The weird workplace

Cold-blooded killer'; Not your average daycare; Weaving havock; Uneasy sleep

Weaving havock
CALGARY — Forest fires created smoky skies in Calgary recently, with Alberta Health Services sending out advisories about air quality. But some of the readings were slightly inaccurate, thanks to an intrusive arthropod. Staff at a monitoring station discovered a spider had crawled inside the equipment that helps determine local air quality, according to the Calgary Herald. Although the scale goes up to 10, it may exceed that when air pollution is abnormally high. A rating of 28 sounded alarm bells one evening, which led to the discovery of the spider. It was unclear how long the spider was there, said Jason Maloney, a spokesman for Alberta Environment and Parks. “Basically, when they’re measuring particulate matter, they shine a light in through an air stream and, in simple terms, the spider was in that path of light, so the measurements are off because it thought that was air,” he said. While officials do not expect any further inaccurate readings caused by insects, they might not come as a surprise. “I think it’s happened once before,” said Maloney.

'Cold-blooded killer'
DALLAS — A North Texas neurosurgeon was arrested recently on five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and one count of injuring an elderly person — all during surgeries he performed at three different hospitals, according to the New York Daily News. Christopher Duntsch is said to have botched several spinal surgeries in 2011 and 2012, which injured four and killed one woman. A judge refused to reduce his US$600,000 bail after reading an email he sent to an employee: “I’m ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold-blooded killer.”

Not your average daycare
Cranford, N.J. — A “fight club” for adults is one thing, but a fight club for young kids? Two daycare workers  in New Jersey were fired recently after it came to light the two women had encouraged at least a dozen children in their care to fight each other. To make matters worse, they filmed the incident and put it up on Snapchat, according to the National Post. Erica Kenny, 22, and Chanese White, 28, face fourth-degree child abuse charges. Kenny also faces a charge of endangering a child for filming the scuffles. While no children were injured, the daycare said it has a zero tolerance conflict policy and the two employees had been fired. “We are completely appalled,” Jaclyn Falzarano, vice-president of operations at Lightbridge Academy in Cranford, N.J., told NBC4. 

Uneasy sleep
AJAX, ONT. — A woman who recently had a new mattress delivered to her home in Ajax, Ont., got more than she was expecting when the delivery man apparently sent her inappropriate texts. Hours after the delivery, Samantha Loucks said she received a message from the Sleep Country employee saying, “Let me know how (the mattress) is lol,” according to the Toronto Star. When the customer replied the bed was bigger than her old one, the worker texted, “Some say bigger is better. Are you in it,” but later texted to apologize. Sleep Country CEO Dave Friesema would not confirm an employee sent the messages but said the company was investigating. “We are passionate about our customers… sometimes we make mistakes; we made a big mistake on this one, but we want to make it right.” Personal texts after business hours would not be considered professional use, he said, while declining to comment on the future of the employee. But the CEO said the situation was an opportunity to “re-educate” employees about customer rights.

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