Sunday, July 13, 2008
India's professional ear cleaners still find work
Sheikh Mohammed, 25, is one of Bombay’s battalion of professional ear cleaners – a group easily identifiable by their pink or orange turbans.
For 10 rupees (12 pence), one can have one’s ears expertly probed by a man wielding a tiny swab of cotton wool on a fine wire rod.
The operation takes about ten minutes (its depends on how waxy your ears are, Mr Mohammed says) and is a common sight on city streets.
Mr Mohammed, the latest in a long line of ear cleaners, insists that trade “is very, very good ... all types of people like to have clean ears”.
He makes a respectable 300 rupees (£3.50) a day but he is sure that his sons will not carry on the business.
“They are in school. They are becoming educated”, he says. “Perhaps they will do an MBA”.
For 10 rupees (12 pence), one can have one’s ears expertly probed by a man wielding a tiny swab of cotton wool on a fine wire rod.
The operation takes about ten minutes (its depends on how waxy your ears are, Mr Mohammed says) and is a common sight on city streets.
Mr Mohammed, the latest in a long line of ear cleaners, insists that trade “is very, very good ... all types of people like to have clean ears”.
He makes a respectable 300 rupees (£3.50) a day but he is sure that his sons will not carry on the business.
“They are in school. They are becoming educated”, he says. “Perhaps they will do an MBA”.
Italian wins damages over gay driving test retake
An Italian court has ordered the government to pay 100,000 euros (£79,919) to a man who had to retake his driving test because he was gay.
Danilo Giuffrida, now 26, told doctors he was homosexual during a medical examination for military service.
The information was passed to the defence and transport ministries.
Mr Giuffrida was told to repeat his driving test or have his licence suspended because of his "sexual identity disturbance".
Mr Giuffrida passed his test for the second time but his licence was renewed for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.
A court in Catania, Sicily, ordered the ministries to pay damages on the basis that Mr Giuffrida's constitutional rights had been breached and that homosexuality could not be considered a "mental illness".
There's a news video here.
Danilo Giuffrida, now 26, told doctors he was homosexual during a medical examination for military service.
The information was passed to the defence and transport ministries.
Mr Giuffrida was told to repeat his driving test or have his licence suspended because of his "sexual identity disturbance".
Mr Giuffrida passed his test for the second time but his licence was renewed for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.
A court in Catania, Sicily, ordered the ministries to pay damages on the basis that Mr Giuffrida's constitutional rights had been breached and that homosexuality could not be considered a "mental illness".
There's a news video here.
Russian court convicts man who says he can raise dead
A Moscow court convicted a man of fraud for preying on people mourning loved ones by saying he could resurrect the dead.
Grigory Grabovoy stood passively inside an iron cage as he was sentenced to 11 years in prison working hard labour.
He used a special method of influencing people distressed by the loss of relatives or the illness of loved ones," the judge said as he found Grabovoy guilty of 11 cases of fraud.
In one case from 2003 a man paid Grabovoy 39,500 roubles ($1,700) to attempt to cure his dying parents and in another case a woman paid him 118,000 roubles to try to resurrect her two dead sons.
Grabovoy had also once met with mothers of children killed at a school siege in the south Russian town of Beslan in 2004 - where he had promised to resurrect their children for a fee - although the courts verdict was not linked to this meeting.
Despite the guilty verdict his supporters still believe Grabovoy has powers which can help them and that he has been unfairly persecuted and Grabovoy's lawyer vowed to appeal the ruling.
Grigory Grabovoy stood passively inside an iron cage as he was sentenced to 11 years in prison working hard labour.
He used a special method of influencing people distressed by the loss of relatives or the illness of loved ones," the judge said as he found Grabovoy guilty of 11 cases of fraud.
In one case from 2003 a man paid Grabovoy 39,500 roubles ($1,700) to attempt to cure his dying parents and in another case a woman paid him 118,000 roubles to try to resurrect her two dead sons.
Grabovoy had also once met with mothers of children killed at a school siege in the south Russian town of Beslan in 2004 - where he had promised to resurrect their children for a fee - although the courts verdict was not linked to this meeting.
Despite the guilty verdict his supporters still believe Grabovoy has powers which can help them and that he has been unfairly persecuted and Grabovoy's lawyer vowed to appeal the ruling.
Cat gets mailed across Germany
Tomcat Janosch was just looking for a nice place to sleep when he got into a neighbour's box. Instead, he and the package were shipped halfway across Germany. When Gitti Rauch hadn't seen her cat Janosch for a day she wasn't particularly worried: The one-year-old tomcat has a habit of disappearing for a day or two. But instead of hiding out somewhere in the neigborhood, the cat was, in fact, half-way across Germany after being accidently sent in the post.
The first thing Rauch, a 44-year-old waitress, who lives in a Bavarian village near the Austrian border, knew about her pet's epic journey was when she received a phone call from a neighbour. "I've sent your cat in the post," Manuela Lueginger sheepishly admitted.
The day before in her cellar, Lueginger had carefully wrapped tape around a package, which contained a child seat that she had auctioned off on eBay. Lueginger then took the package to a post office and mailed it to the family that had bought the childseat.
Twenty-four hours and 717 kilometers (445 miles) later the package arrived in Dorsten, a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where to the surprise of postal workers the box started to move. Once opened, they discovered the cat, which had survived the journey without a scratch.
The cat's owner, said she wasn't too surprised that Janosch hadn't objected to being boxed up and carried off. "This cat has always been a bit special," she said. "He likes to ride in cars, he likes boxes and he never complains." After discovering the cat, the postal workers first tracked down Leuginger as the sender of the package, and then handed Janosch over to a nearby animal shelter, where he had to wait three long weeks before he was reunited with his owner.
Although the cat might have thought he was getting a free trip, his journey across Germany turned out quite expensive for his owner. In the end, Rauch had to fork out €280 ($440) in train tickets and fees for the animal shelter. "It was worth it", she said. "We're just happy he's now back with us."
The first thing Rauch, a 44-year-old waitress, who lives in a Bavarian village near the Austrian border, knew about her pet's epic journey was when she received a phone call from a neighbour. "I've sent your cat in the post," Manuela Lueginger sheepishly admitted.
The day before in her cellar, Lueginger had carefully wrapped tape around a package, which contained a child seat that she had auctioned off on eBay. Lueginger then took the package to a post office and mailed it to the family that had bought the childseat.
Twenty-four hours and 717 kilometers (445 miles) later the package arrived in Dorsten, a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where to the surprise of postal workers the box started to move. Once opened, they discovered the cat, which had survived the journey without a scratch.
The cat's owner, said she wasn't too surprised that Janosch hadn't objected to being boxed up and carried off. "This cat has always been a bit special," she said. "He likes to ride in cars, he likes boxes and he never complains." After discovering the cat, the postal workers first tracked down Leuginger as the sender of the package, and then handed Janosch over to a nearby animal shelter, where he had to wait three long weeks before he was reunited with his owner.
Although the cat might have thought he was getting a free trip, his journey across Germany turned out quite expensive for his owner. In the end, Rauch had to fork out €280 ($440) in train tickets and fees for the animal shelter. "It was worth it", she said. "We're just happy he's now back with us."
Dog poo test man cleared by magistrates
A dog owner, who tried to prove the difference between labrador and poodle poo to council officials, has been given the benefit of the doubt by magistrates.
For Elliott the arthritic Labrador landed David Murray in court after his old legs gave way and he was wrongly accused of pooping on the pavement. Mr Murray was handed a £50 fixed fine by wardens for dog fouling in the street.
But the 45-year-old refused to pay, claiming the mess did not belong to 11-year-old Elliott, who had only squatted because his back legs had given way. He refused to pay and was taken to court after insisting that the dirty deed had been carried out by a pooodle.
Mr Murray even bagged the offending mess before collecting a sample from Elliott and then took them to the offices of Hartlepool Borough Council to "provide a comparison" - demanding officials send the number twos away to be tested. They refused.
Following a court hearing, Hartlepool magistrates have now ruled that it is impossible to prove the dirt came from the Labrador and threw the case out.
Mr Murray, who had denied the offence, has now made a sign for his dog which reads: "Not Guilty. Squatting - but not dropping".
For Elliott the arthritic Labrador landed David Murray in court after his old legs gave way and he was wrongly accused of pooping on the pavement. Mr Murray was handed a £50 fixed fine by wardens for dog fouling in the street.
But the 45-year-old refused to pay, claiming the mess did not belong to 11-year-old Elliott, who had only squatted because his back legs had given way. He refused to pay and was taken to court after insisting that the dirty deed had been carried out by a pooodle.
Mr Murray even bagged the offending mess before collecting a sample from Elliott and then took them to the offices of Hartlepool Borough Council to "provide a comparison" - demanding officials send the number twos away to be tested. They refused.
Following a court hearing, Hartlepool magistrates have now ruled that it is impossible to prove the dirt came from the Labrador and threw the case out.
Mr Murray, who had denied the offence, has now made a sign for his dog which reads: "Not Guilty. Squatting - but not dropping".
Marks & Spencer defends 'tax on bigger bras'
Marks & Spencer has defended a policy of charging extra on some of its bras that are bigger than a size DD.
The High Street retailer said that the added cost - typically £2 - was "standard industry practice".
M&S added it found most customers "were happy to pay a small premium for the specialist work" needed to make larger sizes of their bras.
M&S said it offered "the most comprehensive DD+ collection and one of the most competitively priced on the High Street" and offered the same choice of colour, styles and shapes for all customers "no matter what size they take".
Beckie Williams of Busts 4 Justice said that £2 was not a huge sum to pay but that it was still "an unfair tax". "This is not something that we have chosen," she said.
"And I have been a size 8 all my adult life, but have never benefited from smaller priced pants. If you don't charge a size 20 woman more for a pair of trousers, then why should you pay more for an E cup bra?"
With two audio clips.
The High Street retailer said that the added cost - typically £2 - was "standard industry practice".
M&S added it found most customers "were happy to pay a small premium for the specialist work" needed to make larger sizes of their bras.
M&S said it offered "the most comprehensive DD+ collection and one of the most competitively priced on the High Street" and offered the same choice of colour, styles and shapes for all customers "no matter what size they take".
Beckie Williams of Busts 4 Justice said that £2 was not a huge sum to pay but that it was still "an unfair tax". "This is not something that we have chosen," she said.
"And I have been a size 8 all my adult life, but have never benefited from smaller priced pants. If you don't charge a size 20 woman more for a pair of trousers, then why should you pay more for an E cup bra?"
With two audio clips.
Woman gets parking fine while unconscious
A parking attendant slapped a ticket on a car windscreen — with the driver sprawled unconscious at the wheel.
Hannah Thomas, 25, feared she was going to crash when she began to feel dizzy.
She pulled up at the roadside before fainting — and came round to find she had been booked for illegal parking in Wimbledon, South London.
Hannah said: “I could have been dead or seriously ill yet they were more interested in dishing out a fine.”
She phoned Merton Council and was told parking attendants were not allowed to speak to drivers unless spoken to and that she would have to pay the fine.
Hannah, of Hounslow, West London, has written to ask for leniency — but paid the £50 fine within the two-week limit to avoid it being doubled to £100 for late payment.
Hannah Thomas, 25, feared she was going to crash when she began to feel dizzy.
She pulled up at the roadside before fainting — and came round to find she had been booked for illegal parking in Wimbledon, South London.
Hannah said: “I could have been dead or seriously ill yet they were more interested in dishing out a fine.”
She phoned Merton Council and was told parking attendants were not allowed to speak to drivers unless spoken to and that she would have to pay the fine.
Hannah, of Hounslow, West London, has written to ask for leniency — but paid the £50 fine within the two-week limit to avoid it being doubled to £100 for late payment.
Just dance to save the world, says Dr Earth
A multimillionaire entrepreneur who styles himself Dr Earth claims to have found the answer to the planet's environmental problems - to dance.
Andrew Charalambous, a 35-year-old property developer, said Club Surya, which opened its doors in King's Cross, London, this week, was the "world's first ecological nightclub." The technology that will save the world is a hi-tech dancefloor which generates electricity from the movement of dancers. Other features include waterless urinals, a wind turbine and solar panels. Club4Climate, which runs the club, runs "all you have to do is dance to save the world" as its tagline.
Charalambous, who has spent £1m converting the club, said: "The dancefloor can generate around 60% of our electricity. We also have tables made of magazines, walls made of old mobiles and CDs - it's pretty wacky. The waterless urinals will save around 90 gallons of water and we harvest rainwater. We're the first business to donate excess electricity.
"So far the green movement has been working on the basis of don't fly, don't drive. It doesn't work. We had two people who came to the opening who flew in from Brazil. I'm not going to tell them not to fly. It's the new realism. At the end of the day they're going to take that message back to millions. It's about a billion people making small differences. I'm all for flying and driving."
But not everyone in the green movement is on board. Ruth Ruderham, head of fundraising for Friends of the Earth, said: "Club4Climate's activities are not compatible with Friends of the Earth's work to promote low carbon living, so we are concerned to see the company has used our logo without our permission and we will not be accepting any donations from them."
More here.
Andrew Charalambous, a 35-year-old property developer, said Club Surya, which opened its doors in King's Cross, London, this week, was the "world's first ecological nightclub." The technology that will save the world is a hi-tech dancefloor which generates electricity from the movement of dancers. Other features include waterless urinals, a wind turbine and solar panels. Club4Climate, which runs the club, runs "all you have to do is dance to save the world" as its tagline.
Charalambous, who has spent £1m converting the club, said: "The dancefloor can generate around 60% of our electricity. We also have tables made of magazines, walls made of old mobiles and CDs - it's pretty wacky. The waterless urinals will save around 90 gallons of water and we harvest rainwater. We're the first business to donate excess electricity.
"So far the green movement has been working on the basis of don't fly, don't drive. It doesn't work. We had two people who came to the opening who flew in from Brazil. I'm not going to tell them not to fly. It's the new realism. At the end of the day they're going to take that message back to millions. It's about a billion people making small differences. I'm all for flying and driving."
But not everyone in the green movement is on board. Ruth Ruderham, head of fundraising for Friends of the Earth, said: "Club4Climate's activities are not compatible with Friends of the Earth's work to promote low carbon living, so we are concerned to see the company has used our logo without our permission and we will not be accepting any donations from them."
More here.
The hospital that clamps its own ambulances
Cash-grabbing bosses have started clamping ambulances for parking too long outside a hospital.
One distressed patient had to be rushed to hospital by car because none was available - then saw a row of them immobilised. Several have been clamped in recent months and charged a £50 release fee.
Bosses at the NHS King's College Hospital in South East London insist they have to ensure a free flow of traffic on the site.
Photo from here.
The local NHS trust has a contract with private firm Caring For You to use around 60 of its ambulances for non-emergencies.
A trust spokesman said the firm was given guidelines stating they could park in designated drop-off zones for an hour. He added: "Some drivers have been leaving vehicles in drop-off bays for longer. This causes problems with access for other vehicles which are dropping off and collecting patients."
He did not explain how clamping the ambulances in their parking bays solved access problems for other vehicles.
One distressed patient had to be rushed to hospital by car because none was available - then saw a row of them immobilised. Several have been clamped in recent months and charged a £50 release fee.
Bosses at the NHS King's College Hospital in South East London insist they have to ensure a free flow of traffic on the site.
Photo from here.
The local NHS trust has a contract with private firm Caring For You to use around 60 of its ambulances for non-emergencies.
A trust spokesman said the firm was given guidelines stating they could park in designated drop-off zones for an hour. He added: "Some drivers have been leaving vehicles in drop-off bays for longer. This causes problems with access for other vehicles which are dropping off and collecting patients."
He did not explain how clamping the ambulances in their parking bays solved access problems for other vehicles.
Gangs use violence to steal pets
An animal charity says criminal gangs are becoming increasingly prepared to use violence to steal pets.
Dog Lost says there are cases of gangs threatening owners with knives and even guns to steal rare or expensive dogs.
Spokeswoman Jane Hayes said it took over 100 calls a week from owners that believe their dogs have been stolen.
The Missing Pets Bureau, which says one-third of missing dogs are actually stolen, reports a surge in owners using pet detectives to find their animals.
Ms Hayes, of Dogs Lost, said that part of the problem was that the police did not take dog thefts seriously. "There are two types of dog thief. You've got your professionals that travel around the country and they're after the working dogs - lurchers, terriers, labradors, and then unfortunately the biggest increase lately is inner city, where it's basically for drug money.
"They see a dog tied up outside a shop, they walk off with it and sell it round the corner in the local pub for £20, £30. Unfortunately these ones get more and more violent. Now they realise they're desperate for money they're attacking owners at knifepoint in parks in daylight."
With news video.
Dog Lost says there are cases of gangs threatening owners with knives and even guns to steal rare or expensive dogs.
Spokeswoman Jane Hayes said it took over 100 calls a week from owners that believe their dogs have been stolen.
The Missing Pets Bureau, which says one-third of missing dogs are actually stolen, reports a surge in owners using pet detectives to find their animals.
Ms Hayes, of Dogs Lost, said that part of the problem was that the police did not take dog thefts seriously. "There are two types of dog thief. You've got your professionals that travel around the country and they're after the working dogs - lurchers, terriers, labradors, and then unfortunately the biggest increase lately is inner city, where it's basically for drug money.
"They see a dog tied up outside a shop, they walk off with it and sell it round the corner in the local pub for £20, £30. Unfortunately these ones get more and more violent. Now they realise they're desperate for money they're attacking owners at knifepoint in parks in daylight."
With news video.
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