Breaking News Thread

[Flynbyu]

I think the maximum unemployment benefit is like $400 a week here if you request them not to take taxes out.

~Brian

[Flynbyu]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —  A pediatric neurosurgeon says a tumor he removed from the brain of a Colorado Springs infant contained a tiny foot and other partially formed body parts.

Dr. Paul Grabb says he operated on Sam Esquibel at Memorial Hospital for Children after an MRI showed a microscopic tumor on the newborn's brain. Sam was 3 days old and otherwise healthy.

Grabb says that while removing the growth, he discovered it contained a nearly perfect foot and the formation of another foot, a hand and a thigh.

"It looked like the breach delivery of a baby, coming out of the brain," Grabb said. "To find a perfectly formed structure (like this) is extremely unique, unusual, borderline unheard of."

Grabb isn't sure what caused the growth but says it may have been a type of congenital brain tumor. However, such tumors usually are less complex than a foot or hand, he said.

The growth may also have been a case of "fetus in fetu" — in which a fetal twin begins to form within another — but such cases very rarely occur in the brain, Grabb said.

Sam's parents, Tiffnie and Manuel Esquibel, say their son is at home now but faces monthly blood tests to check for signs of cancer or regrowth, along with physical therapy to improve the use of his neck. But they say he has mostly recovered from the Oct. 3 surgery.

"You'd never know if he didn't have a scar there," Tiffnie Esquibel said.

Story via Foxnews.com

~Brian

[Peelz]

Eeeeeew. THanks for that.

[BRAD]

wow thats amazing. body parts in the kids brain

[Krandall]

Maybe they can use the foot for someone else.

[Peelz]

Maybe they can use the foot for someone else.

word.


Wonder how many spare parts Erich is carrying with him? Theoretically, he could carry an entire human in there unknowingly.


E's doc: "we have removed this wart on your face, but it appears to be an entire midget" We'll send this one down to the lab for further testing.

[Krandall]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/ap_on_re_us/western_weather

Las Vegas gets record snowfall, 3.6 inches

LAS VEGAS – Flights resumed in and out of Las Vegas, but schools and highways remained closed Thursday after a record-setting snowfall coated marquees on the Strip, weighed down palm trees and blanketed surrounding mountain areas.

The city awoke to clear weather after a storm that left 3.6 inches at McCarran International Airport. It was biggest December snowfall on record there, and the worst for any month since a 7 1/2-inch accumulation in January 1979, forecasters said.

The storm Wednesday and early Thursday also dumped snow or rain and snarled travel in other parts of Nevada, much of southern California and parts of northern Arizona.

"It looks like Whoville, all snowy, but with less joy and more extreme misery," said Calen Weiss, 19, who was stuck Wednesday when snow in the Cajon Pass east of Los Angeles disrupted travel on Interstate 15.

In Spokane, Wash., the weather service recorded 17 inches of snow in the 24 hours that ended at 4 a.m., breaking the record of 13 inches set in 1984. The city declared a "Condition Red" snow emergency, meaning crews will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week until they complete a full city plow.

For Las Vegas, the storm left heavy wet accumulations of snow along the famed Strip. At least one carport toppled under the accumulated weight, authorities said, and motorists in Henderson parked their cars and walked home when tires spun as they tried to navigate slippery uphill climbs.

Airlines resumed flights Thursday after canceling dozens of them late Wednesday, McCarran airport spokesman Jerry Pascual said.

"Visibility has lifted. The outlook for the day is much better," Pascual said as the sun rose Thursday. Pascual said just one flight had gotten out overnight and stranded travelers were forced to sleep on lounge seats and floors at the nation's sixth-busiest airport

In Arizona, snow was widespread in the state's higher elevations, with 24-hour accumulations reaching 10 inches in Flagstaff by daybreak. An additional 2 to 3 inches of snow was expected. Authorities said major highways were open but advised drivers to be careful of packed snow and ice.

In the western Washington state, the Seattle School District had been mocked by some for closing schools Wednesday with just a threat of snow. The threat became a reality by early Thursday, when 2 inches of snow left many commuters spinning their wheels on slippery roads.

The National Weather Service said the city even had an episode of "thundersnow" when a storm cell moved across Puget Sound.

Even Malibu, Calif., got a dusting of snow, as the usually balmy city saw a half-inch in the afternoon.

"It's kind of cool if you think about it, said Craig Levy, director of a juvenile detention camp. "It's kind of unusual to see snow in Malibu."

[Flynbyu]

I've never heard of Vegas getting snow. Crazy.

~Brian

[socalrappy700]

I've never heard of Vegas getting snow. Crazy.

~Brian

I've seen 2 inches of snow there.  Does get cold in the winter.

[Flynbyu]

Snow Erich, not Coke.



~Brian

[socalrappy700]

Sorry about that, continue with the conversation.

[Peelz]

Was watching footage of snow in Malibu. Hilarious.

[socalrappy700]

I have some pictures of snow on my grill in the back yard in California.  That was two years ago when we had a nasty cold snap.

[Peelz]

I remember it snowing twice in my whole life living in San Jose. But would not stick. Christmas day was one of them....Awesome, I was about 7 I think. Pretty temperate climate up there. Winter was just 3 solid weeks of rain and wind, then it was over. GERD I miss it.

Time to get that record player looked at yet?

[socalrappy700]

I love to watch a good snow storm so I'm ok with being here today....but just for today.