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In Practice |
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Going Head-to-Head
As Singapore prepares to host the 10th World Congress of Bioethics from 28-31 July 2010, a battle has ensued between a Colorado family and an Arizona non-profit organisation in court over who gets the head of a woman who died a few months ago, along with a USD50,000 annuity she left behind. At issue is whether 71-year-old Mary Robbins’ head and brain will be preserved by cryonics – extremely cold temperatures – in the expectation that future technology may be able to bring her back to life and restore her health.
A Different type of Pillow Talk
A Korean man has married his dakimaura, also known as a body pillow with a Japanese anime girl drawn on it. The girl depicted on the newlywed pillow is Fate Testarossa from the anime, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.
A Korean news outlet covered the wedding day, with footage showing the man bringing his body pillow to a theme park, where they ride roller coasters and a carousel and later have dinner, where he orders two dishes of pasta. Finally, he sports a tuxedo and stuffs Testarossa into a wedding dress for the marriage ceremony.
Online Dismissal
16-year-old Briton Chelsea Taylor was in tears recently after she logged on to her Facebook page and discovered she had been fired from her job. The Daily Mail newspaper reported Taylor lost her job after she misplaced about S$20 while picking up biscuits for the staff. Her manager, Elaine Sutton, wrote on Taylor’s wall because she said she could not reach the teen by phone.
Taylor told the newspaper she would have accepted a text message over the Facebook note, which made the news of her firing public to all her friends. Staff at the cafe where the teen worked have refused to comment to the Daily Mail.
Insult for Injury
A court ruled that a Russian man must pay more than 100,000 rubles (S$5000) for medical bills and damages to the parents of a girl he hit when he jumped from a window in a suicide attempt. The 7-year-old girl was in hospital for months after the man fell on her when he jumped from a ninth-storey apartment during an argument with his ex-wife.
