For Dummies

Ya know those "For Dummies" books? Like cooking for dummies, woodworking for dummies, etc? Well, I have for quite some time held the belief that they are putting just way too many books our there. Seriously, what is next - Quantum Physics of Lanyard Making For Dummies? Anyway, Imagine my suprise when upon reading the below article, I thought it just might be time to come out with a special edition of the Dummy books especially for these doctors - entitled (of course) Brain Surgery for Dummies.

The Rhode Island Department of Health fined Rhode Island Hospital $50,000 in November because three doctors so far this year have performed neurosurgery on the wrong side of the patients' brains. (Two patients survived.) [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 11-27-07]

Grandpa Is Ready For The Home Part 2

In November, a 77-year-old man in Jacksonville, Fla., intending to help his daughter by riding his bicycle to Long Branch Elementary School to pick up her 4-year-old son (his grandson), arrived back home with a kid on the bike but did not realize that he had picked up the wrong boy. Said the picked-up kid's frantic mother, "(The two boys) don't even look alike." [WMTW-TV (Auburn, Me.), 11-8-07]

Contemplating

I am sitting here contemplating the art of complemplation. Interesting huh? Why does one contemplate? Why does one contemplate contemplation? Does contemplating make you more of a comtemplator? Now I am contemplating if there is such a word as "contemplator".

The True Pepsi Challenge

Two employees from the rival companies got into a tiff over shelf space in the aisle of a Wal-Mart in Indiana. The Pepsi worker allegedly assaulted the Coca-Cola employee, hitting him in the face, giving him a black eye and breaking his nose. Police say the two were also accused of trying to run each other over with pallets full of soda bottles.

How To Tell When Grandpa Is Ready For The Retirement Home

In October, Beckley, W.Va., police detained a 61-year-old man whom they found at the King Tut Drive-In on a Saturday afternoon, apparently sober, after he had "driven" his four grandchildren, all around age 4, "on a busy street in a 15-foot motorboat pulled by a lawnmower," according to an Associated Press report. The vehicle was of course unregistered and uninspected, and the children not properly seat-restrained, but the man seemed unaware that he had placed the kids in danger. [Newsday-AP, 10-15-07]

What The World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love

In October, Taiwan's minister of national defense, Lee Tien-yu, instituted a policy of requiring recruits and their squad leaders to hug each other, which he thought would build mutual respect. According to the ritual, each would place his right hand on the other's back and left hand on the other's waist, with the leader saying, "Brother, I will take care of you," and the recruit replying, "Squad leader, I respect you." Not surprisingly, Lee was forced to abandon the policy three weeks later, especially after critical officials kept challenging Lee to hug some of his military officers in the same way (which he declined to do). [Taiwan News, 10-23-07]