news from around the world

[almaty 19]

What Could Go Wrong?

Authorities in Barranquilla, Colombia, said that Rafael Vargas, 35, tried to cure his nephew of the hiccups by pointing a loaded revolver at him to scare him. Vargas accidentally pulled the trigger, killing David Galvan, 21. He was so distraught that he turned the gun on himself and died of head wounds.

Surgery Under The Influence

The chief of neurosurgery at Oakland, California’s Highland Hospital was wrestled to an operating room floor by deputies and arrested after allegedly throwing a drunken fit when a nurse refused to let him operate! Federico Castro-Moure, 45, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and interfering with the duty of officers. Castro-Moure became belligerent after insisting on operating on a man who broke his ankles and fractured his spine in a two-story fall, according to the sheriff’s department. He “threw a fit” and began yelling and cursing at staff when they told him equipment for the procedure needed to be transferred from another hospital, according to the report.

The Oakland Tribune

Rat-Tailed Maggots Pop Up in Town's Water Supply

CAPE TOWN - Rat-tailed maggots, every bit as ugly as they sound, have been popping out of basins, toilets and taps across Cape Town, sparking a citywide panic that health officials tried Wednesday to calm.

Ivan Toms, director of health for the South African tourist mecca, said the risk the water supply was infested was slim.

"The water is chlorinated and filtered and comes from dams in the mountains where it is extremely unlikely that this maggot would be found," he said in a statement.

The body of the aquatic brownish larva can grow up to 2.5 centimeters, or an inch, long, with a rat-like tail that can be twice that length and in fact serves as a breathing tube.

It later metamorphosises into the brightly colored drone fly, which looks like a honey bee and feeds on pollen.

The maggots are usually found in stagnant water and the drone fly -- possibly on the increase in the city -- may have laid its eggs inside hand-basin pipes, Toms said.

If swallowed, the cylindrical, crush-resistant grub-like body was unlikely to cause major health problems, he said.

"Since the rat tailed maggot is quite large and clearly visible to the naked eye, it is highly unlikely that it would be ingested in the first place," he added.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Good to be informed.

[almaty 19]

damn straight rich..never know when you have an rat tail maggot in the yard

Edited April 18, 2006 by almaty2004

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

damn straight rich..never know when you have an rat tail maggot in the yard

i'm eyeballing my water as we speak. so far so goo.

[Jasman0717 9]

[*Robert* 2]

What Could Go Wrong?

Authorities in Barranquilla, Colombia, said that Rafael Vargas, 35, tried to cure his nephew of the hiccups by pointing a loaded revolver at him to scare him. Vargas accidentally pulled the trigger, killing David Galvan, 21. He was so distraught that he turned the gun on himself and died of head wounds.

Defnitely qualifies as stupidity!!!

[Ladylethal 12]

Are you sure those are true? Sounds like urban legends to me.

[iceyspots 0]

I know the doctor one was true! That happend some weeks ago! (Maybe last month?)

[Mirorgate 0]

In other news.. President Bush stated that he was the decision maker.