Following in Mom's Footsteps, All the Way to Jail?
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - U.S. federal prosecutors charged a man on Thursday with embezzling more than $10 million from a company where he was chief financial officer, one year after his bookkeeper mother was convicted of stealing $1.3 million from a synagogue.
Denis Schusterman was accused of siphoning money from Kimber Manufacturing, a firearms company in Yonkers, New York, to his own bank account, according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan of the eastern district of Pennsylvania.
His mother Betty Schusterman is serving a 51-month federal prison sentence in Danbury, Connecticut, after being convicted last year of participating in the theft from Temple Sinai in Dresher, Pennsylvania, between 1991 and 2000.
Denis Schusterman, formerly of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, used the money to produce three movies, start a financial services firm, and purchase a $2.2 million home in California, the prosecutor said.
TWW'S CRAZY NEWS STORIES
Moderator: S2k Moderators
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AussieMark
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AussieMark
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Cocaine Dealer Dreaming of a White Christmas
LONDON (Reuters) - A jailed cocaine dealer is working as Santa Claus on day release from a British prison.
John Tams, who dons beard, boots and red suit to work in a cafe's Christmas grotto, said he wanted to give something back to the community.
"They know who I am and that I've done wrong but they have welcomed me with open arms," the 50-year-old said after helping to build the grotto with a fellow inmate.
Both are on a day release program from a jail in Yorkshire, northern England.
"There were carefully risk-assessed. They do not pose any threat to the public," said a spokesman for the Home Office (Interior Ministry).
LONDON (Reuters) - A jailed cocaine dealer is working as Santa Claus on day release from a British prison.
John Tams, who dons beard, boots and red suit to work in a cafe's Christmas grotto, said he wanted to give something back to the community.
"They know who I am and that I've done wrong but they have welcomed me with open arms," the 50-year-old said after helping to build the grotto with a fellow inmate.
Both are on a day release program from a jail in Yorkshire, northern England.
"There were carefully risk-assessed. They do not pose any threat to the public," said a spokesman for the Home Office (Interior Ministry).
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Official Killed After Tumbling from Car
PHOENIX (Reuters) - A top municipal official in Phoenix died in a bizarre incident that saw him crawl out of his fast-moving vehicle, stand atop its roof and extend his arms outward before tumbling off, authorities said on Thursday.
Kevin Keogh, a 28-year city employee who started as a management intern and became its top finance manager, died at the scene after he plunged from the vehicle and struck the pavement and a tree Wednesday afternoon in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona, police said. He was 55.
It was not immediately clear whether Keogh jumped or accidentally fell from the vehicle, which was traveling at about 50 miles per hour, police said.
"This is something you see in the movies, but this is not the movies," said Sgt. Doug Dirren, a Scottsdale police spokesman. "The whole thing is, quite frankly, very bizarre."
Police officers were called to the area by a motorist reporting that his Dodge Neon was rear-ended by a black Mercedes-Benz at a stop light, and that there was no driver inside. Officers found Keogh's body about two blocks away, and witnesses said they saw him standing on his car.
Police said it was not known whether the death was accidental or a suicide, nor if alcohol or drugs were involved.
Phoenix City Manager Frank Fairbanks said he learned from Keogh's wife that the longtime finance official was battling the fallout from a relapse of a tropical disease.
"His wife shared with me that the disease had come back in the last two months and was affecting many parts of his life," he told employees in an e-mail on Thursday.
Keogh received numerous awards throughout his career, including being honored as the nation's best municipal finance director and a top financial innovator by City and State magazine.
PHOENIX (Reuters) - A top municipal official in Phoenix died in a bizarre incident that saw him crawl out of his fast-moving vehicle, stand atop its roof and extend his arms outward before tumbling off, authorities said on Thursday.
Kevin Keogh, a 28-year city employee who started as a management intern and became its top finance manager, died at the scene after he plunged from the vehicle and struck the pavement and a tree Wednesday afternoon in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona, police said. He was 55.
It was not immediately clear whether Keogh jumped or accidentally fell from the vehicle, which was traveling at about 50 miles per hour, police said.
"This is something you see in the movies, but this is not the movies," said Sgt. Doug Dirren, a Scottsdale police spokesman. "The whole thing is, quite frankly, very bizarre."
Police officers were called to the area by a motorist reporting that his Dodge Neon was rear-ended by a black Mercedes-Benz at a stop light, and that there was no driver inside. Officers found Keogh's body about two blocks away, and witnesses said they saw him standing on his car.
Police said it was not known whether the death was accidental or a suicide, nor if alcohol or drugs were involved.
Phoenix City Manager Frank Fairbanks said he learned from Keogh's wife that the longtime finance official was battling the fallout from a relapse of a tropical disease.
"His wife shared with me that the disease had come back in the last two months and was affecting many parts of his life," he told employees in an e-mail on Thursday.
Keogh received numerous awards throughout his career, including being honored as the nation's best municipal finance director and a top financial innovator by City and State magazine.
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Virgins Rally to Promote Abstinence
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Hundreds of virgins gathered in the Ugandan capital Friday to meet the country's first lady and renew their pledges to abstain from premarital sex.
"If you don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, they say you are crazy, don't they?" 23-year-old Alex Mumale asked the youngsters as they banged drums and blew trumpets.
"Well, we say we are crazy. We are crazy about Jesus, because he is our redeemer and our shield," he said to loud applause from the crowd and from First Lady Janet Museveni.
Many of the group, most of them in their late teens, waved colorful banners carrying messages like "Abstinence is safe and healthy" and "Condoms are completely not effective."
Most had rejected sex before marriage for religious reasons, and to avoid HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
"I chose abstinence because it is a smart way to protect my life," said third-year science student Diana Nambatya.
Organized by several church and youth groups, including the U.S.-based True Love Waits program, the meeting drew more than 500 committed virgins from across the East African country once seen as the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
An energetic government information campaign helped bring down infection rates to about six percent from more than 30 percent in the early 1990s, and the government says promoting abstinence will be key to reducing the future prevalence of the disease.
"You are all created in the image of God, and God has endowed you with the ability of self-control. We are here to guide you to a safer way of life," Mrs. Museveni told the crowd.
After praying together, the youths released bunches of balloons into the deep blue sky, saying they wanted to send their message of patience to the rest of the country.
Pastor Martin Sempa, a vocal advocate of abstinence, said events like Friday's were crucial because the mainstream media was biased in their presentation of the issue.
"You can sense the cynicism and animosity," he told Reuters. "We are promoting abstinence because Uganda is under attack from an agenda driven by homosexuals and Western experts who are out of touch with how the AIDS epidemic is driven in Africa."
As he spoke, a group of teenage boys walked past carrying a homemade sign saying: "Please open your eyes and ears homos."
Jimmy Bosco, a Ugandan activist for True Love Waits, said premarital sex was forbidden in traditional African cultures.
"Some girls who messed around would even be thrown to wild animals, or their parents fined many goats," he told Reuters.
On stage, Uganda Youth Forum Chairman Sam Ruboga worked the crowd into a frenzy with shouts of "Abstinence, oh-yeah!"
He said they should abstain from sex now, keeping their "valuables" until later, when they would enjoy it more.
"You know what it is like when you eat a young, unripe mango?" he asked. "That's right. It is very, very bitter."
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Hundreds of virgins gathered in the Ugandan capital Friday to meet the country's first lady and renew their pledges to abstain from premarital sex.
"If you don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, they say you are crazy, don't they?" 23-year-old Alex Mumale asked the youngsters as they banged drums and blew trumpets.
"Well, we say we are crazy. We are crazy about Jesus, because he is our redeemer and our shield," he said to loud applause from the crowd and from First Lady Janet Museveni.
Many of the group, most of them in their late teens, waved colorful banners carrying messages like "Abstinence is safe and healthy" and "Condoms are completely not effective."
Most had rejected sex before marriage for religious reasons, and to avoid HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
"I chose abstinence because it is a smart way to protect my life," said third-year science student Diana Nambatya.
Organized by several church and youth groups, including the U.S.-based True Love Waits program, the meeting drew more than 500 committed virgins from across the East African country once seen as the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
An energetic government information campaign helped bring down infection rates to about six percent from more than 30 percent in the early 1990s, and the government says promoting abstinence will be key to reducing the future prevalence of the disease.
"You are all created in the image of God, and God has endowed you with the ability of self-control. We are here to guide you to a safer way of life," Mrs. Museveni told the crowd.
After praying together, the youths released bunches of balloons into the deep blue sky, saying they wanted to send their message of patience to the rest of the country.
Pastor Martin Sempa, a vocal advocate of abstinence, said events like Friday's were crucial because the mainstream media was biased in their presentation of the issue.
"You can sense the cynicism and animosity," he told Reuters. "We are promoting abstinence because Uganda is under attack from an agenda driven by homosexuals and Western experts who are out of touch with how the AIDS epidemic is driven in Africa."
As he spoke, a group of teenage boys walked past carrying a homemade sign saying: "Please open your eyes and ears homos."
Jimmy Bosco, a Ugandan activist for True Love Waits, said premarital sex was forbidden in traditional African cultures.
"Some girls who messed around would even be thrown to wild animals, or their parents fined many goats," he told Reuters.
On stage, Uganda Youth Forum Chairman Sam Ruboga worked the crowd into a frenzy with shouts of "Abstinence, oh-yeah!"
He said they should abstain from sex now, keeping their "valuables" until later, when they would enjoy it more.
"You know what it is like when you eat a young, unripe mango?" he asked. "That's right. It is very, very bitter."
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Warning: Christmas Parties Can Damage Your Health
LONDON (Reuters) - Don't dance on tables at the office Christmas party and resist the temptation to photocopy body parts in a drunken attempt to amuse colleagues.
That is the message from Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), which joined trade unions on Friday to issue guidelines on how to host a safe and successful office party.
"Resist the temptation to photocopy parts of your anatomy," RoSPA and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said. "If the copier breaks, you'll have Christmas with glass in painful places."
"Dancing on desks could do them and you a lot of damage," they said. "Likewise, the boardroom table is meant for weighty documents, not overweight executives."
Candles, flaming Christmas puddings and cigarettes should be avoided at all costs.
Stepladders, not swivel chairs, should be used to hang tinsel and mistletoe, which should not be hung near sources of heat.
"Keep a close eye on those who may drink too much," the organizations advised. "Alcohol makes some people aggressive rather than friendly. The party will be spoiled if it ends in a punch-up or harassment complaint."
RoSPA and the TUC were condemned by some as killjoys but said they were only trying to help.
"We are not being party poopers," RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser Roger Bibbings said.
"Some sensible safety precautions will allow people to have a great office celebration without having to call in the emergency services."
LONDON (Reuters) - Don't dance on tables at the office Christmas party and resist the temptation to photocopy body parts in a drunken attempt to amuse colleagues.
That is the message from Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), which joined trade unions on Friday to issue guidelines on how to host a safe and successful office party.
"Resist the temptation to photocopy parts of your anatomy," RoSPA and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said. "If the copier breaks, you'll have Christmas with glass in painful places."
"Dancing on desks could do them and you a lot of damage," they said. "Likewise, the boardroom table is meant for weighty documents, not overweight executives."
Candles, flaming Christmas puddings and cigarettes should be avoided at all costs.
Stepladders, not swivel chairs, should be used to hang tinsel and mistletoe, which should not be hung near sources of heat.
"Keep a close eye on those who may drink too much," the organizations advised. "Alcohol makes some people aggressive rather than friendly. The party will be spoiled if it ends in a punch-up or harassment complaint."
RoSPA and the TUC were condemned by some as killjoys but said they were only trying to help.
"We are not being party poopers," RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser Roger Bibbings said.
"Some sensible safety precautions will allow people to have a great office celebration without having to call in the emergency services."
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AussieMark
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Alimony Ambush...
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli man who refused to provide child support to his ex-wife for nearly eight years finally had to start paying up when he remarried and police raided the reception to seize wedding gifts.
The 40-year-old man had managed to avoid payments since 1997 by frequently changing address to escape the clutches of the law, Israel's Maariv daily reported Friday.
With 198,000 shekels ($45,530) owed to her, his ex-wife finally tracked him down when a relative passed on a copy of a wedding invitation for his second marriage this week.
Police and bailiffs allowed the newlyweds to celebrate before confronting the groom and confiscating the wedding hall's safe in which guests had deposited cash and checks, a tradition for Israeli nuptials.
Police decided not to arrest the stunned groom, but that was of little consolation to his distraught bride, who fainted as her wedding turned into a nightmare.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli man who refused to provide child support to his ex-wife for nearly eight years finally had to start paying up when he remarried and police raided the reception to seize wedding gifts.
The 40-year-old man had managed to avoid payments since 1997 by frequently changing address to escape the clutches of the law, Israel's Maariv daily reported Friday.
With 198,000 shekels ($45,530) owed to her, his ex-wife finally tracked him down when a relative passed on a copy of a wedding invitation for his second marriage this week.
Police and bailiffs allowed the newlyweds to celebrate before confronting the groom and confiscating the wedding hall's safe in which guests had deposited cash and checks, a tradition for Israeli nuptials.
Police decided not to arrest the stunned groom, but that was of little consolation to his distraught bride, who fainted as her wedding turned into a nightmare.
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AussieMark
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China Awaits Crowning of Miss Plastic Surgery
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will soon host the finals of the country's first beauty contest in which every contestant has gone under the knife.
Twenty "man-made" beauties will parade their surgical nips and tucks next Saturday in the hope of taking home the country's first Miss Artificial Beauty crown.
The contest is the latest addition to China's beauty pageant scene after Miss World was held in the southern island of Hainan for two years in a row.
Beauty pageants were once considered reviled displays of western decadence but have become big business in Communist-ruled China following more than two decades of economic reforms.
"I wanted to convey a message to society -- that the pursuit of beauty is ageless," said 62-year-old Liu Yulan, the oldest contestant who turned to plastic surgery to smooth facial wrinkles and fill out her drawn cheeks. Another contestant, who did not make the Miss Artificial Beauty finals, spent $36,000 in her quest for the perfect body, according to a Chinese Web site.
Organizers dreamed up the pageant after one woman who splashed $13,000 on improving her looks attempted to sue them for banning her from the finals of a traditional beauty contest in May.
Plastic surgery clinics offering everything from liposuction to eye re-modeling have mushroomed in major cities in China in recent years.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will soon host the finals of the country's first beauty contest in which every contestant has gone under the knife.
Twenty "man-made" beauties will parade their surgical nips and tucks next Saturday in the hope of taking home the country's first Miss Artificial Beauty crown.
The contest is the latest addition to China's beauty pageant scene after Miss World was held in the southern island of Hainan for two years in a row.
Beauty pageants were once considered reviled displays of western decadence but have become big business in Communist-ruled China following more than two decades of economic reforms.
"I wanted to convey a message to society -- that the pursuit of beauty is ageless," said 62-year-old Liu Yulan, the oldest contestant who turned to plastic surgery to smooth facial wrinkles and fill out her drawn cheeks. Another contestant, who did not make the Miss Artificial Beauty finals, spent $36,000 in her quest for the perfect body, according to a Chinese Web site.
Organizers dreamed up the pageant after one woman who splashed $13,000 on improving her looks attempted to sue them for banning her from the finals of a traditional beauty contest in May.
Plastic surgery clinics offering everything from liposuction to eye re-modeling have mushroomed in major cities in China in recent years.
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Hippo Caught After 10 Months on Run in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Relieved conservationists have recaptured a young hippopotamus that spent almost 10 months on the run near Cape Town after fleeing a nature reserve where it was being bullied by an older dominant male.
The hippo, known affectionately as Hugo or Houdini, escaped from the Rondevlei Nature Reserve through a broken fence in February, and was caught on Thursday after a dramatic 3-1/2 hour chase through waterways and reeds during which six tranquilizer darts were fired into his hide.
"At one stage there were two of us on the animal's back but it just kept on going," the greatly relieved Rondevlei manager, Dalton Gibbs, told Reuters on Friday. Conservationists might have had to shoot Hugo if he had not been caught, he said.
The young hippo will now be moved to an Eastern Cape private reserve, about 1,000 km (620 miles) east of Cape Town, where he will form the nucleus of a new herd.
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Relieved conservationists have recaptured a young hippopotamus that spent almost 10 months on the run near Cape Town after fleeing a nature reserve where it was being bullied by an older dominant male.
The hippo, known affectionately as Hugo or Houdini, escaped from the Rondevlei Nature Reserve through a broken fence in February, and was caught on Thursday after a dramatic 3-1/2 hour chase through waterways and reeds during which six tranquilizer darts were fired into his hide.
"At one stage there were two of us on the animal's back but it just kept on going," the greatly relieved Rondevlei manager, Dalton Gibbs, told Reuters on Friday. Conservationists might have had to shoot Hugo if he had not been caught, he said.
The young hippo will now be moved to an Eastern Cape private reserve, about 1,000 km (620 miles) east of Cape Town, where he will form the nucleus of a new herd.
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Read 'Les Miserables', Venezuela's Chavez Urges
CUZCO, Peru (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday told a group of schoolgirls in one of Latin America's poorer countries they should read Victor Hugo's classic novel "Les Miserables" to understand poverty.
"Only education will lift all of Latin America out of poverty," Chavez told 1,700 students at the Educandes state school in the southern city of Cuzco, where he attended a summit to set up a new bloc modeled on European unity.
"Have you read 'Les Miserables?'" asked Chavez, adding he was rereading it at the moment. Oil-rich Venezuela is a classic example of the great divide across Latin America between ultra-rich elites and dirt-poor masses.
"It impresses me because it describes human misery. I urge you to read it so we can get rid of poverty in America," Chavez said.
The firebrand leftist leader says he is leading a "Bolivarian revolution" in his oil-rich nation inspired by South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, who founded the Estandes school in 1825, and dreamed of continent-wide unity.
Chavez said the South American Community of Nations created on Wednesday to boost political and economic integration among 12 countries should also step up the fight against poverty.
"This must not be just one more summit, but a forum to ... beat poverty, misery," he said.
CUZCO, Peru (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday told a group of schoolgirls in one of Latin America's poorer countries they should read Victor Hugo's classic novel "Les Miserables" to understand poverty.
"Only education will lift all of Latin America out of poverty," Chavez told 1,700 students at the Educandes state school in the southern city of Cuzco, where he attended a summit to set up a new bloc modeled on European unity.
"Have you read 'Les Miserables?'" asked Chavez, adding he was rereading it at the moment. Oil-rich Venezuela is a classic example of the great divide across Latin America between ultra-rich elites and dirt-poor masses.
"It impresses me because it describes human misery. I urge you to read it so we can get rid of poverty in America," Chavez said.
The firebrand leftist leader says he is leading a "Bolivarian revolution" in his oil-rich nation inspired by South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, who founded the Estandes school in 1825, and dreamed of continent-wide unity.
Chavez said the South American Community of Nations created on Wednesday to boost political and economic integration among 12 countries should also step up the fight against poverty.
"This must not be just one more summit, but a forum to ... beat poverty, misery," he said.
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Beckhams' Nativity Scene Attacked in London
LONDON (Reuters) - A protester has attacked a controversial waxwork nativity scene featuring England soccer captain David Beckham as Joseph and his pop star wife "Posh Spice" Victoria as the Virgin Mary.
"He pushed Posh and Becks over. It caused some damage but we don't know how much. The baby Jesus is fine," said a spokeswoman for Madame Tussaud's waxwork museum in London Monday.
Anglicans, Catholics and Presbyterians have united in calling the exhibit a new low in the cult of celebrity worship.
But Madame Tussaud's said it was popular with the public, who were outraged at Sunday's vandalism.
"People were appalled. We had members of the public complaining that the nativity was the only reason they were coming in today," the spokeswoman said.
"Staff gave chase but the attacker managed to escape. We are hoping to re-open the exhibit as soon as possible."
Controversy over the nativity has caused great mirth in British media. The Sun newspaper even instituted a dial-in line Monday for anyone who might be able to identify the attacker.
In the wax tableau, Australian pop star Kylie Minogue hovers above the crib as an angel while Victoria lays her shawled head tenderly on Beckham's shoulder.
Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the Duke of Edinburgh star as The Three Wise Men. The shepherds are played by Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson, British actor Hugh Grant and camp Irish comedian Graham Norton.
Madame Tussaud's have apologized for any offence caused, but insist the tableau was intended only as a tongue-in-cheek way of bringing the nativity to a wider audience.
"We are not suggesting for one minute these celebrities actually represent the biblical characters themselves and we are sorry if it has been misconstrued as such," a statement said.
The Beckhams disassociated themselves from the nativity, saying they had no idea they were to be depicted that way.
LONDON (Reuters) - A protester has attacked a controversial waxwork nativity scene featuring England soccer captain David Beckham as Joseph and his pop star wife "Posh Spice" Victoria as the Virgin Mary.
"He pushed Posh and Becks over. It caused some damage but we don't know how much. The baby Jesus is fine," said a spokeswoman for Madame Tussaud's waxwork museum in London Monday.
Anglicans, Catholics and Presbyterians have united in calling the exhibit a new low in the cult of celebrity worship.
But Madame Tussaud's said it was popular with the public, who were outraged at Sunday's vandalism.
"People were appalled. We had members of the public complaining that the nativity was the only reason they were coming in today," the spokeswoman said.
"Staff gave chase but the attacker managed to escape. We are hoping to re-open the exhibit as soon as possible."
Controversy over the nativity has caused great mirth in British media. The Sun newspaper even instituted a dial-in line Monday for anyone who might be able to identify the attacker.
In the wax tableau, Australian pop star Kylie Minogue hovers above the crib as an angel while Victoria lays her shawled head tenderly on Beckham's shoulder.
Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the Duke of Edinburgh star as The Three Wise Men. The shepherds are played by Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson, British actor Hugh Grant and camp Irish comedian Graham Norton.
Madame Tussaud's have apologized for any offence caused, but insist the tableau was intended only as a tongue-in-cheek way of bringing the nativity to a wider audience.
"We are not suggesting for one minute these celebrities actually represent the biblical characters themselves and we are sorry if it has been misconstrued as such," a statement said.
The Beckhams disassociated themselves from the nativity, saying they had no idea they were to be depicted that way.
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Become a Lord for 29.99
LONDON (Reuters) - The British aristocracy has long been an exclusive club but now anyone can become a Lord or Lady -- for as little as 30 pounds ($58).
A raft of British Web sites are offering one square foot of the Glencairn Estate in northeast Scotland and, with it, access to the prestigious-sounding title of Lord/Laird and Lady of Glencairn.
Buyagift.co.uk is offering the "fun" title as the "ideal gift for anyone who aspires to greatness" for 29.99 pounds, which includes a deed of ownership, a map of the Glencairn estate and a card which proves their title.
Lastminute.co.uk and thanksdarling.com are also offering shoppers the chance to lord it up as a Glencairn, which is believed to be nothing more than a small plot of croft land with the title invented for it.
One incensed aristocrat is fighting back at what he sees is a scam and is warning potential shoppers that buying the title of Lord, Viscountess, Baron or Earl is meaningless.
The Earl of Bradford, whose own title dates from the 1800s, set up http://www.faketitles.com, after someone fraudulently passed himself off as Lord Newport, which is his son's title.
"I will put it very simply: You cannot purchase a genuine British title," he warns on the site.
LONDON (Reuters) - The British aristocracy has long been an exclusive club but now anyone can become a Lord or Lady -- for as little as 30 pounds ($58).
A raft of British Web sites are offering one square foot of the Glencairn Estate in northeast Scotland and, with it, access to the prestigious-sounding title of Lord/Laird and Lady of Glencairn.
Buyagift.co.uk is offering the "fun" title as the "ideal gift for anyone who aspires to greatness" for 29.99 pounds, which includes a deed of ownership, a map of the Glencairn estate and a card which proves their title.
Lastminute.co.uk and thanksdarling.com are also offering shoppers the chance to lord it up as a Glencairn, which is believed to be nothing more than a small plot of croft land with the title invented for it.
One incensed aristocrat is fighting back at what he sees is a scam and is warning potential shoppers that buying the title of Lord, Viscountess, Baron or Earl is meaningless.
The Earl of Bradford, whose own title dates from the 1800s, set up http://www.faketitles.com, after someone fraudulently passed himself off as Lord Newport, which is his son's title.
"I will put it very simply: You cannot purchase a genuine British title," he warns on the site.
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AussieMark
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Retiree Duped by Naked Invitation
BERLIN (Reuters) - An 81-year-old German dropped his trousers and lost his wallet when two young women asked him to join them in a nude photo shoot but they fled with his belongings as he stripped, police said Monday.
"After the pensioner had removed his trousers in eager anticipation, the women left in a hurry," taking the man's wallet with about 250 euros in cash, police in the western city of Wiesbaden said in a statement.
BERLIN (Reuters) - An 81-year-old German dropped his trousers and lost his wallet when two young women asked him to join them in a nude photo shoot but they fled with his belongings as he stripped, police said Monday.
"After the pensioner had removed his trousers in eager anticipation, the women left in a hurry," taking the man's wallet with about 250 euros in cash, police in the western city of Wiesbaden said in a statement.
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Mobsters Bully Terror Suspect in Prison
ROME (Reuters) - International terrorism charges and allegations of ties to al Qaeda might be enough to scare away some cellmates, in some countries.
But Italian mobsters jailed on the island of Sardinia, apparently outraged by terrorism, beat up an Algerian terror suspect and threatened to kill him unless he got himself transferred to a new prison.
The same threat was made against at least one other Algerian inmate.
"You guys set off bombs and do massacres. If you don't change prisons, you're dead," the criminals were reported to have told Saadi Nassim, in comments confirmed by his lawyer.
The case won prominence in leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Friday in a story headlined: "Muslim prisoners beat up by Camorra," referring the Naples-based mob organization.
The criminals who threatened Nassim were themselves accused of murder, the paper said, without naming names.
Nassim is fighting charges of belonging to a cell linked to al Qaeda. A judge has authorized Nassim's transfer to a new prison, and a decision in the 2-year-old case is expected sometime next year.
ROME (Reuters) - International terrorism charges and allegations of ties to al Qaeda might be enough to scare away some cellmates, in some countries.
But Italian mobsters jailed on the island of Sardinia, apparently outraged by terrorism, beat up an Algerian terror suspect and threatened to kill him unless he got himself transferred to a new prison.
The same threat was made against at least one other Algerian inmate.
"You guys set off bombs and do massacres. If you don't change prisons, you're dead," the criminals were reported to have told Saadi Nassim, in comments confirmed by his lawyer.
The case won prominence in leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Friday in a story headlined: "Muslim prisoners beat up by Camorra," referring the Naples-based mob organization.
The criminals who threatened Nassim were themselves accused of murder, the paper said, without naming names.
Nassim is fighting charges of belonging to a cell linked to al Qaeda. A judge has authorized Nassim's transfer to a new prison, and a decision in the 2-year-old case is expected sometime next year.
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AussieMark
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Crime: Nobody Expects the Expectant
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Police fighting crime against tourists in Rio de Janeiro were surprised to arrest two visibly pregnant assailants during the weekend.
A police officer told Reuters Monday that three men and the two women mugged two U.S. tourists near the famed Copacabana beach in the Brazilian city Sunday, stealing $40, sunglasses and a baseball hat.
The Americans shouted for help and police arrested the fleeing robbers, who were unarmed.
"As far as we understand the pregnant women participated in the attack quite actively despite their bellies," the officer said.
Violence experts say poverty, especially in Rio's teeming "favela" slums, is behind most of the crime in the tropical tourist mecca.
Authorities have sent 2,500 extra police onto the streets to contain the muggings during the holiday season when millions of tourists visit Rio. Last week, a Spanish tourist was hurt in a robbery attempt and a Chilean was wounded by a stray bullet.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Police fighting crime against tourists in Rio de Janeiro were surprised to arrest two visibly pregnant assailants during the weekend.
A police officer told Reuters Monday that three men and the two women mugged two U.S. tourists near the famed Copacabana beach in the Brazilian city Sunday, stealing $40, sunglasses and a baseball hat.
The Americans shouted for help and police arrested the fleeing robbers, who were unarmed.
"As far as we understand the pregnant women participated in the attack quite actively despite their bellies," the officer said.
Violence experts say poverty, especially in Rio's teeming "favela" slums, is behind most of the crime in the tropical tourist mecca.
Authorities have sent 2,500 extra police onto the streets to contain the muggings during the holiday season when millions of tourists visit Rio. Last week, a Spanish tourist was hurt in a robbery attempt and a Chilean was wounded by a stray bullet.
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rainstorm
tropicalweatherwatcher wrote:Read 'Les Miserables', Venezuela's Chavez Urges
CUZCO, Peru (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday told a group of schoolgirls in one of Latin America's poorer countries they should read Victor Hugo's classic novel "Les Miserables" to understand poverty.
"Only education will lift all of Latin America out of poverty," Chavez told 1,700 students at the Educandes state school in the southern city of Cuzco, where he attended a summit to set up a new bloc modeled on European unity.
"Have you read 'Les Miserables?'" asked Chavez, adding he was rereading it at the moment. Oil-rich Venezuela is a classic example of the great divide across Latin America between ultra-rich elites and dirt-poor masses.
"It impresses me because it describes human misery. I urge you to read it so we can get rid of poverty in America," Chavez said.
The firebrand leftist leader says he is leading a "Bolivarian revolution" in his oil-rich nation inspired by South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, who founded the Estandes school in 1825, and dreamed of continent-wide unity.
Chavez said the South American Community of Nations created on Wednesday to boost political and economic integration among 12 countries should also step up the fight against poverty.
"This must not be just one more summit, but a forum to ... beat poverty, misery," he said.
thanks tww. i wonder how rich mr chavez has become?
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AussieMark
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- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Milan Wants to 'Brand' Its Panettone Christmas Cake
MILAN (Reuters) - Proud Milanese bakers and pastry chefs took a first step on Tuesday toward protecting the city's famous panettone Christmas cake from inferior copies, publishing their request for an official European "brand."
If Milan's bakers have their way, from next year the mushroom-shaped panettone cakes that fill the city's food shops could carry a multi-colored logo and a certificate of authenticity -- the food equivalent of the DOC label for wines, and a guarantee of traditional baking methods.
"It is about quality and identity," said Carlo Sangalli, President of the Milan chamber of commerce. "Valuing a traditional product like the panettone means building a bridge between tradition and innovation," he said.
Panettone, a sponge-like cake often studded with raisins and candied fruit, is a Christmas treat across Italy, and Italians are expected to spend a total of 360 million euros ($480 million) on them this year alone. There are many stories about the possible origin of the cake -- one of the most often repeated holds that a nobleman disguised as a baker's assistant invented it to woo Algisa, the beautiful daughter of a Milan baker.
Others say Toni, a cook for Milanese nobleman Ludovico il Moro, invented it when ingredients for regular bread ran out, hence "pan di toni," or Toni's bread.
In reality, the cake probably evolved from the northern Italian tradition of sharing a large loaf of bread over Christmas. Panettone now has dozens of regional varieties, from Genoa's pan dolce to nut-filled, chocolate-topped panettone from the region of Abruzzi in southern Italy, and the golden pan d'oro of Venice.
If European officials agree to hand Milanese panettone the "protected designation of origin" accolade, it would join dozens of other Italian products, including Parma ham, Gorgonzola cheese and Sicilian red oranges.
MILAN (Reuters) - Proud Milanese bakers and pastry chefs took a first step on Tuesday toward protecting the city's famous panettone Christmas cake from inferior copies, publishing their request for an official European "brand."
If Milan's bakers have their way, from next year the mushroom-shaped panettone cakes that fill the city's food shops could carry a multi-colored logo and a certificate of authenticity -- the food equivalent of the DOC label for wines, and a guarantee of traditional baking methods.
"It is about quality and identity," said Carlo Sangalli, President of the Milan chamber of commerce. "Valuing a traditional product like the panettone means building a bridge between tradition and innovation," he said.
Panettone, a sponge-like cake often studded with raisins and candied fruit, is a Christmas treat across Italy, and Italians are expected to spend a total of 360 million euros ($480 million) on them this year alone. There are many stories about the possible origin of the cake -- one of the most often repeated holds that a nobleman disguised as a baker's assistant invented it to woo Algisa, the beautiful daughter of a Milan baker.
Others say Toni, a cook for Milanese nobleman Ludovico il Moro, invented it when ingredients for regular bread ran out, hence "pan di toni," or Toni's bread.
In reality, the cake probably evolved from the northern Italian tradition of sharing a large loaf of bread over Christmas. Panettone now has dozens of regional varieties, from Genoa's pan dolce to nut-filled, chocolate-topped panettone from the region of Abruzzi in southern Italy, and the golden pan d'oro of Venice.
If European officials agree to hand Milanese panettone the "protected designation of origin" accolade, it would join dozens of other Italian products, including Parma ham, Gorgonzola cheese and Sicilian red oranges.
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AussieMark
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- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Donkey Power for Green Grass Cutting
ROME (Reuters) - An Italian town is setting donkeys to work mowing the grass on the side of its highways in an effort to save money and reduce pollution.
Fed up with paying some 100,000 euros ($132,800) a year to cut the grass on its out-of-town roads with tractor-mowers, the local government of Treviso, near Venice, said on Tuesday it had bought six donkeys to do the work instead.
"This purchase will allow us to save cash as well as launch an experimental ecological project," said local government chief Luca Zaia, who paid just over 2,000 euros for the six animals.
Motorists need not fear running down the donkeys -- they will only be allowed to munch the grass in roadside areas that are fenced off from traffic.
ROME (Reuters) - An Italian town is setting donkeys to work mowing the grass on the side of its highways in an effort to save money and reduce pollution.
Fed up with paying some 100,000 euros ($132,800) a year to cut the grass on its out-of-town roads with tractor-mowers, the local government of Treviso, near Venice, said on Tuesday it had bought six donkeys to do the work instead.
"This purchase will allow us to save cash as well as launch an experimental ecological project," said local government chief Luca Zaia, who paid just over 2,000 euros for the six animals.
Motorists need not fear running down the donkeys -- they will only be allowed to munch the grass in roadside areas that are fenced off from traffic.
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AussieMark
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- Location: near Sydney, Australia
China Pulls Plug on TV Sex Talk Show
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has pulled the plug on a new late-night television show about sex two weeks before the first episode was scheduled to air.
"The Masks," China's first nationally televised sex talk show in which everyone was to wear a mask to hide their embarrassment, was scheduled for a Jan. 1 debut on more than 50 provincial and city channels.
The order posted on the Web site of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television did not link the ban with the topic, but instead said producer Beijing Shixi Media had not arranged necessary permissions.
Attitudes about sex have relaxed since China began Western-style market reforms in 1978 but even in booming cities such as Shanghai and Beijing it is still considered an off-limits topic for most Chinese families.
The administration also urged domestic television and radio stations to strengthen management and monitoring of talk show content.
"(They) should fully realize the importance of keeping correct direction in every minute of TV or radio programs," the statement said.
The show is one of a few media products to get the red flag from Beijing this month.
Last week, the administration banned a Nike ad in which NBA star LeBron James defeats a kung fu master and other traditional Chinese characters on charges of offending "national feelings."
It outlawed a computer sports game that classified Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Tibet as separate countries.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has pulled the plug on a new late-night television show about sex two weeks before the first episode was scheduled to air.
"The Masks," China's first nationally televised sex talk show in which everyone was to wear a mask to hide their embarrassment, was scheduled for a Jan. 1 debut on more than 50 provincial and city channels.
The order posted on the Web site of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television did not link the ban with the topic, but instead said producer Beijing Shixi Media had not arranged necessary permissions.
Attitudes about sex have relaxed since China began Western-style market reforms in 1978 but even in booming cities such as Shanghai and Beijing it is still considered an off-limits topic for most Chinese families.
The administration also urged domestic television and radio stations to strengthen management and monitoring of talk show content.
"(They) should fully realize the importance of keeping correct direction in every minute of TV or radio programs," the statement said.
The show is one of a few media products to get the red flag from Beijing this month.
Last week, the administration banned a Nike ad in which NBA star LeBron James defeats a kung fu master and other traditional Chinese characters on charges of offending "national feelings."
It outlawed a computer sports game that classified Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Tibet as separate countries.
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AussieMark
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- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 6:36 pm
- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Author Lacks 'The Right Stuff' to Describe Sex?
LONDON (Reuters) - American author and journalist Tom Wolfe won one of the world's most dreaded literary accolades on Monday -- the British prize for bad sex in fiction.
The prize is awarded each year "to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel."
Wolfe won it for a couple of purple passages from his latest novel "I am Charlotte Simmons," a tale of campus life at an exclusive U.S. university.
"Slither slither slither slither went the tongue," one of his winning sentences begins.
"But the hand that was what she tried to concentrate on, the hand, since it has the entire terrain of her torso to explore and not just the otorhinolaryngological caverns -- oh God, it was not just at the border where the flesh of the breast joins the pectoral sheath of the chest -- no, the hand was cupping her entire right -- Now!"
Judges described Wolfe's prose as "ghastly and boring."
The former Washington Post correspondent, whose debut novel "Bonfire of the Vanities" was a defining text of the 1980s, fought off stiff competition from 10 other authors including South African Andre Brink, whose novel "Before I Forget" contains the following description of a woman's vulva:
"(It was) like a large exotic mushroom in the fork of a tree, a little pleasure dome if ever I've seen one, where Alph the sacred river ran down to a tideless sea. No, not tideless. Her tides were convulsive, an ebb and flow that could take you very far, far back, before hurling you out, wildly and triumphantly, on a ribbed and windswept beach without end."
Another writer who only narrowly escaped the prize was Britain's Nadeem Aslam for his novel "Maps for Lost Lovers" a tale of life in a Muslim community in an English town.
"His mouth looked for the oiled berry," one of his raunchiest passages starts.
"The smell of his armpits was on her shoulders -- a flower depositing pollen on a hummingbird's forehead," another reads.
The winner of the award, organized by the London-based Literary Review, is given an Oscar-style statuette and a bottle of champagne -- but only if he or she comes to the awards ceremony in person.
Organizers said Wolfe, who is based in New York, was the first writer in the 12-year history of the competition to decline his invitation.
LONDON (Reuters) - American author and journalist Tom Wolfe won one of the world's most dreaded literary accolades on Monday -- the British prize for bad sex in fiction.
The prize is awarded each year "to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel."
Wolfe won it for a couple of purple passages from his latest novel "I am Charlotte Simmons," a tale of campus life at an exclusive U.S. university.
"Slither slither slither slither went the tongue," one of his winning sentences begins.
"But the hand that was what she tried to concentrate on, the hand, since it has the entire terrain of her torso to explore and not just the otorhinolaryngological caverns -- oh God, it was not just at the border where the flesh of the breast joins the pectoral sheath of the chest -- no, the hand was cupping her entire right -- Now!"
Judges described Wolfe's prose as "ghastly and boring."
The former Washington Post correspondent, whose debut novel "Bonfire of the Vanities" was a defining text of the 1980s, fought off stiff competition from 10 other authors including South African Andre Brink, whose novel "Before I Forget" contains the following description of a woman's vulva:
"(It was) like a large exotic mushroom in the fork of a tree, a little pleasure dome if ever I've seen one, where Alph the sacred river ran down to a tideless sea. No, not tideless. Her tides were convulsive, an ebb and flow that could take you very far, far back, before hurling you out, wildly and triumphantly, on a ribbed and windswept beach without end."
Another writer who only narrowly escaped the prize was Britain's Nadeem Aslam for his novel "Maps for Lost Lovers" a tale of life in a Muslim community in an English town.
"His mouth looked for the oiled berry," one of his raunchiest passages starts.
"The smell of his armpits was on her shoulders -- a flower depositing pollen on a hummingbird's forehead," another reads.
The winner of the award, organized by the London-based Literary Review, is given an Oscar-style statuette and a bottle of champagne -- but only if he or she comes to the awards ceremony in person.
Organizers said Wolfe, who is based in New York, was the first writer in the 12-year history of the competition to decline his invitation.
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