Thousands of motorists in Honolulu were stranded in their vehicles for 14-hours after a military vehicle clipped a pedestrian bridge near a major freeway overpass, forcing officials to close the road, according to a Local 6 News report.
Officials said the traffic jam caused by the incident in the westbound lanes of the H-1 Freeway in Honolulu was the worst in Hawaii's history. Many commuters slept in their cars overnight or just abandoned them on the freeway.
Cars were videotaped on the side of the road after overheating or running out of gas. State engineers worked through the night to get the freeway back open. To take down the unstable bridge, crews had to chip away tons of concrete and metal.
Gov. Linda Lingle apologized for the inconvenience, but said the main focus was on public safety.
"It was a massive disruption in people's lives yesterday afternoon and long into the evening and we regret that, but the decision was made on safety and we think it was a correct decision," Lingle said.
The state is now looking into how it could have better dealt with the emergency, according to the report.
The Army excavator apparently hit more than just the freeway overpass. The big machine damaged four freeway signs before the bridge crash. The Army issued an official apology to the people of Oahu for causing the traffic mess.
The H-1 is the main freeway on Oahu and the only way home for thousands of commuters.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Pesky Varmints
EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin - - Groundskeepers at Forest Hill Cemetery thought it was kids who were stealing dozens of American flags. That is, until one found a giant squirrel's nest.
"I was mowing, looked up out into the distance, and something caught my eye," said Dave Ender, a groundskeeper employed by the Eau Claire Parks and Recreation Department.
He drove his riding lawnmower to a nearby street intersection and looked up a tree.
"Low and behold, I found the missing flags," Ender said. They were ripped and serving as the foundation of a giant squirrel nest.
"I never dun seen nuttin' like that before," he said. No one at the cemetery had ever seen a squirrel with a flag in its mouth, either. "Dem musta dun it at night, or very early in the morning," Ender said."Those little rascals, they're just amazing," he said.
"I was mowing, looked up out into the distance, and something caught my eye," said Dave Ender, a groundskeeper employed by the Eau Claire Parks and Recreation Department.
He drove his riding lawnmower to a nearby street intersection and looked up a tree.
"Low and behold, I found the missing flags," Ender said. They were ripped and serving as the foundation of a giant squirrel nest.
"I never dun seen nuttin' like that before," he said. No one at the cemetery had ever seen a squirrel with a flag in its mouth, either. "Dem musta dun it at night, or very early in the morning," Ender said."Those little rascals, they're just amazing," he said.
Two planks short
QUEBECK, Tenn. -- Local authorities and officers with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they have taken a White County man into custody for using his business to boost the county’s methamphetamine trade.
Investigators took 78-year-old Edward Rowland into the White County Sheriff’s Office, where he will be booked on two counts of promoting the manufacturing of meth.
They said Rowland ran a hardware store called Rowland Lumber Company.
They said the chemicals he sold were, in most cases, legal and sold in most hardware stores, but in this case, they said that is how he marketed them.They said an entire aisle of his store was dedicated to meth ingredients and that violated the Meth Free Tennessee Act.
Investigators also said that Rowland sold meth ingredients to undercover TBI agents and then gave them advice on how to make meth.
They said that Rowland knew what the customers wanted to do with the chemicals he was selling, and that is why he kept the shelves stocked.The TBI learned about the store by complaints from the community.
The TBI said that the bust is an important one because it's the first time it has charged a business owner under the act that was passed last year.
They insisted that Rowland knew who was buying the chemicals and what they planned to use them for.
"This was a person we believe was giving people tips, you know. If they came in and weren't sure of all the ingredients or how to cook it or what they needed, he had it all right there," said TBI spokewoman Jennifer Johnson.
Some other citizens that know Rowland questioned the charges. "The man doesn't even drink, smoke or cuss. I mean, why would he make meth?" said Tommy Sims, who delivers candy to Rowland's store.
Others called Rowland's arrest long overdue. "I've been hearing he's selling that stuff to make meth," one man said.
"Son of Hussein" Can't get a mortgage
On August 10, after his family was refused a home loan, an Arcata man was mortified to find the phrase “son of Saddam Hussein” included on his credit report.
“I looked at it and couldn’t believe my eyes!” Said the Arcata man who asked that only his middle name, Hassan, be divulged.
The routine credit check, pulled by the Arcata family’s prospective mortgage company, lists the alleged alias under the section titled “Borrower Bureau Alert Information:”
“HASSAN ALIASES: AL-TIKRITI, ALI SADDAM HU.S.SEIN DOB: 1980 ALT (ALTERNATE) DOB: 1983; POB: IRAQ; NATL: IRAQI; SON OF SADDAM HU.S.SEIN AL-TIKRITI…”
A partial name match to the individual listed on the Arcata man’s credit report, “Hassan” is the man’s middle name, but any likeness to the description of Hussein’s son ends there.
“It was almost surreal, why just because of my middle name, it’s not even similar, it’s out of total ignorance,” said Hassan, who explained the alleged alias is full of discrepancies: Hassan who was born in the U.S. in the 1940s, is not of Iraqi descent and has never had contact with nor visited the Middle East, believes his middle name is the only possible basis for the information listed on his credit report.
“I ran home to show my wife and called the FBI, and attempted to make a police report for fear of stolen identity. The police officer indicated this was part of the patriot act or “big brother” and filing a police report would resolve nothing at this point,” said Hassan who indicated the situation has put the family’s plan to purchase a home on hold as they attempt to resolve the situation. The family explained may even loose a chance at Arcata’s first-time homebuyer’s program if they can’t get a loan for the balance in the next few months.
“I am so tired of constantly having a sense that we are not good enough to co-exist with others on this Earth; that everything is extra hard and an extra struggle for us and I am guilty of letting some fear dictate to me when I wake up in the wee morning hours reflecting on the hate in peoples eyes and fear they will target our family,” said Hassan’s wife.
“I looked at it and couldn’t believe my eyes!” Said the Arcata man who asked that only his middle name, Hassan, be divulged.
The routine credit check, pulled by the Arcata family’s prospective mortgage company, lists the alleged alias under the section titled “Borrower Bureau Alert Information:”
“HASSAN ALIASES: AL-TIKRITI, ALI SADDAM HU.S.SEIN DOB: 1980 ALT (ALTERNATE) DOB: 1983; POB: IRAQ; NATL: IRAQI; SON OF SADDAM HU.S.SEIN AL-TIKRITI…”
A partial name match to the individual listed on the Arcata man’s credit report, “Hassan” is the man’s middle name, but any likeness to the description of Hussein’s son ends there.
“It was almost surreal, why just because of my middle name, it’s not even similar, it’s out of total ignorance,” said Hassan, who explained the alleged alias is full of discrepancies: Hassan who was born in the U.S. in the 1940s, is not of Iraqi descent and has never had contact with nor visited the Middle East, believes his middle name is the only possible basis for the information listed on his credit report.
“I ran home to show my wife and called the FBI, and attempted to make a police report for fear of stolen identity. The police officer indicated this was part of the patriot act or “big brother” and filing a police report would resolve nothing at this point,” said Hassan who indicated the situation has put the family’s plan to purchase a home on hold as they attempt to resolve the situation. The family explained may even loose a chance at Arcata’s first-time homebuyer’s program if they can’t get a loan for the balance in the next few months.
“I am so tired of constantly having a sense that we are not good enough to co-exist with others on this Earth; that everything is extra hard and an extra struggle for us and I am guilty of letting some fear dictate to me when I wake up in the wee morning hours reflecting on the hate in peoples eyes and fear they will target our family,” said Hassan’s wife.
Waitress gets her 3/4 cheque
Last week's excitement surrounding the $10,000 tip an Applebee's patron left for bartender Cindy Kienow is starting to cool down a bit.
The guest appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show fell through, but the longtime Applebee's employee still is holding out hope that she'll make an appearance on "The Late Show" with David Letterman or the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
And most importantly, the Hutchinson celebrity who has enjoyed a brief seat in the international spotlight received a check from Applebee's franchise owner JS Stevens on Tuesday for approximately $6,300 - once the government took its share, about 37 percent, of Kienow's good fortune.
But she's enjoyed the cameras and the interviews and good-natured kidding from friends, Kienow said, and she's glad to return to work as normal.
Well, almost normal.
"I've had a lot of fun," Kienow said. "A lot of customers are like, 'I can't afford to sit at the bar anymore.' It's been really crazy."
Aside from the phone calls and interviews, she's received a couple of letters from "fans" who want her autograph. A few customers have pulled her aside to talk with her about the now-famous tip.
Kienow said some regular customers have sat at the bar and congratulated her on the tip. Others she knows speculate that she must have known the big tipper a little better than she's let on.
"I hate to say it, but I really don't know him," Kienow said. "You become friends with your customers, but friends like you know what they eat and drink and talk with them. ... I think he just appreciated the fact that I took the time to talk with him."
The guest appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show fell through, but the longtime Applebee's employee still is holding out hope that she'll make an appearance on "The Late Show" with David Letterman or the "Oprah Winfrey Show."
And most importantly, the Hutchinson celebrity who has enjoyed a brief seat in the international spotlight received a check from Applebee's franchise owner JS Stevens on Tuesday for approximately $6,300 - once the government took its share, about 37 percent, of Kienow's good fortune.
But she's enjoyed the cameras and the interviews and good-natured kidding from friends, Kienow said, and she's glad to return to work as normal.
Well, almost normal.
"I've had a lot of fun," Kienow said. "A lot of customers are like, 'I can't afford to sit at the bar anymore.' It's been really crazy."
Aside from the phone calls and interviews, she's received a couple of letters from "fans" who want her autograph. A few customers have pulled her aside to talk with her about the now-famous tip.
Kienow said some regular customers have sat at the bar and congratulated her on the tip. Others she knows speculate that she must have known the big tipper a little better than she's let on.
"I hate to say it, but I really don't know him," Kienow said. "You become friends with your customers, but friends like you know what they eat and drink and talk with them. ... I think he just appreciated the fact that I took the time to talk with him."
Have you struck oil hon ? it's dinnertime
HOUSTON - Oil prices are so high, that oilman Steve Jordan is drilling a well next to his home near Lake Charles, Louisiana, he said on Wednesday. Jordan, 52, said the well will stretch 8,500 feet (2,591 metres) under his house and swimming pool and below the adjacent Calcasieu River.
He hopes to strike oil in about 10 days on a prospect that wouldn't have been worth drilling when prices were lower, he said.
"I'm not trying to prove anything," Jordan said in a telephone interview. "I'm trying to make money."
The Independent Petroleum Association of America, which Jordan belongs to, is publicizing the project. Jordan argued Americans should permit more U.S. oil drilling to achieve energy independence. They fight it "and then try to blame U.S. oil companies for the price of energy being so high," he said.
Oil closed at $67.50 a barrel on the futures market Wednesday.
Jordan acknowledged his homestead isn't like most. The 8,000-square-foot house sits on a 63-acre (25.50-hectare) lot that accommodates a trucking operation and an oil barge terminal on the river.
The drilling rig, 200 yards (meters) from his front door, will drill for what Jordan hopes will be 200,000 to 300,000 barrels of Light Louisiana Sweet and maybe some natural gas.
It will cost about $2 million to drill the well, but he hopes to earn profits several times that.
It's not a sure thing, he said, recalling a $900,000 "dry hole" he drilled not far away. It yielded only 130 barrels before petering out. Still, it's worth a try, he said.
"It's good for everyone to try to recoup these small -- I'm not going to say marginal -- reserves," he said.
He hopes to strike oil in about 10 days on a prospect that wouldn't have been worth drilling when prices were lower, he said.
"I'm not trying to prove anything," Jordan said in a telephone interview. "I'm trying to make money."
The Independent Petroleum Association of America, which Jordan belongs to, is publicizing the project. Jordan argued Americans should permit more U.S. oil drilling to achieve energy independence. They fight it "and then try to blame U.S. oil companies for the price of energy being so high," he said.
Oil closed at $67.50 a barrel on the futures market Wednesday.
Jordan acknowledged his homestead isn't like most. The 8,000-square-foot house sits on a 63-acre (25.50-hectare) lot that accommodates a trucking operation and an oil barge terminal on the river.
The drilling rig, 200 yards (meters) from his front door, will drill for what Jordan hopes will be 200,000 to 300,000 barrels of Light Louisiana Sweet and maybe some natural gas.
It will cost about $2 million to drill the well, but he hopes to earn profits several times that.
It's not a sure thing, he said, recalling a $900,000 "dry hole" he drilled not far away. It yielded only 130 barrels before petering out. Still, it's worth a try, he said.
"It's good for everyone to try to recoup these small -- I'm not going to say marginal -- reserves," he said.
Tranny teacher
BATAVIA, N.Y. -- A western New York school district has denied a request from five parents who asked that their children be taken out of high school classes being taught by a transsexual teacher.
The schools superintendent in Batavia said the written requests didn't meet the guidelines set out by the district. He said other students attending Batavia High School were allowed to make schedule adjustments classes because their requests were based on changes in their academic programs.
The community has been embroiled in controversy since school officials announced a male teacher at the high school is going through a medical transition and is dressing as a woman.
School officials said the teacher will instruct about 100 students this year.
The schools superintendent in Batavia said the written requests didn't meet the guidelines set out by the district. He said other students attending Batavia High School were allowed to make schedule adjustments classes because their requests were based on changes in their academic programs.
The community has been embroiled in controversy since school officials announced a male teacher at the high school is going through a medical transition and is dressing as a woman.
School officials said the teacher will instruct about 100 students this year.
Murder on the dancefloor
In a horrifying show of brutality, gunmen barged into a bar in central Mexico early Wednesday and tossed five human heads on the dance floor, after covering patrons with their weapons, officials said.
Heavily armed men fired their guns in the air as they entered the bar in Uruapan in the central state of Michoacan, said Magdalena Guzman, spokeswoman for the state prosecutor's office. The gunmen ordered patrons to the ground before tossing the heads.
Guzman said investigators believe the beheadings were linked to organized crime, possibly drug smugglers. No arrests had been made.
Police were still trying to identify the victims, she said.
The attackers left a note written on a piece of cardboard reading: "The family doesn't kill for money. It doesn't kill women. It doesn't kill innocent people, only those who deserve to die."
Guzman said the state prosecutor and governor had requested the federal government beef up organized crime investigators in the Pacific coast state. Officials also urged the public to come forward with any information.
The grisly killings were the latest in a nation plagued by growing drug-related violence.
Heavily armed men fired their guns in the air as they entered the bar in Uruapan in the central state of Michoacan, said Magdalena Guzman, spokeswoman for the state prosecutor's office. The gunmen ordered patrons to the ground before tossing the heads.
Guzman said investigators believe the beheadings were linked to organized crime, possibly drug smugglers. No arrests had been made.
Police were still trying to identify the victims, she said.
The attackers left a note written on a piece of cardboard reading: "The family doesn't kill for money. It doesn't kill women. It doesn't kill innocent people, only those who deserve to die."
Guzman said the state prosecutor and governor had requested the federal government beef up organized crime investigators in the Pacific coast state. Officials also urged the public to come forward with any information.
The grisly killings were the latest in a nation plagued by growing drug-related violence.
Baby Panda for Lun Lun
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Zoo Atlanta announced the birth of a giant panda cub Wednesday. On its official Web site, the zoo said the cub was born to Lun Lun at 4:51p.m. ET.The zoo announced little else but that the mother and cub appeared to be doing fine. A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Keepers will give the cub, which is about the size of a human hand, its first veterinary check-up when it is possible to do so without disrupting maternal care, the zoo said.
In March, the zoo announced it had used artificial insemination on 8-year old Lun Lun after natural breeding with her male companion, Yang Yang, 9, appeared unlikely.
According to Zoo Atlanta, this is only the fifth giant panda cub birth in the United States since 1990. Only an estimated 1,600 giant pandas live in the wild now. The zoo says another 185 live in captivity.
Zoo Atlanta said it was hopeful a new cub would increase the genetic variability in the captive population, and would allow for more research on giant panda maternal behavior.
It took Zoo Atlanta 12 years to complete the process to bring the pandas from China. They arrived in November of 1999.
The zoo pays China $1 million per panda each year for panda conservation efforts. The money goes to help save and nurture corridors of bamboo -- on which pandas feed -- conduct research on panda behavior, and create environments conducive to breeding.
Grin & Bare it !
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- Town officials in Brattleboro said the solution to what some see as the problem of people hanging around naked downtown may be just around the corner.It's called cold weather.
But the Select Board has decided to take no action for now on a proposed anti-nudity ordinance. That means that until temperatures turn nippy, those who object to nakedness downtown may just have to grin and bare it.
Select Board Chairman Steve Steidle said when things heat up again next spring, the town may take another look at the proposed nudity ban.
Brattleboro has attracted international attention in recent weeks as word has spread of its lack of a nudity ordinance and the habit of some young people to take advantage of that.
Honey I shot the chicken ..... Bang!
CHESHIRE, Ore. -- An Oregon woman is accused of shooting her husband after he shot her pet chicken. The Eugene-Register Guard reported Mary Kay Gray, 58, has been jailed on felony assault charges.
Her husband, Stanley Edward Gray, 43, is recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The chicken died at the scene.
Lane County sheriff's Sgt. Clint Riley said the couple had been working around their yard and drinking on Labor Day. They got into an argument after Stanley Gray shot the chicken with a .44 caliber handgun.
"We don't know if it was an accident or if it was on purpose," Riley said of the chicken's death. "It depends who you ask."
But sheriff's deputies said Gray shot her husband with a .22 caliber rifle in an apparent act of retaliation.
A neighbor said when she arrived home Monday night there were police cars clustered at the bottom of the driveway and deputies escorted her to her front door.
"It looked like 'CSI,' " Cheyenne Dickenson told the Register-Guard. "There were dead chickens lying all over the place."
Her husband, Stanley Edward Gray, 43, is recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The chicken died at the scene.
Lane County sheriff's Sgt. Clint Riley said the couple had been working around their yard and drinking on Labor Day. They got into an argument after Stanley Gray shot the chicken with a .44 caliber handgun.
"We don't know if it was an accident or if it was on purpose," Riley said of the chicken's death. "It depends who you ask."
But sheriff's deputies said Gray shot her husband with a .22 caliber rifle in an apparent act of retaliation.
A neighbor said when she arrived home Monday night there were police cars clustered at the bottom of the driveway and deputies escorted her to her front door.
"It looked like 'CSI,' " Cheyenne Dickenson told the Register-Guard. "There were dead chickens lying all over the place."
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Same sex fish
Some species of male fish are acquiring female sexual characteristics at unusually high frequencies in the Potomac River and its tributaries, prompting concerns about pollutants that might be causing the problem.
In some Potomac tributaries, including the Shenandoah River in Virginia, almost all of the male smallmouth bass caught in a survey last year by the U.S. Geological Surveys were so-called "intersex fish," producing immature eggs in their testes.
In the Potomac itself, seven of 13 largemouth bass exhibited female characteristics, including three that were producing eggs.
Intersex fish were discovered in the Potomac rivershed in 2003 and have also been found in other parts of the country. But the frequency found by the Geological Survey is much higher than what has been found elsewhere, said fish pathologist Vicki Blazer.
Female fish caught in the survey did not develop any unusual sex traits, though fish of both sexes exhibited lesions and other problems related to pollution, said Blazer, who coordinated the survey.
Smallmouth bass appear to be more susceptible to intersex development than largemouth bass, Blazer said.
Although the frequency of "intersex" fish discovered was surprisingly high, Blazer cautioned that the sample size was relatively small, with about 10 male and 10 female fish taken from each of eight different locations in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Researchers were reluctant to remove large numbers of bass from the rivers because of conservation concerns, she said.
It is not exactly clear what is causing the changes, though it is likely a combination of pollutants. Certain chemicals and pesticides are believed to stimulate estrogen production. Also, estrogen from birth control pills and human waste can make its way from sewage treatment plants to the waterways.
Blazer said researchers are still waiting on data that would help them determine the water quality at the time the fish were caught, but preliminary data taken from the Potomac found a variety of chemical pollutants.
Gerald LeBlanc, an environmental toxicologist at North Carolina State University and an expert in the field, agreed that the high percentages of intersex fish found in the Potomac survey were surprising. He said it is not uncommon for such fish to be found in other parts of the country, but at lesser frequencies.
"It's an emerging issue," he said.
Twice for the price at Lowes
A 42-year-old woman was hospitalized Tuesday after being bitten twice in the leg by a Pygmy rattlesnake while at a Lowe's home improvement store, according to Local 6 News.
EMS workers responded to Lowe's at the 4600 block of East Silver Springs Boulevard in Marion County, Fla., after receiving a report that someone had been bitten.
Medics said the woman was moving some plants around and felt a stinging feeling in her leg, looked down and saw the rattlesnake.
She was treated for two bites to her right shin.
The victim was transported to a hospital and remained in stable condition Tuesday night.
The report said the dusky pygmy rattlesnake is a commonly seen snake from South Carolina to southeastern Mississippi and south to the tip of Florida.
Mystic dwarves Judge loses case
A Philippines judge who said he consulted imaginary mystic dwarves has failed to convince the Supreme Court to allow him to keep his job.
Florentino Floro was appealing against a three-year inquiry which led to his removal due to incompetence and bias.
He told investigators three mystic dwarves - Armand, Luis and Angel - had helped him to carry out healing sessions during breaks in his chambers.
The court said psychic phenomena had no place in the judiciary.
The bench backed a medical finding that the judge was suffering from psychosis.
Florentino Floro was appealing against a three-year inquiry which led to his removal due to incompetence and bias.
He told investigators three mystic dwarves - Armand, Luis and Angel - had helped him to carry out healing sessions during breaks in his chambers.
The court said psychic phenomena had no place in the judiciary.
The bench backed a medical finding that the judge was suffering from psychosis.
Wake up granny , time to vote for the jury
A regular afternoon nap isn't normally an excuse to skip jury duty -- but 103-year-olds aren't normally summonsed to court, either.
Phyllis Perkins, born in 1903, wrote in the reply to her juror summons that she should be excluded from serving as a juror because "jury duty might interrupt my nap time."
"We all had a good laugh about (the summons)," said Perkins.
"I'm not a person who wants to be in the limelight, but we've had a lot of fun with this."
Laying in her bed at the Luther Tower care facility, Perkins said she had some help filling out her reply to the sheriff's office.
"You get to be 103 and things aren't all there. Of course, I have trouble seeing, so the kids read (the summons) and said they'd fix it up," Perkins said.
"The kids asked me how I'll reply and I said, '(Jury duty) will just cut into my nap time.' "
Citizens over 65 are automatically exempt from jury duty, but they can attend if they desire, said Gordon Laing, a Saskatoon sheriff.
"All people have to do is indicate they're over 65 and we don't question it. It's automatic."
Phyllis Perkins, born in 1903, wrote in the reply to her juror summons that she should be excluded from serving as a juror because "jury duty might interrupt my nap time."
"We all had a good laugh about (the summons)," said Perkins.
"I'm not a person who wants to be in the limelight, but we've had a lot of fun with this."
Laying in her bed at the Luther Tower care facility, Perkins said she had some help filling out her reply to the sheriff's office.
"You get to be 103 and things aren't all there. Of course, I have trouble seeing, so the kids read (the summons) and said they'd fix it up," Perkins said.
"The kids asked me how I'll reply and I said, '(Jury duty) will just cut into my nap time.' "
Citizens over 65 are automatically exempt from jury duty, but they can attend if they desire, said Gordon Laing, a Saskatoon sheriff.
"All people have to do is indicate they're over 65 and we don't question it. It's automatic."
Grasshopper firestarter
BERLIN - Firemen in the west German town of Stade rushed to investigate a possible blaze at a bank only to find a grasshopper had inadvertently triggered the alarm.
Passers-by had called the fire department after noticing flashing lights in the bank.
Fearing a fire caused by an electrical fault, the firemen hurried to the scene and discovered that a 5 centimetre-long (2 inch) grasshopper had wedged itself between two power supply lines, while apparently defending itself against birds.
The insect had served as a conductor, causing a short circuit and the flashing lights, police spokesman Rainer Bohmbach said.
Passers-by had called the fire department after noticing flashing lights in the bank.
Fearing a fire caused by an electrical fault, the firemen hurried to the scene and discovered that a 5 centimetre-long (2 inch) grasshopper had wedged itself between two power supply lines, while apparently defending itself against birds.
The insect had served as a conductor, causing a short circuit and the flashing lights, police spokesman Rainer Bohmbach said.
Witch doc's to give sick days
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Tribal healers, often known as witch doctors, are to be permitted to give patients official sick days recognized by employers, the state media reported Wednesday.
Deputy Health Minister Edwin Maguti told a gathering of traditional healers and herbalists that only members of the 1,500-strong state-approved Traditional Medical Practitioners Council would be allowed to grant sick leave of up to a week, The Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said.
As government health services crumble in the ailing economy, the move was part of efforts to improve the collaboration of traditional healers in providing health care.
Maguti said medical doctors would also be encouraged to refer patients to traditional healers for additional treatments.
Deputy Health Minister Edwin Maguti told a gathering of traditional healers and herbalists that only members of the 1,500-strong state-approved Traditional Medical Practitioners Council would be allowed to grant sick leave of up to a week, The Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said.
As government health services crumble in the ailing economy, the move was part of efforts to improve the collaboration of traditional healers in providing health care.
Maguti said medical doctors would also be encouraged to refer patients to traditional healers for additional treatments.
Rare as hen's teeth
New Zealand --It looks like an experiment gone wrong but the owner of a four-legged chicken denies fowl play.Ryan Dickey, 10, found the four-legged wonder legging it around an incubator at his Te Uku home on Monday.
Mum, Marlene, breeds 14 types of chickens and said it was the first time she'd seen one hatch with four legs.
The little clucker is a Barnevelder chicken, a Dutch breed, and Mrs Dickey said other lesser legged chicks had accepted it without a problem.
"He looks really robust and strong, he's good, he's just cruising along."
The chick uses its bottom two legs to walk on.
She had noticed nothing out of the ordinary with the rooster and hen leading up to the lay and neither appeared to be feeling particularly clucky yesterday, she said.
A battery of researchers have found four-legged chickens are not unheard of but Poultry Industry Association executive director Mike Brooks said they were as rare as hens' teeth and were something he had heard of but never seen.
Ewe gotta be kidding !
A python sits on a road after swallowing a pregnant ewe (sheep) in the village of Kampung Jabor, about 200 km east of Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday. The six-metre reptile weighing 90 kg was too laden to move, making it easy for firemen to capture it, said a local daily newspaper
Silly Bankers !
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Accused of stealing money from work, Lisa Hansen has maintained her innocence.
She said after leaving her receptionist job at a Panopoulos salon last Sept. 3, she had placed a bag containing $80 in cash and $345 in checks that belonged to the company in the night depository of a Huntington National bank branch, just as she was supposed to do.
Several days later, her manager told her that the money was missing. He fired her but promised that the company wouldn't press charges if she returned the cash and the checks. The Grand Rapids woman said she did nothing wrong. She was subsequently arrested, jailed and punished.
Then, on Aug. 9, a bank worker found the money -- right where Hansen had said she'd left it nearly a year earlier. Huntington officials will say only that the bag had become lodged and hidden within the depository.
A Grand Rapids police detective called the woman to give her the news -- and to apologize on behalf of the department.
"I cried," Hansen, 25, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Friday. "It was all that emotional buildup for a year that I just let go. I was hurt more than anything. It was embarrassing. I hid it from my family and most of my friends."
The police seemed to have a solid case. Not only was the money missing, a Huntington security investigator told police that the Columbus, Ohio-based bank's 15 surveillance cameras at that branch showed no one had stopped at the night depository at the time Hansen had said she was there.
The investigator said "it was unlikely anyone could have avoided detection."
Hansen also failed a lie-detector test administered by a Michigan State Police sergeant.
Her court-appointed lawyer recommended that she plead guilty to a misdemeanor embezzlement charge to avoid a trial and possible jail sentence. Grand Rapids District Judge David Buter refused to accept Hansen's plea after he asked her to explain what she'd done to make her guilty.
The charge was dropped after she performed 40 hours of community service in a court-diversion program, but her name was not cleared. Hansen's current attorney, Gerald R. Stahl, said the case exposes flaws in the bank's security system and cracks in the judicial system.
Huntington officials should have checked the area around the box more thoroughly, he said. He also wondered why Hansen's image was not picked up by the bank's cameras. He questioned the lie-detector test, saying the polygraph operator badgered her before accusing her of lying.
On Tuesday, Stahl filed a claim with the bank, saying it was negligent. He wants Huntington to pay Hansen for lost wages for the last year, though he didn't specify an amount. He also cited mental anguish.
If the bank doesn't settle, he will file a lawsuit, he said. He doesn't plan to take action against police or Panopoulos salons.
Huntington spokesman Mike Lindley declined to comment about the matter, other than to say the bag of money was found in a depository "mechanism." He did not elaborate.
The manager of the Panopoulos salon, Carol Latham, who pushed for criminal charges, also declined to comment.
Hansen's community service involved filing papers at Kent County Friend of the Court every Friday for a month.
Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth offered to repay her $400 fee for entering the diversion program and pay her $10 per hour for her 40 hours of community service.
After completing her community service, Hansen moved to Florida to attend college but she recently returned to Grand Rapids after her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
"This has been a huge burden to bear for a year. It feels wonderful that it doesn't need to be my burden anymore," she said of her exoneration.
She said after leaving her receptionist job at a Panopoulos salon last Sept. 3, she had placed a bag containing $80 in cash and $345 in checks that belonged to the company in the night depository of a Huntington National bank branch, just as she was supposed to do.
Several days later, her manager told her that the money was missing. He fired her but promised that the company wouldn't press charges if she returned the cash and the checks. The Grand Rapids woman said she did nothing wrong. She was subsequently arrested, jailed and punished.
Then, on Aug. 9, a bank worker found the money -- right where Hansen had said she'd left it nearly a year earlier. Huntington officials will say only that the bag had become lodged and hidden within the depository.
A Grand Rapids police detective called the woman to give her the news -- and to apologize on behalf of the department.
"I cried," Hansen, 25, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Friday. "It was all that emotional buildup for a year that I just let go. I was hurt more than anything. It was embarrassing. I hid it from my family and most of my friends."
The police seemed to have a solid case. Not only was the money missing, a Huntington security investigator told police that the Columbus, Ohio-based bank's 15 surveillance cameras at that branch showed no one had stopped at the night depository at the time Hansen had said she was there.
The investigator said "it was unlikely anyone could have avoided detection."
Hansen also failed a lie-detector test administered by a Michigan State Police sergeant.
Her court-appointed lawyer recommended that she plead guilty to a misdemeanor embezzlement charge to avoid a trial and possible jail sentence. Grand Rapids District Judge David Buter refused to accept Hansen's plea after he asked her to explain what she'd done to make her guilty.
The charge was dropped after she performed 40 hours of community service in a court-diversion program, but her name was not cleared. Hansen's current attorney, Gerald R. Stahl, said the case exposes flaws in the bank's security system and cracks in the judicial system.
Huntington officials should have checked the area around the box more thoroughly, he said. He also wondered why Hansen's image was not picked up by the bank's cameras. He questioned the lie-detector test, saying the polygraph operator badgered her before accusing her of lying.
On Tuesday, Stahl filed a claim with the bank, saying it was negligent. He wants Huntington to pay Hansen for lost wages for the last year, though he didn't specify an amount. He also cited mental anguish.
If the bank doesn't settle, he will file a lawsuit, he said. He doesn't plan to take action against police or Panopoulos salons.
Huntington spokesman Mike Lindley declined to comment about the matter, other than to say the bag of money was found in a depository "mechanism." He did not elaborate.
The manager of the Panopoulos salon, Carol Latham, who pushed for criminal charges, also declined to comment.
Hansen's community service involved filing papers at Kent County Friend of the Court every Friday for a month.
Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth offered to repay her $400 fee for entering the diversion program and pay her $10 per hour for her 40 hours of community service.
After completing her community service, Hansen moved to Florida to attend college but she recently returned to Grand Rapids after her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
"This has been a huge burden to bear for a year. It feels wonderful that it doesn't need to be my burden anymore," she said of her exoneration.
Line dancing with bikes
More than 300 motorbikes have lined the main street of Winton in western Queensland as their owners set a world record for the most bikes in a direct line.
It is part of the Southern Cross Association's annual charity ride across 3,000 kilometres of Queensland.
Spokesman Graham Strang says the stunt needs to be verified for the Guinness Book of Records but it was an awesome sight.
"We ended up with 681 metres and 60 centimetres and 309 motorbikes in total," he said.
"We believe we've set a record and we're all quite happy with ourselves.
"It just looked amazing - there were locals around with kids, it was just a really good feel, it was something that I won't forget for a long time."
Speeding excuse - No goats !
A Swiss driver caught speeding in Canada has explained that he had been taking advantage of the ability to drive fast without hitting a goat.
The driver was caught travelling at 161 kilometres per hour in a 100 kilometres per hour zone in eastern Ontario on Sunday.
"A motorist from Switzerland, used to driving around hills and mountains, takes advantage of the ability to go faster without risking hitting a goat," read the traffic officer's notes of the incident.
Local police say it is the first time they have ever heard of such an excuse.
"I've never been to Switzerland but obviously they must have a problem with that there," police spokesman Joel Doiron, said.
Mr Doiron adds that in his 20 years of service he has never found a goat on the highways of eastern Ontario.
The Swiss driver's imaginative excuse did him little good - police issued him a with a speeding ticket anyway.
How to cure AIDS
More than 60 international experts on HIV/Aids have called for the resignation of the South African health minister because of her stance on Aids.
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang tells those with HIV to eat garlic and beetroot.
In a letter sent to President Thabo Mbeki, the academics called the government's health policy "disastrous and pseudo-scientific".
"Many people [in South Africa] are dying unnecessarily" because they cannot get Aids drugs, the letter says.
South Africa is one of the countries worst affected by Aids, with some 5.5m people with HIV.
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang tells those with HIV to eat garlic and beetroot.
In a letter sent to President Thabo Mbeki, the academics called the government's health policy "disastrous and pseudo-scientific".
"Many people [in South Africa] are dying unnecessarily" because they cannot get Aids drugs, the letter says.
South Africa is one of the countries worst affected by Aids, with some 5.5m people with HIV.
An Everest story for Yellowdoggranny
A retired social worker known affectionately as "Rob the Rubbish" is to take his litter picking mission to Everest Base Camp. Robin Kevan, 61, from Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, earned his nickname from clearing rubbish in his home town.He has since walked up Snowdon and Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, to pick up litter.
Mr Kevan will fly to Nepal in October and then trek to Everest base camp at 5,380m (17,600 ft). The litter he collects will be carried down to the village of Gorak Shep and buried.
The three-week expedition is being supported by UK-based trekking company Travel and Trek. Mr Kevan will also be filmed on the trip for a documentary about his rubbish clearing activities.
"Rob the Rubbish" said he had only suggested going to Everest as a joke when he appeared on Channel 4's Richard and Judy chat show.
He told BBC News: "They asked me what I was going to do next. I said I'd heard Everest base camp was bad [and] if someone paid my fare I'd go."
Travel and Trek managing director Terry Crosby saw the interview and offered to fly Mr Kevan out.
Jail for blowing up a camera
A man who blew up a speed camera because he feared he would lose his licence after he was snapped speeding has been jailed for four months. Craig Moore, 28, of Grampian Way in Thorne, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, admitted damaging property last month.He destroyed the camera using material from his welding job after he was caught in Hyde near Manchester.
Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard Moore's van was caught on the camera before it was attacked.
Moore's actions caused £11,700 of damage to the machine which had flashed at him while he was exceeding the speed limit on Mottram Road on 14 August last year.
Moore, who was a railway worker for Vital Rail, was in a work vehicle with a colleague.
He claimed he was afraid he would lose his job if he was caught speeding. He already had 10 points on his licence and thought he would receive a driving ban if more were added. Later that night, he drove 40 miles back to the camera with a quantity of material to create a thermite reaction - a process which would melt the camera's metal body in an explosive fire.
A recording from the hard-drive of the camera showed the Ford Transit van approaching. As the vehicle was driven off, sparks were seen coming from the camera box and then it exploded.
Police checked the tracker device fitted to the van, which showed it had arrived in Hyde, stopped on Mottram Road and then returned to the Doncaster area, where it was parked outside Moore's home address.
Pc Mark Akers, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Instead of just accepting that he had been caught travelling above the speed limit, Moore decided to blow the camera apart.
"He obviously thought that by destroying the main camera he was destroying all the evidence. But a combination of hard work and the latest technology led to his conviction."
Well done Royal mail !
A postcard sent by a boy to his grandfather addressed only to "The Washing Machine Man, Ixworth" arrived at the right address two days later.
James Tungate, 6, posted the card while on holiday in Bude, Cornwall.
His father Richard wrote on top of the postcard: "I bet the Royal Mail can't deliver this."
Two days later the card arrived at the home of Gordon Palastanga, 62, of Ixworth, Suffolk, who is known as a washing machine repair man in the area.
James also wrote on the card, which was posted first class: "Dear Granddad, we caught 57 crabs. From James."
Mr Palastanga said: "I suppose I am well-known in the West Suffolk area as I have been working in the business for 27 years.
"But it was a great achievement for the Royal Mail."
James Tungate, 6, posted the card while on holiday in Bude, Cornwall.
His father Richard wrote on top of the postcard: "I bet the Royal Mail can't deliver this."
Two days later the card arrived at the home of Gordon Palastanga, 62, of Ixworth, Suffolk, who is known as a washing machine repair man in the area.
James also wrote on the card, which was posted first class: "Dear Granddad, we caught 57 crabs. From James."
Mr Palastanga said: "I suppose I am well-known in the West Suffolk area as I have been working in the business for 27 years.
"But it was a great achievement for the Royal Mail."
Fined for queueing ?
Customers at a seaside fish and chip restaurant could face £50 fines in a long-running dispute over queues outside, its owner said.
Ian Robson, owner of Whitby's Magpie Cafe, was told by police his customers could get fixed penalty notices if they were deemed to be obstructing the road.
His neighbours claim customers waiting for a table are obscuring the front of their shops, causing a drop in trade.
Mr Robson said the dispute has been running for a couple of years.
"No-one can come up with a reasonable solution," he said. "We've always had queues for as long as I can remember, and I don't know what in particular sparked off the last couple of years, but we've upset our neighbours."In an experiment in conjunction with the highways authority we started to operate a system where people queued on the other side of the road and were then brought over by a member of staff when their table was ready.
"But on Bank Holiday Sunday we had a couple of instances of near-misses with cars so we thought it was safer to go back to the old system."Within half an hour of doing that, the police were here."They said if we didn't move the queue back over the road the customers would be given fixed penalty notices for obstructing the road outside."
The cafe, which opened in Whitby in 1939, can attract more than 1,000 customers a day at the height of the tourist season and has recently been extended to accommodate 130 customers.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "A fixed penalty ticket is an option available to the police, but we are working with the management of the Magpie Cafe, the local highways authority, Scarborough Borough Council and other partner agencies to achieve a more acceptable and permanent solution.
"This is the option we want to pursue to deal with this problem."
Nano students
College students are to be given free iPods so they can catch up on missed lectures in their own time.
South Kent College in Dover has spent £25,000 on Nano iPods for 250 students in the hope they will listen to podcasts of lectures, as well as music.
Assistant principal Josh Coleman said he had looked to the US and Australia for new ways to encourage learning.
But pressure group Campaign for Real Education said it was wrong to offer bribes and it devalued education.
CRE chairman Nick Seaton said: "Youngsters should want to take the courses for their own sake if they are worthwhile.Let the college keep two or three iPods to lend to the youngsters.It's a scandalous waste of taxpayers' money."
South Kent College in Dover has spent £25,000 on Nano iPods for 250 students in the hope they will listen to podcasts of lectures, as well as music.
Assistant principal Josh Coleman said he had looked to the US and Australia for new ways to encourage learning.
But pressure group Campaign for Real Education said it was wrong to offer bribes and it devalued education.
CRE chairman Nick Seaton said: "Youngsters should want to take the courses for their own sake if they are worthwhile.Let the college keep two or three iPods to lend to the youngsters.It's a scandalous waste of taxpayers' money."
Free after 8 years
An abducted Austrian teenager held captive for eight years has said fear of her captor prevented her from trying to escape her basement prison.In her first TV interview since escaping, Natascha Kampusch said she was "distraught and angry" in her cell.But, she said, her captor had told her he would go on a killing spree if she tried to escape.
Millions of Austrians are thought to have watched Ms Kampusch's interview with state broadcaster ORF.
Ms Kampusch fled the basement prison where she had been held for eight years since her abduction as a 10-year-old in late August.
Her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide after her escape.
Austrian weekly News magazine and daily Kronen Zeitung newspaper carried the first recent photos of her on Wednesday.
Ms Kampusch frequently shut her eyes against the bright camera lights during h
er 40-minute interview with Austrian TV.ORF said her eyes were sensitive after being confined in dark conditions for so long.She describes fearing she would go "crazy" when she was first led to the tiny cell where she would remain for the next eight years.
She said she threw water bottles against the wall and tried to make as much noise as possible to alert her neighbours.
Appearing composed, if somewhat delicate, in front of the cameras, Ms Kampusch said she dreamt constantly of escaping."I promised myself I would grow older, stronger and sturdier to be able to break free one day," she said.
However, she said, she feared her abductor's response if she tried to escape."I wasn't scared [for myself] - I love freedom and for me death is the ultimate freedom, the redemption from him," she said."But he said all the time he would first of all kill the neighbours, then me and then himself."
Lollipop snatching art
Photographer Jill Greenberg (Who aptly has a website called The Manipulator) has whipped up a storm of controversy with her new exhibition, End Times. The pictures in the show, for which she deliberately provoked tearful outbursts from children by taking away lollipops she had just given them, have been described by some as tantamount to child abuse.
Greenberg herself insists that the children had the sweets returned within 30 seconds, that no lasting harm has been done, and that her concern was to depict what she says reminded her of the "helplessness and anger I feel about our current political and social situation."
Judge for yourself by clicking here to see the gallery.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A good sign
A Northern Ireland estate agent has come up with a novel way of recycling the firm's for sale signs.
McAfee Properties are shipping the boards out to a township in the South African city of Port Alfred where they will be used as roofing tiles.
According to the Ballymoney based company, the heavy-duty plastic signs, which measure 6mm thick, have the double advantage of being weather and rodent proof.
Laid side by side, the signs would cover an area of about two acres, and it is hoped will provide the residents of the Stationhill township with plenty of material for roofing their houses.
Gerry McAfee, principal partner in the company, said he was left with the signs after his company decided to rebrand its advertising.
"I just was very uneasy about putting so much perfectly good plastic in the bin," he said.
"Corrugated plastic is a highly re-usable substance which is totally weather-proof and rodent-proof, it was simply a case of finding other uses for it".
After trying and failing to find a way of recycling the boards in Northern Ireland, Mr McAfee hit upon the idea of re-using his signs as slates.
"Everyone seemed to be telling me that is most cost effective to just dump the old branded signs as there is currently no provision in Northern Ireland to recycle this sort of plastic," he said.
"My involvement with the Feed the Hungry charity, made me think about the other ways in which the signs could possibly be used in another climate."
Russian Jack the ripper
Within the past three weeks, a mysterious maniac already nicknamed the new Jack the Ripper has killed six prostitutes in the city of Karshi in Uzbekistan.
The killer follows his victims at work in night hours and cuts their throats with a knife, a source in the law-enforcement agencies told Rosbalt agency.
Police units search undercover brothels and troubled city districts on a daily basis, but no traces of the maniac have been found.
Most of the prostitutes in town are girls coming from surrounding smaller villages to earn money. The names of the victims are kept secret, and the media has been advised to keep quiet to avoid mass panic.
The police have warned local sex workers to halt activities.
The killer follows his victims at work in night hours and cuts their throats with a knife, a source in the law-enforcement agencies told Rosbalt agency.
Police units search undercover brothels and troubled city districts on a daily basis, but no traces of the maniac have been found.
Most of the prostitutes in town are girls coming from surrounding smaller villages to earn money. The names of the victims are kept secret, and the media has been advised to keep quiet to avoid mass panic.
The police have warned local sex workers to halt activities.
How to bouce safely
A COUNCIL has been criticised for hiring a safety official to teach children the dangers of trampolines.
John Wills, trampolining development officer for Aberdeenshire Council, tours schools and youth clubs showing young people how to bounce safely.
But critics believe the money could be better spent. Alex Johnston, Conservative MSP, said: "I find it absolutely bizarre that a council would spend money on something like this.
"I would much rather see the money spent on team sports. That way we will have decent home-grown football teams in the future."
David Eaglesham, of the Scottish Secondary Teacher's Association, said: "This is very imaginative, but I wouldn't have thought trampolining was a serious enough problem to merit such a post."
Mr Wills said: "I'm passionate about trampolining, but I'm also passionate about children's safety."
John Wills, trampolining development officer for Aberdeenshire Council, tours schools and youth clubs showing young people how to bounce safely.
But critics believe the money could be better spent. Alex Johnston, Conservative MSP, said: "I find it absolutely bizarre that a council would spend money on something like this.
"I would much rather see the money spent on team sports. That way we will have decent home-grown football teams in the future."
David Eaglesham, of the Scottish Secondary Teacher's Association, said: "This is very imaginative, but I wouldn't have thought trampolining was a serious enough problem to merit such a post."
Mr Wills said: "I'm passionate about trampolining, but I'm also passionate about children's safety."
Overdue ?
A children's book that was checked out of the public library in Portland, Maine 60 years ago will be returned this week, along with overdue charges totaling more than $440.
William Vassily, who now lives in Syracuse, New York, borrowed the book, "The Baby Whale, Sharp Ears," in the summer of 1946 when he was nine years old and living in Portland. The book was packed up when the family moved to New York later that year.
After Vassily's parents died in 1994, he inherited several boxes of possessions, one of which contained the book. Vassily, a retired insurance executive, said he wanted to return it and pay the overdue fee -- which represents charges of two cents per day.
He plans to do that on Friday when he'll be in Portland to attend a Masonic conference.
William Vassily, who now lives in Syracuse, New York, borrowed the book, "The Baby Whale, Sharp Ears," in the summer of 1946 when he was nine years old and living in Portland. The book was packed up when the family moved to New York later that year.
After Vassily's parents died in 1994, he inherited several boxes of possessions, one of which contained the book. Vassily, a retired insurance executive, said he wanted to return it and pay the overdue fee -- which represents charges of two cents per day.
He plans to do that on Friday when he'll be in Portland to attend a Masonic conference.
Jogger found in swamp
A missing runner was rescued from a Florida swamp after spending four days stuck in the muck with only the waist-deep water to drink.
Eddie Meadows, 62, had left for a run over his lunch hour Thursday but never returned to his office at a nearby University of Central Florida research park, authorities said.
He was spotted among the brush and trees Monday morning as friends and colleagues searched for him.
Meadows was parched and covered with bug bites and had consumed swamp water to stay hydrated during the four day ordeal, said university police Sgt. Woody Furnas. Furnas said the area has thick silt and muck that can act like glue.
“He had great spirits, and he was very adamant about getting a drink of water,” Furnas said. “He said he slept a lot and stayed down in the water.
Furnas described Meadows, a contract employee with the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, as “a strong guy. He’s in good shape. He’s a marathoner.”
Meadows was taken to Florida Hospital East. A hospital spokeswoman would not discuss his condition.
Eddie Meadows, 62, had left for a run over his lunch hour Thursday but never returned to his office at a nearby University of Central Florida research park, authorities said.
He was spotted among the brush and trees Monday morning as friends and colleagues searched for him.
Meadows was parched and covered with bug bites and had consumed swamp water to stay hydrated during the four day ordeal, said university police Sgt. Woody Furnas. Furnas said the area has thick silt and muck that can act like glue.
“He had great spirits, and he was very adamant about getting a drink of water,” Furnas said. “He said he slept a lot and stayed down in the water.
Furnas described Meadows, a contract employee with the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, as “a strong guy. He’s in good shape. He’s a marathoner.”
Meadows was taken to Florida Hospital East. A hospital spokeswoman would not discuss his condition.
Pay with fingers
Rome, GA - The never-ending march of technology now means school children here can pay for their cafeteria sloppy joes with their fingers.
Rome City Schools is switching to a scanning system that lets students use their fingerprints to access their accounts. In the past, students had to punch in their pin numbers.
"The finger's better because all you've got to do is put your finger in, and you don't have to do the number and get mixed up," said Adrianna Harris, a second grader at Anna K. Davie Elementary School.
The new system speeds lunch lines, said city administrators. It's being phased in to Rome High School, Rome Middle School and all the city's elementary schools. The city hopes to have the system in use next month system-wide.
Some parents are uneasy with having their children's fingerprints scanned, and wonder about how well the information is secured.
"It may be perfectly secure, but my daughter is a minor and I understand that supposedly the kids have the option to not have their prints scanned, but that's not being articulated to my daughter," said Hal Storey, who's daughter is a 10th grader at Rome High.
Rome City Schools is switching to a scanning system that lets students use their fingerprints to access their accounts. In the past, students had to punch in their pin numbers.
"The finger's better because all you've got to do is put your finger in, and you don't have to do the number and get mixed up," said Adrianna Harris, a second grader at Anna K. Davie Elementary School.
The new system speeds lunch lines, said city administrators. It's being phased in to Rome High School, Rome Middle School and all the city's elementary schools. The city hopes to have the system in use next month system-wide.
Some parents are uneasy with having their children's fingerprints scanned, and wonder about how well the information is secured.
"It may be perfectly secure, but my daughter is a minor and I understand that supposedly the kids have the option to not have their prints scanned, but that's not being articulated to my daughter," said Hal Storey, who's daughter is a 10th grader at Rome High.
Phone telepathy ?
Many people have experienced the phenomenon of receiving a telephone call from someone shortly after thinking about them -- now a scientist says he has proof of what he calls telephone telepathy.
Rupert Sheldrake, whose research is funded by the respected Trinity College, Cambridge, said on Tuesday he had conducted experiments that proved that such precognition existed for telephone calls and even e-mails.
Each person in the trials was asked to give researchers names and phone numbers of four relatives or friends. These were then called at random and told to ring the subject who had to identify the caller before answering the phone.
"The hit rate was 45 percent, well above the 25 percent you would have expected," he told the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
"The odds against this being a chance effect are 1,000 billion to one."
He said he found the same result with people being asked to name one of four people sending them an e-mail before it had landed.
However, his sample was small on both trials -- just 63 people for the controlled telephone experiment and 50 for the email -- and only four subjects were actually filmed in the phone study and five in the email, prompting some skepticism.
Undeterred, Sheldrake -- who believes in the interconnectedness of all minds within a social grouping -- said that he was extending his experiments to see if the phenomenon also worked for mobile phone text messages.
Rupert Sheldrake, whose research is funded by the respected Trinity College, Cambridge, said on Tuesday he had conducted experiments that proved that such precognition existed for telephone calls and even e-mails.
Each person in the trials was asked to give researchers names and phone numbers of four relatives or friends. These were then called at random and told to ring the subject who had to identify the caller before answering the phone.
"The hit rate was 45 percent, well above the 25 percent you would have expected," he told the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
"The odds against this being a chance effect are 1,000 billion to one."
He said he found the same result with people being asked to name one of four people sending them an e-mail before it had landed.
However, his sample was small on both trials -- just 63 people for the controlled telephone experiment and 50 for the email -- and only four subjects were actually filmed in the phone study and five in the email, prompting some skepticism.
Undeterred, Sheldrake -- who believes in the interconnectedness of all minds within a social grouping -- said that he was extending his experiments to see if the phenomenon also worked for mobile phone text messages.
Priests asked to tell on DUI'ers
Prosecutors in overwhelmingly Catholic Poland have asked priests to read out the names of drink-drivers from the pulpit as part of efforts to reduce the country's high road death rate.
Church leaders have not said yet whether they will support the scheme, aimed to shame drivers into sobriety.
"We post the names of convicted drunk drivers at town halls," said Rafal Grabia, a prosecutor in the mountain town of Zywiec in southern Poland. "But who reads that? The information is not reaching family, friends and neighbours."
More than 98,000 have died on Polish roads since 1991, making Poles 2.5 times more likely to die in road accidents than Swedes or U.K. citizens, European Union figures show.
Drunk driving cases rose 75 percent between 2001 and 2005 in ex-communist Poland to 80,000, according to the justice ministry.
Church leaders have not said yet whether they will support the scheme, aimed to shame drivers into sobriety.
"We post the names of convicted drunk drivers at town halls," said Rafal Grabia, a prosecutor in the mountain town of Zywiec in southern Poland. "But who reads that? The information is not reaching family, friends and neighbours."
More than 98,000 have died on Polish roads since 1991, making Poles 2.5 times more likely to die in road accidents than Swedes or U.K. citizens, European Union figures show.
Drunk driving cases rose 75 percent between 2001 and 2005 in ex-communist Poland to 80,000, according to the justice ministry.
Top dan for Grandad
Hull: A pensioner has been awarded a top martial arts honour. Judo and jujitsu expert Raymond Wood is just one of six people in the country to be given a 10th Dan black belt.
According to The Sun he said: “I feel really chuffed. I have waited 11 years since being awarded my ninth Dan for this to happen, so it is an achievement.”
Raymond was crowned all-England Jujitsu Champion at the age of 63. He took up martial arts in 1948 when he was 15.
The dad of five, from Hull, East Yorks, was given the 10th Dan top honour as a reward for 58 years as a devotee.
According to The Sun he said: “I feel really chuffed. I have waited 11 years since being awarded my ninth Dan for this to happen, so it is an achievement.”
Raymond was crowned all-England Jujitsu Champion at the age of 63. He took up martial arts in 1948 when he was 15.
The dad of five, from Hull, East Yorks, was given the 10th Dan top honour as a reward for 58 years as a devotee.
Some Cabbage
Brenna Dinkel, 11, (centre) from Wasilla, Alaska, puts a blue ribbon on her 73.4 pound winning cabbage during the 11th annual Giant Cabbage Weigh-off at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska, on Friday.
Dinkel, who herself weighs 65 pounds, and won last year’s contest with an 85 pound cabbage, will get a $2,000 prize and bragging rights for the year. The record cabbage is 105 pounds
Blind driver
A blind man, who lost his eyes in a bomb blast, has been convicted of dangerous driving after police spotted his car on the wrong side of the road.Omed Aziz, 31, was being aided as he drove through Oldbury, West Midlands, by an allegedly banned driver in the passenger seat.
Warley magistrates were told he reached speeds of up to 35mph on the half-mile trip in April.
Aziz, of Oldbury, who denied dangerous driving, will be sentenced next Monday.
At a previous hearing, Iraqi-born Aziz pleaded guilty to driving with no MOT, no licence and no insurance.
Aziz is also partially deaf and suffers from leg tremors.
Richard Knight, chairman of the bench at Warley Magistrates Court, said Aziz was aware of the risk he posed to others.
"Mr Aziz was fully aware of his disabilities and we find the driver was in a dangerous, defective state," he said.
Aziz and his friend were arrested on 23 April at about 2300 BST after police followed their car along Oldbury Ringway and into West Bromwich Street, Pc Glyn Austin told the court.
He said: "I attempted to speak to the driver, who appeared to be fumbling around with the controls. At that point the passenger leaned across and stated: 'He's blind'".
Another officer, Pc Stuart Edge, who was present at that time, told magistrates the vehicle had crossed a white hazard line on to the wrong side of the road just before being stopped.
Pc Edge said: "I asked him if he could see me. He removed the dark-coloured sunglasses he was wearing and I could clearly see he was blind as he had no eyes."
Aziz, who said he had previous driving experience prior to being blinded in his homeland, was present in court and was helped around by an interpreter.
Robot wine taster
A wine-tasting robot has been developed by researchers in Japan.The so-called robot-sommelier, or "wine-bot", can "taste" and identify types of wine, and also has the ability to discern and analyse foods.
The 2ft-tall (0.6m) robot, developed by NEC System Technologies and Mie University, uses infrared light to identify different tastes.
The Associated Press says the robot could become personalised to recommend wines to suit its owner's palate.
The green and white robot was initially developed to taste and identify foods, analysing the different kinds and quantities of ingredients within them.
But now its tasting technology has moved into the world of wine, and the robot is capable of distinguishing several different types or blends of grapes.
Hideo Shimazu, director of the NEC System Technology Research Laboratory in Japan, told AP: "There are all kinds of robots out there doing many different things.
"But we decided to focus on wine because that seemed like a real challenge."
Code one ! Someone's nicked our car ¬
A police pursuit of suspected car thieves through the streets of an Israeli city ended with officers reporting another stolen vehicle - their own.
After crashing into an electricity pole during the chase in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak, the three suspects abandoned their car and made a run for it on foot, a police spokesman says.
Two officers bolted from their police cruiser to try to catch them.
One of the suspected thieves was arrested, another got away, but the third man doubled back, jumped into the police car and sped off, the spokesman says.
It was later found abandoned, its radio and computer screen smashed.
The police spokesman says he could not confirm an Israeli newspaper report that said the officers had left the cruiser unlocked and its engine running.
He says a senior police commander has ordered an investigation of the incident.
After crashing into an electricity pole during the chase in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak, the three suspects abandoned their car and made a run for it on foot, a police spokesman says.
Two officers bolted from their police cruiser to try to catch them.
One of the suspected thieves was arrested, another got away, but the third man doubled back, jumped into the police car and sped off, the spokesman says.
It was later found abandoned, its radio and computer screen smashed.
The police spokesman says he could not confirm an Israeli newspaper report that said the officers had left the cruiser unlocked and its engine running.
He says a senior police commander has ordered an investigation of the incident.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Happy Labor day
Labor Day is a national legal holiday in the United States that's over 100 years old. Over the years, it has evolved from a purely labor union celebration into a general "last fling of summer" festival.
It grew out of a celebration and parade in honor of the working class by the Knights of Labor in 1882 in New York. In 1884, the Knights held a large parade in New York City celebrating the working class. The parade was held on the first Monday in September. The Knights passed a resolution to hold all future parades on the same day, designated by them as Labor Day.
The Socialist Party held a similar celebration of the working class on May 1. This date eventually became known as May Day, and was celebrated by Socialists and Communists in commemoration of the working man. In the U.S., the first Monday in September was selected to reject any identification with Communism.
In the late 1880's, labor organizations began to lobby various state legislatures for recognition of Labor Day as an official state holiday. The first states to declare it a state holiday in, 1887, were Oregon, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Then in 1894, Congress passed a law recognizing Labor Day as an official national holiday.
Today, Labor Day is observed not only in the U.S. but also in Canada, and in other industrialized nations. While it is a general holiday in the United States, its roots in the working class remain clearer in European countries.
It has come to be recognized in the U.S. not only as a celebration of the working class, but even more so as the unofficial end of the summer season. In the northern half of the U.S. at least, the summer vacation season begins with Memorial Day and ends with Labor Day.
Tooth tunes
Scientists have invented a remarkable toothbrush that lets you listen to pop songs while you scrub away - by transmitting the sound waves through your teeth and jawbone to your ear.The £7 device, called Tooth Tunes, plays for exactly two minutes - the amount of time dentists recommend should be devoted to brushing every morning and night.
It is initially being targeted at children, but could also be marketed to the so-called iPod generation of adults.
American maker Hasbro claims that Tooth Tunes will 'single-handedly change children's attitudes' to brushing and expects it to be in the shops before Christmas.
A single piece of music is stored in a microchip in the brush's handle. When a button is pushed, it plays on a minicomputer and is transported along the bristles, through the teeth and jawbone and into the ear. While the user hears 'a cross between the sound of music coming out of a stereo and the sound of humming to oneself', onlookers are aware only of a buzzing noise similar to an electric toothbrush.
Replacement chips with different songs will be available, and Hasbro is negotiating with artists including the Black Eyed Peas and Will Smith. The firm spent six years trying out its new technology in lollipops, pens, spoons and forks before deciding to launch it in toothbrushes.
Andrew Filo, one of the inventors, said: "The human jaw is a great conductor of sound. As a child I used to close my ears and wonder how I could hear myself hum."
The Department of Health says that the number of under-fives having rotten teeth removed has soared by 20 per cent in recent years, with many having all 20 milk teeth removed.
You've been Banksy'd
Hundreds of Paris Hilton albums have been tampered with in the latest stunt by "guerrilla artist" Banksy. Banksy has replaced Hilton's CD with his own remixes and given them titles such as Why am I Famous?, What Have I Done? and What Am I For?He has also changed pictures of her on the CD sleeve to show the US socialite topless and with a dog's head.
A spokeswoman for Banksy said he had doctored 500 copies of her debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK.
She told the BBC News website: "He switched the CDs in store, so he took the old ones out and put his version in."
But he left the original barcode so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered with.
Banksy is notorious for his secretive and subversive stunts such as sneaking doctored versions of classic paintings into major art galleries.
His spokeswoman said he had tampered with the CDs in branches of HMV and Virgin as well as independent record stores.
He visited cities including Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and London, she added.
A spokesman for HMV said the chain had recovered seven CDs from two Brighton shops but was unaware that other locations were affected.
Impersonating a female lawyer
A Sullivan County grand jury has indicted a man for impersonating a female attorney.
Sullivan County sheriff's detective B.J. Richardson said Christopher Mayer, who also goes by Kristal Paris, misrepresented himself at the Sullivan County Jail.
"Ms. Paris stated her client had been in a fight and needed to be moved," Richardson said.
Corrections officers later determined that Mayer was romantically involved with the inmate, he said.
Mayer also appeared in court representing himself as an attorney.
There is no Kristal Paris listed as a licensed attorney in Tennessee, Richardson reported.
"She stated she was an attorney for the Navy a year ago and realized she had committed a crime and that she was sorry but she was just trying to help her boyfriend," Richardson said in a court document.
Mayer was released on a $10,000 bond.
Sullivan County sheriff's detective B.J. Richardson said Christopher Mayer, who also goes by Kristal Paris, misrepresented himself at the Sullivan County Jail.
"Ms. Paris stated her client had been in a fight and needed to be moved," Richardson said.
Corrections officers later determined that Mayer was romantically involved with the inmate, he said.
Mayer also appeared in court representing himself as an attorney.
There is no Kristal Paris listed as a licensed attorney in Tennessee, Richardson reported.
"She stated she was an attorney for the Navy a year ago and realized she had committed a crime and that she was sorry but she was just trying to help her boyfriend," Richardson said in a court document.
Mayer was released on a $10,000 bond.
Barbie's poop scoop
With his chiselled looks and nippy little sports car, we always suspected Ken might be full of it – but now Barbie has gone and got herself a dog that's gone the same way too.
The latest Barbie accessory is her pet dog, called Tanner, which not only looks like a loveable labrador but also poops like one too.
Almost a soon as Barbie has fed the dog its biscuit treats, a little something comes out the other end.
But, in a move designed to encourage responsible dog ownership, toy manufacturer Mattel has provided Barbie with a pooper scooper and bin too, meaning Tanner never has to leave any unwanted 'gifts' lying about on the carpet.
Tanner also comes equipped with dog toys, a bone, biscuit treats, a feeding bowl and a pink lead.
And, just in case that does not get the message across, Mattel has produced a promotional video of Barbie and Tanner playing in the park that shows you how to 'potty train' your dog.
Lessons on eBay
A college has launched a course aimed at turning students into eBay entrepreneurs. Tutors will reveal how to attract buyers, create striking listings, monitor sales and simplify payment methods on the internet auction site. i
More than 700,000 people are thought to make a living - full-time or part-time - buying and selling on eBay.
The three-hour course at Northampton College will use official teaching materials provided by the company.
Course leader Nigel Girling said: "First-time eBay sellers often make costly mistakes. This session is designed to help people maximise their profits from the beginning. The classes will be taught by our specialist eBay instructor."
More than 700,000 people are thought to make a living - full-time or part-time - buying and selling on eBay.
The three-hour course at Northampton College will use official teaching materials provided by the company.
Course leader Nigel Girling said: "First-time eBay sellers often make costly mistakes. This session is designed to help people maximise their profits from the beginning. The classes will be taught by our specialist eBay instructor."
Darmstadt we have impact !
Europe's first probe to the Moon, SMART-1, crashed onto the lunar surface as scheduled at 7.42 am (0542 GMT) Sunday, ending a successful 16-month mission, the European Space Agency announced.SMART-1 smashed into the Moon at a speed of two kilometres per second (4,500mph) in a plain called the Lake of Excellence on the southwestern side of the Moon's face.
The probe fell in exactly the right place after a "pretty spectacular" drop, said Bernard Von Weyhe, spokesman for the ESA, which was able to follow its trajectory by telescope.
Von Weyhe said the probe had thrown up significant amounts of material on impact, which will allow scientists to carry out further tests on the crash site.
According to the scientist in charge of the mission, Bernard Foing, the impact will have left a crater measuring three to 10 metres in diameter.
Over the past three years, operating with a full-time staff of just seven and a total budget of just 120 million euros (151 million dollars), the little probe has been patiently testing new technology that one day could help put Man on Mars.
Scientists also believe it will yield a fresh look at the Moon, revealing Earth's satellite as a place of surprising complexity and promise rather than a lifeless rock with little to offer except grey dust.
Croc hunter done in by stingray
Steve Irwin, the Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed Monday by a stingray barb during a diving expedition, media reports said.
Irwin, 44, was filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state when the accident occurred, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its Web site.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Irwin was diving near Low Isles Reef near the resort town of Port Douglas, about 2,100 kilometers north of the state capital of Brisbane when the incident happened.
Queensland ambulance service spokesman Bob Hamil confirmed that a diver had been killed by a stingray off Lowe Isles Reef, but said the person's name wasn't being released pending notification of the family.
A rescue helicopter was sent from the nearby city of Cairns, and paramedics from it confirmed the diver's death.
"The probable cause of death is stingray strike to the chest," Hamil said.
Staff at Australia Zoo, Irwin's zoo in southern Queensland, said they had heard the media reports but could not make any comment.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
VideoJug
Super cool idea, a video tutorial site covering everything from DIY (e.g. how to fix a leaking tap) to food and recipes (e.g. how to make baked beans on toast !).
Crucially, you can download the video to your iPod or mobile phone to keep the tips on hand as you travel. Great concept, well done and here’s wishing them all the best. Web video at last comes of age. [Via Metafilter]
VideoJug is every aspect of life explained and illustrated through an ever-growing number of common sense, informative, helpful and entertaining videos. It’s like having an army of top-class experts at your fingertips 24/7 to “show you how” and to help you out.
And you can contribute your own knowledge, experience, wisdom and tips too, as we’re aiming to create a place that people come to share - as well as find - knowledge.
Click here on how to care for guinea pigs...
or how to fit a letterbox
and many many more......
Britain in bloom
Ablaze with purple heather, it is no wonder this part of the Lancashire Moors is a designated site of outstanding natural beauty.
With ferns freshly green from recent rain and bracken a rusty brown, it provided a spectacular colour show.
But to the 96 riders who sped through the Trough of Bowland yesterday, it was just another stretch on the Tour of Britain Cycle Race.
Heads down, they pedalled on through the sensational scenery during the second stage of the tour from Blackpool to Liverpool.
Not sure that's how Jesus did it
Evangelist preacher Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle.
But he drowned after walking out to sea from a beach in the capital Libreville in Gabon, west Africa.
One eyewitness said: "He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus.
"He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat.
"He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back."
But he drowned after walking out to sea from a beach in the capital Libreville in Gabon, west Africa.
One eyewitness said: "He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus.
"He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat.
"He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back."
Go granny go !
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah - A 75-year-old woman ran after a man who stole her purse, got it back and gave him a tongue-lashing - and $3.
Betty Horton said the man apologized to her and said he was broke.
"I said, 'Why didn't you just ask me for some change? I would have helped you. I would have gladly given it to you,' " Horton said.
Horton was putting groceries in her car Wednesday when she noticed her purse was missing. She saw a man running with the bag under his arm.
"Good thing I had my running shoes on," Horton said.
She ran past businesses and saw him in a residential area standing over the unzipped purse, she said. She threatened to shoot his ear off, although she didn't have a gun.
Horton said she put the $3 in his hand said to him, "Now get the heck out of here."
Police later arrived, but the thief - whom authorities described as a 40-year-old man - was gone.
"Seventy-five years old and I can still take care of myself," Horton said
Betty Horton said the man apologized to her and said he was broke.
"I said, 'Why didn't you just ask me for some change? I would have helped you. I would have gladly given it to you,' " Horton said.
Horton was putting groceries in her car Wednesday when she noticed her purse was missing. She saw a man running with the bag under his arm.
"Good thing I had my running shoes on," Horton said.
She ran past businesses and saw him in a residential area standing over the unzipped purse, she said. She threatened to shoot his ear off, although she didn't have a gun.
Horton said she put the $3 in his hand said to him, "Now get the heck out of here."
Police later arrived, but the thief - whom authorities described as a 40-year-old man - was gone.
"Seventy-five years old and I can still take care of myself," Horton said
Delayed by the sun
Essex: Delayed rush hour commuters were told their trains had been held up because the sun was too bright.
Rail operator C2C said a train driver was held up at Laindon in Essex because he could not see in a mirror to check if anyone was getting in or out of carriages.
As well as causing hold ups to passengers on the train, those behind it on the line between Southend and Fenchurch Street in London were delayed for up to 30 minutes.
One puzzled commuter said: "This is the first time I've heard delays blamed on the sun - although I suppose it does make more sense UK trains would be less prepared for good weather than bad."
The rail company blamed the delays on a 'freak occurence' caused by the bright sun and the position of the mirrors on the platform.
Rail operator C2C said a train driver was held up at Laindon in Essex because he could not see in a mirror to check if anyone was getting in or out of carriages.
As well as causing hold ups to passengers on the train, those behind it on the line between Southend and Fenchurch Street in London were delayed for up to 30 minutes.
One puzzled commuter said: "This is the first time I've heard delays blamed on the sun - although I suppose it does make more sense UK trains would be less prepared for good weather than bad."
The rail company blamed the delays on a 'freak occurence' caused by the bright sun and the position of the mirrors on the platform.
Strawman
Marco Hort from Austria poses with 259 drinking straws stuffed into his mouth on Friday in Vienna ahead of the "Vienna World Record Day" scheduled later this month. Hort currently holds the world record in the Guinnes book with 259 straws
Sue the F**ckers !
France and its national railway company, SNCF, face a deluge of compensation claims for their role in the deportation of Jews during the second world war. More than 200 families from France, Israel, Belgium, the US and Canada will launch suits this week against the French state and SNCF for colluding in the transport of Jews, political prisoners, homosexuals and Gypsies to the Nazi death camps during the German occupation.
Cases brought in dozens of tribunals across France could last years and, if successful, force the state and the railway to pay millions of euros in compensation.
Many of the cases are being brought by pensioners who as children were interned in Drancy, the transit camp north of Paris known as the "antechamber of death" - from which about 67,000 Jews were sent to their deaths in the concentration camps. They were transported to the camp on the national railway system, often crammed into cattle trucks. SNCF classified them as third-class passengers and continued to send bills for their tickets even after the liberation of France. Of the 330,000 Jews living in France in 1940, 75,721 were deported to death camps and only about 2,500 returned. For decades France refused to face up to accusations of its collaboration. In 1995 President Jacques Chirac made a historic admission that the Vichy government did bear a heavy responsibility in the deportation of France's Jews.
Cases brought in dozens of tribunals across France could last years and, if successful, force the state and the railway to pay millions of euros in compensation.
Many of the cases are being brought by pensioners who as children were interned in Drancy, the transit camp north of Paris known as the "antechamber of death" - from which about 67,000 Jews were sent to their deaths in the concentration camps. They were transported to the camp on the national railway system, often crammed into cattle trucks. SNCF classified them as third-class passengers and continued to send bills for their tickets even after the liberation of France. Of the 330,000 Jews living in France in 1940, 75,721 were deported to death camps and only about 2,500 returned. For decades France refused to face up to accusations of its collaboration. In 1995 President Jacques Chirac made a historic admission that the Vichy government did bear a heavy responsibility in the deportation of France's Jews.
Burgle Britain
Britain has the best burglars in Europe, according to a study by the European Union, which also finds that the country is the continent’s second most crime-ridden. The research found that break-ins here are more likely to be successful than anywhere else, even though householders are also the most likely to have burglar alarms.
The ease with which burglars get around security measures helps Britain to top the EU’s league table for burglaries, with twice the average rate. Overall, 21% of people fell victim to crime in one year, a rate surpassed only by Ireland.
The authors of the research, a draft of which was unintentionally released last week, conclude: “Levels of crime have been declining in the United Kingdom since 1995 but not to the extent as in some other EU countries. The UK remains a high crime country.”
The researchers said this weekend that the Home Office was so worried about how badly Britain came out of the study that it had demanded early warning from Brussels before publication.
“There was a politically motivated fear [among] civil servants because of what ministers would say,” said Robert Manchin, chairman of Gallup Europe, which conducted the research in conjunction with the European commission.
The study was based on interviews with 28,000 people in 18 countries from both western and eastern Europe, including 3,600 from Britain. The researchers found that in 2004, 3.3% of respondents in Britain had been burgled, compared with an EU average of 1.7%.
In addition, 1.8% had had their car stolen and 5.4% had been assaulted or threatened — also the highest in the EU. Britons are also more likely than other EU citizens to fit security measures at home, with 36% of respondents having burglar alarms.
The researchers asked whether they had been the victim of either a successful or a failed burglary in 2004.
The results showed that in countries with high burglar alarm ownership, a high proportion of break-ins failed.
Except in Britain. “A clear outlier in the relationship is the United Kingdom,” the study notes. “[It has] the highest rates of burglar alarms and a moderately low proportion of failed burglaries.”
The ease with which burglars get around security measures helps Britain to top the EU’s league table for burglaries, with twice the average rate. Overall, 21% of people fell victim to crime in one year, a rate surpassed only by Ireland.
The authors of the research, a draft of which was unintentionally released last week, conclude: “Levels of crime have been declining in the United Kingdom since 1995 but not to the extent as in some other EU countries. The UK remains a high crime country.”
The researchers said this weekend that the Home Office was so worried about how badly Britain came out of the study that it had demanded early warning from Brussels before publication.
“There was a politically motivated fear [among] civil servants because of what ministers would say,” said Robert Manchin, chairman of Gallup Europe, which conducted the research in conjunction with the European commission.
The study was based on interviews with 28,000 people in 18 countries from both western and eastern Europe, including 3,600 from Britain. The researchers found that in 2004, 3.3% of respondents in Britain had been burgled, compared with an EU average of 1.7%.
In addition, 1.8% had had their car stolen and 5.4% had been assaulted or threatened — also the highest in the EU. Britons are also more likely than other EU citizens to fit security measures at home, with 36% of respondents having burglar alarms.
The researchers asked whether they had been the victim of either a successful or a failed burglary in 2004.
The results showed that in countries with high burglar alarm ownership, a high proportion of break-ins failed.
Except in Britain. “A clear outlier in the relationship is the United Kingdom,” the study notes. “[It has] the highest rates of burglar alarms and a moderately low proportion of failed burglaries.”
Scotland , we have lift-off
SCOTLAND got the green light to join the space race yesterday - and offer tourists an out-of-this-world experience. The boss of Sir Richard Branson's space travel firm inspected RAF Lossiemouth in Moray and declared it the perfect launchpad for the venture.
Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, was delighted by the facilities at the airbase, which he said could easily handle commercial space flights. He outlined the proposals to air chiefs, who said they couldn't see any problems with flights from Lossiemouth to the stars by 2010.
Whitehorn discussed the plan with top brass, as well as checking the runway and maintenance and storage facilities.
Billionaire entrepreneur Branson wants to send passengers 87 miles above Earth using a series of spaceships attached to aircraft. Customers who pay around £110,000 will get to experience five minutes of weightlessness during their ride.
Five spaceships and two aircraft are being built over the next four years, with flights possibly starting in 2008 in New Mexico in the States. The firm are already investing £120million in a six-passenger plane called Space Ship Two.
Whitehorn has been holding talks over the Lossiemouth site for the last three months and said the north of Scotland was the only part of the UK that met all their conditions.
He added: "Right now, we're headed right on schedule. Things are looking good from our perspective."
A spokesman for RAF Lossiemouth said: "Everyone seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet, which is brilliant.
"While it is very early days, everyone seems to be really happy with the proposal."
Last month, Virgin said 200 bookings had been taken for its space flights.
Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, was delighted by the facilities at the airbase, which he said could easily handle commercial space flights. He outlined the proposals to air chiefs, who said they couldn't see any problems with flights from Lossiemouth to the stars by 2010.
Whitehorn discussed the plan with top brass, as well as checking the runway and maintenance and storage facilities.
Billionaire entrepreneur Branson wants to send passengers 87 miles above Earth using a series of spaceships attached to aircraft. Customers who pay around £110,000 will get to experience five minutes of weightlessness during their ride.
Five spaceships and two aircraft are being built over the next four years, with flights possibly starting in 2008 in New Mexico in the States. The firm are already investing £120million in a six-passenger plane called Space Ship Two.
Whitehorn has been holding talks over the Lossiemouth site for the last three months and said the north of Scotland was the only part of the UK that met all their conditions.
He added: "Right now, we're headed right on schedule. Things are looking good from our perspective."
A spokesman for RAF Lossiemouth said: "Everyone seems to be singing from the same hymn sheet, which is brilliant.
"While it is very early days, everyone seems to be really happy with the proposal."
Last month, Virgin said 200 bookings had been taken for its space flights.
NY Scent critic
The New York Times this week has announced the appointment of its first ever perfume critic.
Chandler Burr , not to be confused with Bing, will write about ols and new perfumes, as well as the occasional scented candle.
"Perfume is an art form , just like theatre ,music or painting or even music" said a dipshit from the paper.
Scent Strip will appear frequently in issues of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. In the column, Mr. Burr will review and rate new and classic perfumes as well as other scents such as perfumed candles. He will ascribe a four-star rating system to each perfume, similar to those awarded by The Times to restaurants, ranging from no stars for a poor or satisfactory perfume to four stars for an extraordinary scent.
Chandler Burr , not to be confused with Bing, will write about ols and new perfumes, as well as the occasional scented candle.
"Perfume is an art form , just like theatre ,music or painting or even music" said a dipshit from the paper.
Scent Strip will appear frequently in issues of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. In the column, Mr. Burr will review and rate new and classic perfumes as well as other scents such as perfumed candles. He will ascribe a four-star rating system to each perfume, similar to those awarded by The Times to restaurants, ranging from no stars for a poor or satisfactory perfume to four stars for an extraordinary scent.
Send me the bill
A rare exotic bird has been given a new lease of life after his beak broke off — and a metal one was fitted in its place.The southern ground hornbill, one of only 12 in Britain, would have starved without human intervention. Staff at Birdland, in Gloucester, fitted a six-inch beak made from stainless steel and attached by five small bolts. Now 15-year-old Metal Mickey, as visitors are calling him, is doing well. He is believed to be the first bird in Britain to have a steel jaw.
Simon Blackwell, director of Birdland, said: “One of the keepers went into his aviary a couple of weeks ago and about half of the bird’s bottom mandible was missing.
“We don’t really know what happened. Perhaps he caught it on the wire, or he may have been fighting. He was kept on his own for a week but is now back with his mate.”
Southern ground hornbills are from southern Africa and can live for up to 40 years. In the wild they eat lizards, frogs and birds’ eggs but in captivity survive on rats and mice.
Wiki'd
A British Government Minister may have thought he was keeping up with modern trends when he put a draft policy on the Internet on Friday, but he was soon left red-faced when hundreds of pranksters defaced it.
Weblogging, techno-savvy Environment Secretary David Miliband, tipped as a bright young spark in Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration, had put a draft "environment contract" on his department's website, setting out social responsibilities for people, government and businesses.
But embarrassed administrators were forced to haul it down after more than 170 cyber-jokers trashed the document by adding in bizarre paragraphs for fun.
The page used "wiki" editing techniques, which allow readers to alter the content.
A heading of "Who are the parties to the environmental contract?" became, "Where is the party for the environmental contract? Can I come? Will there be cake? Hooray!"
Another asked: "What would an environmental contract for energy look like? Will it look like my face? My beautiful face?"
The tricky question of "what tools can be used to deliver the environmental contract?" received the answer: "Spade, Organic Yoghurt Stirrer, Old washing up liquid bottle, Sticky Back Plastic."
Meanwhile, a list of tools that "create the right incentive frameworks" was doctored to include "Big stick" and "Owl magnet".
Some of the Internet pranksters put the boot into the Government when monkeying around with the text.
Under a list of things citizens should do, one wag added: "Pay a higher proportion of their income to the government, and see little tangible improvement in their standard of living".
One passage said everyone had the capacity to tackle environmental problems, but that people were too often dissuaded by "doubts about whether our actions will make any difference".
One joker swiftly tagged on: "Besides which we just can't help but meddle, interfere, impose our views on others, and generally use taxpayers' resources in ways that are wasteful except in our own self-aggrandisement".
Word about the document spread like wildfire across several Internet weblogs.
Administrators were forced into action and left a message of their own: "Please note - the Wiki has been 'locked' for the time being to prevent editing.
"Thanks to everyone for their interest so far - do visit again and continue the discussion. In the meantime, you're welcome to read the comments and materials submitted."
A spokeswoman for the red-faced Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said the page was an experiment.
"It's unfortunate that these things do happen. We are currently looking at security on the site," she said.
Ooops wrong cyle
WASHINGTON -- The post office is in a pickle over the spelling of motor-sickle. At least, that's how Arlo Guthrie might explain it. Problem is, the Postal Service recently, with great fanfare, issued a new set of stamps depicting motorcycles.
Collectors who buy copies issued on the first day the stamps are available can get them with a special commemorative postmark.
Unfortunately, the colorful postmark spells it "motorcyle."
Having discovered this, the post office announced Friday that new orders for first-day envelopes will have a corrected postmark.
Unless the buyer wants it spelled wrong. In that case they can still order the version with the incorrect postmark. Just include a note asking for the incorrect version.
Any collectors who already have misspelled versions can trade them for the corrected version by sending them to INFORMATION FULFILLMENT, DEPT 6270, US POSTAL SERVICE, PO BOX 219424, KANSAS CITY, MO, 64121-9424.
Collectors who buy copies issued on the first day the stamps are available can get them with a special commemorative postmark.
Unfortunately, the colorful postmark spells it "motorcyle."
Having discovered this, the post office announced Friday that new orders for first-day envelopes will have a corrected postmark.
Unless the buyer wants it spelled wrong. In that case they can still order the version with the incorrect postmark. Just include a note asking for the incorrect version.
Any collectors who already have misspelled versions can trade them for the corrected version by sending them to INFORMATION FULFILLMENT, DEPT 6270, US POSTAL SERVICE, PO BOX 219424, KANSAS CITY, MO, 64121-9424.
Stolen camera photo's uploaded
If you took the photo of a Chihuahua at Flickr, you have caused a Web sensation.The mobile phone used to take that picture was stolen from Web designer Ben Clemens on an Amtrak commuter train in California in mid-August, he says.
Days later, thanks to software installed in the phone for Clemens' use, the Chihuahua picture and other snaps of a woman and children were automatically posted to Clemens' photo Web site for the world to see.
"Even the thief doesn't have any privacy, right?" said Clemens by telephone from his home in Berkeley, California.
His account of the incident, posted on the weblog he keeps up for friends and family, came to the attention of thousands of people and in late August ranked as one of the most popular Offbeat News items this year on "social content" Web site www.digg.com.
While some Web "vigilantes" set out to expose wrongdoers — or other users notoriously circulate sensational fake stories to gain exposure for new products — Clemens says his discovery of the software's potential to bust this criminal was an accident and the subsequent attention unwanted.
In "Pictures of the family of the person who stole my cell phone posted to my flickr account," at www.practicalist.com/archives/000183.html, the Yahoo Inc. employee tells how the software he installed on his phone was set to automatically upload pictures to www.flickr.com, a site where people post photos for friends, family, or the world to share.
The thief — or whoever bought the phone from the thief — appears not to have known the software keeps running even with a different user or SIM-card. So their shots were viewed thousands of times by people on the Web.
Despite assertions from the independent makers of the software that the tale is not a promotional stunt on their part, some Web users — who may have fallen for so-called "guerrilla marketing" tactics in the past —
rounded on Clemens, accusing him of making the story up.
"This is totally a viral marketing campaign … It's a nice implementation, with just enough flaws to be found out fairly quickly, but believable enough," says a relatively polite contributor to one of many strings of comment to the story.
"I've entered into some surreal world," Clemens told Reuters.
"People assume I'm doing it for self-promotion, marketing, a hoax or something like that. I'm talking to you because I want it to be known that it's not a hoax. I'm just too ordinary. I'm just too unclever for that."
He says the experience has been a lesson in the way the modern Web works: "(On the Web today), you can no longer have a separate — private and public — world. It makes you realize you have to be even more honest and careful."
Friday, September 01, 2006
Too fat to fly
A man who weighs 29 stone has been thrown off a plane because he was too fat to fly.
David Brown, 58, was due to fly to the Turkish resort of Altinkum with his wife Margaret, 53, but was shocked to find he could not fit in any of the plane's seats.
Mr Brown said he and his wife were left humiliated and their holiday ruined after he got on the flight at Newcastle International Airport.
He said he had warned Thomas Cook that he was 6ft 6in tall and weighed 29 stone but was told he could still fly.
The airline said it had offered Mr Brown a row of three seats at the front of the plane but he was unable to fit in any of them.
The couple then had to get off the plane, which was held up for 45 minutes, in front of other passengers.
Mr Brown, from Middlesbrough, said: "Everybody was looking at me, and everybody knew because of my weight I could not fit on the plane, and that was really making me feel bad."
He added: "I was just sweating and going all white. It was an experience that I don't want to go through again, or ever thought I would have to go through."
Mr Brown said they had paid £736 for the holiday and have since received a full refund from Thomas Cook.
He added: "I haven't given up hope that I can fly again."
Thomas Cook Airlines said the crew were unable to seat Mr and Mrs Brown in line with take-off safety regulations and the couple had to leave the plane.
David Brown, 58, was due to fly to the Turkish resort of Altinkum with his wife Margaret, 53, but was shocked to find he could not fit in any of the plane's seats.
Mr Brown said he and his wife were left humiliated and their holiday ruined after he got on the flight at Newcastle International Airport.
He said he had warned Thomas Cook that he was 6ft 6in tall and weighed 29 stone but was told he could still fly.
The airline said it had offered Mr Brown a row of three seats at the front of the plane but he was unable to fit in any of them.
The couple then had to get off the plane, which was held up for 45 minutes, in front of other passengers.
Mr Brown, from Middlesbrough, said: "Everybody was looking at me, and everybody knew because of my weight I could not fit on the plane, and that was really making me feel bad."
He added: "I was just sweating and going all white. It was an experience that I don't want to go through again, or ever thought I would have to go through."
Mr Brown said they had paid £736 for the holiday and have since received a full refund from Thomas Cook.
He added: "I haven't given up hope that I can fly again."
Thomas Cook Airlines said the crew were unable to seat Mr and Mrs Brown in line with take-off safety regulations and the couple had to leave the plane.
Nice to work for
Wellington: A law firm that encourages its workers to take a nap if they are tired has won New Zealand's top award for helping employees to balance their work and personal lives.
The government's Equal Employment Opportunities Trust gave solicitors firm Meredith Connell it's "work-life balance" award for offering employees flexible work hours to take account of personal commitments.
One lawyer, Anna Longdill, said she took advantage of the flexible hours to do sports training that required her to get out of bed at 4:30 a.m. each day and run, swim or cycle for three hours before going to the office.
Longdill, 25, said she still spent 50 hours or more a week working, making up the time by working at night from home via remote access to company computers.
The government's Equal Employment Opportunities Trust gave solicitors firm Meredith Connell it's "work-life balance" award for offering employees flexible work hours to take account of personal commitments.
One lawyer, Anna Longdill, said she took advantage of the flexible hours to do sports training that required her to get out of bed at 4:30 a.m. each day and run, swim or cycle for three hours before going to the office.
Longdill, 25, said she still spent 50 hours or more a week working, making up the time by working at night from home via remote access to company computers.
Armless driver let off
A New Zealand man without arms, who was caught speeding, has avoided a court conviction after police dropped dangerous driving charges against him.
New Zealanders have been following the case against 31-year-old Colin Smith closely since he was caught speeding at Tauranga on the North Island in March.
The highway patrol did a double-take when they spotted him reclining in the driver's seat, steering the car with one foot.
Although he was born with no arms and had no licence, he had apparently been driving for years.
The dangerous driving charge was dropped after Mr Smith convinced authorities he could drive a specially modified vehicle safely and was prepared to get a learner's permit.
New Zealanders have been following the case against 31-year-old Colin Smith closely since he was caught speeding at Tauranga on the North Island in March.
The highway patrol did a double-take when they spotted him reclining in the driver's seat, steering the car with one foot.
Although he was born with no arms and had no licence, he had apparently been driving for years.
The dangerous driving charge was dropped after Mr Smith convinced authorities he could drive a specially modified vehicle safely and was prepared to get a learner's permit.
Married via satellite
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- When Max Furman Jr. wanted to get married, he and his fiancee, Jodi, wanted his father to perform the ceremony.
But Max Furman Sr., a United Methodist minister, was thousands of miles away. He's a major and chaplain in the Army National Guard.
Modern technology came to the rescue, though. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad arranged a satellite hookup, and the couple exchanged their vows at the National Guard facility in Harrisburg.
The younger Furman is a second lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Stryker Brigade. The groom wore dress greens and the bride wore white.
As part of the ceremony, Dad brought a message about spending time together to strengthen the relationship for times of separation.
But Max Furman Sr., a United Methodist minister, was thousands of miles away. He's a major and chaplain in the Army National Guard.
Modern technology came to the rescue, though. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad arranged a satellite hookup, and the couple exchanged their vows at the National Guard facility in Harrisburg.
The younger Furman is a second lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Stryker Brigade. The groom wore dress greens and the bride wore white.
As part of the ceremony, Dad brought a message about spending time together to strengthen the relationship for times of separation.
Towed bastids !
Several Brooklyn residents woke up to find their cars had been towed by police because someone had posted a No Parking sign on their street.
The sign, which claimed to ban parking on their street overnight, mysteriously appeared Monday or Tuesday, residents said, and then police started ticketing and towing cars parked there.
But the Department of Transportation says there are not any parking restrictions in the area and it does not know who posted the placard, which looks official.
Resident David Bourgeois said he had to pay $205 (€160) to retrieve his Mini Cooper, with a $60 (£33) ticket on the windshield, from a police pound Wednesday after it was hauled away.
"It's just outrageous," he told the Daily News for Friday editions.
The DOT said it would try to dismiss the ticket — and take down the No Parking sign
The sign, which claimed to ban parking on their street overnight, mysteriously appeared Monday or Tuesday, residents said, and then police started ticketing and towing cars parked there.
But the Department of Transportation says there are not any parking restrictions in the area and it does not know who posted the placard, which looks official.
Resident David Bourgeois said he had to pay $205 (€160) to retrieve his Mini Cooper, with a $60 (£33) ticket on the windshield, from a police pound Wednesday after it was hauled away.
"It's just outrageous," he told the Daily News for Friday editions.
The DOT said it would try to dismiss the ticket — and take down the No Parking sign
Sleepyhead round-trip
SOFIA - A sleeping teenager flew home to Bulgaria and then back to Malta after aircrew apparently failed to notice she was still on the plane.
Maria Ilieva, 17, was travelling alone and fell asleep on an Air Malta plane taking her overnight from Valletta to Sofia.
Unfortunately she had returned to Malta by the time she woke up, the girl's family said on Friday.
"Air Malta officials said the airplane was not a place for sleeping. But I have not seen any signs saying 'No sleeping', I have only seen signs saying 'No smoking'," the girl's mother, Nadezhda Vulova, told Reuters.
Maria was finally reunited with her family on Thursday, almost four days after her sleepover. She had to pay 200 euros (134 pounds) for the second flight home.
The family said they had filed a complaint against the airline and asked for a refund. Air Malta was not immediately available for comment.
Maria Ilieva, 17, was travelling alone and fell asleep on an Air Malta plane taking her overnight from Valletta to Sofia.
Unfortunately she had returned to Malta by the time she woke up, the girl's family said on Friday.
"Air Malta officials said the airplane was not a place for sleeping. But I have not seen any signs saying 'No sleeping', I have only seen signs saying 'No smoking'," the girl's mother, Nadezhda Vulova, told Reuters.
Maria was finally reunited with her family on Thursday, almost four days after her sleepover. She had to pay 200 euros (134 pounds) for the second flight home.
The family said they had filed a complaint against the airline and asked for a refund. Air Malta was not immediately available for comment.
Hedgehogs in a flurry
Hedgehogs have finally humbled burger giant McDonald's after years of campaigning, forcing the company to redesign its killer McFlurry ice-cream containers.
Up to now the opening in the container has been large enough for hedgehogs to get their heads into for a lick of the left-over dessert -- a trap they have then been unable to withdraw from, so dying of starvation in untold numbers.
But from September 1, the wide-mouthed opening in the lid of the McFlurry containers will be reduced in size, making them too small for the sugar-loving animals to get their heads into.
"This is excellent, it is long overdue news," said Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. "We have been in touch with McDonald's about this problem for over five years and are delighted that they have at last solved the problem."
McDonald's said in a statement the design change had resulted from pressure from the society, which prompted "significant research and design testing" to develop new packaging.
"The smaller aperture of the lid has been designed to prevent hedgehogs from entering the McFlurry container in the unfortunate incidence that a lid is littered and is then accessible to wildlife," it added.
Happy birthday Buster
A man has turned up for work despite being told to take the day off for his 100th birthday.
Buster Martin began cleaning vans for Pimlico Plumbers despite retiring as a market worker three years ago. Colleagues at the firm in Lambeth, south London, threw him a surprise party and were treating him to a tour of Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge ground.
Mr Martin said the last time he had a party he was in the desert "getting as drunk as a Lord when I was 21".
He said the secret of his longevity could be due to a pint of bitter every day and daily press ups. The centenarian was born in France, but came to England as a baby and grew up in an orphanage in Cornwall until 1916.
Moving to London he got his first job helping stall holders on Brixton market before joining the Army at 15 and served a total of 35 years before joining the Navy.
After taking up a wide range of trades, he finally went full circle and was working at Brixton market until he retired aged 97. Mr Martin, who married in 1920 and had 17 children with his wife, said he took up working again because he became bored.
"Working keeps me active, that's the main thing. If you're active it saves you sitting in a wheelchair," he said.
Talking about how the world had changed in 100 years he said: "It's a bit too fast... I've never owned a telephone and I never will."
Charlie Mullins, of Pimlico Plumbers, said: "Buster's a lot of fun, he's quite a character who's got a million stories."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)