Deep-Fried Candy Bars: Scotland's Worst Food?
James Owen in London
for National Geographic News
December 28, 2004
The deep-fried Mars bar, served with a side order of fries, threatens to usurp the haggis as Scotland's best-known dish.
Worried public health experts, who investigated stories about the chocolate-covered caramel and nougat candy bars being deep-fried at Scottish fast food outlets, say the claims are not an urban myth.
The researchers discovered similarly bizarre examples of calorie-laden fast food cuisine, such as batter-fried ice cream, pizza, and pineapple rings.
Poor diet is a leading cause of poor health in Scotland, where rates of heart disease, cancer, and strokes are among the highest in the developed world, according to official figures. Above, a pub in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The study, reported this month in the British medical journal The Lancet, adds to concerns over poor diet and physical health problems in Scotland. Only last month First Minister Jack McConnell, the leader of Scotland's executive cabinet, described the country as "one of the unhealthiest nations in Europe."
Doctors David Morrison and Mark Petticrew, both based in Glasgow, Scotland, say they decided to check claims that Scots had developed a taste for deep-fried Mars bars after the phenomenon was mentioned by Jay Leno on his NBC Tonight Show in the United States.
"We hoped to be able to lay to rest an urban myth," said Morrison, a consultant in public health medicine with the National Health Service.
Morrison and Petticrew surveyed around 300 Scottish fast food restaurants that sell Britain's most popular meal: fish and chips (fries). They found 22 percent of these "chip shops" also served deep-fried Mars bars (a Milky Way in the U.S.). Each contains more than 420 calories.
Average sales were 23 bars per week, with some shops selling more than 200 each week. Three-fourths of customers were children.
The researchers found that Mars bars aren't Scotland's only deep-fried specialties, with chip shops also frying up ice-cream, pizza, pineapple rings, pickled eggs, Snicker bars, and bananas.
Deep-fried Haggis
Haggis, Scotland's national dish, a combination of seasoned meat and oatmeal boiled in a sheep's stomach, also appears on the fast food menu. But instead of being boiled and served with "neeps and tatties" (turnips and potatoes), in the traditional way, the haggis goes into the deep fat-fryer as well.
The deep-fried Mars bar is believed to have originated in the northeast Scottish village of Stonehaven, following a bet struck between a chip shop owner and a customer. The Carron Fish and Chip Bar today sells as many as 300 deep-fried Mars bars a week. They cost 70 pence each (U.S. $1.38), or £1.70 (U.S. $3.30) when served with fries.
"Encouragingly, we did also find some evidence of the penetration of the Mediterranean diet into Scotland, albeit in the form of deep-fried pizza," said Petticrew, director of the social and public health services unit of the UK Medical Research Council, a government health research body.
Morrison said this fried-food culture probably has its roots in the industrial revolution, when there was mass migration to cities from rural areas.
The shift "resulted in a loss of much of the indigenous food culture. Much of Scotland's indigenous food is very healthy—oats, root vegetables, venison, fish, and seafood," Morrison said. "Heavy industry and labor demands eating a lot of calories, and fatty food is a good and cheap source. Deep-frying also kills bacteria and viruses, making it a relatively safe food."
Morrison noted that in the 18th and 19th centuries Scotland's fortunes were built on importing sugar, among other commodities. "This is likely to have given us our predilection for sweet food," he said.
Scotland records among the highest rates of heart disease, cancer, and strokes in the developed world, according to official figures. Residents also have the lowest life expectancy.
A major report for Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, which looked at the relationship between diet and disease, stated that Scots have the highest premature death rates from coronary heart disease in the world.
Meanwhile, the Public Health Institute for Scotland found that in 1998, 62 percent of men and 54 percent of women were either overweight or obese.
Morrison said there's a duty for the National Health Service and other public bodies to inform and educate the population about what constitutes a healthier diet.
"Poor Diet"
Speaking last month, Scotland's First Minister, Jack McConnell, admitted that such efforts need to be stepped up.
"In comparison with the rest of the UK, with Europe, and with too many countries worldwide, our mortality and morbidity rates across far too many indicators are lamentable," he said. "Poor diet, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, and drug abuse all contribute to making us one of the unhealthiest nations in Europe."
McConnell claims some progress has already been made, noting that investment in public health since 1999 has cut death rates from heart disease by 14 percent.
However, a new report, published earlier this month by Scotland's National Health Service, suggests that levels of obesity in children is still rising. It states: "By the school year ending 2002, 30 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds were estimated to be overweight—this was double the expected number."
And it's these youngsters who appear most susceptible to the delights of the deep-fried Mars bar, according to Petticrew, the study co-author. He said 76 percent of Mars bars were sold to children, and 15 percent to teenagers. "Sixteen percent of shops said they were more likely to sell them during school term," he added.
Kevin McIndoe, a Glasgow newspaper journalist, said he has yet to come across the infamous dish in the city's chip shops. "If they do a deep-fried Mar bar, it's not something they put on the menu," he added.
However, McIndoe, 38, does admit to having a soft spot for the odd battered sausage and deep-fried black pudding.
Despite the Mars bar study, McIndoe said he feels the Scots' reputation as unhealthy eaters is overexaggerated. He added, "It's a bit like me saying everyone in London likes jellied eels."
12.28.2004
12.19.2004
The penalty does seam a little ruff
Nebraska StatePaper.com - Case of Doggone Sex Goes Before Nebraska Supreme Court: "The state Supreme Court will hear the appeal of a woman who thinks 90 days in jail is too harsh a penalty for having sex with a dog.
Ramon Anglemeyer was charged after her arrest in January of 2003 when Lincoln police seized videotapes at the home of John Ways Jr.
The tapes showed Anglemeyer having sex with a canine.
The high court will hear oral arguments in the case on January 5th.
Ways owned a strip club until he was sentenced to six years in a federal pen for possessing an explosive device.
On appeal, Anglemeyer says her conviction was based on her association with Ways, rather than evidence presented against her. She received the maximum sentence: 90 days and a $500 fine.
When sentencing Anglemeyer, Lancaster County Judge Gale Pokorny said she and Ways had made similar tapes involving animals and other woman. He concluded that Ways and Anglemeyer were part of a pornography business."
Ramon Anglemeyer was charged after her arrest in January of 2003 when Lincoln police seized videotapes at the home of John Ways Jr.
The tapes showed Anglemeyer having sex with a canine.
The high court will hear oral arguments in the case on January 5th.
Ways owned a strip club until he was sentenced to six years in a federal pen for possessing an explosive device.
On appeal, Anglemeyer says her conviction was based on her association with Ways, rather than evidence presented against her. She received the maximum sentence: 90 days and a $500 fine.
When sentencing Anglemeyer, Lancaster County Judge Gale Pokorny said she and Ways had made similar tapes involving animals and other woman. He concluded that Ways and Anglemeyer were part of a pornography business."
12.17.2004
Wildlife artist gored to death by a buffalo
Times Online - Britain
By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi and Simon de Bruxelles
A WILDLIFE artist who dedicated his career to helping animals in Africa was gored to death by a bull buffalo in front of his wife and a friend.
Simon Combes, 64, was attacked by the one-tonne animal in dense bush as he returned from a clifftop which he had climbed to watch a sunset in the wildlife reserve in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, where he lived.
Last night Kat Combes told how her husband died in her arms in the pitch-dark bush four hours later, just as paramedics arrived.
“We had just started to come back down from a 1,000ft-high precipice called the Sleeping Warrior and were in a patch of quite thick bush,” she said.
“Suddenly the buffalo was right there, right next to us. He was a lone bull, huge, a massive, massive animal, and he came charging out.
“We had no time at all to react. I was walking in the middle, Simon was on my right and it just got to him first. Simon tried to turn and run but the buffalo was too close. It just started throwing him up in the air, over and over and over.”
She and the friend, Mary Wykstra, a cheetah expert, tried throwing sticks and stones at the animal but it continued the attack until it lost interest. Mrs Combes stayed at her husband’s side trying to comfort him and encourage him to stay alive as they waited for help.
She said: “He was so brave and strong. He tried so hard to stay alive. I tried so hard to keep him alive. I don’t remember what I was saying — I was just talking to him, trying my best to make sure that he made it as long as he could.
“He was still alive when the doctor got to him, but even if he could have kept going, there was that very difficult climb down the hill. It is hard enough if you are fit and healthy.”
Mr Combes was renowned for getting perilously close to the animals he loved to paint. One of his best-known works was the portrait of a buffalo, entitled Menace. He was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in June 1940 but moved to Kenya with his parents and brother at the age of 5. He began painting when he was a young officer in the Kenyan Army, where he served as a major in the guerri-lla conflict with Somalia.
He moved back to England in 1978 so that his children could have an English education and they lived in Bushley, Gloucestershire, for 17 years, but he returned to Kenya every winter to work as a safari guide.
In that time he produced many of his best-known paintings of big cats and other wild animals. He was entirely self-taught, apart from mentoring sessions in later life with the wildlife artist David Shepherd. He published two best-selling books, African Experience and Great Cats.
He claimed to have no fear of dangerous animals, despite having been chased by elephants, forced to climb a tree to escape a rhino and been bitten by a Bengal tiger. He said it was mankind he feared the most.
His daughter, Cindy, who lives in Cheltenham, said: “Dad grew up in Africa. He spent the majority of his youth in the bush. He was very experienced when it came to African living.”
His work achieved worldwide recognition and won many awards, including the Society of Animal Artists’ Award of Excellence. He used his position to further wildlife conservation. Last year he was appointed project director for Kenya by the Rhino Rescue Trust. He married Kat, an American, in August last year.
His family will travel to Kenya in the next few days to be with Mr Combes’s son, Guy, 33, who works there.
Cindy said: “Dad just loved wildlife and he loved painting. He was in his element in Kenya.”
By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi and Simon de Bruxelles
A WILDLIFE artist who dedicated his career to helping animals in Africa was gored to death by a bull buffalo in front of his wife and a friend.
Simon Combes, 64, was attacked by the one-tonne animal in dense bush as he returned from a clifftop which he had climbed to watch a sunset in the wildlife reserve in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, where he lived.
Last night Kat Combes told how her husband died in her arms in the pitch-dark bush four hours later, just as paramedics arrived.
“We had just started to come back down from a 1,000ft-high precipice called the Sleeping Warrior and were in a patch of quite thick bush,” she said.
“Suddenly the buffalo was right there, right next to us. He was a lone bull, huge, a massive, massive animal, and he came charging out.
“We had no time at all to react. I was walking in the middle, Simon was on my right and it just got to him first. Simon tried to turn and run but the buffalo was too close. It just started throwing him up in the air, over and over and over.”
She and the friend, Mary Wykstra, a cheetah expert, tried throwing sticks and stones at the animal but it continued the attack until it lost interest. Mrs Combes stayed at her husband’s side trying to comfort him and encourage him to stay alive as they waited for help.
She said: “He was so brave and strong. He tried so hard to stay alive. I tried so hard to keep him alive. I don’t remember what I was saying — I was just talking to him, trying my best to make sure that he made it as long as he could.
“He was still alive when the doctor got to him, but even if he could have kept going, there was that very difficult climb down the hill. It is hard enough if you are fit and healthy.”
Mr Combes was renowned for getting perilously close to the animals he loved to paint. One of his best-known works was the portrait of a buffalo, entitled Menace. He was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, in June 1940 but moved to Kenya with his parents and brother at the age of 5. He began painting when he was a young officer in the Kenyan Army, where he served as a major in the guerri-lla conflict with Somalia.
He moved back to England in 1978 so that his children could have an English education and they lived in Bushley, Gloucestershire, for 17 years, but he returned to Kenya every winter to work as a safari guide.
In that time he produced many of his best-known paintings of big cats and other wild animals. He was entirely self-taught, apart from mentoring sessions in later life with the wildlife artist David Shepherd. He published two best-selling books, African Experience and Great Cats.
He claimed to have no fear of dangerous animals, despite having been chased by elephants, forced to climb a tree to escape a rhino and been bitten by a Bengal tiger. He said it was mankind he feared the most.
His daughter, Cindy, who lives in Cheltenham, said: “Dad grew up in Africa. He spent the majority of his youth in the bush. He was very experienced when it came to African living.”
His work achieved worldwide recognition and won many awards, including the Society of Animal Artists’ Award of Excellence. He used his position to further wildlife conservation. Last year he was appointed project director for Kenya by the Rhino Rescue Trust. He married Kat, an American, in August last year.
His family will travel to Kenya in the next few days to be with Mr Combes’s son, Guy, 33, who works there.
Cindy said: “Dad just loved wildlife and he loved painting. He was in his element in Kenya.”
12.14.2004
Man paid $20,000 in support for nonexistent child
Man paid $20,000 in support for nonexistent child
ALBUQUERQUE — Steve Barreras’ attorney said he had never seen anything like it.
After Barreras was hauled into court, peppered with threats and demands for money for a child he adamantly denied fathering five years ago and even paid out $20,000 to support, his ex-wife was under a judge’s order to produce the child.
So last week, Viola Trevino picked up a 2-year-old girl and her grandmother off the street, promised them a trip to see Santa Claus and $50 and took the girl to court, alleging it was her daughter.
“I have seen hundreds of jury trials and I have never seen anything like this,” said Rob Perry, Barreras’ attorney.
It was the latest chapter in a bizarre case that has prompted Gov. Bill Richardson’s office to call for a full investigation.
The elaborate ruse stretched over five years and involved fake DNA evidence, a forged Social Security number and birth and baptismal certificates, court records show.
Last week, state District Judge Linda Vanzi ruled the child did not exist.
After feeding the standin daughter and her grandmother hamburgers, it seems Trevino parked near the courthouse, where she left the grandmother in the car and took the child into court.
Only when the grandmother followed her into court did Trevino admit that the child was not hers.
The 52-year-old Trevino announced to a family-court judge in December 1999 that she gave birth to a girl fathered by Barreras that September.
Barreras, 47, who says he had a vasectomy in 1998, said it was impossible . The couple had two adult children, a son and a daughter.
Paternity tests were ordered, and, in February 2001, Barreras was ordered to pay Trevino child support . Barreras continued to protest.
Trevino was ordered to bring in a birth certificate, but she did not.
Her adult daughter was even fired from a hospital after she was caught attempting to create documents pertaining to the birth of a Stephanie Trevino , according to court records.
Then another DNA paternity test was ordered, this time done by a private doctor, but Trevino did not obey the court order and instead went back to the same company where the first test was done.
Court records show that both DNA tests were done by a friend of the couple’s daughter.
Because of the DNA matches, Perry said the Child Enforcement Division of the state Human Services Department garnisheed Barreras’ paycheck , forcing him to pay child support.
“How can this happen? It is like a plane wreck caused by a cascading series of events,” he said.
Betina Gonzales McCracken, spokeswoman for the department, said her agency is not to blame because the division was only enforcing a court order for payment of child support .
When the agency got a tip that there might be fraud in this case, she said officials investigated.
Meanwhile, Vanzi’s ruling that the child does not exist has prompted reaction from Richardson’s office.
“The governor’s office has asked the Human Services for a complete report on what happened to make sure this mistake is never repeated,” said Billy Sparks, Richardson’s spokesman.
ALBUQUERQUE — Steve Barreras’ attorney said he had never seen anything like it.
After Barreras was hauled into court, peppered with threats and demands for money for a child he adamantly denied fathering five years ago and even paid out $20,000 to support, his ex-wife was under a judge’s order to produce the child.
So last week, Viola Trevino picked up a 2-year-old girl and her grandmother off the street, promised them a trip to see Santa Claus and $50 and took the girl to court, alleging it was her daughter.
“I have seen hundreds of jury trials and I have never seen anything like this,” said Rob Perry, Barreras’ attorney.
It was the latest chapter in a bizarre case that has prompted Gov. Bill Richardson’s office to call for a full investigation.
The elaborate ruse stretched over five years and involved fake DNA evidence, a forged Social Security number and birth and baptismal certificates, court records show.
Last week, state District Judge Linda Vanzi ruled the child did not exist.
After feeding the standin daughter and her grandmother hamburgers, it seems Trevino parked near the courthouse, where she left the grandmother in the car and took the child into court.
Only when the grandmother followed her into court did Trevino admit that the child was not hers.
The 52-year-old Trevino announced to a family-court judge in December 1999 that she gave birth to a girl fathered by Barreras that September.
Barreras, 47, who says he had a vasectomy in 1998, said it was impossible . The couple had two adult children, a son and a daughter.
Paternity tests were ordered, and, in February 2001, Barreras was ordered to pay Trevino child support . Barreras continued to protest.
Trevino was ordered to bring in a birth certificate, but she did not.
Her adult daughter was even fired from a hospital after she was caught attempting to create documents pertaining to the birth of a Stephanie Trevino , according to court records.
Then another DNA paternity test was ordered, this time done by a private doctor, but Trevino did not obey the court order and instead went back to the same company where the first test was done.
Court records show that both DNA tests were done by a friend of the couple’s daughter.
Because of the DNA matches, Perry said the Child Enforcement Division of the state Human Services Department garnisheed Barreras’ paycheck , forcing him to pay child support.
“How can this happen? It is like a plane wreck caused by a cascading series of events,” he said.
Betina Gonzales McCracken, spokeswoman for the department, said her agency is not to blame because the division was only enforcing a court order for payment of child support .
When the agency got a tip that there might be fraud in this case, she said officials investigated.
Meanwhile, Vanzi’s ruling that the child does not exist has prompted reaction from Richardson’s office.
“The governor’s office has asked the Human Services for a complete report on what happened to make sure this mistake is never repeated,” said Billy Sparks, Richardson’s spokesman.
Japanese men lap up new comfort
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Japanese men lap up new comfort: "Japanese men without a shoulder to cry on this Christmas are being offered a woman's lap - made out of foam - to rest on instead.
The 'lap pillow', shaped like the bottom half of a kneeling woman, is selling for about 9,429 yen ($90), the French news agency AFP reported.
'Single men find this soothing,' said Mitsuo Takahashi of the manufacturer Trane KK.
He told AFP that the Hizamakura, or lap pillow, fulfilled a primal need.
'From the time people were kids, people have laid their heads on their mothers' laps to get their ears cleaned,' he said. 'This is made to be quite close to the real thing.'
But they are also reported to be proving popular as joke gifts at office parties.
So far the company has sold about 3,000 laps, Mr Takahashi said.
The Hizamakura is similar to a product, shaped like a man's torso with one sturdy arm, which has been on sale since last December.
That product, the Boyfriend's Arm Pillow, was made by Japanese company Kameo, and is being targeted at Japanese single women. "
The 'lap pillow', shaped like the bottom half of a kneeling woman, is selling for about 9,429 yen ($90), the French news agency AFP reported.
'Single men find this soothing,' said Mitsuo Takahashi of the manufacturer Trane KK.
He told AFP that the Hizamakura, or lap pillow, fulfilled a primal need.
'From the time people were kids, people have laid their heads on their mothers' laps to get their ears cleaned,' he said. 'This is made to be quite close to the real thing.'
But they are also reported to be proving popular as joke gifts at office parties.
So far the company has sold about 3,000 laps, Mr Takahashi said.
The Hizamakura is similar to a product, shaped like a man's torso with one sturdy arm, which has been on sale since last December.
That product, the Boyfriend's Arm Pillow, was made by Japanese company Kameo, and is being targeted at Japanese single women. "
Man who howled like werewolf sent to jail
Man who howled like werewolf sent to jail: "A MAN who 'alarmed' his neighbours by making howling noises after watching the film An American Werewolf in London has been jailed.
David Boag was given four months in prison for breaching an anti-social behaviour order handed down after a string of similar incidents.
The 28-year-old stood for several hours at his bedroom window, dancing with a Christmas tree and 'screaming and wailing like a werewolf' at the top of his voice.
Worried neighbours who went to investigate saw Boag at the window with his head thrown back, howling and pretending to dance with the tree.
He then started banging on the window of his home in Dechmont, West Lothian. His wails disturbed several households in the street.
It is understood Boag had been drinking heavily and taking drugs while watching An American Werewolf in London.
In January, Boag, of Knightsridge Road, was issued an anti-social behaviour order at Linlithgow Sheriff Court banning him from shouting, swearing, banging windows, moaning and dumping rubbish in his back garden. But he breached the order twice in February and found himself in the dock once more. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail with the condition that he did not enter the village.
In August, he was jailed for two months for each breach.
And last Saturday, police were called to Boag�s semi-detached house again after he breached his order for the third time with his werewolf impressions.
Neighbours said the noise began at about 4pm, but they did not call police until 7.40pm when the wails reached a deafening crescendo.
Officers had to break down Boag�s door to get in. He was arrested and held in custody until he appeared at Linlithgow Sheriff"
David Boag was given four months in prison for breaching an anti-social behaviour order handed down after a string of similar incidents.
The 28-year-old stood for several hours at his bedroom window, dancing with a Christmas tree and 'screaming and wailing like a werewolf' at the top of his voice.
Worried neighbours who went to investigate saw Boag at the window with his head thrown back, howling and pretending to dance with the tree.
He then started banging on the window of his home in Dechmont, West Lothian. His wails disturbed several households in the street.
It is understood Boag had been drinking heavily and taking drugs while watching An American Werewolf in London.
In January, Boag, of Knightsridge Road, was issued an anti-social behaviour order at Linlithgow Sheriff Court banning him from shouting, swearing, banging windows, moaning and dumping rubbish in his back garden. But he breached the order twice in February and found himself in the dock once more. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail with the condition that he did not enter the village.
In August, he was jailed for two months for each breach.
And last Saturday, police were called to Boag�s semi-detached house again after he breached his order for the third time with his werewolf impressions.
Neighbours said the noise began at about 4pm, but they did not call police until 7.40pm when the wails reached a deafening crescendo.
Officers had to break down Boag�s door to get in. He was arrested and held in custody until he appeared at Linlithgow Sheriff"
12.10.2004
Police called to Santa rumble
: "Police called to a mass brawl found an army of Santas punching and kicking each other.
Officers had to use batons and CS spray to quell the fight in the centre of Newtown, Powys.
Four were hurt and there were five arrests.
The battle of the Santas followed a 21/2-mile charity run involving more than 4,000 people dressed as Father Christmas. Some of them are believed to have overindulged in alcohol after crossing the finishing line.
The fun run is expected to benefit up to 200 charities and it is hoped that it will exceed last year's total raised of 80,000.
Organisers believe they have broken their own world record for having the most number of Santas in the same place. Last year a mere 3,200 took part.
PC Gareth Slaymaker, community safety officer for North Powys, said: ' Behaviour like this justifies the reluctance by the police to
extend the licensing hours for public houses and bars for this type of event'. "
Officers had to use batons and CS spray to quell the fight in the centre of Newtown, Powys.
Four were hurt and there were five arrests.
The battle of the Santas followed a 21/2-mile charity run involving more than 4,000 people dressed as Father Christmas. Some of them are believed to have overindulged in alcohol after crossing the finishing line.
The fun run is expected to benefit up to 200 charities and it is hoped that it will exceed last year's total raised of 80,000.
Organisers believe they have broken their own world record for having the most number of Santas in the same place. Last year a mere 3,200 took part.
PC Gareth Slaymaker, community safety officer for North Powys, said: ' Behaviour like this justifies the reluctance by the police to
extend the licensing hours for public houses and bars for this type of event'. "
12.08.2004
$1M gift to boost study of animal rights law
heraldsun.com: Bob Barker's $1M gift to boost ...
BY MICHAEL PETROCELLI : The Herald-Sun
mpetrocelli@heraldsun.com
Dec 6, 2004 : 10:46 pm ET
DURHAM -- Duke Law School has a new $1 million endowment fund, but it didn't have to guess the price of a dinette set to win the money.
Bob Barker, the octogenarian host of daytime television's long-running game show "The Price is Right," chose Duke to receive one in a series of gifts he is making to top law schools to promote the teaching of animal rights law.
Barker, a longtime animal advocate who ends his show by reminding viewers to have their pets spayed and neutered, recently gave similar gifts to the law schools at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and the University of California at Los Angeles.
But Duke won't have to start its animal rights law program from scratch.
Professor William Reppy, who does pro bono work for animal rights causes, has been teaching a class on animal law in alternating years. The endowment, he said, should allow him to teach the course every year.
Duke's animal law program encompasses a number of issues, including cruelty to animals, veterinary malpractice and laws prohibiting people from hoarding large numbers of pets, Reppy said.
The school also plans to use the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights Law to establish an animal law clinic, where students can earn credit working on animal rights-related litigation.
According to Duke officials, Reppy already has been involved in the state's passage of a law, unique in the United States, that allows individuals and outside organizations to seek injunctions against people who violate the state's animal cruelty laws.
Reppy noted that Duke already draws interest from prospective students interested in animal law. It is poised to become a national leader in the field, he added.
"We've got a head start," he said.
Thomas Hadzor, the law school's associate dean for external relations, said Barker's representatives had approached Duke with the offer -- a scenario he called "one of those development officer dreams."
Although he has never spoken directly to Barker, Hadzor surmised that the host might have included Duke in his plans because of its existing animal law program, or simply because he wanted to endow a program at a top-flight law school in the Southeast.
"I never asked why, because I didn't want to scare him off," he said.
Barker, who was taping back-to-back episodes of his show Monday, could not be reached for an interview. However, he recently told The New York Times that he hopes his gifts would create a cadre of lawyers steeped in animal rights and animal cruelty issues.
"The laws are not stringent enough, and unfortunately, the laws that we do have are not necessarily enforced," Barker told the Times. "If we can get more and more young lawyers to be aware of this, then if they're involved in a case that involves animals, they'll know what to do.
"If they become judges, that's wonderful," he said, "they're making decisions. And some of these lawyers are going to become politicians."
BY MICHAEL PETROCELLI : The Herald-Sun
mpetrocelli@heraldsun.com
Dec 6, 2004 : 10:46 pm ET
DURHAM -- Duke Law School has a new $1 million endowment fund, but it didn't have to guess the price of a dinette set to win the money.
Bob Barker, the octogenarian host of daytime television's long-running game show "The Price is Right," chose Duke to receive one in a series of gifts he is making to top law schools to promote the teaching of animal rights law.
Barker, a longtime animal advocate who ends his show by reminding viewers to have their pets spayed and neutered, recently gave similar gifts to the law schools at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and the University of California at Los Angeles.
But Duke won't have to start its animal rights law program from scratch.
Professor William Reppy, who does pro bono work for animal rights causes, has been teaching a class on animal law in alternating years. The endowment, he said, should allow him to teach the course every year.
Duke's animal law program encompasses a number of issues, including cruelty to animals, veterinary malpractice and laws prohibiting people from hoarding large numbers of pets, Reppy said.
The school also plans to use the Bob Barker Endowment Fund for the Study of Animal Rights Law to establish an animal law clinic, where students can earn credit working on animal rights-related litigation.
According to Duke officials, Reppy already has been involved in the state's passage of a law, unique in the United States, that allows individuals and outside organizations to seek injunctions against people who violate the state's animal cruelty laws.
Reppy noted that Duke already draws interest from prospective students interested in animal law. It is poised to become a national leader in the field, he added.
"We've got a head start," he said.
Thomas Hadzor, the law school's associate dean for external relations, said Barker's representatives had approached Duke with the offer -- a scenario he called "one of those development officer dreams."
Although he has never spoken directly to Barker, Hadzor surmised that the host might have included Duke in his plans because of its existing animal law program, or simply because he wanted to endow a program at a top-flight law school in the Southeast.
"I never asked why, because I didn't want to scare him off," he said.
Barker, who was taping back-to-back episodes of his show Monday, could not be reached for an interview. However, he recently told The New York Times that he hopes his gifts would create a cadre of lawyers steeped in animal rights and animal cruelty issues.
"The laws are not stringent enough, and unfortunately, the laws that we do have are not necessarily enforced," Barker told the Times. "If we can get more and more young lawyers to be aware of this, then if they're involved in a case that involves animals, they'll know what to do.
"If they become judges, that's wonderful," he said, "they're making decisions. And some of these lawyers are going to become politicians."
12.03.2004
South Korean parents can preserve their child's umbilical cord
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "SEOUL (Reuters) - Forget desktop photographs of your children.
Doting South Korean parents can preserve their child's umbilical cord in acrylic resin to make a personal seal or even have it gold plated.
In this Confucian society where family values are highly prized, suppliers also offer services for parents to have traditional Korean calligraphy brushes made from their child's hair.
Shim Jae-cheol of U&I Impression said the firm had gold-plated about 80 to 100 umbilical cords a month since starting business in August, with prices ranging from 80,000 won to 100,000 won ($76 to $96). It also offers mail order.
South Korean law allows parents to keep the umbilical cord of their children, although sales to a third party would be illegal.
Another supplier, Agamo, which makes calligraphy brushes made from human hair and preserves umbilical cords in personal seals, hopes to branch out to Japan.
'The company got the idea from mothers just storing umbilical cords and navels in an album or what-not,' said Suk Tae-jin of Agamo.
Keeping children's umbilical cords and making calligraphy brushes from their hair have long been a long tradition in Korea."
Doting South Korean parents can preserve their child's umbilical cord in acrylic resin to make a personal seal or even have it gold plated.
In this Confucian society where family values are highly prized, suppliers also offer services for parents to have traditional Korean calligraphy brushes made from their child's hair.
Shim Jae-cheol of U&I Impression said the firm had gold-plated about 80 to 100 umbilical cords a month since starting business in August, with prices ranging from 80,000 won to 100,000 won ($76 to $96). It also offers mail order.
South Korean law allows parents to keep the umbilical cord of their children, although sales to a third party would be illegal.
Another supplier, Agamo, which makes calligraphy brushes made from human hair and preserves umbilical cords in personal seals, hopes to branch out to Japan.
'The company got the idea from mothers just storing umbilical cords and navels in an album or what-not,' said Suk Tae-jin of Agamo.
Keeping children's umbilical cords and making calligraphy brushes from their hair have long been a long tradition in Korea."
12.02.2004
Blind car thief strikes again
IOL: Blind car thief strikes again
Bucharest - Romanian police have arrested a blind man for stealing a car and crashing into a tree for the second time in one month.
Alin Prica, 24, managed to drive the stolen car 40km before crashing into a tree, according to reports.
Prica allegedly stole the car with another blind pal and a sighted friend in the passenger seat telling him which direction to drive.
A police spokesperson said: "He drove the car after instructions from his friend who could see.
"But again the journey ended with a crash. We were astonished for the second time in a month by this same man."
Earlier this month, Prica, from Izvoare, in south-west Romania, stole a car and managed to drive it for almost two kilometres by himself before smashing into a tree and knocking himself out.
"I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do anything I wanted - despite my handicap. I only crashed because I was not sure of the way home," he said at the time.
Police said they would not press charges against the two teenagers who helped but have taken Prica in for questioning.
Bucharest - Romanian police have arrested a blind man for stealing a car and crashing into a tree for the second time in one month.
Alin Prica, 24, managed to drive the stolen car 40km before crashing into a tree, according to reports.
Prica allegedly stole the car with another blind pal and a sighted friend in the passenger seat telling him which direction to drive.
A police spokesperson said: "He drove the car after instructions from his friend who could see.
"But again the journey ended with a crash. We were astonished for the second time in a month by this same man."
Earlier this month, Prica, from Izvoare, in south-west Romania, stole a car and managed to drive it for almost two kilometres by himself before smashing into a tree and knocking himself out.
"I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do anything I wanted - despite my handicap. I only crashed because I was not sure of the way home," he said at the time.
Police said they would not press charges against the two teenagers who helped but have taken Prica in for questioning.
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