Bullet Ricochets Off Armadillo Shell, Strikes Septuagenarian in Back

When Larry McElroy went to shoot an armadillo, he did not think he would wind up accidentally shooting his mother-in-law.

Authorities report that after the 54-year-old South Georgian fired his 9-mm pistol at the armadillo the night of April 12, the bullet bounced off the animal, struck a fence, penetrated the back door of the mother-in-law’s mobile home, and traveled through the recliner in which she was sitting, striking her in the back.

Carol Johnson, McElroy’s 74-year-old mother-in-law, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and according to Bill Smith, the county sheriff’s investigator, was walking around and talking after the incident.

According to authorities, McElroy was not only within his rights to shoot the armadillo, but was also taking the recommended course of action.

For more than one hundred years, state courts have looked to evidence of legislative intent when construing state laws, which, in the case of Georgia, allow citizens to carry a firearm — openly or concealed — in one’s home or place of business without a license, placing McElroy well within his rights.

Shooting armadillos is also the recommended way to get rid of the pests, which inadvertently tear up homeowners’ lawns in search of the grubs they eat, according to Dougherty County Extension Coordinator James Morgan.

James Morgan, the Dougherty County Extension Coordinator said they actually recommend that residents who live in the county shoot the armadillos. Traps can also be used to capture them.

“Shooting is an effective way of getting rid of them. However, you have to be safe when you do that,” Morgan told WALB News.

However, Smith thought a shotgun might have been a better choice, telling WALB, “I really think if they’re going to shoot at varmints and whatnot, maybe use a shotgun … with a spread pattern with a lot less range.”

Of course, it’s also possible to get rid of armadillos without blasting them to smithereens. Grub pesticide, which kills the insects that armadillos are trying to eat, works well, too.

Research Shows the Cost of the Average Wedding is Rising

Weddings are well-known for being expensive affairs, a fact most people accept as a natural condition of celebrating a new stage in a friend or family member’s lives. However, research is now showing that the average ceremony is not only costly, but growing even more exorbitant with time. Even worse, the study doesn’t even include the cost of the honeymoon! Fortunately, the Motley Fool, a multimedia-based financial services company, has a number of tips for reducing your expenses, from inexpensive wedding flowers to favors for your guests.

Recently, the wedding-focused company The Knot surveyed 16,000 brides and grooms in the United States. The organization found that the average bride was 29 years old, while the typical groom was 31. The standard wedding, meanwhile, featured 136 guests, including four to five bridesmaids and groomsmen. But while these ceremonies sound fairly traditional, the cost of the average event was $31,213. If you think this number is astounding, you wouldn’t be alone: The Knot reports that this amount is 4.5% more than the year before, equal to $1,344.

However, it is worth noting that the number is a national one, combining averages from less expensive areas with those from more extortionate locales. Compare Utah and Manhattan, for example: according to The Knot’s recent data, the typical wedding in the Beehive State costs around $15,257, while weddings in the Big Apple average about $76,328. Moreover, the study pool consisted entirely of people connected to The Knot, a wedding company, which might attract more people from certain backgrounds and income levels than others, which could skew the results.

However, when it comes to the average prices of different aspects of the wedding ceremonies, the image created is still somewhat unnerving. For example, reception halls generally cost around $14,006, making this detail the most expensive by far. The reception bands and photographers came next, costing the happy couples an average of $3,587 and $2,556. Florists and decor took the fourth most expensive slot, an unsurprising fact given that the U.S. florist industry grew by an estimated 0.6% annually from 2009 to 2014, which likely gives many brides and grooms more options to choose from. The rest of the expenses, which include videographers, DJs, and wedding garb, range in price from $1,973 (the cost of a wedding planner) to $555 (for cake). However, other costs, such as the officiant and the rings, were not listed.

To reduce their expenses, The Motley Fool recommended that soon-to-be brides and grooms set a serious budget before anything else. Once this number is established, the company says there are plenty of ways to cut costs by paying attention to the timing and looking for discounts. For example, holding a wedding in the off-season on any other time than a Saturday evening can dramatically reduce costs, while looking for in-season flowers can be significantly cheaper. Likewise, The Motley Fool recommends looking for cheaper solutions, such as a public park for the reception or an online retailer for wedding favors. Finally, the company strongly encourage people to negotiate. While planning an affordable wedding might seem like a challenge, they point out that the less you spend, the more money you can spend on your honeymoon or as a down payment on a home!

FEMA Reopens All Hurricane Sandy-Related Flood Damage Claims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made an unprecedented decision to reopen all flood damage claims filed by homeowners in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

According to NPR, FEMA is reopening these claims due to thousands of allegations that insurance companies purposely lowballed their damage estimates for policyholders as a way to save money. As a result, these homeowners got payouts significantly less than the money needed to repair their damaged homes.

These homeowners were able to appeal the amount given in their claims through FEMA’s appeals process, which was formalized in 2004 following Hurricane Isabel. However, this appeals process has worked in favor of the insurance companies — and against Sandy victims — in almost every case.

“Not only did the government not have my back; the government had put a knife in my back,” Doug Quinn, of Toms River, N.J., said of his attempt to appeal his insurance provider’s decision to give him just half the value of his virtually ruined home.

The utter failure of the FEMA appeals process to side with Sandy victims is largely due to the system being “rigged” in favor of the insurance companies, industry insiders told NPR. Rather than being reviewed by actual FEMA officials, many claims appeals go back to the same servicing companies that determined the amount of the original claim.

“In any catastrophic event like Hurricane Sandy, you will find both insurance companies and policyholders disputing over amounts paid or amounts received,” said David Miller, licensed public adjuster at Miller Public Adjusters, LLC. “When the process to appeal the disputed amounts is flawed, it raises questions with the integrity of the entire process.”

As a result of this failed appeals process, FEMA will be reopening nearly 144,000 claims filed in the aftermath of Sandy. The agency will also be looking for evidence that insurance companies and the engineering firms that worked for them falsified damage reports when evaluating homes which eliminated flooding as the cause of damage.

“I am glad to see the policyholders are given the right to a fair claim settlement,” continued Miller. “When you have a large dispute or a complex claim, hiring a professional licensed public adjuster may the best option to ensure your interests are protected and a fair claim settlement is awarded.”

The FEMA claims controversy has led to the resignation of the head of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and other NFIP employees have been transferred or fired as well, according to Insurance Business America. Legislators for both New York State and New Jersey are calling for widespread reform within FEMA.

“There needs to be top-to-bottom reform so that this can never happen again,” New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand said in a statement.

New Legislation Allows Toronto Dental Hygienist To Provide Safe In-Home Cleanings At a Low Cost

Untreated dental health problems are some of the most serious issues plaguing the Canadian healthcare system today, with over 12 million Canadians suffering from at least one untreated dental issue and seven out of 10 Canadian adults developing gum disease at some point. But one Toronto dental hygienist is attempting to change this problem by making it even easier for patients to receive dental work — right in their own homes, in fact.

Hamid John, owner of Toronto-based Home Dental Service, is a dental hygienist who makes house visits and provides regular dental cleanings, very similar to what patients would receive at a regular dental clinic.

John’s Home Dental Service is a fairly new endeavor; as the Toronto Sun states, he began offering in-home cleanings at the end of 2014, after Canadian legislation on dental services changed to allow dental hygienists to perform regular cleanings without the oversight of a certified dentist.

Now, a dental hygienist certified with the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario can obtain additional certification that permits them to operate businesses, much like Home Dental Service, without the guidance of a dentist.

John has explained that his motivation behind starting his own small business was to provide low-cost dental care for the elderly, disabled, and low-income residents of Toronto. By visiting patients in their homes, John is able to provide care for patients who have mobility limitations. By operating as an independent dental hygienist (rather than a dentist) and without the fees incurred by renting an office space, John provides basic dental services at a much lower cost — sometimes as much as 50% lower than what traditional dental clinic charges.

Although free dental care is available for many eligible elderly Canadians, the Sun notes that the waiting period for dental work under this program can be as long as two years. Additionally, many families living in rural areas in Canada — most notably regions populated by indigenous families — have trouble finding and paying for adequate dental care.

While some dental clinics are hesitant about the quality of service that in-home dental hygienists can provide, many workers in the healthcare and dental industries are glad to see that more Canadians are getting the treatment they need.

Laypeople Skilled in Analyzing Quality of Published Photographs, Research Shows

Given the ubiquity of digital cameras and high-end smartphone cameras, it should be no surprise that the globe’s population now snaps as pictures every two minutes as were taken in all of the 1800s. But has that diminished the public’s ability to distinguish between professional and amateur photography?

That question, along with a study that appears to give a partial answer, was the subject of one session at this year’s South by Southwest conference, held over the past two weeks. “What characteristics make a photograph worth publishing and sharing?” the session’s organizers wrote in a summary of the event. “The implications inform journalists, brand advocates and community activists.”

The study on which the session focused was commissioned earlier this year by the National Press Photographers Association in response to massive layoffs of staff photographers from top publications such as Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Sun-Times. It used interviews and eyetracking data from 52 people and found that consumers could identify whether a photograph was taken by a professional or an amateur with 90% accuracy.

The study’s authors say it’s clear that readers prefer professional, as opposed to user-generated, content.

Using eyetracking gear also allowed the researchers to determine what parts of photographs and captions users looked at the most as they were shown about 200 images. By pairing that data with survey results — participants were asked to rate how much they liked photos on a scale of 1 to 5 — the researchers were able to be more specific about what distinguished high-quality photos from low-quality ones.

People tend to look first at the faces in photographs, and often look back and forth between faces to see how they interact, researchers found. Overall, participants spent much longer looking at professional photographs than user-submitted ones.

The study participants also emphasized the importance of a photo’s ability to tell a story, as opposed to just capturing a static scene.

And, in a finding perhaps surprising to many in the publication industry, the study showed that most captions were indeed read to completion. The longer or “better developed” a caption was, the more likely it was to receive significant attention. Participants tended to look back and forth between the image and the caption in order to establish context as they read.

Sara Quinn, one of the session leaders who also worked on the study, told the blog The Next Web for a March 16 article that she was impressed by how sophisticated the participants’ analyses were, given that they were all laypeople with no background in professional photography.

“People in the study … had a pretty large vocabulary when they were talking about the quality of images,” she said. “They were pretty articulate about what made a good photograph.”

FDA Issues New Warning on Testosterone Therapy Medication

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on March 3rd that it will require pharmaceutical companies that produce testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) medication to include warning labels on their products regarding the potential risk for heart attack and stroke.

ABC affiliate KVUE News reports that the FDA is concerned that the popular and controversial treatment for low testosterone in men can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. Its warning comes after a 2014 study that suggests TRT doubled the risk of heart attack for men over 65, and tripled the risk for younger men with pre-existing heart conditions.

Not all in the medical field agree with the FDA’s assessment, however. Dr. Paul Pagley, a cardiologist at the Heart Hospital of Austin and Austin Heart, considers the FDA’s demand for a warning label to be dubious, as there are several other studies that come to the opposite conclusion — that TRT doesn’t increase risk at all.

“It’s a little bit of a controversial topic right now,” Pagley said. “There may be some increased risk of heart attack or other heart problems with testosterone supplementations. On the other side of the fence, testosterone has a lot of good effects for men with true low T.”

Patients with “low T” (as low testosterone, or hypogonadism, is commonly shortened to) are actually exempt from the FDA’s warning as TRT does improve such patients. However, the risk for cardiovascular illnesses increases for those who do not have low T, but who simply take it in an attempt to increase strength and stamina.

“To use testosterone, it should be a definite requirement,” Pagley said. “In other words, it’s truly for men with true low testosterone. It should not be used in a situation just to feel better or stronger.”

In addition, the Seattle Times reports that men taking cholesterol medicine such as pitavastatin (Livalo), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and simvastatin (Zocor) are also at risk of having the testosterone levels drop, so they are cautioned about taking TRT medicine.

Low testosterone can be tricky to diagnose. The male body’s testosterone levels naturally peak around 30 years of age and subsequently decreases by 1-2% every year. Some patients initially feel that their symptoms are mere signs of aging. Men who suspect they have low testosterone should seek out medical testing immediately.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy Not Linked With Cardiovascular Risks, Study Finds

The debate over the effectiveness and safety of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) now has another study to contend with.

Hcplive.com reports that on March 7th, a team of researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom released a study on the potential link between TRT and cardiovascular illness. Presenting at the Endocrine Society’s 97th Annual Meeting and Expo (commonly referred to as EXPO 2015) in San Diego, California, the team found no definite link between cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke and the popular treatment for low testosterone.

The team openly admits that prior studies and literature reviews have lead to conflicting conclusions regarding the link. They add that their study is no different. The uncertainly, they feel, has been “heightened by recent retrospective analyses of observational data. Prior studies, including relatively small prospective clinical trials of hypogonadal men, have yielded conflicting results.”

Dr. Salim Janmohamed, head of the research team, and his colleagues reviewed data from two large, placebo-controlled clinical trials conducted in different countries that studied the effect of darapladib, an inhibitor used to treat atherosclerosis. The trials included adults of both genders with a history of either stable coronary heart disease or recent acute coronary syndrome. The subjects of the student underwent treatment for cardiovascular risk factors. Specially, the researchers focused on three major cardiovascular events, also called MACE: cardiovascular death, heat attacks, and strokes.

The team found that ultimately darapladib “did not significantly reduce the risk of CV events.” They studied the risk of MACE in men who underwent testosterone replacement therapy for both less than a year and more than a year, and compared them to men who did not undergo the therapy from both trials. Factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), weight, height, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, medication use, smoking, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and geographic region.

Although Dr. Janmohamed and his team stressed that only a small number of the test subjects underwent TRT and that most of them were American men, they found no discernible link between the therapy and risk of MACE.

The team writes that their findings “suggest that TRT [testosterone replacement therapy] is not associated with an increased risk of MACE in men with well-characterized coronary heart disease. The incidence of MACE was 11.1% in non-testosterone treated males and 7.9% in males on TRT.” They also noted that the data does not “corroborate recent observational reports that testosterone therapy is associated with increased CV risk.”

The report comes at a time when TRT is hotly contested as an effective method of treating low testosterone. If left untreated or diagnosed, low testosterone can lead to weight gain, chronic fatigue, reduced muscle mass, low libido, and other medical conditions. Pharmaceutical companies offer synthetic testosterone as a form of TRT.

Critics claim that the therapy is unnecessary and can increase the risk of cardiovascular illnesses, among other things. Some critics sight recent studies and data that demonstrate these risks, although there are other studies, such as Dr. Janmohamed’s, that find the opposite to be true.

Regardless, the studies have not stopped pharmaceutical companies from churning out TRT drugs due to increasing demand. Most recently, pharmaceutical giant Endo International released a new TRT called Natesto on March 16th.

As reported by the Philadelphia Business Journal, Endo claims that the new drug is the first and only nasal spray product on the market approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA approved Natesto in May of last year.

It should be noted that Dr. Janmohamed’s study was composed of authors employed by GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company known to produce and distribute TRT drugs.

Low testosterone is a serious medical condition that can lead to high blood pressure, weight gain, loss of muscle, low libido, and depression. Studies have shown that men with low testosterone have a 33% greater risk of dying during the next 18 years of their lives compared to men who have normal testosterone levels.

After-School Activities Boost Children’s Confidence

A West Covina, California gym owner is making a difference in the lives of school-aged children, offering free running, cardio, and weight lifting classes after school four days a week. Called “Maria’s Kids After School,” the program allows children between 12 and 17 years old to go to CrossFit Insurgent after 3 p.m. for an hour of learning and exercise.

CrossFit Insurgent owner Brian Franzen first started the program to provide guidance for children whose parents could not afford organized sports. Some parents even have multiple children in the program. Corrine Carmona has had three children participate.

“Everywhere else you go, you have to pay,” she told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. “I think it was so awesome of him to do that for the kids. There are a lot of parents who can’t afford it.”

As children between 10 and 16 increase their amount of physical activity, their self-esteem and self-efficacy improve.

Franzen created his after school program to help children learn. Telling the San Gabriel Valley Tribune about the recreation center where he spent much of his childhood, Franzen explains: “I learned responsibility and discipline. I feel like it’s my turn to provide something like that for the kids and families who may not have the funds to put them through organized sports.”

Teens in Danville, Kentucky are also working with similar goals in mind. Ellie Begley and Maddi Karsner, of Boyle County High School, have volunteered to teach gymnastics at the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD).

Gymnastics class at KSD is once a week, and is open to boys and girls of elementary school age. In the summer, class will be offered twice a week as a part of summer school, and the teens hope to continue teaching in the fall.

Because neither teen is proficient in sign language, they rely on interpreters, teachers, and parents to help them communicate with the students. In return for gymnastics training, the students are helping the teens learn to sign.

Ramona Karsner, Maddi’s mother and leader of KSD’s kindergarten through eighth grade program, has noticed the students gaining more confidence and stamina, telling the Advocate-Messenger,”These girls get to help carry on their love for gymnastics and cheer and build that into the kids…It’s a win-win situation.”

Parents wishing to enroll their children in similar programs are encouraged to look for after-school activities in their area.

Chiropractor’s Acupuncture Needle Collapses Woman’s Lung, Lawsuit Alleges

A San Diego woman is suing an unlicensed acupuncturist, claiming that a procedure he mishandled caused her lung to collapse.

“I remember I was sitting there… having a hard time breathing, so I kept trying to take a deep breath,” plaintiff Jaime Del Fierro said. “I didn’t know if it was a nerve that was hit or a muscle, and maybe when I breathe it was kind of pinching the nerve, I had no idea. I mean anytime I had acupuncture before I had great results.”

Del Fierro went to Dr. Walker Scott for help with her ongoing tension headaches, paying him for chiropractic adjustments and for acupuncture procedures. When she told Scott about the pain, she says he dismissed her symptoms and sent her home. Several hours later, Del Fierro took herself to a hospital, where she then underwent surgery for what doctors told her was a collapsed lung.

“It was really, really scary for me,” she said. “I kind of went into like a really dark place because I faced mortality.”

According to the lawsuit, one of Scott’s acupuncture needles “pierced through plaintiff’s chest wall and into the pleural space surrounding her lungs, causing acute pneumothorax, a collapsed lung.”

Now, Del Fierro is suing Scott for thousands of dollars in hospital bills and damages. Sean Foldenauer, Del Fierro’s attorney, said that the lawsuit also seeks a court injunction for Dr. Walker Scott to stop performing acupuncture on patients.

Though he would not comment on the specifics of the case, Scott did say in an interview that the lawsuit came as a big surprise.

“This is my first time ever dealing with anything of this magnitude, so I guess I’ll have to say, you know, I wish I could tell you way, way more but you’ll have to give it a little while and I’ll get back to you,” he said.

In order to guard against such incidents and ensure that practitioners are properly trained, it takes five years and over 3,000 hours for the California state board to grant a license to a practitioner.

Though his website lists “electro-acupuncture” as an area of practice, state records show that Scott does not have an acupuncture license.

“It’s really important to do your homework because had I known that he wasn’t licensed, I never would have went to see him,” said Del Fierro. “I just don’t want anybody to suffer like I did. I don’t want it to ever happen again.”

Why Bumper-to-Bumper Bus Ads Aren’t Leaving State College, PA Anytime Soon

The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA), which serves State College, PA, has said the massive, bumper-to-bumper graphic advertisements that currently emblazon the sides of its buses are here to stay.

According to a February 16 StateCollege.com article, these wrap-around ads were first applied to four CATA buses in January 2014 as part of a year-long test run. In a recent meeting, CATA board members voted to make these wraps permanent, which means all CATA buses will now be emblazoned with these giant ads.

Mobile advertisements such as vehicle wraps are among the most effective methods for generating brand exposure, as more than 95% of Americans report being reached by mobile advertising regularly.

The CATA vehicle wrap ads cover almost every inch of each bus, including most of its windows. For obvious safety reasons, the front windshield and front-side windows are not covered.

Public reception to these mobile billboards has been largely mixed. Some people voiced concerns about the bus windows being covered; however, many CATA riders told StateCollege.com that the bold advertisements don’t bother them.

“Overall, the input we received was very positive,” CATA spokesperson Jackie Sheader explained. “There were a couple of concerns, mainly about aesthetics and maintaining the CATA brand on our buses.”

The bus wraps have brought a major source of funding to CATA, which had been struggling financially up until this point — CATA would have had to cut the number of bus routes it offers if it hadn’t found a way to make more money. Sheader said the four trial bus wraps helped generate $35,000 toward CATA’s bottom line in their first year of use.

Full implementation of the bus wraps will be gradual. CATA plans to have 12 of its 71 buses covered in wrap graphics by July 1, according to Sheader. If every ad opportunity is purchased, these wraps could ultimately bring in as much as $120,000 in funding for CATA each year.