The Left Lane
Smile for good cause

Are those your brilliant teeth that are dazzling the world, or is it your generosity? You must be a patient of Honolulu dentist Wilfred Miyasaki, representative Hawai'i participant in "Smiles for Life 2001," a fund-raising campaign benefiting sick and underprivileged children. Through June 30, patients who make a $199 tax-deductible donation to Smiles For Life Foundation will receive professional teeth-whitening treatment. Miyasaki is donating his services, and Discus Dental donates the whitening materials so that the entire donation helps kids through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and other charities. Information: 533-0000 for appointments; details at 877-4SMILES and www.smiles4life.com — Vicki Viotti

Heavy metal Silversmith Cynthia Wiig, once the subject of an Island Style feature, is now employing keum-boo, a method of combining 24-carat gold foil with another metal (in this case, fine silver) to create "Merging Metals," a series of pendants, pins and earrings. The metals take on a soft matte patina that looks like folding fabric. This new work is currently on display at the Gallery at Ward Centre. — Paula Rath

Tattoo-hepatitis C link

People with tattoos may be infected with hepatitis C but not realize it, according to a study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Researchers investigated 626 patients, 113 of whom had tattoos. Of those, 22 percent were infected with hepatitis C. Fifty-two patients had gotten tattoos in commercial parlors, and 33 percent of them had hepatitis C. Only 3.5 percent of the tattoo-free patients had hepatitis C. Those with tattoo-related exposure had little experience with injection drug use, transfusions or other traditional methods of hepatitis C exposure. In all, commercial tattoos accounted for twice as much hepatitis C infection as injection drug use, the study said. The patients in the study were interviewed and tested in 1991 and 1992, before widespread hepatitis C testing was done.

No Potter freebie

Muggles, be warned. General Cinemas movie theaters in Massachusetts, which have been showing a new trailer for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," will not give refunds to fans who go to theaters, watch the not-quite-two-minute trailer and ask for their money back. "If they're big fans and come out to catch a glimpse of Harry Potter, they can't do it for free," said General Cinemas' Brian Callaghan. It's a phenomenon first seen with the preview for 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I." "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is due in theaters Nov. 16.