Monday, March 30, 2020

Joe Exotic Sues from Prison

Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passag) is the eccentric, wild and captivating convict tiger breeder featured in the wildly popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King”. He is suing from prison claiming a huge conspiracy behind him being locked up, and it led to the death of his mom. Joe was one of the biggest names in the big cat business who ran a popular zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma until he was found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot in 2019, but according to new legal documents. He claims he was falsely arrested and imprisoned, and the victim of malicious prosecution and discrimination. Joe’s suing the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Federal Wildlife Service for placing the “generic tiger” on the endangered species list. Exotic claims this was done for the sole purpose of targeting businesses like his, and essentially putting him out of business. Joe also alleges he was “discriminated against because he is the only person charged with this statute because [he] is an openly gay male with the largest collection of generic tigers and crossbreeds.” According to the suit, he wants $78,840,000 for the loss of his personal property and 18 years’ worth of his work with tigers for this. As for his criminal conviction, he’s going after a handful of people involved in the case, including his former business partner, Jeff Lowe, for allegedly lying to the feds and planting evidence against him. He accuses another former colleague of being an informant and claims the sum of all this contributed to the passing of his mother, Shirley. Joe’s seeking an additional $15 million for this. Joe Exotic sold Lowe his G.W. Zoo before being sentenced. He was hit with 22 years in prison for attempting to pay a hitman to kill a rival and killing five tiger cubs. Lowe changed the name of the zoo to Greater Wynnewood Animal Park. Joe Exotic put together the lawsuit while incarcerated at Grady County Jail in Oklahoma. (TMZ)

Hundreds of rolls of toilet paper spilled onto highway

A tractor-trailer spilled hundreds of rolls of toilet paper all over Interstate 85 in Gaston County, North Carolina according to a report. The spill happened just before noon in the southbound lanes of I-85 at mile marker 16. Toilet paper was seen strewn across the roadway and along the side of the interstate, but there was no impact to traffic. Officials have not yet said what led caused the spill. (WSOC)

Cardiac injury is linked to a higher incidence of hospitalization and death for those infected with COVID-19

According to a new study, the research revealed that nearly one in five hospitalized coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China had previously suffered a myocardial injury. The death rate was also significantly higher among those who’d had prior heart injury, just over half of those patients died in Wuhan. (JAMA Cardiology)

A nationwide increase in hospitalizations will also mean an increase in the amount of medical waste that needs to be disposed of

Though a decrease in elective surgeries might mitigate the explosion to some extent, waste disposal facilities have to prepare for an increase in potentially viral trash. Those who dispose of health care waste will also need to add protective gear, though there’s no evidence that hospital waste has been responsible for any new COVID-19 infections. (The Verge)

PA supermarket tossed $35K worth of food after woman coughed on it as prank, owner says

Officials at a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania grocery store say they had to toss out over $35,000 worth of food after a woman purposely coughed all over the food as part of a “twisted prank.” Gerrity’s Supermarket shared the news on its Facebook page and the post has since been shared over 11,000 times. “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers,” a co-owner of the store wrote. “We had no choice but to throw out all product she came in contact with.” The staff worked to get the woman out of the store as quickly as possible, and police were contacted immediately. The case has been escalated to the District Attorney’s office, which has assured it will be aggressively pursuing numerous charges. Officials say they don’t believe the woman was infected but will make every efforts to make sure she gets tested. As for the loss of product, the owners of the store is checking to see if its insurance will cover it, but even if it does, the owners expect the store’s rates to go up next year. (WJAC)

Archaeology student discovers 5,000-year old sword, one of the oldest ever found

An Italian archaeology student with a sharp eye discovered something amazing while exploring a museum. A female PhD student at Ca’ Foscari University in 2017 visited the Saint Lazarus monastery in Italy. She noticed a metal sword, about 17 inches long, that looked similar to others she had come across in her studies. She used the help of the University of Padua to analyze the chemical composition and found the object is made of arsenical bronze, an alloy of copper and arsenic alloy. The alloy was typically used between the end of the 4th and beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Two years of research found that the sword is one of the oldest ones ever found, possibly dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. (CNN)

Century-old tavern offers toilet paper with bucket of beer

As the effects of the coronavirus outbreak and shutdown spread across the region, a tavern in rural southwestern Washington is as busy as ever thanks to a rather unique promotion: Buy a bucket of beer, get a free roll of toilet paper. The owner said the idea first came when she came across some extra toilet paper as the pandemic began to take hold. With her tavern forced into to-go orders only by the state-wide decree, she developed an idea to keep customers coming: give away toilet paper with a bucket of beer. She said since she only sells beer and wine, her liquor license allows her to sell beer in unopened bottles or in growlers or kegs, and she says she’s the only tavern in Lewis County that can do so. The giveaway became so popular she realized she could use the idea to promote her tavern’s food as well, although the tavern never had a consistent menu and she had worked hard to change that. She’s doing what she can to stay in business, working 7 days a week solo as they had to lay off their other employee due to reduced hours. The tavern used to be open from midday until 2 a.m., but now is just open 3-7 p.m. for to-go orders, though recently it’s been so busy she’s been working more like 2-8 p.m. “I live in a rural area of small towns, each town maybe 1,000 people,” she said. “So my business is selling, yes, because of no gambling or dine in or drinking, but let me tell you what: The toilet paper has everyone interested. What’s a better way to give back to the community?” She says she supports two to three local charities a year, but this has really brought her joy. (KOMO)

Germany is now testing 500,000 people a week for COVID-19

According to a senior virologist, this could explain how Germany has over 40,000 confirmed cases of the illness (fifth in the world) but relatively few deaths. (Germany has recorded fewer than 250 deaths. By comparison, Iran, which has seen about 10,000 fewer cases than Germany, has reported more than 2,000 deaths.) Experts say the widespread testing has allowed Germany to identify thousands of cases of young, healthy people with mild infections, which may have gone undetected elsewhere. (The Local)

Starbucks says it’ll provide free coffee for responders

The offer, which runs through May 3rd, means any customer who says they’re a frontline responder to the outbreak can receive a tall brewed hot or iced coffee at no charge. Those eligible include police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses, hospital and medical staff and medical researchers, according to Starbucks officials. In addition, Starbucks announced it is giving $500,000 to two organizations to support frontline responders. Half goes to Operation Gratitude, delivering 50,000 care packages to healthcare workers, and the other half to Direct Relief who is working on delivering PPEs and other essential medical items. (Starbucks)

Crocs giving away free pairs of shoes to healthcare workers on frontlines of COVID-19

The footwear company announced the launch of “A Free Pair for Healthcare” to thank doctors, nurses and every other hero in healthcare doing their part to stop the spread of the coronavirus. They can choose from select Crocs Classic Clogs and Crocs At Work styles while supplies last, along with free shipping. In addition to this program, Crocs has committed to donating up to 100,000 pairs of shoes to healthcare facilities and organizations across the nation to further aid healthcare workers. “The healthcare industry has always embraced Crocs, but our mantra of ‘be comfortable in your own shoes’ applies now more than ever, and we want to do more to help our nation’s heroes,” said the Crocs President and CEO said. “We only have one ask: Share the word to all those in healthcare and please be mindful to allow those who need these most to place their requests. This is the least we can do for those working incredibly hard to defeat this virus.” (Crocs)

Condom shortage looms after coronavirus lockdown shuts world’s top producer

A global shortage of condoms is looming, the world’s biggest producer said, after a coronavirus lockdown forced it to shut down production. Malaysia’s Karex Bhd (KARE.KL) makes one in every five condoms globally and has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories in over a week due to a lockdown imposed by the government to halt the spread of the virus. That’s already a shortfall of 100 million condoms. The company was given permission to restart production, but with only 50% of its workforce, under a special exemption for critical industries. Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s worst affected country. The lockdown is due to remain in place at least until April 14. The other major condom-producing countries are China, where the coronavirus originated and led to widespread factory shutdowns, and India and Thailand, which are seeing infections spiking only now. Makers of other critical items like medical gloves have also faced hiccups in their operations in Malaysia. (Reuters)

Teen wrestling champ body slams suspect, stops kidnapping of children

A 16-year-old wrestling champion helped stop a kidnapping and assault near Las Cruces, New Mexico, by pinning a man to the ground until deputies arrived, authorities said. A Mayfield High School male student was being lauded as a hero after controlling a 22-year-old suspect of Phoenix, Arizona. Dona Ana County deputies arrested the man after witnesses told authorities he tried to kidnap three children at a gas station. The mother told authorities that she got off at a bus stop with her children, ages 9, 2 and 1, and was waiting for an Uber driver to arrive when a man grabbed her 2-year-old child and demanded the woman turn over her children. Witnesses told authorities the man punched the woman and others who tried to intervene before the woman was able to rush inside the store with her children. Witnesses said the attacker followed, continuing his demands. The teen’s father said that “Punches were being thrown and (he could hear) screams of terror, so he jumped in his truck and went across the street.” By the time he got there, they had gone inside and so he got out of his truck and went inside. That’s when he body-slammed the man and got him in a chokehold until deputies arrived. The teenager won the District 3-5A championship in the 285-pound heavyweight division on February 16th, and later competed at the state tournament. There’s no indication in police reports that the man knew the mother or her children. The assailant was charged with battery, assault, child abuse and kidnapping and remains jailed. (Las Crusas Sun News)

The stimulus check won’t be in the mail for Americans who owe child support

The coronavirus relief bill enacted Friday includes direct cash payments to help people through the crisis, but one red flag that can cost otherwise eligible Americans money is owing past due child support. Owing back taxes or other debt to the government is not a problem. The only administrative offset that will be enforced applies to those who have past due child support payments that the states have reported to the Treasury Department. In other words, Americans who are overdue on child support could see their cash payments reduced or eliminated. (NBC News)

Monday Shines On Us Like A Beacon In The Night With:

• Doctors Day
• Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day
• I Am In Control Day
• International Folding Laundry Day
• Pencil Day
• Torrents Day
• Virtual Vacation Day
• World Bi-polar Day