Cruise Passengers with Broken Bones Come Ashore
CAGLIARI, Italy (Reuters) - Nearly 500 passengers including eight with broken bones disembarked from the "Grand Voyager" cruise ship in Sardinia Tuesday a day after it was battered by a storm in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Voyager lost communications and most of its power on Monday as it was pummeled by force 11 gales and waves up to 15 meters (45 feet) high while en route from Tunisia to Barcelona.
"It was like being on a rollercoaster," one Spanish passenger told local media. "I thought the television in my cabin was anchored down and instead I saw it go flying and slam into the wall."
More than 20 passengers were bruised and eight others had broken bones, according to officials at the port at Cagliari, on the Italian island of Sardinia, where the boat arrived on Tuesday morning.
None of the injuries was serious, the cruise-ship operator, Spain-based Iberojet, said. The Bahamas-registered Voyager arrived in port under its own steam escorted by the British-registered gas tanker Gimi, which was diverted to help the cruise liner after it ran into trouble off the island of Menorca.
France also dispatched a navy patrol aircraft to help the stricken ship Monday.
Iberojet sent a medical team to help passengers, who were expected to be flown back to Barcelona and Madrid on three charter flights later Tuesday.
"The people are tired ... The injured passengers are being treated by our doctors sent to Cagliari," Iberojet said in a statement.
TWW'S CRAZY NEWS STORIES
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AussieMark
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Farmer Paints Pigeons to Ward Off Predators
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch farmer has painted pigeons pink and green to ward off hungry birds of prey and it seems to have worked, a Dutch newspaper reported Wednesday.
"I'm crazy about the birds ... Naturally, birds of prey are going to eat pigeons, but preferably not here," the farmer told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.
He began painting the birds with environmentally friendly, water-based paint a year ago.
"The colors make the pigeons seem unsuitable as prey. The birds of prey simply don't recognize them anymore," he said.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch farmer has painted pigeons pink and green to ward off hungry birds of prey and it seems to have worked, a Dutch newspaper reported Wednesday.
"I'm crazy about the birds ... Naturally, birds of prey are going to eat pigeons, but preferably not here," the farmer told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.
He began painting the birds with environmentally friendly, water-based paint a year ago.
"The colors make the pigeons seem unsuitable as prey. The birds of prey simply don't recognize them anymore," he said.
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Spend But Don't Offend, China Says of Its Money
BEIJING (Reuters) - You can spend, but don't offend.
China's central bank has proposed fines on people who use images of the yuan currency to fan ethnic tensions, harm territorial integrity, or promote pornography.
New draft measures published by the People's Bank of China Wednesday lay down guidelines on how images of Chinese money, also known as the renminbi or "people's money," can be used in print and on the Internet.
The rules were issued "to strengthen management of the use of renminbi images and guard the credibility of the renminbi," the bank said on its Web site, http://www.pbc.gov.cn.
Chinese money, from the light green 1-yuan note to the pink 100-yuan bill, bears portraits of the late Chairman Mao Zedong.
Apart from anti-counterfeit steps like requiring life-sized pictures of money to carry a "not for circulation" mark, the bank also issued a list of banned uses for yuan images online.
Offences included defacing the currency, harming national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, fanning ethnic separatism, leaking state secrets, and promoting pornography, superstition and violence.
Violators could be fined up to 30,000 yuan ($3,625) and up to three times the amount of any illegal earnings obtained through use of the images.
BEIJING (Reuters) - You can spend, but don't offend.
China's central bank has proposed fines on people who use images of the yuan currency to fan ethnic tensions, harm territorial integrity, or promote pornography.
New draft measures published by the People's Bank of China Wednesday lay down guidelines on how images of Chinese money, also known as the renminbi or "people's money," can be used in print and on the Internet.
The rules were issued "to strengthen management of the use of renminbi images and guard the credibility of the renminbi," the bank said on its Web site, http://www.pbc.gov.cn.
Chinese money, from the light green 1-yuan note to the pink 100-yuan bill, bears portraits of the late Chairman Mao Zedong.
Apart from anti-counterfeit steps like requiring life-sized pictures of money to carry a "not for circulation" mark, the bank also issued a list of banned uses for yuan images online.
Offences included defacing the currency, harming national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, fanning ethnic separatism, leaking state secrets, and promoting pornography, superstition and violence.
Violators could be fined up to 30,000 yuan ($3,625) and up to three times the amount of any illegal earnings obtained through use of the images.
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Defecating Pandas Expand Their Horizons
BEIJING (Reuters) - A study of giant panda poo in China has proved the endangered animals are expanding their horizons, Xinhua news agency said Wednesday.
The feces were found in Fengxian county, in northwest China's Shaanxi province, where giant pandas hadn't been seen since before the 1970s, it said.
In December, a farmer told the Fengxian County Wildlife Management Station that he had spotted an animal that looked very much like a giant panda and had seen giant panda dung while collecting bamboo leaves on a local mountain.
"Experts with the Shaanxi Provincial Wildlife Management Station confirmed that the dung was left by an adult giant panda," Xinhua said.
"They ascribed the appearance of giant pandas in Fengxian county, located on the western section of Qinling Mountain, a major habitat for giant pandas, to the local government's strenuous efforts to restore and protect natural forest resources in the region over recent years."
The number of pandas in the wild has soared by almost half to about 1,600 in just a few years thanks to enlarged habitats and improved ecosystems, Xinhua news agency said last month.
Chinese forestry officials said last year that pandas, notoriously fussy eaters and picky partners, were rebounding from the brink of extinction.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A study of giant panda poo in China has proved the endangered animals are expanding their horizons, Xinhua news agency said Wednesday.
The feces were found in Fengxian county, in northwest China's Shaanxi province, where giant pandas hadn't been seen since before the 1970s, it said.
In December, a farmer told the Fengxian County Wildlife Management Station that he had spotted an animal that looked very much like a giant panda and had seen giant panda dung while collecting bamboo leaves on a local mountain.
"Experts with the Shaanxi Provincial Wildlife Management Station confirmed that the dung was left by an adult giant panda," Xinhua said.
"They ascribed the appearance of giant pandas in Fengxian county, located on the western section of Qinling Mountain, a major habitat for giant pandas, to the local government's strenuous efforts to restore and protect natural forest resources in the region over recent years."
The number of pandas in the wild has soared by almost half to about 1,600 in just a few years thanks to enlarged habitats and improved ecosystems, Xinhua news agency said last month.
Chinese forestry officials said last year that pandas, notoriously fussy eaters and picky partners, were rebounding from the brink of extinction.
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NYC Sued by Protester Arrested While Dressed as Hummer
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman who was arrested while dressed as a gas guzzling Hummer sued New York City on Tuesday for putting the brakes on her one-person protest in front of an SUV dealership during the Republican National Convention.
Georgianna Page, who spent eight hours creating her large cardboard box costume, charged the city violated her civil rights when she was arrested and detained for several hours on Aug. 31. No charges were ever filed against her, the suit said.
The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court by the New York Civil Liberties Union, seeks unspecified damages.
According to the suit, Page heard there would be a peaceful protest in front of the Manhattan Hummer dealership that day and she arrived wearing her "Hummer" costume and a hand-lettered sign that read "Vampire Utility Vehicles: This is Your War."
Police arrested her for obstructing traffic, but Page said she had never left the sidewalk and did nothing wrong.
Page was arrested on a day that the police picked up 1,100 other people, most of whom have since had their cases dismissed, the NYCLU said.
A spokeswoman for the city's legal department said it had not received the suit and could not comment.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman who was arrested while dressed as a gas guzzling Hummer sued New York City on Tuesday for putting the brakes on her one-person protest in front of an SUV dealership during the Republican National Convention.
Georgianna Page, who spent eight hours creating her large cardboard box costume, charged the city violated her civil rights when she was arrested and detained for several hours on Aug. 31. No charges were ever filed against her, the suit said.
The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court by the New York Civil Liberties Union, seeks unspecified damages.
According to the suit, Page heard there would be a peaceful protest in front of the Manhattan Hummer dealership that day and she arrived wearing her "Hummer" costume and a hand-lettered sign that read "Vampire Utility Vehicles: This is Your War."
Police arrested her for obstructing traffic, but Page said she had never left the sidewalk and did nothing wrong.
Page was arrested on a day that the police picked up 1,100 other people, most of whom have since had their cases dismissed, the NYCLU said.
A spokeswoman for the city's legal department said it had not received the suit and could not comment.
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Man with Tumor Robs Banks for Inheritance
ROME (Reuters) - Diagnosed with incurable lung cancer, a 53-year-old Italian father robbed more than 10 banks so he could build a big enough inheritance to leave to his children.
The married storekeeper, who once sold dresses in the north-eastern town of Savona, netted an estimated 115,000 euros (about $150,000) after turning to a life of crime, according to Italian media reports.
"They diagnosed me in 2003 with an incurable disease ... I didn't want to leave my family with financial problems," he told police, leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
Police described the robber as "a pleasant person, well cultured," who would appear in banks with a bag that he claimed was full of plastic explosives. The bluff worked, so well in fact, that he robbed one bank in the city of Turin three times.
Corriere said he would also strap wires to his body and pretend to be a suicide bomber.
"I have explosives on and this is a robbery," he would write on a note and slip it to the teller, newspaper Il Secolo XIX wrote. The paper said he had lung cancer.
Police were hot on his trail after the crime spree began in July 2003. Then, suddenly in October, the bank robberies halted.
"I was recovering from treatment in the hospital," he confessed after his arrest.
Beyond jail time, the father of three could also be forced to give back to the banks the 115,000 euro inheritance he stole.
ROME (Reuters) - Diagnosed with incurable lung cancer, a 53-year-old Italian father robbed more than 10 banks so he could build a big enough inheritance to leave to his children.
The married storekeeper, who once sold dresses in the north-eastern town of Savona, netted an estimated 115,000 euros (about $150,000) after turning to a life of crime, according to Italian media reports.
"They diagnosed me in 2003 with an incurable disease ... I didn't want to leave my family with financial problems," he told police, leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
Police described the robber as "a pleasant person, well cultured," who would appear in banks with a bag that he claimed was full of plastic explosives. The bluff worked, so well in fact, that he robbed one bank in the city of Turin three times.
Corriere said he would also strap wires to his body and pretend to be a suicide bomber.
"I have explosives on and this is a robbery," he would write on a note and slip it to the teller, newspaper Il Secolo XIX wrote. The paper said he had lung cancer.
Police were hot on his trail after the crime spree began in July 2003. Then, suddenly in October, the bank robberies halted.
"I was recovering from treatment in the hospital," he confessed after his arrest.
Beyond jail time, the father of three could also be forced to give back to the banks the 115,000 euro inheritance he stole.
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Irish Charity Bidders Reject Prince Charles Print
DUBLIN (Reuters) - He may have won the hand of Camilla, but his artwork is not proving so attractive.
A print by Britain's Prince Charles went up for sale at a tsunami aid auction in Ireland this week but did not make its reserve price, the organizer said Wednesday.
"We are disappointed it did not sell but that is the way it goes ... It is no reflection on the man whatsoever," Fergus Ahern told Reuters. "It is the luck of the draw."
Other donated paintings sold for a total of about 300,000 euros ($390,000) but bidders at the Royal Hibernian Academy shunned the 30,000 euro reserve price tagged on "Windsor Castle North Aspect," a rare lithograph by the heir to the British throne.
Charles, whose interests include architecture and organic farming, originally gave the lithograph to an earlier Ahern charity auction, but the buyer decided to re-donate the piece.
Last week Charles announced he would marry his long-term lover Camilla Parker-Bowles in April.
DUBLIN (Reuters) - He may have won the hand of Camilla, but his artwork is not proving so attractive.
A print by Britain's Prince Charles went up for sale at a tsunami aid auction in Ireland this week but did not make its reserve price, the organizer said Wednesday.
"We are disappointed it did not sell but that is the way it goes ... It is no reflection on the man whatsoever," Fergus Ahern told Reuters. "It is the luck of the draw."
Other donated paintings sold for a total of about 300,000 euros ($390,000) but bidders at the Royal Hibernian Academy shunned the 30,000 euro reserve price tagged on "Windsor Castle North Aspect," a rare lithograph by the heir to the British throne.
Charles, whose interests include architecture and organic farming, originally gave the lithograph to an earlier Ahern charity auction, but the buyer decided to re-donate the piece.
Last week Charles announced he would marry his long-term lover Camilla Parker-Bowles in April.
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Young Blood Gets New Meaning with Fresh Study
LONDON (Reuters) - Maybe Dracula had a point. The term Young Blood -- meaning an injection of youthful vigor -- could have a medical origin.
Scientists at Stanford University found that wiring up an old mouse to the blood stream of a young one gave a major boost to muscle recovery time in the older one.
By contrast, when old blood was pumped round the body of a young mouse, muscle recovery time became more prolonged, they said in the science journal Nature.
It was not just muscles that benefited. The same was true of the livers of older mice.
Researchers said the results suggested that the aging process lay less with the organs themselves than with the tired blood off which they fed.
LONDON (Reuters) - Maybe Dracula had a point. The term Young Blood -- meaning an injection of youthful vigor -- could have a medical origin.
Scientists at Stanford University found that wiring up an old mouse to the blood stream of a young one gave a major boost to muscle recovery time in the older one.
By contrast, when old blood was pumped round the body of a young mouse, muscle recovery time became more prolonged, they said in the science journal Nature.
It was not just muscles that benefited. The same was true of the livers of older mice.
Researchers said the results suggested that the aging process lay less with the organs themselves than with the tired blood off which they fed.
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Bombay Lunch Couriers Offer Prince Charles Wedding Gift
BOMBAY (Reuters) - A group of Bombay lunch couriers, charmed by Prince Charles when he paid them a visit last year, have offered him and his newly betrothed traditional Indian gifts for their wedding.
The tiffin carriers or dabbawallahs, well-known by management gurus worldwide for their nearly flawless supply chain, have offered a sari and a blouse to Camilla Parker Bowles and a red turban to Charles, heir to the British throne.
"It's our way of expressing gratitude to the prince, who gave us honor by enquiring about our activities and meeting us," said Raghunath Medge, president of the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Suppliers' Association.
"This is not an expensive gift, but it's from the bottom of our heart and we hope he accepts it."
The sari, green and nine yards long, will be accompanied by a matching blouse and glass bangles. The dabbawallahs collected about 2,000 rupees ($46) from its members and plan to send the gifts by the end of the week.
The association represents nearly 5,000 tiffin carriers who deliver 150,000 lunch boxes every day from suburban households to offices and schools across India's commercial capital.
Prince Charles plans to marry Parker Bowles, his long-time lover, on April 8 at Windsor Castle, west of London.
BOMBAY (Reuters) - A group of Bombay lunch couriers, charmed by Prince Charles when he paid them a visit last year, have offered him and his newly betrothed traditional Indian gifts for their wedding.
The tiffin carriers or dabbawallahs, well-known by management gurus worldwide for their nearly flawless supply chain, have offered a sari and a blouse to Camilla Parker Bowles and a red turban to Charles, heir to the British throne.
"It's our way of expressing gratitude to the prince, who gave us honor by enquiring about our activities and meeting us," said Raghunath Medge, president of the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Suppliers' Association.
"This is not an expensive gift, but it's from the bottom of our heart and we hope he accepts it."
The sari, green and nine yards long, will be accompanied by a matching blouse and glass bangles. The dabbawallahs collected about 2,000 rupees ($46) from its members and plan to send the gifts by the end of the week.
The association represents nearly 5,000 tiffin carriers who deliver 150,000 lunch boxes every day from suburban households to offices and schools across India's commercial capital.
Prince Charles plans to marry Parker Bowles, his long-time lover, on April 8 at Windsor Castle, west of London.
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Amazon UK to Punish Muggles for Harry Potter Mixup
LONDON (Reuters) - Amazon UK apologized on Thursday after it sent an erroneous email to fans who had pre-ordered the next Harry Potter book, and hinted that Harry's nemesis Lord Voldemort might have been to blame.
The email said that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" would not be immediately available from Amazon's supplier, and suggested that readers search for the book elsewhere.
"We assure you that howlers have been sent to the muggles responsible for this action and we are investigating the possibility that You-Know-Who may have been involved," the company said in a subsequent apology email to customers.
The book will be delivered as promised on July 16 to the more than 100,000 UK fans who have pre-ordered it, Amazon UK said. "The Half-Blood Prince," published in Britain by Bloomsbury, is Amazon.co.uk's second-best seller five months before its release.
LONDON (Reuters) - Amazon UK apologized on Thursday after it sent an erroneous email to fans who had pre-ordered the next Harry Potter book, and hinted that Harry's nemesis Lord Voldemort might have been to blame.
The email said that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" would not be immediately available from Amazon's supplier, and suggested that readers search for the book elsewhere.
"We assure you that howlers have been sent to the muggles responsible for this action and we are investigating the possibility that You-Know-Who may have been involved," the company said in a subsequent apology email to customers.
The book will be delivered as promised on July 16 to the more than 100,000 UK fans who have pre-ordered it, Amazon UK said. "The Half-Blood Prince," published in Britain by Bloomsbury, is Amazon.co.uk's second-best seller five months before its release.
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New York's Celebrity Bird Couple Is Spotted Mating
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers were all atwitter on Thursday over the highly public canoodling of one of their most high-flying celebrity couples -- Pale Male and Lola.
The pair of red-tailed hawks have been spotted flagrantly mating all around the neighborhood of the ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building where they were evicted, then restored to a brand new, architect-designed love nest last December.
"It's hard to miss them now. They're seriously trying to propagate," bird-watcher Marie Winn told Reuters.
The mating was front-page news for the tabloid New York Post, but Winn said that, hormones being what they are, the mating was never in doubt. The only question, she said, was whether the hawks would take to their old nesting site, which was rebuilt in stainless steel and protected by spikes.
"They didn't reject the nest site and they were faithful to it," Winn reported.
A media frenzy erupted over the birds' eviction by wealthy residents angry over the droppings and half-eaten pigeons littering the elegant building's entrance.
The residents' most visible figure was actress Mary Tyler Moore, while photographer/bird-watcher Lincoln Karim led the protests.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers were all atwitter on Thursday over the highly public canoodling of one of their most high-flying celebrity couples -- Pale Male and Lola.
The pair of red-tailed hawks have been spotted flagrantly mating all around the neighborhood of the ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building where they were evicted, then restored to a brand new, architect-designed love nest last December.
"It's hard to miss them now. They're seriously trying to propagate," bird-watcher Marie Winn told Reuters.
The mating was front-page news for the tabloid New York Post, but Winn said that, hormones being what they are, the mating was never in doubt. The only question, she said, was whether the hawks would take to their old nesting site, which was rebuilt in stainless steel and protected by spikes.
"They didn't reject the nest site and they were faithful to it," Winn reported.
A media frenzy erupted over the birds' eviction by wealthy residents angry over the droppings and half-eaten pigeons littering the elegant building's entrance.
The residents' most visible figure was actress Mary Tyler Moore, while photographer/bird-watcher Lincoln Karim led the protests.
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'Crazy Frog' Ring Tone Set to Be a Single
LONDON (Reuters) - The "Crazy Frog" mobile phone ringtone -- loved and loathed in equal measure in Britain -- is to be released as a pop single.
Television adverts plugging the "tune," featuring an animated frog wearing motorcycle helmet and goggles, with a broad smile and a visible tiny penis, have made it a huge success. The tone has been downloaded a million times.
"You either love it or hate it -- there's no in between," said BBC Radio 1 DJ Wes Butters, one of a group of DJs and producers who have formed the group "Pondlife" to release the song.
The TV spots have prompted several complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority from viewers who object to their frequency and to the frog's genitalia.
The ad has, however, been ruled acceptable by the Authority. Whether the single will be deemed acceptable by the public when it is released in April is an open question.
LONDON (Reuters) - The "Crazy Frog" mobile phone ringtone -- loved and loathed in equal measure in Britain -- is to be released as a pop single.
Television adverts plugging the "tune," featuring an animated frog wearing motorcycle helmet and goggles, with a broad smile and a visible tiny penis, have made it a huge success. The tone has been downloaded a million times.
"You either love it or hate it -- there's no in between," said BBC Radio 1 DJ Wes Butters, one of a group of DJs and producers who have formed the group "Pondlife" to release the song.
The TV spots have prompted several complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority from viewers who object to their frequency and to the frog's genitalia.
The ad has, however, been ruled acceptable by the Authority. Whether the single will be deemed acceptable by the public when it is released in April is an open question.
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Lawmakers Seek Civility in Divided U.S. House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two lawmakers who crossed the political aisle to become congressional friends and basketball buddies began a drive on Wednesday for greater civility in the sharply divided U.S. House of Representatives.
With former House leaders on hand to recall the old days when Democrats and Republicans worked, drank and played golf together, they announced creation of a bipartisan Center Aisle Caucus.
"Right now, we're the only two members," Rep. Steve Israel, a New York Democrat, said at a news conference.
"We're optimistic," added Rep. Tim Johnson, an Illinois Republican. "People can agree to disagree."
The House has grown increasingly partisan in recent years, with both parties engaged in political attacks on matters from ethics to tax cuts to federal spending.
Former Democratic House Speaker Thomas Foley and former House Republican leader Bob Michel, who served together a decade ago and still call each other friends, endorsed the two lawmakers' effort, which the 433 other House members will be formally invited next month to join.
Israel and Johnson, third-term lawmakers who forged their friendship in Congress and on a basketball court, said greater harmony would lead to a more productive House.
"We want to serve as personal examples of how people of differing philosophies can get along and engage in civil discourse," Johnson said.
"We understand that our differences do matter," Israel said. "We believe, however, you can stand up on principle without making the floor of the House sound like an elementary school auditorium out of control."
There have been such efforts before, but they often went up in smoke. An annual bipartisanship retreat was begun a few years ago. It soon ended because of lack of interest and complaints that all it produced were souvenir T-shirts.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two lawmakers who crossed the political aisle to become congressional friends and basketball buddies began a drive on Wednesday for greater civility in the sharply divided U.S. House of Representatives.
With former House leaders on hand to recall the old days when Democrats and Republicans worked, drank and played golf together, they announced creation of a bipartisan Center Aisle Caucus.
"Right now, we're the only two members," Rep. Steve Israel, a New York Democrat, said at a news conference.
"We're optimistic," added Rep. Tim Johnson, an Illinois Republican. "People can agree to disagree."
The House has grown increasingly partisan in recent years, with both parties engaged in political attacks on matters from ethics to tax cuts to federal spending.
Former Democratic House Speaker Thomas Foley and former House Republican leader Bob Michel, who served together a decade ago and still call each other friends, endorsed the two lawmakers' effort, which the 433 other House members will be formally invited next month to join.
Israel and Johnson, third-term lawmakers who forged their friendship in Congress and on a basketball court, said greater harmony would lead to a more productive House.
"We want to serve as personal examples of how people of differing philosophies can get along and engage in civil discourse," Johnson said.
"We understand that our differences do matter," Israel said. "We believe, however, you can stand up on principle without making the floor of the House sound like an elementary school auditorium out of control."
There have been such efforts before, but they often went up in smoke. An annual bipartisanship retreat was begun a few years ago. It soon ended because of lack of interest and complaints that all it produced were souvenir T-shirts.
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Spain Doctor Rebuilds Penises Cut Off for AIDS Cure
MADRID (Reuters) - Two Kenyan boys whose penises were cut off to be sold for making anti-AIDS potions have had them reconstructed in Spain, the doctor treating them said.
The adolescent boys, from a remote region near the border with Uganda, were mutilated after being given drugged food or drink by strangers.
"They had attacked them to cut off their penises to sell ... for making a type of potion which according to a local belief cures AIDS," Doctor Pedro Cavadas, from the Levante Rehabilitation Center told radio station Cadena Ser.
One of the boys also lost an ear trying to fend off his attackers after regaining consciousness during the mutilation.
"It seems that the dose of medication that they gave him to knock him out ... was badly calculated, and so he woke up in the middle of the attack," Cavadas said.
"He then tried to defend himself and because of this has a lot more injuries."
Cavadas runs a foundation that carries out all types of reconstructive surgery in Kenya.
The foundation's Web site said two people had been arrested in connection with penis mutilation, although it was not clear if they were linked to the attacks on the 12 and 14-year-old boys.
"The practice of mutilating the penises of virgin boys is not a tradition among Kenyan tribes. The object of this mutilation was to make a potion to cure HIV/AIDS," the Web site said.
Cavadas, who noted this type of attack was rare in Kenya, said the boys had been transformed by their surgery.
"They are fantastic, happy, their faces have changed and their lives have changed. They don't have to use a catheter ... and they can live like children, messing around and being naughty."
MADRID (Reuters) - Two Kenyan boys whose penises were cut off to be sold for making anti-AIDS potions have had them reconstructed in Spain, the doctor treating them said.
The adolescent boys, from a remote region near the border with Uganda, were mutilated after being given drugged food or drink by strangers.
"They had attacked them to cut off their penises to sell ... for making a type of potion which according to a local belief cures AIDS," Doctor Pedro Cavadas, from the Levante Rehabilitation Center told radio station Cadena Ser.
One of the boys also lost an ear trying to fend off his attackers after regaining consciousness during the mutilation.
"It seems that the dose of medication that they gave him to knock him out ... was badly calculated, and so he woke up in the middle of the attack," Cavadas said.
"He then tried to defend himself and because of this has a lot more injuries."
Cavadas runs a foundation that carries out all types of reconstructive surgery in Kenya.
The foundation's Web site said two people had been arrested in connection with penis mutilation, although it was not clear if they were linked to the attacks on the 12 and 14-year-old boys.
"The practice of mutilating the penises of virgin boys is not a tradition among Kenyan tribes. The object of this mutilation was to make a potion to cure HIV/AIDS," the Web site said.
Cavadas, who noted this type of attack was rare in Kenya, said the boys had been transformed by their surgery.
"They are fantastic, happy, their faces have changed and their lives have changed. They don't have to use a catheter ... and they can live like children, messing around and being naughty."
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Frustrated German Thief Caught Napping Red-Handed
BERLIN (Reuters) - Having broken into a car late at night, a would-be German thief's plans went badly wrong when he failed to pry out its radio, fell asleep clutching his screwdriver, and was woken, then arrested by police.
"The police had an easy time of it," said a spokeswoman for police in the western city of Cologne on Thursday.
The car's owner alarmed police after spotting the man entering the vehicle. By the time officers arrived shortly afterwards, the man was already sound asleep.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Having broken into a car late at night, a would-be German thief's plans went badly wrong when he failed to pry out its radio, fell asleep clutching his screwdriver, and was woken, then arrested by police.
"The police had an easy time of it," said a spokeswoman for police in the western city of Cologne on Thursday.
The car's owner alarmed police after spotting the man entering the vehicle. By the time officers arrived shortly afterwards, the man was already sound asleep.
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AussieMark
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- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Strip Club Artfully Slips by Anti-Nudity Law
BOISE, Idaho (Reuters) - A strip club in Boise, Idaho has found an artful way to prance past a city law that prohibits full nudity.
On what it calls Art Club Nights, the Erotic City strip club charges customers $15 for a sketch pad, pencil, and a chance to see completely naked women dancers.
In 2001 the Boise City Council passed an ordinance banning total nudity in public unless it had "serious artistic merit" -- an exemption meant to apply to plays, dance performances and art classes.
"We have a lot of people drawing some very good pictures," said Erotic City owner Chris Teague, who has posted many of the drawings around the club.
Teague said he got the idea when a customer asked if he could get in for free to sketch the dancers. Realizing that "art classes" were exempt from the law, Teague decided to bill Mondays and Tuesdays as art nights, and let the dancers go without their G-strings and pasties.
In the two months since they began, Art Club Nights have drawn full crowds of 60 people but no police citations, he said.
BOISE, Idaho (Reuters) - A strip club in Boise, Idaho has found an artful way to prance past a city law that prohibits full nudity.
On what it calls Art Club Nights, the Erotic City strip club charges customers $15 for a sketch pad, pencil, and a chance to see completely naked women dancers.
In 2001 the Boise City Council passed an ordinance banning total nudity in public unless it had "serious artistic merit" -- an exemption meant to apply to plays, dance performances and art classes.
"We have a lot of people drawing some very good pictures," said Erotic City owner Chris Teague, who has posted many of the drawings around the club.
Teague said he got the idea when a customer asked if he could get in for free to sketch the dancers. Realizing that "art classes" were exempt from the law, Teague decided to bill Mondays and Tuesdays as art nights, and let the dancers go without their G-strings and pasties.
In the two months since they began, Art Club Nights have drawn full crowds of 60 people but no police citations, he said.
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AussieMark
- Category 5
- Posts: 5858
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 6:36 pm
- Location: near Sydney, Australia
China Rings in New Year with 11 Billion Messages
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese mobile phone users sent a record 11 billion text messages during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, ringing in the Lunar New Year in style, Xinhua news agency said Friday.
The holiday is the most important family reunion of the year, and the SMS calls brought in more than 1.1 billion yuan ($133 million), also a record, it said.
"In addition to text messages, people sent pictures and songs via their mobile phones as festival greetings," Xinhua said.
By the end of 2004, Chinese mobile phone users had surpassed 330 million. They sent a total of 217.7 billion messages last year.
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese mobile phone users sent a record 11 billion text messages during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, ringing in the Lunar New Year in style, Xinhua news agency said Friday.
The holiday is the most important family reunion of the year, and the SMS calls brought in more than 1.1 billion yuan ($133 million), also a record, it said.
"In addition to text messages, people sent pictures and songs via their mobile phones as festival greetings," Xinhua said.
By the end of 2004, Chinese mobile phone users had surpassed 330 million. They sent a total of 217.7 billion messages last year.
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AussieMark
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- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 6:36 pm
- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Kennedy Knickknacks Sell for Big Bucks in NY Sale
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lovers of Kennedy lore paid $5.5 million for some common possessions of former President John F. Kennedy and his family in an auction of art, furniture and other effects from their homes, Sotheby's said on Thursday.
A Chippendale-style slant-front secretary bookcase inlaid with the initials JFK and a version of the United States seal sold for $452,000. A portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy with her children Caroline and John Jr. painted by Aaron Shikler in 1968 fetched $216,000.
A rocking chair sold for $96,000. Rocking chairs were popular with the president to ease his severe back pain and were in all his homes.
The property was consigned by Caroline Kennedy, who plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from more than 600 lots to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
Although the antique value of the items was just above $1 million, prices soared at auction because of their links with a family romanticized as America's political royalty.
A needlework panel of a spaniel was estimated to secure just $75 to $125 -- a paltry sum for anything on offer at Sotheby's . The piece brought a winning bid of $39,000.
A blanket with a "JFK" monogram sold for $18,000, well over the pre-sale estimate of $250 to $350.
Every lot on the block in the three-day auction found a buyer, with most items claiming high prices no matter how mundane they seemed.
A Louis Vuitton hatbox brought $54,000 compared with an estimated price of $100 to $200, and a doorstop valued at just $60 to $80 fetched $4,800.
A lot comprising two trays, an ice bucket, a glass bowl and salt and pepper shakers sold for $2,750.
The auction included family photos, chairs, tables, toys and glassware as well as artwork from Kennedy homes in Hyannis Port and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts; Peapack, New Jersey; Middleburg, Virginia; New York City and from their years in the White House.
A Sotheby's sale of 1,303 items after the death of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis fetched nearly $34.5 million, after a pre-sale estimate of $5 million.
"After my mother died in 1994, my brother and I were faced with the task of deciding what to do with her possessions, and after careful consideration, we sold some of them in 1996," the Kennedy daughter wrote in an introduction to the catalog.
"In the intervening years, and the death of my brother, I found myself again with more houses and belongings than I could possibly use or enjoy."
Many of the items on offer were listing within reach of more humble budgets and some sold for less than $1,000.
A wooden dollhouse barn sold for $840, a telescope for $720 and a group of books about animals sold for $540.
The least expensive item sold in the auction was a lot of three animal horns for $390.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lovers of Kennedy lore paid $5.5 million for some common possessions of former President John F. Kennedy and his family in an auction of art, furniture and other effects from their homes, Sotheby's said on Thursday.
A Chippendale-style slant-front secretary bookcase inlaid with the initials JFK and a version of the United States seal sold for $452,000. A portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy with her children Caroline and John Jr. painted by Aaron Shikler in 1968 fetched $216,000.
A rocking chair sold for $96,000. Rocking chairs were popular with the president to ease his severe back pain and were in all his homes.
The property was consigned by Caroline Kennedy, who plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from more than 600 lots to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
Although the antique value of the items was just above $1 million, prices soared at auction because of their links with a family romanticized as America's political royalty.
A needlework panel of a spaniel was estimated to secure just $75 to $125 -- a paltry sum for anything on offer at Sotheby's . The piece brought a winning bid of $39,000.
A blanket with a "JFK" monogram sold for $18,000, well over the pre-sale estimate of $250 to $350.
Every lot on the block in the three-day auction found a buyer, with most items claiming high prices no matter how mundane they seemed.
A Louis Vuitton hatbox brought $54,000 compared with an estimated price of $100 to $200, and a doorstop valued at just $60 to $80 fetched $4,800.
A lot comprising two trays, an ice bucket, a glass bowl and salt and pepper shakers sold for $2,750.
The auction included family photos, chairs, tables, toys and glassware as well as artwork from Kennedy homes in Hyannis Port and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts; Peapack, New Jersey; Middleburg, Virginia; New York City and from their years in the White House.
A Sotheby's sale of 1,303 items after the death of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis fetched nearly $34.5 million, after a pre-sale estimate of $5 million.
"After my mother died in 1994, my brother and I were faced with the task of deciding what to do with her possessions, and after careful consideration, we sold some of them in 1996," the Kennedy daughter wrote in an introduction to the catalog.
"In the intervening years, and the death of my brother, I found myself again with more houses and belongings than I could possibly use or enjoy."
Many of the items on offer were listing within reach of more humble budgets and some sold for less than $1,000.
A wooden dollhouse barn sold for $840, a telescope for $720 and a group of books about animals sold for $540.
The least expensive item sold in the auction was a lot of three animal horns for $390.
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AussieMark
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- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 6:36 pm
- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Sex Czar Cleans Up for Parliament
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai sex Czar Chuvit Kamolvisit, elected to parliament this month, cleansed himself ritually of his past on Friday and promised to be an honest legislator who will work for the interests of the people.
Smashing a mock bathtub with the sledgehammer he used as a campaign symbol of his aim to "smash the castles of corruption," Chuvit urged his new colleagues to stop calling him "Tycoon Tub," a nickname he got from his chain of six massive massage parlors.
"Tycoon Tub is dead," Chuvit shouted.
He stepped into a coffin, lay down, then emerged to wash his hands in a Buddhist monk's bowl to illustrate he was reborn a new man no longer associated with the sex business which made him a very rich man.
"I apologize to the Thai public for the business I did in the past that might have damaged some people," Chuvit said.
"But I never evaded tax or used my drivers or maids as my nominees" for wealth, he said, referring to a charge Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra faced four years ago.
Thaksin, who was cleared of the charge by the constitutional court in 2001, won another landslide victory at the Feb 6 poll.
Chuvit, who was elected for the opposition Chart Thai, said he had sold his massage parlors and was now in the hotel and real estate business.
A 43-year-old accountant who graduated from one of Thailand's top universities, Chuvit made his fortune in the sex industry, one of the few which emerged unhurt from Asia's 1997/98 economic financial crisis.
After a series of publicity stunts to expose corruption, a short jail term and a kidnapping he blames on bent policemen, he entered politics last year with a creditable showing in elections for the post of governor of Bangkok.
Chuvit pledged on Friday to take his battle against corruption to parliament.
"I swear to all sacred holy spirits they can curse me to bankruptcy if I cheat this country," he said.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai sex Czar Chuvit Kamolvisit, elected to parliament this month, cleansed himself ritually of his past on Friday and promised to be an honest legislator who will work for the interests of the people.
Smashing a mock bathtub with the sledgehammer he used as a campaign symbol of his aim to "smash the castles of corruption," Chuvit urged his new colleagues to stop calling him "Tycoon Tub," a nickname he got from his chain of six massive massage parlors.
"Tycoon Tub is dead," Chuvit shouted.
He stepped into a coffin, lay down, then emerged to wash his hands in a Buddhist monk's bowl to illustrate he was reborn a new man no longer associated with the sex business which made him a very rich man.
"I apologize to the Thai public for the business I did in the past that might have damaged some people," Chuvit said.
"But I never evaded tax or used my drivers or maids as my nominees" for wealth, he said, referring to a charge Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra faced four years ago.
Thaksin, who was cleared of the charge by the constitutional court in 2001, won another landslide victory at the Feb 6 poll.
Chuvit, who was elected for the opposition Chart Thai, said he had sold his massage parlors and was now in the hotel and real estate business.
A 43-year-old accountant who graduated from one of Thailand's top universities, Chuvit made his fortune in the sex industry, one of the few which emerged unhurt from Asia's 1997/98 economic financial crisis.
After a series of publicity stunts to expose corruption, a short jail term and a kidnapping he blames on bent policemen, he entered politics last year with a creditable showing in elections for the post of governor of Bangkok.
Chuvit pledged on Friday to take his battle against corruption to parliament.
"I swear to all sacred holy spirits they can curse me to bankruptcy if I cheat this country," he said.
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AussieMark
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- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 6:36 pm
- Location: near Sydney, Australia
Beauty Salons Busted for Misleading Ads
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore regulators are moving to protect the public from a wave of misleading advertisements promoting bigger breasts, fuller lips and other body enhancements in a wealthy nation grappling with rising obesity.
Two breast-enhancement ads were barred from publication this week for failing to make clear that promised results had not been proven by medical studies, the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) said Friday.
The crackdown follows a surge in complaints by disappointed women against bust-treatment salons and by men who say some hair-growth centers fail to live up to their promise.
"We have written to the advertisers and the media owners to inform that the ads have to be amended before they can be published," said ASAS spokeswoman Priscilla Low.
Salons offering quick fixes ranging from slimming, hair growth, hair removal, bigger breasts and fuller lips are mushrooming across Singapore, Asia's third-wealthiest society after Japan and Hong Kong.
At the same time, Singapore's collective waistline is bulging with obesity rates rising, a trend some researchers attribute to a gradual shift in diet in the predominantly ethnic-Chinese island toward Western fast foods.
Singapore's last national health survey in 1998 showed that the proportion of its 4.2 million people listed as overweight had risen in six years from 21 to 24 percent, while those categorized as obese had increased from 5 to 6 percent.
Slimming salons are doing a roaring trade, and advertisements boasting of breast treatments and other beauty quick fixes often fill local newspapers, many offering money-back guarantees or promoting quick and easy "lunchtime therapies."
A consumer watchdog, the Consumers Association of Singapore, said it had received 60 complaints last year about companies offering bust enhancements, mostly from career women who felt misled by the salons and sought refunds for unsatisfactory results.
There were 102 complaints about hair-growth centers in the same period.
Under new rules that took effect on Jan. 1, "before-and-after" testimonials featuring women boasting of a fuller bustline or previously balding men now sporting a crowning glory of thick hair will be banned unless medically proven.
The advertisement watchdog said the two breast-treatment ads had been spotted in random newspaper checks. Seven other ads, a combination of hair-growth treatment and bust-enhancement promotions, were also being reviewed for failing to feature the disclaimers prominently.
"Under the revised advertising code, ads for bust enhancements and hair-loss treatments must display a disclaimer," said Low of the ASAS.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore regulators are moving to protect the public from a wave of misleading advertisements promoting bigger breasts, fuller lips and other body enhancements in a wealthy nation grappling with rising obesity.
Two breast-enhancement ads were barred from publication this week for failing to make clear that promised results had not been proven by medical studies, the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) said Friday.
The crackdown follows a surge in complaints by disappointed women against bust-treatment salons and by men who say some hair-growth centers fail to live up to their promise.
"We have written to the advertisers and the media owners to inform that the ads have to be amended before they can be published," said ASAS spokeswoman Priscilla Low.
Salons offering quick fixes ranging from slimming, hair growth, hair removal, bigger breasts and fuller lips are mushrooming across Singapore, Asia's third-wealthiest society after Japan and Hong Kong.
At the same time, Singapore's collective waistline is bulging with obesity rates rising, a trend some researchers attribute to a gradual shift in diet in the predominantly ethnic-Chinese island toward Western fast foods.
Singapore's last national health survey in 1998 showed that the proportion of its 4.2 million people listed as overweight had risen in six years from 21 to 24 percent, while those categorized as obese had increased from 5 to 6 percent.
Slimming salons are doing a roaring trade, and advertisements boasting of breast treatments and other beauty quick fixes often fill local newspapers, many offering money-back guarantees or promoting quick and easy "lunchtime therapies."
A consumer watchdog, the Consumers Association of Singapore, said it had received 60 complaints last year about companies offering bust enhancements, mostly from career women who felt misled by the salons and sought refunds for unsatisfactory results.
There were 102 complaints about hair-growth centers in the same period.
Under new rules that took effect on Jan. 1, "before-and-after" testimonials featuring women boasting of a fuller bustline or previously balding men now sporting a crowning glory of thick hair will be banned unless medically proven.
The advertisement watchdog said the two breast-treatment ads had been spotted in random newspaper checks. Seven other ads, a combination of hair-growth treatment and bust-enhancement promotions, were also being reviewed for failing to feature the disclaimers prominently.
"Under the revised advertising code, ads for bust enhancements and hair-loss treatments must display a disclaimer," said Low of the ASAS.
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