WhiteBoard News for Monday, April 7, 2003

Ann Arbor, Michigan (Ananova):

Police are investigating after a 15-year-old boy hired a prostitute while he was a patient in a children's hospital.

An employee of the University of Michigan CS Mott Children's Hospital called in police after hearing the boy negotiate a fee with the girl.

Capt. Joe Piersante said police were investigating possible charges of statutory rape or soliciting sex.

"It's a bizarre tale," he told Ann Arbor News. "I've never heard anything exactly like this before."

Authorities believe the boy phoned an escort service and asked for a girl to come to the hospital where they had sex.

Police don't believe the prostitute knew the boy was only 15 but want to track her down. She could still be charged with criminal sexual conduct.

Police would not release information on the boy's medical condition, citing patient confidentiality laws.

Kara Gavin, a university hospital spokeswoman, said hospital staff members were cooperating with police.

"We have extensive security here, especially for infants and young children," she said.

"Teenagers and younger adults obviously can have visitors and use the phone, and we're always trying to strike a balance. We expect everyone - staff and patients - to uphold the law while they're here."
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Amsterdam, Netherlands (Ananova):

A former Amsterdam madam has set up a school for prostitutes to help them become so good at sex that they can retire early.

The Hanky Panky School, founded by Elène Vis, offers training sessions for prostitutes including courses on sex and relationships.

Prostitutes are taught how best to present themselves and how to please their customers.

Ms Vis says the school will help prostitutes increase their earnings so they can end their careers in the sex industry earlier.

She told De Telegraaf: "You can teach women how to earn more money by becoming more attractive.

"That was how Cinderella did it. The prince didn't fall in love with her while she was wearing her working clothes.

"They learn men need more than just sex. If they learn how to entertain they can spend hours with the same man instead of the usual 10 minutes."

But Ms Vis, who came up with the idea for the school following the success of her book, Sex Queen with Turbo-power, says she does not wholly approve of prostitution.

"I myself believe in romance. Women should not be prostitutes. Women with enough self esteem don't do this kind of work," she added.
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Salem, Oregon (AP):

A homeless man billed for $6 million in taxes by the Internal Revenue Service has been notified it was a mistake. 

John Ramer, known as the "six million dollar man" by his buddies at the Union Gospel Mission in Salem, was told Friday that his $5,981,104.02 tax bill was an error and he owed nothing. 

The IRS refused to comment on the case, but an agency spokeswoman previously confirmed that they were looking into Ramer's complaints. 

Ramer, 30, said the agency's Taxpayer Advocate Service traced the source of the mistake to an employer's computer glitch in 1994. 

The problem started with some malfunctioning magnetic tape. Instead of reporting earnings of $35 to the IRS for a few hours work at a bowling alley, the mistake ballooned Ramer's pay to more than $2 million. Penalties and interest boosted the tax amount into the $6 million range. 

"It was just the luck of the draw that it happened to me," Ramer said. 

His former boss said he didn't remember Ramer's brief stint behind the snack counter, but he did recall there were some problems with the company's W-2 forms about 10 years ago. 

Despite wide publicity about the case, Ramer says his financial situation has not improved. He said a television reporter bought him lunch, and someone gave him a T-shirt that says, "I'm not really a bum, but I play one on TV." 
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Zabreb, Yugoslavia (Independent Online):

A man who was walking in his sleep managed to survive a fall from the third floor of a hotel in the eastern Croatian town of Slavonski Brod, the daily Jutarnji list reported on Monday.

Apparently, sleepwalker Damir Miketek arose from his hotel bed in the middle of the night, opened the window, stepped outside and fell 11m, the report said.

"I don't know what happened. After I woke up, the first thing that I saw was the cross above my hospital bed. This was not the first time that something like this has happened," he said.

Miketek sustained minor injuries, which included a broken arm and bruises. 

"I was lucky enough and I first landed on an awning which was on the first floor," he said.
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Oslo, Norway (Independent Online):

Kyrre Olaf Johansen doesn't bother with drive-through restaurants. He does his own cooking beneath the hood of his Volvo.

"A long drive is enough to cook up lamb chops, but for the shorter trips, I can cook hot dogs for the kids," he said in an interview on Friday.

Johansen, 40, who has cooked appetisers and entrees using his car for the past decade, said that whatever he cooks comes out tender and full of flavour. He avoids the smell of exhaust fumes by wrapping his cuisine in tinfoil before putting it onto the exhaust manifold, or valve cover.

"If you're making steak, you have to cut the meat in small strips," he said. "But fish and hot dogs are easier."

A favourite is high-octane crayfish tail, with creme fraiche, mayonnaise, garlic and a hefty dash of Tabasco sauce.

Volvo officials said the automaker doesn't offer guidelines for using its cars as rolling ovens.

"I heard that the latest in cooking is using low temperatures for a long period of time," said Volvo spokesperson Bo Larsen. "But I've never heard of anyone who cooks on the engine before."

He does appreciate Johansen's taste.

"If Johansen drives a car like that, the food has to be good," Larsen said. 
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Chow
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