Black cats can have it rough. People associate them with Halloween and bad luck, they can be tricky to photograph, and they make up a full third of all cats surrendered to animal shelters. But one special black feline named Piran proved his worth when he led rescuers to his 83-year-old owner after she fell down a ravine. HowOne Cat Saved His Owner’s Life Black Magic
LEST WE FORGET
The History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day may mark the unofficial start of summer, but its meaning goes far deeper. The holiday traces back to the years following the Civil War and remains an occasion to honor the men and women who died while serving their country. Over 150 years later, the Civil War is still the conflict with the most American casualties. About one in four soldiers who fought did not return home. They accounted for roughly 2% of the nation’s population, approximately 620,000 deaths. Shortly after the war’s 1865 end, Americans were already holding tribute services to the soldiers who had died. Many cities have claimed they hosted the first Memorial Day, and most of these
In August 2021, the woman went for a walk near her home in Cornwall, England. When she didn’t return, her neighbors started to worry. They formed a
search operation, but there was a lot of ground to cover in their rural surroundings. They had little luck in their investigation until they heeded the advice of her cat.
While the search crew worked, Piran refused to move from one specific
spot, and he meowed incessantly. That wasn’t like him, so eventually, Tamar Longmuir, a neighbor assisting in the search, decided to find out the reason for all
You know if your doctor was negligent. You’ll hear it from shocked friends and family, have your suspicions confirmed by other doctors, and simply feel it in your gut. But while that may be all the proof you need, the courts require something more. So, how does an attorney prove negligence in a medical malpractice case? Medicine isn’t always black and white. Depending on a patient’s condition, diagnoses can be hard to come by, medications that work for some won’t work for others, and tests can be inconclusive. Sometimes, that’s part of the treatment process. But other times, glaring errors can cause significant or permanent harm. That may include telling a patient who has cancer that they do not have it, dispensing incorrect medication, misreading test results, or making a mistake in surgery. Under a medical malpractice case, the concept of negligence is based on four elements: Duty, breach, causation, and damages. Duty means that the negligent physician had a doctor-patient relationship with you. Breach requires proof that the practitioner disregarded or broke their duty of care. Causation involves showing that the victim’s harm resulted from the breach. Damages are the losses incurred by the victim, like medical bills or lost time from work. HOWMEDICAL MALPRACTIC ATTORNEYS DEMONSTRATE PROVING OUR M
the racket. Longmuir called to the woman while investigating the cat’s noises and heard a faint response. Piran had staked out his position where his owner had fallen — 70 feet down a ravine located at the edge of a cornfield.
According to Longmuir, “She had gone through the barbed wire and was laying in the stream — we think she had been in there for hours.” Emergency services were called and quickly rescued the woman. “Without the cat waiting at the gate to that field,” Longmuir added, “it could have been hours later that I or anyone else would have checked in there.” The injured woman was taken to the hospital in good spirits and stable condition, avoiding a potential tragedy. Meanwhile, the police posted a photograph of Piran’s handsome black face on social media and declared him a hero. Though he reportedly received many treats, Piran’s real reward was a job well done. “The cat is very attached to her,” Longmuir said. Cats may not generally be known for their loyalty, but maybe it’s time for the stereotype to get an update. Clearly, Piran the black cat was anything but bad luck. He proved it with the grandest act possible — saving his human’s life.
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