TWW'S CRAZY NEWS STORIES

[TexasStooge]

Murder mystery in Rowlett backyard

Police not sure where shooting took place

By MARGARITA MARTIN-HIDALGO / The Dallas Morning News

ROWLETT, Texas - An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday shortly before his car crashed through the yards of two Rowlett homes, police said.

David M. Irlanda, a recent Rowlett High School graduate, was found shot in the abdomen shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the car off an alley in the Mariner Park neighborhood.

The car had crashed through the wooden fences of two back yards and caused a gas leak.

Fortunately, residents in the 5400 block of Somerset Drive said, no children had been playing outside, as they often do on summer afternoons.

Sgt. Dean Poos, a police spokesman, said investigators found a shell casing at the end of the alley but didn't know whether it came from the fatal round.

"We're not exactly sure where the shooting took place," Sgt. Poos said, but he added that Irlanda apparently had not driven far after being shot.

He said police had not found any witnesses, though at least one resident heard the car crash and another reported hearing a loud pop.

"It sounded like a gunshot ... but that kind of stuff never happens around here," said Kevin White, 17, whose home is on the alley between Somerset and Onset Bay drives.

Craig Todd, who lives in one of the homes with damaged fences, said his back yard looked "like a tornado hit."

"My first reaction was, 'Where are the kids?' " said Todd, whose two children were staying with a neighbor.

Irlanda's friends said Thursday that he was a good person who never got into trouble.

Andy Whipple, 19, graduated last year from Rowlett High, where he was in the Mighty Eagle Marching Band with Irlanda.

He said Irlanda was reserved in class but was fun around the people he knew.

When he wasn't playing his baritone horn, Irlanda liked to water-ski and race BMX-style bikes, friends said.

Whipple said he felt "angry at the person who did it, but there's no room for anger."

The killing was the second fatal gun incident in two weeks in a suburb that rarely sees more than one in a year.

On June 18, 59-year-old John Edwin Meyers Jr. fatally shot his wife, 42-year-old Lorraine Eileen Meyers, and son, 18-year-old Ian Michael Meyers, in their home before killing himself.

At Irlanda's home on David Drive in Rowlett, family members and friends gathered Thursday night but were too distraught to talk.

[TexasStooge]

Warren Buffett lunch sells for $620,100

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dining at a steakhouse can be a costly affair. Dining at a steakhouse with billionaire investor Warren Buffett is now a very costly one.

Lunch with the world's second-richest person went for $620,100 (340,000 pounds) in an online charity auction on eBay Inc., topping last year's $351,100 record for the fundraiser.

Yongping Duan, a 45-year-old investor from Palo Alto, California, won the date, using the moniker "fastisslow." He topped a $620,000 bid by "magicyourlife." The weeklong auction ended Thursday night.

Buffett, the 75-year-old chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has since 2000 offered lunches for up to eight people to benefit the Glide Foundation, a San Francisco non-profit that helps the poor, hungry and homeless.

Susan Buffett, the billionaire's late wife, worked for the charity, which has said its annual budget is $12 million.

"I learnt a lot from Warren Buffett and his philosophy," Duan said in an interview Friday morning. "I wanted to find a chance to say thanks to him. I have also looked at Glide, and they do very good work."

Duan said his family's Enlight Foundation will provide the donation, and plans to take his wife and friends to the lunch.

This year's lunch will be at a Manhattan steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky. Its parent Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group Inc. is donating $10,000 to Glide.

Earlier this week, Buffett said he would give away 85 percent of his $44 billion fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four other charities.

Buffett took over Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire in 1965, and transformed it from a struggling textile maker into a $142 billion company through investments in undervalued securities and purchases of well-managed, easy-to-understand businesses.

At the lunch, the billionaire will talk about pretty much anything other than what he is buying and selling.

Duan used to run a consumer electronics business in China.

He said he plans to ask Buffett "when you have too much money in your hand, and don't find very good targets, what do you do? I believe he's very good at this kind of thing."

Last year, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle autographed by celebrities and offered by talk-show host Jay Leno fetched $800,100 on eBay to benefit tsunami victims.

[TexasStooge]

Alaska district tries selling school on eBay

ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - Local officials in the rural Alaskan town of King Cove have put an old school up for sale on eBay, saying they hope to raise $1.8 million (985,000 pounds).

The Aleutians East Borough has put the school in the southwestern Alaska coastal village of 725 people up for sale on the online auction house eBay, hoping a new owner can take advantage of the 43,000-square-foot (3,995-sq-metre) building's location on the waterfront in the midst of Alaska's biggest commercial seafood harvests, officials said.

"We have salmon, halibut, cod, crab, pollock, sablefish that's right outside the front door of the school," said borough spokeswoman Karen Montoya.

The borough hopes to raise $1.8 million by selling off the school, although the eBay listing cites a starting bid of $400,000, Borough Administrator Bob Juettner said.

A new school, located in a less industrialised area of the village, is almost ready for King Cove's 100 or so students, he said.

While many state and local governments have turned to the online auction service to sell surplus property, eBay spokesman Dean Jutilla said he does not know of any other school put up for sale.

"I don't recall off the top of my head. But that doesn't mean it hasn't happened," he said.

A 2003 sale of a surplus Alaska state ferry helped inspire the decision to list the school on eBay, Montoya said.

As of Thursday, no bids had been received, but Montoya remained optimistic. Already, the eBay listing had tallied up more than 500 hits and generated some telephone inquiries from potential buyers, she said.

[TexasStooge]

Are flip-flops damaging your career?

By Belinda Goldsmith

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With more women wearing flip-flops to the office this summer, U.S. style gurus are warning that the casual shoe once mainly seen on the beach could be damaging to careers -- as well as to feet.

Lauren Cardinale, 25, who works at West Glen Communications, wears beaded or other fancy flip flops to the office -- when she can get away with it.

"Occasionally I wear flip flops to work," she said. "I wear nicer shoes if I'm meeting with clients or if I know there will be someone in the office who doesn't approve of flip flops."

Cardinale is one of thousands of young women in New York who consider flip-flops an essential part of their summer wardrobe.

An online survey conducted for retailers Old Navy and Gap found flip-flops topped the list of wardrobe items that college and high school students planned to wear to work this summer.

More than 31 percent of women said flip-flops were the single "must have" item for work this summer.

But many companies disagree.

"The dress code says no beach wear and flip-flops are considered beach wear," said a spokeswoman for BNP Paribas.

Style gurus warn that flip-flops, which are worn mainly by younger women, could be harmful to a career.

"Shoes convey the mood of a woman. Wearing flip-flops conveys the mood that you are relaxed and on vacation. That's not a good message in the office," said Meghan Cleary, a style commentator who wrote the book "The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You."

Doctors say it's not just careers they could harm.

Physicians at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons say flip-flops are linked to a growing number of heel problems among teens and young adults.

"We're seeing more heel pain than ever in patients 15 to 25 years old, a group that usually doesn't have this problem," said spokeswoman Marybeth Crane in a recent statement.

She said flip-flops with thin soles have no arch support and can accentuate any abnormal biomechanics in foot motion which eventually brings pain and inflammation.

$140 FOR FLIP-FLOPS?

Flip-flops are far from new, dating back at least 70 years and believed developed out of traditional Japanese woven or wooden soled sandals in New Zealand.

The basic flat sole with a Y-shaped strap, that passes between the toes and around either side of the foot, is known in every nation and to every social class.

In developing countries, they are the cheapest -- and often only -- form of footwear, easy to make and easy to fit.

The term "flip-flop" derives from the noise they make while slapping against the wearer's heels and the floor but they are also known as thongs in Australia, jandals in New Zealand, and slippers in Hawaii.

But flip-flops took on a new life among the young and trendy a few years ago. They have surged in popularity with shops now selling them in every conceivable color, with sequins, flowers, and even bridal flip-flops with over 300 Swarovski crystals on the straps for about $140 a pair.

Last June the Northwestern University's champion women's lacrosse team was widely criticized for wearing flip-flops when they visited the White House and met President George W. Bush.

Ellen Campuzano, president of the Committee of Color and Trends, a New York-based forecasting service specializing in footwear and accessories, thinks flip-flops' popularity will wane.

"Usually these trends come and go in about five years," she said. "I think we've reached the peak, they can't be any more widespread, so maybe next summer something will replace them."

[TexasStooge]

Jamaica decides not to give out condoms in prisons

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Jamaica has decided not to distribute condoms in prisons, where violence has broken out in the past over mere suggestions that men have sex with men in the facilities, an official said Thursday.

The Jamaican government had been divided over the issue of handing out condoms to prisoners.

The Health Ministry believed condoms would stem the spread of AIDS in penal institutions, but the National Security Ministry, which has responsibility for prisons, disagreed, arguing it would encourage sexual activity.

Both ministries met late Wednesday to settle the matter and an agreement was reached not to distribute condoms, said an official of the National Security Ministry, who asked not be identified.

The ministries said they would issue a statement later.

Giving out condoms in prisons was first suggested by the former head of prisons, John Prescod, in 1997.

But his suggestion triggered a battle between prisoners accused of being homosexual and others who said they were heterosexuals. Five inmates died and 27 were injured in two of the island's six adult penal institutions.

Last week Health Minister Horace Dalley called for condoms to be distributed in prisons to stem the spread of AIDS.

[TexasStooge]

Bad American bosses exposed in rash of tell-alls

By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The movie and best-selling book "The Devil Wears Prada" skewer a diabolical magazine editor, the popular blog "Anonymous Lawyer" parodies a top legal firm and a top editor dishes dirt in a behind-the-scenes book at the beauty industry.

All the dirty laundry being aired about less-than-happy workplaces might mean bullying bosses would think twice before berating their underlings. But experts and insiders say none of it will make a lick of difference.

"You have people who are ready to become self-aware and who will use these books ... and actually start to think about things they would do differently," said Judith Glaser, a workplace consultant and author. "They have to be willing."

But alas, she said, most bullying bosses and office divas won't change. Instead, they are more likely to pass off tell-alls as parody, satire and unrealistic exaggeration.

Those bosses shouldn't dismiss even the wildest tales, said Jeremy Blachman, author of "Anonymous Lawyer: A Novel," which began as a blog about a fictional hiring partner at a law firm. The book is due to be published by Henry Holt and Co. in July.

Blachman said he would write over-the-top fictional stories -- one was about a company policy allowing associates to celebrate holidays "on a limited basis" -- only to learn that, no matter how tall his tale, it seemed someone had actually seen it happen.

But he said his stories would have little impact on life in a cutthroat, high-pressure firm.

"I would expect that the people who read the book and who are amused by the book aren't the people who are actually making lives miserable for attorneys," he said.

Even if they did read these books or see these movies, the worst bosses won't see themselves, said Suzanne Hansen, author of "You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again," about her job as nanny to the family of top Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz.

"When their hearts are cold like that, when it's that extreme, I don't think they change," she said. "I think it almost makes them like, 'Poor me, I have to really protect myself now because everyone's out to get me.'"

BATTLING BOSSES

Of course, tell-alls ratting out bad bosses and exposing workplace excess are nothing new. Michael Lewis revealed the antics at powerful Wall Street firm Salomon Brothers in his 1989 book "Liar's Poker," and the 1980 movie "9 to 5" featured women turning tables on their obnoxious boss.

This week sees release of "The Devil Wears Prada," a movie starring Meryl Streep based on the book about the fashion world written by former Vogue magazine staffer Lauren Weisberger.

The bestseller entertained fashion insiders who widely believed the impatient, demanding editor in the fictional work was a thinly disguised version of Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

"I'm sure in the 15th century, if the serfs had been able to write about the kings, it would have made for good reading," said Jean Godfrey-June, beauty editor of Lucky magazine who has written an insider's look at the beauty industry.

Her nonfiction book, entitled "Free Gift With Purchase," features battling bosses -- one coined the Playboy and the other Above the Fray -- who loathed each other and terrorized hapless employees trying to please them both.

But she doesn't name names.

"I feel like your average person who is reading the book doesn't know who these people are and they don't care," she said, adding, "I didn't want it to be all about making somebody else look bad."

In fact, she said, readers may grow to like the world of beauty, as she does. "If you read the book, you're not going to buy less make-up afterward. You'll just feel better about it."

[TexasStooge]

Shanghai's signature knock-off market shuts doors

SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) - Xiangyang Road Fashion and Gift Market, Shanghai's most famous street market for cheap imitation goods, was shutting up shop Friday, the victim of city government plans to redevelop the area.

Stall owners said they had been told by authorities to vacate the area completely by late Friday night -- though some die-hard hawkers were merely moving operations to apartments in nearby residential buildings, and soliciting customers on the street.

At its height, Xiangyang attracted thousands of foreign tourists and local residents to its cramped, muddy aisles. It offered ultra-cheap legitimate products -- clothes, sports equipment and shoes -- beside a wide range of counterfeit branded goods, from scarves and handbags to watches and pirated DVDs.

Vendors said the business environment had worsened somewhat in recent months as China, under pressure from foreign trading partners, had taken sporadic steps to crack down on trademark violations.

The redevelopment of the downtown Xiangyang area, which will include a metro line and possibly an up-market commercial project, sealed the market's fate.

[TexasStooge]

"Chocolate Factory" theme park to open in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Amsterdam will get a theme park dedicated to chocolate and inspired by Roald Dahl's children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," city officials and entrepreneurs said Thursday.

Just like Dahl's fictional "Chocolate Factory" owned by Willy Wonka, the main part of the "sweets park" will be located underground, in a disused railway tunnel which was handed over by the city of Amsterdam in a ceremony Thursday.

The attraction, which is expected to open to the public in two to three years, will feature a glass elevator and a chocolate fountain, similar to the book. It will also produce small amounts of chocolate.

"Ten years ago I made a radio play of the 'Chocolate Factory' and ever since I've been fascinated by it," said audio books publisher Maurits Rubinstein who started the project.

The city of Amsterdam and Dutch construction company BAM are supporting the plan, which will cost 20 million euros, partly raised with bonds that parents and grandparents can buy for their children and grandchildren.

Amsterdam is the world's biggest cocoa port, processing around 30 percent of the world's cocoa beans from countries like Ghana and Ecuador. It supplies the key ingredient, cocoa paste, to major chocolate manufacturers throughout Europe.

Amsterdam is also the place where Coenraad Johannes van Houten invented the hydraulic cocoa press in the 1820s, enabling the production of eating chocolate alongside the already available drinking and cooking varieties. He also came up with the process known as "dutching" to create a mildly flavored cocoa powder that mixes more easily with water.

An impression of how the Chocolate Factory will look can be found by clicking on Impressie on http://www.dechocoladefabriek.nl.

[TexasStooge]

Man sues over Web site comments

PITTSBURGH, Penn. (AP) - A city attorney is suing the creator of a Web site that lets women dish dirt on men they claim have wronged them, saying they made defamatory statements about him.

Attorney Todd J. Hollis sued because he contends two Pittsburgh-area women and other anonymous users posted items about him on http://www.dontdatehimgirl.com in which they claim he is unfaithful, among other things, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday.

Hollis filed the suit Thursday in Allegheny County against Tasha C. Joseph of Miami, who created the site, which bills itself as a "cost-effective weapon in the war on cheating men."

Joseph, 33, a former columnist for the Miami Herald, said any man can post a rebuttal on the site.

Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, an attorney representing Joseph, said the site is no different than the proverbial coffee shop where people go and chitchat."

"You would never think of holding the coffee shop owner liable because other people went in and defamed other people," Rodriguez-Taseff said.

Hollis' suit contends Joseph "conspired with disingenuous people whose only agenda is to attack the character of those individuals who have been identified on the site."

Hollis, 38, a criminal attorney for 12 years, also said the site does not have safeguards in place to ensure the truthfulness of items posted on it.

[TexasStooge]

Utah highway patrol chief cited for DUI

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) - The commander of the Utah Highway Patrol's drunken driving unit has been cited for driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing his cruiser into a concrete barrier, authorities said Thursday.

Lt. Fred Swain veered off the shoulder of a highway in Draper early last Friday, overcorrected and hit the barrier that separates the lanes, Lt. Doug McCleve said.

Swain said he fell asleep at the wheel, but officers suspected he had been drinking, said Draper police Sgt. Scott Peck. Swain initially refused to submit to a breathalyzer test until two patrol captains talked to him, Peck said.

The test showed that Swain's blood-alcohol level was nearly 0.12 percent, Peck said. Utah's legal limit is 0.08 percent.

Swain was placed on paid administrative leave while the patrol conducts an internal investigation.

Contacted by KSL-TV on Thursday, Swain said it was not in his best interest to comment.

Draper police investigated the incident. It's common for law enforcement agencies to ask another agency to investigate incidents involving their own personnel. Draper is about 19 miles south of Salt Lake City.

[TexasStooge]

Boater rescued twice in the same spot

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) - For Barry Glinton, apparently lightning does strike twice in the same place. Glinton and three fishing buddies were rescued Wednesday evening after his 20-foot powerboat started taking on water about a mile off Boynton Beach, authorities said.

He was rescued from the same spot — by the same people — two years ago.

Glinton said his boat was hit by a wave that crashed over the stern Wednesday night. He called the U.S. Coast Guard from his cell phone. He did not have a GPS system or a VHF radio, so it took rescue crews a bit longer to locate him.

The men chatted as two officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission towed Glinton's boat to shore.

When Lt. John Reed mentioned that he and officer Paul Alber had made a similar rescue in the same spot once before, Glinton responded, "That was me."

"This gentleman got very lucky twice, but it doesn't look like he learned his lesson about boating safety after the first incident," Alber said. "Boaters should make sure their boats are in proper working order, that they have a VHF radio, a GPS system. It's just common sense."

Authorities said Glinton's boat was located within an hour, but only because it was a clear day on the water.

[TexasStooge]

'Rat man' says 'nature' overwhelmed him

PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) - It all started four years ago when Roger Dier bought a baby rat to feed his pet Indian python. But when he saw the furry little critter squeaking for its life, the lifelong animal lover said he didn't have the heart to let it become just another snake snack.

"I couldn't stand it," he told The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa. "I took the rat out of the cage and got to know it."

After that, Dier was hooked on the rodents, which he described as gentle, lovable and an endless source of entertainment. He later bought four more at the pet store — but didn't think to spay or neuter them.

Last week, animal control officers discovered more than 1,300 rats in Dier's small one-bedroom Petaluma home, after a neighbor complained about the foul smell. He was cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Dier, 67, said depression, loneliness, denial and a recent bout of flu and bronchitis kept him from maintaining control of the fast-breeding population.

"I did not set out to do this," he told The Press Democrat. "I do acknowledge irresponsibility and there's a case for laziness, denial, incompetence and just plain foolishness."

But "it was not all my fault," he added. "It was this force of nature that overwhelmed me."

The infestation at his home wasn't Dier's first encounter with a rat pack.

In 1963, his Culver City apartment was used as a hideout by two of three men who were later convicted of kidnapping Frank Sinatra Jr., son of the legendary Rat Pack crooner. Dier said he later served two prison terms for an unrelated weapons charge and armed robbery.

"I was just a young kid. I was mixed up," he said.

Dier moved to Petaluma in 1978, working at an assembly plant and as a stained glass maker. He now lives off a small inheritance from his mother.

By all appearances, Dier looks like an everyday retiree, donning jeans and an Hawaiian shirt on a warm afternoon and driving a new Toyota Tacoma.

But his house, located in a quiet middle-class neighborhood, reeks of urine. The floor is covered with the chaff of feed mixed with rat droppings, and everything is gnawed on, including the sheetrock walls, according to The Press Democrat.

When animal control officers arrived, they found some rats stacked six deep in cages so overcrowded that many had missing eyes and limbs.

Dier admitted that he felt some relief when they were confiscated, noting the "crushing burden" of trying to care for them. He was up to buying 250 pounds of rat food a week.

Most of the rats have been euthanized, some because they were too sick or injured and others because they weren't socialized well enough to be adopted, said Nancee Tavares, manager of Petaluma Animal Services.

"We believe quality of life is important, and there was no quality of life for these rats," she said.

Rat lovers have expressed outrage at the euthanizations, but Tavares said the pace of adoptions have gone too slow to expect all the rats to find homes. As of Thursday, only 12 of the rodents had gotten new owners, while different shelters and animal rescue groups promised to take about 30 off the agency's hands.

"We've gotten a lot of people criticizing us, but not offering to take one or two," Tavares said.

Meanwhile, Dier, who was allowed to keep his seven cats, said he was grieving the loss — and deaths — of his furry friends.

"That's a darn pity," Dier said. "It's unfair to the animals. I'm not saying I wasn't unfair letting them be born into existence, but they didn't deserve to die."

[TexasStooge]

Evidence, but no suspect in Rowlett death

By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8

ROWLETT, Texas — Eighteen-year-old David Irlanda was just driving along in Rowlett when he was shot and killed.

Police said that while the shooting appears to have been intentional, they haven't yet seized upon a motive—or a suspect.

"We're not even 24 hours into the investigation," said Rowlett police Lt. David Neighbors. "We're still running down leads, trying to establish a timeline for where David was yesterday afternoon."

Police said Irlanda was fatally shot in the upper abdomen shortly before his car plowed through wooden fences and two backyards before coming to rest behind a house in the 5400 block of Somerset Drive.

They estimate he had been shot 150 to 500 feet before the vehicle came to a stop.

Investigators said a shell casing found near the crime scene has been linked to the automatic pistol that fired the fatal shot.

Irlanda recently graduated from Rowlett High School. Family members told police he had no known enemies.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect nabbed in Rowlett murder case

ROWLETT, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Rowlett police arrested a suspect Friday night in the murder of 18-year-old David Irlanda.

Irlanda was found shot and killed after his car crashed through two backyards Thursday afternoon.

Rowlett police Lt. David Nabors said 18-year-old Remy M. Ingram of Rowlett was arrested for the crime and charged with capital murder. He was held on $1 million bond.

After arraingment Friday night, Nabors said Ingram would be transferred to Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas.

Earlier Friday night, the restaurant where Irlanda had worked was the scene of a vigil for the slain teenager.

Irlanda's grieving mother was joined by friends of her son who paid tribute to the recent Rowlett High School graduate.

"He was one of the special ones; somebody who could have made a difference in the world," one person said. "He was a 'band kid' through and through. That child loved to march. He bought these black shoes that curled up at the toes. I said, 'David, why'd you get these shoes?' He said, 'The toes make it look like my feet go higher than they already are."

Friends also released balloons in Irlanda's honor and they planned a candlelight vigil later Friday night.

[TexasStooge]

Docs remove 119 nails from woman's stomach

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Physicians removed 119 nails — many of them rusty — from a woman's stomach months after she apparently swallowed them, a doctor said.

The 43-year-old woman arrived Wednesday at Hospital No. 121 in the southern city of Can Tho City, complaining of a severe stomachache, Dr. Tran Van Nam said Friday.

"After having her stomach X-rayed and scanned, we found a stack of strange objects and decided to operate as soon as possible," he said.

During surgery, doctors removed 119 nails, each about 3 inches long. Many were rusty, indicating they could have been in her stomach for months, Nam said.

The woman's stomach was scratched by the nails, but she did not suffer any major injuries, he said.

"Her life is not at risk now, and she is recovering," Nam said, adding that the patient was expected to be discharged soon.

[rainstorm]

Are flip-flops damaging your career?

By Belinda Goldsmith

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With more women wearing flip-flops to the office this summer, U.S. style gurus are warning that the casual shoe once mainly seen on the beach could be damaging to careers -- as well as to feet.

Lauren Cardinale, 25, who works at West Glen Communications, wears beaded or other fancy flip flops to the office -- when she can get away with it.

"Occasionally I wear flip flops to work," she said. "I wear nicer shoes if I'm meeting with clients or if I know there will be someone in the office who doesn't approve of flip flops."

Cardinale is one of thousands of young women in New York who consider flip-flops an essential part of their summer wardrobe.

An online survey conducted for retailers Old Navy and Gap found flip-flops topped the list of wardrobe items that college and high school students planned to wear to work this summer.

More than 31 percent of women said flip-flops were the single "must have" item for work this summer.

But many companies disagree.

"The dress code says no beach wear and flip-flops are considered beach wear," said a spokeswoman for BNP Paribas.

Style gurus warn that flip-flops, which are worn mainly by younger women, could be harmful to a career.

"Shoes convey the mood of a woman. Wearing flip-flops conveys the mood that you are relaxed and on vacation. That's not a good message in the office," said Meghan Cleary, a style commentator who wrote the book "The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You."

Doctors say it's not just careers they could harm.

Physicians at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons say flip-flops are linked to a growing number of heel problems among teens and young adults.

"We're seeing more heel pain than ever in patients 15 to 25 years old, a group that usually doesn't have this problem," said spokeswoman Marybeth Crane in a recent statement.

She said flip-flops with thin soles have no arch support and can accentuate any abnormal biomechanics in foot motion which eventually brings pain and inflammation.

$140 FOR FLIP-FLOPS?

Flip-flops are far from new, dating back at least 70 years and believed developed out of traditional Japanese woven or wooden soled sandals in New Zealand.

The basic flat sole with a Y-shaped strap, that passes between the toes and around either side of the foot, is known in every nation and to every social class.

In developing countries, they are the cheapest -- and often only -- form of footwear, easy to make and easy to fit.

The term "flip-flop" derives from the noise they make while slapping against the wearer's heels and the floor but they are also known as thongs in Australia, jandals in New Zealand, and slippers in Hawaii.

But flip-flops took on a new life among the young and trendy a few years ago. They have surged in popularity with shops now selling them in every conceivable color, with sequins, flowers, and even bridal flip-flops with over 300 Swarovski crystals on the straps for about $140 a pair.

Last June the Northwestern University's champion women's lacrosse team was widely criticized for wearing flip-flops when they visited the White House and met President George W. Bush.

Ellen Campuzano, president of the Committee of Color and Trends, a New York-based forecasting service specializing in footwear and accessories, thinks flip-flops' popularity will wane.

"Usually these trends come and go in about five years," she said. "I think we've reached the peak, they can't be any more widespread, so maybe next summer something will replace them."

we cant wear flip flops at bbw

[TexasStooge]

Driver crashes into Richardson hotel's pool

RICHARDSON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A driver and the driver's car ended up in a Hampton Inn pool Sunday in Richardson.

A Dodge Durango crashed through a fence and through some shrubs before ending up in the pool.

Investigators said the driver may have hit the gas instead of the brake pedal.

The driver got out okay.

[TexasStooge]

Granny's dream advice helps man win lottery

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian won 42,500 ringgit ($11,580) in a lottery by playing a four-digit number his dead grandmother had given him in a dream, a newspaper reported Saturday.

But luck soon ran out for mechanic Tan Tay Seck, who had bought two tickets with the 6064 combination he received from the apparition, the Star newspaper reported.

A thief stole the wallet with the second winning ticket and the lottery company refused to pay up without it.

[TexasStooge]

Beatlemania revived 40 years after Japan concerts

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Beatles visited Japan only once as a band, but the country is commemorating the 40th anniversary of their concerts as if the Fab Four had never left the stage.

Japanese media are lost in Beatlemania, and the hotel where they last stayed in 1966 is offering a special last viewing of their suite before the hotel's demolition.

"We have done our best to restore the presidential suite to how it looked when the Beatles stayed," Michael Miyauchi, of the Capitol Tokyu Hotel, said as lines of fans queued for a viewing. The hotel was the Tokyo Hilton in 1966.

"We expected to see mainly 50- and 60- year-olds but all generations have been turning up."

Beatles cover bands are battling to be voted the best and, in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza district, thousands of fans have visited an exhibition of photos taken during their three days of concerts.

Although they only stayed for a short time, the Beatles' visit had a huge cultural impact.

"They exuded a new approach that we Japanese had never experienced before," said 65-year-old Keiko Iwai. "Their hairstyle was so popular, their fashion sense. I remember watching the movies, too."

[TexasStooge]

Castro's niece fights for new revolution

By Esteban Israel

HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) - Mariela Castro is leading a Cuban revolution less well known than her Uncle Fidel's: one in favor of sexual tolerance within the island's macho society.

Castro, 43, is leading the charge from her government-funded National Center for Sex Education, based in an old Havana mansion.

As director of the group, she promoted a soap opera that scandalized many Cubans in March by sympathetically depicting bisexuality. The controversial show depicted, among other story lines, the life of a construction worker who leaves his wife and children for the man next door.

Now President Castro's niece is pushing for passage of a law that would give transsexuals free sex change operations and hormonal therapy in addition to granting them new identification documents with their changed gender.

A bill was presented to parliament last year and was well received, she said. It is expected to come up for a vote in December.

If approved, it would make Cuba the most liberal nation in Latin America on gender issues.

Castro says her goal is to bring the revolution her uncle and father, Defense Minister Raul Castro, fought 47 years ago to the terrain of sexuality. Her group has also campaigned for better AIDS prevention as well as acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and transvestism.

"I want to bring the revolution's humanity to those aspects of life that it hasn't reached because of old prejudices," she told Reuters.

Much has changed, she says, since the 1960s when homosexuals were sent to work camps, or the 1970s when gay men and women were denied certain jobs as "ideological deviants."

"None of that exists any more," she said. "But that is not to say the same for homophobic attitudes."

Cuba eliminated the crime of sodomy in 1979. Cuba is also a country where abortion is a constitutional right and divorce a simple procedure.

A POWERFUL FAMILY

Mariela Castro says she isn't a leader, but simply part of a movement for greater tolerance.

Nevertheless, she admits her access to the two most powerful figures in the country has helped her cause.

Castro says she has the support of her 75-year-old father, who is second in charge of the all-powerful Communist Party and as first vice-president in line to succeed Fidel.

"Of course, I talk with my father whenever I have the chance. He is one of those in the party that supports our work. He thinks it is useful, good, just," she said.

Castro sees her uncle less often.

"Fidel is very sensitive to these issues," she said. "He is a pensive man and when the subject is one of justice it gets his attention. He asks for more information, more elements to consider."

Castro sees herself as continuing the work of her mother, Vilma Espin, head of the Cuban Womens Federation for the past 45 years. Eighty-seven percent of the island's women are members.

Espin, considered one of the most influential personalities of the Cuban revolution, is the originator of the Cuban family code adopted in 1975, which calls on men to share household chores and child care.

Castro said many people ask her if she plans to push legalization of gay marriages.

"We do not know what we will propose. It depends on what we identify as homosexuals' and lesbians' main needs," Castro said.

"Marriage is not as important in Cuba as in other more Catholic countries. Here consensual pairing is more important," she said, "What matters is love."