Activists seek ban on livestock trade
CAIRO (Reuters) - An activist dressed as a sheep, under the watchful eye of Egyptian security, presented a large bouquet of flowers to the Australian embassy in Cairo on Sunday as part of a campaign for a ban on live animal exports.
Jason Baker, director of Asia Pacific for the animal rights PETA, gave the flowers to consular officer Andrew Macksey to thank the Australian government for the temporary ban it imposed in February after a film showed animal abuse in Egypt.
"For once they (Australia) have made the right decision. Live exports of animals should now be banned permanently," Baker told reporters outside the embassy later.
The film, shot at Egyptian ports and abattoirs, shows sheep and cattle dragged off ships by their legs and ears and later slaughtered within sight of other animals.
After the film appeared on Australian television, the Australian government sent a veterinary officer to investigate.
Australian ambassador Bob Bowker said his government hoped to have the live trade to Egypt resumed once it was confident that animals will receive humane treatment.
"We need a system for us to track the progress of Australian animals though the Egyptian system. We're working constructively with Egypt to improve animal welfare, " he told Reuters.
But PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says the long-distance trade in live animals is inherently cruel and showed be banned worldwide.
"The condition on these voyages are quite disgusting and I have no doubt that in time a ban will be in place," said PETA activist Jodi Ruckley, who helped steer Baker to the embassy.
She said PETA favoured the export of live carcasses from Australia and would even accept the export of live animals from neighbouring countries as a lesser evil.
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TexasStooge
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How "Daddy" affects your job
By Ellen Wulfhorst
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Successes or failures of employees in the workplace can be traced to what kind of father they had, a psychologist argues in a new book.
In "The Father Factor," Stephan Poulter lists five styles of fathers -- super-achieving, time bomb, passive, absent and compassionate/mentor -- who have powerful influences on the careers of their sons and daughters.
Children of the "time-bomb" father, for example, who explodes in anger at his family, learn how to read people and their moods. Those intuitive abilities make them good at such jobs as personnel managers or negotiators, he writes.
But those same children may have trouble feeling safe and developing trust, said Poulter, a clinical psychologist who also works with adolescents in Los Angeles area schools.
"I've seen more people hit their heads on what they call a glass ceiling or a cement wall in their careers, and it's what I call the father factor," Poulter said in an interview. "What role did your father have in your life? It's this unknown variable which has this huge impact because we're all sons and daughters."
Styles of fathering can affect whether their children get along with others at work, have an entreprenurial spirit, worry too much about their career, burn out or become the boss, Poulter writes.
Even absent fathers affect how their children work, he writes, by instilling feelings of rejection and abandonment.
Those children may be overachievers, becoming the person their father never was, or develop such anger towards supervisors or authority figures that they work best when they are self-employed, he writes.
"A lot of people say, 'I never knew my dad,'" he said. But, he added: "You knew the myth, you knew your mother's hatred, you knew your anger, you knew your dad was a loser. Trust me, you knew your dad.
"The father's influence in the workplace is really one of the best-kept secrets," he said. Poulter co-authored an earlier book on mothers and daughters called "Mending the Broken Bough." "The Father Factor" is set for release next month by Prometheus Books.
Looking at the influence of fathers fits with other recent research on workplace behaviour, said William Pollack, a psychology professor and director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School.
"There's been a good deal of research to show not only that our family-life experience and our experience with our parents affects our personality, but it affects our corporate personality, both as leaders and followers," said Pollack, author of "Real Boys."
"There's also good research to show that for men and women, the way they identify with their father and their father's role may well affect how they interact as a manager or leader in the workplace."
Poulter, by the way, describes his own father as the absent type. After this book, he said, "my dad won't even talk to me."
By Ellen Wulfhorst
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Successes or failures of employees in the workplace can be traced to what kind of father they had, a psychologist argues in a new book.
In "The Father Factor," Stephan Poulter lists five styles of fathers -- super-achieving, time bomb, passive, absent and compassionate/mentor -- who have powerful influences on the careers of their sons and daughters.
Children of the "time-bomb" father, for example, who explodes in anger at his family, learn how to read people and their moods. Those intuitive abilities make them good at such jobs as personnel managers or negotiators, he writes.
But those same children may have trouble feeling safe and developing trust, said Poulter, a clinical psychologist who also works with adolescents in Los Angeles area schools.
"I've seen more people hit their heads on what they call a glass ceiling or a cement wall in their careers, and it's what I call the father factor," Poulter said in an interview. "What role did your father have in your life? It's this unknown variable which has this huge impact because we're all sons and daughters."
Styles of fathering can affect whether their children get along with others at work, have an entreprenurial spirit, worry too much about their career, burn out or become the boss, Poulter writes.
Even absent fathers affect how their children work, he writes, by instilling feelings of rejection and abandonment.
Those children may be overachievers, becoming the person their father never was, or develop such anger towards supervisors or authority figures that they work best when they are self-employed, he writes.
"A lot of people say, 'I never knew my dad,'" he said. But, he added: "You knew the myth, you knew your mother's hatred, you knew your anger, you knew your dad was a loser. Trust me, you knew your dad.
"The father's influence in the workplace is really one of the best-kept secrets," he said. Poulter co-authored an earlier book on mothers and daughters called "Mending the Broken Bough." "The Father Factor" is set for release next month by Prometheus Books.
Looking at the influence of fathers fits with other recent research on workplace behaviour, said William Pollack, a psychology professor and director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School.
"There's been a good deal of research to show not only that our family-life experience and our experience with our parents affects our personality, but it affects our corporate personality, both as leaders and followers," said Pollack, author of "Real Boys."
"There's also good research to show that for men and women, the way they identify with their father and their father's role may well affect how they interact as a manager or leader in the workplace."
Poulter, by the way, describes his own father as the absent type. After this book, he said, "my dad won't even talk to me."
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Honduras fears growing trade in smuggled coffee
By Gustavo Palencia
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (Reuters) - The fact that Central American smugglers are getting wealthy sneaking sack-loads of stimulants across borders in pick-up lorry convoys under the cover of night may not be shocking news.
The surprise is the sacks are frequently full of high quality coffee beans instead of raw cocaine.
Smuggling coffee from Honduras into Guatemala to profit from higher prices and tax breaks there has become a serious problem, say Honduran officials, although their neighbours play down the practice.
Higher premiums are paid for Guatemala's famously tasty coffee on international markets, and changes to the tax regimes in both countries have heightened the smugglers' appeal to less sought-after growers from Honduras.
Guatemalan exporters admit some Honduran coffee is clandestinely imported but deny the amount of smuggled beans comes close to 767,000 60-kg bags Honduras claims will slip out of the country this year.
The majority of the contraband comes from the hilly growing areas in western and northern Honduras, close to the border with Guatemala, where ripening beans are protected from strong sunlight by shade trees, and cooler mountain air lets coffee develop into the best hard (HB) and strictly hard bean (SHB) qualities.
"Our coffee continues to be smuggled to Guatemala. We estimate that in this harvest 767,000 60-kg bags will go to that country," Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE) Technical Manager Omar Funez told Reuters. "The Guatemalans then export this coffee as specialty coffee since it is good quality."
Honduran officials and exporters peg contraband in previous harvests at half the amount they expect to be smuggled this year.
Gerardo de Leon of the Guatemalan cooperative federation Fedecocagua blames tax fraud as the main force behind the smuggling boom but said contraband was unlikely to reach half of Funez's estimate.
"(The smuggling) goes on because in Guatemala there is a business behind the coffee that is not the coffee itself," he said. According to de Leon, smugglers use their resales of the coffee to claim tax refunds from Guatemala's value added tax of 12 percent afforded to coffee intermediaries.
Hondurans agree their producers are willing to sell to smugglers because they are offered a price between $0.05 and $0.07 per pound more than they could get selling legitimately to local firms.
According to New York coffee traders, on average Guatemalan HB coffee nets $0.02 cents to $0.04 cents per pound above the New York Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange, or CSCE, floor price while Honduran HB gets $0.03 per pound below the CSCE price.
Since the 2003/04 harvest, Honduras levies a tax of $0.04 per pound of exported coffee when the market price is below $0.90 per pound, and $0.09 per pound when it is above that level. The money is used to finance a fund for farm debts.
"Producers in the border zones prefer to sell their product to the Guatemalans since they get a better price and no tax retentions are applied," Honduran Coffee Exporters' Association Vice President Manuel Reyes told Reuters.
Guatemalan officials have long bristled at the Honduran accusations of massive contraband, even though in some years Guatemala's exports have surpassed its total production.
They say the amount of coffee smuggled into the country is similar to the amount of Guatemalan-grown coffee snuck across the border to Mexico.
The smuggled coffee is taken from Honduras to Guatemala at so-called "blind spots" along the poorly patrolled and porous border, previously known as a drug smuggling route.
"We have reports from growers in the border areas with Guatemala that caravans of 10 to 15 trucks loaded with coffee leave daily," Funez said.
Marion Peraza, a leading coffee grower in the northwestern province department of Copan, a popular tourist area close to Guatemala and one of Honduras' best coffee-growing spots, said police did nothing to stop the practice.
Funez said the smuggling will not affect IHCAFE's crop estimate for 2005/06 of 2.76 million 60-kg bags.
"We always take smuggling in to account in the estimates and we know that the smuggling to Guatemala is increasing," he explained.
Honduras and Guatemala are the largest volume coffee exporters in Central America and combine for total production of 6.7 million bags, or 6.1 percent of global output.
(Additional reporting by Brian Harris)
By Gustavo Palencia
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (Reuters) - The fact that Central American smugglers are getting wealthy sneaking sack-loads of stimulants across borders in pick-up lorry convoys under the cover of night may not be shocking news.
The surprise is the sacks are frequently full of high quality coffee beans instead of raw cocaine.
Smuggling coffee from Honduras into Guatemala to profit from higher prices and tax breaks there has become a serious problem, say Honduran officials, although their neighbours play down the practice.
Higher premiums are paid for Guatemala's famously tasty coffee on international markets, and changes to the tax regimes in both countries have heightened the smugglers' appeal to less sought-after growers from Honduras.
Guatemalan exporters admit some Honduran coffee is clandestinely imported but deny the amount of smuggled beans comes close to 767,000 60-kg bags Honduras claims will slip out of the country this year.
The majority of the contraband comes from the hilly growing areas in western and northern Honduras, close to the border with Guatemala, where ripening beans are protected from strong sunlight by shade trees, and cooler mountain air lets coffee develop into the best hard (HB) and strictly hard bean (SHB) qualities.
"Our coffee continues to be smuggled to Guatemala. We estimate that in this harvest 767,000 60-kg bags will go to that country," Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE) Technical Manager Omar Funez told Reuters. "The Guatemalans then export this coffee as specialty coffee since it is good quality."
Honduran officials and exporters peg contraband in previous harvests at half the amount they expect to be smuggled this year.
Gerardo de Leon of the Guatemalan cooperative federation Fedecocagua blames tax fraud as the main force behind the smuggling boom but said contraband was unlikely to reach half of Funez's estimate.
"(The smuggling) goes on because in Guatemala there is a business behind the coffee that is not the coffee itself," he said. According to de Leon, smugglers use their resales of the coffee to claim tax refunds from Guatemala's value added tax of 12 percent afforded to coffee intermediaries.
Hondurans agree their producers are willing to sell to smugglers because they are offered a price between $0.05 and $0.07 per pound more than they could get selling legitimately to local firms.
According to New York coffee traders, on average Guatemalan HB coffee nets $0.02 cents to $0.04 cents per pound above the New York Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange, or CSCE, floor price while Honduran HB gets $0.03 per pound below the CSCE price.
Since the 2003/04 harvest, Honduras levies a tax of $0.04 per pound of exported coffee when the market price is below $0.90 per pound, and $0.09 per pound when it is above that level. The money is used to finance a fund for farm debts.
"Producers in the border zones prefer to sell their product to the Guatemalans since they get a better price and no tax retentions are applied," Honduran Coffee Exporters' Association Vice President Manuel Reyes told Reuters.
Guatemalan officials have long bristled at the Honduran accusations of massive contraband, even though in some years Guatemala's exports have surpassed its total production.
They say the amount of coffee smuggled into the country is similar to the amount of Guatemalan-grown coffee snuck across the border to Mexico.
The smuggled coffee is taken from Honduras to Guatemala at so-called "blind spots" along the poorly patrolled and porous border, previously known as a drug smuggling route.
"We have reports from growers in the border areas with Guatemala that caravans of 10 to 15 trucks loaded with coffee leave daily," Funez said.
Marion Peraza, a leading coffee grower in the northwestern province department of Copan, a popular tourist area close to Guatemala and one of Honduras' best coffee-growing spots, said police did nothing to stop the practice.
Funez said the smuggling will not affect IHCAFE's crop estimate for 2005/06 of 2.76 million 60-kg bags.
"We always take smuggling in to account in the estimates and we know that the smuggling to Guatemala is increasing," he explained.
Honduras and Guatemala are the largest volume coffee exporters in Central America and combine for total production of 6.7 million bags, or 6.1 percent of global output.
(Additional reporting by Brian Harris)
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Calif. judge suspends state graduation exam
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday suspending the state's high school exit exam, clearing the way for tens of thousands of students who have not passed the test to graduate.
The ruling by Judge Robert Freedman of Alameda County Superior Court is a victory for students who say the exam is unfair to those stuck in poorly performing schools or for whom English is a second language.
State education authorities have asked Freedman to lift the injunction, saying it would cause chaos just weeks away from the end of the school year.
Freedman made a tentative ruling earlier this week in favour of the students, who sued the state in February.
California Schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell said the state would seek a stay from an appeals court if Freedman denies their request to lift the injunction.
The state has said that nearly 11 percent of the state's 440,000 high school seniors have not passed the exam, which covers up to 10th-grade English and math skills.
The test has been supported by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, parents and businesses who argue it helps guarantee that graduates have basic skills. The test has been given for several years but this is the first year schools would deny diplomas to those who fail.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday suspending the state's high school exit exam, clearing the way for tens of thousands of students who have not passed the test to graduate.
The ruling by Judge Robert Freedman of Alameda County Superior Court is a victory for students who say the exam is unfair to those stuck in poorly performing schools or for whom English is a second language.
State education authorities have asked Freedman to lift the injunction, saying it would cause chaos just weeks away from the end of the school year.
Freedman made a tentative ruling earlier this week in favour of the students, who sued the state in February.
California Schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell said the state would seek a stay from an appeals court if Freedman denies their request to lift the injunction.
The state has said that nearly 11 percent of the state's 440,000 high school seniors have not passed the exam, which covers up to 10th-grade English and math skills.
The test has been supported by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, parents and businesses who argue it helps guarantee that graduates have basic skills. The test has been given for several years but this is the first year schools would deny diplomas to those who fail.
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And the world's loneliest Web users are...
DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) - Ireland may be enjoying stellar economic growth and seen as one of the best places in the world to live, but its inhabitants are apparently also the globe's loneliest.
Google Trends, which works out how many searches have been done via the Internet search engine on particular terms, showed the word "lonely" was entered most frequently by Internet users in Ireland: http://www.google.com/trends?q=lonely.
The Irish, enjoying new-found wealth and a flood of immigration following more than a century of economic decline, are followed in the misery stakes by residents of Singapore and New Zealand -- although Singaporeans are the most frequent searchers of "happiness."
Google Trends calculates the ratio of searches for a given term coming from each city, region or language divided by total Google searches coming from the same area.
Ireland's capital, Dublin, topped the city list for "lonely" searches, followed by Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.
In 2004, the Economist magazine named Ireland the best place to live in the world in a "quality of life" assessment.
DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) - Ireland may be enjoying stellar economic growth and seen as one of the best places in the world to live, but its inhabitants are apparently also the globe's loneliest.
Google Trends, which works out how many searches have been done via the Internet search engine on particular terms, showed the word "lonely" was entered most frequently by Internet users in Ireland: http://www.google.com/trends?q=lonely.
The Irish, enjoying new-found wealth and a flood of immigration following more than a century of economic decline, are followed in the misery stakes by residents of Singapore and New Zealand -- although Singaporeans are the most frequent searchers of "happiness."
Google Trends calculates the ratio of searches for a given term coming from each city, region or language divided by total Google searches coming from the same area.
Ireland's capital, Dublin, topped the city list for "lonely" searches, followed by Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.
In 2004, the Economist magazine named Ireland the best place to live in the world in a "quality of life" assessment.
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Biker lurches from one accident to the next
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A man on a scooter menaced a German town until angry locals performed a citizen's arrest on him at the scene of his third crash in two hours, police said on Friday.
The 22-year-old man first crashed the scooter as he took a corner in the western town of Herzogenrath, losing his helmet in the process, police in nearby Aachen said.
Unfazed, the man remounted and plowed straight into the back of a parked car. He flew head over heels through the back window, landing inside and causing some 2,000 euros in damage.
"Then he crawled out of the vehicle again, and sped off," an Aachen police spokesman said. "He had no driving ability. However, he was obviously a fairly tough fellow."
Onlookers tried to stop the man, but he fled.
Two hours later, bystanders were shocked as the scooter crashed leaving a gas station, this time with the man as passenger. Locals called police and held the man and his companion until officers arrived to arrest them.
Police said the man was being investigated on suspicion of drink driving and fleeing the scene of an accident. He was not named.
_____________________________________________________________
Demolition Scooter is fun, but it won't save you money on scooter insurance.
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A man on a scooter menaced a German town until angry locals performed a citizen's arrest on him at the scene of his third crash in two hours, police said on Friday.
The 22-year-old man first crashed the scooter as he took a corner in the western town of Herzogenrath, losing his helmet in the process, police in nearby Aachen said.
Unfazed, the man remounted and plowed straight into the back of a parked car. He flew head over heels through the back window, landing inside and causing some 2,000 euros in damage.
"Then he crawled out of the vehicle again, and sped off," an Aachen police spokesman said. "He had no driving ability. However, he was obviously a fairly tough fellow."
Onlookers tried to stop the man, but he fled.
Two hours later, bystanders were shocked as the scooter crashed leaving a gas station, this time with the man as passenger. Locals called police and held the man and his companion until officers arrived to arrest them.
Police said the man was being investigated on suspicion of drink driving and fleeing the scene of an accident. He was not named.
_____________________________________________________________
Demolition Scooter is fun, but it won't save you money on scooter insurance.
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BBC Interviews Cabbie As Internet Expert
By DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press Writer
LONDON, England - The BBC has admitted it was taken for a ride by a cabbie.
The network has apologized to its viewers for a studio mix-up that resulted in a cab driver appearing on live television as an expert on Internet music downloads.
"We interviewed the wrong person," a British Broadcasting Corp. spokeswoman said Monday while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with company policy. "We apologize to viewers for any confusion."
The case of mistaken identity occurred May 8 — the day Britain's High Court awarded Apple Computer a victory in a lawsuit against Apple Corps, the Beatles' commercial arm.
In a reaction story to the verdict that is now circulating widely on the Internet, consumer affairs correspondent Karen Bowerman welcomed who the BBC thought was computer expert Guy Kewney.
As Bowerman introduced him, there's a moment when the still unidentified driver realized the mistake. He scrunched his face into a grimace, and in panic tried to open his mouth as if to explain.
"Were you surprised by this verdict today?" Bowerman asked.
"I'm very surprised to see the verdict come on me because I was not expecting that," he said in a heavy French accent, blinking in the studio lights. "When I came, they told me something else."
Growing more confident, he gamely went on to deliver his opinion on the future of music downloads following the landmark verdict.
Meanwhile, the real Kewney, who was waiting to be taken to the studio, looked up on a monitor and found another man ensconced in the interviewee's chair.
"What would you feel, if while you were sitting in that rather chilly reception area, you suddenly saw yourself not sitting in reception, but live, on TV? A bit surprised?" Kewney wrote on his blog.
Kewney said he was amused at first — but then considered that viewers would think he did not know his subject, hurting his reputation.
Though the BBC did not elaborate on how the mistake occurred, Kewney wrote that a studio manager, "wringing his hands as if he wanted to suddenly take the day off," had called the reception area — rather than the stage door — and was told the Kewney was there.
Producers apparently realized by the end of the interview that something had gone wrong — and, after they had gone off the air, asked the cabbie if there was a problem.
"He said: 'Well, it was OK, but I was a bit rushed,'" Kewney wrote on his blog.
___
On the Web:
http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/2701
By DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press Writer
LONDON, England - The BBC has admitted it was taken for a ride by a cabbie.
The network has apologized to its viewers for a studio mix-up that resulted in a cab driver appearing on live television as an expert on Internet music downloads.
"We interviewed the wrong person," a British Broadcasting Corp. spokeswoman said Monday while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with company policy. "We apologize to viewers for any confusion."
The case of mistaken identity occurred May 8 — the day Britain's High Court awarded Apple Computer a victory in a lawsuit against Apple Corps, the Beatles' commercial arm.
In a reaction story to the verdict that is now circulating widely on the Internet, consumer affairs correspondent Karen Bowerman welcomed who the BBC thought was computer expert Guy Kewney.
As Bowerman introduced him, there's a moment when the still unidentified driver realized the mistake. He scrunched his face into a grimace, and in panic tried to open his mouth as if to explain.
"Were you surprised by this verdict today?" Bowerman asked.
"I'm very surprised to see the verdict come on me because I was not expecting that," he said in a heavy French accent, blinking in the studio lights. "When I came, they told me something else."
Growing more confident, he gamely went on to deliver his opinion on the future of music downloads following the landmark verdict.
Meanwhile, the real Kewney, who was waiting to be taken to the studio, looked up on a monitor and found another man ensconced in the interviewee's chair.
"What would you feel, if while you were sitting in that rather chilly reception area, you suddenly saw yourself not sitting in reception, but live, on TV? A bit surprised?" Kewney wrote on his blog.
Kewney said he was amused at first — but then considered that viewers would think he did not know his subject, hurting his reputation.
Though the BBC did not elaborate on how the mistake occurred, Kewney wrote that a studio manager, "wringing his hands as if he wanted to suddenly take the day off," had called the reception area — rather than the stage door — and was told the Kewney was there.
Producers apparently realized by the end of the interview that something had gone wrong — and, after they had gone off the air, asked the cabbie if there was a problem.
"He said: 'Well, it was OK, but I was a bit rushed,'" Kewney wrote on his blog.
___
On the Web:
http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/2701
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Woman: Intruder snaps photos, tries climbing into bed
DENTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A woman in Denton said a stranger went into her bedroom, snapped photos and then tried to climb into her bed.
The intruder told her the incident was only a prank and fled after she said she fought him off.
The victim's friends denied the prank and she went to the police to file a report.
DENTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A woman in Denton said a stranger went into her bedroom, snapped photos and then tried to climb into her bed.
The intruder told her the incident was only a prank and fled after she said she fought him off.
The victim's friends denied the prank and she went to the police to file a report.
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Landmine found in McKinney backyard
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
MCKINNEY, Texas - A landmine found in a McKinney family's backyard sent bomb detection crews to the home Monday night.
The crew continued working into the night on disposing the landmine safely in the 1100 block of Westmoreland.
Plano police bomb squad members took digital photos of the device and sent them via e-mail to an Air Force base. Experts from the base were said to be on their way to the site late Monday night.
The family who owned the house said the device originally came from Arizona and had been within the family for ten years.
McKinney code enforcers called the police after discovering it in the backyard.
Jesse Guzman, the son of the homeowners, said he was surprised to learn there was such a device.
"[I was] scared, shaken," he said. "I didn't know nothing about it. I didn't know what it was."
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
MCKINNEY, Texas - A landmine found in a McKinney family's backyard sent bomb detection crews to the home Monday night.
The crew continued working into the night on disposing the landmine safely in the 1100 block of Westmoreland.
Plano police bomb squad members took digital photos of the device and sent them via e-mail to an Air Force base. Experts from the base were said to be on their way to the site late Monday night.
The family who owned the house said the device originally came from Arizona and had been within the family for ten years.
McKinney code enforcers called the police after discovering it in the backyard.
Jesse Guzman, the son of the homeowners, said he was surprised to learn there was such a device.
"[I was] scared, shaken," he said. "I didn't know nothing about it. I didn't know what it was."
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Bookmaker has eyes on strip-poker record
DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) - Ireland will play host to the world's biggest ever strip poker contest if bookmaker Paddy Power gets its way.
The idea was originally floated as an April Fool's joke but generated so much interest that Dublin-based Paddy Power has decided to look seriously at organizing a contest it hopes will find a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
"We got almost 100 requests to take part," the company's spokesman, also called Paddy Power, said. "We're trying to investigate whether it's possible or whether we'll get put in prison for it."
Poker has become big business in recent years thanks to televised competitions promising big cash prizes and gaming companies such as Paddy Power offering on-line tournaments.
A spokesman for Guinness World Records confirmed that its research unit was looking into what would be a new category for the organization: "We're considering their claim and we'll get back to the organizers shortly."
Power said the company, which often grabs headlines with contentious adverts and unusual betting opportunities, hoped to host the event in August or September but had yet to decide on a prize: "Maybe a gold pair of underpants or a golden fig leaf would be most appropriate."
DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) - Ireland will play host to the world's biggest ever strip poker contest if bookmaker Paddy Power gets its way.
The idea was originally floated as an April Fool's joke but generated so much interest that Dublin-based Paddy Power has decided to look seriously at organizing a contest it hopes will find a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
"We got almost 100 requests to take part," the company's spokesman, also called Paddy Power, said. "We're trying to investigate whether it's possible or whether we'll get put in prison for it."
Poker has become big business in recent years thanks to televised competitions promising big cash prizes and gaming companies such as Paddy Power offering on-line tournaments.
A spokesman for Guinness World Records confirmed that its research unit was looking into what would be a new category for the organization: "We're considering their claim and we'll get back to the organizers shortly."
Power said the company, which often grabs headlines with contentious adverts and unusual betting opportunities, hoped to host the event in August or September but had yet to decide on a prize: "Maybe a gold pair of underpants or a golden fig leaf would be most appropriate."
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Pink Taco Restaurant Name Causes Stir
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - The name of a new restaurant in Scottsdale is stirring up some trouble. The Las Vegas-based Pink Taco Mexican Restaurant is scheduled to open its second location in downtown Scottsdale in June.
Nearly half a dozen people in the upscale city recently expressed their objection to the name, claiming it's a derogatory slang term for a portion of the female anatomy.
In late April, the city received four e-mails, three of which bore no names, objecting to the restaurant's name.
One of those e-mails stated: "The City of Scottsdale has a very fine reputation around the world. Let's keep the standards high. Let's let what plays in Vegas stay in Vegas."
Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross has said she is offended by the name and went so far as to ask the owner to change it, although he refused.
Restaurant spokeswoman Lisa Perez said the company's name comes from one of its menu items.
Perez said the company has not received any complaints or objections about its name.
The original Pink Taco is inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to decide Monday whether to recommend the restaurant get a liquor license. If granted, the restaurant's application would then be sent to the state liquor board for review.
___
Information from: East Valley Tribune/Scottsdale Tribune
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - The name of a new restaurant in Scottsdale is stirring up some trouble. The Las Vegas-based Pink Taco Mexican Restaurant is scheduled to open its second location in downtown Scottsdale in June.
Nearly half a dozen people in the upscale city recently expressed their objection to the name, claiming it's a derogatory slang term for a portion of the female anatomy.
In late April, the city received four e-mails, three of which bore no names, objecting to the restaurant's name.
One of those e-mails stated: "The City of Scottsdale has a very fine reputation around the world. Let's keep the standards high. Let's let what plays in Vegas stay in Vegas."
Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross has said she is offended by the name and went so far as to ask the owner to change it, although he refused.
Restaurant spokeswoman Lisa Perez said the company's name comes from one of its menu items.
Perez said the company has not received any complaints or objections about its name.
The original Pink Taco is inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to decide Monday whether to recommend the restaurant get a liquor license. If granted, the restaurant's application would then be sent to the state liquor board for review.
___
Information from: East Valley Tribune/Scottsdale Tribune
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TexasStooge
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Golfer Not Liable for Errant Golf Ball
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) - A golfer may not be held liable for mistakenly hitting another golfer with an errant golf ball, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled.
The court unanimously upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss Ryan Yoneda's lawsuit against Andrew Tom, whose wayward ball hit Yoneda in the left eye at Mililani Golf Course in 1999.
Chief Justice Ronald Moon wrote Yoneda assumed the risk of the injury when he played golf.
It is "common knowledge that not every shot played by a golfer goes exactly where he intends it to go," the ruling said, adding there wouldn't be much "sport" in the "sport of golf," if golf balls went exactly where the player wanted.
The April 28 ruling makes clear a golfer who intentionally hits a ball to inflict injury, or recklessly hits the ball knowing that injury is highly likely, would not be exempt from liability.
The court considered whether golfers should have to shout "fore" or other warnings to protect other players. The justices concluded, however, that doing so was golf etiquette, not a requirement recognized by law.
"With the ruling that warning is like an option, that's not too good," said Yoneda, who suffered permanent vision damage. "I know what it's like to be hit and I don't want anybody to go through what I went through."
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) - A golfer may not be held liable for mistakenly hitting another golfer with an errant golf ball, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled.
The court unanimously upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss Ryan Yoneda's lawsuit against Andrew Tom, whose wayward ball hit Yoneda in the left eye at Mililani Golf Course in 1999.
Chief Justice Ronald Moon wrote Yoneda assumed the risk of the injury when he played golf.
It is "common knowledge that not every shot played by a golfer goes exactly where he intends it to go," the ruling said, adding there wouldn't be much "sport" in the "sport of golf," if golf balls went exactly where the player wanted.
The April 28 ruling makes clear a golfer who intentionally hits a ball to inflict injury, or recklessly hits the ball knowing that injury is highly likely, would not be exempt from liability.
The court considered whether golfers should have to shout "fore" or other warnings to protect other players. The justices concluded, however, that doing so was golf etiquette, not a requirement recognized by law.
"With the ruling that warning is like an option, that's not too good," said Yoneda, who suffered permanent vision damage. "I know what it's like to be hit and I don't want anybody to go through what I went through."
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TexasStooge
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Bears Eat Monkey in Front of Zoo Visitors
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Bears killed and ate a monkey in a Dutch zoo in front of horrified visitors, witnesses and the zoo said Monday. In the incident Sunday at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park, several Sloth bears chased the Barbary macaque into an electric fence, where it was stunned.
It recovered and fled onto a wooden structure, where one bear pursued and mauled it to death.
The park confirmed the killing in a statement, saying: "In an area where Sloth bears, great apes and Barbary macaques have coexisted peacefully for a long time, the harmony was temporarily disturbed during opening hours on Sunday."
"Of course the habitats here in the safari park are arranged in such a way that one animal almost never kills another, but they are and remain wild animals," it said.
Witness Marco Berelds posted a detailed report on the incident, including photos, on a Dutch Web site. He said one Sloth bear tried unsuccessfully to shake the monkey loose after it took refuge on the structure, built of crossing horizontal and vertical poles.
Ignoring attempts by keepers to distract it, the bear climbed onto a horizontal pole, and, standing stretched on two legs, "used its sharp canines to pull the macaque, which was shrieking and resisting, from its perch."
The bear then brought the animal to a concrete den, where three bears ate it.
The zoo said it "usually wasn't possible" for keepers to intervene when an animal killed another.
The park plans now to move the Barbary macaques — which are large monkeys but often inaccurately called "Barbary Apes" — to another part of the park, it said.
___
On the Net:
http://www.advergraphics.nl/beekseberge ... vs_Aap.pdf
_____________________________________________________________
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Bears killed and ate a monkey in a Dutch zoo in front of horrified visitors, witnesses and the zoo said Monday. In the incident Sunday at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park, several Sloth bears chased the Barbary macaque into an electric fence, where it was stunned.
It recovered and fled onto a wooden structure, where one bear pursued and mauled it to death.
The park confirmed the killing in a statement, saying: "In an area where Sloth bears, great apes and Barbary macaques have coexisted peacefully for a long time, the harmony was temporarily disturbed during opening hours on Sunday."
"Of course the habitats here in the safari park are arranged in such a way that one animal almost never kills another, but they are and remain wild animals," it said.
Witness Marco Berelds posted a detailed report on the incident, including photos, on a Dutch Web site. He said one Sloth bear tried unsuccessfully to shake the monkey loose after it took refuge on the structure, built of crossing horizontal and vertical poles.
Ignoring attempts by keepers to distract it, the bear climbed onto a horizontal pole, and, standing stretched on two legs, "used its sharp canines to pull the macaque, which was shrieking and resisting, from its perch."
The bear then brought the animal to a concrete den, where three bears ate it.
The zoo said it "usually wasn't possible" for keepers to intervene when an animal killed another.
The park plans now to move the Barbary macaques — which are large monkeys but often inaccurately called "Barbary Apes" — to another part of the park, it said.
___
On the Net:
http://www.advergraphics.nl/beekseberge ... vs_Aap.pdf
_____________________________________________________________
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TexasStooge
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Paint Thinner-Cigarette Error Causes Fire
DENVER, N.C. (AP) - A man taking a break from painting burned down his house after trying to snuff out a cigarette in a bowl of paint thinner.
Stevie Spencer had put the bowl on his coffee table before taking a smoke break about 10 p.m. Saturday.
"I forgot paint thinner was in the bowl," Spencer said. "I thought it was water."
The fire from the paint thinner ignited some papers, Spencer said. He got his wife out of the house, then tried to extinguish the flames with a hose. Spencer suffered minor injuries.
Fire Chief Jay Flynn said the house was too far gone to save it when firefighters arrived.
DENVER, N.C. (AP) - A man taking a break from painting burned down his house after trying to snuff out a cigarette in a bowl of paint thinner.
Stevie Spencer had put the bowl on his coffee table before taking a smoke break about 10 p.m. Saturday.
"I forgot paint thinner was in the bowl," Spencer said. "I thought it was water."
The fire from the paint thinner ignited some papers, Spencer said. He got his wife out of the house, then tried to extinguish the flames with a hose. Spencer suffered minor injuries.
Fire Chief Jay Flynn said the house was too far gone to save it when firefighters arrived.
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TexasStooge
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Decaying Cow Removed From W.Va. River
WEST MILFORD, W.Va. (AP) - Residents of the Harrison County community of West Milford can breathe a little easier now that a stinky, rotting cow carcass has been removed.
The bovine's body had been hung up on a dead tree at the West Milford Dam for several weeks while various government agencies debated whose responsibility it was to remove it.
It's not clear how the brown-and-white Hereford died, but the animal's body apparently drifted downstream from one of the farms that line the West Fork River.
The cow was finally hauled away Saturday through the combined efforts of the Division of Highways and the West Milford and Nutter Fort volunteer fire departments.
Firefighters had to use a boat and a rope to pull the carcass from the log and then tow it to the riverbank, said Scott Robinson, the Nutter Fort assistant fire chief. DOH officials then brought in heavy equipment to take the carcass away, he said.
Residents of West Milford had been seeking help for the problem for more than three weeks. Officials with the Division of Natural Resources, the departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and the Clarksburg Water Board had all said the dead cow was not their responsibility.
___
Information from: Charleston Daily Mail
WEST MILFORD, W.Va. (AP) - Residents of the Harrison County community of West Milford can breathe a little easier now that a stinky, rotting cow carcass has been removed.
The bovine's body had been hung up on a dead tree at the West Milford Dam for several weeks while various government agencies debated whose responsibility it was to remove it.
It's not clear how the brown-and-white Hereford died, but the animal's body apparently drifted downstream from one of the farms that line the West Fork River.
The cow was finally hauled away Saturday through the combined efforts of the Division of Highways and the West Milford and Nutter Fort volunteer fire departments.
Firefighters had to use a boat and a rope to pull the carcass from the log and then tow it to the riverbank, said Scott Robinson, the Nutter Fort assistant fire chief. DOH officials then brought in heavy equipment to take the carcass away, he said.
Residents of West Milford had been seeking help for the problem for more than three weeks. Officials with the Division of Natural Resources, the departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and the Clarksburg Water Board had all said the dead cow was not their responsibility.
___
Information from: Charleston Daily Mail
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TexasStooge
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Woman With Dozens of Animals in Custody
WHITEFORD, Md. (AP) - A woman charged with 118 counts of animal cruelty after dozens of dogs and cats, more than 40 of them dead, were found at two houses was in custody Monday night, authorities said.
Donna Lee Bell, 59, of Whiteford, was arrested at her ex-husband's house in Essex in Baltimore County Monday, according to Bob Thomas, a spokesman for the Harford County sheriff's office. Bell was to be brought before a bail commissioner late Monday, he said.
Whiteford complained of chest pains Friday after deputies with search warrants arrived at one of two houses she owns and was taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. She was released from the hospital Sunday night and police had been searching for her since then.
The animals that were still alive were found in varying conditions of health, Thomas said. Fecal matter was piled more than two feet deep in the kitchen and animal control officers found rats among the skeletal remains of some of the dogs, he said. The search warrant was obtained after neighbors complained about the stench emanating from the houses.
Each count of animal cruelty carries a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 dollar fine.
WHITEFORD, Md. (AP) - A woman charged with 118 counts of animal cruelty after dozens of dogs and cats, more than 40 of them dead, were found at two houses was in custody Monday night, authorities said.
Donna Lee Bell, 59, of Whiteford, was arrested at her ex-husband's house in Essex in Baltimore County Monday, according to Bob Thomas, a spokesman for the Harford County sheriff's office. Bell was to be brought before a bail commissioner late Monday, he said.
Whiteford complained of chest pains Friday after deputies with search warrants arrived at one of two houses she owns and was taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. She was released from the hospital Sunday night and police had been searching for her since then.
The animals that were still alive were found in varying conditions of health, Thomas said. Fecal matter was piled more than two feet deep in the kitchen and animal control officers found rats among the skeletal remains of some of the dogs, he said. The search warrant was obtained after neighbors complained about the stench emanating from the houses.
Each count of animal cruelty carries a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 dollar fine.
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TexasStooge
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Gunmen demand Champions League final
PARIS, France (Reuters) - Two armed men held up councillors from a poor Paris suburb at gun point demanding free tickets to the Champions League final, French media reported on Tuesday.
The pair burst into a meeting late on Monday at the town hall in St Denis, the suburb north of Paris that is home to the Stade de France stadium hosting Wednesday's final between Barcelona and Arsenal.
"At first everyone thought it was a joke. The council offices were closed. And then, quite quickly, everyone realised it wasn't a joke," Francois Langlade, deputy mayor of St Denis told LCI television.
The hooded men clambered up the walls of the council building and through the window of the fourth floor room where the meeting was being held, declaring: "We want to see the mayor, we want tickets."
The two men put guns to the councillors heads, forced them to lie face down and threatened to shoot one in the foot.
However, the mayor, who is traditionally granted a number of guest tickets, could not be found and the intruders left empty-handed.
Police, who are hunting the robbers, were not immediately available for comment.
The final is one of the most eagerly anticipated for years, matching Barcelona's Brazilian world player of the year Ronaldinho against a team spearheaded by France striker Thierry Henry.
Tickets for the match are reported to be selling for between 1,000 (680 pounds) and 2,000 euros on the black market.
_____________________________________________________________
(As gunman) "Alright, gimme tickets to the Champions League final...and you, riverdance."
PARIS, France (Reuters) - Two armed men held up councillors from a poor Paris suburb at gun point demanding free tickets to the Champions League final, French media reported on Tuesday.
The pair burst into a meeting late on Monday at the town hall in St Denis, the suburb north of Paris that is home to the Stade de France stadium hosting Wednesday's final between Barcelona and Arsenal.
"At first everyone thought it was a joke. The council offices were closed. And then, quite quickly, everyone realised it wasn't a joke," Francois Langlade, deputy mayor of St Denis told LCI television.
The hooded men clambered up the walls of the council building and through the window of the fourth floor room where the meeting was being held, declaring: "We want to see the mayor, we want tickets."
The two men put guns to the councillors heads, forced them to lie face down and threatened to shoot one in the foot.
However, the mayor, who is traditionally granted a number of guest tickets, could not be found and the intruders left empty-handed.
Police, who are hunting the robbers, were not immediately available for comment.
The final is one of the most eagerly anticipated for years, matching Barcelona's Brazilian world player of the year Ronaldinho against a team spearheaded by France striker Thierry Henry.
Tickets for the match are reported to be selling for between 1,000 (680 pounds) and 2,000 euros on the black market.
_____________________________________________________________
(As gunman) "Alright, gimme tickets to the Champions League final...and you, riverdance."
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TexasStooge
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Sacred Cambodian cows predict bountiful harvest
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's sacred oxen have forecast a bountiful harvest but thin rains, leading farmers to call on the government to build more irrigation systems and canals.
At the annual royal ploughing ceremony in front of Phnom Penh's golden-spired palace, the cows ate lots of rice, beans and corn, suggesting "there will be plenty of crops", court astrologer Kang Ken told the crowds on Tuesday.
However, the beasts, who were also presented with golden bowls of water and wine, refused to drink any water, meaning the war-scarred Southeast Asian nation could suffer a year of drought.
"If the rains are going to be poor, we are going to have to have irrigation as a back-up," said 31-year-old farmer Bun Nak, who had travelled to the city to witness the ancient ceremony, which was overseen by King Norodom Sihamoni.
Last year, the cows got it spot on with their prediction of an abundant rice harvest. Cambodia produced more than 6 million tonnes of rice for the first time ever.
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's sacred oxen have forecast a bountiful harvest but thin rains, leading farmers to call on the government to build more irrigation systems and canals.
At the annual royal ploughing ceremony in front of Phnom Penh's golden-spired palace, the cows ate lots of rice, beans and corn, suggesting "there will be plenty of crops", court astrologer Kang Ken told the crowds on Tuesday.
However, the beasts, who were also presented with golden bowls of water and wine, refused to drink any water, meaning the war-scarred Southeast Asian nation could suffer a year of drought.
"If the rains are going to be poor, we are going to have to have irrigation as a back-up," said 31-year-old farmer Bun Nak, who had travelled to the city to witness the ancient ceremony, which was overseen by King Norodom Sihamoni.
Last year, the cows got it spot on with their prediction of an abundant rice harvest. Cambodia produced more than 6 million tonnes of rice for the first time ever.
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TexasStooge
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A very strange sign of the times...
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) - Exhausted Japanese workers in need of a pick-me-up will soon be able to get a hit of canned oxygen at their local convenience store.
Seven-Eleven Japan will start marketing the new product, "O2 Supli," at select stores in the Tokyo area later this month and expand sales nationwide in June.
"People are under a lot of stress and can't get much exercise, so they aren't getting enough oxygen," said Minoru Matsumoto, a spokesman for Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, Seven-Eleven's parent company.
"This is especially true of people who do long hours of desk work in front of a computer. They don't breathe that deeply."
The oxygen will be sold for 600 yen ($5.50) in 3.2-liter spray cans of 95 percent pure oxygen, each of which comes with a small plastic mask attached to the top.
Users place the mask over their mouth and nose, then push a nozzle, which dispenses the oxygen for two to three seconds.
Each can contains enough oxygen for about 35 doses, in either a grapefruit or peppermint fragrance.
"The peppermint should be really good for mornings when you're tired, or when you're driving, or when you really have to concentrate," Matsumoto said.
"The grapefruit should be good before you do sports or while you're working really late."
People involved in product testing gave favorable reports, Matsumoto said, noting that he had tried it himself.
"Everyone found it extremely refreshing," he added.
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) - Exhausted Japanese workers in need of a pick-me-up will soon be able to get a hit of canned oxygen at their local convenience store.
Seven-Eleven Japan will start marketing the new product, "O2 Supli," at select stores in the Tokyo area later this month and expand sales nationwide in June.
"People are under a lot of stress and can't get much exercise, so they aren't getting enough oxygen," said Minoru Matsumoto, a spokesman for Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, Seven-Eleven's parent company.
"This is especially true of people who do long hours of desk work in front of a computer. They don't breathe that deeply."
The oxygen will be sold for 600 yen ($5.50) in 3.2-liter spray cans of 95 percent pure oxygen, each of which comes with a small plastic mask attached to the top.
Users place the mask over their mouth and nose, then push a nozzle, which dispenses the oxygen for two to three seconds.
Each can contains enough oxygen for about 35 doses, in either a grapefruit or peppermint fragrance.
"The peppermint should be really good for mornings when you're tired, or when you're driving, or when you really have to concentrate," Matsumoto said.
"The grapefruit should be good before you do sports or while you're working really late."
People involved in product testing gave favorable reports, Matsumoto said, noting that he had tried it himself.
"Everyone found it extremely refreshing," he added.
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TexasStooge
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Springtime for, oh, somebody bad...
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) - If one of Hollywood's leading studios had its way, it would have been "Springtime for Mussolini," not Hitler, or so says Mel Brooks.
With the DVD of the musical film version of "The Producers" released on Monday, the veteran writer-director reminisced about the struggle he had to get the original 1968 comedy made when he pitched the idea to Universal Pictures, then headed by legendary Hollywood powerhouse Lew Wasserman.
"Universal sent the scripts to Lew Wasserman and (the other executives) and they said, 'We love this movie,' but we just want to make one small change.'
"I said, 'Fine, what is it?' They said that instead of making a Broadway play about Adolf Hitler, make it about Mussolini instead because we couldn't possibly make a movie about Hitler," Brooks said in an interview with Reuters last week.
In the movie, a producer and his bookkeeper seize on the idea that they can make more money producing a flop than a hit because a flop would let them keep their investors' money.
In their search for the worst imaginable play, the two zero in on "Springtime for Hitler," written by a deranged German pigeon fancier, which they see as a sure-fire failure.
Brooks, 79, said his reaction to Universal's request was a simple: "'What, are you crazy?' But they insisted they could not make a picture about Hitler. I was going to entitle the film 'Springtime for Hitler.' So I took it to Joseph E. Levine of Embassy Pictures, and he said, 'You want Hitler, you got Hitler. Just don't call it 'Springtime for Hitler.' So I came up with the ironic title of 'The Producers.'"
"Springtime for Hitler" remained the name of the play in the movie.
The 1968 film won a best original screenplay Oscar for Brooks, who based his idea on a producer he worked for who really did "make passionate love to little old ladies on their way to the cemetery and then ask them for money."
Brooks turned his film comedy six years ago into a hit Broadway musical, which he adapted as a film last year.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) - If one of Hollywood's leading studios had its way, it would have been "Springtime for Mussolini," not Hitler, or so says Mel Brooks.
With the DVD of the musical film version of "The Producers" released on Monday, the veteran writer-director reminisced about the struggle he had to get the original 1968 comedy made when he pitched the idea to Universal Pictures, then headed by legendary Hollywood powerhouse Lew Wasserman.
"Universal sent the scripts to Lew Wasserman and (the other executives) and they said, 'We love this movie,' but we just want to make one small change.'
"I said, 'Fine, what is it?' They said that instead of making a Broadway play about Adolf Hitler, make it about Mussolini instead because we couldn't possibly make a movie about Hitler," Brooks said in an interview with Reuters last week.
In the movie, a producer and his bookkeeper seize on the idea that they can make more money producing a flop than a hit because a flop would let them keep their investors' money.
In their search for the worst imaginable play, the two zero in on "Springtime for Hitler," written by a deranged German pigeon fancier, which they see as a sure-fire failure.
Brooks, 79, said his reaction to Universal's request was a simple: "'What, are you crazy?' But they insisted they could not make a picture about Hitler. I was going to entitle the film 'Springtime for Hitler.' So I took it to Joseph E. Levine of Embassy Pictures, and he said, 'You want Hitler, you got Hitler. Just don't call it 'Springtime for Hitler.' So I came up with the ironic title of 'The Producers.'"
"Springtime for Hitler" remained the name of the play in the movie.
The 1968 film won a best original screenplay Oscar for Brooks, who based his idea on a producer he worked for who really did "make passionate love to little old ladies on their way to the cemetery and then ask them for money."
Brooks turned his film comedy six years ago into a hit Broadway musical, which he adapted as a film last year.
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