German city introduces "tax meters" for prostitutes

BERLIN (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the German city of Bonn must carry a ticket purchased from a new parking metre-like machine while working the streets or face hefty fines from tax authorities in a scheme launched Monday night.

In Germany, ladies of the night pay income tax -- the level of which varies from region to region -- but compliance is difficult to enforce with women seeking business on the street.

Germany's first "sex tax meters," from which prostitutes can purchase a ticket for 6 euros (5.31 pounds) per night, will ensure the tax system is fairly implemented, a city spokeswoman said.

"Inspectors will monitor compliance -- not every evening but frequently," the spokeswoman told Reuters.

If caught without a valid ticket, offenders will first be reprimanded, then face fines and later even a ban.

About 200 prostitutes work in Bonn. Due to protests from residents, city officials have limited the areas of operation to specific quarters.

But critics say this has made it easier for prostitutes to ply their trade. The city has erected what officials call "consummation areas," wooden parking garages where customers driving cars can retreat to with prostitutes.

Happy Birthday Cameron

Bull Semen

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - A spill of frozen bull semen bound for a breeder in the state of Texas triggered a scare on Tuesday that temporarily shut down a U.S. interstate highway during the morning rush hour.

The incident began when the driver of a Greyhound bus carrying the freight alerted the fire department he had lost a part of his load while negotiating the ramp on a highway near Nashville.

"We didn't know what it was, but we were told (the canisters) were non-toxic," said Maggie Lawrence, a fire department spokeswoman.

When firefighters arrived on the ramp, they saw "four small propane-sized canisters (that) began to emit a light vapor," Lawrence said.

In addition to the vapor, the canisters also let off an unpleasant odor and the ramp was closed while emergency personnel tried to determine what was in the containers.

The bus driver turned around to retrieve the canisters. Once emergency personnel learned the smoking canisters were nothing hazardous and that they simply contained frozen bull semen that had been stored on dry ice, Tennessee Department of Transportation and fire department workers cleared the ramp.

"It was no different to us than if a mattress fell off a truck," said transportation spokeswoman B.J. Doughty.

Kentucky jury rules for doctor in penis amputation suit

LOUISVILLE, Ky (Reuters) - A Kentucky doctor acted properly when he amputated part of a truck driver's penis after finding cancer during what was expected to have been a routine circumcision surgery in 2007, a jury found on Wednesday.

Phillip Seaton, 64, had sought $16 million in damages against Dr. John Patterson for performing the partial amputation after he discovered a cancerous tumor on Seaton's penis during the surgery, which had been expected to uncover a fungal infection.

Jurors in Shelby County Circuit Court about 30 miles east of Louisville quickly reached a verdict in favor of Patterson, a Frankfort, Kentucky, doctor.

The jury of six men and six women ruled unanimously against a claim that Patterson failed to exercise proper care. They also ruled 10-2 against a claim that Seaton hadn't consented to the amputation.

Seaton, from Mount Eden, Kentucky, declined to comment after the verdict. His lawyer, Kevin George, said he planned to appeal.

A surgeon cannot change the agreed upon procedure "unless the patient's health is in immediate danger, unless he's in danger of dying immediately on the table," George said.

A key question in the case was whether Patterson should have awakened Seaton and asked for permission to make the amputation. Doctors testifying as medical experts on both sides disagreed on whether an immediate amputation was necessary.

Seaton and his wife, Deborah, had earlier settled with Jewish Hospital Shelbyville and with an anesthesiologist. Terms of those settlements were not disclosed.

Happy Birthday Shania

What If Michael Vick was?

ESPN Vick Article Fall-Out: The Best “What If Michael Vick Were…” Photoshop Jobs (Pics)

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Yesterday we told you about the ESPN The Magazine article, “What if Michael Vick were white?”
As we pointed out, the article itself is interesting, but the headline was just a cheap attempt to create controversy and sell magazines. And the picture that went along with the article, a CGI rendering of what Vick would look like as a white dude, was just awful. Like, totally, seriously, comically terrible.
So, ESPN has certainly gotten a lot of attention from the article. Unfortunately, all the attention is pretty much just people making fun of them.
Overnight, tech-savvy sports fans from all over the internet went to work producing their own “What if Michael Vick Were…” photoshop jobs making fun of ESPN. It’s turned into an official internet meme.
Here are the funniest ones we’ve come across so far: