Henry Heimlich - the man behind the lifesaving maneuver has died

Henry Heimlich, the doctor credited with saving thousands from choking to death with the Heimlich Maneuver, has passed away.

Photo Henry Heimlich via Wikipedia / Fair Use

Dr. Henry Heimlich perfected the method back in 1974 and thousands of lives have been saved in the process. Now the sad news has been reported by NPR that Dr. Heimlich has died at the age of 96 after suffering a massive heart attack. According to Bryan Reynolds, the spokesman for Episcopal Retirement Services, who run the retirement home where Heimlich has lived for years, the doctor passed away early on Saturday at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Reportedly Heimlich experienced complications from the heart attack he had at the retirement home on Monday.

Henry Heimlich, the surgeon who created life-saving Heimlich maneuver for choking victims, has died https://t.co/Rd19rotQQb pic.twitter.com/NKnAfjNIOS

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 17, 2016

Heimlich Maneuver – a life-saving tool

Since the good doctor invented the Heimlich Maneuver, it has become not only a life-saving tool, but also a part of modern day culture. Originally the method was known as “subdiaphragmatic pressure.” Heimlich told NPR in 1999 that this was the name he had assigned to the method when describing it in a medical journal in June 1974. However the method soon changed its name to the more popular version of Heimlich Maneuver, in honour of Dr. Heimlich. 

Reportedly the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association called Heimlich to tell him they have found so many lives had been saved in under two months, they wanted to name the method after him.

Heimlich’s family said in a statement how sad they were to lose a man who is seen as a hero by many, adding that his legacy will extend beyond the famous live-saving maneuver. According to the statement, as a young surgeon, Heimlich was the first American to devise and perform a total organ replacement. He later invented a device that saved thousands of soldiers during the Vietnam War and the Heimlich Chest Drain Vale is still reportedly used worldwide for patients undergoing chest surgery. 

As reported by Radiolab, many celebrities have been saved by the Heimlich Maneuver, including Carrie Fisher, Halle Berry, President Ronald Reagan and New York Mayor Ed Koch.

Image by Evolution and evolvability / CC BY-SA 4.0

The life-saving method is relatively easy to perform. Heimlich once described the maneuver to NPR as follows:

"There are several positions. Now everybody knows where you stand behind the person, put your thumb inside of your fist just above the bellybutton — remember, below the chest. And you grasp your fist with your other hand and you press inward and upward. Now you repeat that until the object comes out."

"But it also can be done with a person lying down on their back. You kneel astride their thighs and put one of your hands on top of the other, and the heel of the bottom hand just above the bellybutton, and press your weight in. And that's how children have saved their parents. In addition, its widest use now is to save drowning victims." 

As Blasting News reported, Heimlich used his own method for the first time back in May this year, when he saved the life of an 87-year-old woman in his nursing home who was choking while eating a hamburger.

Vet who posed with dead big game animals falls to his death while hunting

Many comments on social media are saying karma is alive and well, after an Italian vet who shot many animals slipped and fell to his death.

Image via Change.org

Luciano Ponzetto, 55, is the veterinary surgeon in question, who upset many with his images, posing with dead animals, including lions, leopards, a warthog and buck. After he posed with his kills last year – with a huge smile on his face – animal activists started a campaign against him. Some went so far as to start a Facebook page dedicated to shaming Ponzetto and the vet even received some death threats.

At the time of the controversy over his big game hunting, Ponzetto defended his actions, saying that being a vet “is not incompatible with hunting, either morally or professionally.” Reportedly the Veterinarian’s Guild in Italy took the hunter’s side, saying that “hunting is a hobby regulated by the law, which does not allow us to take measures against him.”

Luciano Ponzetto, 55, became infamous last year after sharing snaps of his trophy kills.… https://t.co/FNKbDNII7z pic.twitter.com/KIQn75LCHL

— David Trender (@IceTrends) December 16, 2016

Ponzetto’s latest hunting trip was fatal

Ponzetto continued hunting after the uproar happened, but no doubt kept a lower profile on social media. However now he hits the headlines again. It turns out his latest hunting trip was a fatal one, as he slipped on the ice and fell 100ft down into a ravine while shooting wild birds.

The Sun quoted an Italian police officer as saying: “His body was recovered by helicopter and taken to a local hospital… It looks like he slipped and fell when he was out hunting. He died instantly and there was nothing that could be done.”

#Italian #Veterinarian #LucianoPonzetto learns #WildlifeCrimeHasConsequences https://t.co/OxE0wTdqX1 pic.twitter.com/7Wj3l0kKrL

— Ali Van Zee (@alikat747) November 10, 2015

Source: The Sun

Avast Antivirus problems on a Sunday morning

When I turned on the PC this morning, I found I had ZERO Avast antivirus protection, despite renewing in July this year.

When looking at the Avast screen, I was informed that my "free trial" was over and that I would need to cough up the cash to activate the software again.
 
I went to the Avast website and tried to download my active license again, only to find that the file is corrupted. When visiting the forum, I saw that Avast is "aware of the problems" and are working on it.

I did contact support to tell them of my problem and am awaiting their response, but in the meantime I need to work, so have uninstalled Avast and downloaded the free AVG antivirus software to protect me in the meanwhile.

If you are experiencing the same problem, I recommend you do likewise, as you are currently in danger of infection, but send Avast support a message to let them know of your problem.

I do wonder if their website has been attacked by hackers - it seems like a good way to get your malware out to the world?

British woman could face stoning in Dubai after reporting gang rape

A British tourist who reported being gang raped by two men has been arrested in Dubai and charged for having “extramarital sex.”

Photo by Kamel Lebtahi / CC BY-ND 2.0

A 25-year-old UK woman was allegedly attacked and gang-raped last month by two British men while on holiday in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. When she reported the attack to the police, the woman was reportedly arrested, under the law which punishes “extramarital sex.” If convicted, she could face the possibility of years behind bars, or could suffer severe physical punishment, which would include flogging or stoning to death.

The story was reported by a UK-based organization, Detained in Dubai, which assists people who have been targeted by injustice in the United Arab Emirates. According to the report, authorities confiscated the unnamed woman’s passport before releasing her on an undisclosed payment of bail. While the woman is now stuck in Dubai, her two alleged attackers have reportedly flown back home to Birmingham in the U.K. Their names have been quoted by the Sun Newspaper as "Butlin and Harris."

Latest Reports The Sun reported that the alleged assailants "Butlin and… https://t.co/55IJRtcWbb

— Detained in Dubai (@detainedindubai) November 17, 2016

Radha Stirling, the founder and director of Detained in Dubai, told the media that the United Arab Emirates have a long history of punishing rape victims, saying police there fail to recognize the difference between consensual sex and violent rape. Stirling said that victims, like the woman in question, go to the police for justice after they are raped, but end up being prosecuted themselves, while the rapist goes free. 

According to a report by RT News, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have confirmed that the charges have been made against the woman, and stated that the case deserves the “utmost concern.” Stirling added that the police in Dubai not only invalidate their victimization, but actually punish them. RT quotes the UK government’s foreign travel advice for the area, which stresses that any sex outside of marriage is illegal, stating that this is irrespective of the traveler’s own relationship with their partner back in the UK.

The advice goes on to say that in the UAE, it is against the law to share the same hotel room with a person of the opposite sex unless married or closely related to that person. It is also against the law to live together outside of marriage.

The Rolling Stones declined James Corden’s invitation for 'Carpool Karaoke'

James Corden asked the Rolling Stones to join in the fun of the “Carpool Karaoke” segment of his “Late Late Show,” but was disappointed at their response.

Photo by Gorupdebesanez / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Rolling Stones reportedly decided that it would be too “embarrassing” for the popular rock band to appear on Carpool Karaoke, so they turned down Corden’s invitation.

In the past, Corden has rocked his audience with the likes of Lady Gaga, current First Lady Michelle Obama and Adele taking a turn in the car. As reported by Metro, due to the popularity of the segment, James is probably not used to getting a negative response to his invitation, especially from fellow Brits.

Reportedly the iconic band’s record label, Polydor, leaned on them to appear on the show, but the Rolling Stones, made up of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, politely declined. The Mirror did a pretty impressive bit of Photoshop on the idea,though.

James Corden can't get no satisfaction as Rolling Stones snub "embarrassing" Carpool Karaoke sketch https://t.co/XlekoZ7p9x

— News, Views, People. (@NVPeople) November 5, 2016

Reportedly a source stated that James and the show’s team were hoping to have the veteran rockers on the show as part of the promo for their new album, but there was no luck. The show’s producer, Ben Winston, had previously said that having the band on Carpool Karaoke would be "amazing" and that they would be "dream" guests. However, Richards, particularly, was against the idea, but the whole band apparently though it would be embarrassing for them to be singing along to their own music as the cameras rolled. 

It seems that sometimes you just can’t get no satisfaction. For those who haven't seen the show, it turns out the Red Hot Chili Peppers were quite happy to appear. Watch the fun below.