Thursday, July 17, 2008
Surgeon sued for giving anesthetized patient temporary tattoo
In a lawsuit filed yesterday, a Camden County woman accused her orthopedic surgeon of "rubbing a temporary tattoo of a red rose" on her belly while she was under anesthesia.
The patient discovered the tattoo below the panty line the next morning, when her husband was helping her get dressed to go home after the operation for a herniated disc, her attorney, Gregg A. Shivers, said.
"She was extremely emotionally upset by it," said Shivers. The suit, filed on behalf of Elizabeth Mateo in Camden County Superior Court, seeks punitive and compensatory damages from Steven Kirshner, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with offices in Marlton and Lumberton, both in Burlington County.
Kirshner does not deny placing the tattoo - and has left washable marks on patients before to improve their spirits, his lawyer, Robert Agre of Haddonfield, said last night. He said none has complained.
"What's offensive about this complaint is that it suggests something he did was intended to be prurient, and nothing could be further from the truth," said Agre."It was intended just to make the patient feel better."
Nevertheless, said Art Caplan, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Department of Medical Ethics, "you cannot do something like this even as a joke."
The patient discovered the tattoo below the panty line the next morning, when her husband was helping her get dressed to go home after the operation for a herniated disc, her attorney, Gregg A. Shivers, said.
"She was extremely emotionally upset by it," said Shivers. The suit, filed on behalf of Elizabeth Mateo in Camden County Superior Court, seeks punitive and compensatory damages from Steven Kirshner, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with offices in Marlton and Lumberton, both in Burlington County.
Kirshner does not deny placing the tattoo - and has left washable marks on patients before to improve their spirits, his lawyer, Robert Agre of Haddonfield, said last night. He said none has complained.
"What's offensive about this complaint is that it suggests something he did was intended to be prurient, and nothing could be further from the truth," said Agre."It was intended just to make the patient feel better."
Nevertheless, said Art Caplan, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Department of Medical Ethics, "you cannot do something like this even as a joke."
Man dressed as penis must apologize
A 19-year-old man must make an apology to the city of Saratoga Springs for dressing as an inflatable 6-foot penis and then parading across SPAC's stage at the high school's graduation last month.
Calvin Morett of 337 Pyramid Pine Estates must also pay to have the letter published in the Saratogian newspaper as part of a City Court sentence that calls for him to pay $95 in court fees and perform 24 hours of community service. Morett had previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation.
Calvin Morett of 337 Pyramid Pine Estates must also pay to have the letter published in the Saratogian newspaper as part of a City Court sentence that calls for him to pay $95 in court fees and perform 24 hours of community service. Morett had previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation.
School of 30 fish 'walking' through neighbourhood shocks homeowners
About 30 fish were spotted "walking" through a Florida neighbourhood, shocking homeowners who said they've never seen anything like it.
"I was like, 'No way there's fish in the street,'" homeowner Dianna Fernandez said. "And I kept going further and further and seeing fish everywhere -- in driveways. I've never seen anything like it."
The walking catfish were spotted in the road near a Pinellas Park subdivision on Tuesday.
The fish used their pectoral fins to walk or shuffle around the streets.
A scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the catfish can travel on land as long as they stay moist.
"We thought it was a prank at first," resident Hannah Cline said. "(We thought) that maybe somebody dumped some fish but then we realized that it was coming up from the sewer that we had so much rain last night."
With news video.
"I was like, 'No way there's fish in the street,'" homeowner Dianna Fernandez said. "And I kept going further and further and seeing fish everywhere -- in driveways. I've never seen anything like it."
The walking catfish were spotted in the road near a Pinellas Park subdivision on Tuesday.
The fish used their pectoral fins to walk or shuffle around the streets.
A scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the catfish can travel on land as long as they stay moist.
"We thought it was a prank at first," resident Hannah Cline said. "(We thought) that maybe somebody dumped some fish but then we realized that it was coming up from the sewer that we had so much rain last night."
With news video.
Pizza shop robbed by on-duty employee's father
After a pizza restaurant employee fought off a robber, his disguise fell off to reveal something shocking; he was an employee's father.
The daughter of the man who attempted to rob the Denton Pizza Patron while she was on duty said she didn't know of her father's plans.
"Rudy hit him and the wig fell off and the glasses flew away and that's when I knew it was my dad," said Stephanie Martinez, Benjamin Ramirez's daughter.
In addition to Ramirez's arrest, Martinez's mother and her husband were also arrested.
Police said they found Martinez's husband driving the getaway car and her mother in the passenger seat. But, Martinez said she blames her father, who is a convicted felon.
While the owner told Martinez to take some time off, she said she will not be returning because she is too embarrassed.
With news video.
The daughter of the man who attempted to rob the Denton Pizza Patron while she was on duty said she didn't know of her father's plans.
"Rudy hit him and the wig fell off and the glasses flew away and that's when I knew it was my dad," said Stephanie Martinez, Benjamin Ramirez's daughter.
In addition to Ramirez's arrest, Martinez's mother and her husband were also arrested.
Police said they found Martinez's husband driving the getaway car and her mother in the passenger seat. But, Martinez said she blames her father, who is a convicted felon.
While the owner told Martinez to take some time off, she said she will not be returning because she is too embarrassed.
With news video.
Indian pensioner fails school exams for 38th year
A pensioner has failed his high school exams for the 38th consecutive time - but vowed to continue taking the tests until he dies.
Shiv Charan, 74, learned last week that he had failed in all but one subject in this year's tests.
Despite devoting his life to passing India's year 10 exams, he scored just 14 per cent in English, 17 per cent in science, 5 per cent in mathematics and 25 per cent in Sanskrit.
Photo from here.
He only managed to scrape a pass in Hindi, scoring 34 per cent.
Shiv Charan first took the exam in 1969, after vowing not to marry until he had passed, and has entered every year except two since.
He has remained true to his word and is still single, which is now his main motivation. "As long as I am alive I will go on giving examinations in order to get a wife," he said.
Shiv Charan, 74, learned last week that he had failed in all but one subject in this year's tests.
Despite devoting his life to passing India's year 10 exams, he scored just 14 per cent in English, 17 per cent in science, 5 per cent in mathematics and 25 per cent in Sanskrit.
Photo from here.
He only managed to scrape a pass in Hindi, scoring 34 per cent.
Shiv Charan first took the exam in 1969, after vowing not to marry until he had passed, and has entered every year except two since.
He has remained true to his word and is still single, which is now his main motivation. "As long as I am alive I will go on giving examinations in order to get a wife," he said.
Indian suspects injected with 'truth serum'
It was the most sensational murder case of the year and after a series of embarrassing bungles, Indian police were under pressure to get results.
So they turned to a practice long since banned in most democracies, but on the rise in India: they injected their prime suspects with a “truth serum”.
India has been transfixed by the murder of Aarushi Talwar, 14, who was found with her throat slit in May at her home near Delhi. Police initially blamed the Talwars' domestic help, but were forced to rethink when his body was found on the terrace of the family house the next day.
Then they detained Rajesh Talwar, the dead girl's dentist father, and drugged him with sodium pentothal — the “truth serum”. The Central Bureau of Investigation, India's equivalent of the FBI, took over and declared him innocent last week.
The CBI now says that the culprit was Krishna, an assistant in Dr Talwar's clinic, who was subjected to six hours of “narcoanalysis” at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Bangalore. A suspected accomplice is now receiving the same treatment.
The Aarushi case has exposed the incompetence of Indian police and aroused fears among middle-class Indians that they can no longer trust their increasingly disgruntled domestic staff. But it has also stoked a national debate about the police's use of narcoanalysis, polygraphs and brain mapping — often in the absence of proper forensic investigation.
So they turned to a practice long since banned in most democracies, but on the rise in India: they injected their prime suspects with a “truth serum”.
India has been transfixed by the murder of Aarushi Talwar, 14, who was found with her throat slit in May at her home near Delhi. Police initially blamed the Talwars' domestic help, but were forced to rethink when his body was found on the terrace of the family house the next day.
Then they detained Rajesh Talwar, the dead girl's dentist father, and drugged him with sodium pentothal — the “truth serum”. The Central Bureau of Investigation, India's equivalent of the FBI, took over and declared him innocent last week.
The CBI now says that the culprit was Krishna, an assistant in Dr Talwar's clinic, who was subjected to six hours of “narcoanalysis” at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Bangalore. A suspected accomplice is now receiving the same treatment.
The Aarushi case has exposed the incompetence of Indian police and aroused fears among middle-class Indians that they can no longer trust their increasingly disgruntled domestic staff. But it has also stoked a national debate about the police's use of narcoanalysis, polygraphs and brain mapping — often in the absence of proper forensic investigation.
Vicar forced to wear hard hat to church to protect himself from seagulls
It is not traditional garb for a man of the cloth. But Rev Canon Graham Minors has been forced to don a bright yellow hard hat to protect him from two new additions to his flock.
The vicar has to rush through his churchyard in order to avoid the attentions of a pair of angry seagulls diving down from the heavens.
The fearsome birds perch on the church roof and swoop down on unsuspecting members of the congregation and even mourners in the graveyard.
They began their aerial onslaughts after setting up a nest and raising a chick in the grounds of St Petroc's Church, in Bodmin, Cornwall.
The over-protective animals now regularly stand guard of their fledgling by perching on top of two ancient stone crosses on the roof of the 15th Century church. They then fly and flap their wings at anyone who approaches - swooping just above their heads to scare them away.
Rev Minors, 63, says the attacks have become so fierce he has been forced to don a hard hat every time he enters or leaves the church. He said: 'It is very scary because they're really quite large and powerful birds that could deliver a nasty peck if they got the chance.'
Update: There's a news video here.
The vicar has to rush through his churchyard in order to avoid the attentions of a pair of angry seagulls diving down from the heavens.
The fearsome birds perch on the church roof and swoop down on unsuspecting members of the congregation and even mourners in the graveyard.
They began their aerial onslaughts after setting up a nest and raising a chick in the grounds of St Petroc's Church, in Bodmin, Cornwall.
The over-protective animals now regularly stand guard of their fledgling by perching on top of two ancient stone crosses on the roof of the 15th Century church. They then fly and flap their wings at anyone who approaches - swooping just above their heads to scare them away.
Rev Minors, 63, says the attacks have become so fierce he has been forced to don a hard hat every time he enters or leaves the church. He said: 'It is very scary because they're really quite large and powerful birds that could deliver a nasty peck if they got the chance.'
Update: There's a news video here.
Charity volunteers banned from singing at work
Staff at a charity shop in Exeter have been told to stop singing while they work in case they are accused of acting in concert with an illicit radio.
Mind, the mental health charity, told the managers at its 100 shops not to play radios because it does not have a £60 licence from the Performing Rights Society (PRS), which collects royalties on behalf of musicians. Staff and volunteers, who entertained customers by singing at the Exeter shop, were asked to stop in case it raised suspicions of radio backing and brought a £500 fine.
Mind, the mental health charity, told the managers at its 100 shops not to play radios because it does not have a £60 licence from the Performing Rights Society (PRS), which collects royalties on behalf of musicians. Staff and volunteers, who entertained customers by singing at the Exeter shop, were asked to stop in case it raised suspicions of radio backing and brought a £500 fine.
Schoolboy entrepreneur wins fight to keep 'manure' sign
Schoolboy Steve Sayer thought his entrepreneurial efforts would be rewarded when he bought a sign to advertise his father’s horse manure to gardeners.
The council had other ideas. Ruling that it was illegally placed and distracting to motorists, they said the sign must go.
But the 14-year-old, who had spent £100 on the sign which read ‘Steve’s horse manure with wiggly worms’, refused to give in.
He took it off the verge outside his father’s livery yard — and collected 1,200 signatures in Cheddar, Somerset, to support his enterprise.
Yesterday, Steve, who has been sweeping up and selling the manure since he was 11, was rewarded with victory after a ten-month battle when Sedgemoor District Council overturned its decision.
His father Julian, 43, described the ruling as a 'victory for common sense'. Julian, 43, said: 'It was a crazy decision in the first place, which sought to stifle young entrepreneurship with rigid application of rules.'
The council had other ideas. Ruling that it was illegally placed and distracting to motorists, they said the sign must go.
But the 14-year-old, who had spent £100 on the sign which read ‘Steve’s horse manure with wiggly worms’, refused to give in.
He took it off the verge outside his father’s livery yard — and collected 1,200 signatures in Cheddar, Somerset, to support his enterprise.
Yesterday, Steve, who has been sweeping up and selling the manure since he was 11, was rewarded with victory after a ten-month battle when Sedgemoor District Council overturned its decision.
His father Julian, 43, described the ruling as a 'victory for common sense'. Julian, 43, said: 'It was a crazy decision in the first place, which sought to stifle young entrepreneurship with rigid application of rules.'
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