Pregnant grandfather, and more

Pregnant grandfather

An Oregon grandfather who went to the hospital for abdominal pain was given surprising news about the cause of his discomfort. “Based on your visit today,” a letter from Curry General Hospital informed him, “we know you are pregnant.” John Pippen, 71, a retired logger and mechanic, called the hospital, which admitted that someone had hit the wrong key in spitting out a discharge letter. “Mr. Pippen,” declared an administrator, “is not pregnant at all.”

Ken and Barbie make way for Dara and Sara

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The Iranian government is urging parents to buy their daughters Islamic male and female dolls to replace Ken and Barbie, which it views as cultural weapons sent by decadent America. Dara and Sara, developed by Iran’s Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, come with modest dress and a cassette tape that describes the siblings cooperating with each other and asking their loving parents for guidance. Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi said the new dolls are far preferable to Barbie, with her sexy clothes and disturbing independence. “Every Barbie doll,” Rahimi said, “is more harmful than an American missile.”

A one-off case

Doctors are mystified by the case of an Australian woman whose eyes clamp shut for three days at a time and then open for three. Natalie Adler, 21, has had her condition for four years. “Something happens overnight on the third night,” she says. “I go to bed and I can open my eyes, and when I wake up the next day I can’t.” A neuro-opthalmology expert said he’s never heard of a case like it. “She’s a one-off,” said Dr. Justin O’Day. “We don’t have a diagnosis.”