ Simpson-style chase with helicopters. The funeral director didn't know what to say to us, he was saying 'this had never happened before, and all I can say is that the coffin is glued down, so if anything happens Seth will be okay."
The whole incident unfolded over 20 minutes and Mr Richardson's funeral still proceeded on time at noon. "Seth would have thought this was so funny, he had a wicked sense of humour," Ms West said. Police said the man who had taken the hearse was a 49-year-old man with dementia who had gone missing from a nursing home at Leura at 7am on Thursday. Staff had searched the nearby shops and the train station before contacting police who attended the home before being called out to investigate the stolen hearse. The 49-year-old was taken to hospital and no further police action is expected to be taken.
"The funeral guy was banging on the window going 'what the hell are you doing? You can't drive away in the hearse'. Then he ran into the hall and yelled 'someone has taken the hearse, with Seth!'" Mr Richardson's brother, Tobias Richardson, was in the foyer of the Wentworth Falls School of Arts preparing for the service as the drama unfolded. He called police telling them "someone had stolen a car with my dead brother in the back. And the police thought it was a murder," Ms West said. "And there was this weird confusion, and he was like 'no, he's already dead, it's a hearse'."
Tobias Richardson took matters into his own hands, jumping into his car and giving chase. Fortunately the hearse had turned into a cul-de-sac and Tobias Richardson blocked the only way out with his own car. The police arrived moments later and detained the driver. "At one stage we were imaging an OJ Simpson-style chase with helicopters. The funeral director didn't know what to say to us, he was saying 'this had never happened before, and all I can say is that the coffin is glued down, so if anything happens Seth will be okay."
The whole incident unfolded over 20 minutes and Mr Richardson's funeral still proceeded on time at noon. "Seth would have thought this was so funny, he had a wicked sense of humour," Ms West said. Police said the man who had taken the hearse was a 49-year-old man with dementia who had gone missing from a nursing home at Leura at 7am on Thursday. Staff had searched the nearby shops and the train station before contacting police who attended the home before being called out to investigate the stolen hearse. The 49-year-old was taken to hospital and no further police action is expected to be taken.
Man injured after being hit by moped due to unexpectedly emerging pop-up toilet
A man in the Dutch city of Amsterdam has been injured after a pop-up public toilet sunk into the ground emerged unexpectedly.
The man was hit by a moped which was thrown up in the air as the so-called UriLift toilet suddenly rose up.
He is being treated in hospital for minor injuries. The toilets are a feature of central areas of Amsterdam, emerging at night to deter people from urinating in the streets.
A Urilift in action.
YouTube link.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud bang at the time of the accident. It is not clear what caused the incident. Results of an investigation are due after the weekend.
The man was hit by a moped which was thrown up in the air as the so-called UriLift toilet suddenly rose up.
He is being treated in hospital for minor injuries. The toilets are a feature of central areas of Amsterdam, emerging at night to deter people from urinating in the streets.
A Urilift in action.
YouTube link.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud bang at the time of the accident. It is not clear what caused the incident. Results of an investigation are due after the weekend.
Former Somerset man blasts 'silly' council for sending 2p tax bill to new home in New Zealand
A former Somerset man has slammed a council for wasting public money after he received a council tax bill for 2p at his new home – in New Zealand.
Alastair King left his Crewkerne home in October to start his new life abroad. Before he left, he believed he had settled all his bills and taxes with the relevant authorities, including South Somerset District Council, and left with a clean slate.
When the bill dropped through his door last Friday, Mr King was stunned by what he called the “daft” and “silly” demand.
He said: “Before I left, the lady in the council tax office gave me my remaining balance when I called, which I paid then and there by debit card. When I got the letter, I thought it was just the confirmation that I had paid the original outstanding balance in full. But when I saw the balance and it was still asking for 2p I was astonished. My first reaction was to laugh out loud. My fiancée Karen came over to see what was wrong and was speechless when she saw the demand. She said ‘you’re not seriously going to pay this?’
“It would probably cost me three or four dollars to send the cheque over to them. What a terrible waste of money, especially when you bear in mind the measures the Government is making to save money. I shudder to think what it cost the district council to process this demand – it is absolutely silly and a gross waste of public money. I have sent the council an e-mail to say that I think it is ridiculous that they have gone to the expense of rebilling me in New Zealand. Am I expected to take this letter seriously?”
A district council spokesman said: “The 2p bill was automatically generated by the computer system and was spotted on an exception report. The account was corrected within a few days of it taking place. We have confirmed by e-mail to Mr King that the 2p has been removed from the account and apologised to the customer. Clearly asking payment for such a very small amount is nonsensical and not cost effective wherever anyone lives. We have an automated process to deal with small balances which has failed in this case. We are now reviewing this process to find out what has gone wrong and prevent it happening again in the future.”
He said: “Before I left, the lady in the council tax office gave me my remaining balance when I called, which I paid then and there by debit card. When I got the letter, I thought it was just the confirmation that I had paid the original outstanding balance in full. But when I saw the balance and it was still asking for 2p I was astonished. My first reaction was to laugh out loud. My fiancée Karen came over to see what was wrong and was speechless when she saw the demand. She said ‘you’re not seriously going to pay this?’
“It would probably cost me three or four dollars to send the cheque over to them. What a terrible waste of money, especially when you bear in mind the measures the Government is making to save money. I shudder to think what it cost the district council to process this demand – it is absolutely silly and a gross waste of public money. I have sent the council an e-mail to say that I think it is ridiculous that they have gone to the expense of rebilling me in New Zealand. Am I expected to take this letter seriously?”
A district council spokesman said: “The 2p bill was automatically generated by the computer system and was spotted on an exception report. The account was corrected within a few days of it taking place. We have confirmed by e-mail to Mr King that the 2p has been removed from the account and apologised to the customer. Clearly asking payment for such a very small amount is nonsensical and not cost effective wherever anyone lives. We have an automated process to deal with small balances which has failed in this case. We are now reviewing this process to find out what has gone wrong and prevent it happening again in the future.”
Canadian lobsters found off Yorkshire coast as cruise ship passengers take pity on their dinner
Canadian lobsters have been found off the Yorkshire coast
after being thrown back in the sea by well-meaning passengers taking pity on their dinner aboard cruise ships.
The lobster, homarus americanus, normally found thousands of miles away off the Atlantic coast of North America occasionally finds its way into the pots of local fishermen.
Scientists at the University of Hull have said they will examine any that are found in future to see if they carry disease that could be a threat to the native population found in the UK’s biggest lobster fishery after the issue was raised at a meeting. Skipper Gary Redshaw found one 50 to 60 miles east of Bridlington.
He said: “In the past we have heard one officer on the watch talking to another on the cruise ship saying some of the passengers were going to buy lobsters and release them, thinking they were doing good. But in fact they can do a lot of damage. I think it’s a good idea to study them as they could be giving English lobsters a disease.”
Finds of the Canadian lobster, whose closest relative is the European lobster, homarus gammarus, are rare, and laboratory tests have shown that while the different species will mate their offspring are infertile. Mike Cohen, from Holderness Fishing Industry Group, said: “We think the most likely route is that they are getting thrown overboard from cruise ships. People buy lobster for dinner, feel sorry for it and ask the waiter to chuck it over.”
Scientists at the University of Hull have said they will examine any that are found in future to see if they carry disease that could be a threat to the native population found in the UK’s biggest lobster fishery after the issue was raised at a meeting. Skipper Gary Redshaw found one 50 to 60 miles east of Bridlington.
He said: “In the past we have heard one officer on the watch talking to another on the cruise ship saying some of the passengers were going to buy lobsters and release them, thinking they were doing good. But in fact they can do a lot of damage. I think it’s a good idea to study them as they could be giving English lobsters a disease.”
Finds of the Canadian lobster, whose closest relative is the European lobster, homarus gammarus, are rare, and laboratory tests have shown that while the different species will mate their offspring are infertile. Mike Cohen, from Holderness Fishing Industry Group, said: “We think the most likely route is that they are getting thrown overboard from cruise ships. People buy lobster for dinner, feel sorry for it and ask the waiter to chuck it over.”
Police officer who threatened to 'knock out' young woman given written warning
A police officer who was suspended after threatening to 'knock out' a young woman outside a nightclub in Stoke has kept his job.
PC Boulton has been allowed to return to work after Staffordshire Police carried out their own investigation into the incident in Hanley last July.
They handed the officer a written warning after he was ordered to appear before a misconduct hearing.
Now PC Boulton's work is to be supervised after he was allowed to return to work.
He had been suspended after an altercation with a group of revellers outside the Individual Bar in Hanley. As police dealt with revellers outside the bar, PC Boulton accused Nikki Wright, of Congleton, of attempting to punch him, before telling her: "Do that to me again and I will knock you out." Chief Superintendent Martin Evans, of Staffordshire Police, said: "Our performance assessment unit has completed a thorough investigation into the complaint made about PC Boulton and the complainant has been fully updated."
He added: "The comments made by PC Boulton were not acceptable and below the standards expected of an officer. We concluded that the circumstances of the upheld complaint did not constitute grounds for dismissal and were suitable to be dealt with via a misconduct meeting. This meeting resulted in PC Boulton receiving a formal written warning. He has returned to work and his conduct will be closely monitored by supervision. We expect our officers to provide the highest standards of professionalism at all times.
Contains NSFW language
YouTube link.
"If an officer's behaviour falls below the standards expected we would encourage it be reported so we can scrupulously investigate." Staffordshire Police and Crime Panel member, Joy Garner, called the ruling the 'right result'. She said: "We don't know what the officer had been doing leading up to the event. It's right and proper that he's been dealt with because speaking to the public in that way is wrong. It's so unusual for one of our officers to behave in this way - I hope a line can be drawn under it all."
He had been suspended after an altercation with a group of revellers outside the Individual Bar in Hanley. As police dealt with revellers outside the bar, PC Boulton accused Nikki Wright, of Congleton, of attempting to punch him, before telling her: "Do that to me again and I will knock you out." Chief Superintendent Martin Evans, of Staffordshire Police, said: "Our performance assessment unit has completed a thorough investigation into the complaint made about PC Boulton and the complainant has been fully updated."
He added: "The comments made by PC Boulton were not acceptable and below the standards expected of an officer. We concluded that the circumstances of the upheld complaint did not constitute grounds for dismissal and were suitable to be dealt with via a misconduct meeting. This meeting resulted in PC Boulton receiving a formal written warning. He has returned to work and his conduct will be closely monitored by supervision. We expect our officers to provide the highest standards of professionalism at all times.
Contains NSFW language
YouTube link.
"If an officer's behaviour falls below the standards expected we would encourage it be reported so we can scrupulously investigate." Staffordshire Police and Crime Panel member, Joy Garner, called the ruling the 'right result'. She said: "We don't know what the officer had been doing leading up to the event. It's right and proper that he's been dealt with because speaking to the public in that way is wrong. It's so unusual for one of our officers to behave in this way - I hope a line can be drawn under it all."
Illegally converted London house sublet out at up to £40,000 pa has tree growing through wall
An illegally converted house in south London with a tree growing through the wall of one room may have been earning a rogue landlord £40,000 a year, according to the council that has repossessed it. The three-bedroom terraced property in Clapham had been transformed into a rental home with eight rooms, each likely to cost around £100 a week at market rate.
An electrician working for Lambeth council said the property, which was originally social housing, was the most dangerous site he had seen in 35 years. The house is one of 1,200 “shortlife” properties that were let to housing associations and co-operatives in the 1970s when Lambeth council could not afford bringing them up to a letting standard. Although they were meant to be sublet for only a short time, four decades on the council is still reclaiming them, with more than 40 yet to be recovered.
Some fell into the hands of individuals after the original deals were made. Following a court order to the landlord in the latest case, the council repossessed the property last week and workers were astonished to find a tree growing into one of the rooms where a first-floor extension had been built around a branch. An electrical cable passed through a hole drilled into the branch. There were no proper emergency exits and the eight occupants shared a single bathroom.
Councillor Matthew Bennett said: “The conditions in this illegal [house] were living in were truly appalling, and represented a genuine danger to life and limb. It is shocking that someone can make money exploiting people by illegally renting out such dangerous accommodation with no regard for the safety of the people living there.” Lambeth council has 21,000 people on its housing waiting list and 1,800 families in temporary accommodation. The council is considering taking legal action against the landlord.
An electrician working for Lambeth council said the property, which was originally social housing, was the most dangerous site he had seen in 35 years. The house is one of 1,200 “shortlife” properties that were let to housing associations and co-operatives in the 1970s when Lambeth council could not afford bringing them up to a letting standard. Although they were meant to be sublet for only a short time, four decades on the council is still reclaiming them, with more than 40 yet to be recovered.
Some fell into the hands of individuals after the original deals were made. Following a court order to the landlord in the latest case, the council repossessed the property last week and workers were astonished to find a tree growing into one of the rooms where a first-floor extension had been built around a branch. An electrical cable passed through a hole drilled into the branch. There were no proper emergency exits and the eight occupants shared a single bathroom.
Councillor Matthew Bennett said: “The conditions in this illegal [house] were living in were truly appalling, and represented a genuine danger to life and limb. It is shocking that someone can make money exploiting people by illegally renting out such dangerous accommodation with no regard for the safety of the people living there.” Lambeth council has 21,000 people on its housing waiting list and 1,800 families in temporary accommodation. The council is considering taking legal action against the landlord.
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