 | Perspective Volume XI 
Sunday Oct 20, 2002
Perspective is a weekly features of unorthodox news reports from around the globe. Some of the reports serve to prove the point that we Nigerians are not as unique as we may be thinking. To put any news report in Perspective please send a note to
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Headlines
The keyboard that isn't there Back To TopThe problem with pocket technology, such as PDAs and mobile phones, is that they are too small to incorporate a full keyboard.This leads to alternative, and often clumsy, forms of data input such as hand-writing recognition or typing text messages on a numeric keypad. Now there's na solution - a light-projected keyboard. Suddenly, an uncluttered desk, kitchen table, or pull-down tray on a train or plane can be converted into a keyboard. Canesta, from San Jose in Silicon Valley, has designed what it calls an integrated projection keyboard for mobile and wireless devices. Israeli developers demonstrated a similar device at CeBIT earlier this year. Basically it's a keyboard made of light, which heralds an end to the days of those working on the move having to lug around numerous gadgets. Jim Spare, Canesta's vice-president of product marketing, told BBC News Online the infrared keyboard is easy to use and, of course, weighs nothing. You simply take your PDA and put it onto the table. It shines a keyboard onto the table and you just type on the table as if it were a keyboard. "The electronic perception technology watches your fingers move and translates that into keystrokes in the device. It can also do mouse functions so you get the ease of a full-size keyboard, but it appears anywhere you want to use it." The keyboard is made possible by a tiny sensor fitted with three chips - one to beam the keyboard image, the other two to pick up the movement of typing fingers. That typing movement interacts with the light and sends signals to the sensor. The only drawback for the touch typist is that you can't rest your fingers on the keyboard as you would normally, but Mr Spare says that 15 minutes of practice makes perfect. "I'm a touch typist and have had to learn to rest my palms on the desk and not my fingers on the keyboard. But I can still type with all my fingers and don't have to hunt and peck. "The speed is limited by your ability and proficient typists can still get 70 to 80 words a minute." The key to the possible success of such an application is the price, for no longer does projecting an image rely on camera set-ups and substantial computer power. Instead it uses low-cost semiconductor-based sensors. Mr Spare says this means the company can sell the technology to the manufacturers of mobile devices for about $35. He expects it to be available in the first half of 2003. This virtual keyboard has the potential to make both mobile phones and PDAs much more usable - good news for the battered communications industry, says Andrew M Seybold of Outlook 4. "The ability to finally do PC-like work on a mobile device will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the wireless market." Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2000/dot_life/2326077.stm
Vatican Angry over Church's Brothel in Russia Back To TopVATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican voiced outrage Monday after a church property in Moscow was turned into a brothel, saying it was part of what it sees as a long-running smear campaign against the Catholic Church in Russia.In a statement, the Vatican said Franciscan friars in the Russian capital had rented out one of their apartments to a private individual who had assured them it would be used for "charitable purposes." Instead it became a house of ill repute with prostitutes dressed as nuns, the Vatican said. Pope John Paul's spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls branded the incident "a despicable operation designed to discredit the...brothers...and through them the Catholic Church." Navarro-Valls' statement said the episode and Russian television broadcasts of people in religious attire acting immorally was part of a campaign "bent on damaging the reputation of the Catholic community." Relations between the Vatican and Russia have been particularly tense recently, with three Catholic priests being expelled in the past six months. The Russian Orthodox Church, which split from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054, accuses Roman Catholics of using their new-found freedoms in the former Soviet Union to poach Orthodox believers. Navarro-Valls said the Vatican had formally complained to Russian authorities about the brothel. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1579570 and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2327267.stm
Russian Population Census Pa Russki Back To TopThe population census started in Russia two days ago, October 9. The census is revealing a number of important problems in the country: there is poor organization of the census itself in some places; in some cases, for instance, people demand that the authorities should guarantee uninterrupted power and electricity supply in exchange for participation in the census. In any case, the census is underway, although not always smoothly.It is strange, but people employed to collect personal data for the census are sometimes attacked. On the other hand, criminals are using the very convenient opportunity to break into apartments under the guise of census agents. They are sometimes successful with their trickery. People often tell funny stories connected with the census, and some of them appear in newspapers. Here is one of them. Two census agents appeared in a gardening community, where people live in summer cottages during warm weather mostly, in the Moscow region early on October 10. However their shabby appearance rose the suspicion of the watchman who was on duty at that time. What is more unusual, the two men wrote down data in an ordinary school copy-book, not in official census papers developed especially for the census. When sometime later the watchman saw the “agents” trying to steal a refrigerator, he understood that they were trying to pull something. What the watchman said about the accident is partially funny, but at the same time really dramatic: “I set my patrol dog into action;the thieves dropped the fridge and scattered.” It is said that several bus drivers were fired for having a rude attitude toward the census agents in the Krasnoyarsk region. It is astonishing, but there are people who participated in the first census in 1897 who are still alive: three women live in the Perm region of Russia. They were born in 1896 and 1897, and can’t remember the details of the 1897 census for quite obvious reasons (they were too young and don’t remember how it was held). And the real old-timers remember all the previous population censuses in 1920, 1926, 1939, 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989 perfectly well. The Russian radio station Echo Moskvy reports that aggressive Vietnamese and Chinese in the Russian city of Birobidjan didn’t let census agents into their apartments. Local authorities say that the incident was settled without the help of police. It is still a problem whether it will be possible to take a census of the Vietnamese and Chinese, who are mostly illegal in Russia. Many of them even don’t speak Russian. Russian parliamentarians are also paying attention to the population census in Russia. Today, Duma Deputy from Tatarstan Fandas Safiullin said that census papers developed especially for President Putin were false: there was a Native Language column, although nothing of the kind is mentioned in regular census papers offered to the people in Russia. Safiullin says that Vladimir Putin and his family were deceived. That is why the deputy thinks that Chairman of the Russian Statistics Committee Vladimir Sokolin should be invited to a Duma session to explain the situation. However, the initiative was rejected by the majority of Duma deputies. It is very likely that more interesting and even amusing incidents will occur during the census; we will continue to follow the census and report the most interesting incidents. Source:http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/10/11/38028.html
Radioactive Chinese Man Detained in Russia Back To TopA Chinese national was detained in the Far East of Russia. It was reported that his “radiation level” exceeded the norm by 200 times. The press service of the Far Eastern customs service said that such a surprising fact was fixed by a radiation control system during a process of registration of those people that wished to get entry to Russia.The radiation instrument reacted to the Chinese man, whose radiation made up 2000 microroentgen per hour. Customs officers talked to the man and discovered that he suffers from a thyroid gland illness. Before leaving for Russia, he took a pill, which increased his level of radiation. A special committee eventually decided to send the unlucky Chinese man back to China. Source:http://funreports.com/2002/10/08/37917.html
One Good Blow to the Head and You Can Speak a New Language Back To TopMedical research reveals that people need not live abroad for a long period of time in order to speak with an accent. Doctors discovered “a foreign accent syndrome” with patients who suffered a heart attack or some other serious injury. It was believed for a rather long period that these accents ere caused by mental changes; however, recently, doctors that such accents are of an organic nature.Doctor Jennifier Gurd and phonetician John Coleman from the University of Oxford conducted unusual research and discovered common characteristics among patients suffering from heart attacks: small injuries were found in certain parts of the brain. The scientists say that the changes might be responsible for slightly perceptible voice characteristics such as length of syllables, pitch changes, or mispronounced sounds. Although the problem is often settled by itself, it can become a real tragedy for a patient to realize that he can’t speak as he did before the heart attack. Doctor Gurd says, “Patients feel better if they know about the reasons for the unusual state they are experiencing, and some are even ready to help scientists understand the brain's characteristics and its role in forming accents. Doctor Coleman adds, “It is highly likely that your condition will improve with time and you will regain your healthy life.” Source:http://funreports.com/2002/10/08/37904.html
Male biological clock is ticking Back To TopThe chances of a man having children dip past his 35th birthday, researchers have found. The researchers, from the University of Washington in Seattle, found that damage to the genetic material containing sperm cells increases with age. Unlike most other cells in the body, sperm cells are unable to repair this damage. In addition, the researchers found that as a man gets older he loses his natural ability to weed out unhealthy sperm cells through a process known as apoptosis. This means that there is a greater chance that a damaged sperm cell will successfully fertilise the female egg. This could mean that the risk of miscarriage is increased or, at the other end of the scale, that children have a greater chance of developing mild abnormalities such as uneven teeth, or asymmetrical limbs. Lead researcher Dr Narendra Singh told the BBC: "We found there is a significant change by the age of 35." Dr Singh's team examined sperm quality in 60 men aged between 22 and 60. All had healthy sperm counts. The researchers found that men aged 35 and older had higher concentrations of sperm with broken strands of DNA, and that the damage was greater. In general, older men's sperm was less active so they had less chance of fertilising an egg. A recent study found that male infertility was just as likely as female infertility to prevent couples from having a family. The proportion of British men aged over 40 becoming fathers increased by half in the 1990s. In 1999 one in 10 children was born to a father aged over 40. It is known that a healthy lifestyle can have a positive effect on male fertility. The findings are to be presented at a meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine in Seattle. Society president William Keye said: "While there is nothing anyone can do about getting older, men who want to retain their own best capacity to father children should try to minimise contact with toxic agents and maintain a healthy lifestyle." Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2328909.stm
Ukrainian president in criminal probe Back To TopA leading Ukrainian judge, Yuri Vasylenko, has opened a criminal case against the country's president, Leonid Kuchma.Mr Kuchma has been accused of selling a military radar system to Iraq in breach of United Nations sanctions. The focus of the criminal investigation will be accusations by opposition politicians that the president violated 11 articles of the criminal code. Together with the illegal sale of military technology to Iraq the president is allegedly involved in the murder of an investigative journalist, Georgiy Gongadze, who had written many articles about corruption. The president's administration has often been accused of corruption, abuse of office and vote-rigging. The opening of the criminal investigation comes at a difficult time for Mr Kuchma. American and British experts are travelling around the country examining claims that Ukraine sold a military radar system to Iraq. A recording of a meeting involving the president purports to show him agreeing to sell the Kolchuga radar to Iraq for a $100m. The recording is now in the hands of the American government. If the investigators discover the allegation is true, there will be serious repercussions. Mr Kuchma already has plenty of enemies inside Ukraine, but offending what were once his supporters outside the country could prove to be a costly error. Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2329715.stm Editor's Note: Ukraine may be the only country in the world where the president is being charged for violating UN sanction. Other countries demand their presidents do just that.
Utah woman charged with aiding and abetting polygamy Back To TopSALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- For apparently the first time in more than 100 years, Utah prosecutors are going after a woman on polygamy-related charges.The woman, Suzie Stubbs Holm, 36, is part of a polygamous household in rural Utah. But she is not directly charged with polygamy. Instead, she is accused of getting her 16-year-old sister to marry into the household. Holm was charged by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff last week with abetting bigamy and illegal sex and could get up to 10 years in prison. Holm's husband, Hildale police officer Rodney H. Holm, 36, was charged with illegally marrying the little sister. Utah men are rarely prosecuted for polygamy; there is only one other known case over the past 50 years or so. And there is no known case over the past century in which a woman was charged with entering into a polygamous marriage or inducing someone else to do so, according to Martha Bradley, an author and researcher on polygamy in Utah. Anti-polygamists said the case was long overdue. "It is not only holding the man responsible but holding the other adults in the home responsible for not reporting child abuse," said Flora Jessop, a Phoenix anti-polygamy activist and former plural wife. Polygamy persists throughout the West with an estimated 30,000 practitioners. The Holms belong to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, whose members openly practice plural marriage. Most of them live in Hildale-Colorado City, twin desert towns straddling the Utah-Arizona state line. The Fundamentalist church is an offshoot of the Mormon Church, which disavowed polygamy in 1890 and excommunicates those who practice it. More than 6,000 Fundamentalist church members live in the community, a modest town of houses clad in untreated plywood. Authorities leery of voter backlash, particularly from large polygamist communities that have considerable political weight in rural Utah, have refused to prosecute men for taking more than wife, in part because of a 1953 raid on Colorado City that was a public-relations disaster. "What's the political percentage? Generally, they haven't hurt anyone," said Utah historian Will Bagley. "It's been child abuse and welfare fraud that's brought prosecutions." Last year, in what was believed to be Utah's first polygamy prosecution in a half-century, Tom Green, who has five wives and 31 children, was convicted of four counts of bigamy and failure to pay child support. Then last June, he was found guilty of child rape for marrying and conceiving a child with a 13-year-old girl. He is serving five years to life in prison. The prosecutor in the Green case, Juab County Attorney David Leavitt, declined to charge any of Green's wives because he considered them victims. And that appears to be a widely held view. "Women are seen as victims and men as predators in these cases involving sex, which are always dicey," Bagley said. Rowenna Erickson of Tapestry Against Polygamy, an organization started by former polygamist wives, agreed plural wives are victims but said they still bear responsibility. "Why not charge them?" Erickson asked. "Maybe this will help the women to wake up and say, 'I'm accountable."' Rodney Holm is accused of having sex with the 16-year-old at least three times. State law bans sex involving 16- and 17-year-olds when the partner is 10 or more years older, unless the couple is legally married. The Holms' attorney, Rod Parker, who also represents the Fundamentalist church, said that Holm's marriage to the girl was not forced, and that the girl's parents consented to the arrangement. Though not legally married, they considered their 1998 wedding valid according to their faith. Prosecutors say that the girl's older sister told her it was her godly duty to marry Holm. The girl was warned that she would "burn in hell" if she refused to marry Holm, her attorney, Bill Walker, told The Salt Lake Tribune. Walker told the newspaper that the girl, who has since left Holm, was coerced by the church's late leader, Rulon Jeffs. Suzie Holm's prosecution is "a groundbreaking case," Jessop said. "People don't understand this has nothing to do with religion. It's a human rights violation, a civil rights violation." Source:http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/10/14/polygamy.wife.charged.ap/index.html
An Israeli woman said that she saw Bin Laden at the Bali airport Back To TopThe act of terrorism on the resort island of Bali is being investigated. According to the current results of the investigation, the police assumed that the act of terrorism was organized by al-Qaeda. The act was performed by the Indonesian radical group Jemma Islamia.The mentioning of al-Qaeda was not a surprise in this respect. This is the first association that comes to people's minds when there is an explosion somewhere. Al-Qaeda has already released a lot of statements in which it was promised to blow something up. Most likely, the tragedy on Bali was organized by Osama bin Laden's terrorist group. By the way, al-Qaeda has recently claimed responsibility for the explosion of a French tanker in Yemen on October 6. NTVRU.Com reported that an Israeli female tourist allegedly saw Osama bin Laden at the airport of Bali ten days before the explosion. Thirty-year-old woman Tami Lalos stated to the Israli daily Maariv that she saw three men in the hall of the airport. She recognized Bin Laden. She said that he was wearing European clothes and had his beard cut a bit. The woman also said that he was carrying a small case in his hand. The case was fixed to his wrist with a chain. Two other men were apparently his bodyguards. Lalos said that they did not want to attract attention, but it was clear that they were with him. An airport attendant came up to Bin Laden several minutes later and gave him his suitcase and took them through customs control. When the woman returned to Tel Aviv in the beginning of October, she phoned the US embassy to report the information. An act of terrorism happened on Bali nine days later. It is hard to say if Tami Lalos saw Bin Laden or it was someone else. At any rate, it was reported several months ago that Al-Qaeda leaders (including Bin Laden) probably found a shelter in Indonesia. This country can be a very good hiding place, indeed. Indonesia consists of 15 thousand islands, the majority of which are uninhabited. Needless to mention that no one can guarantee for sure that Bin Laden left Afghanistan (or Pakistan) and moved to Indonesia. On the other hand, terrorists would not let the whole world know about it. Thus, the act of terrorism in Bali is still a mystery. However, there are almost no doubts that the blast was organized by Islamic terrorists. The investigation will have to determine if it was connected with al-Qaeda or not. Maybe, Washington’s "Axis of Evil" will have another country added to it. Well, Indonesia hasn't been considered a “good country” anyway. Source:http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/10/16/38235.html
Long life 'better than painless death' Back To TopBritons, Americans and the French are divided over whether they would prefer to live well into old age or die early without any pain. An international survey suggests people living in Britain and the United States are most likely to opt for a long life even if it means suffering pain or becoming dependent on others towards the end.In contrast, people in France are much more likely to say they would prefer to die younger than usual rather than experience pain. The findings come ahead of the first annual conference of the UK International Longevity Centre in London on Wednesday. According to the survey of more than 800 people in each of the three countries, nearly two in three Americans want to live longer than usual. The average life expectancy for American women is 80.6 years and 74.2 years for men. In Britain, over half said they would prefer a long life to painless death at a younger age. However, that figure was lower among young people. British women were also more likely to opt for a shorter life to escape pain. The average British women lives until she is 80.6 years and the average man lives until he is 75.3 years. But in France just one in three agreed. French women already have the highest life expectancy rates in Europe with most expected to live until they are 82.5 years of age. Men die, on average earlier at the age of 75. The International Longevity Centre, a think tank based in London, said its survey findings were a start in finding out how long people wished to live. Baroness Sally Greengross, its executive chairman, said: "It is interesting that this survey seems to show that men in the UK want to live longer than women want to. "Although life expectancy is currently on the increase, so are the instances of disease in the later stages of life. "This survey makes a start in answering interesting attitudes about people's life to longevity and particularly comparing how long people want to live." Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2330357.stm
How much is your kidney worth? In India, each can fetch you £400. Back To TopIndia's trade in human organs is growing despite a government ban introduced 10 years ago.A BBC investigation has found that many of the poorest people in India continue to sell their kidneys for the equivalent of just stg£400. The men and women who volunteer to have a kidney removed say they need to money to pay off debts and to buy food. One area of the Indian city of Madras has been nicknamed 'kidney district' because so many people have sold their kidney. There is little or no work in the slums of Madras. Many earn as little as 70 pence a day. One woman told the BBC she earned two-years worth of wages by selling on kidney. She sold her kidney for £400 to a man from Singapore who desperately needed a transplant. He is believed to have paid up to £20,000 for the organ. That money went to a middle man. The Indian government introduced a law to ban the trade in human organs a decade ago. However, critics say that move simply drove the practise underground. Dr J K Reddy, a consultant surgeon in Madras, suggested the government should change the law. He told the BBC: "They've got to put themselves in the shoes of not only the patient who is dying but also in the shoes of the person who is donating the kidney even if it is for financial reasons." Many people in India sell their kidneys to westerners who have been waiting for a transplant. In Britain, two GPs have recently been found guilty of encouraging the trade in human organs. Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2331341.stm
8 Japanese loaned to Japan for 10 days after 24 years of captivity in N. Korea Back To TopFive Japanese plucked from beaches by North Korean agents 24 years ago were finally back on Japanese soil.Family members were at the airport with flowers and banners to welcome them as they emerged from a government-chartered airliner at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. There were some smiles and many tears as they embraced. The five are the only known survivors of the 13 Japanese North Korea has admitted kidnapping. They have been allowed home after an extraordinary confession and apology from North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi last month. But it is only a temporary visit. They will return to North Korea in ten days. They have had to leave their children behind in Pyongyang - most Japanese see them as hostages. At a news conference they gave little away. They stood up one by one - and made the very briefest of statements. In some cases the Japanese was stilted - rusty from lack of use. There were no insights into their lives in North Korea - no tales of the ordeals they had suffered. They were abducted to teach North Korean spies how to pass themselves off as Japanese - highly dangerous work that they were lucky to survive. One of the relatives, Toru Hasuike said his brother was not forthcoming in private either. "I was very direct with him and asked about the circumstances of the kidnapping. He said let's not talk about it now." In the summer of 1978 Kaoru Hasuike was a 20-year-old university student. He was back for a holiday at the family home on the north-west coast - he went out for a walk with his girlfriend, Yukiko Okudo, when they stumbled on North Korean agents. Two-hundred kilometres down the coast that same summer - another couple went out for an evening stroll. Yasushi Chimura and Fukie Hamamoto were attacked from behind, tied up and bundled into sacks. They also married in North Korea. The fifth survivor is Hitomi Soga. She was out walking with her mother, who is still missing presumed dead. For the parents of the eight others who were kidnapped and who died in North Korea the torment continues. They were also at the airport desperate for information. Megumi Yokota was just 13 when she was kidnapped on her way home from school. North Korea says she committed suicide 10 years ago. Her mother Sakie Yokota does not know what to think "We can't believe what we've been told by the North Koreans. Even the photograph they sent of Megumi looks unnatural as if it's been retouched. We want to find out what happened from those who've come back." Japan is insisting that all the families be allowed home permanently - and it wants a convincing explanation as to how eight of those kidnapped had died. Mr Koizumi says he still wants negotiations with the North Koreans - talks that could result in diplomatic relations and substantial economic aid. That is the goal for North Korea and it seems content to use the abducted people as a negotiating card until it gets what it wants. Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2331447.stm
Sentences Cut After Prisoners Memorize Koran Back To TopDUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai has cut the jail terms of 12 inmates by up to five years after they memorized parts of the Koran, prison authorities said on Wednesday.Head of prisons Mohammed al-Suweidi told reporters the inmates, some of them facing 25-year terms, took advantage of a drive launched by Dubai to raise religious awareness. Under the initiative, prisoners who memorize five of the 30 sections of the Muslim holy book get their term cut by one year while those memorizing 10 sections get five years shaved off. Inmates memorizing the whole Koran get 15 years off. "Since the initiative was only introduced in March, nobody has yet memorized the whole book," Suweidi said. The 12 prisoners were from the United Arab Emirates and other countries including Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Authorities did not say what they had been convicted of. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1585209
President Jacques Chirac spent $2.16 million on food. Prosecutors not interested!!! Back To TopPARIS (Reuters) - The Paris public prosecutor will not investigate some $2.16 million of eating expenses run up by President Jacques Chirac and his wife while Chirac was mayor, a judicial source said Tuesday.Incumbent Socialist Mayor Betrand Delanoe in July handed over to prosecutors an audit by public inspectors that found some of the expenses had been of a personal nature, to buy wine and food for private receptions between 1987 and 1995. The Paris prosecutor's office told Delanoe in its reply, which has not been made public, that it saw insufficient grounds to press ahead with a investigation, the source said. Delanoe can still launch a civil suit on the grounds that the funds were not used for official engagements while Chirac was mayor. Chirac, who held the post of mayor for 18 years between 1977 and 1995, was approached by Paris authorities in connection with the audit but declined to respond. Chirac has also been the center of an investigation into suspect cash payments he made for private trips abroad in the 1990s. He has denied any impropriety and remains immune from questioning or possible prosecution as long as he is head of state. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1585196
1,000-strong army is patrolling Beijing's Tiananmen Square, removing Chewing Gum Back To TopBEIJING (Reuters) - As China's ruling Communists try to ensure a critical party congress comes off without a hitch next month, a 1,000-strong army is patrolling Beijing's Tiananmen Square, removing a troublesome scourge -- chewing gum.Ranks of cleaners have toiled in the vast square for 18 days to scrape off an estimated 600,000 wads of chewing gum, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday. Each wad of gum cost 13 cents to remove, Xinhua said, citing a cleaning company working for the Management Committee of Tiananmen Square. The cleanup comes as the government spruces up the city ahead of the 16th Communist Party Congress that starts in the Great Hall of the People on one side of the square on November 8 and is expected to see a younger generation take the reins of power. Lying at the heart of the Chinese capital, Tiananmen Square was the focal point of huge pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989 crushed by the army with heavy loss of life. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1585208
Oklahoma fights budget deficit by taking out half the light bulbs Back To TopOKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - When the going gets tough, the state government in Oklahoma turns off the lights.Beset by a budget shortfall running close to $200 million, state officials have removed up to half of the light bulbs from some state buildings to cut costs. "We aren't going to make people work by candlelight or flashlight or anything like that," said Oklahoma Department of Central Services spokesman Tom Hall. "It does add up. It adds up to a noticeable amount, although I'm not sure what it is," Hall said. The state has already implemented cost-cutting measures that include slashing programs, implementing unpaid furloughs for state employees and refinancing state bonds to lower interest rates. The state's central services department came up with the bright idea of taking out the lights, but it is not sure if it will make a big dent in the budget shortfall. Hall said the measure is taking place in the state's 14-building capitol complex in Oklahoma City, as well as some state buildings in Tulsa and a smaller town, Ada. In addition to dimming the lights, state employees are being asked to turn out any remaining lights when no one is on the room. Hall said working without the normal level of light wasn't all that bad. "I'm sitting under half the number of light bulbs I could put up there and it's not inconveniencing me in any way," Hall said in a telephone interview. Several state employees did not see things the same way. "It's a stupid idea. It's dark in here," one state employee said. "If we had better budget planning, we would not have to resort to this." Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1585203
Greek election to be decided by coin toss Back To TopATHENS (Reuters) - They say that politics in Greece is a family affair. Never more true than in the case of a northern Greek village where voters had to choose between two cousins during local and municipal elections on Sunday.Instead of sparking a family feud, voters in the village of Vlasti opted to split their votes down the middle and gave each of the two candidates an equal 477 votes, Greek media reported on Monday. The winner will now be chosen with a flip of the coin according to Greek election rules. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1579517
17 Nuclear Reactors Found in Gabon Back To TopNuclear physics is a relatively young science. Humans created the first man-made nuclear reactor only about 60 years ago, in 1942. However, nuclear reactors existed on the planet two billion years ago. So far, science knows of 17 nuclear reactors located in Gabon, an African country.All of these natural reactors were found around uranium deposits in Oklo and Bangomba, in the southeast of Gabon. Nine of 17 reactors were found on completely depleted uranium deposits. These ancient reactors were found in 1972. The French chemist Bugzig, who worked at one of nuclear fuel factories, paid attention to an unusual correlation of uranium isotopes in the ore, uranium 235 and uranium 238. This basically makes up 0.007202, whereas Bugzig discovered 0.00717. There were several variants to explain the strange correlation of uranium isotope in the ore. It was originally believed that the ore was poisoned with spent nuclear fuel. However, when they measured the radiation level, it turned out that this theory was wrong. Then it became known that the uranium ore with an extremely high uranium 235 constituent was mined in Gabon. At first, it was a mystery why the ore was enriched with the given isotope. Some believed that the uranium deposit was contaminated with spent UFO fuel. Others said that the ore was mined from the place where an ancient civilization stored its radioactive wastes. However, further research showed that the unusual ore appeared in a natural way. The products of deep radioactive decay found in the ore proved that nuclear reactions happened on the site of the uranium deposit two billion years ago. Natural nuclear reactors were possible because of the fact that there used to be more uranium 235 on Earth there is currently. A nuclear reaction requires not less than three percent of 235 isotopes in uranium. In addition to that, there should be good space and no neutron-absorbing materials. The reactors in Gabon worked for about one million years. It is impossible for such natural nuclear reactors to appear nowadays. The uranium 235 concentration in nature is very low now. Natural reactors are of huge interest to scientists. The reactors are unique objects that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. They allow us learn a lot about our planet's history. They also give us an opportunity to explore the consequences of such long operation of nuclear reactors. Furthermore, the study of the ancient reactors will be helpful in terms of developing radioactive waste disposal technologies. Source:http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/10/17/38299.html
'Mother-in-law' sues Swazi king Back To TopA mother has taken the King of Swaziland, Mswati III, to court demanding her daughter's return after she was selected as a royal bride.The mother, Lindiwe Dlamini, says her 18-year-old daughter, Zena Mahlangu, was taken away without parental consent and has called for her immediate release. A spokesman for the royal family said on Wednesday that three young women, including Zena, were being held at one of the king's palaces to carry out "royal duties". The 34-year-old king announced last month that he planned to marry once again, two months after marrying wives number eight and nine. Swaziland's high court is expected to rule on the case on Monday. Zena's mother says her daughter has missed school and could waste her academic year if she is not allowed to write her end-of-year exams. "The continued detention of Zena without my consent is a criminal offence," Mrs Dlamini told the court on Tuesday. This is the first time the mother of a prospective Swazi Queen has taken legal action against the royal family, The Times of Swaziland reports. Women rights activists have rallied behind Mrs Dlamini. "When I read the story in the paper, my heart bled. I imagined what she had been going through, to eventually take action," campaigner Phumzile Dlamini told The Times. The father of Noliqhwa Ntentesa, a young woman held together with Zena, has said he would also sue the king if he could afford it. "If I had money I would also take those who abducted my child to court like Lindiwe did," Mr Ntentesa told the paper. But the father of the third young woman, Sandra Dlamini, disagreed. "If royalty has chosen to go on with what does not please you, as a true Swazi, you should change your attitude and thank royalty for whatever it has decided to do," he was quoted as saying. King Mswati, Africa's last absolute monarch, can choose a new wife every year from among thousands of virgins who parade at the annual reed dance ceremony. Official biographers say Mswati's father, King Sobhuza, had more than 125 wives during his reign of 61 years, which ended when he died in 1982. Last year, King Mswati revived a traditional ban on sex with underage girls, saying he was trying to fight the spread of Aids. But women's rights groups have condemned him for violating this ban and continuing to take young girls as new wives. After protests, he fined himself a cow for breaking his own sex-ban. Swazi royal weddings usually take place during cold weather and follow an unusual protocol. Neither the bride nor her relatives are ever informed of the pending marriage. Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2335941.stm
Man jailed for killing burglar Back To TopA man who stabbed a burglar to death has been sentenced to five years in jail by an Old Bailey judge. Barry-Lee Hastings from Wood Green, north London, was found guilty of the manslaughter of the burglar last month.The 25-year-old was cleared of murder but found guilty on a 10-2 majority verdict of manslaughter. Judge Brian Barker told him he had gone too far and his actions were not justified. During the trial the court had heard that father-of-two Hastings was visiting his estranged wife's home in north London when he discovered Roger Williams ransacking the flat. Mr Williams, of Tottenham, north London, 35, died in January after being stabbed twelve times in the back by Hastings who claimed he had acted to protect his family. Mrs Hastings and the children, who were aged under four, were not at home at the time but Hastings did not know this. Judge Barker told Hastings he had repeatedly stabbed Mr Williams in the back, mostly outside the house when the danger was over. "You had gone into the attack and you were engaged in retaliation. The judge said he had sympathy for a householder finding himself in those circumstances but said Mr Williams' presence "did not justify the actions you took". "Although Roger Williams was a burglar and had no right to be there, a householder is not entitled to use more than reasonable force to defend himself," he added. Nigel Rumfitt QC, defending, told the court on Thursday that Hastings was a thoroughly decent and hard-working man who loved his wife and was devoted to his family. The court was told during the trial that as Hastings reached the flat he saw a man in an upstairs bedroom and found the front door had been forced open. Hastings said he picked up a knife from the kitchen to scare off whoever was there. He added: "At the time, I believed I was protecting my children. "I was going to call the police on my mobile phone but I thought I heard my daughter crying. I thought I heard men's voices. I thought someone had the children up there. "I never intended to stab anyone." Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2335975.stm
Saddamocracy: A syndrome shared with Bush by 11,445,638 others Back To TopIt's not a good day for sheep in Iraq. As bursts of celebratory gunfire echo through old Baghdad they're being put to the knife, appropriately enough, to mark the Butcher of Baghdad's latest triumph: A perfect double 10 in the democratic high jump.Every last one of Iraq's 11,445,638 eligible voters has just voted Yes to keeping Saddam Hussein on as their preferred despot for seven more years. Perfect turnout, perfect result. They surely hauled voters from hospital surgeries, jails and psycho wards. A few patriots, pumped on Saddam's campaign song (Whitney Houston's hit I Will Always Love You), even marked ballots with their own blood. Better now, than later. For no one seems to know what happened to the 0.04 per cent of voters who had the temerity to vote No last time around in 1995. Still and all, the Butcher may not be delirious with joy. Iraqis were exhorted not just to vote Yes, but to vote Yes, Yes, Yes. By that standard, he got barely 33 per cent of the vote. Is that the sound of sheep prods being fired up? http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/ Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid= 1026146484144&call_page=TS_Editorial&call_pageid=968256290204 &call_pagepath=News/Editorial&col=968350116795
Wife Bit Husband to Death for Refusing to Have Sex Back To TopMODESTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California woman who allegedly flew into a rage and bit her husband repeatedly after he refused to have sex with her is being held on charges that police say may eventually include murder.Modesto police said that Kelli Pratt, 45, attacked her 65-year-old husband Arthur on Oct. 7, holding him down and biting him some 20 times after a dispute over sex. "Most of the bites were confined to his arm and his abdomen and a few were very deep with major tissue damage," Sgt. Al Carter of the Modesto police told a television news reporter Thursday. The Modesto Bee newspaper reported that Arthur Pratt, whose skin was covered with more than 20 deep tooth marks, died Sunday at a local hospital and that the local forensic pathologist believes the bites are the likely cause of death. "He (the husband) was able to dial 911 (emergency) that night," Carter told the newspaper. "We have a tape recording of him screaming while she was biting him. When officers arrived, he was screaming that he'd been assaulted. She fought with the officers and tried to bite them, too." Arthur Pratt had a history of medical problems including diabetes, heart and circulation problems. An official ruling on the possible homicide charge is awaiting toxicology tests, which could determine whether the bites caused an infection that proved fatal, the Bee said. Carter said police were already persuaded that "his death was a direct result of being bitten." "I've seen cases where dogs have bitten kids, and blood loss or infection led to death," Carter said. "I've never heard of anyone being bitten to death (by a human) before." Kelli Pratt is currently being held in Modesto, about 90 miles east of San Francisco, on charges of elder abuse, domestic violence and assault on a police officer. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1597822
Khatami's Visit to Spain May be Canceled Over Wine Back To TopTEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) - A dispute over serving wine at a state banquet might lead to the cancellation of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's planned visit to Spain, a newspaper said Thursday.The conservative Resalat daily said the visit, due to take place in the next few weeks, had been overshadowed by a dispute which broke out when Iranian officials demanded a non-alcoholic banquet. "Spanish protocol services rejected the demand and insisted on serving alcohol at meals," Resalat quoted unidentified sources as saying. Under the strict Islamic law practiced in Iran, drinking alcohol is forbidden for Muslims. The same problem occurred before Khatami's visit to France in 1999. The visit was postponed when Paris refused to bar wine from the table. In 1999, Khatami's conservative opponents used a photograph of the moderate cleric in Italy at a banquet table laden with wine glasses as a propaganda tool to attack his reforms. Diplomats in Tehran and Madrid confirmed that there had been discussions over alcohol in preparation for the visit. "We still have not found a solution, the program has not been finalized ... but we are going to reach some kind of formula, which is currently being negotiated," the Spanish sources said. Resalat said Khatami may simply skip the Spanish banquet to avoid embarrassment. "As no agreement has been reached with the Spanish authorities on respecting Islamic and national norms, the Iranian side has said that Khatami will not attend the Spanish king's banquet," the daily said. Source:http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1597795
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