Sperm bank:"most donations not good enough"

Handout photo from The Journal of Science shows human sperm. A sperm bank in eastern China is having trouble finding high-quality donors, with 86 percent of contributions failing to pass muster, state media reported. Smoking, drinking and environmental degradation are among the main factors causing the sperm quality to fall to the current level, according to the paper.

F-U-R-I-O-U-S over spelling bee ruling

RENO, Nevada (AP) -- She spelled it right. The judge said it was wrong. And she's not getting a second chance.
Reno, Nevada, eighth-grader Sara Beckman spelled "discernible" correctly during a spelling bee Tuesday at the University of Nevada, Reno. But the judge rang the bell anyway.
Her parents are furious, but organizers say they had to protest the call immediately. They say they waited until the bee was over to avoid interrupting.
A school spokesman likens it to a referee's call in an NFL game. The protest has to come before the next play starts.

Calling in sick..

LONDON (Reuters) - More British workers will call in "sick" Monday than on any other day in 2006, many opting to make their excuses by text message or by phoning in with an artistic cough or splutter, research revealed Monday.
Widespread dissatisfaction with holiday allowances combined with a post-Christmas comedown will contribute to thousands of Britons, who work some of the longest hours in Europe, staying at home to recharge their batteries.

OB-GYN jailed for abusing patients..

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- A gynecologist was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison for raping and fondling women who came to his clinics for treatment.
Superior Court Judge Michael Trickey sentenced Charles Momah nearly three months after a jury convicted him on two counts of rape and two counts of indecent liberties with patients. The standard sentencing range is 17 to 23 years.
Prosecutors said that Momah performed gynecological exams without wearing gloves, sexually touched patients, probed them unnecessarily with a vaginal ultrasound wand and flirted with them inappropriately.
The obstetrician-gynecologist prescribed addictive painkillers for no good medical reason, pressured patients into surgeries and double-billed insurance companies for procedures, prosecutors said.
"They will be sleeping with both eyes closed for the first time in so many years," said lawyer Harish Bharti, who represents dozens of women in civil lawsuits against Momah and his twin, who allegedly sometimes pretended to be the gynecologist.
"My clients lived in fear under his reign of terror for years," he said.
Momah grew up in Nigeria and trained in Nigeria and Canada.
In 1993, after working in New York and Georgia, Momah moved to Washington state. The three clinics he operated are now closed. The state suspended his medical license in 2003.
In 2000, a former patient told the King County Sheriff's Office that Momah had performed unnecessary surgery on her, raped her, deliberately got her addicted to painkillers and told her no one would believe her if she reported the rape because she was addicted to drugs.
Deputies investigated, but prosecutors decided there wasn't enough evidence to file charges.
Momah continued practicing until September 11, 2003, when his license was suspended after another patient reported being raped. By June 2004, 44 women had filed lawsuits against him.

www.cnn.com

I'm here for my prescription, and 6,000 cookies

The Dutch city of Groningen looks set to open the Netherlands' first pharmacy totally dedicated to providing high quality cannabis for pain relief at affordable prices, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
Although cannabis is readily available in Dutch coffee shops, the foundation for Medicinal Cannabis Netherlands, a support group for patients, intends launching a pharmacy in the northern Dutch city so people can have access to high-grade cannabis for medical use, the daily NRC Handelsblad said.
Groningen city council member Fleur Woudstra, who supports the cannabis pharmacy, told the paper that while pot may be cheaper in coffee shops -- usually around 10 euros ($12) for the equivalent of 3 or 4 joints -- quality often suffers.
The Office of Medicinal Cannabis, a Dutch government agency, and the community of Groningen as well as the local police back the idea and a site has been chosen. It was not immediately clear just when the pharmacy would open for business.
Two more cannabis pharmacies are planned in the towns of Hoogezand and Assen, the paper said.

news.yahoo.com Feb 02, 06