Deputy Finds $1M Scratch Ticket on Easter
GOLDENDALE, Wash. (AP) - Klickitat County sheriff's deputy Ed L. Gunnyon found a lot more than the standard Easter egg.
While doing laundry on Sunday, the 38-year-old married father of four came across a $20 Millionaire scratch ticket he had almost forgotten buying and discovered he had won the $1 million top prize, good for $37,500 annually over the next 20 years after deductions for taxes.
"The bunny was good to us this year," Gunnyon said Tuesday, revealing his good fortune at a news conference in Yakima.
State lottery officials said Gunnyon is the first $1 million winner in the scratch ticket game. Four more are expected.
Gunnyon said he and his wife plan to get a new car and save some of the money as a nest egg for retirement and their children's college education.
___
Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic
TWW'S CRAZY NEWS STORIES
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TexasStooge
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Wash. woman found alive in Calif. landfill
KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) - A Kennewick woman was pulled alive from a northern California landfill after she reportedly was carjacked and kidnapped while driving to work.
Rebecca Huston, 32, was last heard from last Wednesday evening. Friends and family began searching for her after she failed to show up for work at a veterinary clinic in Richland.
A landfill employee at the Ukiah Transfer Station in Ukiah, Calif., about 100 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 101, saw Huston's feet sticking out from a garbage pile Tuesday morning.
Huston spent Tuesday night at a hospital where she was treated for a cut head, minor hypothermia and an undisclosed medical condition, the Tri-City Herald reported Wednesday.
Huston told sheriff's deputies in Mendocino County, Calif., that she was driving to work Thursday morning when a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun climbed into her car, demanding that she drive south. The next four nights, she told deputies, they drove through Washington, Oregon and California. They stopped occasionally at rest stops and service stations.
She told police the man forced her into a trash bin Monday night and told her not to get out. The container was emptied into a county garbage truck and the trash was transported to the landfill.
Deputies later found Huston's car in the parking lot of a grocery store in Ukiah. Mendocino County sheriff's deputies were expected to search the car for evidence, including fingerprints, Kennewick Detective Sgt. Randy Maynard said.
Maynard said it wasn't clear if Huston was knocked unconscious or had fallen asleep when she went into the trash bin. There was no indication she had been assaulted.
"I'm pretty overwhelmed emotionally," Tere Page, Huston's friend and former co-worker, said of her discovery. "This is the best news I've had in years."
KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) - A Kennewick woman was pulled alive from a northern California landfill after she reportedly was carjacked and kidnapped while driving to work.
Rebecca Huston, 32, was last heard from last Wednesday evening. Friends and family began searching for her after she failed to show up for work at a veterinary clinic in Richland.
A landfill employee at the Ukiah Transfer Station in Ukiah, Calif., about 100 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 101, saw Huston's feet sticking out from a garbage pile Tuesday morning.
Huston spent Tuesday night at a hospital where she was treated for a cut head, minor hypothermia and an undisclosed medical condition, the Tri-City Herald reported Wednesday.
Huston told sheriff's deputies in Mendocino County, Calif., that she was driving to work Thursday morning when a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun climbed into her car, demanding that she drive south. The next four nights, she told deputies, they drove through Washington, Oregon and California. They stopped occasionally at rest stops and service stations.
She told police the man forced her into a trash bin Monday night and told her not to get out. The container was emptied into a county garbage truck and the trash was transported to the landfill.
Deputies later found Huston's car in the parking lot of a grocery store in Ukiah. Mendocino County sheriff's deputies were expected to search the car for evidence, including fingerprints, Kennewick Detective Sgt. Randy Maynard said.
Maynard said it wasn't clear if Huston was knocked unconscious or had fallen asleep when she went into the trash bin. There was no indication she had been assaulted.
"I'm pretty overwhelmed emotionally," Tere Page, Huston's friend and former co-worker, said of her discovery. "This is the best news I've had in years."
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Gillespie reconsiders nude run
By John Mehaffey
LONDON, England (Reuters) - Jason Gillespie elevated the humble role of nightwatchman into the realm of the paranormal on Wednesday with an unbeaten 201 on his 31st birthday.
The likeable Australian fast bowler added a further 99 runs to his overnight total before prudently distancing himself from a pledge made the previous evening in the Bangladesh port city of Chittagong.
Reminded that he had promised to join team mate Matthew Hayden in a nude lap of the ground if he converted his century in the second test into a double, Gillespie responded with the discretion which had underpinned his epic innings.
"Don't know about that one, being in a Muslim country," he told the Australian Associated Press. "I don't know if it would be perceived right."
The transformation in Gillespie's fortunes since he was recalled for the first test against Bangladesh has been astounding.
His test career appeared dead and buried in England last year when his gloriously elastic action became laboured and uncertain, and the England batsmen took full toll en route to their Ashes triumph.
HAUNTED FIGURE
At times Gillepsie looked a haunted figure, taking only three wickets in three tests before he was dropped and enduring sometimes offensive barbs from spectators about his distinctive long hair as he patrolled the boundary.
Although he made the customary bold noises about a comeback it was still a surprise, outside Australia at least, when he was recalled for the tour of Bangladesh.
After bowling well in the first test and helping captain Ricky Ponting steer his side to victory with the bat, Gillespie's obdurate batting skills were recognised when he was entrusted with sheltering one of the established batsmen when a wicket fell late on the first day.
On Tuesday, a man who had never batted above number eight as a regular batsman with only two half-centuries from 70 tests became the third nightwatchman to score a test century.
He followed up on Wednesday by bettering compatriot Tony Mann's previous mark for a nightwatchman of 105 and then indulged in a flurry of strokes worthy of a specialist to reach his double hundred.
"I think I'm developing into an all rounder," Gillespie said. "It was not very easy, putting your head down and batting in the heat."
Bangladesh ended the day on 195 for four, still 189 runs behind Australia who declared their first innings on 581 for four.
By John Mehaffey
LONDON, England (Reuters) - Jason Gillespie elevated the humble role of nightwatchman into the realm of the paranormal on Wednesday with an unbeaten 201 on his 31st birthday.
The likeable Australian fast bowler added a further 99 runs to his overnight total before prudently distancing himself from a pledge made the previous evening in the Bangladesh port city of Chittagong.
Reminded that he had promised to join team mate Matthew Hayden in a nude lap of the ground if he converted his century in the second test into a double, Gillespie responded with the discretion which had underpinned his epic innings.
"Don't know about that one, being in a Muslim country," he told the Australian Associated Press. "I don't know if it would be perceived right."
The transformation in Gillespie's fortunes since he was recalled for the first test against Bangladesh has been astounding.
His test career appeared dead and buried in England last year when his gloriously elastic action became laboured and uncertain, and the England batsmen took full toll en route to their Ashes triumph.
HAUNTED FIGURE
At times Gillepsie looked a haunted figure, taking only three wickets in three tests before he was dropped and enduring sometimes offensive barbs from spectators about his distinctive long hair as he patrolled the boundary.
Although he made the customary bold noises about a comeback it was still a surprise, outside Australia at least, when he was recalled for the tour of Bangladesh.
After bowling well in the first test and helping captain Ricky Ponting steer his side to victory with the bat, Gillespie's obdurate batting skills were recognised when he was entrusted with sheltering one of the established batsmen when a wicket fell late on the first day.
On Tuesday, a man who had never batted above number eight as a regular batsman with only two half-centuries from 70 tests became the third nightwatchman to score a test century.
He followed up on Wednesday by bettering compatriot Tony Mann's previous mark for a nightwatchman of 105 and then indulged in a flurry of strokes worthy of a specialist to reach his double hundred.
"I think I'm developing into an all rounder," Gillespie said. "It was not very easy, putting your head down and batting in the heat."
Bangladesh ended the day on 195 for four, still 189 runs behind Australia who declared their first innings on 581 for four.
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Texas college bars students from posing for Playboy
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Baylor University in Waco, Texas, which bills itself as the world's largest Baptist college, has threatened to discipline female students if they pose for Playboy magazine, which is trying to recruit models from the college.
Playboy photographers came to Baylor's hometown seeking models for a photo spread on women of the Big 12 college athletic conference, of which the college is a member.
Baylor Vice President for Student Life Samuel W. Oliver sent an e-mail to women students this week warning that any who "associate" with Playboy would be subject to the university's disciplinary processes.
"Playboy is clearly antithetical to Baylor's mission and associating with the magazine would be a violation of the code of conduct," Oliver wrote in the e-mail. University officials said punishment could include suspension.
Baylor, known for its conservative outlook, did not allow dancing on campus until 10 years ago.
A spokesman for Playboy, known for its nude centerfold pictures, declined to comment on the e-mail.
The threatened punishment was met with a yawn by students on campus.
One woman, who professed no desire to pose for Playboy, said Baylor officials had "more important things to worry about" and wondered if male students would face similar punishment if they were seen reading an issue of Playboy featuring Baylor women.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Baylor University in Waco, Texas, which bills itself as the world's largest Baptist college, has threatened to discipline female students if they pose for Playboy magazine, which is trying to recruit models from the college.
Playboy photographers came to Baylor's hometown seeking models for a photo spread on women of the Big 12 college athletic conference, of which the college is a member.
Baylor Vice President for Student Life Samuel W. Oliver sent an e-mail to women students this week warning that any who "associate" with Playboy would be subject to the university's disciplinary processes.
"Playboy is clearly antithetical to Baylor's mission and associating with the magazine would be a violation of the code of conduct," Oliver wrote in the e-mail. University officials said punishment could include suspension.
Baylor, known for its conservative outlook, did not allow dancing on campus until 10 years ago.
A spokesman for Playboy, known for its nude centerfold pictures, declined to comment on the e-mail.
The threatened punishment was met with a yawn by students on campus.
One woman, who professed no desire to pose for Playboy, said Baylor officials had "more important things to worry about" and wondered if male students would face similar punishment if they were seen reading an issue of Playboy featuring Baylor women.
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TexasStooge
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Phony doctor gives free breast exams
MIAMI, Fla. (Reuters) - A 76-year-old man claiming to be a doctor went door-to-door in a Florida neighborhood offering free breast exams, and was charged with sexually assaulting two women who accepted the offer, police said on Thursday.
One woman became suspicious after the man asked her to remove all her clothes and began conducting a purported genital exam without donning rubber gloves, investigators said.
The woman then phoned the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the suspect fled. He was arrested at another woman's apartment in the same Lauderdale Lakes neighborhood on Wednesday, a sheriff's spokesman said.
The white-haired suspect, Philip Winikoff, carried a black bag and claimed to be visiting on behalf of a local hospital.
"He told the woman that he was in the neighborhood offering free breast exams," sheriff's spokesman Hugh Graf said in a statement.
At least two women, both in their 30s, let him into their homes and he fondled and sexually assaulted them, the investigators said.
Winikoff was not a doctor, Graf said. He worked as a shuttle driver for an auto dealership.
MIAMI, Fla. (Reuters) - A 76-year-old man claiming to be a doctor went door-to-door in a Florida neighborhood offering free breast exams, and was charged with sexually assaulting two women who accepted the offer, police said on Thursday.
One woman became suspicious after the man asked her to remove all her clothes and began conducting a purported genital exam without donning rubber gloves, investigators said.
The woman then phoned the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the suspect fled. He was arrested at another woman's apartment in the same Lauderdale Lakes neighborhood on Wednesday, a sheriff's spokesman said.
The white-haired suspect, Philip Winikoff, carried a black bag and claimed to be visiting on behalf of a local hospital.
"He told the woman that he was in the neighborhood offering free breast exams," sheriff's spokesman Hugh Graf said in a statement.
At least two women, both in their 30s, let him into their homes and he fondled and sexually assaulted them, the investigators said.
Winikoff was not a doctor, Graf said. He worked as a shuttle driver for an auto dealership.
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Americans commute longer, farther than ever
By Ellen Wulfhorst
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dave Givens drives 370 miles
to work and back every day and considers his seven-hour commute the best answer to balancing his work with his personal life.
The winner of a nationwide contest to find the commuter with the longest trek, Givens is one of millions of people who are commuting longer and farther than ever before.
Studies show Americans spend more time than ever commuting and for a growing number, getting to work takes more than an hour. In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau study, 2.8 million people have so-called extreme commutes, topping 90 minutes.
Givens, a 46-year-old electrical engineer, has an extreme commute between home in Mariposa, California, and his job in San Jose. He leaves home before dawn and returns after dark.
His trip landed him first place among almost 3,000 entries in the search for America's longest commute, sponsored by automotive services provider Midas Inc. and announced last week. But as harrowing or tedious as Givens' trip may sound, he says it's the way to keep the home and job he loves.
"I have the balance right now," Givens told Reuters. "I could do similar jobs closer, but not with the work reward and job satisfaction I have. And I could live closer, but I wouldn't have the lifestyle that I desire.
"To me, this is not that long a commute," he added. "It's just something I do to go to work."
SUBURB-TO-SUBURB COMMUTING
Longer commutes frequently involve people who live in one suburb and work in another, said Alan Pisarski, author of "Commuting in America."
Such a pattern tends to begin with companies moving out of a city to a suburb, enticing workers to move to less-expensive outer suburbs, he told Reuters. "People see this as an opportunity to go farther away," he said.
Such a move may provide more affordable housing or better schools. Even high fuel costs -- Givens spends about $185 a week on gasoline -- can pay off in a better quality of life, Pisarski said.
Doreen DeJesus rides a bus from her home in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, across New Jersey to her job in Manhattan.
The payoff is a house in the country, she said.
"It's a matter of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city," said DeJesus, 37. "It's not an easy thing, but most days it's really worth it.
"My boss thinks I'm nuts," she added.
Studies show 7.6 percent of U.S. commuters traveled more than an hour to work in 2004, the most recent data available, up from 6 percent in 1990. The average one-way commute grew by 13 percent to 25.5 minutes between 1990 and 2000.
In 1990, only in New York state did more than 10 percent of workers spend more than an hour to get to work, Pisarski said. Now that situation can be found in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and California as well, he said.
CONGESTION WORSENS
Added to long commutes is increased congestion, according to the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report. Commuters typically spent 47 hours a year in traffic jams, up from 40 hours a decade earlier, the study showed.
"That's the time wasted above and beyond just being able to make the trip," said David Schrank, co-author of the report.
But the trips can be worthwhile, said Kay Phillips who works in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 164 miles from her home in Granite Falls.
"I really love what I do, so I don't mind," she said.
While Givens spends much of his commute listening to the radio, especially traffic reports, Philips, 52, uses her five-hour commute in her own way -- she prays.
"I say a long prayer starting out every morning for everybody, and it gives you quite a bit of time to do that," she said.
By Ellen Wulfhorst
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dave Givens drives 370 miles
to work and back every day and considers his seven-hour commute the best answer to balancing his work with his personal life.
The winner of a nationwide contest to find the commuter with the longest trek, Givens is one of millions of people who are commuting longer and farther than ever before.
Studies show Americans spend more time than ever commuting and for a growing number, getting to work takes more than an hour. In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau study, 2.8 million people have so-called extreme commutes, topping 90 minutes.
Givens, a 46-year-old electrical engineer, has an extreme commute between home in Mariposa, California, and his job in San Jose. He leaves home before dawn and returns after dark.
His trip landed him first place among almost 3,000 entries in the search for America's longest commute, sponsored by automotive services provider Midas Inc. and announced last week. But as harrowing or tedious as Givens' trip may sound, he says it's the way to keep the home and job he loves.
"I have the balance right now," Givens told Reuters. "I could do similar jobs closer, but not with the work reward and job satisfaction I have. And I could live closer, but I wouldn't have the lifestyle that I desire.
"To me, this is not that long a commute," he added. "It's just something I do to go to work."
SUBURB-TO-SUBURB COMMUTING
Longer commutes frequently involve people who live in one suburb and work in another, said Alan Pisarski, author of "Commuting in America."
Such a pattern tends to begin with companies moving out of a city to a suburb, enticing workers to move to less-expensive outer suburbs, he told Reuters. "People see this as an opportunity to go farther away," he said.
Such a move may provide more affordable housing or better schools. Even high fuel costs -- Givens spends about $185 a week on gasoline -- can pay off in a better quality of life, Pisarski said.
Doreen DeJesus rides a bus from her home in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, across New Jersey to her job in Manhattan.
The payoff is a house in the country, she said.
"It's a matter of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city," said DeJesus, 37. "It's not an easy thing, but most days it's really worth it.
"My boss thinks I'm nuts," she added.
Studies show 7.6 percent of U.S. commuters traveled more than an hour to work in 2004, the most recent data available, up from 6 percent in 1990. The average one-way commute grew by 13 percent to 25.5 minutes between 1990 and 2000.
In 1990, only in New York state did more than 10 percent of workers spend more than an hour to get to work, Pisarski said. Now that situation can be found in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and California as well, he said.
CONGESTION WORSENS
Added to long commutes is increased congestion, according to the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report. Commuters typically spent 47 hours a year in traffic jams, up from 40 hours a decade earlier, the study showed.
"That's the time wasted above and beyond just being able to make the trip," said David Schrank, co-author of the report.
But the trips can be worthwhile, said Kay Phillips who works in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 164 miles from her home in Granite Falls.
"I really love what I do, so I don't mind," she said.
While Givens spends much of his commute listening to the radio, especially traffic reports, Philips, 52, uses her five-hour commute in her own way -- she prays.
"I say a long prayer starting out every morning for everybody, and it gives you quite a bit of time to do that," she said.
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TexasStooge
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Retiree flushes fortune down the toilet
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A German pensioner flushed bundles of old banknotes worth a small fortune down the toilet because he thought they were now worthless, police in the northern city of Kiel said Thursday.
"He flushed the cash down the loo because he didn't think it was worth anything," said police spokesman Uwe Voigt.
Police said he dumped some 60,000 deutschemarks -- which the euro replaced in 2002 -- into the bowl, unaware they could still be exchanged for about 30,000 euros ($37,000).
Sewage workers recovered about half the sodden currency from the 64-year-old's plumbing. The remaining notes created a bottleneck in local sewers, where most were fished out.
"There may have been more cash that got away," said Voigt.
Police said the man lived in "spartan" circumstances and had dried out the notes and taken them to a bank. It was unclear if he had laundered the money first.
_____________________________________________________________
Why throw away a fortune? Hand it to me!!
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A German pensioner flushed bundles of old banknotes worth a small fortune down the toilet because he thought they were now worthless, police in the northern city of Kiel said Thursday.
"He flushed the cash down the loo because he didn't think it was worth anything," said police spokesman Uwe Voigt.
Police said he dumped some 60,000 deutschemarks -- which the euro replaced in 2002 -- into the bowl, unaware they could still be exchanged for about 30,000 euros ($37,000).
Sewage workers recovered about half the sodden currency from the 64-year-old's plumbing. The remaining notes created a bottleneck in local sewers, where most were fished out.
"There may have been more cash that got away," said Voigt.
Police said the man lived in "spartan" circumstances and had dried out the notes and taken them to a bank. It was unclear if he had laundered the money first.
_____________________________________________________________
Why throw away a fortune? Hand it to me!!
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TexasStooge
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Pastor accused of taking dead son's money
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) - A pastor whose soldier son died in Iraq was charged with spending $250,000 in insurance money meant for the soldier's young daughter.
Prosecutors said Janie Lee Espinoza spent all the cash on cars, jewelry, a Florida time-share, church pews and a baby grand piano. The pews and instrument were apparently given to Espinoza's church, the Church of Jesus Christ in New Chicago, south of Gary, they said.
Espinoza, 56, became the guardian of the life insurance payout a month after Spc. Roy Buckley died in April 2003 in a vehicle accident in Baghdad.
Police said the money was to go to Buckley's then-6-year-old daughter when she turned 18. Defense attorney Garry Weiss said that ownership of the insurance money is in dispute, and that the time since Buckley's death has been emotional for Espinoza.
"She lost her son in the war," Weiss said. "She was mourning and distraught and was grieving for the loss when all of this occurred."
He said she received $150,000 in government benefits and forwarded that money to her granddaughter without court intervention.
Espinoza faces eight counts of felony theft. Weiss said she would turn herself in to police by Friday. Bond has been set at $25,000.
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) - A pastor whose soldier son died in Iraq was charged with spending $250,000 in insurance money meant for the soldier's young daughter.
Prosecutors said Janie Lee Espinoza spent all the cash on cars, jewelry, a Florida time-share, church pews and a baby grand piano. The pews and instrument were apparently given to Espinoza's church, the Church of Jesus Christ in New Chicago, south of Gary, they said.
Espinoza, 56, became the guardian of the life insurance payout a month after Spc. Roy Buckley died in April 2003 in a vehicle accident in Baghdad.
Police said the money was to go to Buckley's then-6-year-old daughter when she turned 18. Defense attorney Garry Weiss said that ownership of the insurance money is in dispute, and that the time since Buckley's death has been emotional for Espinoza.
"She lost her son in the war," Weiss said. "She was mourning and distraught and was grieving for the loss when all of this occurred."
He said she received $150,000 in government benefits and forwarded that money to her granddaughter without court intervention.
Espinoza faces eight counts of felony theft. Weiss said she would turn herself in to police by Friday. Bond has been set at $25,000.
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Woman's Mass Bird Feedings Spark Protests
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Hollywood officials say they want to stop a mysterious bird lady who hauls 25-pound sacks of feed and draws flocks of messy pigeons whose droppings have fouled cars, sidewalks and buildings.
Authorities say they've asked the woman to stop feeding the birds but they can't order her to quit. City law only bans pigeon feeding in a section of downtown.
Local residents aren't happy.
"I've collected birdseed bags she's discarded," said Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Association. "We calculate she spreads 112 tons a year above Sunset Boulevard, centering on Vine Street. We've spotted 29 spots she puts down food."
Dodson said the woman puts down 150 pounds of bird seed a day at a triangular traffic island the community wants to beautify with palm trees.
The feedings have interfered with an $80,000 landscaping project, officials said.
Some local leaders worry that the pigeons could spread avian flu but "wild pigeons don't seem to be a major source," Karen Ehnert, senior veterinarian for the Los Angeles County health department.
The pigeon poop also covers bridges and signs on the nearby Hollywood Freeway.
That's a headache, said Dave White, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation.
"You can't paint over it. You can't wash it out with a hose because it turns into a muddy slurry that you can't send down the flood drain," White said. "So you shovel it out into bags or knock it to the ground and clean it up as fast as you can."
Aides to City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents part of Hollywood, told the Los Angeles Times that the woman has refused to stop feeding the pigeons.
"I spoke to her. She told me she was afraid the birds would die if she wasn't there," said a staff member who declined to be identified.
Erik Sanjurjo, a LaBonge deputy, said the next step could be amending city law to ban pigeon feeding in sections of Hollywood or throughout Los Angeles.
Pigeon feeding is banned in some areas of other California cities, including San Francisco, Sausalito, Seal Beach and Pasadena. Scofflaw pigeon lovers can be fined hundreds of dollars — and that's not chicken feed.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Hollywood officials say they want to stop a mysterious bird lady who hauls 25-pound sacks of feed and draws flocks of messy pigeons whose droppings have fouled cars, sidewalks and buildings.
Authorities say they've asked the woman to stop feeding the birds but they can't order her to quit. City law only bans pigeon feeding in a section of downtown.
Local residents aren't happy.
"I've collected birdseed bags she's discarded," said Laura Dodson, president of the Argyle Civic Association. "We calculate she spreads 112 tons a year above Sunset Boulevard, centering on Vine Street. We've spotted 29 spots she puts down food."
Dodson said the woman puts down 150 pounds of bird seed a day at a triangular traffic island the community wants to beautify with palm trees.
The feedings have interfered with an $80,000 landscaping project, officials said.
Some local leaders worry that the pigeons could spread avian flu but "wild pigeons don't seem to be a major source," Karen Ehnert, senior veterinarian for the Los Angeles County health department.
The pigeon poop also covers bridges and signs on the nearby Hollywood Freeway.
That's a headache, said Dave White, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation.
"You can't paint over it. You can't wash it out with a hose because it turns into a muddy slurry that you can't send down the flood drain," White said. "So you shovel it out into bags or knock it to the ground and clean it up as fast as you can."
Aides to City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents part of Hollywood, told the Los Angeles Times that the woman has refused to stop feeding the pigeons.
"I spoke to her. She told me she was afraid the birds would die if she wasn't there," said a staff member who declined to be identified.
Erik Sanjurjo, a LaBonge deputy, said the next step could be amending city law to ban pigeon feeding in sections of Hollywood or throughout Los Angeles.
Pigeon feeding is banned in some areas of other California cities, including San Francisco, Sausalito, Seal Beach and Pasadena. Scofflaw pigeon lovers can be fined hundreds of dollars — and that's not chicken feed.
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TexasStooge
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Teen Gets Boot Camp for Angering Judge
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - An Oakland County judge has had enough of one 17-year-old. Cameron D. Wells, was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing a judge's gavel, and repeatedly angered Circuit Court Judge Gene Schnelz with his behavior.
On Wednesday, the judge sentenced Wells to 56 days in a county boot camp program on a larceny charge. If he fails to complete it, he'll get 180 days in jail, and even prison time if he uses drugs or alcohol.
"Test positive one time, and I'm giving you two to four (years) in the state prison," Schnelz told the youth.
Wells' problems started when a Farmington Hills district court judge sentenced him to community service on a minor in possession of alcohol charge. But while doing the work in September, Wells was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing the gavel.
He ended up in Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to larceny in a building, but didn't admit that he took the gavel.
"He's 17 years old," Daniel Hilf, his lawyer, told The Oakland Press after the sentencing. "He did something stupid and he was punished for it."
Hilf also asked that Wells be considered for the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which would have erased the offense from his criminal record. But Schnelz denied the request.
"He disrespected the court to the degree that he did," Schnelz said. "No, no favors. Quit whining and being a baby. You're 17 years old. A little discipline is what he needs."
___
Information from: [urlhttp://www.theoaklandpress.com]The Oakland Press[/url]
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - An Oakland County judge has had enough of one 17-year-old. Cameron D. Wells, was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing a judge's gavel, and repeatedly angered Circuit Court Judge Gene Schnelz with his behavior.
On Wednesday, the judge sentenced Wells to 56 days in a county boot camp program on a larceny charge. If he fails to complete it, he'll get 180 days in jail, and even prison time if he uses drugs or alcohol.
"Test positive one time, and I'm giving you two to four (years) in the state prison," Schnelz told the youth.
Wells' problems started when a Farmington Hills district court judge sentenced him to community service on a minor in possession of alcohol charge. But while doing the work in September, Wells was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing the gavel.
He ended up in Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to larceny in a building, but didn't admit that he took the gavel.
"He's 17 years old," Daniel Hilf, his lawyer, told The Oakland Press after the sentencing. "He did something stupid and he was punished for it."
Hilf also asked that Wells be considered for the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which would have erased the offense from his criminal record. But Schnelz denied the request.
"He disrespected the court to the degree that he did," Schnelz said. "No, no favors. Quit whining and being a baby. You're 17 years old. A little discipline is what he needs."
___
Information from: [urlhttp://www.theoaklandpress.com]The Oakland Press[/url]
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Ohio Restaurant Wins Best Restroom Award
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - They're flushed with pride at an Ohio restaurant that has an annual search for America's tidiest toilets, beating out an East Lansing, Mich., bistro.
The sleek and spiffy sports-themed restrooms at Wendell's, in the Columbus suburb of Westerville, were chosen the nation's finest Thursday in a nonscientific online poll sponsored by a bathroom supply company.
Wendell's prize-winning potties are always well-supplied with towels, soap and mouthwash and are a hit with sports fans big on cleanliness, said Cintas, the Cincinnati-based manufacturer of restroom supplies.
The eatery is ecstatic over its honor and won't mind if the curious drop by just to check out the fancy plumbing, said Rich Belding, Wendell's general manager.
"In our business, being known for anything good is good," Belding said.
Tens of thousands of votes were registered on a Web site, Cintas said Thursday.
Wendell's beat out four other finalists, including All Seasons Bistro in East Lansing, Mich. The other finalists were Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., Hemenways restaurant in Providence, R.I., and Quad City International Airport in Moline, Ill.
Cintas created its award in 2001 to highlight businesses that maintain "exceptional hygiene, with style" in their public facilities. For its winning effort, Wendell's gets a month's worth of free restroom-cleaning service from Cintas and an "America's Best Restroom" plaque.
Naturally, the plaque is getting a special place at Wendell's: on the wall outside the men's and women's rooms, Belding said.
___
On the Net: America's Best Restroom
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - They're flushed with pride at an Ohio restaurant that has an annual search for America's tidiest toilets, beating out an East Lansing, Mich., bistro.
The sleek and spiffy sports-themed restrooms at Wendell's, in the Columbus suburb of Westerville, were chosen the nation's finest Thursday in a nonscientific online poll sponsored by a bathroom supply company.
Wendell's prize-winning potties are always well-supplied with towels, soap and mouthwash and are a hit with sports fans big on cleanliness, said Cintas, the Cincinnati-based manufacturer of restroom supplies.
The eatery is ecstatic over its honor and won't mind if the curious drop by just to check out the fancy plumbing, said Rich Belding, Wendell's general manager.
"In our business, being known for anything good is good," Belding said.
Tens of thousands of votes were registered on a Web site, Cintas said Thursday.
Wendell's beat out four other finalists, including All Seasons Bistro in East Lansing, Mich. The other finalists were Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., Hemenways restaurant in Providence, R.I., and Quad City International Airport in Moline, Ill.
Cintas created its award in 2001 to highlight businesses that maintain "exceptional hygiene, with style" in their public facilities. For its winning effort, Wendell's gets a month's worth of free restroom-cleaning service from Cintas and an "America's Best Restroom" plaque.
Naturally, the plaque is getting a special place at Wendell's: on the wall outside the men's and women's rooms, Belding said.
___
On the Net: America's Best Restroom
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Colombian Police Train Rats to Find Mines
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Watch out Fido, your days on the force may be numbered. Police in Colombia are training Lola and Espejo, two whiskered, red-eyed rats, to sniff out bombs and land mines.
The rodents are part of an experimental six-rat squadron that police are preparing for dangerous missions to defuse the more than 100,000 land mines that litter Colombia's countryside after four decades of war between the government and leftist rebels.
Unlike dogs, rats weighing less than half a pound each and "don't trigger any explosions when they walk on a mine," said Col. Javier Cifuentes, director of the Sibate police academy, where basic training is taking place.
To earn their stripes, the rats have spent the past year undergoing a daily training regimen in which they are placed in a maze with C-4 explosives and other bomb-making materials. When they detect the target, they're rewarded with a cracker.
Trainers estimate it could be six months before the rats are pressed into active duty.
Cifuentes said he believes Colombia is the first country to use rats to conduct police work, though larger rodents are being employed for similar purposes in Sudan, he said.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Watch out Fido, your days on the force may be numbered. Police in Colombia are training Lola and Espejo, two whiskered, red-eyed rats, to sniff out bombs and land mines.
The rodents are part of an experimental six-rat squadron that police are preparing for dangerous missions to defuse the more than 100,000 land mines that litter Colombia's countryside after four decades of war between the government and leftist rebels.
Unlike dogs, rats weighing less than half a pound each and "don't trigger any explosions when they walk on a mine," said Col. Javier Cifuentes, director of the Sibate police academy, where basic training is taking place.
To earn their stripes, the rats have spent the past year undergoing a daily training regimen in which they are placed in a maze with C-4 explosives and other bomb-making materials. When they detect the target, they're rewarded with a cracker.
Trainers estimate it could be six months before the rats are pressed into active duty.
Cifuentes said he believes Colombia is the first country to use rats to conduct police work, though larger rodents are being employed for similar purposes in Sudan, he said.
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Prison Doc Fired for Sleeping With Inmate
VARNER, Ark. (AP) - A psychologist with the Arkansas Correction Department has been fired for allegedly having sex with an inmate, officials said.
The department did not name the 54-year-old woman because the matter is still under investigation. Spokeswoman Dina Tyler said Thursday the psychologist had sex with the inmate in her office at the Cummins Unit on Monday.
It is illegal for a corrections employee to have sex with an inmate and consent is not a defense, officials said.
___
Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
VARNER, Ark. (AP) - A psychologist with the Arkansas Correction Department has been fired for allegedly having sex with an inmate, officials said.
The department did not name the 54-year-old woman because the matter is still under investigation. Spokeswoman Dina Tyler said Thursday the psychologist had sex with the inmate in her office at the Cummins Unit on Monday.
It is illegal for a corrections employee to have sex with an inmate and consent is not a defense, officials said.
___
Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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New York doormen strike averted with contract deal
By Ransdell Pierson
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A threatened strike by New York doormen and apartment workers was averted on Friday, sparing hundreds of thousands of city residents from having to hail their own taxis or take their trash to the curb.
The 28,000 workers, mainly in Manhattan, had threatened to walk off the job at 3,500 city residences by midnight on Thursday after failing in two months of negotiations to come to terms on wages and benefits.
The threatened strike, which would have affected up to 1 million residents, was postponed just before midnight as both sides reported sudden progress in the talks. Less than two hours later, the doormen's union and building owners announced a tentative four-year contract.
The agreement, which must be approved by the union membership, provides workers an average wage increase of about 2 percent a year -- a boost the union acknowledged was unlikely to keep pace with inflation.
It also requires building owners to continue full payment of workers' health insurance premiums and ensures employee insurance co-payments will not be raised, said Matthew Nerzig, a spokesman for Local 32BJ of the Building Service Workers Union.
"At a time when health care costs are increasing dramatically, the agreement will preserve our health benefits, which was our main concern," Nerzig said.
Building owners previously insisted on a wage freeze and called on workers to significantly finance their own health care, Nerzig said.
"We did this in recognition of the cost of living in New York City and the turmoil that a strike would cause for our residents and employees," the Realty Advisory Board on Labour Relations, which represents building owners, said of the agreement.
A strike would have left apartment owners and residents to perform tasks performed by their doormen, porters and handymen -- everything from pressing elevator buttons to moving furniture and taking in deliveries.
Doormen currently earn an average of about $37,000 a year, the union said. They also receive tips for special services and as recognition on holidays.
By Ransdell Pierson
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A threatened strike by New York doormen and apartment workers was averted on Friday, sparing hundreds of thousands of city residents from having to hail their own taxis or take their trash to the curb.
The 28,000 workers, mainly in Manhattan, had threatened to walk off the job at 3,500 city residences by midnight on Thursday after failing in two months of negotiations to come to terms on wages and benefits.
The threatened strike, which would have affected up to 1 million residents, was postponed just before midnight as both sides reported sudden progress in the talks. Less than two hours later, the doormen's union and building owners announced a tentative four-year contract.
The agreement, which must be approved by the union membership, provides workers an average wage increase of about 2 percent a year -- a boost the union acknowledged was unlikely to keep pace with inflation.
It also requires building owners to continue full payment of workers' health insurance premiums and ensures employee insurance co-payments will not be raised, said Matthew Nerzig, a spokesman for Local 32BJ of the Building Service Workers Union.
"At a time when health care costs are increasing dramatically, the agreement will preserve our health benefits, which was our main concern," Nerzig said.
Building owners previously insisted on a wage freeze and called on workers to significantly finance their own health care, Nerzig said.
"We did this in recognition of the cost of living in New York City and the turmoil that a strike would cause for our residents and employees," the Realty Advisory Board on Labour Relations, which represents building owners, said of the agreement.
A strike would have left apartment owners and residents to perform tasks performed by their doormen, porters and handymen -- everything from pressing elevator buttons to moving furniture and taking in deliveries.
Doormen currently earn an average of about $37,000 a year, the union said. They also receive tips for special services and as recognition on holidays.
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Daughter of Kazakhstan's leader defends "Borat"
ALMATY (Reuters) - Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen who angered many Kazakhs with his satirical portrayal of their nation has found an unexpected ally in the Central Asian state -- the president's daughter.
Officials, enraged by Cohen's depiction of Kazakhstan as a nation of drunks, racists and sexists, have threatened to sue him and banned his Web site in the country.
Dariga, one of the three daughters of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, said Kazakhstan's furious reaction to Cohen's alter-ego Borat character hurt the nation's image a lot more than the jokes themselves.
"This Web site (http://www.borat.kz) damaged our image much less than its closure which was covered by all global news agencies," Dariga said in an interview published on Friday in Kazakh newspaper Karavan.
"We should not be afraid of humour and we shouldn't try to control everything, I think," added Dariga, an influential politician who once headed the country's main TV channel Khabar.
Cohen, as Borat, has claimed Kazakhs' usual behaviour includes shooting a dog and then having a party as well as making wine from fermented horse urine.
The Borat character has appeared in Cohen's televised "Da Ali G Show" and introduced the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon in November 2005.
ALMATY (Reuters) - Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen who angered many Kazakhs with his satirical portrayal of their nation has found an unexpected ally in the Central Asian state -- the president's daughter.
Officials, enraged by Cohen's depiction of Kazakhstan as a nation of drunks, racists and sexists, have threatened to sue him and banned his Web site in the country.
Dariga, one of the three daughters of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, said Kazakhstan's furious reaction to Cohen's alter-ego Borat character hurt the nation's image a lot more than the jokes themselves.
"This Web site (http://www.borat.kz) damaged our image much less than its closure which was covered by all global news agencies," Dariga said in an interview published on Friday in Kazakh newspaper Karavan.
"We should not be afraid of humour and we shouldn't try to control everything, I think," added Dariga, an influential politician who once headed the country's main TV channel Khabar.
Cohen, as Borat, has claimed Kazakhs' usual behaviour includes shooting a dog and then having a party as well as making wine from fermented horse urine.
The Borat character has appeared in Cohen's televised "Da Ali G Show" and introduced the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon in November 2005.
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"Mrs Noisy" gets year in prison
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) - A woman who made herself a minor celebrity in Japan by constantly screaming insults at passers-by and blaring out music while beating bedding on her balcony, was sentenced to a year in jail Friday for causing physical harm.
Miyoko Kawahara, 59, kept up the assault on her neighbors' eardrums daily over a period of two and a half years, forcing at least one nearby resident to seek treatment for insomnia and headaches.
A court in the western Japanese city of Nara sentenced the woman who became known nationally as "Mrs Noisy" to a year in prison, saying she had shown no repentance for her actions, domestic media said.
Kawahara is likely to be released in about three months, after consideration for time already served.
"I am worried about what will happen when she comes back," one neighbor told reporters outside the court.
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) - A woman who made herself a minor celebrity in Japan by constantly screaming insults at passers-by and blaring out music while beating bedding on her balcony, was sentenced to a year in jail Friday for causing physical harm.
Miyoko Kawahara, 59, kept up the assault on her neighbors' eardrums daily over a period of two and a half years, forcing at least one nearby resident to seek treatment for insomnia and headaches.
A court in the western Japanese city of Nara sentenced the woman who became known nationally as "Mrs Noisy" to a year in prison, saying she had shown no repentance for her actions, domestic media said.
Kawahara is likely to be released in about three months, after consideration for time already served.
"I am worried about what will happen when she comes back," one neighbor told reporters outside the court.
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TexasStooge
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"Baby bonus" turns into PR headache
ROME, Italy (Reuters) - It all started with a pre-election letter by Italy's prime minister to more than 600,000 newborns.
"Best wishes for your arrival, do you know that the budget has put aside 1,000 euros for you? Big Kiss. Silvio Berlusconi," read the letter telling the parents of babies born in 2005 how to receive a 1,000 euro "baby bonus" from the state.
Trouble is, the letter was sent in January to all families with a new-born, including immigrants, even though the cash bonus was meant only for Italian babies.
The Economy Ministry is now asking all those who claimed the money but were not entitled to it -- at least 3,000 immigrant families, according to one estimate -- to pay it back.
Friday, it put out a statement with the bank details for the reimbursement.
The baby bonus, dismissed by the opposition as government propaganda ahead of the April 9-10 election, was designed to encourage Italians to have more children. Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
ROME, Italy (Reuters) - It all started with a pre-election letter by Italy's prime minister to more than 600,000 newborns.
"Best wishes for your arrival, do you know that the budget has put aside 1,000 euros for you? Big Kiss. Silvio Berlusconi," read the letter telling the parents of babies born in 2005 how to receive a 1,000 euro "baby bonus" from the state.
Trouble is, the letter was sent in January to all families with a new-born, including immigrants, even though the cash bonus was meant only for Italian babies.
The Economy Ministry is now asking all those who claimed the money but were not entitled to it -- at least 3,000 immigrant families, according to one estimate -- to pay it back.
Friday, it put out a statement with the bank details for the reimbursement.
The baby bonus, dismissed by the opposition as government propaganda ahead of the April 9-10 election, was designed to encourage Italians to have more children. Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
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Schools may ban hurtful T-shirt slogans
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Reuters) - Public schools can bar clothing with slogans that are hurtful, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday in the case of a student who wore a T-shirt saying "Homosexuality is shameful."
The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals backed a San Diego-area high school's argument that it was entitled to tell a student to remove a T-shirt with that message.
The officials were concerned the slogan could raise tension at the school, where there had been conflict between gay and straight students.
The student sued, claiming the school's dress code violated his free speech, religious freedom and due process rights.
Writing for the panel's majority, Judge Stephen Reinhardt affirmed a lower court's decision against an injunction against the school and said schools may bar slogans believed to be hurtful.
Students "who may be injured by verbal assaults on the basis of a core identifying characteristic such as race, religion, or sexual orientation, have a right to be free from such attacks while on school campuses," Reinhardt wrote.
"The demeaning of young gay and lesbian students in a school environment is detrimental not only to their psychological health and well-being, but also to their educational development," Reinhardt added.
In his dissent, Judge Alex Kozinski said the majority would gag campus dissent to Poway High School's policies.
"The types of speech that could be banned by the school authorities under the Poway High School hate policy are practically without limit. Any speech code that has at its heart avoiding offense to others gives anyone with a thin skin a heckler's veto - something the Supreme Court has not approved in the past," Kozinski wrote.
Reinhardt rejected this argument.
"Perhaps our dissenting colleague believes that one can condemn homosexuality without condemning homosexuals. If so, he is wrong. To say that homosexuality is shameful is to say, necessarily, that gays and lesbians are shameful," Reinhardt.
"There are numerous locations and opportunities available to those who wish to advance such an argument. It is not necessary to do so by directly condemning, to their faces, young students trying to obtain a fair and full education in our public schools," Reinhardt added.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Reuters) - Public schools can bar clothing with slogans that are hurtful, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday in the case of a student who wore a T-shirt saying "Homosexuality is shameful."
The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals backed a San Diego-area high school's argument that it was entitled to tell a student to remove a T-shirt with that message.
The officials were concerned the slogan could raise tension at the school, where there had been conflict between gay and straight students.
The student sued, claiming the school's dress code violated his free speech, religious freedom and due process rights.
Writing for the panel's majority, Judge Stephen Reinhardt affirmed a lower court's decision against an injunction against the school and said schools may bar slogans believed to be hurtful.
Students "who may be injured by verbal assaults on the basis of a core identifying characteristic such as race, religion, or sexual orientation, have a right to be free from such attacks while on school campuses," Reinhardt wrote.
"The demeaning of young gay and lesbian students in a school environment is detrimental not only to their psychological health and well-being, but also to their educational development," Reinhardt added.
In his dissent, Judge Alex Kozinski said the majority would gag campus dissent to Poway High School's policies.
"The types of speech that could be banned by the school authorities under the Poway High School hate policy are practically without limit. Any speech code that has at its heart avoiding offense to others gives anyone with a thin skin a heckler's veto - something the Supreme Court has not approved in the past," Kozinski wrote.
Reinhardt rejected this argument.
"Perhaps our dissenting colleague believes that one can condemn homosexuality without condemning homosexuals. If so, he is wrong. To say that homosexuality is shameful is to say, necessarily, that gays and lesbians are shameful," Reinhardt.
"There are numerous locations and opportunities available to those who wish to advance such an argument. It is not necessary to do so by directly condemning, to their faces, young students trying to obtain a fair and full education in our public schools," Reinhardt added.
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TexasStooge
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Woman, 84, wins $10 mln on slot machine
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (Reuters) - An 84-year-old New Jersey woman won $10 million on a nickel slot machine in an Atlantic City casino in what the operator said Thursday was the largest prize in the city's gambling history.
Great-grandmother Josephine Crawford of nearby Galloway Township was playing the nickel slots in Harrah's casino in the game where each play costs 5 cents, or a nickel.
When she was down to her last $5 credit, the Megabucks machine suddenly flashed the news she had won the jackpot of $10,010,113.48, casino spokesman Christopher Jonic said.
"There were a whole lot of bells and whistles, and she had no idea really what had happened," Jonic said.
The win Tuesday evening was confirmed by Harrah's staff and by International Gaming Technology, the owner of the machine, and Crawford was presented with a check, Jonic said.
She has the option of taking the money as a lump sum of around $5.5 million after taxes, or accepting a 25-year annuity.
"Somehow, I'll spend it. I'm just happy I won it, for my family, although they don't need it," Crawford told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The jackpot was accumulated by Megabucks, which operates hundreds of slots in Atlantic City's 12 casinos, and takes a small portion of every play. The jackpot had not been won for about three years.
Crawford's win beats the previous Atlantic City record of $8.54 million in August 1994. She had been a customer at the casino since 1980.
_____________________________________________________________
If only we were THAT lucky.
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (Reuters) - An 84-year-old New Jersey woman won $10 million on a nickel slot machine in an Atlantic City casino in what the operator said Thursday was the largest prize in the city's gambling history.
Great-grandmother Josephine Crawford of nearby Galloway Township was playing the nickel slots in Harrah's casino in the game where each play costs 5 cents, or a nickel.
When she was down to her last $5 credit, the Megabucks machine suddenly flashed the news she had won the jackpot of $10,010,113.48, casino spokesman Christopher Jonic said.
"There were a whole lot of bells and whistles, and she had no idea really what had happened," Jonic said.
The win Tuesday evening was confirmed by Harrah's staff and by International Gaming Technology, the owner of the machine, and Crawford was presented with a check, Jonic said.
She has the option of taking the money as a lump sum of around $5.5 million after taxes, or accepting a 25-year annuity.
"Somehow, I'll spend it. I'm just happy I won it, for my family, although they don't need it," Crawford told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The jackpot was accumulated by Megabucks, which operates hundreds of slots in Atlantic City's 12 casinos, and takes a small portion of every play. The jackpot had not been won for about three years.
Crawford's win beats the previous Atlantic City record of $8.54 million in August 1994. She had been a customer at the casino since 1980.
_____________________________________________________________
If only we were THAT lucky.
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Italy owes wine legacy to Celts, history buffs say
By Svetlana Kovalyova
ROBBIO, Italy (Reuters) - Wine conjures up the image of cultured drinkers sipping their way delicately through a full-bodied vintage.
But for two history buffs with a passion for the tipple, northern Italy has the barbarians to thank for its long wine-making tradition.
Luca Sormani, from Como, and Fulvio Pescarolo, from the tiny town of Robbio near Milan, have traced the region's wine culture all the way back to its Celtic roots and have started making it according to ancient methods.
Celtic tribes from farther north -- known to the Romans as "Barbari" -- conquered northern parts of Italy about 2,500 years ago, settled there and started draining marshes, cultivating land and growing vines.
"There is a bit of the barbarian in us," said Pescarolo, 51, who is the ninth generation of farmers from the rice-growing western part of Lombardy. "We feel we are part of this nature."
Interest in all things Celtic -- from music to mystical rites -- took off in northern Italy in the mid 1990s, fanned by the Northern League party which rose to prominence with demands for independence for the north.
Sormani and Pescarolo said their interest in Celtic culture had nothing to with politics and that, instead of the symbols and rites, they studied what was close to their hearts -- a blend of agriculture and wine-growing.
NO HELMETS WITH HORNS
"It's not that we want to put on helmets with horns. It's not about mythology or cults," said Sormani, 40, who has a doctorate in agriculture.
"We feel we are part of a tradition which dates back to the times of Celts."
Standing in a vineyard on a man-made hill in the middle of table-flat rice fields in western Lombardy, Sormani recalled how he spent years studying the history of the area, which led him to the idea of recreating a Celtic farm.
"In (the northern towns of) Vigevano and Mortara we live as if we had no history, as if one day we found ourselves here and going to work in Milan. I did not like it. I wanted to find out where we came from, who we were," said Sormani.
"And not being a philosopher or poet or a writer, being an agronomist, I started my research from agriculture."
His project took off in 2000 after he met Pescarolo. They used their own savings to build a replica of a Celtic farm, based on ancient manuscripts.
They wanted to relive the history of the Celts by discovering their habits and tastes and, in a typical Italian way, the pleasures that Celts found in food and wine.
Six years later, the pair can enjoy the most treasured fruit of their labors: Celtic wine, produced according to ancient recipes from grapes grown using Celtic methods.
SENSE OF BELONGING
The dark ruby wine has a rich taste with a strong herbal note and an unusual sandy after-taste.
"This wine gives you a sense of belonging to this land, to your history. It tells the story of people who lived here, of our ancestors," said Sormani.
Sormani and Pescarolo presented their first wine from the 2004 harvest at an international wine fair in the northern Italian city of Verona and said it had positive reviews from wine critics.
They plan to sell 300 liters of the 2004 vintage this year and 500 liters of the 2005 production next year. It will be bottled in ceramic vases of an ancient Celtic design.
They hope to sell the wine to restaurants, bars and auction houses and find wine connoisseurs and fans of Celtic culture willing to pay 140-160 euros ($170-$195) for an 80-centilitre vase of wine.
The proceeds will help them set up a Celtic cultural center.
"Those who buy such a vase and bring it home will have a chance to travel in time by means of taste," Sormani said.
By Svetlana Kovalyova
ROBBIO, Italy (Reuters) - Wine conjures up the image of cultured drinkers sipping their way delicately through a full-bodied vintage.
But for two history buffs with a passion for the tipple, northern Italy has the barbarians to thank for its long wine-making tradition.
Luca Sormani, from Como, and Fulvio Pescarolo, from the tiny town of Robbio near Milan, have traced the region's wine culture all the way back to its Celtic roots and have started making it according to ancient methods.
Celtic tribes from farther north -- known to the Romans as "Barbari" -- conquered northern parts of Italy about 2,500 years ago, settled there and started draining marshes, cultivating land and growing vines.
"There is a bit of the barbarian in us," said Pescarolo, 51, who is the ninth generation of farmers from the rice-growing western part of Lombardy. "We feel we are part of this nature."
Interest in all things Celtic -- from music to mystical rites -- took off in northern Italy in the mid 1990s, fanned by the Northern League party which rose to prominence with demands for independence for the north.
Sormani and Pescarolo said their interest in Celtic culture had nothing to with politics and that, instead of the symbols and rites, they studied what was close to their hearts -- a blend of agriculture and wine-growing.
NO HELMETS WITH HORNS
"It's not that we want to put on helmets with horns. It's not about mythology or cults," said Sormani, 40, who has a doctorate in agriculture.
"We feel we are part of a tradition which dates back to the times of Celts."
Standing in a vineyard on a man-made hill in the middle of table-flat rice fields in western Lombardy, Sormani recalled how he spent years studying the history of the area, which led him to the idea of recreating a Celtic farm.
"In (the northern towns of) Vigevano and Mortara we live as if we had no history, as if one day we found ourselves here and going to work in Milan. I did not like it. I wanted to find out where we came from, who we were," said Sormani.
"And not being a philosopher or poet or a writer, being an agronomist, I started my research from agriculture."
His project took off in 2000 after he met Pescarolo. They used their own savings to build a replica of a Celtic farm, based on ancient manuscripts.
They wanted to relive the history of the Celts by discovering their habits and tastes and, in a typical Italian way, the pleasures that Celts found in food and wine.
Six years later, the pair can enjoy the most treasured fruit of their labors: Celtic wine, produced according to ancient recipes from grapes grown using Celtic methods.
SENSE OF BELONGING
The dark ruby wine has a rich taste with a strong herbal note and an unusual sandy after-taste.
"This wine gives you a sense of belonging to this land, to your history. It tells the story of people who lived here, of our ancestors," said Sormani.
Sormani and Pescarolo presented their first wine from the 2004 harvest at an international wine fair in the northern Italian city of Verona and said it had positive reviews from wine critics.
They plan to sell 300 liters of the 2004 vintage this year and 500 liters of the 2005 production next year. It will be bottled in ceramic vases of an ancient Celtic design.
They hope to sell the wine to restaurants, bars and auction houses and find wine connoisseurs and fans of Celtic culture willing to pay 140-160 euros ($170-$195) for an 80-centilitre vase of wine.
The proceeds will help them set up a Celtic cultural center.
"Those who buy such a vase and bring it home will have a chance to travel in time by means of taste," Sormani said.
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