SEPARATED TWINS ACCIDENTALLY MARRY EACH OTHER

From Cnn.com:

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British twins who had been separated at birth learned they were related only after they had become husband and wife, a senior British lawmaker said. The marriage has been annulled.

The couple's identities have been protected for legal reasons.

Their case was first highlighted by Lord Alton of Liverpool during a discussion on donor conception in the House of Lords in December, but only came to light Friday.

The peer told the House of Lords that a court annulled the union as soon as the twins' true relationship became known.

"They were never told that they were twins," he said during the Dec. 10 debate on a law covering human fertility and embryology. They had been adopted by separate families and "met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."

No further details about the couple have emerged, and it is not known when the marriage took place or how long they were together before they discovered the truth.

Adoption groups said Friday the case proves the need for openness and transparency during the adoption process.

Mo O'Reilly, director of child placement for the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, said released a statement saying: "Thirty or 40 years ago it would have been more likely that twins be separated and brought up without knowledge of each other."

However, she said, greater emphasis in recent years on ensuring adopted siblings stay in touch meant this "traumatic" case will remain "incredibly rare."

Daisy O'Clee, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that of more current concern is the lack of legislation surrounding fertility treatment.

Under British law the parents of a donor-conceived child do not have to declare that fact on the child's birth certificate, O'Clee told CNN. This means a child conceived with a donor sperm or egg may never know their true origin.

Lawmakers will vote Tuesday on whether to pass a law covering human fertility and embryology that would relax the rules on who can have fertility treatment.

O'Clee warned that in its present form the proposal does little to address the rights of donor-conceived children.

"The rights of donor children are being ignored," she said.

10-YEAR OLD BOY GLUES HIMSELF TO BED TO AVOID GOING TO SCHOOL

From Foxnews.com:

A 10-year-old boy thought he had discovered a novel way of getting off school — glueing his hand to the bed.

Diego Palacios had so much fun over the Christmas holiday he was in no rush to get back to lessons.

He had to be freed by emergency services in Monterrey, northern Mexico, after his master plan went wrong.

His mother, Sandra, spent nearly two hours trying to free his right hand with water, oil and nail polish remover, but to no avail.

"I didn't want to go to school because vacation was so much fun," the youngster explained.

He told how he sneaked into the kitchen in the early hours and then covered his hand with industrial-strength adhesive.

His mother woke up to find him watching TV with his hand stuck to the bed.

"I don't know why he did it," she said. "He's a good boy but mischievous — like all kids."

His hand was freed by paramedics — just in time for school.

Kneeboarder Finds Lost Nose Ring Inside Fish Boyfriend Caught

From Foxnews.com:
IT is a tale some would say smells a bit fishy, but Kristy Brittain swears it is true.

Last Friday she was kneeboarding behind a boat off Slopen Main on the Tasman Peninsula, east of Hobart, when she was tossed from her board in rough conditions.

In the fall she lost a nose stud from a piercing she had done only a week before Christmas.

Brittain, 25, of Magra, never expected to see the tiny stud again.

Enter a hungry flathead.

You guessed it, the stud turned up in a fish caught by her fiance, Darren Triffett, when fishing with his friend Tim Hall three days later.

Triffett and Hall were in roughly the same area where the stud was lost on Monday. When filleting one flathead they found a tiny nail-like object inside.

"They thought it was a little tack or nail," Brittain said. "I was standing near them talking to them and realized it was the nose stud I had lost in the ocean."

"How could it have ended in the fish? I suppose it would have sparkled and they (flathead) eat pretty much anything.

"But you think how many fish are in the sea . . . and to catch this one."

It's no surprise Brittain regards the stud as lucky. And it won't be lost again.

"I have put it in a sachet so I don't lose it again," she said."I will go and buy a Tattslotto ticket and put this on it."

MC Hammer Hoping for Comeback as Internet Titan

From Foxnews.com:
SAN FRANCISCO — MC Hammer hasn't topped the music charts since the early 1990s, but the former rap star says he has another hit in him — only this time around he'll produce it as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, is choreographing a new career as co-founder and chief strategy officer of Menlo Park-based DanceJam.com.

The Web site, scheduled to debut in mid-January, will try to upstage YouTube and become the Internet's hub for sharing and watching dance videos.

DanceJam then hopes to make money by grabbing a piece of the rapidly growing Internet advertising market, which is expected to rake in $27.5 billion in 2008, according to eMarketer.

If the business pans out, DanceJam could help Hammer compensate for losing his fortune when he went bankrupt in 1996 with nearly $14 million in debts.

The bankruptcy was a sobering comedown for Hammer, who parlayed the popularity of his once-ubiquitous song, "U Can't Touch This," to become a pop icon in the early 1990s.

Although Hammer isn't churning out best-selling records any longer, everyone still seems to know his name. Even children born after his downfall are familiar with his music because "U Can't Touch This" still gets played in TV shows and movies.

But Hammer's involvement in DanceJam has more to do with his technological savvy than his celebrity, said Ron Conway, a longtime Silicon Valley investor who is part of a small group that provided DanceJam with $1 million in startup funds.

"I expect him to integrate all his knowledge into this Web site," said Conway, who befriended Hammer at a baseball game seven years ago and has been tutoring him in the ways of technology ever since. "He is the lightning rod for this whole thing."

Hammer, 45, started poking around Silicon Valley while he was still selling millions of records. He often hung out at computer makers like Silicon Graphics Inc. and Apple Inc., hoping to learn more about how technology might help his music career.

"There is no high-tech lingo or business strategy that you can talk that is above my head," Hammer boasted during an interview. "I breathe this stuff."

Hammer's entrepreneurial roots date back to the 1980s when he began recording songs with financial help from a few Oakland Athletics, where he once worked as a ball boy. His nickname came from his resemblance to the former home run king, Hammerin' Hank Aaron.

Without the support of a major music label, Hammer built a loyal fan base by hitting the streets and selling his early recordings out of a car.

His success in grass roots marketing prompted Salesforce.com Inc. to call on Hammer for advice in its early days. The company wanted to raise awareness about its online software service without paying a lot for traditional advertising, said Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com's chief executive officer.

"We really learned a lot from Hammer. He is the most entrepreneurial individual I have ever met," said Benioff, whose San Francisco-based company is now worth $7 billion.

Hammer and his DanceJam partners — Geoffrey Arone, the chief executive, and Anthony Young, the chief technology officer — are wading into a market already saturated with dozens of Web sites that have built huge video libraries.

Arone became convinced the Web needed a site devoted exclusively to dance shortly after he left Web browsing startup Flock, which he had co-founded.

Hammer had been feeling the same way about dance for years so they quickly hit it off when they first met and hammered out the concept for DanceJam.

Drawing upon the popularity of reality shows like "Dancing With The Stars," DanceJam will stage head-to-head competitions where contestants submit videos that will be judged by viewers.

The site also will provide demonstrations and information about a wide variety of dances, ranging from the Boogaloo to the Krump.

Arone, Hammer and Young have spent several months videotaping people around the country dancing. They say they have stockpiled about 100 gigabytes of video to help launch DanceJam.

James McQuivey, a media analyst with Forrester Research, doubts that will be enough to lure people away from Google Inc.'s YouTube, which listed 1.7 million dance videos in its index as of late December.

"When people are looking for any video, whether it be about skateboarding, dancing or a science project, they don't stop to think about where's the best place to find it. They just start off by going to YouTube," McQuivey said.

The most watched video in YouTube's 2 1/2-year history happens to be about dancing. The 6-minute clip, a facetious tribute called "Evolution of Dance," includes about 25 seconds alluding to some of the moves that Hammer made famous back when he was still wearing colorful parachute pants as he sang "U Can't Touch This."

Hammer recognized YouTube's potential before most people he did. Besides putting some of his own clips on the site, Hammer visited YouTube's offices in February 2006 when there were still just a handful of people running the site above a pizza parlor. (A clip of that visit is at http://www.youtube.com/blog?month=2&year=2006.)

Until he saw what YouTube was doing, Hammer had doubts about the Web's entertainment value.

"When everybody started raving about the Internet, I always wondered, 'If it's so great, why can't you see my videos on the Internet?'" Hammer said. "It looks like technology has finally caught up with my vision."

Officer Accused of Paying Hooker with Wife's Clothes, Shoes

From myfoxaustin.com:

AUSTIN -- An Austin Police Officer is accused of hiring a prostitute and paying her with his wife's clothing and shoes, according to a search warrant.

The search warrant shows 45-year-old Scott Lando used his wife's new pair of boots, jeans and shirt to pay the prostitute for her services. The warrant also shows Lando also took the prostitute on shopping trips to Wal-Mart and Payless ShoeSource, and to dinner at Threadgill's on North Lamar on one occasion.

APD first heard about Lando's possible involvement with prostitution in June of 2006 during the arrest of a different prostitute, according to the warrant. While that prostitute was making her sworn statement to police about her own case, she mentioned to investigators that Officer Lando had been engaging in "tricks" with another hooker. Officers were able to find that prostitute in the Burnet County jail and questioned her about Officer Lando.

The warrant shows the prostitute confirmed from June to September of 2006, she had engaged in sexual acts with Lando for money or clothing. The prostitute also told police her first sexual encounter with Lando happened in an Austin Police patrol car in North Austin.

The prostitute told investigators on her last encounter with Lando in August of 2006, Lando took her to his home in Cedar Park, the warrant says. The prostitute told investigators Lando asked her to take a bath before having sex with her. Instead of money, Lando allowed the prostitute to take some clothes from his wife's closet after telling the woman that his wife would never miss them. The warrant shows that the prostitute took a new pair of black Harley Davidson leather boots still in their box, studded and jeweled jeans, and a pink and yellow top.

Investigators confirmed the prostitute's story after issuing the search warrant for Lando's Cedar Park home and tattoos. Investigators concluded that the prostitute's description of the home and tattoos were accurate, and could only be described by someone who had seen them. During a visit to the home last month, Lando's wife also confirmed she was missing a new pair of Harley Davidson boots and jeans, had assumed that a neighborhood kid had taken them.

Lando has not been charged with a crime, he is still under He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.

According to archived versions of former APD Cheif Stan Knee's newsletter 'The Shield,' Lando received the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor in 2004. Lando was honored after being shot at by a suspect. Lando fired a shot back at the suspect then continued the pursuit on foot.

MP3 Player Father Bought at Wal-Mart for Daughter, 10, Was Preloaded With Porn

From Foxnews.com:

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — A father gave his 10-year-old daughter a Christmas present that would make Santa blush.

Now Daryl Hill wants to know why an MP3 video player he bought at a Wal-Mart in Sparta was preloaded with pornography and explicit songs.

Hill bought three of the players as Christmas presents for his children. He said one of the devices had apparently been returned to the store from a previous owner who loaded sex clips and songs with lyrics about using drugs.

"Within 10 minutes, my daughter was crying," Hill said Thursday. "I wish I could take the thoughts and images out of her head."

Hill questioned why Wal-Mart Stores Inc. would sell used merchandise as new, which he said violates its own policies.

A company spokesman said in an e-mail to WSMV-TV of Nashville that stores are not supposed to return opened packages to the sales floor and that the matter was under investigation.

Hill said he declined Wal-Mart's offer to replace the MP3 player. He said he has already bought his daughter a new one and is hanging onto the controversial one until he talks to a lawyer.

Teacher Arrested After Offering Good Grades For Oral Sex

From Foxnews.com:

BARTOW, Fla. — Police say a Bartow High School student hoping to improve her math grades through extra credit instead got a lewd request from her teacher.

Isaac Nathan Tillis was arrested after repeatedly telling student she could earn an "A" if she gave him oral sex. He lured the girl into a teacher's lounge bathroom on Wednesday, but once inside police and the girl sprung a trap.

The 16-year-old was wearing a hidden listening device, which recorded Tillis' proposition after he dropped his pants, police say. The 29-year-old teacher had also scribbled his request on a hall pass, an arrest report states.

Officers arrested Tillis and charged him with soliciting a lewd sex act from a minor.

JOHN EDWARDS MISTRESS PREGNANT?

SOURCE:

Presidential candidate John Edwards is caught up in a love child scandal, a blockbuster ENQUIRER investigation has discovered.

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that Rielle Hunter, a woman linked to Edwards in a cheating scandal earlier this year, is more than six months pregnant — and she's told a close confidante that Edwards is the father of her baby!

The ENQUIRER's political bombshell comes just weeks after Edwards emphatically denied having an affair with Rielle, who formerly worked on his campaign and told another close pal that she was romantically involved with the married ex-senator.

The ENQUIRER has now confirmed not only that Rielle is expecting, but that she's gone into hiding with the help of a former aide to Edwards. The visibly pregnant blonde has relocated from the New York area to Chapel Hill, N.C., where she is living in an upscale gated community near political operative Andrew Young, who's been extremely close to Edwards for years and was a key official in his presidential campaign.

And in a bizarre twist, Young — a 41-year-old married man with young children — now claims HE is the father of Rielle's baby! But others are skeptical, wondering if Young's paternity claim is a cover-up to protect Edwards.

Meanwhile, Edwards' cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth has joined him on the campaign trail.

In a statement issued to The ENQUIRER through her attorney, Rielle said: "The fact that I am expecting a child is my personal and private business. This has no relationship to nor does it involve John Edwards in any way. Andrew Young is the father of my unborn child."

But a source extremely close to the 43-year-old divorcée says Rielle has told a far different story privately: "Rielle told me she had a secret affair with Edwards. When she found out that she was pregnant, she said he was the father."

Rielle loves Edwards and will do anything to protect him, the source says.

In The ENQUIRER's Oct. 22 issue, we revealed that Edwards, 54, was involved in a mistress scandal and the shocking allegations — if proven true — could devastate the Democratic hopeful's campaign.

At the time, we withheld Rielle's name, but reported that an insider told The ENQUIRER that she claimed that she began the affair some 18 months earlier. She talked about her relationship in phone calls and e-mails.

After our story was published, several political bloggers correctly identified "the other woman" as Rielle, a self-described filmmaker whose company was hired by a pro-Edwards group called One America Committee and paid $114,000 to produce videos for Edwards' campaign. She worked with Edwards on those videos.

Reporters asked Edwards about The ENQUIRER report during a campaign stop in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 11. Edwards responded: "The story is false. It's completely untrue, ridiculous," adding: "Anyone who knows me knows that I have been in love with the same woman for 30 plus years."

Rielle issued her own statement through MyDD.com, a pro-Democratic Web site, saying: "The innuendos and lies that have appeared on the Internet and in the National Enquirer concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous.

"My video production company was hired by the Edwards camp on a six-month contract, which we completed Dec. 31, 2006. When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct as well as the conduct of my entire team was completely professional."

But what the rest of the press didn't know is that when Rielle made that claim, she was pregnant, hiding it and had told her confidante it was Edwards' baby.

That's also when it was decided Rielle would relocate to North Carolina, said the source.

The ENQUIRER has confirmed that Young placed Rielle in a rental home in the Governors Club, the same gated community where he lives in a multimillion-dollar home with his wife Cheri and their young children. That home is owned by an Edwards' backer and is less than five miles from Edwards' national campaign headquarters in Chapel Hill, N.C.

A former "Director of Operations" for Edwards' campaign, Young's last official position with the campaign was "North Carolina Finance Director." He left that job about a month ago - about the same time Rielle settled in Chapel Hill.

A source close to Young vehemently denies that he funneled campaign money to Rielle - who drives a BMW SUV registered in Young's name.

The ENQUIRER spotted Rielle — visibly pregnant in a black sweater and loose-fitting slacks — leaving her OB/GYN's office in Cary, N.C., on Dec. 12.

And when asked for a comment about her relationship with Edwards by an ENQUIRER reporter, Rielle responded: "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Asked why she was living in Young's gated community, she answered: "I have no idea what you are talking about."

When asked who fathered her baby, she answered: "I have no idea who you're talking about or what you're talking about."

She even denied that she was Rielle Hunter!

But things changed dramatically when The ENQUIRER contacted Edwards for a comment just days later.

Edwards' lawyer called The ENQUIRER and denied the well-coiffed Democratic candidate is the father of Rielle's baby, adding that Rielle would deny it as well.

A day later, in a shocking twist, the attorney for Mr. Young issued a statement that Young fathered Rielle's baby!

"Andrew Young is the father of Ms. Hunter's unborn child," declared his Washington, D.C.-based attorney.

"Sen. Edwards knew nothing about the relationship between these former co-workers, which began when they worked together in 2006.

"As a private citizen who no longer works for the campaign, Mr. Young asks that the media respect his privacy while he works to make amends with his family."

Neither Young nor Rielle offered any evidence of their prior romantic relationship, and both turned down an ENQUIRER request to take polygraph tests on the claim that Young fathered her child.

Now some insiders wonder whether Young's paternity claim is simply a cover-up to protect his longtime pal Edwards.

"If you have an alternate explanation for a scandal, you don't take 24 hours to offer that explanation, let alone days or weeks," a political insider told The ENQUIRER.

Simply put, Edwards could have nipped the earlier cheating scandal in the bud by instructing his aides to explain that Rielle had been romantically involved with a married man on the campaign. But he didn't.

Instead, Rielle has been telling a confidante that Edwards is the father of her child.

"Rielle told me while Andrew Young is a friend, she's not romantically involved with him," says the source close to Rielle. "Rielle says he's been responsible for finding her a place to live and even getting her a car to drive.

"If he really were the father of her baby and had engaged in an extramarital affair with her, I doubt seriously that he'd bring his wife and kids over to her house for dinner — which Rielle told me he did a few weeks ago.

"Rielle has said from the beginning that the baby is John's, but she appears willing to do whatever they want her to do to protect his candidacy.

"I think what's taking place is simply a cover-up by Edwards' campaign."

And no one has denied the source's information that Rielle has been in phone contact with Edwards since finding out she is pregnant.

When ENQUIRER reporters contacted Young in person at his home on Dec. 12, he became furious — and denied he was Andrew Young.

He also denied knowing "any Rielle Hunter," yelling at the top of his voice: "You don't even know who I am!" But when his wife called him "Andrew," he shot her a dirty look.

An enraged Young called police, demanding our reporters be arrested for trespassing. Officers from the Chatham County (N.C.) Sheriff's Department responded, questioned everyone and made no arrests.

While controversy swirls around her, Rielle — a wannabe actress who by her own admission was a drug-using New York party girl in the '80s — stayed in touch with Edwards.

"Rielle told me that she remains in phone contact with John, but can't see him for obvious reasons," said the source close to her.

JUDGE SIDES WITH MAN FIRED OVER "DILBERT" COMIC STRIP

From Foxnews.com:
DES MOINES, Iowa — A judge has sided with a man who was fired for posting a "Dilbert" comic strip that made fun of managers on an office bulletin board.

David Steward was fired from the Catfish Bend Casino because management found the cartoon "very offensive," human resources director Steve Morley testified at a recent unemployment benefits hearing. The casino had challenged his claim for unemployment benefits.

"Basically, he was accusing the decision-makers of being drunken lemurs," Morley testified. "We consider that misconduct when you insult your employer."

According to state records, Steward posted the comic in late October, shortly after officials announced the casino in Burlington would be closed.

In the strip, Dilbert and another character are shown having the following exchange:

"Why does it seem as if most of the decisions in my workplace are made by drunken lemurs?"

"Decisions are made by people who have time, not people who have talent."

"Why are talented people so busy?"

"They're fixing the problems made by people who have time."

Steward testified that he posted the comic partly because of the impending layoffs.

"I thought maybe it would cheer some people up," he said. "I found it humorous."

Administrative Law Judge Lynette Donner sided with Steward, ruling it was "a good-faith error in judgment," not intentional misbehavior.

"Dilbert" creator Scott Adams said it might have been the first confirmed instance of a worker being fired for posting a "Dilbert" strip in a workplace.

Gay Ind. teen sues school that wouldn't let him go to prom in a dress

from CourtTV.com:

When Kevin Logan went to his high school prom in 2006, he was hoping it would be a night to remember. What he'll remember, though, will be standing outside in the parking lot while his classmates danced inside.

As Logan walked up to the prom, clad in a pink prom dress, West Side High School Principal Diana Rouse blocked the doorway and refused to let him inside.

Logan, who goes by the name "K.K." and describes himself as a gay bisexual male, filed a suit Dec. 12 against Rouse and the school board, claiming they violated his civil rights by denying him entrance to the prom based on his attire.

"What should have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Logan to share memories with friends before graduation became an episode of humiliation and exclusion," the suit states.

When contacted by phone, Rouse declined to speak, referring comment to the school board public information spokesperson before hanging up. The school board declined to comment because of the pending litigation.

According to the suit, Logan had long expressed his sexual identity through clothing and makeup at school, and was never punished for it. During the first week of Logan's senior year in high school in Gary, Ind., he was taken to Rouse's office by security guards, where he was questioned about the purse he was wearing. But, he was sent back to class without being disciplined, according to the suit.

In the time leading up to prom, Logan had discussed his prom outfit with the assistant principal and Rouse. Rouse opposed a dress and suggested a pantsuit. However, the assistant principal told Logan he should wear whatever he wanted, according to the suit.

On May 19, 2006, Logan headed to the Avalon Manor in Hobart, Ind., wearing an ankle-length pink prom dress. He walked past the groups of parents and friends taking pictures outside the prom and toward the main door. That's when Rouse stretched her arms across the door, blocking Logan from entering, according to the suit.

Logan claims Rouse ordered him to leave and called security. Humiliated, Logan claims, he walked to the parking lot to take pictures with his friends while everyone else danced inside. As they snapped photos, word spread inside that Logan was not being allowed into the prom. According to the suit, students and teachers came outside to voice their support, with some asking Rouse to change her mind. She refused.

Although Logan was denied entrance, according to his attorney Jim Madigan, a lesbian student was allowed inside the prom wearing a tuxedo-style outfit.

"Society thinks it's OK for women to want to be a little more masculine, but it's not OK for male students to act in a way that is feminine," Madigan told CourtTVnews.com "That double standard really is something that's sort of an old stereotype. It's a double standard that's a remnant of sex discrimination."

Madigan said he contacted the school asking for all the reasons why Logan was denied entrance to the prom. The school cited a community school board policy governing dress code, which prohibits any clothing or accessories that advertise "sexual orientation, sex, drugs, alcohol tobacco, profanity, negative social or negative educational statements."

In addition to unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, Madigan and his client are seeking to have the dress policy ruled unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment.

"You simply cannot tell gay students that anything in their clothing that makes clear that they are gay, lesbian or transgender is inappropriate," Madigan said.

The suit is not only an attempt to justify Logan's right to wear a dress to prom, Madigan said, but is an effort to provide protection to other students who will follow after him.

"A judgment in Logan's favor not only will vindicate the violation of his civil rights but will also protect countless other students whose expression of their sexual orientation or gender identity would otherwise be chilled by Defendants' unconstitutional actions," the suit states.

MAN SUSPECTED OF MURDERING EMILY SANDER ARRESTED

From Foxnews.com:

EL DORADO, Kan. — A man suspected in the slaying of a college student who led a secret life as an Internet porn performer was arrested Wednesday in Mexico, authorities said.

Israel Mireles, 24, was arrested in Melchor Muzquiz, Mexico, U.S. Deputy Marshal Logan Kline said. Mireles was being held in that country until he can be extradited to the U.S., Kline said.

Emily Sander, 18, was last seen alive on Nov. 23 as she left an El Dorado bar with a man police identified as Mireles. Her disappearance drew nationwide attention after it was discovered that she also led a secret life as an Internet porn model named Zoey Zane.

Kline declined to provide additional details about the arrest. A news conference was scheduled for later Wednesday in El Dorado.

Surgeon in Hot Water After Photographing Patient's Tattooed Genitals

From Foxnews.com:

PHOENIX — A surgeon faces a disciplinary hearing for snapping a photo of a patient's tattooed genitals during an operation and showing it around to other doctors.

Mayo Clinic Hospital administrators said Dr. Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery, admitted taking the photo with his cell phone on Dec. 11. The tattoo on strip club owner Sean Dubowik's penis reads: "Hot Rod."

Dubowik, who had undergone a gallbladder operation, said he learned of the photo Monday when the Mayo Clinic called.

"I got a strange call after my surgery from a doctor who said there was a problem. He said Hansen was on the phone and would explain," he said.

Dubowik, 27, said Hansen told him he took the picture while inserting a catheter into his penis. A member of the surgical staff made an anonymous call about the photo to The Arizona Republic on Monday.

"He told me he didn't want me to read about it in the newspaper first," Dubowik said.

Hansen wasn't available for comment Tuesday and has been placed on administrative leave. He could face a range of punishment from probation to dismissal.

"Patient privacy is a serious matter, and photographing someone in this manner without a good reason is something we will investigate down to the last detail," said Dr. Joseph Sirven, education director for Mayo Clinic Arizona, the hospital's parent organization based in Scottsdale.

Dubowik said he got the tattoo on a bet and that "it was the most horrible thing I ever went though in my life."

He said he planned to contact an attorney.

"The longer I sit here the angrier I get," he said.

FUNNY MICHAEL JACKSON CARTOON

From the NY POST:

County Tries To Stop Drag-Queen Bingo

From the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

SARASOTA - They want to see what all the hype is about.

But the 150 people who reserved a seat at tonight's drag queen bingo might not get a chance to see the drag queens call the first bingo number.

On Thursday, city officials sent Canvas Cafe owner Louis Schultz a letter warning that the upcoming bingo night cannot go on because Schultz does not have a bingo license.

The letter orders Schultz to obtain a license, a process that can take up to a month, before he holds another bingo night.

"I don't think we should be allowing it to continue if they don't have the required license," said City Attorney Robert Fournier. "There are solutions that can be worked out there. They just have to adhere to the code requirements."

What started as one resident's complaint against loud noise and profane language at the bingo night has turned into a whirlwind in this quiet, laid-back neighborhood two blocks south of Main Street.

Neighbors who were on the sidelines are now speaking out against the noise and language, saying they do not want their children hearing it.

As neighbors protest the bingo night, a wave of Sarasotans are voicing support for the risque game.

And Schultz said the show will go on. Schultz said he was out of town for the weekend and had not received the letter.

Schultz plans to tell city commissioners his side of the story at a meeting this afternoon, a few hours before the game is scheduled to begin.

Like some other area residents, Bobby and Stacy Fletcher chose to live near Towles Court because they like the artsy, creative vibe. On the streets bordering the small artists' oasis, residents know just about everything that is going on in the neighborhood.

Some say they do not mind a little live jazz or sounds drifting north from downtown on the weekend, but do not think drag queens strutting around a cafe patio and yelling off-color jokes belong in the neighborhood.

The Fletchers, who live several houses south of Canvas, are just now getting involved in the dispute. Last Monday, Bobby Fletcher called Schultz and said the loud noise was keeping his three children awake.

The couple's request is a simple one. They want the owner to turn down the volume and the drag queens to stop using profanity.

"We expect some character here," Stacy Fletcher said about living downtown, "but not something our children will take to school and get in trouble by the principal."

The feud began when Skip Dyrda, who lives in a house 20 feet away from the cafe with his wife and 7-year-old daughter, called police three times and began writing e-mails to commissioners about the loud noise and cursing.

Dyrda still does not think Schultz will listen. Two city commissioners say the city should get involved.

Schultz said he is not breaking any laws, and plans to take a stand.

He defends the bingo night event as a way to get people to Towles Court. Schultz also said he told the drag queens to stop using megaphones, which amplified their off-color jokes to houses more than a block away.

XuXu (pronounced shoo-shoo) Fontana, the drag-queen master of ceremonies at the Canvas event, said he gets people to laugh by "saying things people think but won't say."

His goal is to entertain -- not offend. And Fontana said he has never seen anyone walk away from the cafe because of one of his jokes.

Fontana expected some negative attention, but he never guessed bingo night would make an appearance on CNN.

"To me, it's mind-boggling," Fontana said. "There are mud slides, a war and a presidential campaign going on, and drag queen bingo is a problem."

Betty Madden, 76, is one of many whose curiosity was sparked by recent media reports. She stopped at the Canvas Cafe on Thursday afternoon to reserve a table for tonight's bingo.

"We want to get a group of girls together and rent a limo," Madden said.

Madden and Pat Aylmer, also 76, will have to postpone their girls' night out until next month because the cafe is completely booked for today.

Schultz said he decided last spring to bring the drag queen bingo, which got its start in the early 1990s in Seattle as a fundraising idea, to Canvas Cafe on South Links Avenue. The event benefits the Community AIDS Network.

For $10, patrons get four bingo cards and a night of colorful jokes and ribbing from three drag queens as they call the numbers.

"The people come to see them be outrageous," Schultz said. "They're not here to see Mary Poppins, although it would be funny if there was a guy being Mary Poppins in drag."

Matt Orr, one of the founders of the Young Professionals Group, is a regular at bingo night. He reserved a table for 20 at the last event.

"We have worked really hard for years to create a downtown that everyone wants to be a part of," Orr said. "Now that we have achieved that, we can't handpick which kind of noise we hear."

Woman accused of groping mall Santa

I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD BELIEVE THIS OR NOT.

From the NY POST:

ANBURY, Conn. (AP) -- A Danbury woman was charged with sexual assault after allegedly groping Santa Claus at the Danbury Fair mall.

Sandrama Lamy, 33, faces fourth-degree sexual assault and breach of peace charges.

Danbury police were called to the mall over the weekend. The mall Santa told them Lamy had touched him inappropriately while sitting on his lap.

"The security officer at the mall said Santa Claus has been sexually assaulted," Danbury Detective Lt. Thomas Michael said.

Lamy has been released on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 3.

A message seeking comment was left on Lamy's answering machine Tuesday morning. A woman at that number called back to say "It's a false report and I don't have any idea."

"Santa Tim" Connaghan, president of RealSantas.com, teaches hundreds of prospective Santas a year and said he's never heard of a similar incident, though it's not unusual for adults to want to pose with Santa.

"I've had some very nice ladies sit on my lap," Connaghan said. "Once in a while they'll say 'I hope Mrs. Claus isn't going to be upset.' You have to be discreet and kind and say 'Oh no, she'll be OK. You can sit here, but only for one photo.'"

A spokeswoman for Cherry Hill Photo, the company that coordinates the Santas for the mall, declined comment Tuesday.