by Emily Hartwell
Central Bucks East High School
Every year, the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday becomes more and more distorted. I have become more concerned with how to shove the last crescent roll down my esophagus than how the tradition came to be.
Through extensive contemplation, I realize the holiday we celebrate year after year since the colonial era is really nothing to celebrate at all.
We're celebrating the fact that we stole the land from a peaceful race, and exterminated their culture.
We've covered up the truth with endless Thanksgiving sales, frumpy turkey sweaters and pounds of unnecessary food that doesn't even exist any other time of the year. Hallmark may beg to differ, but Thanksgiving, much like Christmas and every other worn-out holiday, is more commerical-based and less value-based.
Is it really OK for us to dedicate a day to rejoicing in one of the darker moments of our past? Does a week off from school and two hours of non-stop eating really serve as an excuse for what we did? Can we overlook the obvious truth to indulge in a meaningless holiday?
Our history is a series of stealing, trampling and asserting our "natural right" to ownership and leadership. So maybe it is OK to celebrate the core values our nation was founded upon.
But this Thanksgiving, we shouldn't be thinking of what we're thankful for ------ let's be honest, that's just a way for the more successful person at the table to brag.
What we should do is think about and remember all the ways in which we've stepped on people throughout history to get what we have today. Only then can we truly be thankful for what we have.
I challenge you, through all the roast turkey and pumpkin pie, to listen closely.
You may be able to hear the lost Indian soul's war cry, but it's so faint, you'll probably just assume it's the goan of your chair giving way from underneath you.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
A MODERN THANKSGIVING
What the holiday is really about
by Elena Silla
Nazareth Academy
Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated by a majority of America. For the past week, practically everyone in school has been doing Thanksgiving-related projects while parents scramble to buy turkeys and stuffing in preparation for today's feast. In short, almost everyone is excited for Thanksgiving.
However, Thanksgiving is not the same holiday it once was. Formerly a feast among pilgrims a d Native Americans, it has become somewhat distorted over time.
Our modern interpretation of Thanksgiving has ideals that were not found in Thanksgiving years before. Now, it seems that everything in the holiday is aggrandized, from the amount of people invited to the amount of food made to the television shows watched.
Holidays are certainly a time to spend with family. Sometimes, though, when relatives who are rarely seen attend a family get-together, some awkwardness enses. Perhaps it's an aunt you haven't seen in years or a cousin and his family that no one has ever met before, but it seems that, more and more often, people are having dozens upon dozens of people over for Thanksgiving.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, of course. It just seems the holiday has grown from being about giving thanks to impressing guests. Of course, when dozens of family members come over, they can cause quite a scene.
They also require lots of food, which leads me to my next point.
The food. This is the topic that everyone, and I mean everyone, looks forward to on Thanksgiving . In the past week alone, I think I've heard at least five people mention they're going to fill their plates twice over on the one day a year where people cannot be judged for the amount of food they eat. It seems all anyone can focus on is the quantity of food they will be eating or preparing.
by Elena Silla
Nazareth Academy
Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated by a majority of America. For the past week, practically everyone in school has been doing Thanksgiving-related projects while parents scramble to buy turkeys and stuffing in preparation for today's feast. In short, almost everyone is excited for Thanksgiving.
However, Thanksgiving is not the same holiday it once was. Formerly a feast among pilgrims a d Native Americans, it has become somewhat distorted over time.
Our modern interpretation of Thanksgiving has ideals that were not found in Thanksgiving years before. Now, it seems that everything in the holiday is aggrandized, from the amount of people invited to the amount of food made to the television shows watched.
Holidays are certainly a time to spend with family. Sometimes, though, when relatives who are rarely seen attend a family get-together, some awkwardness enses. Perhaps it's an aunt you haven't seen in years or a cousin and his family that no one has ever met before, but it seems that, more and more often, people are having dozens upon dozens of people over for Thanksgiving.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, of course. It just seems the holiday has grown from being about giving thanks to impressing guests. Of course, when dozens of family members come over, they can cause quite a scene.
They also require lots of food, which leads me to my next point.
The food. This is the topic that everyone, and I mean everyone, looks forward to on Thanksgiving . In the past week alone, I think I've heard at least five people mention they're going to fill their plates twice over on the one day a year where people cannot be judged for the amount of food they eat. It seems all anyone can focus on is the quantity of food they will be eating or preparing.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
MY CRAZY FAMILY
Every family has its own quirks that make large holiday gatherings so memorable.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to celebrate our family oddities.
By Julia Joseph
Archbishop Wood High School
Thanksgiving, as we know it, is a time when families come together to celebrate each other's company over a feast of delights.
However, in my family, it is slightly more complicated than that.
Every year we pack up our family of three and travel to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathy's house for Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's side of the family. This is the scene of most American families, more or less.
When we get there, that's when things turn, shall we say, different.
Most of you reading probably don't know my family or me that well. Alone in any situation, we are normal, everyday people. But all together, well, we're nuts, to say the least.
At our family gatherings, we have a series of unusual events that make up our evening.
Here are a few:
1. Sing "Alice's Restaurant"
I have no idea where this tradition started, but it's just not Thanksgiving without it. Several radio stations across the country play the 20-minute song by Arlo Guthrie every hour on the hour. Every time it plays, people gather around the radio in the kitchen and sing along.
2. Declare what we're thankful for
This may seem cliched, but it's what we do. The thanks are miscellaneous and range from the big things to the small things. For example, last year I said I was thankful that I hadn't been shoved into a locker as a freshman yet.
3. Hold a competitive Wii tournament
This is one of my favorite and least favorite parts of the whole night. It's one of my favorite parts because we're all in the room together playing one big game. It's one of my least favorite parts because I never win due to my younger cousin, Sammy, cheating.
4. Make Thanksgiving food art
I never succeed as well as my cousins with this tradition. With our leftover food, we make art on our plates. Pretty self-explanatory. I'm just not as creative as everyone else who does it. There have been faces with corn smiles and green bean eyes, snowmen made from mashed potatoes, and pirates with cranberry sauce eye patches. Mine is usually just a plate of food.
5. Screech out "Happy Birthday"
In the family, we have about four November birthdays. We don't all get together often, so we celebrate all the birthdays at Thanksgiving. For some reason, my oldest cousin, Ali, decided we would sing "Happy Birthday" as loudly and off-key as possible. And every year we do the best we can. This is why I love Thanksgiving. It's a time when I can enjoy being together with my family, and have a little crazy fun, as well.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to celebrate our family oddities.
By Julia Joseph
Archbishop Wood High School
Thanksgiving, as we know it, is a time when families come together to celebrate each other's company over a feast of delights.
However, in my family, it is slightly more complicated than that.
Every year we pack up our family of three and travel to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathy's house for Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's side of the family. This is the scene of most American families, more or less.
When we get there, that's when things turn, shall we say, different.
Most of you reading probably don't know my family or me that well. Alone in any situation, we are normal, everyday people. But all together, well, we're nuts, to say the least.
At our family gatherings, we have a series of unusual events that make up our evening.
Here are a few:
1. Sing "Alice's Restaurant"
I have no idea where this tradition started, but it's just not Thanksgiving without it. Several radio stations across the country play the 20-minute song by Arlo Guthrie every hour on the hour. Every time it plays, people gather around the radio in the kitchen and sing along.
2. Declare what we're thankful for
This may seem cliched, but it's what we do. The thanks are miscellaneous and range from the big things to the small things. For example, last year I said I was thankful that I hadn't been shoved into a locker as a freshman yet.
3. Hold a competitive Wii tournament
This is one of my favorite and least favorite parts of the whole night. It's one of my favorite parts because we're all in the room together playing one big game. It's one of my least favorite parts because I never win due to my younger cousin, Sammy, cheating.
4. Make Thanksgiving food art
I never succeed as well as my cousins with this tradition. With our leftover food, we make art on our plates. Pretty self-explanatory. I'm just not as creative as everyone else who does it. There have been faces with corn smiles and green bean eyes, snowmen made from mashed potatoes, and pirates with cranberry sauce eye patches. Mine is usually just a plate of food.
5. Screech out "Happy Birthday"
In the family, we have about four November birthdays. We don't all get together often, so we celebrate all the birthdays at Thanksgiving. For some reason, my oldest cousin, Ali, decided we would sing "Happy Birthday" as loudly and off-key as possible. And every year we do the best we can. This is why I love Thanksgiving. It's a time when I can enjoy being together with my family, and have a little crazy fun, as well.
DUE FOR SOME GOOD LUCK ......... RIGHT?
by Dan Sergeyev
Central Bucks West High School
Why do I have bad luck?
Did I whistle inside the house? Did I flip a horseshoe upside down? Did I spill salt on the table? Did I open an umbrella inside the house?
No, I can't say that I whistled inside the house or any of the other superstitions, but then why was I the victim of a hit-and-run driver recently?
Someone callously backed into my parked car and cracked my rear bumper. There was no note identifying the driver under my windshield wiper or anywhere else attached to the vehicle.
Now I'm stuck with a damaged car, aggravation and a repair bill. In addition, my family is calling me a "Peche Vogel," which is a German term for a person with "bad luck."
I remember faintly a black cat crossing my path on Halloween. Instead of attributing my run of bad luck to this occurrence, I am going to think positive and believe the Russian version of this superstition ..... money should be coming my way.
Wouldn't that be a terrific change in fortune?
Central Bucks West High School
Why do I have bad luck?
Did I whistle inside the house? Did I flip a horseshoe upside down? Did I spill salt on the table? Did I open an umbrella inside the house?
No, I can't say that I whistled inside the house or any of the other superstitions, but then why was I the victim of a hit-and-run driver recently?
Someone callously backed into my parked car and cracked my rear bumper. There was no note identifying the driver under my windshield wiper or anywhere else attached to the vehicle.
Now I'm stuck with a damaged car, aggravation and a repair bill. In addition, my family is calling me a "Peche Vogel," which is a German term for a person with "bad luck."
I remember faintly a black cat crossing my path on Halloween. Instead of attributing my run of bad luck to this occurrence, I am going to think positive and believe the Russian version of this superstition ..... money should be coming my way.
Wouldn't that be a terrific change in fortune?
TURNS OUT THAT GIVING THANKS IS GOOD FOR YOUR PSYCHE
Count your blessings this Thanksgiving. It's good for you.
While it seems pretty obvious that gratitude is a positive emotion, psychologists for decades rarely delved into the science of giving thanks. But in the last several years they have, learning in many experiments that it is one of humanity's most powerful emotions. It makes you happier and can change your attitude about life, like an emotional reset button.
Especially in hard times, like these.
Beyond proving that being grateful helps you, psychologists also are trying to figure out the brain chemistry behind gratitude and the best ways of showing it.
"Oprah was right," said University of Miami psychology professor Michael McCullough, who has studied people who are asked to be regularly thankful. "When you are stopping and counting your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system."
And he means hijacking it from out of a funk into a good place. A very good place. Research by McCullough and others finds that giving thanks is a potent emotion that feeds on itself, almost the equivalent of being vicious circle, but it's anything but vicious.
He said psychologists used to understimate the strenght of simple gratitude: "It does make people happier......It's that incredible feeling."
One of the reasons why gratitude works so well is that it connects us with others, McCullough said. That's why when you thanks it should be more heartfelt and personal instead of a terse thank you note for a gift or a hastily run-through grace before dinner, psychologists say.
Chicago area psychologists and self-help book author Maryann Troiani said she starts getting clients on gratitude gradually, sometimes just by limiting their complaints to two whines a session. Then she eventually gets them to log good things that happened to them in gratitude journals: "Gratitude really changes your attitude and your outlook on life."
Gratitude journals or diaries, in which people list weekly or nightly what they are thankful for, are becoming regular therapy tools.
While it seems pretty obvious that gratitude is a positive emotion, psychologists for decades rarely delved into the science of giving thanks. But in the last several years they have, learning in many experiments that it is one of humanity's most powerful emotions. It makes you happier and can change your attitude about life, like an emotional reset button.
Especially in hard times, like these.
Beyond proving that being grateful helps you, psychologists also are trying to figure out the brain chemistry behind gratitude and the best ways of showing it.
"Oprah was right," said University of Miami psychology professor Michael McCullough, who has studied people who are asked to be regularly thankful. "When you are stopping and counting your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system."
And he means hijacking it from out of a funk into a good place. A very good place. Research by McCullough and others finds that giving thanks is a potent emotion that feeds on itself, almost the equivalent of being vicious circle, but it's anything but vicious.
He said psychologists used to understimate the strenght of simple gratitude: "It does make people happier......It's that incredible feeling."
One of the reasons why gratitude works so well is that it connects us with others, McCullough said. That's why when you thanks it should be more heartfelt and personal instead of a terse thank you note for a gift or a hastily run-through grace before dinner, psychologists say.
Chicago area psychologists and self-help book author Maryann Troiani said she starts getting clients on gratitude gradually, sometimes just by limiting their complaints to two whines a session. Then she eventually gets them to log good things that happened to them in gratitude journals: "Gratitude really changes your attitude and your outlook on life."
Gratitude journals or diaries, in which people list weekly or nightly what they are thankful for, are becoming regular therapy tools.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
JOKES
Room with a View
During her doctor's visit, a woman asked, "How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put into a retirement home?"
"We fill up a bathtub," the doctor said. "Then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub."
"I get it," the woman replied. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."
"No," the doctor countered, "a normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"
The Family Tree
A boy went to his mother and asked, "Mom, where did man come from?"
"Well, son, in the beginning God created earth, then He created the first man and called him Adam and created the first woman and called her Eve. That is how man was created."
The little boy looked puzzled then commented, "Dad said man came from apes."
"That's your father's side of the family," his mom replied.
Not Quite Working Out
My bicycle's recycled.
And my weights have been a waste.
My stair machine has cobwebs,
And my treadmill's been replaced.
My jogging shoes vanished,
And the pool's been hit by drought.
I've finally discovered
Working out's not working out.
Paper Cuts
I was so poor as a child, evenmy paper
dolls didn't have clothes. They came
from the wrong side of the page.
Table Talk
My granddaughter, age 5, was upset because she said something cute and everyone at the table laughed. She ran off to her room, saying that she didn't like people laughing at her. I went after her and tried to explain that making people laugh is a good thing, adding that I loved it when people laughed at me. She looked up and asked, "Is that why you wear your hair the way you do?"
Animal Tales
A chicken and a pig were walking by a church where a charity Thankgiving celebration was taking place. Caught up in the spirit, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make a contribution. "Great idea," the chicken said. "Let's offer them ham and eggs!"
"Wait a minute," replied the pig. "For you, that's a contribution. For me, it's total commitment."
Five Lessons My Mother Taught Me
1. Religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."
2. Stamina: "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
3. Genetics: "You're just like your father."
4. Roots: "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
5. Justice: "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you."
During her doctor's visit, a woman asked, "How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put into a retirement home?"
"We fill up a bathtub," the doctor said. "Then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub."
"I get it," the woman replied. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."
"No," the doctor countered, "a normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"
The Family Tree
A boy went to his mother and asked, "Mom, where did man come from?"
"Well, son, in the beginning God created earth, then He created the first man and called him Adam and created the first woman and called her Eve. That is how man was created."
The little boy looked puzzled then commented, "Dad said man came from apes."
"That's your father's side of the family," his mom replied.
Not Quite Working Out
My bicycle's recycled.
And my weights have been a waste.
My stair machine has cobwebs,
And my treadmill's been replaced.
My jogging shoes vanished,
And the pool's been hit by drought.
I've finally discovered
Working out's not working out.
Paper Cuts
I was so poor as a child, evenmy paper
dolls didn't have clothes. They came
from the wrong side of the page.
Table Talk
My granddaughter, age 5, was upset because she said something cute and everyone at the table laughed. She ran off to her room, saying that she didn't like people laughing at her. I went after her and tried to explain that making people laugh is a good thing, adding that I loved it when people laughed at me. She looked up and asked, "Is that why you wear your hair the way you do?"
Animal Tales
A chicken and a pig were walking by a church where a charity Thankgiving celebration was taking place. Caught up in the spirit, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make a contribution. "Great idea," the chicken said. "Let's offer them ham and eggs!"
"Wait a minute," replied the pig. "For you, that's a contribution. For me, it's total commitment."
Five Lessons My Mother Taught Me
1. Religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."
2. Stamina: "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
3. Genetics: "You're just like your father."
4. Roots: "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
5. Justice: "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you."
11/11/11 : A calendar quirk highlights Veterans Day
As you are no doubt aware, last friday was 11/11/11. It's a little quirk of the calendar, without any larger meaning. And it is really only 11/11/11 in its abbreviated form, as the date is actually 11/11/2011.
A real 11/11/1111 took place 900 years ago, but calendars were scarce then, the province of monks and not available to the common man. If that day stood out at all, it would have been because Nov. 11 is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours (Martinmas), a day which immediately preceded a 40-day period of fasting before Christmas. (This period would subsequently be shorted, requirements relaxed and is known as Advent.) Martin Luther, by the way, was born on Nov. 11 and named for St. Martin.
It is Veterans Day in the United States. In many countries around the world it is called Remembrance Day, and is observed as a kind of international memorial day. It is on Nov. 11 because that is the date of the Armistice that ended the First World War.
In 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, hostilities between the Western Allies and German ceased, effectively ending what was until then the bloodiest conflict in human history. The phrase "at the 11th hour" is biblical (Matthew 20:6 -- "And about the eleventh hour, he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?), and it is understood to mean "at the very last possible minute."
Although it has become conventional wisdom that the signatories of the Armistice deliberately employed the symbolism of the 11th hour, too much should not be read into it. Negotiations had been going on for five weeks, and agreement was finally reached at 5 a.m. on Nov. 11, with the cease-fire to be implemented at 11 a.m. Paris time. The Armistice was not crafted around 11/11/1 as much as it took advantage of the coincidence. Had agreement been reached on, say, Nov.10, the cease-fire would not have been delayed 24 hours (thus condemning to death that many more soldiers) to achieve a symbolism best left to poets. As it was, 2,738 men still died before 11 o'clock.
A real 11/11/1111 took place 900 years ago, but calendars were scarce then, the province of monks and not available to the common man. If that day stood out at all, it would have been because Nov. 11 is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours (Martinmas), a day which immediately preceded a 40-day period of fasting before Christmas. (This period would subsequently be shorted, requirements relaxed and is known as Advent.) Martin Luther, by the way, was born on Nov. 11 and named for St. Martin.
It is Veterans Day in the United States. In many countries around the world it is called Remembrance Day, and is observed as a kind of international memorial day. It is on Nov. 11 because that is the date of the Armistice that ended the First World War.
In 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, hostilities between the Western Allies and German ceased, effectively ending what was until then the bloodiest conflict in human history. The phrase "at the 11th hour" is biblical (Matthew 20:6 -- "And about the eleventh hour, he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?), and it is understood to mean "at the very last possible minute."
Although it has become conventional wisdom that the signatories of the Armistice deliberately employed the symbolism of the 11th hour, too much should not be read into it. Negotiations had been going on for five weeks, and agreement was finally reached at 5 a.m. on Nov. 11, with the cease-fire to be implemented at 11 a.m. Paris time. The Armistice was not crafted around 11/11/1 as much as it took advantage of the coincidence. Had agreement been reached on, say, Nov.10, the cease-fire would not have been delayed 24 hours (thus condemning to death that many more soldiers) to achieve a symbolism best left to poets. As it was, 2,738 men still died before 11 o'clock.
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
- If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth.
- If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.
- To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers.
- Visiting Iceland? You should know that tipping in a restaurant is considered an insult!
- People in nudist collonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
- Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
- Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouth-wash.
- Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
- Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years.
- Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
F. Y. I.
Actually Said
by Elizabeth Hurley, model
"Nothing irritates me more than chronic laziness in others. Mind you, it's only mental sloth I object to. Physical sloth can be heavenly."
Modern Marvel
The Hoover Dam, the largest single public works project in the history of the U.S., contains enough concrete to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York.
Presidents' Files
Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the Fourth of July.
States Stats
Rayne, La., is known as "The frog Capital of the World."
Swan Song
The last song that Elvis Presley ever performed publicly was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at his final concert in Indianapolis in June 1977.
Still on the Books
In Denver, Colo., it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor.
by Elizabeth Hurley, model
"Nothing irritates me more than chronic laziness in others. Mind you, it's only mental sloth I object to. Physical sloth can be heavenly."
Modern Marvel
The Hoover Dam, the largest single public works project in the history of the U.S., contains enough concrete to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York.
Presidents' Files
Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the Fourth of July.
States Stats
Rayne, La., is known as "The frog Capital of the World."
Swan Song
The last song that Elvis Presley ever performed publicly was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at his final concert in Indianapolis in June 1977.
Still on the Books
In Denver, Colo., it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor.
Darth Vader claims land plot in Ukraine
Welcoming the local authorities' move to the dark side, Darth Vader has asked for a land plot in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa to park his space ship. An Odessite dressed as the Star Wars villain visited the mayor's office this week to claim a free land plot citing Ukrainian legislation which grants every citizen the right to own 1,000 square meters of land.
His visit followed a decision by city authorities to grant attractive land plots along the sea coast to a group of people for free, prompting public concerns about corruption, according to local media.
The mayor's office has since said the move was a mistake but has not yet canceled it, according to local news website Dumskaya.net.
"I am Darth Vader, the right hand of Emperor Palpatine," the man introduced himself to amused policemen, as seen in a video posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezFBvrqQChM) and accompanied by the Imperial March music.
"...Knowing that many (local legislature) deputies and the mayor have switched to the dark side... I have come for a land plot... for my space cruiser."
Officials accepted the man's application after he showed his passport and removed the black helmet equipped with a voice-distorting device.
"The application has been registered and will be considered," a spokeswoman for the mayor's office told Reuters.
"We are not on the dark side, we are light-side people," she added.
His visit followed a decision by city authorities to grant attractive land plots along the sea coast to a group of people for free, prompting public concerns about corruption, according to local media.
The mayor's office has since said the move was a mistake but has not yet canceled it, according to local news website Dumskaya.net.
"I am Darth Vader, the right hand of Emperor Palpatine," the man introduced himself to amused policemen, as seen in a video posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezFBvrqQChM) and accompanied by the Imperial March music.
"...Knowing that many (local legislature) deputies and the mayor have switched to the dark side... I have come for a land plot... for my space cruiser."
Officials accepted the man's application after he showed his passport and removed the black helmet equipped with a voice-distorting device.
"The application has been registered and will be considered," a spokeswoman for the mayor's office told Reuters.
"We are not on the dark side, we are light-side people," she added.
Court upholds fine against nude hiker
Hikers crossing the Alps in the nude may get more than just a chill after Switzerland's top court ruled they may be fined, validating a conservative region's bid to quash the practice.
On Thursday a court rejected the appeal of a man slapped with a 100 Swiss franc ($109) fine. The man had walked naked past a family with small children at a picnic area and a Christian rehabilitation center for drug addicts one Sunday afternoon in the eastern canton (state) of Appenzell Ausserrhoden.
"The fundamental right to personal freedom is only marginally, if at all, infringed upon by a ban on hiking naked in a public area," the court said in a statement.
The mountainous cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden, which only gave women the right to vote two decades ago, are popular among nude hiking enthusiasts.
Naked hiking is not illegal in Switzerland but it is possible for individual Swiss cantons to apply indecency laws.
On Thursday a court rejected the appeal of a man slapped with a 100 Swiss franc ($109) fine. The man had walked naked past a family with small children at a picnic area and a Christian rehabilitation center for drug addicts one Sunday afternoon in the eastern canton (state) of Appenzell Ausserrhoden.
"The fundamental right to personal freedom is only marginally, if at all, infringed upon by a ban on hiking naked in a public area," the court said in a statement.
The mountainous cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden, which only gave women the right to vote two decades ago, are popular among nude hiking enthusiasts.
Naked hiking is not illegal in Switzerland but it is possible for individual Swiss cantons to apply indecency laws.
Vatican takes legal action over Benetton pope kiss ad
The Vatican said on Thursday it would take legal action to stop the distribution of a photo montage in an advertisement by the Italian fashion firm Benetton showing Pope Benedict kissing an imam on the mouth.
A statement said the Vatican had told its lawyers in Italy and around the world to "take the proper legal measures" to stop the use of the photo, even in the media.
It was not clear from the statement if the Vatican intended to sue Benetton directly for damages.
The statement said the ad was "damaging to not only to dignity of the pope and the Catholic Church but also to the feelings of believers."
Benetton said Wednesday night that it was withdrawing the advertisement, part of the firm's latest shock campaign, in which a number of world leaders are seen kissing each other on the mouth in photo montages.
The withdrawal came after the Vatican issued an initial protest which called the use of the unauthorized and "manipulative" use of the pope's picture in the photo montage totally unacceptable.
"This is a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation," spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Wednesday night.
A large banner with the image of the pope and the imam was hung from a bridge near the Vatican Wednesday morning but later removed.
But Thursday morning the picture was still on the window of a store in the square at Rome's Trevi Fountain, one of the most popular tourist sites in Rome.
The photo montage of the pope kissing the imam on the mouth was still widely available on the internet Thursday morning.
In its statement announcing the withdrawal of the ad, Benetton said the purpose of its campaign was "exclusively to fight the culture of hate in every form" but said it had nonetheless decided to withdraw the image.
"We are sorry that the use of an image of the pontiff and the imam should have offended the sensibilities of the faithful in this way," it said in a statement.
Other photo montages in the same campaign, in which Benetton says it supports the Unhate Foundation, show other world leaders kissing each other on the mouth.
U.S. President Barack Obama is shown kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in one.
The Italian clothing company has run controversial advertising campaigns in the past, including one that showed grieving parents at the bedside of a man dying of AIDS
A statement said the Vatican had told its lawyers in Italy and around the world to "take the proper legal measures" to stop the use of the photo, even in the media.
It was not clear from the statement if the Vatican intended to sue Benetton directly for damages.
The statement said the ad was "damaging to not only to dignity of the pope and the Catholic Church but also to the feelings of believers."
Benetton said Wednesday night that it was withdrawing the advertisement, part of the firm's latest shock campaign, in which a number of world leaders are seen kissing each other on the mouth in photo montages.
The withdrawal came after the Vatican issued an initial protest which called the use of the unauthorized and "manipulative" use of the pope's picture in the photo montage totally unacceptable.
"This is a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation," spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Wednesday night.
A large banner with the image of the pope and the imam was hung from a bridge near the Vatican Wednesday morning but later removed.
But Thursday morning the picture was still on the window of a store in the square at Rome's Trevi Fountain, one of the most popular tourist sites in Rome.
The photo montage of the pope kissing the imam on the mouth was still widely available on the internet Thursday morning.
In its statement announcing the withdrawal of the ad, Benetton said the purpose of its campaign was "exclusively to fight the culture of hate in every form" but said it had nonetheless decided to withdraw the image.
"We are sorry that the use of an image of the pontiff and the imam should have offended the sensibilities of the faithful in this way," it said in a statement.
Other photo montages in the same campaign, in which Benetton says it supports the Unhate Foundation, show other world leaders kissing each other on the mouth.
U.S. President Barack Obama is shown kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in one.
The Italian clothing company has run controversial advertising campaigns in the past, including one that showed grieving parents at the bedside of a man dying of AIDS
Leapin' leprechauns, it's Guinness records day
Irish leprechauns, tea-sipping Britons, Australian ABBA impersonators and the oldest yoga teacher on the planet were just some of the people setting world records Thursday.
More than 300,000 people around the world took part in the seventh annual Guinness World Records Day, in which a number of records have already been confirmed.
They included the largest cream tea party (334 participants) in Essex, England; the largest gathering of people dressed as leprechauns (262 participants) in Dublin; the oldest yoga teacher (91 years old) and the largest hula hoop workout (221 children) both in Florida.
Jane Malyon from The English Cream Tea Company, who hosted the Essex cream tea party, said the record combined her passion for quality time with her love of British tradition.
"Strangers became friends over scones, cream, jam and tea - and the atmosphere was as special as this amazing Guinness World Record," Malyon said in a statement from Guinness.
In keeping with the national theme, 262 members of the public in Dublin got into leprechaun costume to break the record previously set in the United States.
"We believe that a record for leprechauns belongs to its native soil and we're really pleased to bring it back to Ireland," Derek Mooney from Ireland's RTE Radio One said.
To mark the special day, 91-year-old Bernice Mary Bates was officially recognized as the oldest yoga teacher at the Mainlands Retirement Community Center in Pinellas Park, Florida.
Nearby, 221 school children from Longleaf Elementary School in New Port Richey, Florida were involved in setting the largest hula hoop workout record.
On the other side of the globe, Australia got involved in the record-breaking action as 368 children in Melbourne transformed into "dancing queens" to set a new record for largest gathering of ABBA impersonators.
Other record attempts Thursday included the most people whistling in Switzerland, the world's largest Zumba class in the Netherlands, the largest 3D painting in London, the most arrows caught by hand in two minutes -- blindfolded -- in Germany, the largest rice cracker in Japan, the largest speed-dating event in China and the largest coloring book in Nigeria.
All records set on Guinness World Records Day 2011 will be short-listed for inclusion in next edition of the book.
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, said the day was a chance to celebrate achievement as well as civic and national pride.
"This year, it seems to be about bringing records back home to the people who are most passionate about enjoying their culture and national identity," he said.
More than 300,000 people around the world took part in the seventh annual Guinness World Records Day, in which a number of records have already been confirmed.
They included the largest cream tea party (334 participants) in Essex, England; the largest gathering of people dressed as leprechauns (262 participants) in Dublin; the oldest yoga teacher (91 years old) and the largest hula hoop workout (221 children) both in Florida.
Jane Malyon from The English Cream Tea Company, who hosted the Essex cream tea party, said the record combined her passion for quality time with her love of British tradition.
"Strangers became friends over scones, cream, jam and tea - and the atmosphere was as special as this amazing Guinness World Record," Malyon said in a statement from Guinness.
In keeping with the national theme, 262 members of the public in Dublin got into leprechaun costume to break the record previously set in the United States.
"We believe that a record for leprechauns belongs to its native soil and we're really pleased to bring it back to Ireland," Derek Mooney from Ireland's RTE Radio One said.
To mark the special day, 91-year-old Bernice Mary Bates was officially recognized as the oldest yoga teacher at the Mainlands Retirement Community Center in Pinellas Park, Florida.
Nearby, 221 school children from Longleaf Elementary School in New Port Richey, Florida were involved in setting the largest hula hoop workout record.
On the other side of the globe, Australia got involved in the record-breaking action as 368 children in Melbourne transformed into "dancing queens" to set a new record for largest gathering of ABBA impersonators.
Other record attempts Thursday included the most people whistling in Switzerland, the world's largest Zumba class in the Netherlands, the largest 3D painting in London, the most arrows caught by hand in two minutes -- blindfolded -- in Germany, the largest rice cracker in Japan, the largest speed-dating event in China and the largest coloring book in Nigeria.
All records set on Guinness World Records Day 2011 will be short-listed for inclusion in next edition of the book.
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, said the day was a chance to celebrate achievement as well as civic and national pride.
"This year, it seems to be about bringing records back home to the people who are most passionate about enjoying their culture and national identity," he said.
U.S. consumer group flags 10 most dangerous toys
A Power Rangers "samurai mega blade" and a Godzilla figure with dagger-like attachments are some of the most dangerous toys lurking in stores this holiday season, according to a consumer watchdog group.
Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) on Wednesday issued its annual list of the 10 worst children's toys, just in time for the shopping frenzy that typically starts in late November.
On the list were items the group said pose risks for choking, electrocution, puncture wounds and more.
Joan Siff, president of WATCH, said there have been at least 28 toy recalls representing 3.8 million units in the United States over the past year.
"Any recall is too late in the process," she said, urging better vetting and testing of toys before they go on sale. "Testing cannot take place in the marketplace."
The group has produced its list each year since 1973, and has been successful in getting a number of toys pulled from the shelves. It found this year's selections at leading big-box retailers, online, and in small specialty stores.
James Swartz, a director of WATCH, demonstrated the "Z-Curve Bow," a foam bow and arrow set recommended for kids eight and over.
A warning label suggested the bow should not be pulled back "at more than half strength" and that "anyone at close distance to the target should be alerted" before firing.
"That is a weapon," Swartz said, shooting an arrow into a wall with a loud thud.
Also featured was a "Fold & Go Trampoline" which came with the warning it should only be used for controlled bouncing.
"What young child has the ability, the desire, the knowledge to use it in that manner?" said Swartz. "That's not possible in the real world."
German wooden toys seem sturdy and rather quaint. But a wooden duck, sold for babies as young as a year, has a pull cord about 33 inches long -- a potential strangulation hazard.
The industry's standard limits strings on cribs and playpen toys to 12 inches.
Toys often have thematic tie-ins to popular movies, television shows or books, arguably making them likely choices for shoppers looking for a familiar brand.
On the "Sword Fighting Jack Sparrow" figurine, fashioned after Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, the pirate's right hand is armed with a 4-inch long, rigid, plastic sword.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that in 2009 about 250,000 toy-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms, a number that has been rising.
Reports of toy hazards, however, "needlessly frighten parents" this time of year, said the Toy Industry Association. It said less than half of one percent of the estimated 3 billion toys sold each year in the United States are recalled.
"Toys are safer now than they've ever been," said Stacy Leistner, a spokesman for the Toy Industry Association, the trade group for the North American toy industry.
The design, testing, production and inspection of toys are constantly being strengthened, the group said.
"Certainly from the industry, safety is our number one priority year round, not just at the holidays," Leistner said.
For a full list of the group's 2011 10 worst toys: http://toysafety.org/worstToyList_index.shtml
Boston-based World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) on Wednesday issued its annual list of the 10 worst children's toys, just in time for the shopping frenzy that typically starts in late November.
On the list were items the group said pose risks for choking, electrocution, puncture wounds and more.
Joan Siff, president of WATCH, said there have been at least 28 toy recalls representing 3.8 million units in the United States over the past year.
"Any recall is too late in the process," she said, urging better vetting and testing of toys before they go on sale. "Testing cannot take place in the marketplace."
The group has produced its list each year since 1973, and has been successful in getting a number of toys pulled from the shelves. It found this year's selections at leading big-box retailers, online, and in small specialty stores.
James Swartz, a director of WATCH, demonstrated the "Z-Curve Bow," a foam bow and arrow set recommended for kids eight and over.
A warning label suggested the bow should not be pulled back "at more than half strength" and that "anyone at close distance to the target should be alerted" before firing.
"That is a weapon," Swartz said, shooting an arrow into a wall with a loud thud.
Also featured was a "Fold & Go Trampoline" which came with the warning it should only be used for controlled bouncing.
"What young child has the ability, the desire, the knowledge to use it in that manner?" said Swartz. "That's not possible in the real world."
German wooden toys seem sturdy and rather quaint. But a wooden duck, sold for babies as young as a year, has a pull cord about 33 inches long -- a potential strangulation hazard.
The industry's standard limits strings on cribs and playpen toys to 12 inches.
Toys often have thematic tie-ins to popular movies, television shows or books, arguably making them likely choices for shoppers looking for a familiar brand.
On the "Sword Fighting Jack Sparrow" figurine, fashioned after Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, the pirate's right hand is armed with a 4-inch long, rigid, plastic sword.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that in 2009 about 250,000 toy-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms, a number that has been rising.
Reports of toy hazards, however, "needlessly frighten parents" this time of year, said the Toy Industry Association. It said less than half of one percent of the estimated 3 billion toys sold each year in the United States are recalled.
"Toys are safer now than they've ever been," said Stacy Leistner, a spokesman for the Toy Industry Association, the trade group for the North American toy industry.
The design, testing, production and inspection of toys are constantly being strengthened, the group said.
"Certainly from the industry, safety is our number one priority year round, not just at the holidays," Leistner said.
For a full list of the group's 2011 10 worst toys: http://toysafety.org/worstToyList_index.shtml
Texting mistake lands would-be drug buyer in jail
Text messages about buying drugs mistakenly sent to a Nebraska state trooper led to the arrest of a 23-year-old man on marijuana possession and other drug charges, police said on Tuesday. The Nebraska State Patrol said that one of its troopers started getting text messages last week from a person who was looking to buy drugs. The trooper continued to correspond through text messages until a meeting place was set up.
The trooper, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived at the agreed upon location and arrested 23-year-old Aaron Sartin of Kearney, Nebraska, police said.
He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges were pending.
The trooper, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived at the agreed upon location and arrested 23-year-old Aaron Sartin of Kearney, Nebraska, police said.
He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges were pending.
"Situation" sues Abercrombie & Fitch over ad campaign
"Jersey Shore" star Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino on Tuesday sued retailer Abercrombie & Fitch over what he claims was a publicity stunt to sell clothes using phrases associated with the reality TV actor. The complaint, filed by Sorrentino and his company MPS Entertainment in federal court in southern Florida, stems from an offer Abercrombie & Fitch publicized in August to pay cast members of the hit TV show not to wear the company's apparel.
The offer, which Sorrentino claims was false, made headlines worldwide because typically companies want celebrities to use their products for promotion, but the "Jersey Shore" cast is known for partying and other qualities with which the company said it did not want to associate.
In August, the company said it was "deeply concerned" that Sorrentino "could cause significant damage" to its brand's "aspirational nature." Sorrentino, however, thinks the company had something else in mind, according to the lawsuit.
"Starting in August 2011, Defendant (the company) embarked on a grand, worldwide advertising campaign using Sorrentino's name, image and likeness to create brand awareness for its products by falsely claiming that Defendant had offered money to Sorrentino if he would stop wearing Defendant's goods," the lawsuit states.
"That offer was never made to Sorrentino, nor was it ever conveyed to Sorrentino by a representative," the suit states.
The suit claims the company "has significantly profited off of the use of its false affiliation with Sorrentino, and it has wrongly used Sorrentino's name, image and likeness for advertising purposes in violation of applicable law."
The suit targeted two of the clothing retailer's T-shirt designs featuring the phrases "The Fitchuation" and "GTL...You Know The Deal," and claimed Abercrombie & Fitch "obviously intended to create a false association" with the "Jersey Shore" star when it released it's statement in August.
An Abercrombie & Fitch spokesman was not immediately available to comment.
Sorrentino and MPS Entertainment trademarked his "Jersey Shore" nickname, "The Situation" and catchphrase "GTL" -- an acronym for gym, tan, laundry -- in 2009, after the first season of MTV's "Jersey Shore" became widely popular.
Sorrentino sells his own "GTL" and "The Situation" branded products, including T-shirts, on his official website.
MTV's "Jersey Shore" is a reality series following a group of young Italian-American men and women living, working and partying together.
The popularity of the show has earned great fame for its cast members, including Sorrentino, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio. All of them have have branched out into endorsing and marketing their own products.
The offer, which Sorrentino claims was false, made headlines worldwide because typically companies want celebrities to use their products for promotion, but the "Jersey Shore" cast is known for partying and other qualities with which the company said it did not want to associate.
In August, the company said it was "deeply concerned" that Sorrentino "could cause significant damage" to its brand's "aspirational nature." Sorrentino, however, thinks the company had something else in mind, according to the lawsuit.
"Starting in August 2011, Defendant (the company) embarked on a grand, worldwide advertising campaign using Sorrentino's name, image and likeness to create brand awareness for its products by falsely claiming that Defendant had offered money to Sorrentino if he would stop wearing Defendant's goods," the lawsuit states.
"That offer was never made to Sorrentino, nor was it ever conveyed to Sorrentino by a representative," the suit states.
The suit claims the company "has significantly profited off of the use of its false affiliation with Sorrentino, and it has wrongly used Sorrentino's name, image and likeness for advertising purposes in violation of applicable law."
The suit targeted two of the clothing retailer's T-shirt designs featuring the phrases "The Fitchuation" and "GTL...You Know The Deal," and claimed Abercrombie & Fitch "obviously intended to create a false association" with the "Jersey Shore" star when it released it's statement in August.
An Abercrombie & Fitch spokesman was not immediately available to comment.
Sorrentino and MPS Entertainment trademarked his "Jersey Shore" nickname, "The Situation" and catchphrase "GTL" -- an acronym for gym, tan, laundry -- in 2009, after the first season of MTV's "Jersey Shore" became widely popular.
Sorrentino sells his own "GTL" and "The Situation" branded products, including T-shirts, on his official website.
MTV's "Jersey Shore" is a reality series following a group of young Italian-American men and women living, working and partying together.
The popularity of the show has earned great fame for its cast members, including Sorrentino, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio. All of them have have branched out into endorsing and marketing their own products.
Police say would-be teen burglar got stuck in chimney
The person found in a suburban Atlanta home's chimney on Tuesday was not Santa Claus arriving early. He was a 17-year-old alleged burglar who got stuck, police said. Authorities said the teen spent about 10 hours lodged inside the chimney before getting freed.
A neighbor heard someone calling for help from the chimney early in the afternoon and phoned police, said Corporal Jake Smith, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Firefighters climbed on the roof and lowered ropes down to rescue the teen, who was uninjured, Smith said.
Police arrested the teen on one count of burglary and another of providing a false name to police. The owner of the house was not at home during the incident, authorities said.
The suspect, who had been stuck in the chimney since the wee hours of the morning, never made it into the house, said Gwinnett Fire Department spokesman Eric Eberly. Instead, he got stuck near the bottom of the chimney.
"Merry Christmas," said the spokesman, laughing.
A neighbor heard someone calling for help from the chimney early in the afternoon and phoned police, said Corporal Jake Smith, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Firefighters climbed on the roof and lowered ropes down to rescue the teen, who was uninjured, Smith said.
Police arrested the teen on one count of burglary and another of providing a false name to police. The owner of the house was not at home during the incident, authorities said.
The suspect, who had been stuck in the chimney since the wee hours of the morning, never made it into the house, said Gwinnett Fire Department spokesman Eric Eberly. Instead, he got stuck near the bottom of the chimney.
"Merry Christmas," said the spokesman, laughing.
Romanians use gift cards to turn donuts into dollars
Two Romanians put a new twist on the American expression "dollars to donuts" when they recoded Dunkin' Donut gift cards with stolen bank account details and used them to withdraw money in New York City.
The men, who were in the United States on journalism visas, used dozens of the recoded Dunkin' Donuts gift cards to withdraw more $17,700 from one ATM machine, prosecutors said. They were sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison.
"The defendants should have used the Dunkin' Donut gift cards to purchase coffee and donuts, instead they have just bought themselves up to three years in prison. Justice has been served," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The phrase is a rhetorical expression meaning "very sure" that is used when one person is confident of winning a bet.
The men, who were in the United States on journalism visas, used dozens of the recoded Dunkin' Donuts gift cards to withdraw more $17,700 from one ATM machine, prosecutors said. They were sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison.
"The defendants should have used the Dunkin' Donut gift cards to purchase coffee and donuts, instead they have just bought themselves up to three years in prison. Justice has been served," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The phrase is a rhetorical expression meaning "very sure" that is used when one person is confident of winning a bet.
Executioner says job not "complicated"
Hu Xiao says his job as one of China's executioners is usually not very complicated, except for the time when a prisoner he was about to kill stood up and ran toward his loaded rifle.
The rare glimpse into the ranks of China's executioners appeared in the Beijing Evening News newspaper Monday.
Hu, a veteran judicial police officer, described the routine of shooting prisoners convicted of murder and other capital crimes in China, which rights groups say carries out more judicial killings each year than anywhere else in the world.
"In fact, it's not as complicated as outsiders think. We all use rifles, stand about four meters from the condemned prisoner with a barrel one meter-long, take aim, press the trigger, and that's that," Hu told the newspaper.
Most prisoners taken for execution are so terrified they collapse on the ground and cannot stand, Hu said. The exception was an ex-soldier convicted of homicide, he said.
"At the time of execution, the criminals kneel on the ground, but this former soldier actually stood up and ran forward. The result was a moving target that was taken down," said Hu, himself a former soldier who has worked as a police officer for 19 years.
"These people all deserved what they got for their crimes."
China does not publish statistics of the number of people it executes. But human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have said it executes more prisoners than any other country -- thousands in 2010, according to Amnesty.
The United States executed 46 people, nearly all by lethal injections, in 2010, said Amnesty.
China has been moving toward using more lethal injections, which are less prone to mishaps than guns, but Hu spoke only of his routine of shooting convicted prisoners.
When he first took the job of judicial police officer, Hu told the newspaper, older officers made him watch two executions and inspect the fresh corpses. Then it was time for Hu to do it himself, and the newspaper said he was not nervous.
"Yet the second time he was carrying out the task he did become nervous. Not because he was afraid, but out of fear of not shooting straight and becoming a laughing stock among his colleagues," said the report.
Younger police officers take longer to become used to executions, said Hu.
"For the older judicial police, carrying out executions became a routine task long ago," said the report.
The rare glimpse into the ranks of China's executioners appeared in the Beijing Evening News newspaper Monday.
Hu, a veteran judicial police officer, described the routine of shooting prisoners convicted of murder and other capital crimes in China, which rights groups say carries out more judicial killings each year than anywhere else in the world.
"In fact, it's not as complicated as outsiders think. We all use rifles, stand about four meters from the condemned prisoner with a barrel one meter-long, take aim, press the trigger, and that's that," Hu told the newspaper.
Most prisoners taken for execution are so terrified they collapse on the ground and cannot stand, Hu said. The exception was an ex-soldier convicted of homicide, he said.
"At the time of execution, the criminals kneel on the ground, but this former soldier actually stood up and ran forward. The result was a moving target that was taken down," said Hu, himself a former soldier who has worked as a police officer for 19 years.
"These people all deserved what they got for their crimes."
China does not publish statistics of the number of people it executes. But human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have said it executes more prisoners than any other country -- thousands in 2010, according to Amnesty.
The United States executed 46 people, nearly all by lethal injections, in 2010, said Amnesty.
China has been moving toward using more lethal injections, which are less prone to mishaps than guns, but Hu spoke only of his routine of shooting convicted prisoners.
When he first took the job of judicial police officer, Hu told the newspaper, older officers made him watch two executions and inspect the fresh corpses. Then it was time for Hu to do it himself, and the newspaper said he was not nervous.
"Yet the second time he was carrying out the task he did become nervous. Not because he was afraid, but out of fear of not shooting straight and becoming a laughing stock among his colleagues," said the report.
Younger police officers take longer to become used to executions, said Hu.
"For the older judicial police, carrying out executions became a routine task long ago," said the report.
Buddhify web app promotes calmer urban experience
For a lot of people the day begins amid the chaos of a transit pressure-cooker. Agitated workers wedge onto trains or buses to make the stressful commute to work and arrive feeling frazzled, a state that only worsens as the day wears on. Now, a Glasgow-based entrepreneur and digital innovator has launched a new web application for iPhone and Android smart phones intended to help people on the go learn to cope better with some of the struggles of city life.
The Buddhify app introduces users to restful mindfulness meditation practices by allowing them to select from 32 audio tracks to hear instruction from either a male or female voice.
Although its name makes reference to Buddhism, a religion in which meditation plays a key role, the app is intended for use by anybody interested in mental wellbeing.
"The only prerequisite is having a mind," Rohan Gunatillake said. "Its origins are in the Buddhist tradition, but it's totally independent. It's a way of training your attention in such a way that it develops positive qualities in your mind."
The app also has a two-player mode allowing friends to meditate together.
The traditional ways meditation instruction is delivered seem somewhat outdated to Gunatillake, who has been meditating since 2003.
"The perception of the aesthetic wasn't quite right -- it felt too hippy, the baggage of lotus flowers and incense still comes with the meditation scene, but that's always been like wrapping paper rather than the actual thing," Gunatillake said.
"It's a cultural effect because of the boomer generation who came across it and who are teachers now."
Buddhify is also meant to help people who may not have time to take meditation courses in real life.
One audio track provides instruction on how to meditate while walking and another on how to mentally wish others peace and happiness - how "to take a break from our own personal soap opera" by choosing a random person to focus on.
"When traveling around have you ever noticed that despite being among so many people we're often just stuck in our own little stories?" Gunatillake's recorded voice asks.
"If it's the start of the day it's all about things we have to do, if it's the end, it's all about the drama of the day's events. Exhausting stuff really."
The trick is to spread kindness to become happier and more generous, the recording says.
The Buddhify app introduces users to restful mindfulness meditation practices by allowing them to select from 32 audio tracks to hear instruction from either a male or female voice.
Although its name makes reference to Buddhism, a religion in which meditation plays a key role, the app is intended for use by anybody interested in mental wellbeing.
"The only prerequisite is having a mind," Rohan Gunatillake said. "Its origins are in the Buddhist tradition, but it's totally independent. It's a way of training your attention in such a way that it develops positive qualities in your mind."
The app also has a two-player mode allowing friends to meditate together.
The traditional ways meditation instruction is delivered seem somewhat outdated to Gunatillake, who has been meditating since 2003.
"The perception of the aesthetic wasn't quite right -- it felt too hippy, the baggage of lotus flowers and incense still comes with the meditation scene, but that's always been like wrapping paper rather than the actual thing," Gunatillake said.
"It's a cultural effect because of the boomer generation who came across it and who are teachers now."
Buddhify is also meant to help people who may not have time to take meditation courses in real life.
One audio track provides instruction on how to meditate while walking and another on how to mentally wish others peace and happiness - how "to take a break from our own personal soap opera" by choosing a random person to focus on.
"When traveling around have you ever noticed that despite being among so many people we're often just stuck in our own little stories?" Gunatillake's recorded voice asks.
"If it's the start of the day it's all about things we have to do, if it's the end, it's all about the drama of the day's events. Exhausting stuff really."
The trick is to spread kindness to become happier and more generous, the recording says.
Bottoms up for paint-spattered Finnish church-goers
Members of a Lutheran church in the southeastern Finnish town of Loviisa have discovered that some music concerts leave a lasting impression.
At least three people are seeking compensation after green paint on church benches came off on the clothes of attendees at a recent concert.
But at least the congregation can content themselves with the thought that they have finally made their mark in God's house, a Loviisa church official said.
When church members departed the service, they left behind the outlines of dozens of derrieres.
"There are a lot of imprints on the benches," the church's financial officer Mona Lindfors told Reuters on Tuesday.
At least three people are seeking compensation after green paint on church benches came off on the clothes of attendees at a recent concert.
But at least the congregation can content themselves with the thought that they have finally made their mark in God's house, a Loviisa church official said.
When church members departed the service, they left behind the outlines of dozens of derrieres.
"There are a lot of imprints on the benches," the church's financial officer Mona Lindfors told Reuters on Tuesday.
Thousands seek that special someone in Shanghai
The odds favored the men as thousands gathered to look for love in Shanghai at the eastern Chinese city's largest-ever matchmaking party, paying for the privilege of searching for their other half. Census data shows a rise in the percentage of older single women over the last decade, while the percentage of older single men has fallen, according to the China Daily -- which experts said might be due to increasingly choosy women unwilling to settle for men with inferior education and living standards.
Organizers said there were three women for every two men, with 6,000 tickets sold to single woman and 4,000 to men.
"These days, girls are much more self-sufficient and independent," said Zhou Juemin, president of the Shanghai Matchmaking Association, which organized the two-day event at the weekend.
"Also, there's a lot of work pressure in society nowadays, so many girls are busy with their jobs and perhaps tend to consider career advancement above marriage -- so some of them are no longer young."
Long queues of singles waited for their turn for five-minute chats with the opposite sex in the ultimate blind-date event.
"If your standard of living is lower than mine in every aspect, but if we can relate well to each other, I wouldn't mind -- because if we relate well, there would be good chemistry," said 27-year-old Zue Tianwei.
"Then the issues of social order would no longer be a problem. I guess it depends on how strong my feelings are."
Many men, for their part, said they were willing to shrug off traditional thinking that once made marrying a woman of higher educational and living standards unacceptable.
"Regarding girls who have a higher education level or standard of living, I wouldn't mind pursuing them because this is a two-way thing," said Li Jianxun, a 27-year-old native of central China who has lived in Shanghai for two years.
"As long as the feelings are mutual, it is still possible to interact and get to know each other."
Hopefuls from nearby provinces travelled to Shanghai to take part, among them some who had already married and divorced.
A few, bolder than others, held up signs to distinguish themselves from the crowd. One said, "I wanted to fall in love early, but it's already late."
Around 3,000 parents also tagged along, with Organizers allocating a special corner for them to advertise information on their unmarried children. Some kept an eye out for suitable future in-laws.
Qi Xiong, who helped his son by taking pictures to keep track of potential matches, said he still felt that men should not look for wives with higher social status than themselves.
"Generally speaking, if you are a girl and your education level or income is too high, we're more likely to oppose it," he said, noting that a simple university degree was sufficient.
"A huge difference in education levels would make it difficult to communicate. If both parties begin at the same starting line, and want to achieve success in the future, they can work at it together."
Organizers said there were three women for every two men, with 6,000 tickets sold to single woman and 4,000 to men.
"These days, girls are much more self-sufficient and independent," said Zhou Juemin, president of the Shanghai Matchmaking Association, which organized the two-day event at the weekend.
"Also, there's a lot of work pressure in society nowadays, so many girls are busy with their jobs and perhaps tend to consider career advancement above marriage -- so some of them are no longer young."
Long queues of singles waited for their turn for five-minute chats with the opposite sex in the ultimate blind-date event.
"If your standard of living is lower than mine in every aspect, but if we can relate well to each other, I wouldn't mind -- because if we relate well, there would be good chemistry," said 27-year-old Zue Tianwei.
"Then the issues of social order would no longer be a problem. I guess it depends on how strong my feelings are."
Many men, for their part, said they were willing to shrug off traditional thinking that once made marrying a woman of higher educational and living standards unacceptable.
"Regarding girls who have a higher education level or standard of living, I wouldn't mind pursuing them because this is a two-way thing," said Li Jianxun, a 27-year-old native of central China who has lived in Shanghai for two years.
"As long as the feelings are mutual, it is still possible to interact and get to know each other."
Hopefuls from nearby provinces travelled to Shanghai to take part, among them some who had already married and divorced.
A few, bolder than others, held up signs to distinguish themselves from the crowd. One said, "I wanted to fall in love early, but it's already late."
Around 3,000 parents also tagged along, with Organizers allocating a special corner for them to advertise information on their unmarried children. Some kept an eye out for suitable future in-laws.
Qi Xiong, who helped his son by taking pictures to keep track of potential matches, said he still felt that men should not look for wives with higher social status than themselves.
"Generally speaking, if you are a girl and your education level or income is too high, we're more likely to oppose it," he said, noting that a simple university degree was sufficient.
"A huge difference in education levels would make it difficult to communicate. If both parties begin at the same starting line, and want to achieve success in the future, they can work at it together."
Gastronauts feast on lamb eyeball, beaver tail
Cooked lamb eyeball, boiled fertilized duck egg and beaver tail are just a few of the more unusual dishes sampled by a club of adventurous eaters called the Gastronauts.
Started in March of 2006 by two friends who wanted to try some of the more exotic foods that could be found in New York, the first meeting of the club attracted only six people.
But it has now grown to more than 1,000 members in New York and Los Angeles and there are plans to expand to other U.S. cities.
"I've always been a big trier of new foods; I'll never say no," said Curtiss Calleo, an art director and graphic designer who founded the club with magazine editor Ben Pauker.
"Gastronauts is a great way to meet new people, try new foods, and explore the city."
Calleo said the club is open to everyone, and counts bankers, artists, journalists, designers and an acupuncturist among its members. There are no fees to join and members pay for their own meals which are held monthly in restaurants.
Invitations to the meals, which are normally for 70-80 people, are sent via email. Dinners often fill up quickly.
"It's a social experience as well as a culinary experience," Calleo explained. "We get a lot of stories about travel and food-related illness, like Montezuma's revenge," he added, referring to the stomach upset caused by eating unfamiliar foods or drinking local water.
Calleo and Pauker both spent their childhoods living in various countries, which sparked their curiosity about unfamiliar foods.
At their last gathering in New York they ate balut, which is a Philippine snack of boiled fertilized duck egg.
"There's a reason why people eat this stuff," Calleo said. "In many cases, cultures have had hundreds of years to make the food palatable or even exquisite."
While no one is forced to eat anything, he said the goal is to "try to try", which reflects the group's spirit of culinary adventure.
"It's rare for people to change their minds once they're here," he said. "I think it's a mixture of peer pressure and a welcoming environment."
At the October Gastronauts dinner at a Yemeni restaurant Bab Al Yemen in New York, Nicole Murray, an assistant editor at an education company, extracted a piece of eyeball from a cooked lamb skull and brought it toward her mouth as those seated around her cheered.
"It's kind of jelly-like," she said, during her first Gastronauts dinner.
Calleo compared it to an earlier dish served during the meal.
"The eye area usually isn't as creamy as the brain," he said. "It's springy but not greasy like fat."
Started in March of 2006 by two friends who wanted to try some of the more exotic foods that could be found in New York, the first meeting of the club attracted only six people.
But it has now grown to more than 1,000 members in New York and Los Angeles and there are plans to expand to other U.S. cities.
"I've always been a big trier of new foods; I'll never say no," said Curtiss Calleo, an art director and graphic designer who founded the club with magazine editor Ben Pauker.
"Gastronauts is a great way to meet new people, try new foods, and explore the city."
Calleo said the club is open to everyone, and counts bankers, artists, journalists, designers and an acupuncturist among its members. There are no fees to join and members pay for their own meals which are held monthly in restaurants.
Invitations to the meals, which are normally for 70-80 people, are sent via email. Dinners often fill up quickly.
"It's a social experience as well as a culinary experience," Calleo explained. "We get a lot of stories about travel and food-related illness, like Montezuma's revenge," he added, referring to the stomach upset caused by eating unfamiliar foods or drinking local water.
Calleo and Pauker both spent their childhoods living in various countries, which sparked their curiosity about unfamiliar foods.
At their last gathering in New York they ate balut, which is a Philippine snack of boiled fertilized duck egg.
"There's a reason why people eat this stuff," Calleo said. "In many cases, cultures have had hundreds of years to make the food palatable or even exquisite."
While no one is forced to eat anything, he said the goal is to "try to try", which reflects the group's spirit of culinary adventure.
"It's rare for people to change their minds once they're here," he said. "I think it's a mixture of peer pressure and a welcoming environment."
At the October Gastronauts dinner at a Yemeni restaurant Bab Al Yemen in New York, Nicole Murray, an assistant editor at an education company, extracted a piece of eyeball from a cooked lamb skull and brought it toward her mouth as those seated around her cheered.
"It's kind of jelly-like," she said, during her first Gastronauts dinner.
Calleo compared it to an earlier dish served during the meal.
"The eye area usually isn't as creamy as the brain," he said. "It's springy but not greasy like fat."
Supreme Court to hear in vitro fertilization benefits
The Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide whether children conceived through in vitro fertilization after the death of their parent were entitled to survivor benefits under the Social Security law. The justices agreed to hear an appeal by the Obama administration of a ruling by a U.S. appeals court for a woman who seeks benefits for her twins conceived by artificial insemination after her husband's death.
At issue in the dispute are new reproductive technologies and the requirements to qualify for child survivor benefits under the Social Security Act.
In its appeal, administration lawyers said the Social Security Administration has received more than 100 applications for survivor benefits by posthumously conceived children, and the rate of such applications has increased significantly in recent years.
The case involved Karen Capato, who had sued in federal court in New Jersey after her request for Social Security benefits for her twins had been denied.
In 1999, her husband, Robert Capato deposited sperm at a fertility clinic after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He died in March 2002, and his wife then underwent in vitro fertilization. She gave birth to twins in September 2003.
The Social Security Administration has taken the position that eligibility for benefits depends partly on whether the applicable state law would allow a posthumously conceived child to inherit property in the absence of a will.
In the Capato case, the state law at issue bars children conceived posthumously from inheritance unless they are named in a will. Capato's only beneficiaries named in his will were his wife, their son and two children from a previous marriage.
Capato's attorneys opposed the government's appeal and said the Philadelphia-based appeals court had correctly determined that a posthumously conceived child fell within the law's definition of a child for the purpose of receiving Social Security survivor benefits.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the case early next year, with a ruling due by the end of June.
The Supreme Court case is Astrue v. Capato, No. 11-159.
At issue in the dispute are new reproductive technologies and the requirements to qualify for child survivor benefits under the Social Security Act.
In its appeal, administration lawyers said the Social Security Administration has received more than 100 applications for survivor benefits by posthumously conceived children, and the rate of such applications has increased significantly in recent years.
The case involved Karen Capato, who had sued in federal court in New Jersey after her request for Social Security benefits for her twins had been denied.
In 1999, her husband, Robert Capato deposited sperm at a fertility clinic after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He died in March 2002, and his wife then underwent in vitro fertilization. She gave birth to twins in September 2003.
The Social Security Administration has taken the position that eligibility for benefits depends partly on whether the applicable state law would allow a posthumously conceived child to inherit property in the absence of a will.
In the Capato case, the state law at issue bars children conceived posthumously from inheritance unless they are named in a will. Capato's only beneficiaries named in his will were his wife, their son and two children from a previous marriage.
Capato's attorneys opposed the government's appeal and said the Philadelphia-based appeals court had correctly determined that a posthumously conceived child fell within the law's definition of a child for the purpose of receiving Social Security survivor benefits.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the case early next year, with a ruling due by the end of June.
The Supreme Court case is Astrue v. Capato, No. 11-159.
Struggling barber tells customers to pay what they can
After more than 20 years of renting chairs from other barbers, Gregory Burnett finally opened his own shop, but the down economy has been hard on the haircut business. "It is one of the first things that people cut back on," said Burnett, owner of Old School Barber Shop in Canton, Ohio.
So two months ago Burnett put a sign in front of his place to let clients choose how much to pay. "Times are hard," it read. "Pay what you can for a cut."
The idea was to draw in new patrons and help the clients who have been with him for decades, and it seems to be working. "People come in and want to take advantage of the deal," Burnett said.
For the last two years Burnett has charged $12 for a man's haircut, but recently has given one for as little as $5. "I tell people the haircut is free. The charge is for sitting in the chair," he said.
Burnett said he hoped that a good haircut might mean a new job for one of his clients, and he liked the idea of helping people out. "I understand their troubles because I have their troubles," he said.
Business picked up immediately after Burnett began his new "make-me-an-offer" promotion. "I'm surprised by all the attention this is getting," he said. "You never know. Maybe this is the way I will come out of this rut."
Burnett promises lively conversation and said he loves what he does. He hopes the uptick in business means he can keep his shop.
"I had my first job shining shoes when I was 12 years old. I guess I've always been an entrepreneur. I'm always trying to hustle," he said.
So two months ago Burnett put a sign in front of his place to let clients choose how much to pay. "Times are hard," it read. "Pay what you can for a cut."
The idea was to draw in new patrons and help the clients who have been with him for decades, and it seems to be working. "People come in and want to take advantage of the deal," Burnett said.
For the last two years Burnett has charged $12 for a man's haircut, but recently has given one for as little as $5. "I tell people the haircut is free. The charge is for sitting in the chair," he said.
Burnett said he hoped that a good haircut might mean a new job for one of his clients, and he liked the idea of helping people out. "I understand their troubles because I have their troubles," he said.
Business picked up immediately after Burnett began his new "make-me-an-offer" promotion. "I'm surprised by all the attention this is getting," he said. "You never know. Maybe this is the way I will come out of this rut."
Burnett promises lively conversation and said he loves what he does. He hopes the uptick in business means he can keep his shop.
"I had my first job shining shoes when I was 12 years old. I guess I've always been an entrepreneur. I'm always trying to hustle," he said.
Want weird weather? Come to Oklahoma!
After one of the strangest local weather days in memory, an Oklahoma woman with a sense of humor asked on Twitter earlier this week: "Wanna experience the apocalypse before it happens? Visit Oklahoma!"
She posted that on Monday night shortly after a 4.7-magnitude aftershock earthquake shook the state. The temblor occurred not long after six tornadoes ripped through southwest Oklahoma, which was preceded by flash-flooding in an area that's been plagued by a historic drought.
"Seriously, WHAT'S GOING ON?" someone else tweeted that night.
The answers vary. Global warning? Coincidence? Bad luck? Bad timing? End of time?
There's agreement on only one thing: It's been weird all year.
"Even for Oklahoma, this is crazy," said Rick Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Norman. "Since January, we've been setting records. People are just kind of amazed and shocked."
State records set this year have ranged from the lowest temperature (31 degrees below zero in Nowata in northeast Oklahoma) to snowfall in a 24-hour period (27 inches, also in Nowata) to the largest hail stone (a spiky, six-inch piece recovered in Gotebo, in southwest Oklahoma).
This year also produced the state's highest-ever-recorded surface wind speed (151 miles per hour near El Reno, outside of Oklahoma City) and biggest known earthquake (5.6 magnitude, breaking the 1956 record).
On Wednesday, Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for 20 counties because of earthquakes, tornadoes and severe storms.
TOUGH YEAR
"It's been a tough year for Oklahoma when it comes to weather and natural disasters, but we're doing everything we can to help," Fallin said in a statement announcing the declaration.
The state's record-breaking earthquake got everyone's attention. In the past week, counting both foreshock and aftershock earthquakes that sandwiched the state record-breaking rumbler, 32 earthquakes have been recorded in central Oklahoma.
In Meeker, population 968, east of Oklahoma City, the town administrator was describing the damage and wondering aloud if his town, founded in 1903, could survive a California-style "big one."
"I'm beginning to think God's a little mad at us," Jim Howard said.
Howard was joking, but questions of the Almighty are coming into play in Oklahoma, where Christian beliefs underpin much of the culture.
An Oklahoma City TV station interviewed a preacher who proclaimed, "I think it's pointing up to the end of time."
That belief is not shared by all, even fervent believers.
Nancy Dailey, a school teacher in Oklahoma City whose father was a Baptist preacher, dismisses doomsday talk from the pulpit, saying it just scares people.
Still, she said she overheard two co-workers sharing end-of-the-world talk in the teacher's lounge.
"After all these natural disasters we've been having, at some point all you have left is humor to try and cope with it," said Gary McManus, associate climatologist for the state.
There is at least one benefit to the state's weather.
Norman, home to the National Weather Festival, has become a magnet for meteorology students from around the country. The University of Oklahoma there built a five-story, $69 million National Weather Center six years ago, and installed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) as its largest tenant.
This week, NOAA said it will send the university $75 million in federal funds for weather radar research to improve severe storm forecasts and increase understanding of extreme weather.
Smith, the National Weather Service meteorologist, calls OU a "top-of-the-list" institution for people serious about weather.
"For going to school in a natural laboratory, you can't beat it."
McManus agreed: "You don't want to go to L.A. and study endless sunny skies."
She posted that on Monday night shortly after a 4.7-magnitude aftershock earthquake shook the state. The temblor occurred not long after six tornadoes ripped through southwest Oklahoma, which was preceded by flash-flooding in an area that's been plagued by a historic drought.
"Seriously, WHAT'S GOING ON?" someone else tweeted that night.
The answers vary. Global warning? Coincidence? Bad luck? Bad timing? End of time?
There's agreement on only one thing: It's been weird all year.
"Even for Oklahoma, this is crazy," said Rick Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Norman. "Since January, we've been setting records. People are just kind of amazed and shocked."
State records set this year have ranged from the lowest temperature (31 degrees below zero in Nowata in northeast Oklahoma) to snowfall in a 24-hour period (27 inches, also in Nowata) to the largest hail stone (a spiky, six-inch piece recovered in Gotebo, in southwest Oklahoma).
This year also produced the state's highest-ever-recorded surface wind speed (151 miles per hour near El Reno, outside of Oklahoma City) and biggest known earthquake (5.6 magnitude, breaking the 1956 record).
On Wednesday, Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for 20 counties because of earthquakes, tornadoes and severe storms.
TOUGH YEAR
"It's been a tough year for Oklahoma when it comes to weather and natural disasters, but we're doing everything we can to help," Fallin said in a statement announcing the declaration.
The state's record-breaking earthquake got everyone's attention. In the past week, counting both foreshock and aftershock earthquakes that sandwiched the state record-breaking rumbler, 32 earthquakes have been recorded in central Oklahoma.
In Meeker, population 968, east of Oklahoma City, the town administrator was describing the damage and wondering aloud if his town, founded in 1903, could survive a California-style "big one."
"I'm beginning to think God's a little mad at us," Jim Howard said.
Howard was joking, but questions of the Almighty are coming into play in Oklahoma, where Christian beliefs underpin much of the culture.
An Oklahoma City TV station interviewed a preacher who proclaimed, "I think it's pointing up to the end of time."
That belief is not shared by all, even fervent believers.
Nancy Dailey, a school teacher in Oklahoma City whose father was a Baptist preacher, dismisses doomsday talk from the pulpit, saying it just scares people.
Still, she said she overheard two co-workers sharing end-of-the-world talk in the teacher's lounge.
"After all these natural disasters we've been having, at some point all you have left is humor to try and cope with it," said Gary McManus, associate climatologist for the state.
There is at least one benefit to the state's weather.
Norman, home to the National Weather Festival, has become a magnet for meteorology students from around the country. The University of Oklahoma there built a five-story, $69 million National Weather Center six years ago, and installed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) as its largest tenant.
This week, NOAA said it will send the university $75 million in federal funds for weather radar research to improve severe storm forecasts and increase understanding of extreme weather.
Smith, the National Weather Service meteorologist, calls OU a "top-of-the-list" institution for people serious about weather.
"For going to school in a natural laboratory, you can't beat it."
McManus agreed: "You don't want to go to L.A. and study endless sunny skies."
Sunday, November 13, 2011
POP QUIZ (PHILADELPHIA'S MAYORAL HISTORY)
Among the offices voters will be casting ballots for Tuesday Nov. 8th election for mayor of Philadelphia, so what better time to take a look back at the offie's previous occupants.
1. Who was Philadelphia's first mayor?
a) William Penn
b) William Penn Jr.
c) Edward Shippen
d) Humphrey Morrey
2. Who was mayor when the Common Council began electing a mayor from among its members in 1702?
a) Humphrey Morrey
b) Edward Shippen
c) Griffith Jones
d) Jonathan Dickinson
3. In 1747, this person "disappeared as to not accept or refuse office," according to the city's website.
a) Clement Plumstead
b) William Till
c) William Attwood
d) Thomas Lawrence
4. In what year could choose anyone for mayor, not just one of its own members?
a) 1776
b) 1826
c) 1926
d) 1951
5. Who was the first mayor elected by popular vote?
a) John Swift
b) Benjamin Wood Richards
c) John Morin Scott
d) Peter McCall
6. True or False: Mayors have always been elected to four-year terms.
7. Republicans held the mayor's office almost exclusively from 1858 to 1952. Which of the following was not a Republican?
a) Charles Franklin Warwick
b) George Mifflin Dallas
c) J. Hampton Moore
d) Samuel Howell Ashbridge
8. Who was the last Republican mayor?
a) Frank Rizzo
b) Harry Arista Mackey
c) George Connell
d) Bernard Samuel
9. Two of these four Democratic mayors bested Republican W. Thacher Longstreth for the city's top job. Which two?
a) Joseph S. Clark
b) Richardson Dilworth
c) James Tate
d) Frank Rizzo
10. Of the city's last nine Democratic mayor's two chose to serve a single term. Name them.
a) Joseph S. Clark
b) James Tate
c) William J. Green 3d
d) W. Wilson Goode
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers : 1. d ; 2. b ; 3. c ; 4. b ; 5. a ; 6. False ; 7. b ; 8. d ; 9. b & d ; 10. a & c
1. Who was Philadelphia's first mayor?
a) William Penn
b) William Penn Jr.
c) Edward Shippen
d) Humphrey Morrey
2. Who was mayor when the Common Council began electing a mayor from among its members in 1702?
a) Humphrey Morrey
b) Edward Shippen
c) Griffith Jones
d) Jonathan Dickinson
3. In 1747, this person "disappeared as to not accept or refuse office," according to the city's website.
a) Clement Plumstead
b) William Till
c) William Attwood
d) Thomas Lawrence
4. In what year could choose anyone for mayor, not just one of its own members?
a) 1776
b) 1826
c) 1926
d) 1951
5. Who was the first mayor elected by popular vote?
a) John Swift
b) Benjamin Wood Richards
c) John Morin Scott
d) Peter McCall
6. True or False: Mayors have always been elected to four-year terms.
7. Republicans held the mayor's office almost exclusively from 1858 to 1952. Which of the following was not a Republican?
a) Charles Franklin Warwick
b) George Mifflin Dallas
c) J. Hampton Moore
d) Samuel Howell Ashbridge
8. Who was the last Republican mayor?
a) Frank Rizzo
b) Harry Arista Mackey
c) George Connell
d) Bernard Samuel
9. Two of these four Democratic mayors bested Republican W. Thacher Longstreth for the city's top job. Which two?
a) Joseph S. Clark
b) Richardson Dilworth
c) James Tate
d) Frank Rizzo
10. Of the city's last nine Democratic mayor's two chose to serve a single term. Name them.
a) Joseph S. Clark
b) James Tate
c) William J. Green 3d
d) W. Wilson Goode
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers : 1. d ; 2. b ; 3. c ; 4. b ; 5. a ; 6. False ; 7. b ; 8. d ; 9. b & d ; 10. a & c
POP QUIZ (HORROR STORIES AND THEIR AUTHORS)
For Halloween weekend that was Oct. 30th and 31st.
Match the horror-fiction author with his or her work.
1. L.A. Banks a) The Dark Tower, The Gunslinger
2. Stephen King b) Dracula
3. Ira Levin c) A Dry Spell
4. Susie Moloney d) Frankenstein
5. Edgar Allen Poe e) Interview With the Vampire
6. Horacio Quiroga f) Ring
7. Anne Rice g) Rosemary's Baby
8. Mary Shelley h) Stories of Love, Madness, and Death
9. Bram Stoker i) Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
10. Koji Suzuki j) The Vampire Huntress Legend series
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers : 1. j ; 2. a ; 3. g ; 4. c ; 5. i ; 6. h ; 7. e ; 8. d ; 9. b ; 10. f
Match the horror-fiction author with his or her work.
1. L.A. Banks a) The Dark Tower, The Gunslinger
2. Stephen King b) Dracula
3. Ira Levin c) A Dry Spell
4. Susie Moloney d) Frankenstein
5. Edgar Allen Poe e) Interview With the Vampire
6. Horacio Quiroga f) Ring
7. Anne Rice g) Rosemary's Baby
8. Mary Shelley h) Stories of Love, Madness, and Death
9. Bram Stoker i) Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
10. Koji Suzuki j) The Vampire Huntress Legend series
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers : 1. j ; 2. a ; 3. g ; 4. c ; 5. i ; 6. h ; 7. e ; 8. d ; 9. b ; 10. f
SO WHAT ARE THE MOST ANNOYING CLICHES ?
The Plain English Campaign surveyed its 5,000 supporters in more than 70 countries and asked them what are the most irritating cliches in the English language.
The following cliches received the most nominations:
Winner : "At the end of the day"
Second : "At this moment in time"
Third : "Like" used as punctuation
Fourth : "With all due respect"
What do you think ?
The following cliches received the most nominations:
Winner : "At the end of the day"
Second : "At this moment in time"
Third : "Like" used as punctuation
Fourth : "With all due respect"
What do you think ?
F. Y. I.
Word Wonders
The word "taxi" is spelled the same in English, German, French, Swedish and Portuguese.
Back Then
In 1843, bathing between Nov. 1 and March 15 was outlawed in Philadelphia as a health measure.
Still on the Books
It is illegal to plow a field in North Carolina with an elephant.
Point Of Origin
Q-tips, first called Baby Gays, were invented by Polish-American Leo Gerstenzang in 1923 after he saw his wife wrapping a piece of cotton on the end of a toothpick.
Quotable
by Hippocrates, ancient Greek physician
"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
In Other Worlds
In China, the dark shadows forming a figure on the surface of the full moon are known as "the toad in the moon."
The word "taxi" is spelled the same in English, German, French, Swedish and Portuguese.
Back Then
In 1843, bathing between Nov. 1 and March 15 was outlawed in Philadelphia as a health measure.
Still on the Books
It is illegal to plow a field in North Carolina with an elephant.
Point Of Origin
Q-tips, first called Baby Gays, were invented by Polish-American Leo Gerstenzang in 1923 after he saw his wife wrapping a piece of cotton on the end of a toothpick.
Quotable
by Hippocrates, ancient Greek physician
"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
In Other Worlds
In China, the dark shadows forming a figure on the surface of the full moon are known as "the toad in the moon."
F. Y. I.
No Kidding
There are more species of fish in the Amazon River than in the Atlantic Ocean.
Fleeting Fancy
The average human dream lasts only two to three seconds.
Actually Said
by Linda Evangelista, model
"I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to."
Still on the Books
In Kansas, it is illegal to put ice cream on cherry pie.
So Called
A group of zebras is known as a dazzle.
Acrobatic Signal
The spotted skunk does a handstand to warn its enemies before spraying its stench.
There are more species of fish in the Amazon River than in the Atlantic Ocean.
Fleeting Fancy
The average human dream lasts only two to three seconds.
Actually Said
by Linda Evangelista, model
"I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to."
Still on the Books
In Kansas, it is illegal to put ice cream on cherry pie.
So Called
A group of zebras is known as a dazzle.
Acrobatic Signal
The spotted skunk does a handstand to warn its enemies before spraying its stench.
"Cemetery collector" with 29 bodies arrested
Russian police have arrested a man described by local media as the "cemetery collector" for digging up 29 corpses and dressing the remains in female clothing to display around his flat. Grainy police video images of the man's cramped flat showed what look like several life-sized female dolls without faces, some with platinum blond wigs.
"During a search of his flat and garage, 29 self-made, life-size dolls dressed in the clothes of buried people were found," a spokesman for police in Nizhny Novgorod, 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow, said Tuesday.
"It was ascertained that he used mummified human bodies from graves to make them (the dolls)."
Police described the man, who was arrested following the desecration of graves in the area, as a local historian and an expert in the study of place names.
Media cited friends as saying they had never seen the dolls and that he was a learned, if eccentric, man.
"During a search of his flat and garage, 29 self-made, life-size dolls dressed in the clothes of buried people were found," a spokesman for police in Nizhny Novgorod, 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow, said Tuesday.
"It was ascertained that he used mummified human bodies from graves to make them (the dolls)."
Police described the man, who was arrested following the desecration of graves in the area, as a local historian and an expert in the study of place names.
Media cited friends as saying they had never seen the dolls and that he was a learned, if eccentric, man.
Five teenagers arrested for stealing Halloween candy
Five Virginia teenagers were charged with robbery and assault after they beat up two Halloween trick-or-treaters and stole their candy, Police said on Saturday.
The group allegedly surrounded two other teenagers, ages 15 and 17, as they were going door-to-door in a neighborhood in Dale City, Virginia, said Jonathan Perok, a spokesman for the Prince William County Police Department.
One of the teens said he had a handgun and demanded the trick-or-treaters turn over their Halloween loot. The pair refused and the group assaulted them, police said, adding the assault resulted in minor injuries.
"Robberies are not unusual, but these are kids," Perok said.
Of the five arrested, four were juveniles aged between 16 and 17, and were not identified. Andre Diggs, 19, was also arrested and is being held without bond.
Prince William County is located roughly 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.
The group allegedly surrounded two other teenagers, ages 15 and 17, as they were going door-to-door in a neighborhood in Dale City, Virginia, said Jonathan Perok, a spokesman for the Prince William County Police Department.
One of the teens said he had a handgun and demanded the trick-or-treaters turn over their Halloween loot. The pair refused and the group assaulted them, police said, adding the assault resulted in minor injuries.
"Robberies are not unusual, but these are kids," Perok said.
Of the five arrested, four were juveniles aged between 16 and 17, and were not identified. Andre Diggs, 19, was also arrested and is being held without bond.
Prince William County is located roughly 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.
Strapped county sacks Santa to save $660
Faced with the difficult task of balancing a budget in austere times, officials in New York's Suffolk County said on Friday they had no choice: they had to sack Santa Claus.
The county executive said he could not justify carving out $660 from his $2.7 billion budget to pay David McKell, 83, a World War II veteran and former homicide detective, to don his Santa suit for the tenth year running and greet children on Long Island.
"How do you justify that expenditure when a health center is losing money?" Steve Levy, the Suffolk County Executive, said in an interview.
He said that some 750 county employees were facing layoffs as a result of budget restraints, including what he described as a $20 million cut in state aid to the county's health system.
"Let either the private sector come forward with a donation, or, better yet, let's tap the volunteers in the community," he said.
Levy was quickly called a Grinch by his opponents.
"Do we really have to hold Santa Claus hostage to balance the budget?" said Bill Lindsay, a Democrat and the presiding officer of the county legislature.
"I mean, $600? Give me a break," Joseph Sawicki, a Republican who as county comptroller is charged with overseeing the county government's fiscal prudence, said in an interview. "There comes a point where you go overboard in terms of penny-pinching."
County officials said dozens of people had come forward offering to pay for Santa's services and Levy himself volunteered to don a Santa suit for a shift or two.
In the end, Steve Bellone, the current town supervisor of nearby Babylon, who is running as the Democratic candidate to succeed Levy, said he would pay for Santa.
Levy, who is not running for reelection, dismissed Bellone's gesture as "pure grandstanding", and said his office was investigating whether the check breached rules governing gifts to county agencies.
McKell, the Santa at the center of the storm, said Bellone's check -- part of which would cover gas and other Santa expenses -- had resolved the matter.
"I wish him (Levy)a very merry Christmas and a happy new year," McKell said.
The county executive said he could not justify carving out $660 from his $2.7 billion budget to pay David McKell, 83, a World War II veteran and former homicide detective, to don his Santa suit for the tenth year running and greet children on Long Island.
"How do you justify that expenditure when a health center is losing money?" Steve Levy, the Suffolk County Executive, said in an interview.
He said that some 750 county employees were facing layoffs as a result of budget restraints, including what he described as a $20 million cut in state aid to the county's health system.
"Let either the private sector come forward with a donation, or, better yet, let's tap the volunteers in the community," he said.
Levy was quickly called a Grinch by his opponents.
"Do we really have to hold Santa Claus hostage to balance the budget?" said Bill Lindsay, a Democrat and the presiding officer of the county legislature.
"I mean, $600? Give me a break," Joseph Sawicki, a Republican who as county comptroller is charged with overseeing the county government's fiscal prudence, said in an interview. "There comes a point where you go overboard in terms of penny-pinching."
County officials said dozens of people had come forward offering to pay for Santa's services and Levy himself volunteered to don a Santa suit for a shift or two.
In the end, Steve Bellone, the current town supervisor of nearby Babylon, who is running as the Democratic candidate to succeed Levy, said he would pay for Santa.
Levy, who is not running for reelection, dismissed Bellone's gesture as "pure grandstanding", and said his office was investigating whether the check breached rules governing gifts to county agencies.
McKell, the Santa at the center of the storm, said Bellone's check -- part of which would cover gas and other Santa expenses -- had resolved the matter.
"I wish him (Levy)a very merry Christmas and a happy new year," McKell said.
Devil found in detail of Giotto fresco in Italy's Assisi
Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.
The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto in the 13th century.
The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis.
The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography.
Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica, said Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the fresco and may have painted it in among the clouds "to have a bit of fun."
The master may have painted it to spite someone he knew by portraying him as a devil in the painting, Fusetti said on the convent's website.
The artwork in the basilica in the convent where St Francis is buried was last restored after it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1997.
The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto in the 13th century.
The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis.
The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography.
Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica, said Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the fresco and may have painted it in among the clouds "to have a bit of fun."
The master may have painted it to spite someone he knew by portraying him as a devil in the painting, Fusetti said on the convent's website.
The artwork in the basilica in the convent where St Francis is buried was last restored after it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1997.
Accused Nigeria comic to get last laugh on drug cops
A Nigerian comedian arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs in his stomach will be released on bail on Friday after drug enforcement agents failed to find anything inside him following an exhaustive search of his excretions, his lawyer told Reuters.
A renowned joker in his Nollywood performances, Babatunde Omidina has become the butt of jokes himself. The Nigerian media has found it hard to suppress the sniggers while covering his every visit to the lavatory -- none of which yielded any drugs.
Omidina, 53, popularly known as "Baba Suwe," was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency while trying to board a Paris-bound flight from Lagos airport on October 12. An airport scanner allegedly showed bags of white powder in his stomach.
Three weeks and some 18 bowel movements later, agents have found no cocaine -- only a kind of local porridge.
"We ... return to court on Friday ... We have perfected the bail bond and if nothing incriminating is found on him, he will be going home a free man," the comic's lawyer Bamidele Aturu told Reuters by telephone.
Like many countries in West Africa, Nigeria is a major transit point for Latin American cocaine going into Europe.
A renowned joker in his Nollywood performances, Babatunde Omidina has become the butt of jokes himself. The Nigerian media has found it hard to suppress the sniggers while covering his every visit to the lavatory -- none of which yielded any drugs.
Omidina, 53, popularly known as "Baba Suwe," was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency while trying to board a Paris-bound flight from Lagos airport on October 12. An airport scanner allegedly showed bags of white powder in his stomach.
Three weeks and some 18 bowel movements later, agents have found no cocaine -- only a kind of local porridge.
"We ... return to court on Friday ... We have perfected the bail bond and if nothing incriminating is found on him, he will be going home a free man," the comic's lawyer Bamidele Aturu told Reuters by telephone.
Like many countries in West Africa, Nigeria is a major transit point for Latin American cocaine going into Europe.
Mars crew "lands" after 520 days in isolation
Pale-faced but smiling, the crew of a long-duration isolation study emerged bleary-eyed to daylight and applause Friday after 520 days locked away in windowless, cramped cells to simulate the length of a journey to Mars.
The $15 million Mars500 experiment aims to answer one of the big unknowns of deep-space travel: can people stay healthy and sane during six months rocketing to the Red Planet?
The six male volunteers were allowed to briefly embrace family and friends before being ushered into a three-day quarantine period at the end of an experiment to recreate the psychological strain of a real Mars mission as closely as possible.
Clothed in blue jumpsuits, the would-be astronauts from Europe, Russia and China grinned and waved as the heavy metal door was shut on their home of the last 17 months in a mock spaceship at a Moscow research institute.
"It's really, really great to see you all again, rather heartwarming," said Diego Urbina, an Italian-Colombian participant, who was shaky and red-eyed.
"On this mission we've achieved the longest isolation ever so that humankind can go to a distant but reachable planet."
Psychologists fear a return to the noise and activity of ordinary life will come as a shock to the men.
"Time seems to have flown by since we closed the hatch last year. But how time really felt to the crew we'll soon know. Probably we'll have a very big difference of opinion," said Igor Ushakov, head of the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems, which runs the "spaceship."
The crew were firmly anchored by gravity, despite the pretence of long months shuttling through space. But that did not stop them from feeling thousands of miles from home.
"I really felt a physical distance between our crew and the people in Mission Control. My reason knows that they're just 20 m (65 ft) away from us but my mind can't accept it," Frenchman Romain Charles wrote to Reuters on the eve of his return.
The men have fed on rations like those of real astronauts, rarely showered, taken daily urine and blood samples all while under 24-hour surveillance everywhere but in the toilets, earning the study comparisons to a reality TV show.
MARS500 EXPERIMENTS
More than 100 different experiments crowded in on the Mars500 project, with researchers of every stripe interested in scrutinizing the men. Halfway through, three crew members even donned 32-kg (70-pound) spacesuits to clomp about in a dark, sand-filled room, imitating the surface of Mars.
"They are tired, of course they need social rehabilitation to adapt back to society," project director Boris Morukov told Reuters.
"Over a period of 17 months, everything was strictly regimented. Now they are returning to a life where they must deal with family and professional problems."
A 420-day experiment in 2000 ended in drunken disaster when two participants got into a fistfight and a third tried to forcibly kiss a female crew member.
Mars500, the first fully-fledged simulation, brings a warm rush of publicity to space programs, struggling against waning interest among tax payers.
"It's amazing how much interest there has been," veteran European astronaut Christer Fuglesang told Reuters.
Space officials say technology is still decades away from being able to protect astronauts from cancer-causing cosmic radiation, land them at least 35 million miles (56 million km) across the solar system and bring them home again.
But Charles said flying to Mars is "the next logical step for human expansion."
"If any catastrophic threat is targeting the Earth, we should be able to seek a safe haven in another celestial body."
The $15 million Mars500 experiment aims to answer one of the big unknowns of deep-space travel: can people stay healthy and sane during six months rocketing to the Red Planet?
The six male volunteers were allowed to briefly embrace family and friends before being ushered into a three-day quarantine period at the end of an experiment to recreate the psychological strain of a real Mars mission as closely as possible.
Clothed in blue jumpsuits, the would-be astronauts from Europe, Russia and China grinned and waved as the heavy metal door was shut on their home of the last 17 months in a mock spaceship at a Moscow research institute.
"It's really, really great to see you all again, rather heartwarming," said Diego Urbina, an Italian-Colombian participant, who was shaky and red-eyed.
"On this mission we've achieved the longest isolation ever so that humankind can go to a distant but reachable planet."
Psychologists fear a return to the noise and activity of ordinary life will come as a shock to the men.
"Time seems to have flown by since we closed the hatch last year. But how time really felt to the crew we'll soon know. Probably we'll have a very big difference of opinion," said Igor Ushakov, head of the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems, which runs the "spaceship."
The crew were firmly anchored by gravity, despite the pretence of long months shuttling through space. But that did not stop them from feeling thousands of miles from home.
"I really felt a physical distance between our crew and the people in Mission Control. My reason knows that they're just 20 m (65 ft) away from us but my mind can't accept it," Frenchman Romain Charles wrote to Reuters on the eve of his return.
The men have fed on rations like those of real astronauts, rarely showered, taken daily urine and blood samples all while under 24-hour surveillance everywhere but in the toilets, earning the study comparisons to a reality TV show.
MARS500 EXPERIMENTS
More than 100 different experiments crowded in on the Mars500 project, with researchers of every stripe interested in scrutinizing the men. Halfway through, three crew members even donned 32-kg (70-pound) spacesuits to clomp about in a dark, sand-filled room, imitating the surface of Mars.
"They are tired, of course they need social rehabilitation to adapt back to society," project director Boris Morukov told Reuters.
"Over a period of 17 months, everything was strictly regimented. Now they are returning to a life where they must deal with family and professional problems."
A 420-day experiment in 2000 ended in drunken disaster when two participants got into a fistfight and a third tried to forcibly kiss a female crew member.
Mars500, the first fully-fledged simulation, brings a warm rush of publicity to space programs, struggling against waning interest among tax payers.
"It's amazing how much interest there has been," veteran European astronaut Christer Fuglesang told Reuters.
Space officials say technology is still decades away from being able to protect astronauts from cancer-causing cosmic radiation, land them at least 35 million miles (56 million km) across the solar system and bring them home again.
But Charles said flying to Mars is "the next logical step for human expansion."
"If any catastrophic threat is targeting the Earth, we should be able to seek a safe haven in another celestial body."
Germany admits accounting blunder but no scapegoats
The German government has no plans to sack the bankers or accountants who made a 55-billion euro ($75 billion) bookkeeping blunder that exposed it to ridicule across Europe, the finance minister said Wednesday.
Wolfgang Schaeuble said it was "an extremely annoying mistake" for the nationalised mortgage bank Hypo Real Estate (HRE) and the PwC accountancy firm to have let such an error slip through undetected.
The Berlin government has been scathing about Greece's bookkeeping practices during the euro zone crisis.
"I don't believe in looking for scapegoats," Schaeuble told a news conference after summoning executives from HRE and the accountancy firm to his office.
"Everyone promised improvements."
The blunder briefly raised Germany's total debt by more than 55 billion euros, and Schaeuble and the government were lampooned by cartoonists and pilloried in editorials.
The minister conceded the blunder did shake public confidence but called it a "communications problem" which never really put Germany's fiscal interests at risk.
Schaeuble said the Bundesbank (German central bank) would take a deeper look into the accounting mistakes made.
"It was all about statistical problems and different methods of accounting," Schaeuble said. "It's an extremely annoying mistake. The sum involved of 55 billion euros could contribute to deeply shaking the public's faith."
The German public has long grumbled about the growing size of the euro zone rescue measures, especially after state spending cuts over the last decade led to deep cuts in Germany's comparatively comfortable levels of state support.
In an era of austerity when their government has squabbled for two years over a mooted 6-billion euro tax cut, Germans found it hard to understand how their government was now unexpectedly 55 billion euros better off.
"Schaeuble hasn't shed any light on the matter," said Thomas Opperman, finance policy expert of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD). "This was just a continuation of the cover-up. It's not on that someone makes a 55-billion euro mistake and no one is held responsible for it."
Schaeuble's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) often campaign on the slogan that the SPD cannot be trusted with public money.
"Schaeuble has a lot of explaining to do," Oppermann said.
The HRE-linked "bad bank" FMS Wertmanagement was set up after HRE was nationalised in 2009, so that HRE could transfer the worst non-performing assets to an off-balance sheet bank guaranteed by the German state.
As a result of the corrected debt, Germany now expects its ratio of debt to gross domestic product to be 81.1 percent for 2011, 2.6 percentage points less than previously forecast. ($1 = 0.725 Euros)
(Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Robert Woodward)
(This story corrects the currency conversion in the first paragraph to billion, from million)
Wolfgang Schaeuble said it was "an extremely annoying mistake" for the nationalised mortgage bank Hypo Real Estate (HRE) and the PwC accountancy firm to have let such an error slip through undetected.
The Berlin government has been scathing about Greece's bookkeeping practices during the euro zone crisis.
"I don't believe in looking for scapegoats," Schaeuble told a news conference after summoning executives from HRE and the accountancy firm to his office.
"Everyone promised improvements."
The blunder briefly raised Germany's total debt by more than 55 billion euros, and Schaeuble and the government were lampooned by cartoonists and pilloried in editorials.
The minister conceded the blunder did shake public confidence but called it a "communications problem" which never really put Germany's fiscal interests at risk.
Schaeuble said the Bundesbank (German central bank) would take a deeper look into the accounting mistakes made.
"It was all about statistical problems and different methods of accounting," Schaeuble said. "It's an extremely annoying mistake. The sum involved of 55 billion euros could contribute to deeply shaking the public's faith."
The German public has long grumbled about the growing size of the euro zone rescue measures, especially after state spending cuts over the last decade led to deep cuts in Germany's comparatively comfortable levels of state support.
In an era of austerity when their government has squabbled for two years over a mooted 6-billion euro tax cut, Germans found it hard to understand how their government was now unexpectedly 55 billion euros better off.
"Schaeuble hasn't shed any light on the matter," said Thomas Opperman, finance policy expert of the opposition Social Democrats (SPD). "This was just a continuation of the cover-up. It's not on that someone makes a 55-billion euro mistake and no one is held responsible for it."
Schaeuble's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) often campaign on the slogan that the SPD cannot be trusted with public money.
"Schaeuble has a lot of explaining to do," Oppermann said.
The HRE-linked "bad bank" FMS Wertmanagement was set up after HRE was nationalised in 2009, so that HRE could transfer the worst non-performing assets to an off-balance sheet bank guaranteed by the German state.
As a result of the corrected debt, Germany now expects its ratio of debt to gross domestic product to be 81.1 percent for 2011, 2.6 percentage points less than previously forecast. ($1 = 0.725 Euros)
(Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Robert Woodward)
(This story corrects the currency conversion in the first paragraph to billion, from million)
Strapped Harrisburg hopes to cash in its Wild West collection
If Pennsylvania's fiscally battered capital city wants to stage a Wild West-like battle with the creditors demanding every penny of the millions they are owed, it has enough muskets, stage coaches, sheriff's badges and ammunition to get the job done. Whether any of it would work is questionable.
Desperate to rid itself of more than 8,000 artifacts and to climb out of a $300 million debt crisis, Harrisburg has allowed appraisers and auction houses into a storage space where the bits of Americana have been gathering dust for years.
Nearly all of the artifacts were collected by former Mayor Stephen Reed, who dreamed of building a Wild West museum in Harrisburg that never materialized. The seven-term mayor left office last year.
Reed began buying the artifacts with tax dollars more than five years ago. Two city auctions of some of the artifacts in 2007 and 2008 have netted $1.66 million.
The remaining artifacts are kept in a nondescript brick structure that sits not far from the incinerator whose expensive revamp helped put the city in dire financial straits.
Inside, "Building D," as it is called, can best be described as a curator's nightmare.
An Indian canoe sits uncovered, with other artifacts piled inside. Cactus skeletons, some 10 feet tall, lean against heaps of other artifacts. Stage coaches are stuffed with odds and ends.
In the middle the room, water drips from the poorly lit ceiling, collecting in puddles near a stuffed buffalo. Nothing is boxed, wrapped or protected.
A dusty yellow envelope holds dried salmon. "From Eskimo village bought during Klondike Gold Rush of 1896," a handwritten note explains.
Pistols are strewn about, as are plastic sandwich bags of ammunition. One artifact carries a note: "Slug found in the alfalfa field near the Gary Owen Post Office at Little Big Horn. This area marked the advance of Major Reno troops into the Sioux Village on June 25, 1876."
Harrisburg spokesman Robert Philbin said about nine companies have taken a recent look at the artifacts and gave the city hope some of the $8 million to $15 million Reed spent to buy them will be recouped.
"The collectors saw real value, particularly the guns and wagons. Right away, they knew what they were looking for," he said.
The city is looking for an appraiser and an auction service to help generate the most money for the cash-strapped city. Bids will be accepted until November 9.
Desperate to rid itself of more than 8,000 artifacts and to climb out of a $300 million debt crisis, Harrisburg has allowed appraisers and auction houses into a storage space where the bits of Americana have been gathering dust for years.
Nearly all of the artifacts were collected by former Mayor Stephen Reed, who dreamed of building a Wild West museum in Harrisburg that never materialized. The seven-term mayor left office last year.
Reed began buying the artifacts with tax dollars more than five years ago. Two city auctions of some of the artifacts in 2007 and 2008 have netted $1.66 million.
The remaining artifacts are kept in a nondescript brick structure that sits not far from the incinerator whose expensive revamp helped put the city in dire financial straits.
Inside, "Building D," as it is called, can best be described as a curator's nightmare.
An Indian canoe sits uncovered, with other artifacts piled inside. Cactus skeletons, some 10 feet tall, lean against heaps of other artifacts. Stage coaches are stuffed with odds and ends.
In the middle the room, water drips from the poorly lit ceiling, collecting in puddles near a stuffed buffalo. Nothing is boxed, wrapped or protected.
A dusty yellow envelope holds dried salmon. "From Eskimo village bought during Klondike Gold Rush of 1896," a handwritten note explains.
Pistols are strewn about, as are plastic sandwich bags of ammunition. One artifact carries a note: "Slug found in the alfalfa field near the Gary Owen Post Office at Little Big Horn. This area marked the advance of Major Reno troops into the Sioux Village on June 25, 1876."
Harrisburg spokesman Robert Philbin said about nine companies have taken a recent look at the artifacts and gave the city hope some of the $8 million to $15 million Reed spent to buy them will be recouped.
"The collectors saw real value, particularly the guns and wagons. Right away, they knew what they were looking for," he said.
The city is looking for an appraiser and an auction service to help generate the most money for the cash-strapped city. Bids will be accepted until November 9.
Teen in recovery from accidental haunted house hanging
A teenager who was accidentally tangled in a hangman's noose while acting at a Halloween haunted house was out of intensive care on Wednesday and recovering from the incident that left her briefly not breathing and unconscious, police said.
The 17-year-old, who was not identified because of her age, was found hanging with her neck in the noose Thursday night by a maintenance worker and a supervisor at Creepyworld in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri.
She was working in a bathroom horror scene, one of seven attractions at the facility. She apparently slipped off a tub and got caught in the noose, according to a report from the Jefferson County police.
The report also said she was not breathing when found, but was quickly cut out of the rope and revived. She was in critical condition when she arrived at an area hospital but by Wednesday was out of the intensive care unit and recovering. No other details were released on her condition.
The Creepyworld "scream park" is designed to replicate a small town struck by disaster. Customers tour the town where actors supply the shocks amid car wrecks and props meant to look like bodies.
It is one of three area attractions run by Halloween Productions Inc of St. Louis. Officials had no comment on the incident.
The 17-year-old, who was not identified because of her age, was found hanging with her neck in the noose Thursday night by a maintenance worker and a supervisor at Creepyworld in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri.
She was working in a bathroom horror scene, one of seven attractions at the facility. She apparently slipped off a tub and got caught in the noose, according to a report from the Jefferson County police.
The report also said she was not breathing when found, but was quickly cut out of the rope and revived. She was in critical condition when she arrived at an area hospital but by Wednesday was out of the intensive care unit and recovering. No other details were released on her condition.
The Creepyworld "scream park" is designed to replicate a small town struck by disaster. Customers tour the town where actors supply the shocks amid car wrecks and props meant to look like bodies.
It is one of three area attractions run by Halloween Productions Inc of St. Louis. Officials had no comment on the incident.
Agents intercept military flare in mail
Federal agents at Chicago's O'Hare Airport averted "a potential catastrophic event" when they stopped a package containing a live military flare from being loaded onto a flight to Japan, a federal agency said on Monday.
The Customs and Border Protection said the Vietnam War-era device, identified as an M49A1 phosphorous trip flare, was found in the mail as it was passing through the busy facility on Thursday.
Brian Bell, a customs supervisor, said he did not know whether the package that contained the device would have been routed onto a passenger or cargo plane.
The device, which burns at a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, had been listed on the shipping manifest as a "military training dummie", the agency said.
When agents looking for contraband in the mail contacted the sender for more details, they learned he had acquired the device online from an estate sale and was sending it to a buyer in Japan.
Bomb experts from the Chicago Police Department determined the package contained an incendiary device and rendered it safe. The case is under investigation. The Customs and Border Protection agency said agents did not believe there was any intent to harm.
The Customs and Border Protection said the Vietnam War-era device, identified as an M49A1 phosphorous trip flare, was found in the mail as it was passing through the busy facility on Thursday.
Brian Bell, a customs supervisor, said he did not know whether the package that contained the device would have been routed onto a passenger or cargo plane.
The device, which burns at a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, had been listed on the shipping manifest as a "military training dummie", the agency said.
When agents looking for contraband in the mail contacted the sender for more details, they learned he had acquired the device online from an estate sale and was sending it to a buyer in Japan.
Bomb experts from the Chicago Police Department determined the package contained an incendiary device and rendered it safe. The case is under investigation. The Customs and Border Protection agency said agents did not believe there was any intent to harm.
Top Paris store drops carols for rock n roll X-mas
Live rock and roll is replacing recorded Christmas carols in the windows of Galeries Lafayette as the Parisian department store seeks to drum up curiosity, and client numbers, for this year's gift-buying season.
True to tradition, the shop is putting on a dazzling show for shoppers and tourists alike in the countdown to Christmas, but this year it is seeking to strike a chord with music-mad teenagers as much as fairytale fans young and old.
With a debt crisis forcing much of Europe into austerity, consumption has dropped in recent weeks, making crowd-pullers all the more important, even for upmarket stores that can count on a large tourist contingent in the heart of the French capital.
Rock legend Iggy Pop, bare-chested as always, has helped Galeries Lafayette get the show on the road, posing for photo fliers in red Santa hat and matching shoes in addition to his signature electric guitar.
The goal of reaching out to teenagers rather than toddlers is clear.
The opening weeks include nightly live shows in the window by a variety of major-label rock and folk bands, one from Mali, another from Australia and most of the others from France itself.
And apart from the live shows, furry creatures and fairytale puppets will give way this year to life-size mannequins in black leather to rag dolls draped in glamour garb -- all hand-made, hand-painted and more hard-edged than the customary annual display of smurfs, snowmen and abundant lovable puppets.
Galeries Lafayette, which first started doing its Christmas window shows after World War Two, says that this year's show was inspired by the increasingly close relationship between rock and fashion.
There are other good reasons.
French household spending dropped 1.3 percent in September versus the same month a year earlier and spending on clothing fell 7.3 percent, according to France's statistics office.
"Shoppers are so stretched at the moment that actually getting them into the stores is the first challenge," said Bryan Roberts, an analyst at Kantar Retail, an industry consultancy.
"Converting that shopper into a purchase is the next challenge."
True to tradition, the shop is putting on a dazzling show for shoppers and tourists alike in the countdown to Christmas, but this year it is seeking to strike a chord with music-mad teenagers as much as fairytale fans young and old.
With a debt crisis forcing much of Europe into austerity, consumption has dropped in recent weeks, making crowd-pullers all the more important, even for upmarket stores that can count on a large tourist contingent in the heart of the French capital.
Rock legend Iggy Pop, bare-chested as always, has helped Galeries Lafayette get the show on the road, posing for photo fliers in red Santa hat and matching shoes in addition to his signature electric guitar.
The goal of reaching out to teenagers rather than toddlers is clear.
The opening weeks include nightly live shows in the window by a variety of major-label rock and folk bands, one from Mali, another from Australia and most of the others from France itself.
And apart from the live shows, furry creatures and fairytale puppets will give way this year to life-size mannequins in black leather to rag dolls draped in glamour garb -- all hand-made, hand-painted and more hard-edged than the customary annual display of smurfs, snowmen and abundant lovable puppets.
Galeries Lafayette, which first started doing its Christmas window shows after World War Two, says that this year's show was inspired by the increasingly close relationship between rock and fashion.
There are other good reasons.
French household spending dropped 1.3 percent in September versus the same month a year earlier and spending on clothing fell 7.3 percent, according to France's statistics office.
"Shoppers are so stretched at the moment that actually getting them into the stores is the first challenge," said Bryan Roberts, an analyst at Kantar Retail, an industry consultancy.
"Converting that shopper into a purchase is the next challenge."
Parents pray, jets grounded for Korea college exam
Jets will be grounded across South Korea and anxious parents will pray while their children take annual exams that could lead them to one of the country's top universities and eventually a good job for life. As well as prayers at churches and temples in this country of 50 million people, the 690,000 students who sit the exams on Thursday have been boosting their chances by eating toffee, to help the right answers stick, and staying away from bananas and seaweed, that might make them slip in the tests.
"I have been so stressed just looking at other mothers send their children off to good colleges," said Kwon Jeong-hee, whose son is taking the so-called CSAT tests for the second time.
Kwon was praying at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple in downtown Seoul, which has held special prayer meetings for parents of CSAT exam takers. Many anxious parents have been praying for weeks, if not months.
"I haven't allowed guests into my home recently because of superstitions against strangers, and I don't let my son eat seaweed soup because it's unnerving," she said.
The exams are a major event here, and society scrambles to make things easier for stressed students.
During oral tests, aircraft will be banned from taking off and landing, and drivers are forbidden from sounding their horns. Police vehicles will even escort late-running students to the exam rooms.
Even the stock exchange will open an hour late to reduce the chance that students will be caught in traffic en route to the exams, an annual rite of passage that can literally make or break the lives of the 18-year olds sitting them.
"The mothers are more anxious than the children," said Yu Mi-ran, who has prayed daily at her church in central Seoul for over 20 days for her daughter.
Along with toffee, students are given presents of forks to help them "stab" the correct answers, while toilet paper is also good luck as in Korean it is called "pul-da," a homonym for "solve" or "unravel."
Porridge is also a banned food for test takers as "cooking porridge" in Korean is also slang for "messing up."
CHEATING AND SUICIDES
With the youngsters' whole future at stake, some go further than trusting in toffee and forks.
A national scandal erupted in 2004 when a group of students were caught cheating with cell phones and working as a network. So serious is the exam that the offending students were handed down suspended sentences in court a few months later.
One high school student jumped off the roof of the school where she had been taking the test in 2007 and others have committed suicide after getting their results.
Test supervisors get special training and during the exam, they are not allowed to cough, chew gum or put on strong perfume that might distract students.
With high levels of youth unemployment and a growing informal employment sector that doesn't bring the same benefits as working for huge South Korean conglomerates that offer a steady job and pension, anxious prayers from parents don't always stop when the exams are finished.
"My son took the CSAT more than a decade ago," said a mother at Jogyesa as she slipped a 5,000 won note inside a collecting box. "I'm here to get him a job."
"I have been so stressed just looking at other mothers send their children off to good colleges," said Kwon Jeong-hee, whose son is taking the so-called CSAT tests for the second time.
Kwon was praying at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple in downtown Seoul, which has held special prayer meetings for parents of CSAT exam takers. Many anxious parents have been praying for weeks, if not months.
"I haven't allowed guests into my home recently because of superstitions against strangers, and I don't let my son eat seaweed soup because it's unnerving," she said.
The exams are a major event here, and society scrambles to make things easier for stressed students.
During oral tests, aircraft will be banned from taking off and landing, and drivers are forbidden from sounding their horns. Police vehicles will even escort late-running students to the exam rooms.
Even the stock exchange will open an hour late to reduce the chance that students will be caught in traffic en route to the exams, an annual rite of passage that can literally make or break the lives of the 18-year olds sitting them.
"The mothers are more anxious than the children," said Yu Mi-ran, who has prayed daily at her church in central Seoul for over 20 days for her daughter.
Along with toffee, students are given presents of forks to help them "stab" the correct answers, while toilet paper is also good luck as in Korean it is called "pul-da," a homonym for "solve" or "unravel."
Porridge is also a banned food for test takers as "cooking porridge" in Korean is also slang for "messing up."
CHEATING AND SUICIDES
With the youngsters' whole future at stake, some go further than trusting in toffee and forks.
A national scandal erupted in 2004 when a group of students were caught cheating with cell phones and working as a network. So serious is the exam that the offending students were handed down suspended sentences in court a few months later.
One high school student jumped off the roof of the school where she had been taking the test in 2007 and others have committed suicide after getting their results.
Test supervisors get special training and during the exam, they are not allowed to cough, chew gum or put on strong perfume that might distract students.
With high levels of youth unemployment and a growing informal employment sector that doesn't bring the same benefits as working for huge South Korean conglomerates that offer a steady job and pension, anxious prayers from parents don't always stop when the exams are finished.
"My son took the CSAT more than a decade ago," said a mother at Jogyesa as she slipped a 5,000 won note inside a collecting box. "I'm here to get him a job."
Doctor turned serial killer in WW2 Paris
Nazi-occupied Paris was a terrible place to be in the waning days of World War Two, with Jews, Resistance fighters and ordinary citizens all hoping to escape. Disappearances became so common they often weren't followed up.
And one man used the lawlessness for his own terrible purposes, killing perhaps as many as 150 people.
Yet it wasn't until thick black smoke seeped into buildings in a fashionable part of the city that firefighters and police were called to an elegant townhouse where they found body parts scattered around -- setting off a manhunt that led them, eventually, to Marcel Petiot.
The crime was very much of its time, said David King, who chronicled the hunt for Petiot in "Death in the City of Light."
"Paris was not a good place to be. A lot of people were trying to leave Paris, a lot of people just disappearing. He had it plotted out, a very devious plan," said King, in a telephone interview.
"Respect for the law was tarnished under the Nazis. Even if you suspected something, a lot of people were very, very reluctant to go forward, especially if they were Jewish."
Petiot, as it turned out, was a respected physician who turned serial killer by night, preying largely on Jews desperate to leave Paris by luring them in with promises of escape. He was accused of murdering "only" some 27, but authorities suspected his real toll was far higher.
King, a former history professor, first stumbled across reference to the killings while browsing in a bookstore and picking up a World War Two memoir by a spy. At first, he couldn't believe what he read.
But the grisly details stuck with him, and after he confirmed the story was true, he finished his other projects and came back to it.
"Here's a guy -- Marcel Petiot, who was accused of all the murders. Obviously very intelligent, charismatic, has a respected position, is into collecting antiques, interested in the arts," he said.
"And yet, you get to the other side, when he's accused of some of the most disturbing things you can think of: savagely dismembering bodies."
Through years of research, including perusal of Parisian police archives closed since the crimes took place, King pieced together the story of how Petiot claimed to be a member of the resistance and lured many of his victims in by promising them safe passage to South America in return for payment.
Once in Petiot's hands, the victims were told to write letters to their relatives, telling them that they were fine and would return once times had settled down. Then they were killed, most likely by lethal gas, and dismembered or burned.
"It's a microcosm of the whole Nazi terror and Paris being a bad place to be. There's got to be more than just exploiting peoples' hopes and dreams and desperation, but that's what he does," King said.
Though Petiot eluded police on at least one occasion, after appearing amid the crowd that gathered after the initial grisly discovery and speaking with a patrolman before riding off on his bicycle, he was eventually captured, tried and executed.
King, the author of several other books, said this one was particularly hard to immerse himself in due to the content, however horrifically fascinating the story.
It also had an impact on him personally.
"I'm generally a pretty outgoing person, but I'm probably a little bit more reluctant about things now," he said.
"Dr. Petiot seemed like the nicest guy -- charming, intelligent, friendly. You could just strike up a conversation with somebody like this ... I found myself on my guard more."
And one man used the lawlessness for his own terrible purposes, killing perhaps as many as 150 people.
Yet it wasn't until thick black smoke seeped into buildings in a fashionable part of the city that firefighters and police were called to an elegant townhouse where they found body parts scattered around -- setting off a manhunt that led them, eventually, to Marcel Petiot.
The crime was very much of its time, said David King, who chronicled the hunt for Petiot in "Death in the City of Light."
"Paris was not a good place to be. A lot of people were trying to leave Paris, a lot of people just disappearing. He had it plotted out, a very devious plan," said King, in a telephone interview.
"Respect for the law was tarnished under the Nazis. Even if you suspected something, a lot of people were very, very reluctant to go forward, especially if they were Jewish."
Petiot, as it turned out, was a respected physician who turned serial killer by night, preying largely on Jews desperate to leave Paris by luring them in with promises of escape. He was accused of murdering "only" some 27, but authorities suspected his real toll was far higher.
King, a former history professor, first stumbled across reference to the killings while browsing in a bookstore and picking up a World War Two memoir by a spy. At first, he couldn't believe what he read.
But the grisly details stuck with him, and after he confirmed the story was true, he finished his other projects and came back to it.
"Here's a guy -- Marcel Petiot, who was accused of all the murders. Obviously very intelligent, charismatic, has a respected position, is into collecting antiques, interested in the arts," he said.
"And yet, you get to the other side, when he's accused of some of the most disturbing things you can think of: savagely dismembering bodies."
Through years of research, including perusal of Parisian police archives closed since the crimes took place, King pieced together the story of how Petiot claimed to be a member of the resistance and lured many of his victims in by promising them safe passage to South America in return for payment.
Once in Petiot's hands, the victims were told to write letters to their relatives, telling them that they were fine and would return once times had settled down. Then they were killed, most likely by lethal gas, and dismembered or burned.
"It's a microcosm of the whole Nazi terror and Paris being a bad place to be. There's got to be more than just exploiting peoples' hopes and dreams and desperation, but that's what he does," King said.
Though Petiot eluded police on at least one occasion, after appearing amid the crowd that gathered after the initial grisly discovery and speaking with a patrolman before riding off on his bicycle, he was eventually captured, tried and executed.
King, the author of several other books, said this one was particularly hard to immerse himself in due to the content, however horrifically fascinating the story.
It also had an impact on him personally.
"I'm generally a pretty outgoing person, but I'm probably a little bit more reluctant about things now," he said.
"Dr. Petiot seemed like the nicest guy -- charming, intelligent, friendly. You could just strike up a conversation with somebody like this ... I found myself on my guard more."
If Jane Austen lived today, she'd be a blogger
Dear reader, if Jane Austen lived today, she'd be an avid blogger, she'd be on Facebook, and of course she'd also be tweeting away -- but mostly about other people, not herself. That's because Austen had a passionate fascination with people and what made them who they were, an interest that keeps the modern world fascinated by the woman who wrote novels set in small villages nearly 200 years ago, said Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of an anthology of Austen-inspired stories.
"She would definitely be on Twitter, out there having fun. Blogging, connecting with people. Facebook," said Nattress in a phone interview about her book, "Jane Austen Made Me Do It."
"She loved understanding how people ticked, and you see that in her characterizations and her plots. So I think that the whole social networking thing would fascinate her too, because you learn more about people."
Nattress first read Austen as a schoolgirl, but her passion for the writer who gave the world "Sense and Sensibility" and a handful of other novels didn't truly begin until 1980, when a television production of "Pride and Prejudice" made the world of Regency England come alive for her.
"I loved the era, I loved the gentility, I loved the respect that the characters had for each other. I love their dialogue -- that sharp, witty, funny dialogue," she said.
"I wasn't really pleased with what life was happening around me, and so I saw this fabulous world 200 years ago. It was just amazing how civil these people were, the gentility and civility were really striking, I think, (compared) with what we were seeing on television."
Nattress immediately re-read "Pride and Prejudice," although she said she struggled a bit with the language at first, and then the other books. It was the start of a love affair that has led her to read the book again every year.
Though for years Nattress said she merely "worshipped in silence," the advent of the Internet in the mid-90s opened up a new world of sites where other Austen fans gathered.
In 2007, she began a blog, "Austenprose," (http://austenprose.com/)
to share her passion for all things Austen, including a growing body of "Austen sequels" and other Austen-inspired tales. These days this includes some with touches of vampires, zombies and hammerhead sharks.
Amidst this literary outpouring, Nattress suddenly realized there wasn't an anthology of Austen-inspired short stories. With the help of a literary agent who phoned to thank her about a review she'd done, she set out to rectify that.
"I think Jane Austen was looking down on me," she said.
Within a week of starting to sell the book, they had an offer. Within a month, they had 20 authors lined up, eager to write new Austen-inspired stories.
The resulting collection contains tales by seasoned authors in a variety of genres as well as one debut piece, chosen from among 88 in a short story contest.
There is one about a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice ahead of her wedding and another in which Mr. Darcy, the romantic hero of "Pride and Prejudice," sues all the writers of sequels and spin-offs.
Nattress, who said she now automatically associates anybody she meets with an Austen character, attributed her heroine's lasting appeal mainly to her take on human nature.
"She writes very astute observations of human personalities, foibles and things that are wonderful. It's universal and it still touches us today," she said.
And what would a modern Jane be doing, besides blogging?
"I think she would be a journalist because she loved the cutting edge of society. She loved talking about people, about human dynamics, about personal relations," Nattress said.
"If she wasn't a journalist I think she'd be a psychologist, because she was just so observant. I learn so much about life from Jane Austen."
"She would definitely be on Twitter, out there having fun. Blogging, connecting with people. Facebook," said Nattress in a phone interview about her book, "Jane Austen Made Me Do It."
"She loved understanding how people ticked, and you see that in her characterizations and her plots. So I think that the whole social networking thing would fascinate her too, because you learn more about people."
Nattress first read Austen as a schoolgirl, but her passion for the writer who gave the world "Sense and Sensibility" and a handful of other novels didn't truly begin until 1980, when a television production of "Pride and Prejudice" made the world of Regency England come alive for her.
"I loved the era, I loved the gentility, I loved the respect that the characters had for each other. I love their dialogue -- that sharp, witty, funny dialogue," she said.
"I wasn't really pleased with what life was happening around me, and so I saw this fabulous world 200 years ago. It was just amazing how civil these people were, the gentility and civility were really striking, I think, (compared) with what we were seeing on television."
Nattress immediately re-read "Pride and Prejudice," although she said she struggled a bit with the language at first, and then the other books. It was the start of a love affair that has led her to read the book again every year.
Though for years Nattress said she merely "worshipped in silence," the advent of the Internet in the mid-90s opened up a new world of sites where other Austen fans gathered.
In 2007, she began a blog, "Austenprose," (http://austenprose.com/)
to share her passion for all things Austen, including a growing body of "Austen sequels" and other Austen-inspired tales. These days this includes some with touches of vampires, zombies and hammerhead sharks.
Amidst this literary outpouring, Nattress suddenly realized there wasn't an anthology of Austen-inspired short stories. With the help of a literary agent who phoned to thank her about a review she'd done, she set out to rectify that.
"I think Jane Austen was looking down on me," she said.
Within a week of starting to sell the book, they had an offer. Within a month, they had 20 authors lined up, eager to write new Austen-inspired stories.
The resulting collection contains tales by seasoned authors in a variety of genres as well as one debut piece, chosen from among 88 in a short story contest.
There is one about a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice ahead of her wedding and another in which Mr. Darcy, the romantic hero of "Pride and Prejudice," sues all the writers of sequels and spin-offs.
Nattress, who said she now automatically associates anybody she meets with an Austen character, attributed her heroine's lasting appeal mainly to her take on human nature.
"She writes very astute observations of human personalities, foibles and things that are wonderful. It's universal and it still touches us today," she said.
And what would a modern Jane be doing, besides blogging?
"I think she would be a journalist because she loved the cutting edge of society. She loved talking about people, about human dynamics, about personal relations," Nattress said.
"If she wasn't a journalist I think she'd be a psychologist, because she was just so observant. I learn so much about life from Jane Austen."
Swedish sperm donors are well-adjusted men: study
Men who pass a screening process and donate to sperm banks in Sweden score better on personality measures, such as responsibility, confidence and self-acceptance, than other men in their peer group, according to a Swedish study. Sweden was the first country to pass a so-called non-anonymous law, which entitles children to contact the sperm donor if they choose. Britain, Australia and other nations also require that donors consent to being contacted.
The United States allows donors to remain anonymous and for them to get paid, unlike Sweden, where men can only volunteer.
The non-anonymous laws could be a problem for both sides since nobody can prepare themselves for their reactions if a child decides to contact the biological father, said Gunilla Sydsjo, lead author of the study and a professor at Sweden's Linkoping University.
"A decision made at the age of 25 might be crystal clear for the individual at that time but might take on other dimensions 20 years later," she wrote in an email to Reuters Health.
"We have, in this study, shown that the men who are accepted for the program were all in the normal range of character and also demonstrated a mature personality and a stable character."
The study, published in the British obstetrics and gynecology journal BJOG, looked at 115 men who donated sperm at clinics in Sweden between 2005 and 2008, comparing them with men of similar age who did not attempt to donate sperm.
Donors in Sweden go through a screening process that weeds out men with psychological or health problems. The study questionnaire asked about behaviors, emotions and social skills.
On two measures, self-directedness and cooperativeness, the donors scored higher than the comparison group, showing that they pursue goals, stick to their values and take responsibility, researchers said.
The donors scored lower on one measure, called harm avoidance.
"This indicates that the sperm donors described themselves as being less worried, uncertain, shy and less subject to fatigue," the researchers wrote.
All other personality traits, including persistence and novelty seeking behaviors, were similar between the two groups.
The results suggested that the donors would not be thrown if a child decided to contact them, said Robert Oates, president of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, who was not involved in the study.
"They will be able to handle it if in the future somebody comes to them and says, 'I am your donor child'," he added.
"I think the majority are just nice people who want to help people out. That may be a different personality from the 21-year-old college student who wants to make a lot of money."
Two recent studies have shown that uniting children with donor fathers is usually a positive experience, but the researchers wrote that they were not aware of any children in Sweden taking advantage of the transparency law to contact their biological fathers.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/vvRuq6
The United States allows donors to remain anonymous and for them to get paid, unlike Sweden, where men can only volunteer.
The non-anonymous laws could be a problem for both sides since nobody can prepare themselves for their reactions if a child decides to contact the biological father, said Gunilla Sydsjo, lead author of the study and a professor at Sweden's Linkoping University.
"A decision made at the age of 25 might be crystal clear for the individual at that time but might take on other dimensions 20 years later," she wrote in an email to Reuters Health.
"We have, in this study, shown that the men who are accepted for the program were all in the normal range of character and also demonstrated a mature personality and a stable character."
The study, published in the British obstetrics and gynecology journal BJOG, looked at 115 men who donated sperm at clinics in Sweden between 2005 and 2008, comparing them with men of similar age who did not attempt to donate sperm.
Donors in Sweden go through a screening process that weeds out men with psychological or health problems. The study questionnaire asked about behaviors, emotions and social skills.
On two measures, self-directedness and cooperativeness, the donors scored higher than the comparison group, showing that they pursue goals, stick to their values and take responsibility, researchers said.
The donors scored lower on one measure, called harm avoidance.
"This indicates that the sperm donors described themselves as being less worried, uncertain, shy and less subject to fatigue," the researchers wrote.
All other personality traits, including persistence and novelty seeking behaviors, were similar between the two groups.
The results suggested that the donors would not be thrown if a child decided to contact them, said Robert Oates, president of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, who was not involved in the study.
"They will be able to handle it if in the future somebody comes to them and says, 'I am your donor child'," he added.
"I think the majority are just nice people who want to help people out. That may be a different personality from the 21-year-old college student who wants to make a lot of money."
Two recent studies have shown that uniting children with donor fathers is usually a positive experience, but the researchers wrote that they were not aware of any children in Sweden taking advantage of the transparency law to contact their biological fathers.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/vvRuq6
Toilet maker flush with pride after biogas bike run
Enter the Neo. Part motorcycle and part toilet, it runs on eco-friendly biogas produced from sewage -- and recently completed a journey of more than 1,000 km (600 miles) across Japan. The three-wheeled vehicle, developed by Japanese toilet maker Toto, features a toilet for a seat and has a giant roll of toilet paper mounted on the back that flutters in the breeze as the bike cruises along.
But there are no plans to put the bike on sale. Toto intends to put it on display.
The biogas used as fuel for the Neo is produced from a combination of household sewage and livestock waste, broken down and fermented, company spokesman Kenji Fujita said.
"Although the seat of the bike is indeed a toilet, it is not for actual use. The fuel is eco-friendly biogas, stored in the tanks on the back," he said.
"It's a surprisingly nice way to travel."
The 380 kg (837 lb) motorcycle can run for a total of 300 km and reach speeds of up to 70 km an hour (45 mph).
Ichie Tanaka, one of six people who rode the Neo across Japan during the three-week, 1,400 km (870 miles) tour to promote biofuels, said she was relieved the journey was over.
"At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback. But after riding it, I found it quite interesting," the 28-year-old said.
"It doesn't hurt at all and is actually quite comfortable to sit on."
But there are no plans to put the bike on sale. Toto intends to put it on display.
The biogas used as fuel for the Neo is produced from a combination of household sewage and livestock waste, broken down and fermented, company spokesman Kenji Fujita said.
"Although the seat of the bike is indeed a toilet, it is not for actual use. The fuel is eco-friendly biogas, stored in the tanks on the back," he said.
"It's a surprisingly nice way to travel."
The 380 kg (837 lb) motorcycle can run for a total of 300 km and reach speeds of up to 70 km an hour (45 mph).
Ichie Tanaka, one of six people who rode the Neo across Japan during the three-week, 1,400 km (870 miles) tour to promote biofuels, said she was relieved the journey was over.
"At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback. But after riding it, I found it quite interesting," the 28-year-old said.
"It doesn't hurt at all and is actually quite comfortable to sit on."
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