Study shows with fatherhood comes weight gain

                                                                                                                        (C)thegrio

A large-scale study of more than 10, 000 men over a 20-year period has revealed that fathers experience weight gain and an increase in body mass index (BMI) as against men who didn’t become dads over the same period. The research which was carried out by the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine is said to be the first of its kind.

Lose weight or forfeit benefits: PM tells the Obese

                                                                                                                                        ©UPI

The British Prime Minister (PM), David Cameron has launch a review into the cost of obesity and addiction. People who are overweight and have refused to lose weight could see their benefits worth around £100 a week cut or suspended. The PM promises to make support and treatment available as he expects to see more people ‘coming off benefits and into work’. It is being stressed that the purpose of the review is not punitive but to consider how best to support those suffering from long-term yet treatable conditions. This simply means the taxpayer’s money can be diverted into other needs.
The cost of obesity to the NHS is £5 billion a year and £27 billion to the wider economy each year, according to the Department of Health. Around 90,000 people also claim sickness benefits whose illness is primarily due to their drug or alcohol addiction. This means that around 25 per cent of alcoholics and an estimated 80 per cent of heroin and crack users claim benefits, reports released by Downing Street shows.

Two South African paramedics fired after woman fall out of ambulance

According to a report on News24, two Eastern Cape paramedics employed by the provincial health department have been fired for gross misconduct after a pregnant woman fell out of their moving ambulance. 
Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said: "In September 2014, the two ambulance crew members were transporting a pregnant patient to Sipetu hospital, where she fell [out of] the moving emergency vehicle after a rear door opened.
"The crew didn't even realise the patient had fallen off until they were alerted by a motorist who was driving behind their vehicle when the incident occurred."
The woman sustained injuries and the crew members were subjected to an internal disciplinary process, where they were found guilty.
"It is the norm when a patient is on board that a crew assistant would monitor [him/her] and provide the necessary first aid," Kupelo said.
"It is against policy for both crew members to sit in front and neglect a patient."

Mass retrenchment looms in SA telecoms

                                                                                                                       (C)sxc.hu

According to a report by BusinessTech, South African telecoms sector faces a fresh wave of mass lay-offs as companies struggle with protracted strike action, lower financial returns, and increasing competition, among other issues. 
MTN is reportedly set to start a new series of retrenchments, affecting ‘hundreds of jobs’ amid a strike by more than 2,000 employees that has dragged on for more than eight weeks, calling for wage increase and bonuses.

World population is set to hit 9.7 billion, come 2050

The United Nations (UN) has estimated that in the next 35 years, there would be an extra 2.4 billion people. It is believed that within this period, the population of 28 African countries is expected to double with Nigeria having a population larger than the US. In the next 7-years, India would overtake China as the world’s most populous country.

A single mosquito bite causes man's head to swell like a balloon

    Mr. Zhang with a swollen head due to a single mosquito bite ©CEN

Mr Zhang, 30, a Chinese factory worker was working the night shift and clearly remembers a mosquito landing on his face and biting him. He however was in for a shock when his face began to swell and the bite started to ooze pus. It was being reported by Central European News (CEN) that the face was so severely swollen that he had to be rushed to the hospital.
After being turned away from several hospitals due to their inability to identify his ailment, he was finally admitted at the Luoyang Dongfang Hospital in central China’s Henan Province, where he was diagnosed with neonatal scleroderma.
According to Dr. Dai Tao, head of plastic surgery at the hospital, “If a patient is bitten on a lymph node, it’s possible for mosquitoes to cause this type of swelling”. Zhang was given an ice pack bag and told to calm down as treatment for his swelling, CEN reported.
Mr Zhang has been dismissed from his job for taking time off work to receive medical treatment. He is now resting at home, but is expected to require further treatment from specialists.

How many zebras can you see?

........I can see the one staring back!

Photographer killed by train while taking photos on tracks

The Union Pacific recently launched a public safety campaign, warning photographers against doing photo-shoots on train tracks, but it seems not all have taken heed to that advice.
25-year-old Christopher O’Guinn was killed last week after being hit by a northbound train in Fresno as he photographed a model on the train tracks. Even though the train was reported to have honked it’s horn, O’Guinn was unaware of the train behind him until just before it hit him. He was carried away trying to capture a photo with a southbound train whizzing by in the background. Even though the model escaped unhurt, O’Guinn was pronounced dead at the scene.
The police explained that the Amtrak train came around a blind corner and couldn’t stop in time to avoid hitting him. The engineer in the case has been absolved of any wrongdoing, with Amtrak saying that he “did everything he could… sounded all the warnings devices… [and] put the train into full emergency,” but there was just not enough room. Amtrak officials  stated that  it can take as much as a full mile to stop an eight-car passenger train traveling at 79 mph.

Family stickers: potential danger?

Stick figure

Stick figure decals are easy to apply vinyl window family car stickers, available in several themes and sizes or customized to your request. There have been recent debates on the dangers of having this stickers on your cars as it gives predators information that could put your family at risk. The image above for example shows a family of six, with the parents having three girls and a boy.

Mischievous Panda tricks zookeepers, fakes pregnancy to receive special treatment

       Yuan Yuan in a private room with air conditioning          (C)DailyMail

Taiwan 11-year-old giant panda, Yuan Yuan has been caught faking pregnancy in an attempt to receive preferential treatment from zookeepers. Yuan Yuan  who was artificially inseminated towards the end of March, had begun to show signs of pregnancy including loss of appetite, mobility and thickening of the uterus, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The panda was moved to her own air-conditioned room and given round-the-clock care, extra bamboo and treats such as fruit and buns.

11-year-old boy trips and fell on grandfather's gun, accidentally killing him

              11-year-old Thomas Belanger             ©BelangerFamilyHandout

Thomas Belanger, 11, was playing fort with his brother when he tripped and fell while holding a loaded gun, killing him. The gun accidentally fired when he fell, causing a fatal gunshot wound on his face.

Cat grooming gone bizarre

                   Ollie after the grooming session                    ©CavendishPress

4-year-old Ollie was taken for his regular £50 session at Pets at Home store in Gateshead, Tyne. However, the outcome wasn’t what 25-year-old Natalie Thompson, the owner, bargained for. The once fluffy cat discovered what it means to have a close shave when almost all his fur was cut off during the grooming session. Natalie’s mother Aileen, 55, who took Ollie into the pet store, claims staff said the four-year-old was shaved extensively to get rid of knots in its fur.

8-year-old boy who lost limbs to gangrene receives double hand transplant

                  A happy Zion showing off his new hands                         ©AP

Zion Harvey, 8, has become the youngest recipient of a double-hand transplant. Zion lost his limbs at two years due to a gangrene infection. He was able to get a leg prosthetic which has allowed him to be very active, including walking, running and jumping. He has overtime learn to use his forearms to write, eat and play video games but his mom, Pattie Ray, wanted more for her son.

Mississippi public school district fined $7,500 for opening assembly with a prayer

Brandon High School where the assembly took place   (c)CityofBrandon

A U.S. Federal District Court has fined the third largest public school district in Mississippi a sum of $7,500 after a minister opened up an assembly with a prayer, an act that violated a 2013 court settlement that ordered the district to stop “proselytizing Christianity”.
The assembly was designated to honour all of the district's students who scored higher than a 22 on their ACT college tests. The court ordered the district to pay a student plaintiff from Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood, who was represented by the American Humanist Association, $2,500 because the student attended a school assembly that began with a prayer. An additional $5,000 was ordered to be paid the student because the lawsuit revealed that a religious group was permitted to hand out Bibles to fifth graders at a public school in October 2014.
The school district first came under legal fire when the same Northwest Rankin High student took the school district and the school's then-principal, Charles Frazier, to court in 2013 for forcing him to attend a series of assemblies that promoted Christianity.

Principal commits suicide after allegations of tampering with state English exams

49-years-old Principal Jeanene Worrell-Breeden       ©Teachers College

49-year-old Jeanene Worrell-Breeden, principal of Teachers College Community School in West Harlem was reported to have jumped in front of the B train on St. Nicholas Avenue. She was pulled out from under the train and taken to Harlem Hospital, where she died eight days later. The Medical Examiner’s office has ruled it as suicide. Worrell-Breeden had been officially accused of tampering with the school’s Common Core exams in English, after a whistle-blower made the information known to the Department of Education (DOE), the day she committed suicide.

Former Indian president, APJ Abdul Kalam dies at 83

APJ Abdul Kalam 1931-2015

The former statesman was giving a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong on Monday when he complained of chest pain and collapsed. He was said to have suffered a massive cardiac arrest and was confirmed dead by the ICU of Bethany hospital, were he was rushed to.
Kalam was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007 and was considered the most popular President. He was known as the “missile man” for his role in developing the country’s  defence and nuclear technologies.

Nepal: 10-year-old boy used for human sacrifice in Nepal

10-year-old Jivan Kohar who was brutally murdered for sacrifice (C)youtube

35-year-old Kodai Hirijan has confessed to the murder of 10-year-old Jivan Kohar, after claiming a shaman (a person believed to possess magical or spiritual power to cure the sick) advised him that a human sacrifice would heal his ailing son. During police interrogation, Hirijan admitted to slitting the boy’s throat with a sickle to chase away the evil spirits from his 18-year-old son, who often falls ill. He confessed to luring 10-year-old Kohar away from his friends who were playing in the village by promising him a pack of biscuits and 50 rupees (49 cents).

Picture of the day

                                                                                           (C)Michael Higgins/Caters News

This hungry chipmunk appears to be reading through the list of ingredients on a breakfast bar wrapper before tucking in.

You know you are a parent when...

                                                                                                                                             © edgarsnyder

Wet wipes are handy always: You use wet-wipes for practically almost everything! To take off your make-up, to get a stain out of your cloth, to clean your laptop, to clean your car-interior, to wipe your shoes etc

You have superpowers: Your ability to multitask, most especially to hear and talk to someone while your children scream and shout next to you. The fact that the person you’re talking to has no idea what you are talking about (because they can’t hear a word) doesn’t phase you one bit.
You can pick up and move hot objects without flinching. 
You never get sick. And if you do, you’re magically cured when your child gets sick.
You can see through walls.                  
You understand what your child is saying even when all they do is babble.

21 guests killed, 8 others wounded by gunmen in Afghanistan wedding

                                                                                                                                             © Aljazeera

At least  21 people have been killed and 8 others wounded by gunmen who opened fire at a wedding in the northeastern province of Baghlan, Afghanistan. Apparently, two armed groups got into a dispute at the wedding and began to fire at each other, killing some guests present.
According to sources, the attack was linked to a feud between two families in which one was hosting the wedding. Although the bride and groom survived the attack, most of the dead were wedding guests aged from 14 years old to 60 years old.
Fatal gun fights and celebratory gun fire are common at Afghan weddings, which have boomed in recent years in the country.

Norwegian golf course targeted by mystery pooper for 10 years!

For almost ten years, a mystery pooper has been using the golf grounds of Stavanger Golf club in south-west Norway as a toilet. Groundskeeper at the club claims the offender leaves no trace except large poos and a trail of minor disruptions. According to Kenneth Tennfjord, who maintains the green at the club, the mystery guy “has a couple of favourite holes. And we know it is a man because the poos are too massive to be from a woman. In the early years the stools were relatively hard but they’ve changed. Perhaps he’s been taking laxatives or maybe he doesn’t have the best diet”.

Bobbi Kristina Brown (1993-2015)

Bobbi Kristina Brown (1993-2015)

22-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of Bobby Brown and the late Whitney Houston has passed away, six months after she was allegedly found unconscious in her bathtub on 31st January, 2015 by her longtime partner Nick Gordon.
Bobbi has been unresponsive to medical care since the incidence and after months of treatment in a medically induced coma, she was eventually placed in hospice care (Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth, Georgia) where she finally passed away.  She was surrounded by family and friends at the time of her death.
"Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family. She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months," Kristen Foster, a representative for the Houston family said on Sunday.

Hulk Hogan fired by WWE, removes all traces of him on website in the wake of racism scandal

The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has released a statement on Friday confirming the termination of Hulk Hogan’s contract: 

WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan). WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.

Pictures show Christiano Ronaldo always trying to look taller and bigger than teammates during club and international duties.

CR7 during last season's champions league clash with Liverpool

Over the years, there have been picture evidence to show that the 30-year-old Portuguese/Real Madrid player usually stands on tip-toe while taking group pictures with teammates. Could it be that Ronaldo is not happy with his 6’1 height or he is just not comfortable with anyone towering over him.
I am sure he is glad Lionel Messi would never topple him on height!
More pictures after the cut

Spain finally ups marriageable age to 16 years

Spain’s marriageable age has been raised from 14 years to 16years. In addition, the law also raises the legal age for sexual consent from 13 years to 14 years. This move brings the country’s policies in line with the majority of Europe. Politicians and activists alike say the new law is a symbolic move against pedophilia and forced marriage.
The legislation has been under pressure from child protection groups and United Nations experts, who asked the country to address the matter in 2010. According to Gabriel Gonzalez-Bueno of UNICEF, “Raising the marrying age is an attempt to ensure that children have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, their education and their health.

Argentina MP, Victoria Donda Perez, breastfeeds baby during parliament session

Perez breastfeeding her baby during a parliament session

The picture of 37-year-old Victoria Donda Perez, an Argentinean MP, breastfeeding her 8-month-old daughter, Trilce during a parliament session has gone viral on social media. The picture was captured during a meeting of the National Congress at the Congressional Palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While some praised her action, others expressed strong disapproval saying her action was inappropriate.
Perez became the youngest person ever (at 30 years) to become a member of Argentina’s National Congress in December, 2007. She is a human rights activist, an anti-poverty campaigner, and a lawyer, as well as a busy mother.

Britain’s seagull menace

Seagull are seabirds of the family Laridae. Their diet depends mainly on circumstances as they are highly adaptable feeders that opportunistically take a wide range of prey. In recent times, they have been known to show aggressive behaviors especially in areas where they are highly concentrated

Mind blowing tatoos (2)

The crying eye

One in ten South African living with HIV

According to a recent report released by Statistics SA, one in ten South Africans is living with HIV. Pali Lehohla, the statistician general who was speaking at the release of the mid-year population estimates report in Pretoria said 6.19 million South Africans out of the estimated total population of 54.95 million are living with the disease. This statistics shows a 2.17 million increase since 2002, when 4.02 million South Africans were living with the virus. The silver lining though, is the fact that infections are dropping, with the incidence rate for people between ages 15 and 49 declining. Also, life expectancy in South Africa is increasing with an average of 62.5 years in 2015, an increase of 9.1 years since 2004.      

Louisiana movie theater shooting: 3 dead, 9 injured

It was a sad night for families who lost their loved ones on Thursday night in a movie theater in Lafayette, LA when a lone gunman opened fire inside the crowded room. Authorities said two people died at the scene, including the gunman, and a third in a hospital. About 9 more sustained injuries ranging from non life-threatening to critical.