Half Red, Half Green Apple

The fruit’s striking colouring is thought to be caused by a random genetic mutation at odds of more than a million to one.

The apple has caused such a stir in the village of Colaton Raleigh, Devon, that Mr Morrish is inundated with neighbours queuing up to take pictures of it.

Mr Morrish, 72, who has been harvesting the apples from trees in his garden for 45 years, said: “It’s truly amazing.

“It looks as if a green apple and a red apple has been cut in half and stuck together.”

He said that he was out picking a few apples for his sister-in-law when he spotted the fruit hanging from a bough.

Mr Morrish, a retired painter and decorator, added: “I couldn’t believe my eyes. The red and green split through the stem is totally perfect – as if I’ve painted it.

“It’s a genuine one-off and none of us have ever seen an apple like it before.”

Experts believe that the odds of finding an apple with such a perfect line between the green and the red are more than a million to one.

In such cases, the red side usually tastes sweeter than the green side – because it has seen more sunshine during its growth.

John Breach, chairman of the British Independent Fruit Growers Association, told the Daily Mail: “I’ve never seen this happen before to a golden delicious. It is extremely rare. It is an extreme mutation.

“There has been the occasional case of this type reported. If there was a whole branch of apples with the same colouring then fruit experts would get even more excited.”

Jim Arbury, fruit superintendent at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, said it was probably the “result of a random genetic mutation”.

“This is known as a chimera where one of the first two cells has developed differently giving rise to one half of the apple being different,” he said.

“It is unlikely to be a stable mutation but it is worth checking next year to see if it recurs. There are instances of some striped apples and pears where the mutation remains stable including one striped pear in the collection at Wisley called Pysanka.”

Telegraph

The man, whom authorities declined to identify, other than saying that he was in his 50s, had apparently put his penis through the hole of a steel, ring-shaped dumbbell weight fastener, two or three days earlier.

The device got stuck, and he couldn’t remove it. The penis had blackened and swollen to five times its normal size, authorities said. In order to remove the ring, firefighters had to use a saw to cut through it.

“They said his comment was, ‘This will make me the chief of my tribe,’” said Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Scott Broussard, who like others in the department, heard about the incident the next morning.

The man thought the weight from the steel object would make his organ longer, but what he did to it almost rendered it useless, authorities said.

The steel collar-like fastener cut off circulation to the man’s penis, said Capt. Dave Kearley. As a result, blood could not flow out of it, and it swelled to the point that the man couldn’t remove the ring, Kearley said.

Broussard added that doctors at Hoag had told the man, who refused immediate treatment, that if he waited any longer to remove the fastener, the flesh in his penis would die.

“He was kind of a wingnut,” Broussard said.

Staff kept him in the hospital under a psychiatric hold and called the Fire Department to come remove the item because they didn’t have the tools to do it, Broussard said. Medical personnel tied down the man to a table and sedated him for the emergency, he said.

Firefighters had to don full surgery garb, including masks and scrubs.

The men constructed a watering system to keep the sparks from the sawing — which were flying half-way across the room — from injuring the patient as they cut through the inch-thick ring around his penis.

The delicate procedure took two hours.

“They also slid a little piece of metal between the collar and his thing, so if it slipped past it wouldn’t hit his thing,” Broussard said.

If anything, the incident demonstrated the versatility of the city firefighters’ rescue skills, Broussard said.

“If we’re cutting people out of some kind of building, or if we’re cutting right up next to somebody’s flesh and don’t damage his flesh, then it’s a good day,” he said.

Daily Pilot

Newark police say 25-year-old Shaheed Wright of East Orange put several baggies of cocaine inside his son’s jacket after police nearly caught him with it. The boy shared the drugs with three other 4-year-olds at his day care center Friday.

A teacher spotted a girl with a baggie in her mouth and called authorities after seeing the white powdery substance.

The children were taken to a hospital, but none were injured. Police found more baggies of cocaine after searching the boy’s pockets.

Wright was charged with four counts of child endangerment and drug offenses. He is not listed in the phone book, and police do not know if he has retained a lawyer.

Fox

Investigators say the 9-year-old St. Charles County boy was riding with his
mother on Highway P near a relative’s house Wednesday afternoon when he saw an injured duck in the road and asked her whether he could save it. After she pulled the car over, Danny hopped out and put the duck in a roadside culvert on the south side of the highway.

But when he tried to cross back over the rural, two-lane road to his family’s
car, Danny was struck by a westbound Subaru Legacy driven by Alayna R. Hitz, 18, of Wentzville.

He died at the scene about 1 p.m. near Stonebriar Estates Court between St.
Paul and Josephville.

Authorities said Hitz’s view of Danny may have been blocked. As Danny was
crossing the road, he was obscured behind an oncoming passing car.
Investigators said the crash was accidental, speed was not a factor and
criminal charges are not likely to be filed.

“There’s absolutely nothing suspicious about it,” said Sgt. Ryan Burckhardt of
the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Danny was scheduled to start the fourth grade Monday at the St. Joseph School in Josephville.

The principal, Dwight Elmore, described Danny as a respectful, good-natured kid who was well-known by all the school’s staff and 123 students. “Danny’s an
all-around boy,” Elmore said. “Always had a smile on his face. Really, just a
wholesome kid.”

Danny loved hunting with his family but also had compassion for wildlife, said
his pastor, the Rev. Larry Huber. Danny would routinely pick up frogs, snakes
and birds and show them to people.

“He was just drawn towards animals,” Huber said. “All animals.”

Elmore said the Bamptons are a tight family who have been heavily involved at St. Joseph Parish for generations. He said the Bamptons and their extended
relatives make up at least a third of the church’s parishioners. “This is going
to put a huge void in a lot of folks’ lives,” Elmore said.

Danny was the second-youngest of six brothers and sisters.

The Bampton family declined to comment. St. Joseph will hold a Mass at 8 a.m.
today to honor Danny’s memory. Funeral arrangements were pending.

STL Today

Gay-Ellen Stulp and Stephany Miskunas are lobbying the Lafayette City Council to allow them to keep pet chickens at their homes in the historic Highland Park neighborhood.

Stulp said she wants city council members to amend the ordinance that forbids having chickens in the city. The city council’s Public Health Welfare and Safety Committee plans to consider the matter.

“It’s been a blast,” Stulp said of her quest. “I can’t believe the discussions I’ve gotten as I go around with my petition.

“It’s a little hobby. They are pets. I guess I’m now part of the chicken underground.”

Melanie Lucroy, president of Highland Park Neighborhood Association, said the group hasn’t taken an official stance on the issue.

“We are mostly a social organization interested in promoting the neighborhood,” she said.

“There are strong opinions on both sides.”

Stulp said she has collected more than 200 signatures from Lafayette residents in favor of allowing pet chickens in Lafayette.

Urban chicken movement

Many cities allow urban chicken farming, including Indianapolis, St. Louis, San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Madison, Wis.

Restrictions are placed on the chicken lovers in most of those cases, though. For example, in most cases, hens are allowed but not roosters, only three or four chickens are permitted at each household, and chickens must be kept from leaving the property.

The urban chicken movement has businesses that sell equipment and offer tips for raising the birds.

“There are even ’stealth’ chicken coops that look like trash cans,” Stulp said.

She said that the city’s animal control department last May ordered her to part ways with her four hens. Miskunas had chickens in her backyard for a year and she said most neighbors knew it. But this summer, a young hen escaped into a neighborhood yard and authorities were called.

Several Highland Park neighbors declined to comment about the situation or about legalizing chickens in the city.

Miskunas had purchased a kids’ playhouse and customized it into a coop. She winterized it, added a light bulb for heat and secured it from predators. She even added a flower bed.

“I just love my chickens,” she said. “They are excellent pets and are easy to keep.”

She said fresh eggs are a benefit.

“Fresh eggs are better. The yolks are school bus yellow,” Miskunas said.

Stulp said a 1971 noise ordinance allowed a home-owner to have a few backyard chickens. The chickens were prohibited from making noise. Later, the city added chickens to the expanded definition of the types of livestock that are prohibited.

Stulp is preparing for the possible homecoming of her four chickens. She is working on a garden cottage to house the birds.

“I’ll put a doghouse inside for the chickens,” she said. “I even bought a Siberian pea shrub because the chickens will eat the seeds.”

All of the chickens are at a farm off of McCormick Road near West Lafayette. They are “free ranging” in a farmhouse yard.

A visit Monday showed the bond between Stulp and her four hens. She shook the chicken feed in a plastic container and called their names.

“Come here, Hazel. Come on, Pearl!” she shouted.

Suddenly, several chickens appeared from under a couple of bushes.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” she said.

The women have several breeds, including Rhode Island reds, black stars and Americans. Stulp said backyard hobbyists are propagating the heirloom varieties of chicken.

“This is part of the ‘back to the earth’ movement,” said Stulp, an Eli Lilly chemical engineer. “It’s a harmless hobby.

“After the ordinance was changed in Madison, Wis., there are now 150 families that have chickens.”

Safe habits

Associate professor Mickey Latour of Purdue University works with the poultry extension office. He said he will attend the next meeting on the backyard chicken issue.

He urged the chicken hobbyists to practice safe habits, especially since there have been cases of salmonella from children handling baby chicks.

“It would be good if backyard flocks were inside of caged areas where they don’t have access to wild animals,” he said.

“Wash your hands before you go in and eat. Make sure everything’s cleaned up.”

Stulp said that she is prepared for the worst.

“If the city council turns us down, I’ll find homes for my chickens,” she said. “I’ll really miss them.”

IndyStar

The unnamed mum-to-be – a teacher – is said to be defying medical advice by vowing to give birth to ALL six girls and six boys.

If she succeeds, her brood – conceived after fertility treatment – will smash the world record for multiple births.

The tots’ father, identified only as Marwan, is backing her. He beamed: “In the beginning we thought that my wife would give birth to twins.

“But more foetuses were discovered. Our joy increased with the growing number.”

He said his wife was determined to have a natural birth – but doctors had told her it was IMPOSSIBLE.

British fertility experts warned the pregnancy in the Tunisian oasis town of Gafsa carried “colossal” risks. All nine babies born to the current record-holder – an Australian mum in 1971 – died in Sydney.

Shocked Dr Mark Hamilton, of the British Fertility Society, said: “Twelve babies seems extraordinary.” The mum-to-be, who is being constantly monitored by experts in her home country, is said to have insisted she is “feeling fine”.

She was also “looking forward to hugging her six boys and six girls”. The wife had sought help after previously suffering the anguish of several miscarriages.

It was not clear if she had IVF treatment or an alternative procedure called ovulation induction treatment.

IVF would have meant several eggs being fertilised outside the womb then implanted. OIT uses hormones to stimulate the ovaries so they produce eggs that can be fertilised the natural way.

When multiple eggs are involved, UK women opting for either procedure are offered the option of “selective reduction”.

Some of the foetuses are aborted, so those left have a better chance of survival.

This also reduces the risk to the mother.

The Tunisian government is said to have pledged to do all it can to care for the mother and her babies.

Her pregnancy comes seven months after Californian mum Nadya Suleman stunned the world by delivering eight healthy tots.

And in May Nuala Conway, 26, from Dunamore in Co Tyrone, gave birth to sextuplets – four girls and two boys.

Sadly one of the girls later died.

SUN

The viewing at La Paz Funeral Home on East 149th Street near Lincoln Hospital was delayed because of problems preparing the body. When the mourners filed in they weren’t prepared for what they saw.

Tears filled William Maldonado Jr.’s eyes as he described the condition of his younger brother’s corpse.

“Bleeding,” he said. “There were exposed wires, there were flies going in and out of the wound.”

In fact, by the end of the funeral the flies buzzing around the body’s open wound became so persistent the funeral home placed a white veil over the corpse’s head to protect it.

His father, William Maldonado Sr., tried to chime in but was unable.

“I can’t talk about it,” he whispered, breaking down in sobs.

Fernando died in his sleep. He had numerous health problems, including chronic diabetes, but an autopsy was ordered to help pinpoint the exact cause of death. After the procedure The Bronx Medical Examiner shipped the body to La Paz where it was supposed to be prepared for viewing. Evidence of the autopsy, though, is clearly visible in photos taken of the open casket.

There was a hole behind the dead man’s right ear that appeared to be seeping blood. Two witnesses told CBS 2 HD there were blood stains on the pillow and wires that appeared to be autopsy sutures visible holding a loose flap of skin to the back of his hairline. The corpse was a dark bluish color in spots. The ears looked especially discolored.

One of the owners at the La Paz Funeral Home told CBS 2 HD she knew of the lawsuit but wasn’t authorized to comment. She told us simply “We did the best we could.”

The family doesn’t see it that way.

“There were no feelings for the family,” William Jr. told CBS 2 HD. “That’s the last thing we wanted, to see him that way. That’s how we’ll remember him.”

When asked if they would have accepted a closed casket service if they’d known the condition of the body he said, “Absolutely.”

The wake lasted five hours and was interrupted three times as the funeral director tried to address the growing chorus of complaints about the body’s appearance.

The daughter of the deceased, Kristina Maldonado, said the staff at La Paz seemed annoyed at the repeated complaints.

“I’ve been to funerals and wakes a week after the death and they didn’t look like that,” she said.

She claims the funeral director said the body looked the way it did because that’s the way it came from the medical examiner’s office.

William Jr. said it was especially difficult since his brother had died without trauma of any kind.

“Everybody was shocked,” he remembered. “Everybody kept asking ‘was he killed? Was he hit in the head?’”

The family is represented by attorney Michael Lamansoff, who insisted this would’ve been an easy fix for a responsible funeral home.

“What they should have done if they couldn’t prepare the body correctly,” Lamansoff said, “was to tell the family, look we can’t do it.”

The crux of the lawsuit is that funeral homes are bound under long-standing common law to protect grieving families from such horrors. The funeral home ignored repeated requests for a comment.

CBS

If it’s a medical emergency, Erie County 911 will respond, but there is one address many of its dispatchers know by heart.

They find Scott Graham usually waiting at that Buffalo address for his ambulance several times a week.

“Sometimes two times a day,” Graham told 2 On Your Side. He suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia, a blood disorder. If left untreated, it can block blood flow to limbs and organs.

“It feels like somebody shooting me with battery acid, and I’m stepping on razor blades, and I’m having a heart attack at once,” he said talking about the pain the disorder causes.

Graham doesn’t have a job, insurance or car. So, when he feels bad, he doesn’t call a cab. He calls 911 to have an ambulance drive him to the hospital.

A 2 On Your Side investigation found that from January 2006 to May of this year, Rural Metro Ambulance picked him up 603 times.

Medicaid picked up the tab for each ride, costing taxpayers at least $118,158.

Graham estimates he’s requested even more rides. “I’d say about a thousand times.”

Rural Metro and Erie County chose not to respond on camera about Graham’s case. The county follows the same rules most emergency systems follow across the country. If you call, they must haul you to the hospital, no matter what your call is about.

Graham says he requests an ambulance because he can’t see his doctor as much as he needs. He also says he gets help quicker by arriving in an ambulance rather than by cab.

2 On Your Side contacted Medicaid to have them look into the number of times Graham used an ambulance. Medicaid appeared more interested in how we got the information, rather than how much it cost taxpayers to pick him up.

Medicaid fraud and abuse costs $60 billion each year nationwide.

2 On Your Side contacted our lawmakers to discuss how to lower that number.

“As we look at health care reform,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, “we should also look at oversight and accountability for those programs to make sure that people aren’t abusing the system.”

Gillibrand says cracking down on abuse should be part of the major health care reform going through Congress to force more oversight.

Take Mr. Graham’s case. His trips cost Medicaid $118,000, but the government reimbursements are low. In fact, most ambulance companies lose money, up to 30% or more, when they transport Medicaid patients, because the government simply does not pay the full cost. Therefore, Mr. Graham’s actual cost to the ambulance company and to the health care system in general, is much more, as high as $360,000.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins, a Republican, says government is not the answer to limiting that type of alleged abuse and waste.

“Fundamentally, inherently I think the private sector is better able to do anything and everything compared to government,” Collins said.

Instead, Collins said the solution is insurance that is private and not public.

“Would the type of reform that you’re suggesting here be able to crack down more on this type of fraud?” asked 2 On Your Side’s Michael Wooten.

“I’m actually talking about the basic design of the program in New York,” Collins said. “where fraud is something we have to look at everyday. But the actual larger cost is the actual design of the program and the fact that we took the entire menu and said we’ll provide it all.”

Gillibrand disagrees.

“Bottom line then, expanded government-run health care can be efficient you believe?” 2 On Your Side’s Michael Wooten asked Gillibrand. “Absolutely,” she responded. “Talk to your mother. Talk to your father. Talk to someone who has Medicare. They’re pretty happy.”

Currently, New York has a dubious distinction of having the highest Medicaid costs in the entire country, about $2,300 per person. Collins said if we had a system similar the one in California, which does not provide as much care, we would save enough money to completely eliminate the county property tax.

WGRZ

Renee Ramsey is recovering from the surgery that she’s been dreaming of for decades.

“Since I was about 13, I always knew something was different,” said Renee.

She used to be Richard; a green beret specialist in Vietnam. A tough guy who privately dreamed of wearing dresses.

“It was weird cause as much as I wanted to dress like a lady, I didn’t say anything. I knew if I did I would be discharged,” said Renee.

She was in the military for over 20 years and married twice. She says Richard eventually started to dress like a woman, but switched back into the uniform for official duties.

“A lot of these transgender patients who try to be men, they take on masculine jobs they become labor struck, drivers, police men, soldiers,” said Dr. Sherman Leis, with The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, says people with gender identity issues often try to over compensate.

“It was just a wonderful thing that I wanted for my whole life,” said Dr. Christine McGinn, who CBS 3 interviewed three years ago. She had once been a man in the Navy. A military man, like Richard, who’s now Renee.

Renee is 77, and while genital re-assignment surgery is complicated, age, as long as there are not medical problems, usually isn’t an issue.

“Renee happens to be in great medical shape. She was a very physical person for many years, and she went through the surgery very well,” said Dr. Leis.

Renee says she waited until her wife died to have the surgery, and finally feels normal.

“I’m happy good, as happy as any woman could be,” said Renee.

The surgery can be expensive, $20,000. It’s something that Renee has been saving for almost all her life. Transgender surgeries are not tracked, but Dr. Leis says his numbers are up.

CBS

X-rays showed the 9cm long and 4cm wide scissors fully entered esophagus, with the sharp top angling up to the epiglottis

Chinese surgeons saved a man’s life after he accidentally swallowed a pair of nail scissors he was using to clean his teeth.
These are the astonishing X-rays that show how surgeons saved a man’s life after he cut his throat with a pair of scissors – from the inside.

Lin Kong had borrowed a four-inch-long pair of nail scissors to use instead of a toothpick to clean his teeth after a meal.

But as one of his friends told a joke, the 27-year-old laughed and swallowed the clippers.

As he tried to cough up the scissors, the points, which were facing upwards, dug deeper into his throat, causing serious damage.
Chen Wei, a surgeon at the hospital in Putian, eastern China, said: “When he came in, his face was twisted, pale, and [he was] sweating. The patient was having difficulty swallowing and blood was mixed with his saliva.”

X-rays showed that the scissors had completely entered the man’s oesophagus, with the sharp points sticking up into the epiglottis.
Surgeons could only operate under local anaesthetic, as general anaesthetic would have relaxed his body so much that the scissors would have slipped deeper down the throat.

“The entire surgery took around 30 minutes. Luckily Mr Lin does not have much of a wound left inside his throat,” said Dr Chen.