Author: Gospel Order

L.A. sees another sharp rise in homelessness and outdoor tents

la-me-ln-homeless-count-20160504-001Homelessness rose 11% in the city of Los Angeles and 5.7% in the county last year despite an intensive federal push that slashed the county ranks of homeless veterans by nearly a third, according to a report released Wednesday.

The increase marks the fourth consecutive year of rising homelessness in L.A., as local officials struggle to identify funding for billion-dollar plans they approved to solve the nation’s most intractable homeless problem.

Countywide, nearly 47,000 homeless people were counted in 2016, up from 44,000 in 2015 and 39,000 in 2013, the homeless report said. Nearly two-thirds — 28,000 — were in the city of Los Angeles.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

Michigan man sprayed poison on food in several Ann Arbor grocery stores, FBI says

poison5n-1-webThe FBI said Tuesday the serial spray suspect is in custody, but his identity has not been revealed. No criminal charges have been announced and no motive has been specified.

The suspect was caught on camera spraying a sickening mixture of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, water and Tomcat-brand mouse killer on prepared food and produce in the past two weeks, the FBI said. Authorities said he contaminated food at three Ann Arbor locations, including a Whole Foods.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

Transgender politician poised for historic win in Catholic Philippines

337fde547de7676eb73a753c37fda30142bd8e89Geraldine Roman blows kisses to curious crowds and serenades them with a love song as she proudly campaigns to be the first transgender lawmaker in the mainly Catholic Philippines.

The 49-year-old member of a powerful political family has a strong chance to win a seat in the nation’s lower house in Monday’s elections, in what would be a remarkable breakthrough for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Conservative church dogma is a dominant force in Philippine politics: divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage are illegal, while there are no openly gay politicians at the national level and an LGBT party has long struggled for influence.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

Scientists reveal likely cause of recent southeast U.S. earthquakes

scientists-reveal-likely-cause-of-recent-southeast-us-earthquakesCHAPEL HILL, N.C., May 3 (UPI) — The southeastern United States isn’t known for its seismic activity, but the region does experience the odd earthquake.

A new study — published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth — offers an explanation for the phenomenon.

Most earthquakes occur near plate boundaries and major fault lines. The southeastern corner of the United States lies in the middle of the North American Plate, far from the seismically active margins.

However, new analysis suggests the plate’s interior continues to lose bits and pieces of its mantle. As fragments break off and sink toward Earth’s interior, the mantle is left thinner and more brittle — and more susceptible to the fault slipping that triggers earthquakes.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

1 in 3 antibiotics prescribed in U.S. are unnecessary, major study finds

imrs.phpNearly a third of antibiotics prescribed in doctors’ offices, emergency rooms and hospital-based clinics in the United States are not needed, according to the most in-depth study yet to examine the use and misuse of these life-saving drugs.

The finding, which has implications for antibiotics’ diminished efficacy, translates to about 47 million unnecessary prescriptions given out each year across the country to children and adults. Most of these are for conditions that don’t respond to antibiotics, such as colds, sore throats, bronchitis, flu and other viral illnesses.

Although health officials have been warning for decades about the overuse of antibiotics and its contribution to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, the research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pew Charitable Trust is the first to quantify the depth of the problem.

“We’ve all been hearing, ‘This is a problem, this is problem,’ and we all understood the general concept that there is a lot of antibiotic use,” said David Hyun, a senior officer with Pew’s antibiotic resistance project and one of the authors of the report published Tuesday in JAMA. Pew also published a companion report using the same data.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

Medical Errors Are No. 3 Cause Of U.S Deaths, Researchers Say

doctor-failure_custom-0640e06948eeb7143273ab9f2902979b128f7c08-s800-c85A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine says medical errors should rank as the third leading cause of death in the United States — and highlights how shortcomings in tracking vital statistics may hinder research and keep the problem out of the public eye.

The authors, led by Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Martin Makary, call for changes in death certificates to better tabulate fatal lapses in care. In an open letter, they urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to immediately add medical errors to its annual list reporting the top causes of death.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

In N.Y., White House poised to create first monument to gay rights struggle

gettyimages-4786330881462290131

President Obama is poised to declare the first-ever national monument recognizing the struggle for gay rights, singling out a sliver of green space and part of the surrounding Greenwich Village neighborhood as the birthplace of America’s modern gay liberation movement.

While most national monuments have highlighted iconic wild landscapes or historic sites from centuries ago, this reflects the country’s diversity of terrain and peoples in a different vein: It would be the first national monument anchored by a dive bar and surrounded by a warren of narrow streets that long has been regarded the historic center of gay cultural life in New York City. Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

German couple tortured two women to death, police say

89550128_1d3ef764-edbd-4b29-896a-5b35042f24c1Police in Germany investigating the deaths of two women say they were the victims of a couple who held them hostage and tortured them.

They say a man and his ex-wife placed dating advertisements to lure the women to their home.

The suspects – Wilfried W, 46, and Angelika B, 47 – were arrested last Wednesday and charged with manslaughter.

The man denies any wrongdoing but his partner is reported to have confessed. Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

Food Theft in Italy May Not Be a Crime, Court Rules

Canzio, reato immigrazione clandestina inutile,dannosoROME — Stealing food from a supermarket may not be a crime in Italy if you are homeless and hungry, the nation’s highest appeals court has ruled.

In a case that has drawn comparisons to“Les Misérables,” the Supreme Court of Cassation threw out the conviction of a homeless man from Ukraine, Roman Ostriakov, who was caught trying to take 4.07 euros — about $4.70 — worth of cheese and sausage from a store in Genoa without paying for it. A trial court sentenced him in February 2015 to six months in jail and a fine of €100.

“The condition of the defendant and the circumstances in which the merchandise theft took place prove that he took possession of that small amount of food in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of need,” and therefore the theft “does not constitute a crime,” the appellate court wrote in its decision, which was reported on Monday by the Italian news agency ANSA.  Source

Posted on by Gospel Order 0

Wildfire in Canada’s Fort Mac energy heartland forces evacuation

Vehicles are seen on highway 63 as they are detoured near wildfire burning near Fort McMurray Alberta
Vehicles are seen on highway 63 as they are detoured near wildfire burning near Fort McMurray, Alberta May 1, 2016. Courtesy Gregory Hong/Handout via REUTERS

An uncontrolled wildfire burning near Fort McMurray in northern Alberta, the heart of Canada’s oil sands region, has forced the evacuation of nearly all the city’s 80,000 residents, local authorities said on Tuesday.

A number of flights from Fort McMurray airport were canceled and the airport advised passengers to check with their airlines for updates.

“This is the biggest evacuation we have seen in the history of the province in terms of fire,” said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

However, the 2,650-hectare (6,540-acre) fire, which was discovered on May 1, is not close to any oil sands facilities, according to Alberta government online maps. Source

 

Posted on by Gospel Order 0