A ban by Australia's Parliament House on the term "mate," a popular colloquialism and symbol of egalitarianism, has been overturned following a barrage of protest.
Security guards at Parliament House in Canberra had been directed Thursday to refer to people as sir and ma'am. The ban was imposed after the head of a government department complained about being called mate, local media reported.
But a parliamentary circular issued Friday removed the directive warning staff not to use "mate" when dealing with the public or members of parliament, instead suggesting they use their judgment on when a more formal approach is required.
Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke said the attempted ban was "pomposity gone mad," while current Prime Minister John Howard described the ban as "absurd and impractical."
"There are circumstances where a more formal address is appropriate," Howard told Australian radio.
"But in the same conversation you might start off calling somebody you have just met sir or madam but as you become more familiar ... you might end up saying mate."
The move also prompted a flood of calls to talkback radio around the country and was slammed by Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper as "ludicrous" because it took Australia back to the days of the class system.
20050821
Nevada Kitty Survives Jolt, Fire, Fall
A stalking foray atop a power pole left a lucky feline jolted, frizzled and dazed but otherwise OK after he fell off the 40-foot pole and sparked a fire outside a fire house.
The frazzled cat was discovered when paramedic-firefighters Andrew Chrzanowski and Jeremy Hall responded to the fire Wednesday morning after the lights went out at the Topaz Ranch Estates fire house.
"When we got the fire knocked down we saw this burned cat close to the base of the pole," Hall said.
They assumed it was dead until Chrzanowski noticed it was breathing. He put it on a blanket and gave it oxygen.
"We both thought that with the amount of burns he had he wasn't going to make it, but then we started to look more closely and we saw it was all superficial," Hall said. "The fire just burned all his hair off."
The firefighters believe the cat was on the pole, because a bird's nest was found on top and there was a large black spot where something had touched a relay switch on the 25,000-volt line.
Animal Control officer Janet Duzan took the cat to Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital, where Veterinarian Steve Talbot said it should make a full recovery.
"The doctor said it looks like he was in a flash fire and got singed from head to toe," Duzan said.
The cat will be put up for adoption if it is not claimed by its owner, she said.
The frazzled cat was discovered when paramedic-firefighters Andrew Chrzanowski and Jeremy Hall responded to the fire Wednesday morning after the lights went out at the Topaz Ranch Estates fire house.
"When we got the fire knocked down we saw this burned cat close to the base of the pole," Hall said.
They assumed it was dead until Chrzanowski noticed it was breathing. He put it on a blanket and gave it oxygen.
"We both thought that with the amount of burns he had he wasn't going to make it, but then we started to look more closely and we saw it was all superficial," Hall said. "The fire just burned all his hair off."
The firefighters believe the cat was on the pole, because a bird's nest was found on top and there was a large black spot where something had touched a relay switch on the 25,000-volt line.
Animal Control officer Janet Duzan took the cat to Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital, where Veterinarian Steve Talbot said it should make a full recovery.
"The doctor said it looks like he was in a flash fire and got singed from head to toe," Duzan said.
The cat will be put up for adoption if it is not claimed by its owner, she said.
20050815
California Cops Want to Bust Ghost Hunters
Police here are determined to bust the legend of Billy's ghost. For more than 20 years, ghost hunters, amorous teens and the just plain curious have flocked to Mariposa Elementary School in the wee hours in hopes of spotting the ghost of a boy that legend says died in the school nurse's office.
Or maybe he was hit by a truck. Or perhaps he split his head open after tumbling from playground swings.
Whatever the actual story, lovers of the paranormal believe little Billy decided to spend his afterlife roaming the school's halls after dark.
The legend may be harmless, but police say they are tired of sending patrol cars to the rural campus to keep trespassers away.
So authorities intend to install a video surveillance system — not to catch the ghost, but the ghost hunters.
The cameras will be installed within a few weeks and will be partially paid for by a federal grant. Police aren't saying how many cameras will be installed or where.
Police dispatchers will be able to tilt and pan the cameras to keep tabs on intruders.
The legend seems to stem from the real life death of a boy in 1972. Problem is, he didn't die in the school and wasn't even a student there. It's not even clear his name was Billy.
The boy was riding his bicycle down a hill road that dead-ends at the school when he was hit by a truck and killed.
This was born the legend, which says, among other things, that if someone knocks on the school's office door at night three times, Billy will knock back.
Will the cameras deter the curious?
"As long as there's a Web site that says it's haunted, and as long as there's teenagers that want to see if it's true, they'll keep coming," said police Lt. Russ Dalzell.
Or maybe he was hit by a truck. Or perhaps he split his head open after tumbling from playground swings.
Whatever the actual story, lovers of the paranormal believe little Billy decided to spend his afterlife roaming the school's halls after dark.
The legend may be harmless, but police say they are tired of sending patrol cars to the rural campus to keep trespassers away.
So authorities intend to install a video surveillance system — not to catch the ghost, but the ghost hunters.
The cameras will be installed within a few weeks and will be partially paid for by a federal grant. Police aren't saying how many cameras will be installed or where.
Police dispatchers will be able to tilt and pan the cameras to keep tabs on intruders.
The legend seems to stem from the real life death of a boy in 1972. Problem is, he didn't die in the school and wasn't even a student there. It's not even clear his name was Billy.
The boy was riding his bicycle down a hill road that dead-ends at the school when he was hit by a truck and killed.
This was born the legend, which says, among other things, that if someone knocks on the school's office door at night three times, Billy will knock back.
Will the cameras deter the curious?
"As long as there's a Web site that says it's haunted, and as long as there's teenagers that want to see if it's true, they'll keep coming," said police Lt. Russ Dalzell.
20050813
Bank robbery suspects nabbed with new cars
Police said on Thursday they had detained two men in connection with Brazil's biggest bank robbery after stopping a truck loaded with cars they believe were purchased by the newly rich thieves.
Federal police have been hunting the thieves since the weekend bank heist in Fortaleza, northeast Brazil. The robbers escaped with 156 million reais (about $68 million) after digging a 260-foot (80-meter) tunnel from a rented house to the vault of the local central bank branch.
The car carrier was stopped on Wednesday night in Minas Gerais state on the road to Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, about 1,550 miles from Fortaleza.
A police spokesman said the vehicle was loaded with several cars that the robbers had bought from a dealer in Fortaleza with cash from the bank raid.
Police also found one million reais in packets hidden in the front seat of one of the cars. "All the other cars that were on the transporter will checked," he said.
Police detained the driver of the truck and its owner, who was traveling with him. It was not clear whether they had any involvement in the robbery or just transported the cars.
Police say 10-20 robbers had spent three months digging the tunnel to the bank from a house they had rented under the guise that they were running a landscaping company.
Authorities suspect the heist was carried out by either the First Capital Command or Red Command, Brazil's biggest organized crime gangs.
Federal police have been hunting the thieves since the weekend bank heist in Fortaleza, northeast Brazil. The robbers escaped with 156 million reais (about $68 million) after digging a 260-foot (80-meter) tunnel from a rented house to the vault of the local central bank branch.
The car carrier was stopped on Wednesday night in Minas Gerais state on the road to Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, about 1,550 miles from Fortaleza.
A police spokesman said the vehicle was loaded with several cars that the robbers had bought from a dealer in Fortaleza with cash from the bank raid.
Police also found one million reais in packets hidden in the front seat of one of the cars. "All the other cars that were on the transporter will checked," he said.
Police detained the driver of the truck and its owner, who was traveling with him. It was not clear whether they had any involvement in the robbery or just transported the cars.
Police say 10-20 robbers had spent three months digging the tunnel to the bank from a house they had rented under the guise that they were running a landscaping company.
Authorities suspect the heist was carried out by either the First Capital Command or Red Command, Brazil's biggest organized crime gangs.
20050806
Earn easy cash in your spare time
Catch a stray cow from the hundreds roaming the streets of New Delhi, haul it to a state shelter and you will be given 2,000 rupees ($46) for your pains.
The Hindustan Times newspaper said Friday the Delhi High Court had passed an order instructing city authorities to offer money to rid the Indian capital of the cattle menace.
An estimated 35,000 cows and buffaloes roam free in the capital, sharing space with hordes of monkeys, camels and stray dogs. Traffic routinely comes to a halt to allow animals to amble across highways, leading to accidents and sometimes deaths.
Cows are sacred to Hindus, who make up a bulk of India's billion-plus population, and just a rumor of mistreatment can prompt angry mobs to attack people in revenge.
The Hindustan Times newspaper said Friday the Delhi High Court had passed an order instructing city authorities to offer money to rid the Indian capital of the cattle menace.
An estimated 35,000 cows and buffaloes roam free in the capital, sharing space with hordes of monkeys, camels and stray dogs. Traffic routinely comes to a halt to allow animals to amble across highways, leading to accidents and sometimes deaths.
Cows are sacred to Hindus, who make up a bulk of India's billion-plus population, and just a rumor of mistreatment can prompt angry mobs to attack people in revenge.
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