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Colorado Waldo Canyon Wildfire

June 27, 2012

An explosive wildfire has sent 32,000 residents away from their homes. By Wednesday morning the fire doubled in size. Approximately 15,324 acres were burning with only 5% contained, said Rich Harvey, incident commander of the Waldo Canyon Fire. Predicted thunderstorms could make things difficult for our fellow fire fighters. Thunderstorms sound like a good thing but they bring strong winds that can squall in any direction. “That will make work for firefighters more difficult,” said Harvey.

On Tuesday, strong winds were up to 65 mph through the mountain canyons and they blew the wildfire through containment lines into the northwest. Colorado Springs also set a record high of 101 as firefighters persist with the cruel conditions including ash falling on neighborhoods and highways.

Gov. John Hickenlooper spoke about the Waldo Canyon Fire and told reporters it was a difficult sight to see. “There were people’s homes burned to the ground. It was surreal. There’s no question, it’s serious. It’s as serious as it gets.”

The flames are hazardously close to the U.S. Air Force Academy campus. An order to evacuate has been issued for about 2,100 residents in its Pine and Douglas Valley Housing, said public affairs officer John Van Winkle.

Six other wildfires were active in the state, according to the Colorado Division of Emergency Management.

The High Park Fire was the largest of the fires and it began June 9. It has now consumed 87,284 acres, said the U.S. Forest Service. By Tuesday, it was 65% contained. The total number of homes lost increased to 257. An estimated $33.1 million has been spent trying to contain the fire.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized the use of federal funds to help fight the Waldo Canyon Fire after Colorado Springs. Wood Hollow Fire has grown to 46,190 acres since Saturday afternoon. Containment was 15% with the help of FEMA who is providing funds to help fight the blaze. The Dump Fire which is west of Provo, stood at 5,007 acres and was 100% contained, officials said.
What are your thoughts about all these fires?

Bus monitor is bullied by students

June 22, 2012

Greece, New York a 68-year-old Karen Klein is bullied persistently by middle school students on a school bus. A cell phone video was taken and on the video you can see she’s surrounded by the kids harassing her. Klein is attacked with profane language, insults and cruel taunts. The young students repeatedly call the grandmother of eight belittling names such as troll and fat. Klein was just trying to do her job as the bus monitor.

On the video Klein tries to pay no attention to them and look the other way when one of the boys jabs the backside of her arm with his finger prompting the other students to comment on her “jiggle”.

In the beginning of the clip Klein is noticeably shaken and tells the boys she is crying. One of them responds, “She probably misses her box of Twinkies.” The cruelty continues when they ask where she lives, so they can “piss” on her door. The young bullies insisted to know how much she paid for her purse and if her home was a trailer. “She probably eats deodorant because she can’t afford real food,” one of them said. The verbal attack included the kids guessing what would pour out of Klein’s stomach if they were to stab her.

The most agonizing part of the video is what is heard last. One of the students says “you don’t have a family because they all killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near you.” One of Klein’s sons had committed suicide a few years ago.

After the mortifying video went viral, a fund raiser page was created to give Klein a vacation. The goal was $5,000 yet the total exceeded $200,000 on Thursday afternoon and it continues to increase.

Man decapitates daughter for her ‘indecent behavior’

June 19, 2012

Police in Rajasthan, India say they were shocked when a man showed up at a police station holding a bloody human head and sword.

The head was of the man’s daughter Manju Kunwar. It was chopped off because of her “indecent behavior.” The beheading took place on Tuesday in Dengar Ka Guda, a village in Rajsamand District. Villagers said the father, whose shirt was soaked in blood, had carried his daughter’s head through the village and described what he had done to his neighbors.

Kunwar was in her 20s and was living with her parents at the time. She left her husband from an arranged marriage two years ago. She recently began seeing several men which “disgusted” her father, deputy police superintendent Umesh Ojha said. Kunwar eloped with a man two weeks ago and her father forced her to return home on Sunday.

Authorities said her father accused her of acting inappropriately with other men. He accused his daughter of bringing dishonor to the family and making it difficult to find future husbands for her two unmarried sisters. The authorities say Kunwar’s mother is a farmer and that she was working in the fields at the time.

The weeping women lined the road of the village in Rajasthan as a march carried Manju Kanwar’s remains to her funeral pyre. In many north and west Indian villages the women are not allowed to attend the funeral even if they are family members of the deceased.

In India women hold some of the highest positions in society. Women are company CEOs, the president and speakers of the House. But this case highlights another side of India in which women still undergo the consequences of long-held traditions.

India topped this month’s Thomson Reuters Foundation poll as the worst place to be a woman among the top 19 economies in the world. The foundation cited abuse, killings and discrimination on a matchless scale to other nations.

Estimated 18 Million cancer survivors by 2022

June 15, 2012

There was an estimated 13.7 million Americans with a history of cancer alive on January 1, 2012, according to the new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS). Researchers anticipate the number of cancer survivors to go up to 18 million by 2022.

On Thursday, the report that was published stated that at this time one in three women and one in two men in the U.S. will develop cancer during their life span.
“Increases in the number of individuals diagnosed with cancer each year, due in large part to aging and growth of the population, as well as improving survival rates, have led to an ever-increasing number of cancer survivors,” the authors of the report wrote.

For example, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer increased to 90% in 2007 from 75.1% in 1977. The 5-year survival rates for childhood cancers are at 82.5% which is an increase of more than 24% since the 1970s. Approximately 45% of all cancer survivors are 70 years or older. The majority of cancer survivors were diagnosed five or more years ago and 15 percent of survivors were diagnosed 20 or more years ago.

Unfortunately, doctors may not be ready to deal with the problems cancer survivors may face. “More can certainly be done [in terms] of what the needs are and how they can best be met,” ACS epidemiologist Carol DeSantis said. “ACS assesses the gaps in resources and finds ways to fulfill those needs.”

The long-term effects from treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, and from the cancer itself can be devastating. Cancer survivors can face blood disorders years after they go into remission. They can deal with osteoporosis from the damage chemotherapy inflicts on a body’s bone marrow. Treatment can also cause muscle pain, cardiovascular problems, and cognitive defects.

The survivor population is growing and it is important to understand and meet the sole needs of people living with a history of cancer.

What are your thoughts?

Face-chewing victim is awake and alert

June 12, 2012

In Miami a 65 year old homeless man by the name of Ronald Poppo was brutally attacked alongside South Florida highway on May 26th. Rudy Eugene pummeled Poppo to the ground and began stripping him out of his clothes. After both men were nude, Eugene began to chew at Poppo’s face taking several chunks off including his nose.

Poppo was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center were he will remain for several more weeks and will need more surgeries done before he can explore reconstructive surgery for his face. Poppo’s left eye was removed and the doctors are trying to find a way to restore vision in his right eye. He also suffered two punctured wounds to his chest and a brain injury.

Social workers will try to help him find a place to live when the time comes. He has been homeless for nearly 30 years and has not sought help finding a place to sleep since 2004.

“He’s pleased to report to all of you that he’s feeling well, he’s eating, he’s walking around with physical therapy, he’s talking with us,” said Nicholas Namias, a University of Miami trauma surgeon. The doctor said Poppo hasn’t once complained about pain. “He’s really just sort of living in the moment and just wants to talk about routine things,” he said.

A fund established by the Jackson Memorial Foundation to assist Poppo has raised $15,000. Poppo also qualifies for Medicaid and Medicare, hospital officials said.

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