Florida man takes bath in kitchen sink at Wendy’s
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Category Archives: Wacky and Weird
Australia had an election, but the Simpson’s got it right years ago
Dreams are weird, so is the brain
I had this dream, where I was coaching ice hockey in Brisbane for a few hours, helping do evaluations of kids – male and female – and running them through drills.
As the kids got changed and the girls were mixed in with the boys, I explained we had enough girls in Guelph (that’s in Ontario, Canada) that they had their own league, and as a coach, I wouldn’t go into the dressing room until they were all dressed, and after the game would debrief for a couple of minutes, and then say good bye outside.
After 3 hours of on-ice training I said I’m going home for an hour and would be back in an hour.
I started to put on my street clothes, realized it was dark outside, looked at my iPhone and saw it was 2 a.m.
I miss coaching, but my brain is doing too many weird things.
And in real-life I fall a lot.
I’d post this to my other blog, but what’s left of my identity that I can remember is barfblog.com.
Peeing in pools: Survey says half of Americans use swimming pools as communal bathtubs
Quixem Ramierz of KTXS writes that a lot of people pee in swimming pools.
I was one of them one of them.
A new survey finds more than half of Americans (51 percent) use swimming pools as a communal bathtub– either swimming as a substitute for showering or using the pool to rinse off after exercise or yardwork. And, still, Americans knowingly make pools dirty despite nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents saying pool chemicals do not eliminate the need to shower before swimming.
“When dirt, sweat, personal care products, and other things on our bodies react with chlorine, there is less chlorine available to kill germs,” said Dr. Chris Wiant, chair of the Water Quality & Health Council. “Rinsing off for just 1 minute removes most of the dirt, sweat, or anything else on your body.”
The survey revealed 40 percent of Americans admit they have peed in the pool as an adult. Peeing in the pool reacts with chlorine and reduces the amount of chlorine available to kill germs.
“The bottom line is: Don’t pee in the pool,” said Michele Hlavsa, chief of CDC’s Healthy Swimming program. “Swimming is a great way to be physically active and not peeing in the pool is a key healthy swimming step.”
Officials probe cause as dozens sickened after local Ducks Unlimited fundraising dinner
There was this time, I was editor of the Port Colborne New, a weekly broadsheet in 1988.
Katija came from that area.
There was one night, and the only night, me and a bunch of friends did magic mushrooms (which are being considered for medicinal purposes) ran along the waterfront, terrified by nothing, and then went to my home and someone fell through a window.
The primary story I covered in Port Colborne (and yes, I did live in a trailer) was the development of a new port, and how the duck hunters of Ducks Unlimited wanted it stopped.
They lost.
The Free Press in London, Ontario (that’s in Canada, not England) reports that at least 57 people got sick after attending a recent Ducks Unlimited fundraising dinner in Strathroy, prompting local health officials to investigate a possible case of mass food poisoning..
The Middlesex-London Health Unit received public complaints from people who got sick after attending a sold-out dinner for Strathroy-Caradoc Ducks Unlimited at the Strathroy Portuguese Canadian Club March 30.
“We don’t know the micro-organism yet. We haven’t had lab confirmation of anything yet, but all of their symptoms were gastrointestinal, diarrhea and vomiting. Some had a fever, some had nausea,” said Mary Lou Albanese, the health unit’s infectious disease control team manager.
The reported illnesses prompted a public health inspection of the facility two days later. The inspector found five infractions in the April 1 site visit, including one critical non-compliance issue that had the potential to pose an immediate food-borne illness risk.
The inspector found the facility failed to maintain pest control measures, didn’t have a trained food handler supervising the kitchen and didn’t ensure utensils, equipment and facilities were cleaned and sanitized. The inspector’s report also found the dishwasher wasn’t designed or maintained to ensure utensils are sanitized and the kitchen’s walls and ceilings weren’t kept clean and in good repair.
The inspector issued three remediation actions to the club, including implementing food handler education for its employees.
The facility was given a passing grade by health inspectors.
In a statement, Strathroy-Caradoc Ducks Unlimited said they’re “devastated” people fell ill at their fundraiser.
“Our thoughts go out to those affected and the families who are dealing with this unfortunate situation,” the group said.
Uh-huh.
A time to live, a time to die
My eldest, 1-of-4 Canadian daughters (she’s 32 and has a 5-year-old son) was honest with me and said I shouldn’t travel to Ontario, even if there’s people I want to see (yes that’s her in this 1988 pic I took for my science column; I even remember developing film in the darkroom, and had sex there too along with the electron microcopy room.)
I have brain problems and cannot travel by myself.
My wife, who has power of attorney over my finances and death, says I can’t travel alone.
Yeah, looks like I’m fading fast
My best friend from high school has pancreatic cancer, so our friends are waging who will go first.
My brain hurts because I fall a lot, and Amy is going to break up with me.
But my life has been full of wonder, and I will keep being curious and keep writing.
It’s the best medicine.
China teacher arrested for ‘poisoning’ 23 kindergarten students
The first words I wrote for barfblog.com in 2005 as me and Chapman went on a road trip to escape my ex-girlfriend stalker were something about my mother trying to kill me through foodborne illness.
She didn’t like that, and I knew my kindergarten teacher mom had nothing but best intents, but with food safety, who knows.
I’d like to make clear that my mother never intentionally poisoned any of her students.
But, a kindergarten teacher in China did, sending 23 pupils to hospital in early April after a teacher allegedly poisoned their morning porridge.
The incident in Jiaozuo came just before a new regulation took effect Monday, requiring school officials from kindergartens to secondary schools in China to dine with their students to prevent food safety scandals.
The pupils began vomiting and fainting after breakfast, the Beijing News said, citing unnamed city officials.
One parent told the newspaper that he rushed to the hospital after receiving a call from the school to find doctors had already pumped his child’s stomach to prevent high levels of toxicity in his blood.
One child remains in hospital with “severe” symptoms, and seven others have been held for observation, Xinhua reported.
The reports did not specify the ages of those affected, but typically, kindergarten students in China are aged three to six.
A preliminary investigation has revealed that sodium nitrite, which is used for curing meats but can be toxic when ingested in high amounts, caused the poisoning, Xinhua said.
Is that a towel on your head or you just happy to see me
Awaiting a room at the hospital Amy went to get her hair done, and I’m sitting at home with blood still coming out the top of my head, waiting to get a room at the hospital so I can bleed on their linens.[
Which made me think of this.
Our cats on our deck
If people don’t tell me what they want, I’ll just post whatever interests me.
I wrote a science column for an entire year about cats, because I had never had warm-blooded creatures as pets before and was fascinated.
The next year, I was editor-in-chief (photo by Amy).
What to be of barfblog? Salmonella outbreak linked to Caito foods fresh-cut melons
When Chapman and I started barfblog.com on an airplane flight in 2005 (name credit goes to former student Christian), we thought it would last a couple of years.
It was supposed to be a mix of the personal, the pop, and evidence-based research.
I’ve quit many times, because, that’s what I do, but with my brain going, writing is about the only thing to keep me sane.
I say the same thing to Amy every few months.
I’m an idiot.
Amy told me to start a separate blog, dougsdeadflowers.com, and write whatever I want, but barfblog.com has become part of me for the past almost 20 years.
And then yesterday I saw a get-well message from a Canadian public health inspector who said, “you are our hero.”
Sure, I’m that vain.
I’m confused, and my brain ain’t working, so in the name of transparency, I throw it to my readers who have been there for 26 years:
- should I stop writing
- should I focus my available energy on a book
- should I have a separate blog for personal stuff (which means barfblog.com would die, because Chapman is not a writer)
- should I mix personal stuff in with the food safety stuff, or is that too narcissistic?
My inclination is to follow my Welsh roots and not go gentle into that good night, but that is hard on those I love.
And this is why Australian retailers should stop selling half-cut cantaloupe-rockmelons and others.
As soon as melons are cut, bacteria go to town.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Carrau illnesses linked to pre-cut melon products. These products contain cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon, or may be mixes of some or all of these melons and other pre-cut fruit.
Caito Foods, LLC, of Indianapolis, Ind., has recalled products containing pre-cut melons because they are potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Additionally, Caito Foods, LLC has temporarily suspended producing and distributing these products.
FDA worked with CDC and state partners to trace the distribution of pre-cut melon mixes from individual case patients back to Caito Foods, LLC. FDA is also continuing its traceback investigation to identify the specific source of these melons. Salmonella Carrau is a rare type of Salmonella but has been historically seen in imported melons. Reports from Caito Foods LLC indicate that imported melons were used in the suspect pre-cut melon mixes. FDA’s traceback investigation is examining shipping records to try to determine a country and if possible, a farm of origin for the melons.
FDA and Indiana authorities are currently inspecting and investigating, to include collecting samples for laboratory analysis, at the Caito Foods LLC processing facility where these melons were cut and packed.
Caito Foods, LLC was linked to a similar outbreak in 2018 involving Salmonella Adelaide in pre-cut melon products.