German police Thursday captured two men suspected of stealing from 15 cars and two garden sheds by following their footprints in the snow for several miles.
Policemen were checking up on a car whose alarm had been set off just after midnight in the town of Hoentrop when they found a smashed window and two sets of footprints which they followed more than ten streets.
"At one point the tracks disappeared because someone had cleared the pavement outside their home in the middle of the night," police said in a statement.
After this minor setback, the officers picked up the trail again. The two sets of footprints led them directly to the entrance of a flat where the burglars not only stored their booty but also left their shoes and gloves to dry.
20051231
This is going to disappoint some people
Pregnant women coached through their first delivery do not fare much better than those who just do what feels natural, according to a study released on Friday.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern found that women who were told to push 10 minutes for every contraction gave birth 13 minutes faster than those who were not given specific instructions.
But they said the difference has little impact on the overall birth, which experts say can take up to 14 hours on average.
"There were no other findings to show that coaching or not coaching was advantageous or harmful," said lead author Dr. Steven Bloom, the interim head of obstetrics and gynecology at the Dallas-based university.
"Oftentimes, it's best for the patient to do what's more comfortable for her," he added.
Bloom and his team studied 320 first-time mothers who had simple pregnancies and did not receive epidural anesthesia.
About half were given specific instructions by certified nurse-midwives during the second stage of labor, when they were fully dilated. The rest were told to "do what comes naturally."
On average, coached mothers trimmed the final stage to 46 minutes compared to 59 minutes, according to the study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Women in both groups experienced about the same number of forceps use, Caesarean deliveries and skin tears, among other complications.
The results were published in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Less clear was whether extra pushing encouraged by a coach could lead to bladder trouble.
In an earlier study, the researchers tested bladder function in 128 of the mothers three months later.
While such problems usually resolve on their own over time, women who had been coached had a smaller bladder capacity and felt the urge to urinate more often, they previously found.
Senior author Dr. Kenneth Leveno, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the school, said it was still not clear if the bladder problems could lead to long-term complications and more studies are needed.
"We don't want to alarm patients about this," he said.
Friday's finding that coaching "confers neither benefit nor harm might be pre-empted if it is confirmed that coaching has deleterious long-term effects," the study concluded.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern found that women who were told to push 10 minutes for every contraction gave birth 13 minutes faster than those who were not given specific instructions.
But they said the difference has little impact on the overall birth, which experts say can take up to 14 hours on average.
"There were no other findings to show that coaching or not coaching was advantageous or harmful," said lead author Dr. Steven Bloom, the interim head of obstetrics and gynecology at the Dallas-based university.
"Oftentimes, it's best for the patient to do what's more comfortable for her," he added.
Bloom and his team studied 320 first-time mothers who had simple pregnancies and did not receive epidural anesthesia.
About half were given specific instructions by certified nurse-midwives during the second stage of labor, when they were fully dilated. The rest were told to "do what comes naturally."
On average, coached mothers trimmed the final stage to 46 minutes compared to 59 minutes, according to the study sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Women in both groups experienced about the same number of forceps use, Caesarean deliveries and skin tears, among other complications.
The results were published in the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Less clear was whether extra pushing encouraged by a coach could lead to bladder trouble.
In an earlier study, the researchers tested bladder function in 128 of the mothers three months later.
While such problems usually resolve on their own over time, women who had been coached had a smaller bladder capacity and felt the urge to urinate more often, they previously found.
Senior author Dr. Kenneth Leveno, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the school, said it was still not clear if the bladder problems could lead to long-term complications and more studies are needed.
"We don't want to alarm patients about this," he said.
Friday's finding that coaching "confers neither benefit nor harm might be pre-empted if it is confirmed that coaching has deleterious long-term effects," the study concluded.
20051230
Why yes, I'm familiar with that model..
A 44-year-old German businessman whose digital camera was stolen at a restaurant was relieved when he managed to buy exactly the same model on the eBay Internet auction site to match his accessories.
But he became suspicious when it emerged the seller came from his home town. It proved to be the same camera.
Police said Thursday they were questioning the 34-year-old vendor who, a statement said, "claims he got the camera at a flea market, but was also offering other cameras on the Internet."
But he became suspicious when it emerged the seller came from his home town. It proved to be the same camera.
Police said Thursday they were questioning the 34-year-old vendor who, a statement said, "claims he got the camera at a flea market, but was also offering other cameras on the Internet."
20051228
U.S. Navy officer arrested in alleged hit-and-run incident in Japan
Japanese police have arrested a U.S. sailor on suspicion of hitting three young boys with her vehicle in Tokyo and fleeing from the scene, a news report said Wednesday.
A 23-year-old female sailor from the Atsugi U.S. Navy base in Kanagawa prefecture (state), outside Tokyo, was arrested last Thursday for allegedly hitting three third-grade boys at an intersection in Tokyo last Thursday, seriously injuring one boy, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
She fled the scene in her vehicle, but police caught up with her about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the accident site, the report said.
The sailor admitted to the hit-and-run incident, but was released hours after her arrest in line with legal agreements between Japan and the U.S., Kyodo said.
Officials at the National Police Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department refused to confirm the case. Repeated calls to U.S. military representatives in Japan went unanswered late Wednesday.
The U.S. maintains nearly 50,000 military personnel in Japan. Residents have long complained about noise, pollution and crimes associated with U.S. bases.
A 23-year-old female sailor from the Atsugi U.S. Navy base in Kanagawa prefecture (state), outside Tokyo, was arrested last Thursday for allegedly hitting three third-grade boys at an intersection in Tokyo last Thursday, seriously injuring one boy, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
She fled the scene in her vehicle, but police caught up with her about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the accident site, the report said.
The sailor admitted to the hit-and-run incident, but was released hours after her arrest in line with legal agreements between Japan and the U.S., Kyodo said.
Officials at the National Police Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department refused to confirm the case. Repeated calls to U.S. military representatives in Japan went unanswered late Wednesday.
The U.S. maintains nearly 50,000 military personnel in Japan. Residents have long complained about noise, pollution and crimes associated with U.S. bases.
20051227
Auction for World Cup rubbish relaunched
German decorator Matthias Blume said Monday he had relaunched the bidding process for the name tags of the 32 World Cup finalists used in the televised draw after receiving bogus offers.
Blume, who found the slips of paper in a rubbish bag while cleaning up after the draw in Leipzig on December 9, said bidders must now register with passports before making offers.
"We had to cancel the auction because some of the bids were not serious," Blume told Reuters. "We've now taken steps to ensure there are only serious bids."
One bid of 120,000 euros ($142,400) turned out to be a prank, Blume said.
He said the seven-day auction for the orange and white slip of paper reading "Germany," hosts for the 2006 World Cup, started Monday and bids were at 15,000 euros.
Two further slips of paper would be offered each day, with "England" and "Australia" next in the internet auction on Tuesday. The auctions for the slips of paper would last 10 days, the 31-year-old said.
Soccer's governing body FIFA has challenged Blume's attempts to capitalize on the slips of paper.
"FIFA has sent a warning to the legal representatives of the person concerned and pointed out that this is a violation of FIFA's name rights and that the auction should be stopped," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said last week. "If that doesn't happen, we will have to look at further legal steps."
But Blume has hired a lawyer and said he was going ahead with the auction.
"The material was found in the rubbish bin by me and I'm the owner now," he said Monday.
Blume, who found the slips of paper in a rubbish bag while cleaning up after the draw in Leipzig on December 9, said bidders must now register with passports before making offers.
"We had to cancel the auction because some of the bids were not serious," Blume told Reuters. "We've now taken steps to ensure there are only serious bids."
One bid of 120,000 euros ($142,400) turned out to be a prank, Blume said.
He said the seven-day auction for the orange and white slip of paper reading "Germany," hosts for the 2006 World Cup, started Monday and bids were at 15,000 euros.
Two further slips of paper would be offered each day, with "England" and "Australia" next in the internet auction on Tuesday. The auctions for the slips of paper would last 10 days, the 31-year-old said.
Soccer's governing body FIFA has challenged Blume's attempts to capitalize on the slips of paper.
"FIFA has sent a warning to the legal representatives of the person concerned and pointed out that this is a violation of FIFA's name rights and that the auction should be stopped," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said last week. "If that doesn't happen, we will have to look at further legal steps."
But Blume has hired a lawyer and said he was going ahead with the auction.
"The material was found in the rubbish bin by me and I'm the owner now," he said Monday.
Group sex club patrons swinging free
On a recent night out on the town, Michel and Chantal Delbecchi left their suburban Montreal home and drove to the L'Orage Club in the city's east end, where they had sex with a couple they had never met before.
The Delbecchis, husband and wife since 1978, are "echangistes," French for "swingers," who for the past 21 years have been visiting clubs like L'Orage (Thunderstorm) to have consensual sex in a group with one or more other people.
For future outings, they will no longer have to fear police will raid the club and arrest them for being in a "bawdy house," a place where prostitution or acts of public indecency take place.
In a landmark decision on Dec, 21, the Supreme Court of Canada lifted a ban on swingers' clubs, ruling that group sex among consenting adults is neither prostitution nor a threat to society.
The ruling sparked outrage, largely in English-speaking parts of Canada, where critics said it would erode limits on indecency or obscenity, encourage prostitution and even contribute to the corruption of minors.
In the mainly French-speaking and predominantly Catholic province of Quebec, however, the decision caused barely a ripple of adverse reaction. Newspaper editorialists fumed in Toronto, but largely yawned in Montreal.
Swingers across Canada cheered the ruling, especially those in Quebec, where adherents go to clubs not only to meet others like them, but also to have sex on the premises.
"It might make it easier for others interested in swinging to take the next step and visit a club," said Michel, 48, huddled next to Chantal, 43, on a sofa at the dimly lit L'Orage.
Michel, who works at an outlet of warehouse retailer Costco, and Chantal, on leave from her job at a school bus operator, said most swingers are not comfortable in the public spotlight.
"We have a few friends who were afraid to come out to a club because they were worried about how a raid might affect their work or family situation," said Chantal.
For L'Orage club owner Jean-Paul Labaye, the court ruling is vindication after a seven-year court battle that began with a 1998 police raid in which he and 40 of his patrons were arrested for being in a bawdy house.
"Everyone was shocked that we would be treated like bandits," said Labaye. "I vowed to defend myself and their cause if that was their desire and that is what I did."
GANG BANG TUESDAYS
Labaye, a portly and jovial 46-year-old native of France, said swingers celebrated the Supreme Court victory with a late-night party at L'Orage.
In an interview the next day at the club, temporarily housed at a venue which features "gang bang" Tuesday afternoons, Labaye apologized for not being able to show a reporter and photographer the upstairs rooms where groups have sex because the housekeeping service had not yet cleaned them.
The club is housed in an elegant but aging two-story house on a busy street. The ground floor has mismatched sofas and chairs, scant lighting and framed photographs on the walls depicting scenes of mild sexual bondage.
The club has no license to sell alcoholic beverages, but sports a small bar that offers coffee and caffeine-loaded soft drinks.
Labaye hopes a group of Florida investors will help him move into swankier digs, which in addition to the requisite private rooms will have something resembling a refined cigar lounge.
Club rules will be the same -- no illicit drugs or alcohol abuse, and when it comes to propositions for sex, a reply of no means no.
In the meantime, the swinger soirees will continue at L'Orage and at least two dozen similar clubs in Quebec, including one in Gatineau, just opposite the Ottawa River from the imposing stone hulk of the Supreme Court building.
Labaye and the Delbecchis, who have three adult sons, are preparing for important changes in their personal lives.
Labaye plans to marry his girlfriend in Paris in May.
As for Michel and Chantal, a 25-year-old woman has become their mutual lover and all three plan to move in together early next year. Despite that new relationship, the Delbecchis expect to continue exchanging sex partners in Quebec clubs.
Said Michel: "At the club, we have sex with people. At home, we make love."
The Delbecchis, husband and wife since 1978, are "echangistes," French for "swingers," who for the past 21 years have been visiting clubs like L'Orage (Thunderstorm) to have consensual sex in a group with one or more other people.
For future outings, they will no longer have to fear police will raid the club and arrest them for being in a "bawdy house," a place where prostitution or acts of public indecency take place.
In a landmark decision on Dec, 21, the Supreme Court of Canada lifted a ban on swingers' clubs, ruling that group sex among consenting adults is neither prostitution nor a threat to society.
The ruling sparked outrage, largely in English-speaking parts of Canada, where critics said it would erode limits on indecency or obscenity, encourage prostitution and even contribute to the corruption of minors.
In the mainly French-speaking and predominantly Catholic province of Quebec, however, the decision caused barely a ripple of adverse reaction. Newspaper editorialists fumed in Toronto, but largely yawned in Montreal.
Swingers across Canada cheered the ruling, especially those in Quebec, where adherents go to clubs not only to meet others like them, but also to have sex on the premises.
"It might make it easier for others interested in swinging to take the next step and visit a club," said Michel, 48, huddled next to Chantal, 43, on a sofa at the dimly lit L'Orage.
Michel, who works at an outlet of warehouse retailer Costco, and Chantal, on leave from her job at a school bus operator, said most swingers are not comfortable in the public spotlight.
"We have a few friends who were afraid to come out to a club because they were worried about how a raid might affect their work or family situation," said Chantal.
For L'Orage club owner Jean-Paul Labaye, the court ruling is vindication after a seven-year court battle that began with a 1998 police raid in which he and 40 of his patrons were arrested for being in a bawdy house.
"Everyone was shocked that we would be treated like bandits," said Labaye. "I vowed to defend myself and their cause if that was their desire and that is what I did."
GANG BANG TUESDAYS
Labaye, a portly and jovial 46-year-old native of France, said swingers celebrated the Supreme Court victory with a late-night party at L'Orage.
In an interview the next day at the club, temporarily housed at a venue which features "gang bang" Tuesday afternoons, Labaye apologized for not being able to show a reporter and photographer the upstairs rooms where groups have sex because the housekeeping service had not yet cleaned them.
The club is housed in an elegant but aging two-story house on a busy street. The ground floor has mismatched sofas and chairs, scant lighting and framed photographs on the walls depicting scenes of mild sexual bondage.
The club has no license to sell alcoholic beverages, but sports a small bar that offers coffee and caffeine-loaded soft drinks.
Labaye hopes a group of Florida investors will help him move into swankier digs, which in addition to the requisite private rooms will have something resembling a refined cigar lounge.
Club rules will be the same -- no illicit drugs or alcohol abuse, and when it comes to propositions for sex, a reply of no means no.
In the meantime, the swinger soirees will continue at L'Orage and at least two dozen similar clubs in Quebec, including one in Gatineau, just opposite the Ottawa River from the imposing stone hulk of the Supreme Court building.
Labaye and the Delbecchis, who have three adult sons, are preparing for important changes in their personal lives.
Labaye plans to marry his girlfriend in Paris in May.
As for Michel and Chantal, a 25-year-old woman has become their mutual lover and all three plan to move in together early next year. Despite that new relationship, the Delbecchis expect to continue exchanging sex partners in Quebec clubs.
Said Michel: "At the club, we have sex with people. At home, we make love."
20051225
Can they do that? Workplace horrors compiled
The time-honored office tradition of whining at the water cooler just might get you fired, according to a newly compiled list of workplace horrors around the world.
Two workers who exceeded the official limit of two moans per employee at one unnamed German firm were fired this year. Several colleagues quit before their moans could be counted.
Their employer's strict policy tops a list compiled by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The Chicago-based outplacement firm gave nine notable examples from hundreds of cases.
Most involve petty rules.
Workers at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Kokomo, Indiana, should drive a Chrysler model or they may find their car in Indianapolis, 50 miles away. That's because a rule limits parking space for non-Chrysler cars. Violators will be towed.
"These are things that make you go hmmm," Challenger spokesman James Pedderson said.
Such stories pour in throughout the year and Challenger plans to make the list an annual tradition, he said. The point is to encourage managers and their staff to communicate better.
Some of the worst stories involve discrimination against a worker's religion, ethnicity, or, less seriously, squirrels. A librarian lost her job for devoting too much time to saving a squirrel stuck in a ceiling.
"I think reason has to prevail in some of these instances," Pedderson said.
Two workers who exceeded the official limit of two moans per employee at one unnamed German firm were fired this year. Several colleagues quit before their moans could be counted.
Their employer's strict policy tops a list compiled by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The Chicago-based outplacement firm gave nine notable examples from hundreds of cases.
Most involve petty rules.
Workers at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Kokomo, Indiana, should drive a Chrysler model or they may find their car in Indianapolis, 50 miles away. That's because a rule limits parking space for non-Chrysler cars. Violators will be towed.
"These are things that make you go hmmm," Challenger spokesman James Pedderson said.
Such stories pour in throughout the year and Challenger plans to make the list an annual tradition, he said. The point is to encourage managers and their staff to communicate better.
Some of the worst stories involve discrimination against a worker's religion, ethnicity, or, less seriously, squirrels. A librarian lost her job for devoting too much time to saving a squirrel stuck in a ceiling.
"I think reason has to prevail in some of these instances," Pedderson said.
20051222
Fall in love and risk a police thrashing
Outrage and protests mounted in India Wednesday after TV channels showed police officers repeatedly slapping, punching and pulling the hair of young women on a date in a public park in a north Indian city.
Indian media reported one couple was so humiliated by the police action in front of TV crews they have not returned home.
"Is falling in love wrong? Who gave the police the right to beat and hit people and misbehave in such a manner," a woman in Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh state told Aaj Tak television news.
Since Tuesday, shocked TV viewers in India have been watching images of female officers pummelling and abusing crying young women in Meerut in what the media is calling "moral policing."
TV footage also showed male policemen with sticks surrounding the scared women and taking them to women officers who beat them. Several of their male companions were beaten also.
The police operation, termed "operation Romeo," in a popular park in Meerut Monday was touted by police as a move to prevent sexual harassment of women.
It turned out to be something very different.
In Meerut, students shouting "Down with police dictatorship" have staged demonstrations and burned effigies of police officers.
The outcry, including from women groups, has forced the police to suspend two women officers and probe the incident.
One of India's most conservative states, Uttar Pradesh is also one of the most crime-ridden, known for gangs indulging in murder, extortion and kidnapping. People in Meerut are amazed that police have the time to go after dating couples.
Some defended the right of young people to date in parks.
"Nobody should be allowed to bother them as long as they are not indulging in obscene acts," local lawmaker S.P. Agarwal said.
Young couples in cities often meet in parks as dating before marriage is frowned upon by many Indian parents but they are harassed by police who threaten to report them or ask for bribes.
Indian media reported one couple was so humiliated by the police action in front of TV crews they have not returned home.
"Is falling in love wrong? Who gave the police the right to beat and hit people and misbehave in such a manner," a woman in Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh state told Aaj Tak television news.
Since Tuesday, shocked TV viewers in India have been watching images of female officers pummelling and abusing crying young women in Meerut in what the media is calling "moral policing."
TV footage also showed male policemen with sticks surrounding the scared women and taking them to women officers who beat them. Several of their male companions were beaten also.
The police operation, termed "operation Romeo," in a popular park in Meerut Monday was touted by police as a move to prevent sexual harassment of women.
It turned out to be something very different.
In Meerut, students shouting "Down with police dictatorship" have staged demonstrations and burned effigies of police officers.
The outcry, including from women groups, has forced the police to suspend two women officers and probe the incident.
One of India's most conservative states, Uttar Pradesh is also one of the most crime-ridden, known for gangs indulging in murder, extortion and kidnapping. People in Meerut are amazed that police have the time to go after dating couples.
Some defended the right of young people to date in parks.
"Nobody should be allowed to bother them as long as they are not indulging in obscene acts," local lawmaker S.P. Agarwal said.
Young couples in cities often meet in parks as dating before marriage is frowned upon by many Indian parents but they are harassed by police who threaten to report them or ask for bribes.
20051221
Police called to convince lottery winner
A lottery company had to call the police to convince an elderly German woman that she had hit the jackpot, police said Tuesday.
"The woman had quite a sizeable win but was worried that she was having her leg pulled," said Joachim Gerhardt, a police inspector in the eastern German city of Gera.
"We were fortunately able to convince her so she could celebrate her good fortune," he said, adding that the woman would probably receive her winnings before Christmas.
"The woman had quite a sizeable win but was worried that she was having her leg pulled," said Joachim Gerhardt, a police inspector in the eastern German city of Gera.
"We were fortunately able to convince her so she could celebrate her good fortune," he said, adding that the woman would probably receive her winnings before Christmas.
Some Christmas trees shed needles..
Convicts in Berlin cannot decorate their cells with Christmas trees, which could be used to bring drugs as well as festive cheer into prison, a court ruled Monday.
The city's highest legal authority overturned a decision by a lower court, which had granted a prisoner the right to deck out his cell with a tree of "no more than 50 centimetres (19.7 inches) in height (not including the tip)" during the festive season.
This prompted a protest by the prison's director, whose complaint was upheld by the higher body.
"The (director's) complaint correctly points out that the branches and trunk of the tree can easily be hollowed out and sealed with glue, which renders it extremely difficult to prevent the smuggling of drugs in this way," the court said.
The city's highest legal authority overturned a decision by a lower court, which had granted a prisoner the right to deck out his cell with a tree of "no more than 50 centimetres (19.7 inches) in height (not including the tip)" during the festive season.
This prompted a protest by the prison's director, whose complaint was upheld by the higher body.
"The (director's) complaint correctly points out that the branches and trunk of the tree can easily be hollowed out and sealed with glue, which renders it extremely difficult to prevent the smuggling of drugs in this way," the court said.
Christmas shopper sees red at star in the east
Stars may seem like a harmless symbol of Christmas goodwill -- but in eastern Europe, if they're red, they may be anything but.
Hungarian shopper Istvan Hamza made a formal complaint to police that the star decorations in a record shop in the town of Szombathely were too much like the communist red star -- banned by law as a symbol of decades of dictatorship.
But the police let Christmas charity prevail.
"The shop's red stars are an irregular shape and their branches are not pointed but rounded, so they do not meet the specification set out in the law," spokesman Peter Kovacs said Monday, according to the local news agency MTI.
Hungarian shopper Istvan Hamza made a formal complaint to police that the star decorations in a record shop in the town of Szombathely were too much like the communist red star -- banned by law as a symbol of decades of dictatorship.
But the police let Christmas charity prevail.
"The shop's red stars are an irregular shape and their branches are not pointed but rounded, so they do not meet the specification set out in the law," spokesman Peter Kovacs said Monday, according to the local news agency MTI.
20051219
Battles rage in U.S. over celebrating holidays
Ebenezer Scrooge would enjoy Christmas in America this year.
Drowning out the sounds of sleigh bells ringing and children singing are the sounds of arguing. At issue is how to greet people, how to decorate main street and how to sell gifts -- all without offending someone.
Religious conservatives are threatening lawsuits and boycotts to insist that store clerks and advertisements say "Merry Christmas." Countering are those who argue they are being inclusive and inoffensive with the secular "Happy Holidays."
In the middle seem to be most Americans, who not only aren't offended but find the whole spat rather ridiculous.
"You'd think there might be some Christmas spirit around Christmas time around the issue of Christmas," said Paul Cantor, a popular culture expert and professor at the University of Virginia. "It's one time you really wish people really could live and let live."
Alas, that's not what this Christmas is all about.
Sparks flew when U.S. President George W. Bush sent out cards referring to the "holiday season," a leading Republican declared the decorated tree on the Capitol lawn a "Christmas Tree" and not a "Holiday Tree" and the logger who cut down the tree for the Boston Common was so upset when officials called it a "Holiday Tree" that he said he'd rather see it fed into a wood chipper.
"HANGING OF THE GREENS"
Conservative groups have marshaled the forces of lawyers volunteering to help anyone fighting for Christmas displays and launched boycotts of retailers whose advertisements fail to say "Merry Christmas."
A school system in Texas found itself in court after teachers asked children to bring white -- rather than red and green -- napkins to a party, while Annapolis, Maryland raised hackles by calling its evergreen boughs and ribbons on public buildings the "Hanging of the Greens" rather than "Christmas decorations."
Fanning the flames are conservative talk show personalities bemoaning the secularization of Christmas. Fox News anchor John Gibson chimed in with a book "The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse than You Thought."
"'Happy Holidays' and 'Season's Greetings' are not a substitute for 'Merry Christmas,"' said Manuel Zamorano, head of the Sacramento, California-based Committee to Save Merry Christmas, which organizes store boycotts over holiday advertising.
"Christmas is the holiday and 'Merry Christmas' is what we want to hear," he said. "It's political correctness gone amok."
BLAME POLITICS
Bah humbug, said radio talk show host Bill Press, author of "How the Republicans Stole Christmas."
"People have been saying 'Happy Holidays' for a hundred years at least," he said. "This is nothing new. It just celebrates the diversity of America."
He blames politics.
"It is all by design," he said. "The more people are talking about who's saying 'Happy Holidays' and who's saying 'Merry Christmas,' the less people are talking about Karl Rove, torture, Tom DeLay, the war in Iraq and other hot issues.
"And the more they stir up their evangelical Christian base over this issue, the more likely they are to get out and vote Republican in 2006," he said.
The debate has become comic grist.
"Every time you say 'Happy Holidays,' an angel gets
AIDS," warned television comedian Jon Stewart.
The satirical newspaper The Onion wrote a spoof about a judge who declared Christmas unconstitutional, with a photograph purporting to be workers dismantling the famed tree at Rockefeller Center to comply with the judge's ruling.
Making the rounds on the Internet is a series of mock memos from a fake company inviting employees to a Christmas Party, complete with open bar, gift exchange and tree lighting.
By the last of the memos, the increasingly beleaguered company is forced to apologize to its Jewish employees, the office alcoholics, Muslims, dieters, pregnant women, gays and lesbians, union members, management, cross-dressers, diabetics and vegetarians. In the end, the party is canceled.
RETAILERS IN THE MIDDLE
Stuck in the middle of the debate are retailers, whose seasonal selling campaigns seem to raise particular wrath.
"When someone says 'Happy Holidays,' they're saying something very nice to you. There's no ill intent behind any of this," said Dan Butler of the National Retail Federation. "When you're dealing with the public you'll get positive comments and negative comments about everything in the world."
Perhaps, added Peter Steinfels of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, there isn't a war on Christmas after all but a more sensitive religious right.
Conservatives are using the super-fast Internet and e-mail to publicize what they see as extreme examples of "super politically correct conduct," he said. "It gives the impression that there's a great deal of political correctness ... when in fact it may not really be so different from the way it's always been".
Drowning out the sounds of sleigh bells ringing and children singing are the sounds of arguing. At issue is how to greet people, how to decorate main street and how to sell gifts -- all without offending someone.
Religious conservatives are threatening lawsuits and boycotts to insist that store clerks and advertisements say "Merry Christmas." Countering are those who argue they are being inclusive and inoffensive with the secular "Happy Holidays."
In the middle seem to be most Americans, who not only aren't offended but find the whole spat rather ridiculous.
"You'd think there might be some Christmas spirit around Christmas time around the issue of Christmas," said Paul Cantor, a popular culture expert and professor at the University of Virginia. "It's one time you really wish people really could live and let live."
Alas, that's not what this Christmas is all about.
Sparks flew when U.S. President George W. Bush sent out cards referring to the "holiday season," a leading Republican declared the decorated tree on the Capitol lawn a "Christmas Tree" and not a "Holiday Tree" and the logger who cut down the tree for the Boston Common was so upset when officials called it a "Holiday Tree" that he said he'd rather see it fed into a wood chipper.
"HANGING OF THE GREENS"
Conservative groups have marshaled the forces of lawyers volunteering to help anyone fighting for Christmas displays and launched boycotts of retailers whose advertisements fail to say "Merry Christmas."
A school system in Texas found itself in court after teachers asked children to bring white -- rather than red and green -- napkins to a party, while Annapolis, Maryland raised hackles by calling its evergreen boughs and ribbons on public buildings the "Hanging of the Greens" rather than "Christmas decorations."
Fanning the flames are conservative talk show personalities bemoaning the secularization of Christmas. Fox News anchor John Gibson chimed in with a book "The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse than You Thought."
"'Happy Holidays' and 'Season's Greetings' are not a substitute for 'Merry Christmas,"' said Manuel Zamorano, head of the Sacramento, California-based Committee to Save Merry Christmas, which organizes store boycotts over holiday advertising.
"Christmas is the holiday and 'Merry Christmas' is what we want to hear," he said. "It's political correctness gone amok."
BLAME POLITICS
Bah humbug, said radio talk show host Bill Press, author of "How the Republicans Stole Christmas."
"People have been saying 'Happy Holidays' for a hundred years at least," he said. "This is nothing new. It just celebrates the diversity of America."
He blames politics.
"It is all by design," he said. "The more people are talking about who's saying 'Happy Holidays' and who's saying 'Merry Christmas,' the less people are talking about Karl Rove, torture, Tom DeLay, the war in Iraq and other hot issues.
"And the more they stir up their evangelical Christian base over this issue, the more likely they are to get out and vote Republican in 2006," he said.
The debate has become comic grist.
"Every time you say 'Happy Holidays,' an angel gets
AIDS," warned television comedian Jon Stewart.
The satirical newspaper The Onion wrote a spoof about a judge who declared Christmas unconstitutional, with a photograph purporting to be workers dismantling the famed tree at Rockefeller Center to comply with the judge's ruling.
Making the rounds on the Internet is a series of mock memos from a fake company inviting employees to a Christmas Party, complete with open bar, gift exchange and tree lighting.
By the last of the memos, the increasingly beleaguered company is forced to apologize to its Jewish employees, the office alcoholics, Muslims, dieters, pregnant women, gays and lesbians, union members, management, cross-dressers, diabetics and vegetarians. In the end, the party is canceled.
RETAILERS IN THE MIDDLE
Stuck in the middle of the debate are retailers, whose seasonal selling campaigns seem to raise particular wrath.
"When someone says 'Happy Holidays,' they're saying something very nice to you. There's no ill intent behind any of this," said Dan Butler of the National Retail Federation. "When you're dealing with the public you'll get positive comments and negative comments about everything in the world."
Perhaps, added Peter Steinfels of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, there isn't a war on Christmas after all but a more sensitive religious right.
Conservatives are using the super-fast Internet and e-mail to publicize what they see as extreme examples of "super politically correct conduct," he said. "It gives the impression that there's a great deal of political correctness ... when in fact it may not really be so different from the way it's always been".
20051218
The catch of a lifetime
A New York woman threw her one-month-old son from the third floor of a burning building and the baby was caught by an amateur baseball player standing outside, media reports said on Thursday.
Local television stations aired a videotape of Wednesday's dramatic rescue in the Bronx taken by a surveillance camera.
It showed the baby, swathed in white, tumbling some 30 feet
into the arms of Housing Authority employee Felix Vazquez, one of several people waiting below.
The Daily News said firefighters rescued Tracinda Foxe from her apartment shortly after she tossed her baby to Vazquez, who plays catcher on a neighborhood baseball team.
"I said 'God, please save my son,'" Foxe was quoted as saying. "I prayed that someone would catch him and save his life."
Vazquez, a 39-year-old former lifeguard, gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before medics arrived and took mother and child to the hospital. Neither was seriously injured and they were later released.
Local television stations aired a videotape of Wednesday's dramatic rescue in the Bronx taken by a surveillance camera.
It showed the baby, swathed in white, tumbling some 30 feet
into the arms of Housing Authority employee Felix Vazquez, one of several people waiting below.
The Daily News said firefighters rescued Tracinda Foxe from her apartment shortly after she tossed her baby to Vazquez, who plays catcher on a neighborhood baseball team.
"I said 'God, please save my son,'" Foxe was quoted as saying. "I prayed that someone would catch him and save his life."
Vazquez, a 39-year-old former lifeguard, gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before medics arrived and took mother and child to the hospital. Neither was seriously injured and they were later released.
20051216
Senate Rejects Extension of Patriot Act
The Senate on Friday refused to reauthorize major portions of the USA Patriot Act after critics complained they infringed too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders.
In a crucial vote early Friday, the bill's Senate supporters were not able to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and their allies. The final vote was 52-47.
President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Republicans congressional leaders had lobbied fiercely to make most of the expiring Patriot Act provisions permanent.
They also supported new safeguards and expiration dates to the act's two most controversial parts: authorization for roving wiretaps, which allow investigators to monitor multiple devices to keep a target from evading detection by switching phones or computers; and secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries.
Feingold, Craig and other critics said those efforts weren't enough, and have called for the law to be extended in its present form so they can continue to try and add more civil liberties safeguards. But Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have said they won't accept a short-term extension of the law.
If a compromise is not reached, the 16 Patriot Act provisions expire on Dec. 31, but the expirations have enormous exceptions. Investigators will still be able to use those powers to complete any investigation that began before the expiration date and to initiate new investigations of any alleged crime that began before Dec. 31, according to a provision in the original law. There are ongoing investigations of every known terrorist group, including al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad and the Zarqawi group in Iraq, and all the Patriot Act tools could continue to be used in those investigations.
Five Republicans voted against the reauthorization: Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Craig and Frist. Two Democrats voted to extend the provisions: Sens. Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Frist, R-Tenn., changed his vote at the last moment after seeing the critics would win. He decided to vote with the prevailing side so he could call for a new vote at any time. He immediately objected to an offer of a short term extension from Democrats, saying the House won't approve it and the president won't sign it.
"We have more to fear from terrorism than we do from this Patriot Act," Frist warned.
If the Patriot Act provisions expire, Republicans say they will place the blame on Democrats in next year's midterm elections. "In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without these vital tools for a single moment," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The time for Democrats to stop standing in the way has come."
But the Patriot Act's critics got a boost from a New York Times report saying Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people inside the United States. Previously, the NSA typically limited its domestic surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations.
"I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care," said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.
"It is time to have some checks and balances in this country," shouted Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "We are more American for doing that."
Most of the Patriot Act — which expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers — was made permanent when Congress overwhelmingly passed it after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. Making the rest of it permanent was a priority for both the Bush administration and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill before Congress adjourns for the year.
The House on Wednesday passed a House-Senate compromise bill to renew the expiring portions of the Patriot Act that supporters say added significant safeguards to the law. Its Senate supporters say that compromise is the only thing that has a chance to pass Congress before 2006.
"This is a defining moment. There are no more compromises to be made, no more extensions of time. The bill is what it is," said Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz.
The bill's opponents say the original act was rushed into law, and Congress should take more time now to make sure the rights of innocent Americans are safeguarded before making the expiring provisions permanent.
"Those that would give up essential liberties in pursuit in a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security," said Sen. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H. They suggested a short extension so negotiations could continue, but the Senate scrapped a Democratic-led effort to renew the USA Patriot Act for just three months before the vote began.
"Today, fair-minded senators stood firm in their commitment to the Constitution and rejected the White House's call to pass a faulty law," said Caroline Fredrickson, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington legislative office. "This was a victory for the privacy and liberty of all Americans."
Justice Department's Web site on the USA Patriot Act: http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/
ACLU's Patriot Act Web site: http://www.aclu.org/safefree
In a crucial vote early Friday, the bill's Senate supporters were not able to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and their allies. The final vote was 52-47.
President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Republicans congressional leaders had lobbied fiercely to make most of the expiring Patriot Act provisions permanent.
They also supported new safeguards and expiration dates to the act's two most controversial parts: authorization for roving wiretaps, which allow investigators to monitor multiple devices to keep a target from evading detection by switching phones or computers; and secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries.
Feingold, Craig and other critics said those efforts weren't enough, and have called for the law to be extended in its present form so they can continue to try and add more civil liberties safeguards. But Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have said they won't accept a short-term extension of the law.
If a compromise is not reached, the 16 Patriot Act provisions expire on Dec. 31, but the expirations have enormous exceptions. Investigators will still be able to use those powers to complete any investigation that began before the expiration date and to initiate new investigations of any alleged crime that began before Dec. 31, according to a provision in the original law. There are ongoing investigations of every known terrorist group, including al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad and the Zarqawi group in Iraq, and all the Patriot Act tools could continue to be used in those investigations.
Five Republicans voted against the reauthorization: Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Craig and Frist. Two Democrats voted to extend the provisions: Sens. Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Frist, R-Tenn., changed his vote at the last moment after seeing the critics would win. He decided to vote with the prevailing side so he could call for a new vote at any time. He immediately objected to an offer of a short term extension from Democrats, saying the House won't approve it and the president won't sign it.
"We have more to fear from terrorism than we do from this Patriot Act," Frist warned.
If the Patriot Act provisions expire, Republicans say they will place the blame on Democrats in next year's midterm elections. "In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without these vital tools for a single moment," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The time for Democrats to stop standing in the way has come."
But the Patriot Act's critics got a boost from a New York Times report saying Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people inside the United States. Previously, the NSA typically limited its domestic surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations.
"I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care," said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.
"It is time to have some checks and balances in this country," shouted Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "We are more American for doing that."
Most of the Patriot Act — which expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers — was made permanent when Congress overwhelmingly passed it after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. Making the rest of it permanent was a priority for both the Bush administration and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill before Congress adjourns for the year.
The House on Wednesday passed a House-Senate compromise bill to renew the expiring portions of the Patriot Act that supporters say added significant safeguards to the law. Its Senate supporters say that compromise is the only thing that has a chance to pass Congress before 2006.
"This is a defining moment. There are no more compromises to be made, no more extensions of time. The bill is what it is," said Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz.
The bill's opponents say the original act was rushed into law, and Congress should take more time now to make sure the rights of innocent Americans are safeguarded before making the expiring provisions permanent.
"Those that would give up essential liberties in pursuit in a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security," said Sen. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H. They suggested a short extension so negotiations could continue, but the Senate scrapped a Democratic-led effort to renew the USA Patriot Act for just three months before the vote began.
"Today, fair-minded senators stood firm in their commitment to the Constitution and rejected the White House's call to pass a faulty law," said Caroline Fredrickson, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington legislative office. "This was a victory for the privacy and liberty of all Americans."
Justice Department's Web site on the USA Patriot Act: http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/
ACLU's Patriot Act Web site: http://www.aclu.org/safefree
20051215
Danger! Scrambled eggs ahead!
A hazardous slick of broken eggs caused traffic chaos in rural Ireland Thursday after a truck carrying thousands of broody hens lost its load.
"Chickens have begun to lay eggs on the roads and the conditions are quite treacherous at the moment, very slippy," AA Roadwatch said on its traffic advice line, warning up to 7,000 chickens were on the loose.
Police said the vehicle carrying the birds may have hit a ditch, causing its boxes to "cascade off the lorry."
"The lorry has been moved off the road but the cargo is wandering around the roads out there," Sergeant Jim Greene from nearby town of Cavan told Reuters, adding there were no reports of any human casualties.
A team has been scrambled to help catch the birds, Greene said, but little could be done about their egg-laying: "We wouldn't expect anything less from a hen".
"Chickens have begun to lay eggs on the roads and the conditions are quite treacherous at the moment, very slippy," AA Roadwatch said on its traffic advice line, warning up to 7,000 chickens were on the loose.
Police said the vehicle carrying the birds may have hit a ditch, causing its boxes to "cascade off the lorry."
"The lorry has been moved off the road but the cargo is wandering around the roads out there," Sergeant Jim Greene from nearby town of Cavan told Reuters, adding there were no reports of any human casualties.
A team has been scrambled to help catch the birds, Greene said, but little could be done about their egg-laying: "We wouldn't expect anything less from a hen".
Polish man gets on his bike, ends up in London
An 84-year-old man, missing since he left home to ride his bike in the small central Polish town of Znin last week, has been found in good health wandering around London's Heathrow airport, Polish police said Wednesday.
"According to the family, he just took his bike and left", a police spokesman said.
He said police had been searching for the man, identified as Ludwik Z, when they got a telegram from the Polish consulate in London informing them he was safe and sound in London.
"The family have been unable to explain how he got to London," the spokesman said. "He doesn't speak English and has no friends or family in England, though he did take enough money with him to buy an air ticket."
Since joining the European Union last year, Poles have been flocking to London to work.
"According to the family, he just took his bike and left", a police spokesman said.
He said police had been searching for the man, identified as Ludwik Z, when they got a telegram from the Polish consulate in London informing them he was safe and sound in London.
"The family have been unable to explain how he got to London," the spokesman said. "He doesn't speak English and has no friends or family in England, though he did take enough money with him to buy an air ticket."
Since joining the European Union last year, Poles have been flocking to London to work.
20051213
Italy taps porn industry to help curb deficit
Italy's cash-strapped government has decided to hike taxes on one of the country's few vibrant industries, pornography, to help rein in the burgeoning budget deficit, government sources told Reuters Tuesday.
The "porno-tax," which imposes an additional levy of 25 percent on all income from pornography, is contained in a package of amendments to the 2006 budget to presented in the Chamber of Deputies Tuesday or Wednesday, the sources said.
Under the amendment, subscribers to hard core television channels must also pay additional value-added tax of 10 percent. Altogether, the tougher tax-treatment of porn should bring the government some 300 million euros next year.
A recent study by the Eurispes institute estimated revenues for pornography and related industries in 2004 at some 1.1 billion euros, up 100 million euros from the previous year and up 27 percent since 1991.
That is equal to about one-third of the revenues for a company like Italy's Mediaset, one of Europe's largest broadcasters, or about the same as the Giorgio Armani luxury goods group makes.
Italians spent an estimated 247 million euros on pay-TV porn in 2004, up 63 million euros from the previous year, as more satellite operators offered clients subscription packages.
NEW TAX AMNESTY
The center-piece of the budget amendments package, which has been seen by Reuters, is a new tax amnesty, despite numerous assurances from the economy minister that there would be no recourse to this often-used and much-criticized deficit plug.
The latest amnesty, by which tax dodgers can settle disputes with the authorities by paying a small proportion of what they owe, is available to companies and self-employed workers for allegedly unpaid taxes in the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
It is flanked by a more forward-looking tax measure aimed at reducing tax evasion, by which companies and self-employed workers can agree in advance to pay a limited sum for the next three years rather than make regular tax returns each year.
The tax amnesty and the forward-looking "tax agreement" aim to garner a total of 3 billion euros.
Government officials said this would not be an additional deficit cut but would substitute "less certain" revenue raising and spending cuts previously pencilled into the budget.
The draft budget, which was presented in September, aims to cut the 2006 deficit by some 16.5 billion euros to 3.8 percent of GDP from a targeted 4.3 percent in 2005. The package must be approved by parliament by the end of the year.
The "porno-tax," which imposes an additional levy of 25 percent on all income from pornography, is contained in a package of amendments to the 2006 budget to presented in the Chamber of Deputies Tuesday or Wednesday, the sources said.
Under the amendment, subscribers to hard core television channels must also pay additional value-added tax of 10 percent. Altogether, the tougher tax-treatment of porn should bring the government some 300 million euros next year.
A recent study by the Eurispes institute estimated revenues for pornography and related industries in 2004 at some 1.1 billion euros, up 100 million euros from the previous year and up 27 percent since 1991.
That is equal to about one-third of the revenues for a company like Italy's Mediaset, one of Europe's largest broadcasters, or about the same as the Giorgio Armani luxury goods group makes.
Italians spent an estimated 247 million euros on pay-TV porn in 2004, up 63 million euros from the previous year, as more satellite operators offered clients subscription packages.
NEW TAX AMNESTY
The center-piece of the budget amendments package, which has been seen by Reuters, is a new tax amnesty, despite numerous assurances from the economy minister that there would be no recourse to this often-used and much-criticized deficit plug.
The latest amnesty, by which tax dodgers can settle disputes with the authorities by paying a small proportion of what they owe, is available to companies and self-employed workers for allegedly unpaid taxes in the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
It is flanked by a more forward-looking tax measure aimed at reducing tax evasion, by which companies and self-employed workers can agree in advance to pay a limited sum for the next three years rather than make regular tax returns each year.
The tax amnesty and the forward-looking "tax agreement" aim to garner a total of 3 billion euros.
Government officials said this would not be an additional deficit cut but would substitute "less certain" revenue raising and spending cuts previously pencilled into the budget.
The draft budget, which was presented in September, aims to cut the 2006 deficit by some 16.5 billion euros to 3.8 percent of GDP from a targeted 4.3 percent in 2005. The package must be approved by parliament by the end of the year.
20051212
Ecuadorean woman, 116, is world's oldest person
A 116-year-old Ecuadorean woman was declared the oldest person in the world on Friday, lifting the title from a U.S. woman previously thought to be the oldest person alive, Guinness World Records said.
Maria Esther Capovilla was confirmed as the oldest living person after her family sent details of her birth and marriage certificates to Guinness World Records.
"We only told her yesterday she was the new Guinness world record holder," Kate White, brand manager at the records publisher told Reuters. "We hadn't heard of her before."
"She's in very good health, she's got good sight, is able to read the papers and watch television, and doesn't walk with a stick," White added.
Capovilla was born in Guayaqull in western Ecuador on September 14, 1889, and lives there today with her daughter-in-law and son.
She had five children, and has four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Her husband died in 1949.
White said Capovilla had been asked what she thought about the changes she had seen over her life.
"She said she disliked the fact that presently it's acceptable for women to pursue men. And she said that every day she thanks God that she's alive," White said.
As a girl at the turn of the century one of Capovilla's favorite pastimes was going to parties, where she never drank alcohol.
At the time it was the custom for women just to touch the rim of the glass with their lips without drinking, as a sign of accepting hospitality, her family told Guinness World Records.
Elizabeth Bolden, from Memphis, Tennessee, born August 15, 1890, had previously been regarded as the oldest living person.
Edith "Judy" Ingamell, 111 years old, from Enfield north of London, became the oldest woman in Britain after the death on Wednesday of the previous title holder Lucy d'Abreu, Guinness World Records said.
D'Abreu, who lived to 113, attributed her longevity to a daily dose of brandy and dry ginger ale.
Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, from Puerto Rico, born August 21, 1891, is the world's oldest living man, aged 114, says Guinness World Records.
Maria Esther Capovilla was confirmed as the oldest living person after her family sent details of her birth and marriage certificates to Guinness World Records.
"We only told her yesterday she was the new Guinness world record holder," Kate White, brand manager at the records publisher told Reuters. "We hadn't heard of her before."
"She's in very good health, she's got good sight, is able to read the papers and watch television, and doesn't walk with a stick," White added.
Capovilla was born in Guayaqull in western Ecuador on September 14, 1889, and lives there today with her daughter-in-law and son.
She had five children, and has four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Her husband died in 1949.
White said Capovilla had been asked what she thought about the changes she had seen over her life.
"She said she disliked the fact that presently it's acceptable for women to pursue men. And she said that every day she thanks God that she's alive," White said.
As a girl at the turn of the century one of Capovilla's favorite pastimes was going to parties, where she never drank alcohol.
At the time it was the custom for women just to touch the rim of the glass with their lips without drinking, as a sign of accepting hospitality, her family told Guinness World Records.
Elizabeth Bolden, from Memphis, Tennessee, born August 15, 1890, had previously been regarded as the oldest living person.
Edith "Judy" Ingamell, 111 years old, from Enfield north of London, became the oldest woman in Britain after the death on Wednesday of the previous title holder Lucy d'Abreu, Guinness World Records said.
D'Abreu, who lived to 113, attributed her longevity to a daily dose of brandy and dry ginger ale.
Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, from Puerto Rico, born August 21, 1891, is the world's oldest living man, aged 114, says Guinness World Records.
20051210
Lesbian bikers get 'Dykes on Bikes' trademark
Lesbian motorcycle enthusiasts in San Francisco have won their fight to trademark the name "Dykes on Bikes", a lawyer for their group said on Thursday.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had denied applications by the San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent to trademark "Dykes on Bikes," arguing the phrase would be perceived as disparaging to lesbians.
But the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Brooke Oliver Law Group said the word "dyke" is no longer viewed as derogatory.
"Within the lesbian community that term has been reclaimed as a very positive term that denotes strength and pride and empowerment," said Shannon Minter, a lawyer for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
The San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent sought the trademark after a woman in Wisconsin not affiliated with group attempted to use the phrase for a clothing line.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had denied applications by the San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent to trademark "Dykes on Bikes," arguing the phrase would be perceived as disparaging to lesbians.
But the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Brooke Oliver Law Group said the word "dyke" is no longer viewed as derogatory.
"Within the lesbian community that term has been reclaimed as a very positive term that denotes strength and pride and empowerment," said Shannon Minter, a lawyer for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
The San Francisco Women's Motorcycle Contingent sought the trademark after a woman in Wisconsin not affiliated with group attempted to use the phrase for a clothing line.
20051209
Office Parties not like those you can't remember
It's office party time of year again, but the holiday shindigs just aren't what they used to be.
Gone are the nights of photocopying one's bare buttocks, groping interns and hauling home a gift bag full of goodies.
Instead, sensitized by sexual harassment cases, sobered by the dangers of drunk driving, solemn since September 11, 2001, saddened by Hurricane Katrina and set back by economic worries, companies are staging sedate affairs these days.
"In the mid-80's, when Wall Street was at its high, those parties were in their heyday," said Paul Siegel, an employment lawyer in Melville, New York. "It was a large frat party. Then it was all-out embarrassment the next day going back to work, having danced on the table wearing only a lampshade."
Indeed, a survey of Britons on a dating Web site showed two-thirds had kissed a colleague at a holiday office party and a third said they had sex with a boss at such a get-together.
Almost half reported having been so drunk they could not remember what they did.
Hoping to keep bad behavior at bay, an office party these days might easily be held in an art gallery, perhaps during the day, with libations limited to beer and wine, experts say. Even the food has gotten healthier and the portions smaller.
"No one wants to appear to be overly lavish. They're concerned about how they would look," said Joan Steinberg, a partner in Match Catering and Eventstyles in New York.
"No one wants a party turned into a downer," she added. "They're just being conscientious."
LEGAL LIABILITIES
Behind much of that conscience is the threat of legal liability, be it for employees driving home drunk or bosses harassing underlings, workplace experts say.
"It bleeds into a problem once the party's over and people go back to work. There's certainly a connection between these holiday parties and complaints in January and February," said Randall Gold, a Madison, Wisconsin-area attorney, who expects a rise in sexual harassment complaints early in the new year.
Typical is a recent case in which Gold represented a woman at a small company whose owner made explicit sexual advances at the holiday party.
"Monday morning, the owner of the company came into her office and wanted to continue where he left off," he said. She settled a federal lawsuit out of court, he said.
Despite the pitfalls, the office party is like a seasonal ailment that can't be shaken. As many as nine out of 10 companies throw holiday parties, surveys show.
A study by executive search firm Battalia Winston International showed the number of companies throwing parties was down 8 percent from last year, the first drop since 2001.
"The higher interest rates and rising energy costs of recent months may be beginning to impact spending," said the company's chief executive, Dale Winston.
Battalia also found a third of companies surveyed said their parties are more modest than they were five years ago.
Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement company, said its research found that roughly a fifth of companies holding office parties planned to spend more this year, but nearly as many planned to trim their party budgets.
"By dot.com-era standards, most of this year's holiday parties will be pretty tame affairs," said Chief Executive John Challenger. "Most employees do not want extravagant events. They just want the company to recognize and reward their efforts."
A recent survey of workers in Canada showed employees perhaps did not want to party at all. Just 19 percent of respondents found company bashes enjoyable and 81 percent found them a chore.
"One question I'm always asked is whether people have to go at all. People don't feel comfortable and they'd just as soon stay home," said Pamela Bedour, founder of The Protocol School of Ontario.
Her advice?
"Go. It's one of those things. You have to put yourself out and make an effort to go and an effort to mingle," she said.
Gone are the nights of photocopying one's bare buttocks, groping interns and hauling home a gift bag full of goodies.
Instead, sensitized by sexual harassment cases, sobered by the dangers of drunk driving, solemn since September 11, 2001, saddened by Hurricane Katrina and set back by economic worries, companies are staging sedate affairs these days.
"In the mid-80's, when Wall Street was at its high, those parties were in their heyday," said Paul Siegel, an employment lawyer in Melville, New York. "It was a large frat party. Then it was all-out embarrassment the next day going back to work, having danced on the table wearing only a lampshade."
Indeed, a survey of Britons on a dating Web site showed two-thirds had kissed a colleague at a holiday office party and a third said they had sex with a boss at such a get-together.
Almost half reported having been so drunk they could not remember what they did.
Hoping to keep bad behavior at bay, an office party these days might easily be held in an art gallery, perhaps during the day, with libations limited to beer and wine, experts say. Even the food has gotten healthier and the portions smaller.
"No one wants to appear to be overly lavish. They're concerned about how they would look," said Joan Steinberg, a partner in Match Catering and Eventstyles in New York.
"No one wants a party turned into a downer," she added. "They're just being conscientious."
LEGAL LIABILITIES
Behind much of that conscience is the threat of legal liability, be it for employees driving home drunk or bosses harassing underlings, workplace experts say.
"It bleeds into a problem once the party's over and people go back to work. There's certainly a connection between these holiday parties and complaints in January and February," said Randall Gold, a Madison, Wisconsin-area attorney, who expects a rise in sexual harassment complaints early in the new year.
Typical is a recent case in which Gold represented a woman at a small company whose owner made explicit sexual advances at the holiday party.
"Monday morning, the owner of the company came into her office and wanted to continue where he left off," he said. She settled a federal lawsuit out of court, he said.
Despite the pitfalls, the office party is like a seasonal ailment that can't be shaken. As many as nine out of 10 companies throw holiday parties, surveys show.
A study by executive search firm Battalia Winston International showed the number of companies throwing parties was down 8 percent from last year, the first drop since 2001.
"The higher interest rates and rising energy costs of recent months may be beginning to impact spending," said the company's chief executive, Dale Winston.
Battalia also found a third of companies surveyed said their parties are more modest than they were five years ago.
Chicago-based Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement company, said its research found that roughly a fifth of companies holding office parties planned to spend more this year, but nearly as many planned to trim their party budgets.
"By dot.com-era standards, most of this year's holiday parties will be pretty tame affairs," said Chief Executive John Challenger. "Most employees do not want extravagant events. They just want the company to recognize and reward their efforts."
A recent survey of workers in Canada showed employees perhaps did not want to party at all. Just 19 percent of respondents found company bashes enjoyable and 81 percent found them a chore.
"One question I'm always asked is whether people have to go at all. People don't feel comfortable and they'd just as soon stay home," said Pamela Bedour, founder of The Protocol School of Ontario.
Her advice?
"Go. It's one of those things. You have to put yourself out and make an effort to go and an effort to mingle," she said.
20051208
A gift list that would get Santa fired
It may be the thought that counts when it comes to Christmas presents, but an Australian consumer magazine has issued a "useless" presents list to warn shoppers what not to buy this festive season.
A Choice magazine survey of nearly 12,000 people found the worst present to give was an electric ice shaver, joking "apparently hairy ice isn't a big consumer issue."
"It never really worked properly and we always ended up with a big mess and not enough crushed ice to be worth the effort," said one person who owned an electric ice shaver.
A close second was an ice cream maker and the third was a foot spa.
"If you are tired and have tired feet the last thing you want to do is run around, put towels down, fill up the foot spa, try not to spill it. Then it goes cold in 10 minutes. Too much work for a few minutes comfort," said a disgruntled foot spa owner.
Also on the 40-plus list of what not to buy were: electric can openers, aromatherapy diffusers, hair removal appliances (apparently they were too painful), heated rollers, hair curling wands and deli-slicers.
It seems toasters, kettles and hand-held mixers are the most useful gifts to give, according to the Choice survey.
A Choice magazine survey of nearly 12,000 people found the worst present to give was an electric ice shaver, joking "apparently hairy ice isn't a big consumer issue."
"It never really worked properly and we always ended up with a big mess and not enough crushed ice to be worth the effort," said one person who owned an electric ice shaver.
A close second was an ice cream maker and the third was a foot spa.
"If you are tired and have tired feet the last thing you want to do is run around, put towels down, fill up the foot spa, try not to spill it. Then it goes cold in 10 minutes. Too much work for a few minutes comfort," said a disgruntled foot spa owner.
Also on the 40-plus list of what not to buy were: electric can openers, aromatherapy diffusers, hair removal appliances (apparently they were too painful), heated rollers, hair curling wands and deli-slicers.
It seems toasters, kettles and hand-held mixers are the most useful gifts to give, according to the Choice survey.
20051207
Pushing the envelope on love letters
Love may be in the air but it is no longer in the mail, according to a new competition to revive the lost art of love letter writing.
Run for the first time last year in the United States when it attracted 5,000 entries, philanthropist Henri Zimand's competition to find the best written love letters has now opened to entrants from Britain as well.
"In this age of one-line e-mails and abbreviated text messages, the simple art of letter writing has all but been forgotten," he said. "Writing a love letter is a dying art and to me that is a real shame."
The competition is dedicated to the memory of Zimand's wife Anda who died from breast cancer in 2003 aged 49.
"No one should underestimate the power of a letter that truly comes from the heart and with every letter I receive, I am moved, and remember my Anda," Zimand said.
For each of the first 10,000 letters submitted to the website www.AndaSpirit.com in Britain or www.AndaSpiritUSA.com in the United States, Zimand will make a contribution to a cancer facility in the area where the letter originated.
If inspiration is needed, an example of one of last year's entries is as follows: "Heartfelt and true, your beauty shines through, with love, emotion and everlasting devotion, I yearn to marry you.".
The winners -- to be selected by a panel including Zimand and judges from the Romance Writers of America -- will be flown to New York and, on the morning of St Valentine's Day, taken on a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride in the city.
Run for the first time last year in the United States when it attracted 5,000 entries, philanthropist Henri Zimand's competition to find the best written love letters has now opened to entrants from Britain as well.
"In this age of one-line e-mails and abbreviated text messages, the simple art of letter writing has all but been forgotten," he said. "Writing a love letter is a dying art and to me that is a real shame."
The competition is dedicated to the memory of Zimand's wife Anda who died from breast cancer in 2003 aged 49.
"No one should underestimate the power of a letter that truly comes from the heart and with every letter I receive, I am moved, and remember my Anda," Zimand said.
For each of the first 10,000 letters submitted to the website www.AndaSpirit.com in Britain or www.AndaSpiritUSA.com in the United States, Zimand will make a contribution to a cancer facility in the area where the letter originated.
If inspiration is needed, an example of one of last year's entries is as follows: "Heartfelt and true, your beauty shines through, with love, emotion and everlasting devotion, I yearn to marry you.".
The winners -- to be selected by a panel including Zimand and judges from the Romance Writers of America -- will be flown to New York and, on the morning of St Valentine's Day, taken on a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride in the city.
20051205
Erotic moments from Bible
A German Protestant youth group has put together a 2006 calendar with 12 staged photos depicting erotic scenes from the Bible, including a bare-breasted Delilah cutting Samson's hair and a nude Eve offering an apple.
"There's a whole range of biblical scriptures simply bursting with eroticism," said Stefan Wiest, the 32-year-old photographer who took the titillating pictures.
Anne Rohmer, 21, poses on a doorstep in garters and stockings as the prostitute Rahab, who is mentioned in both New and Old Testaments. "We wanted to represent the Bible in a different way and to interest young people," she told Reuters.
"Anyway, it doesn't say anywhere in the Bible that you are forbidden to show yourself nude."
Bernd Grasser, pastor of the church in Nuremberg where the calendar is being sold, was enthusiastic about the project which is explained online at www.bibelkalender.de.
"It's just wonderful when teenagers commit themselves with their hair and their skin to the bible," he said.
"There's a whole range of biblical scriptures simply bursting with eroticism," said Stefan Wiest, the 32-year-old photographer who took the titillating pictures.
Anne Rohmer, 21, poses on a doorstep in garters and stockings as the prostitute Rahab, who is mentioned in both New and Old Testaments. "We wanted to represent the Bible in a different way and to interest young people," she told Reuters.
"Anyway, it doesn't say anywhere in the Bible that you are forbidden to show yourself nude."
Bernd Grasser, pastor of the church in Nuremberg where the calendar is being sold, was enthusiastic about the project which is explained online at www.bibelkalender.de.
"It's just wonderful when teenagers commit themselves with their hair and their skin to the bible," he said.
20051202
Suicides by location
Suicides by location, records compiled by the Golden Gate Bridge.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?m=/c/pictures/2005/10/30/mn_suicide30_loc_tt.gif
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?m=/c/pictures/2005/10/30/mn_suicide30_loc_tt.gif
20051201
Grateful Dead to Allow Free Web Downloads
What a short, strange trip it was. After the Grateful Dead angered some of its biggest fans by asking a nonprofit Web site to halt the free downloading of its concert recordings, the psychedelic jam band changed its mind Wednesday.
Internet Archive, a site that catalogues content on Web sites, reposted recordings of Grateful Dead concerts for download after the surviving members of the band decided to make them available again.
Band spokesman Dennis McNally said the group was swayed by the backlash from fans, who for decades have freely taped and traded the band's live performances.
"The Grateful Dead remains as it always has -- in favor of tape trading," McNally said.
He said the band consented to making audience recordings available for download again, although live recordings made directly from concert soundboards, which are the legal property of the Grateful Dead, should only be made available for listening from now on.
The soundboard recordings are "very much part of their legacy, and their rights need to be protected," McNally said.
Representatives for the band earlier this month had directed the Internet Archive to stop making recordings of the group's concerts available for download. But fans quickly initiated an online petition that argued the band shouldn't change the rules midway through the game.
"The internet archive has been a resource that is important to all of us," states the petition, which also threatened a boycott of Grateful Dead recordings and merchandise. "Between the music, and interviews in the archive we are able to experience the Grateful Dead fully."
The Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995 following the death of guitarist and lead singer Jerry Garcia. The group once set concert attendance records and generated millions of dollars in revenue from extensive tours.
With concert tickets now removed as a source of revenue, sales of the band's music and other merchandise have become increasingly important in an age where music is distributed digitally instead of on CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes.
And the arrival of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes online music store, and other similar sites, means free downloads can be seen as competition, said Marc Schiller, chief executive of Electricartists, which helps musicians market themselves online.
The band sells music on iTunes and exclusive shows through its Web site.
"When the music was given away for free to trade, the band was making so much money touring that the music was not as valuable to them," Schiller said. "Apple iTunes has made digital downloads a business."
The Grateful Dead's freeform improvisational style led to vastly different sounding songs, from year to year or even night to night. A song that lasted four minutes during one performance could be stretched to 20 minutes during a different show.
Fans eager to explore the varying versions frequently built large collections of shows spanning the band's 30-year career. The band even encouraged recording of their live shows, establishing a cordoned section for fans to set up taping equipment.
Representatives from the Internet Archive didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Wednesday.
Internet Archive, a site that catalogues content on Web sites, reposted recordings of Grateful Dead concerts for download after the surviving members of the band decided to make them available again.
Band spokesman Dennis McNally said the group was swayed by the backlash from fans, who for decades have freely taped and traded the band's live performances.
"The Grateful Dead remains as it always has -- in favor of tape trading," McNally said.
He said the band consented to making audience recordings available for download again, although live recordings made directly from concert soundboards, which are the legal property of the Grateful Dead, should only be made available for listening from now on.
The soundboard recordings are "very much part of their legacy, and their rights need to be protected," McNally said.
Representatives for the band earlier this month had directed the Internet Archive to stop making recordings of the group's concerts available for download. But fans quickly initiated an online petition that argued the band shouldn't change the rules midway through the game.
"The internet archive has been a resource that is important to all of us," states the petition, which also threatened a boycott of Grateful Dead recordings and merchandise. "Between the music, and interviews in the archive we are able to experience the Grateful Dead fully."
The Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995 following the death of guitarist and lead singer Jerry Garcia. The group once set concert attendance records and generated millions of dollars in revenue from extensive tours.
With concert tickets now removed as a source of revenue, sales of the band's music and other merchandise have become increasingly important in an age where music is distributed digitally instead of on CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes.
And the arrival of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes online music store, and other similar sites, means free downloads can be seen as competition, said Marc Schiller, chief executive of Electricartists, which helps musicians market themselves online.
The band sells music on iTunes and exclusive shows through its Web site.
"When the music was given away for free to trade, the band was making so much money touring that the music was not as valuable to them," Schiller said. "Apple iTunes has made digital downloads a business."
The Grateful Dead's freeform improvisational style led to vastly different sounding songs, from year to year or even night to night. A song that lasted four minutes during one performance could be stretched to 20 minutes during a different show.
Fans eager to explore the varying versions frequently built large collections of shows spanning the band's 30-year career. The band even encouraged recording of their live shows, establishing a cordoned section for fans to set up taping equipment.
Representatives from the Internet Archive didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Wednesday.
An end to hard butter misery?
Ever get frustrated with fresh-out-of the-fridge butter that is too hard to spread?
A UK-based company has launched a portable, temperature-controlled butter dish, ButterWizard, which keeps butter at what it says is the optimal spreadable temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has a built-in fan and a chip which together control the temperature, adjustable for different textures, be it super-soft bread, crusty toast or delicate biscuits. "We were trying to find out what people's frustration with butter was. It's either too hard or too soft," said David Alfille, managing director of East Sussex-based company Alfille Innovations Limited.
"ButterWizard heats or cools the butter and you can adjust the temperature to suit yourself."
Nutritionist Fiona Hunter said: "There are over 16 million UK households buying butter on a regular basis, but one complaint I hear time after time is the lack of spreadability of real butter."
"Butter has been part of diet for thousands of years. The important thing is to spread butter thinly," she added.
A UK-based company has launched a portable, temperature-controlled butter dish, ButterWizard, which keeps butter at what it says is the optimal spreadable temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has a built-in fan and a chip which together control the temperature, adjustable for different textures, be it super-soft bread, crusty toast or delicate biscuits. "We were trying to find out what people's frustration with butter was. It's either too hard or too soft," said David Alfille, managing director of East Sussex-based company Alfille Innovations Limited.
"ButterWizard heats or cools the butter and you can adjust the temperature to suit yourself."
Nutritionist Fiona Hunter said: "There are over 16 million UK households buying butter on a regular basis, but one complaint I hear time after time is the lack of spreadability of real butter."
"Butter has been part of diet for thousands of years. The important thing is to spread butter thinly," she added.
Police seek truckload of cognac
British police were searching for 85,000 pounds worth of fine cognac on Tuesday after a French truck driver was robbed as he slept in his truck.
The man was bundled out of his cab as he snoozed in a truck park in southern England. His assailants made off with his entire cargo of Courvoisier cognac.
"We would like to hear from anyone who is offered Courvoisier for sale," said Detective Inspector David Smith of Hampshire police.
The man was bundled out of his cab as he snoozed in a truck park in southern England. His assailants made off with his entire cargo of Courvoisier cognac.
"We would like to hear from anyone who is offered Courvoisier for sale," said Detective Inspector David Smith of Hampshire police.
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