Criminal charges will soon be filed in the case of a 6-year-old boy who spurred a frantic search for fear he was inside a wayward helium balloon, but who was later found safe at home, officials said on Saturday.
The Larimer County Sheriff's department was preparing charges over the much-publicized incident. The boy's father, Richard Heene, an amateur scientist and inventor, has denied speculation Thursday's incident was a publicity stunt.
A massive search-and-rescue operation and media frenzy ensued after the Heene's homemade helium balloon broke loose and drifted thousands of feet above Colorado for hours.
"We do anticipate ... there will be some criminal charges filed in respect to this incident," said Sheriff Jim Alderden, speaking to reporters in a news conference televised on CNN.
He said initial charges would likely be a misdemeanor.
The department was preparing search warrants, he said, adding the possible misdemeanor charge "hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances." He said the department was in contact with federal authorities and additional federal charges were possible.
Heene and his wife Mayumi were both questioned by sheriff's officials on Saturday.
Speculation over whether the four-hour ordeal was an elaborate hoax by the family -- who have appeared on reality television and are known as storm chasers -- arose after the boy, named Falcon, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" that he stayed hidden "for the show."
Earlier on Saturday, father Heene reiterated it was not a publicity stunt. He had called media to his Fort Collins, Colorado home for what he said would be a major announcement, but instead requested that reporters put written questions into a box that he would address later.
"Was this some sort of publicity stunt?" asked a reporter outside the home.
"Absolutely no hoax," said Heene.
Falcon, whose older brother had reported seeing him climb into a compartment attached to the balloon, was discovered hiding in a box in the attic above his family's garage.
Alderden said the department would hold a news conference on Sunday morning.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Colorado sheriff sees no hoax in balloon incident
A Colorado sheriff largely dismissed suggestions on Friday that a family of amateur scientists staged a hoax by reporting their 6-year-old son had floated away in a home-made helium balloon.
The bizarre incident on Thursday gripped U.S. television viewers as the silver balloon raced across the Colorado sky, tracked by U.S. National Guard helicopters for hours before the boy, Falcon Heene, was found alive and well in his attic.
Questions about the saga were raised after Falcon was asked on CNN's "Larry King Live" why he had stayed in hiding so long when family members and other searchers were desperately calling his name.
"You guys (his parents) said that, um, we did this for the show," he said.
The boy's father strongly denied in television interviews on Friday that the incident was a stunt.
"We believe at this time that it was a real event," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told a news conference on Friday.
"We have to operate on what we can prove as a fact and not what people want to be done or what people speculate should be done," Alderden said.
He acknowledged the boy's comment "has raised everybody's level of skepticism again and we feel its incumbent on us to go back to the family and re-interview them and establish whether in fact this was a hoax," Alderden said.
Authorities had considered desperate measures to bring the craft down safely and, after discovering the boy was not inside, had begun scouring the countryside amid fears he had fallen out.
Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi, and three sons have appeared on the ABC television reality show "Wife Swap" in which families swap mothers to deal with family problems. Richard Heene said the balloon was part of an experiment by the family, which is known locally for its storm-chasing and scientific experiments.
NEW VIDEO SURFACES
A new videotape surfaced of the balloon leaving the family's yard, which showed Richard and Mayumi Heene and at least one of their sons loudly counting down to the moment of lift-off.
Richard Heene then appears to fly into a rage, kicking a wood framing that had once held the craft.
That video seemed to be at odds with earlier accounts, in which Heene said he was inside the house when the device somehow broke loose from its tethers and floated away.
Alderden told reporters he had not yet seen that videotape but said Heene would be questioned about it as part of the investigation.
The bizarre incident on Thursday gripped U.S. television viewers as the silver balloon raced across the Colorado sky, tracked by U.S. National Guard helicopters for hours before the boy, Falcon Heene, was found alive and well in his attic.
Questions about the saga were raised after Falcon was asked on CNN's "Larry King Live" why he had stayed in hiding so long when family members and other searchers were desperately calling his name.
"You guys (his parents) said that, um, we did this for the show," he said.
The boy's father strongly denied in television interviews on Friday that the incident was a stunt.
"We believe at this time that it was a real event," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told a news conference on Friday.
"We have to operate on what we can prove as a fact and not what people want to be done or what people speculate should be done," Alderden said.
He acknowledged the boy's comment "has raised everybody's level of skepticism again and we feel its incumbent on us to go back to the family and re-interview them and establish whether in fact this was a hoax," Alderden said.
Authorities had considered desperate measures to bring the craft down safely and, after discovering the boy was not inside, had begun scouring the countryside amid fears he had fallen out.
Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi, and three sons have appeared on the ABC television reality show "Wife Swap" in which families swap mothers to deal with family problems. Richard Heene said the balloon was part of an experiment by the family, which is known locally for its storm-chasing and scientific experiments.
NEW VIDEO SURFACES
A new videotape surfaced of the balloon leaving the family's yard, which showed Richard and Mayumi Heene and at least one of their sons loudly counting down to the moment of lift-off.
Richard Heene then appears to fly into a rage, kicking a wood framing that had once held the craft.
That video seemed to be at odds with earlier accounts, in which Heene said he was inside the house when the device somehow broke loose from its tethers and floated away.
Alderden told reporters he had not yet seen that videotape but said Heene would be questioned about it as part of the investigation.
Two years out and Chinese people aren't allowed to play WOTLK because of government interference and corruption.
this is the difference between America and China, and its a difference that isn't going away. For all the idiocy of our politics, for all the ridiculous back and forth and inanity, we're a free country. And it matters. It matters in little ways like being able to play the video games we want to play. It matters in big ways like being able to choose where we want to live.
There is nobody on God's green earth that knows what you want, what makes your pursuit of happiness complete, better than you do. In this country we respect that reality. In China they don't.
Size, guns and money may buy you influence. They may let your fanboys go to sleep with nice dreams. They may let you ban video games until the cows come home. But they don't make you a gladiator. There may be a time when China gets there, but I can tell you this: while its still a place where WOTLK can be banned by the government that time is measured in decades, not in years.
There is nobody on God's green earth that knows what you want, what makes your pursuit of happiness complete, better than you do. In this country we respect that reality. In China they don't.
Size, guns and money may buy you influence. They may let your fanboys go to sleep with nice dreams. They may let you ban video games until the cows come home. But they don't make you a gladiator. There may be a time when China gets there, but I can tell you this: while its still a place where WOTLK can be banned by the government that time is measured in decades, not in years.
Queen slips out for quiet date with hubby
Britain's Queen Elizabeth stunned theater-goers in London this week when she and her husband slipped in to see a play unannounced and at the last minute, newspapers reported.
The queen and Prince Philip apologetically squeezed past other theater-goers to get into their seats for the West End production of World War One play "War Horse" at the New London Theater.
"The Queen and the Duke sat down as the lights dimmed and it was a huge shock when people realized who they were," said a journalist at the show for The Lady magazine. "They were incredibly apologetic for asking people to let them past and there was no hubbub or fuss about it all."
The queen and her husband often make incognito trips to the West End, but are rarely spotted, an aide told London's Evening Standard newspaper.
"The Queen has regularly undertaken similar private visits throughout her reign without any fuss," the aide said. "It allows her to live a bit more of a normal life."
The journalist from The Lady said the queen appeared to enjoy the performance, disappeared during the interval and then reappeared discreetly.
"When they left at the end, they were given a round of applause, which the Queen acknowledged with a wave," she said.
The queen and Prince Philip apologetically squeezed past other theater-goers to get into their seats for the West End production of World War One play "War Horse" at the New London Theater.
"The Queen and the Duke sat down as the lights dimmed and it was a huge shock when people realized who they were," said a journalist at the show for The Lady magazine. "They were incredibly apologetic for asking people to let them past and there was no hubbub or fuss about it all."
The queen and her husband often make incognito trips to the West End, but are rarely spotted, an aide told London's Evening Standard newspaper.
"The Queen has regularly undertaken similar private visits throughout her reign without any fuss," the aide said. "It allows her to live a bit more of a normal life."
The journalist from The Lady said the queen appeared to enjoy the performance, disappeared during the interval and then reappeared discreetly.
"When they left at the end, they were given a round of applause, which the Queen acknowledged with a wave," she said.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
And the most tasteless idea of the week is..
Australian horse racing officials have been slammed for holding a dwarf racing competition called the 'Midget Cup' at a meeting in Melbourne to promote Victoria state's annual carnival.
The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday involved three men charging down a 50-metres course with dwarfs dressed in jockey silks riding piggyback, and has been denounced by government officials and advocacy groups.
"Well look, there's often a fine line between a bit of fun and a silly stunt and I think this falls into the latter category," Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls told state radio.
"I mean the Midget's Cup for goodness sake. It's certainly no way of promoting this great Spring Carnival right around the world, right around Australia and right throughout Victoria."
The controversy comes days after an Australian talent show came under fire for airing a comedy troupe skit involving dancers wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces to impersonate late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Stuart Laing, a marketing manager at Racing Victoria, said the dwarf race was intended to be "harmless fun," but apologized and said it would not be repeated.
"We understand that you can't please everyone and if anyone's offended by the events of Sunday then we apologize to them," he said.
The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday involved three men charging down a 50-metres course with dwarfs dressed in jockey silks riding piggyback, and has been denounced by government officials and advocacy groups.
"Well look, there's often a fine line between a bit of fun and a silly stunt and I think this falls into the latter category," Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls told state radio.
"I mean the Midget's Cup for goodness sake. It's certainly no way of promoting this great Spring Carnival right around the world, right around Australia and right throughout Victoria."
The controversy comes days after an Australian talent show came under fire for airing a comedy troupe skit involving dancers wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces to impersonate late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Stuart Laing, a marketing manager at Racing Victoria, said the dwarf race was intended to be "harmless fun," but apologized and said it would not be repeated.
"We understand that you can't please everyone and if anyone's offended by the events of Sunday then we apologize to them," he said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Rags-to-riches tramp bags fortune in bottles
A 63-year-old homeless Russian man has gone from street life to stock market trader after collecting thousands of empty booze bottles for cash, a popular Russian tabloid reported on Tuesday.
Pictured in a majestic purple suit and matching violet jewelry, Leonid Konovalov told the Tvoi Den paper he collected around 2,000 bottles a day over the past year since the economic downturn hit Russia last autumn.
"Russians are drinking a little bit more due to the crisis, and this helped me get out of the rubbish dump," said Konovalov, an ex-engineer from the industrial city of Kemerovo in eastern Siberia who has spent the last 20 years living in a tip.
Russia's many homeless are often seen rooting through rubbish for bottles and tins, which they can trade for money. A glass bottle can fetch about 2 rubles ($0.06).
The bearded former tramp said he was encouraged by his two grandchildren to take risks on the stock market and said his first transaction was a 50,000 euro ($74,120) share-purchase.
Pictured in a majestic purple suit and matching violet jewelry, Leonid Konovalov told the Tvoi Den paper he collected around 2,000 bottles a day over the past year since the economic downturn hit Russia last autumn.
"Russians are drinking a little bit more due to the crisis, and this helped me get out of the rubbish dump," said Konovalov, an ex-engineer from the industrial city of Kemerovo in eastern Siberia who has spent the last 20 years living in a tip.
Russia's many homeless are often seen rooting through rubbish for bottles and tins, which they can trade for money. A glass bottle can fetch about 2 rubles ($0.06).
The bearded former tramp said he was encouraged by his two grandchildren to take risks on the stock market and said his first transaction was a 50,000 euro ($74,120) share-purchase.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Once in a black and blue moon...
A German man mooning at railway staff in a departing train got his trousers caught in a carriage door and ended up being dragged half naked along the platform, out of the station and onto the tracks.
The 22-year-old journalism student shoved his backside against the window of a low-slung double-decker train when staff forced him off in Lauenbrueck for traveling without a ticket, a spokesman for police in the northern city of Bremen said.
"It's a miracle he wasn't badly hurt," the spokesman said on Monday. "This sort of thing can end up killing you."
Instead, dangling by his trousers, the man got pulled along for about 200 meters, all the while managing to keep his legs away from the wheels of the train.
The ordeal ended when a passenger pulled the emergency brake. Rescues services were called in, causing rail services between Bremen and Hamburg to be suspended for over an hour, delaying 23 trains.
The man -- unharmed except for cuts and bruises -- now faces charges of dangerous interference in rail transport, insulting the train staff, and may face sizeable a compensation claim for the delays he caused, police said.
"He was full of remorse when I talked to him," the spokesman said. "And he advised others not to try the same thing."
The 22-year-old journalism student shoved his backside against the window of a low-slung double-decker train when staff forced him off in Lauenbrueck for traveling without a ticket, a spokesman for police in the northern city of Bremen said.
"It's a miracle he wasn't badly hurt," the spokesman said on Monday. "This sort of thing can end up killing you."
Instead, dangling by his trousers, the man got pulled along for about 200 meters, all the while managing to keep his legs away from the wheels of the train.
The ordeal ended when a passenger pulled the emergency brake. Rescues services were called in, causing rail services between Bremen and Hamburg to be suspended for over an hour, delaying 23 trains.
The man -- unharmed except for cuts and bruises -- now faces charges of dangerous interference in rail transport, insulting the train staff, and may face sizeable a compensation claim for the delays he caused, police said.
"He was full of remorse when I talked to him," the spokesman said. "And he advised others not to try the same thing."
Man faces prison, flogging over TV sex revelations
A Saudi court has sentenced a man to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes for boasting about his sexual exploits on television, in a case that has divided public opinion in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
Abdul-Jawad, a divorced father of four, was arrested in August after discussing his premarital sexual encounters, showing off his pick-up techniques and displaying some sex toys and lubricants on a Lebanese TV program.
His comments caused a public outcry in Saudi Arabia, where the religious elite has vast powers over society and religious police enforce the segregation of men and women in public.
King Abdullah has begun to reform education and the judiciary in recent years, partly to discourage Islamic militancy. But he faces resistance from clerics and conservative princes and analysts say the case gives fresh momentum to some clerics' calls for strict curbs on social freedoms.
Three of Abdul-Jawad's friends who appeared on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) were sentenced to two years in jail and 300 lashes each.
LBC is a popular channel in Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most conservative societies, and many Saudis tune into its Western-style entertainment programs and talk shows.
Abdul-Jawad, 32, spoke from his bedroom on an episode of "In Bold Red." He was shown driving his red convertible to a shopping mall where he said he used his mobile phone to pick up girls.
A court official said that, on top of the lashings and jail sentence, Abdul-Jawad's phone and car would be confiscated and he would be banned from traveling after completing his term.
"Dont push! Don't push," a distressed Abdul-Jawad yelled as he struggled in the grasp of two policemen escorting him out of the judge's office in Jeddah Wednesday.
Lawyers say Abdul-Jawad could have been given the death penalty. Judges, who are clerics of Saudi Arabia's strict Wahhabi school of Islam, have wide powers of discretion.
Abdul-Jawad's brother said it would be difficult for him to be accepted back into society.
"Now he has been fired from his job and after his jail term it won't be possible for him to get a job in government or the private sector because he was charged with a case of moral indecency," the brother, who did not want to be named, told Reuters.
Abdul-Jawad, a divorced father of four, was arrested in August after discussing his premarital sexual encounters, showing off his pick-up techniques and displaying some sex toys and lubricants on a Lebanese TV program.
His comments caused a public outcry in Saudi Arabia, where the religious elite has vast powers over society and religious police enforce the segregation of men and women in public.
King Abdullah has begun to reform education and the judiciary in recent years, partly to discourage Islamic militancy. But he faces resistance from clerics and conservative princes and analysts say the case gives fresh momentum to some clerics' calls for strict curbs on social freedoms.
Three of Abdul-Jawad's friends who appeared on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) were sentenced to two years in jail and 300 lashes each.
LBC is a popular channel in Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most conservative societies, and many Saudis tune into its Western-style entertainment programs and talk shows.
Abdul-Jawad, 32, spoke from his bedroom on an episode of "In Bold Red." He was shown driving his red convertible to a shopping mall where he said he used his mobile phone to pick up girls.
A court official said that, on top of the lashings and jail sentence, Abdul-Jawad's phone and car would be confiscated and he would be banned from traveling after completing his term.
"Dont push! Don't push," a distressed Abdul-Jawad yelled as he struggled in the grasp of two policemen escorting him out of the judge's office in Jeddah Wednesday.
Lawyers say Abdul-Jawad could have been given the death penalty. Judges, who are clerics of Saudi Arabia's strict Wahhabi school of Islam, have wide powers of discretion.
Abdul-Jawad's brother said it would be difficult for him to be accepted back into society.
"Now he has been fired from his job and after his jail term it won't be possible for him to get a job in government or the private sector because he was charged with a case of moral indecency," the brother, who did not want to be named, told Reuters.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Birth control pill could put women off macho men?
Why do some women's hearts race over the feminine features of Orlando Bloom while others are more attracted to macho men like Daniel Craig?
Being on the contraceptive pill could be the reason, according to British scientists.
Researchers said that women whose hormones are chemically controlled are less likely to seek out muscular, rugged men.
Whereas, they say, ovulating women not on the pill "exhibit a preference for more masculine features, are particularly attracted to men showing dominance and male-male competitiveness and prefer partners who are genetically dissimilar to themselves."
Women on the pill tend to pick more effeminate men who look like themselves. This could lead to problems conceiving, according to the study conducted at the University of Sheffield.
"There is evidence that genetic similarity between couples might be linked with infertility," said the study, published in the Trends in Ecology and Evolution medical journal.
The birth control pill could also throw a spanner in the works of the laws of natural attraction as it prevents women giving off monthly fertility signals believed to be subtly alluring to men.
"Ovulation is associated with a profound shift in some female physical characteristics, behaviors and perceptions related to male attraction," the report said.
Being on the contraceptive pill could be the reason, according to British scientists.
Researchers said that women whose hormones are chemically controlled are less likely to seek out muscular, rugged men.
Whereas, they say, ovulating women not on the pill "exhibit a preference for more masculine features, are particularly attracted to men showing dominance and male-male competitiveness and prefer partners who are genetically dissimilar to themselves."
Women on the pill tend to pick more effeminate men who look like themselves. This could lead to problems conceiving, according to the study conducted at the University of Sheffield.
"There is evidence that genetic similarity between couples might be linked with infertility," said the study, published in the Trends in Ecology and Evolution medical journal.
The birth control pill could also throw a spanner in the works of the laws of natural attraction as it prevents women giving off monthly fertility signals believed to be subtly alluring to men.
"Ovulation is associated with a profound shift in some female physical characteristics, behaviors and perceptions related to male attraction," the report said.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Fetch! City pays for dog poo
A city in central Taiwan is offering shopping vouchers to volunteer dog waste collectors in a bid to clean up a perennial problem caused by the large number of stray animals island-wide.
City officials in Taichung, which has a population of one million, said on Wednesday the environmental protection bureau would give vouchers worth 100 Taiwan dollars ($3) for every kilo of dog poo collected. In areas of the city especially affected, the reward will be for every half-kilo.
"By means of offering rewards, the bureau hopes to goad the public into spontaneous clean-up efforts that protect the environment," the city council said on its website.
The 130,000 Taiwan dollar reward program should also raise public awareness of the main cause of the problem -- people who no longer want their pet dogs and who release them onto the streets, said Wang Wen-ge, a project manager with the bureau.
The initiative will start next week and vouchers can be redeemed from a local chain store.
Stray dogs may be a common sight in poor, less developed countries, but affluent Taiwan's cities are also full of them, with official figures showing there are about 180,000 living on the island of 23 million people.
The problem began in the 1980s, when Taiwan saw a boom in pet dogs following economic success, but now residents complain about the canine menace and the government has been fighting the issue for years.
The number of strays has also risen further in the current economic downturn as more pet owners dump animals they can no longer afford to keep.
City officials in Taichung, which has a population of one million, said on Wednesday the environmental protection bureau would give vouchers worth 100 Taiwan dollars ($3) for every kilo of dog poo collected. In areas of the city especially affected, the reward will be for every half-kilo.
"By means of offering rewards, the bureau hopes to goad the public into spontaneous clean-up efforts that protect the environment," the city council said on its website.
The 130,000 Taiwan dollar reward program should also raise public awareness of the main cause of the problem -- people who no longer want their pet dogs and who release them onto the streets, said Wang Wen-ge, a project manager with the bureau.
The initiative will start next week and vouchers can be redeemed from a local chain store.
Stray dogs may be a common sight in poor, less developed countries, but affluent Taiwan's cities are also full of them, with official figures showing there are about 180,000 living on the island of 23 million people.
The problem began in the 1980s, when Taiwan saw a boom in pet dogs following economic success, but now residents complain about the canine menace and the government has been fighting the issue for years.
The number of strays has also risen further in the current economic downturn as more pet owners dump animals they can no longer afford to keep.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Canadian trucker fined for smoking on the job
A Canadian truck driver has been fined for smoking in his vehicle because it is considered his workplace, a police spokeswoman said on Friday.
A police officer saw the 48-year-old trucker driving on a highway in southwestern Ontario with a cigarette in his mouth on Wednesday, and gave him a C$305 ($290) ticket.
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, adopted in 2006, prohibits smoking in an enclosed workplace or enclosed public area, and that extends to work vehicles, said Constable Shawna Coulter of the Ontario Provincial Police in Essex County.
"We enforce the legislation and this truck driver was in violation of that," she said.
A police officer saw the 48-year-old trucker driving on a highway in southwestern Ontario with a cigarette in his mouth on Wednesday, and gave him a C$305 ($290) ticket.
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, adopted in 2006, prohibits smoking in an enclosed workplace or enclosed public area, and that extends to work vehicles, said Constable Shawna Coulter of the Ontario Provincial Police in Essex County.
"We enforce the legislation and this truck driver was in violation of that," she said.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Michael Jackson skit sparks racism calls
An Australian talent show skit based around late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 has backfired after U.S. guest star Harry Connick Jr called for an apology and viewers accused the program of racism.
The comedy troupe, who called themselves "Jackson Jive," painted their faces black and donned black afro wigs in the skit broadcast on Wednesday evening, prompting talent judge Connick to protest and "speak up as an American."
Five members of the group wore white suits and purple shirts, as well as a single jeweled glove favored for a time by Michael Jackson, who died suddenly in June.
Another dressed as Jackson himself, with white face paint.
"If I knew that was going to be part of the show I definitely wouldn't have done it," Connick said after calling a halt to the skit and awarding the six performing members with a zero rating.
The show's host apologized to Connick on air for the so-called "blackface" routine during a special reunion program watched by 2.3 million people, acknowledging producers had been briefed on the skit, based on a similar one performed 20 years previously.
Viewers criticized the skit on Twitter, with one calling the show "embarrassing and distasteful" and questioning whether "Is it racist for white folks to paint their faces black?"
While the live crowd was largely supportive of the skit, 62 percent of respondents to an online poll by The Courier-Mail newspaper called the segment "tasteless and racist."
The comedy troupe, who called themselves "Jackson Jive," painted their faces black and donned black afro wigs in the skit broadcast on Wednesday evening, prompting talent judge Connick to protest and "speak up as an American."
Five members of the group wore white suits and purple shirts, as well as a single jeweled glove favored for a time by Michael Jackson, who died suddenly in June.
Another dressed as Jackson himself, with white face paint.
"If I knew that was going to be part of the show I definitely wouldn't have done it," Connick said after calling a halt to the skit and awarding the six performing members with a zero rating.
The show's host apologized to Connick on air for the so-called "blackface" routine during a special reunion program watched by 2.3 million people, acknowledging producers had been briefed on the skit, based on a similar one performed 20 years previously.
Viewers criticized the skit on Twitter, with one calling the show "embarrassing and distasteful" and questioning whether "Is it racist for white folks to paint their faces black?"
While the live crowd was largely supportive of the skit, 62 percent of respondents to an online poll by The Courier-Mail newspaper called the segment "tasteless and racist."
Donkeys get dye-job, take on zebra role
Two white donkeys dyed with black stripes delighted Palestinian kids at a small Gaza zoo on Thursday who had never seen a zebra in the flesh.
With their long ears, drooping heads and sleepy eyes, the impostors probably would not have fooled the zoo's only lioness. But the effect achieved by the zoo owners' dye job looks not so bad -- to the unpracticed eye, and from a distance.
On closer inspection it resembles the classic striped convict suit of cartoon strips.
Nidal Barghouthi, whose father owns the Marah Land zoo, said the two female donkeys were striped using masking tape and women's hair dye, applied with a paint-brush.
"The first time we used paint but it didn't look good," he said. "The children don't know so they call them zebras and they are happy to see something new."
A genuine zebra would have been too expensive to bring into Israel-blockaded Gaza via smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt, said owner Mohammed Bargouthi. "It would have cost me $40,000 to get a real one."
Gaza's Palestinians are impoverished by their isolation under an Israeli embargo against its Islamist Hamas rulers, who refuse to give up armed resistance against the Jewish state.
Bargouthi's zoo charged an entrance fee of just $15 for a full busload of children.
With their long ears, drooping heads and sleepy eyes, the impostors probably would not have fooled the zoo's only lioness. But the effect achieved by the zoo owners' dye job looks not so bad -- to the unpracticed eye, and from a distance.
On closer inspection it resembles the classic striped convict suit of cartoon strips.
Nidal Barghouthi, whose father owns the Marah Land zoo, said the two female donkeys were striped using masking tape and women's hair dye, applied with a paint-brush.
"The first time we used paint but it didn't look good," he said. "The children don't know so they call them zebras and they are happy to see something new."
A genuine zebra would have been too expensive to bring into Israel-blockaded Gaza via smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt, said owner Mohammed Bargouthi. "It would have cost me $40,000 to get a real one."
Gaza's Palestinians are impoverished by their isolation under an Israeli embargo against its Islamist Hamas rulers, who refuse to give up armed resistance against the Jewish state.
Bargouthi's zoo charged an entrance fee of just $15 for a full busload of children.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
College issues dress guidelines -- for teachers
It is normally students who are sent home for inappropriate attire, but one English college is threatening to send lecturers home for violating a dress code, which includes a ban on jeans.
Their union has accused Birmingham Metropolitan College of "acting like the fashion police."
The newly re-issued dress code requires lecturers to wear a "business suit; smart jacket and co-ordinating trousers or skirt; smart shirt/top/blouse or smart dress."
Scruffy trousers, jeans, ostentatious jewelry and outrageous hair styles and colors are strictly banned.
Earrings must not be excessive and are the only form of jewelry allowed in visible piercings. The policy also states that tattoos must be covered.
Nick Varney of the local University and College Union (UCU) branch said the policy "harks back to Victorian times." He told Reuters he has never seen staff so angry.
"They are absolutely fuming. It's about their professionalism and the notion that they haven't got a clue about what to wear when they are teaching," Varney said.
The guidelines are a far cry from the stereotypical image of a college lecturer as a slightly scruffy, chalk-dusted individual wearing corduroy jackets with torn leather elbow pads.
In the policy, the college says: "The College is a professional and business-like organization and staff have a responsibility to uphold and promote these values in their dress and appearance."
The UCU accused the dress code of being possibly discriminatory and subjective.
"Has diversity and the celebration of cultural differences totally passed them by?" asked Varney.
Lecturers are due to meet with the college principal this week. The UCU is demanding the policy be withdrawn.
Their union has accused Birmingham Metropolitan College of "acting like the fashion police."
The newly re-issued dress code requires lecturers to wear a "business suit; smart jacket and co-ordinating trousers or skirt; smart shirt/top/blouse or smart dress."
Scruffy trousers, jeans, ostentatious jewelry and outrageous hair styles and colors are strictly banned.
Earrings must not be excessive and are the only form of jewelry allowed in visible piercings. The policy also states that tattoos must be covered.
Nick Varney of the local University and College Union (UCU) branch said the policy "harks back to Victorian times." He told Reuters he has never seen staff so angry.
"They are absolutely fuming. It's about their professionalism and the notion that they haven't got a clue about what to wear when they are teaching," Varney said.
The guidelines are a far cry from the stereotypical image of a college lecturer as a slightly scruffy, chalk-dusted individual wearing corduroy jackets with torn leather elbow pads.
In the policy, the college says: "The College is a professional and business-like organization and staff have a responsibility to uphold and promote these values in their dress and appearance."
The UCU accused the dress code of being possibly discriminatory and subjective.
"Has diversity and the celebration of cultural differences totally passed them by?" asked Varney.
Lecturers are due to meet with the college principal this week. The UCU is demanding the policy be withdrawn.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Man faces prison, flogging over TV sex revelations
A Saudi court has sentenced a man to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes for boasting about his sexual exploits on television, in a case that has divided public opinion in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
Abdul-Jawad, a divorced father of four, was arrested in August after discussing his premarital sexual encounters, showing off his pick-up techniques and displaying some sex toys and lubricants on a Lebanese TV program.
His comments caused a public outcry in Saudi Arabia, where the religious elite has vast powers over society and religious police enforce the segregation of men and women in public.
King Abdullah has begun to reform education and the judiciary in recent years, partly to discourage Islamic militancy. But he faces resistance from clerics and conservative princes and analysts say the case gives fresh momentum to some clerics' calls for strict curbs on social freedoms.
Three of Abdul-Jawad's friends who appeared on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) were sentenced to two years in jail and 300 lashes each.
LBC is a popular channel in Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most conservative societies, and many Saudis tune into its Western-style entertainment programs and talk shows.
Abdul-Jawad, 32, spoke from his bedroom on an episode of "In Bold Red." He was shown driving his red convertible to a shopping mall where he said he used his mobile phone to pick up girls.
A court official said that, on top of the lashings and jail sentence, Abdul-Jawad's phone and car would be confiscated and he would be banned from traveling after completing his term.
"Dont push! Don't push," a distressed Abdul-Jawad yelled as he struggled in the grasp of two policemen escorting him out of the judge's office in Jeddah Wednesday.
Lawyers say Abdul-Jawad could have been given the death penalty. Judges, who are clerics of Saudi Arabia's strict Wahhabi school of Islam, have wide powers of discretion.
Abdul-Jawad's brother said it would be difficult for him to be accepted back into society.
"Now he has been fired from his job and after his jail term it won't be possible for him to get a job in government or the private sector because he was charged with a case of moral indecency," the brother, who did not want to be named, told Reuters.
Abdul-Jawad, a divorced father of four, was arrested in August after discussing his premarital sexual encounters, showing off his pick-up techniques and displaying some sex toys and lubricants on a Lebanese TV program.
His comments caused a public outcry in Saudi Arabia, where the religious elite has vast powers over society and religious police enforce the segregation of men and women in public.
King Abdullah has begun to reform education and the judiciary in recent years, partly to discourage Islamic militancy. But he faces resistance from clerics and conservative princes and analysts say the case gives fresh momentum to some clerics' calls for strict curbs on social freedoms.
Three of Abdul-Jawad's friends who appeared on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) were sentenced to two years in jail and 300 lashes each.
LBC is a popular channel in Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most conservative societies, and many Saudis tune into its Western-style entertainment programs and talk shows.
Abdul-Jawad, 32, spoke from his bedroom on an episode of "In Bold Red." He was shown driving his red convertible to a shopping mall where he said he used his mobile phone to pick up girls.
A court official said that, on top of the lashings and jail sentence, Abdul-Jawad's phone and car would be confiscated and he would be banned from traveling after completing his term.
"Dont push! Don't push," a distressed Abdul-Jawad yelled as he struggled in the grasp of two policemen escorting him out of the judge's office in Jeddah Wednesday.
Lawyers say Abdul-Jawad could have been given the death penalty. Judges, who are clerics of Saudi Arabia's strict Wahhabi school of Islam, have wide powers of discretion.
Abdul-Jawad's brother said it would be difficult for him to be accepted back into society.
"Now he has been fired from his job and after his jail term it won't be possible for him to get a job in government or the private sector because he was charged with a case of moral indecency," the brother, who did not want to be named, told Reuters.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Air India says mid-air scuffle no threat to safety
A mid-air scuffle between pilots and crew of an Air India flight at the weekend did not endanger the 106 passengers on board, said a spokesman for the airline which has ordered an inquiry.
Two pilots and two crew members have been grounded following the incident on a Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi flight, said Jitender Bhargava, which began as a heated exchange on a charge of sexual harassment against the pilots by a crew member.
Blows were also exchanged in the scuffle that spilled into the cabin late on Saturday night, according to media reports.
"At no stage was safety compromised. It was a clear case of indiscipline," Bhargava said.
"Our report is still awaited. We will decide on the course of action when it is ready," he said, adding that Delhi police were also investigating.
The ailing state-run carrier last week canceled dozens of flights when about 250 pilots went on strike to protest against plans to cut pay incentives as part of a broader cost-cutting exercise.
Two pilots and two crew members have been grounded following the incident on a Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi flight, said Jitender Bhargava, which began as a heated exchange on a charge of sexual harassment against the pilots by a crew member.
Blows were also exchanged in the scuffle that spilled into the cabin late on Saturday night, according to media reports.
"At no stage was safety compromised. It was a clear case of indiscipline," Bhargava said.
"Our report is still awaited. We will decide on the course of action when it is ready," he said, adding that Delhi police were also investigating.
The ailing state-run carrier last week canceled dozens of flights when about 250 pilots went on strike to protest against plans to cut pay incentives as part of a broader cost-cutting exercise.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Giant candy store to open in gigantic mall
A Dubai-based company is opening what it says will be the world's largest confectionary store in Dubai as it looks to tap demand from the Gulf Arab region's hunger for candy.
Candylicious, which initially opens in one of the world's largest shopping centers, The Dubai Mall, is also planning a second store in Singapore early next year, Sunaina Gill, director of Retail Is Detail, a Singaporean family business in Dubai told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We are planning 10-15 stores in the Gulf Arab region over the next 3-5 years, with additional stores to open in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the next 12 months," said Gill.
Dubai, one of seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates and the tourism and trade hub of the Middle East, already has the world's tallest skyscraper and one of the longest driverless train systems globally after investing billions of dollars to propel the emirate on to the international map during a six-year oil-fueled boom.
Dubai is an ideal place for the store, said Gill, adding there was a gap and sufficient demand in the market for a confectionary store of this type, especially with 30 million visitors a year expected to visit the Dubai Mall.
Gill said the group, which will sell everything from chocolates, soda and popcorn, was aiming for sales of $10 million annually.
In addition to its sweets, the 10,000 square foot store features a huge 10-meter singing chocolate tree decorated with lollipops.
Customers will not need to necessarily have venture into the store to taste the candy. The store will also employ "Candylicious Junior," a car that will circle the mall.
Candylicious, which initially opens in one of the world's largest shopping centers, The Dubai Mall, is also planning a second store in Singapore early next year, Sunaina Gill, director of Retail Is Detail, a Singaporean family business in Dubai told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We are planning 10-15 stores in the Gulf Arab region over the next 3-5 years, with additional stores to open in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the next 12 months," said Gill.
Dubai, one of seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates and the tourism and trade hub of the Middle East, already has the world's tallest skyscraper and one of the longest driverless train systems globally after investing billions of dollars to propel the emirate on to the international map during a six-year oil-fueled boom.
Dubai is an ideal place for the store, said Gill, adding there was a gap and sufficient demand in the market for a confectionary store of this type, especially with 30 million visitors a year expected to visit the Dubai Mall.
Gill said the group, which will sell everything from chocolates, soda and popcorn, was aiming for sales of $10 million annually.
In addition to its sweets, the 10,000 square foot store features a huge 10-meter singing chocolate tree decorated with lollipops.
Customers will not need to necessarily have venture into the store to taste the candy. The store will also employ "Candylicious Junior," a car that will circle the mall.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Miss Singapore World resigns after lingerie fraud
Beauty queen Miss Singapore World has given up her crown after it emerged that she had stolen credit cards to go on a shopping spree for lingerie. Ris Low had come under public pressure to be stripped of her 2009 title, after local media reported she stole seven credit cards last year while working at a medical clinic, buying goods worth about S$8,000 ($5,662) including gold anklets and phones.
Organizers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned Tuesday of her own accord. She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.
Low had also been criticized for her poor English, mispronouncing "bikini" in a recent video, leading others in multicultural Singapore to spring to her defense and soul-searching on websites about the national character.
"If there was a beauty contest for countries, how do you think Singapore would fare on the world stage? We seem to have the aesthetic qualifications. But with a very ugly personality," said blogger Solofigure09 on the Straits Times newspaper's website.
Organizers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned Tuesday of her own accord. She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.
Low had also been criticized for her poor English, mispronouncing "bikini" in a recent video, leading others in multicultural Singapore to spring to her defense and soul-searching on websites about the national character.
"If there was a beauty contest for countries, how do you think Singapore would fare on the world stage? We seem to have the aesthetic qualifications. But with a very ugly personality," said blogger Solofigure09 on the Straits Times newspaper's website.
North American pro sports leagues in a twitter over tweeting
North America's professional sports leagues are all a twitter over tweeting and have pushed through guidelines to ban player access to social networking sites during games.
Following the lead of the NFL and NBA, the NHL said it was close to making recommendations that will prohibit players from using communicational devices for social media activity -- including Twitter and Facebook -- 30 minutes before and after games, practices, meetings and media access periods.
The ban would extend to coaches, trainers and all game-related personnel.
"I looked at what the NBA was doing and what the NFL was doing and used those as a basis for my own recommendations," NHL director of social media marketing Mike Dilorenzo told Reuters on Thursday.
"We've drafted a set of guidelines that are in the process of being vetted by the senior management so they can be rolled out to the teams."
The NBA sent a memo to teams on Wednesday informing them that coaches, players and other basketball operations personnel would be forbidden from accessing social media sites from 45 minutes before tipoff until after the post-game media availability.
The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors are among a number of NBA teams that have been even tougher on tweeters.
Raptors head coach Jay Triano has banned the use of smartphones and laptops from practice, including all management staff and media. Even general manager Bryan Colangelo is required to leave the facility to respond to text messages.
MEDIA PLATFORMS
The NFL, which zealously protects its on-field product, was the first of North America's big four professional sports leagues to put a twitter policy in place, banning players from using social media platforms from 90 minutes before kickoff.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has no specific guidelines but pointed to a longstanding policy regarding communicational devices that prohibits their use 30 minutes before the start of a game.
The attempt by the leagues to gain control over the Twitter phenomenon comes after a number of controversial tweets.
While coaches worry reckless tweets may provide inspirational bulletin board material for opposing teams, leagues are working to protect broadcast rights holders from tweeters getting too close to play-by-play.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens has engaged in a couple of explosive twitter feuds this season involving former Dallas Cowboys team mate Tony Romo and Rodney Harrison.
Following the lead of the NFL and NBA, the NHL said it was close to making recommendations that will prohibit players from using communicational devices for social media activity -- including Twitter and Facebook -- 30 minutes before and after games, practices, meetings and media access periods.
The ban would extend to coaches, trainers and all game-related personnel.
"I looked at what the NBA was doing and what the NFL was doing and used those as a basis for my own recommendations," NHL director of social media marketing Mike Dilorenzo told Reuters on Thursday.
"We've drafted a set of guidelines that are in the process of being vetted by the senior management so they can be rolled out to the teams."
The NBA sent a memo to teams on Wednesday informing them that coaches, players and other basketball operations personnel would be forbidden from accessing social media sites from 45 minutes before tipoff until after the post-game media availability.
The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors are among a number of NBA teams that have been even tougher on tweeters.
Raptors head coach Jay Triano has banned the use of smartphones and laptops from practice, including all management staff and media. Even general manager Bryan Colangelo is required to leave the facility to respond to text messages.
MEDIA PLATFORMS
The NFL, which zealously protects its on-field product, was the first of North America's big four professional sports leagues to put a twitter policy in place, banning players from using social media platforms from 90 minutes before kickoff.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has no specific guidelines but pointed to a longstanding policy regarding communicational devices that prohibits their use 30 minutes before the start of a game.
The attempt by the leagues to gain control over the Twitter phenomenon comes after a number of controversial tweets.
While coaches worry reckless tweets may provide inspirational bulletin board material for opposing teams, leagues are working to protect broadcast rights holders from tweeters getting too close to play-by-play.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens has engaged in a couple of explosive twitter feuds this season involving former Dallas Cowboys team mate Tony Romo and Rodney Harrison.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Clerics torpedo samba show
A protest by Muslim clerics torpedoed a Brazilian samba show in the Lebanese city of Tire on Thursday, local officials said.
A statement by the clerics condemned plans for the open-air display by a dance troupe that has been touring Lebanon.
"We support tourism but are against obscenity," said Sheikh Ali Yassin, who heads a group of clerics in the predominantly Shi'ite Muslim city.
The local council responded by cancelling the show after consulting politicians and security officials, officials said.
The troupe, including musicians and scantily clad dancers, performed in central Beirut's Martyrs' Square last week.
A statement by the clerics condemned plans for the open-air display by a dance troupe that has been touring Lebanon.
"We support tourism but are against obscenity," said Sheikh Ali Yassin, who heads a group of clerics in the predominantly Shi'ite Muslim city.
The local council responded by cancelling the show after consulting politicians and security officials, officials said.
The troupe, including musicians and scantily clad dancers, performed in central Beirut's Martyrs' Square last week.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Schwarzenegger asked to close prostitute Website
A British government minister asked California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday to shut down a U.S. website that allows men to rate prostitutes, including many working in London.
Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, told the ruling Labor Party's annual conference that "Punternet" fuels the demand for prostitution -- a vice she said degrades women and puts them at risk.
She said the web site was a "very sinister development" in the trade and exploitation of women and allows guests to compare and rate services in the same way as they would a restaurant, a hotel or a holiday.
Pimps put women on sale for sex on the site then clients offered their comments on line, she said.
"Punternet has pages and pages of women for sale in London," said Harman, who is deputy leader of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labor Party.
She said she had raised the issue with the U.S. ambassador to Britain and asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to close it down as it is based in that state.
"Surely it can't be too difficult for 'The Terminator' to terminate Punternet and that's what I am demanding that he does."
The Punternet site describes itself as "The Online Community for Patrons and Providers of Adult Personal Services in the UK" and says it was "created to facilitate the exchange of information on prostitution in the UK."
A U.S. Embassy spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prostitution is not illegal in Britain. But associated activities, including soliciting, advertising using cards in telephone boxes and kerb crawling, are criminal offences.
The minister also used the speech to say the government would make it a criminal offence to have sex with a prostitute who is being controlled by a pimp.
The government was also stepping up action to tackle human trafficking in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games, most of which will be hosted in London.
"We're determined to ensure that, especially in the run-up to the Olympics, international criminal gangs don't trick and abduct women from abroad and sell them for sex in London."
Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, told the ruling Labor Party's annual conference that "Punternet" fuels the demand for prostitution -- a vice she said degrades women and puts them at risk.
She said the web site was a "very sinister development" in the trade and exploitation of women and allows guests to compare and rate services in the same way as they would a restaurant, a hotel or a holiday.
Pimps put women on sale for sex on the site then clients offered their comments on line, she said.
"Punternet has pages and pages of women for sale in London," said Harman, who is deputy leader of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labor Party.
She said she had raised the issue with the U.S. ambassador to Britain and asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to close it down as it is based in that state.
"Surely it can't be too difficult for 'The Terminator' to terminate Punternet and that's what I am demanding that he does."
The Punternet site describes itself as "The Online Community for Patrons and Providers of Adult Personal Services in the UK" and says it was "created to facilitate the exchange of information on prostitution in the UK."
A U.S. Embassy spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prostitution is not illegal in Britain. But associated activities, including soliciting, advertising using cards in telephone boxes and kerb crawling, are criminal offences.
The minister also used the speech to say the government would make it a criminal offence to have sex with a prostitute who is being controlled by a pimp.
The government was also stepping up action to tackle human trafficking in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games, most of which will be hosted in London.
"We're determined to ensure that, especially in the run-up to the Olympics, international criminal gangs don't trick and abduct women from abroad and sell them for sex in London."
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