"A worldwide campaign begun in 1988 to eradicate polio was on the verge of success when, early in 2003, a conspiracy theory took hold of the Muslim population in northern Nigeria. That conspiracy theory has singlehandedly returned polio to epidemic proportions.
The theory's source seems to be one Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, 68, a physician and president of Nigeria's Supreme Council for Shari'a Law. Ahmed, an Islamist, accuses
Americans of lacing the polio vaccine with an anti-fertility agent that sterilizes children (or, in an alternate theory, infects them with AIDS) and considers them, according to John Murphy of The Baltimore Sun, 'the worst criminals on Earth... Even Hitler was not as evil as that.'
This fear of polio vaccines caught on, explains a doctor with the World Health Organization, because of the war in Iraq. 'If America is fighting people in the Middle East,' goes the Islamist logic, 'the conclusion is that they are fighting Muslims.'
Local imams repeated and spread the sterilization theory, which won wide acceptance despite vocal assurances to the contrary from the WHO, the Nigerian government and many Nigerian doctors and scientists.
Ibrahim Shekarau, governor of Kano, one of the three Nigerian states that refused the polio vaccine, justified the decision not to vaccinate on the grounds that 'it is a lesser of two evils to sacrifice two, three, four, five, even 10 children [to polio] than allow hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of girl-children likely to be rendered infertile.'
The Baltimore Sun offers the example of a young Nigerian mother who rejected polio vaccine for her child. The child did get polio, and the mother was asked i"
5.25.2005
5.24.2005
Suspicious package indeed: Device that forced I-75 and Daniels shut was a prosthetic penis
The suspicious object that jammed traffic Monday on Interstate 75 and Daniels Parkway was not explosive, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
The device — found on the side of Daniels Parkway under the northbound I-75 overpass — a was prosthetic penis. There's no word yet on whether the penis was designed to serve medical or recreational needs.
A motorist called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 3 p.m. about the suspicious package on the side of the road under the northbound Interstate 75 overpass.
The cylinder was more than a foot long in a plastic bag and wrapped with duct tape. It looked like pipe bomb.
Deputies arrived and alerted the bomb squad, which used a robot to disable the cylinder. The north- and southbound lanes of Intestate 75 were closed for about an hour between Alico Road and Colonial Boulevard. Traffic was blocked on Daniels Parkway at the overpass for an hour while the device was removed.
The device — found on the side of Daniels Parkway under the northbound I-75 overpass — a was prosthetic penis. There's no word yet on whether the penis was designed to serve medical or recreational needs.
A motorist called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 3 p.m. about the suspicious package on the side of the road under the northbound Interstate 75 overpass.
The cylinder was more than a foot long in a plastic bag and wrapped with duct tape. It looked like pipe bomb.
Deputies arrived and alerted the bomb squad, which used a robot to disable the cylinder. The north- and southbound lanes of Intestate 75 were closed for about an hour between Alico Road and Colonial Boulevard. Traffic was blocked on Daniels Parkway at the overpass for an hour while the device was removed.
Two hurt in mock light sabre duel
Two Star Wars fans are in a critical condition in hospital after apparently trying to make light sabres by filling fluorescent light tubes with petrol.
A man, aged 20, and a girl of 17 are believed to have been filming a mock duel when they poured fuel into two glass tubes and lit it.
The pair were rushed to hospital after one of the devices exploded in woodland at Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
A third person present at the incident had been questioned, police said.
Videotape found
A videotape was found nearby by police called to the scene on Sunday.
A police spokeswoman said the pair were taken to West Herts Hospital before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, in Essex.
They are both said to be in a critical condition.
She said the 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead suffered serious injuries.
She added: "At this stage we are unable to confirm the exact circumstances, but glass tubes and traces of accelerant (flammable substance) were found at the scene."
The final film in the Star Wars series, Revenge Of The Sith, arrived at UK cinemas last week.
One of the crucial scenes features a light sabre battle between Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.
A man, aged 20, and a girl of 17 are believed to have been filming a mock duel when they poured fuel into two glass tubes and lit it.
The pair were rushed to hospital after one of the devices exploded in woodland at Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
A third person present at the incident had been questioned, police said.
Videotape found
A videotape was found nearby by police called to the scene on Sunday.
A police spokeswoman said the pair were taken to West Herts Hospital before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, in Essex.
They are both said to be in a critical condition.
She said the 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead suffered serious injuries.
She added: "At this stage we are unable to confirm the exact circumstances, but glass tubes and traces of accelerant (flammable substance) were found at the scene."
The final film in the Star Wars series, Revenge Of The Sith, arrived at UK cinemas last week.
One of the crucial scenes features a light sabre battle between Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.
5.18.2005
Hostile Grackles Attack People in Houston
"HOUSTON (AP) - Like a scene from the horror movie 'The Birds,' large black grackles are swooping down on downtown Houston and attacking people's heads, hair and backs.
Authorities closed off a sidewalk after the aggressive birds, which can have 2-foot wingspans, flew out of magnolia trees Monday in front of the County Administration Building.
'They were just going crazy,' said constable Wilbert Jue, who works at the building. 'They were attacking everybody that walked by.'
The grackles zeroed in on a lawyer who shooed a bird away before he tripped and injured his face, Jue said. The lawyer was treated for several cuts.
It appears that the birds are protecting their offspring. On Monday a young grackle had fallen out of its nest and adult birds attacked people who got too close, Jue said.
Another bird attacked a deputy county clerk.
'I hit him with a bottle,' said Sylvia Velasquez. 'The other birds came, and one attacked my blouse and on my back.'
Two women came to help her after she fell to the ground, and the birds attacked them as well. The group escaped by running into the building.
'This is a very Hitchcock kind of story. Very Tippi Hedren,' said downtown worker Laura Aranda Smith, referring to one of the stars of Alfred Hitchcock's move 'The Birds.' "
Authorities closed off a sidewalk after the aggressive birds, which can have 2-foot wingspans, flew out of magnolia trees Monday in front of the County Administration Building.
'They were just going crazy,' said constable Wilbert Jue, who works at the building. 'They were attacking everybody that walked by.'
The grackles zeroed in on a lawyer who shooed a bird away before he tripped and injured his face, Jue said. The lawyer was treated for several cuts.
It appears that the birds are protecting their offspring. On Monday a young grackle had fallen out of its nest and adult birds attacked people who got too close, Jue said.
Another bird attacked a deputy county clerk.
'I hit him with a bottle,' said Sylvia Velasquez. 'The other birds came, and one attacked my blouse and on my back.'
Two women came to help her after she fell to the ground, and the birds attacked them as well. The group escaped by running into the building.
'This is a very Hitchcock kind of story. Very Tippi Hedren,' said downtown worker Laura Aranda Smith, referring to one of the stars of Alfred Hitchcock's move 'The Birds.' "
5.16.2005
'Piano Man'
If only we could get Billy Joel to shut up too. :
A helpline set up to identify a mystery man who stunned carers by giving a virtuoso piano performance has been inundated with calls, his social worker said today.
Look here too
Riddle of the Piano Man
The man has not uttered a word since police picked him up walking aimlessly on the streets of Sheerness, Kent, dressed in a dripping wet suit and tie.
All efforts to communicate with the shy and agitated man, aged in his 20s or early 30s, have failed, leaving experts baffled as to his identity and where he is from.
Staff at the Medway Maritime Hospital gave him a pen and paper in the hope he might write his name or even draw his country's flag.
Instead the patient, dubbed the Piano Man, drew highly detailed pictures of a grand piano, showing not only the keys but also the intricate inner workings of the instrument.
His social worker, Michael Camp, showed him a piano in the hospital chapel and to his amazement the man delivered a stunning, two-hour performance of classical playing. Since then, he has written music, but remains mute.
Mr Camp said today: 'The Missing Persons Helpline has been inundated with calls. It's a fantastic response.
It's a fantastic response.
Mr Camp said someone had called local police and given the name and address of who they believe the "Piano Man" may be.
He said: "A name has been given of a possible person from the Sussex area. I haven't been able to phone the person that phoned in to check it out."
He added: "We had one of these before, from the local area, and it sounded promising but ... people start to think 'It might be this person that we know' and it doesn't quite materialise. We'll just have to wait and see."
A helpline set up to identify a mystery man who stunned carers by giving a virtuoso piano performance has been inundated with calls, his social worker said today.
Look here too
Riddle of the Piano Man
The man has not uttered a word since police picked him up walking aimlessly on the streets of Sheerness, Kent, dressed in a dripping wet suit and tie.
All efforts to communicate with the shy and agitated man, aged in his 20s or early 30s, have failed, leaving experts baffled as to his identity and where he is from.
Staff at the Medway Maritime Hospital gave him a pen and paper in the hope he might write his name or even draw his country's flag.
Instead the patient, dubbed the Piano Man, drew highly detailed pictures of a grand piano, showing not only the keys but also the intricate inner workings of the instrument.
His social worker, Michael Camp, showed him a piano in the hospital chapel and to his amazement the man delivered a stunning, two-hour performance of classical playing. Since then, he has written music, but remains mute.
Mr Camp said today: 'The Missing Persons Helpline has been inundated with calls. It's a fantastic response.
It's a fantastic response.
Mr Camp said someone had called local police and given the name and address of who they believe the "Piano Man" may be.
He said: "A name has been given of a possible person from the Sussex area. I haven't been able to phone the person that phoned in to check it out."
He added: "We had one of these before, from the local area, and it sounded promising but ... people start to think 'It might be this person that we know' and it doesn't quite materialise. We'll just have to wait and see."
Personal Nuclear Power: New Battery Lasts 12 Years
Sound Scary to me
A new type of battery based on the radioactive decay of nuclear material is 10 times more powerful than similar prototypes and should last a decade or more without a charge, scientists announced this week.
The longevity would make the battery ideal for use in pacemakers or other surgically implanted devices, developers say, or it might power spacecraft or deep-sea probes.
You might also find these nuclear batteries running sensors and other small devices in your home in a few years. Such devices "don't consume much power," said University of Rochester electrical engineer Philippe Fauchet, "and yet having to replace the battery every so often is a real pain in the neck."
Fauchet told LiveScience the batteries could last a dozen years. They're being developed at Rochester and the technology has been licensed by BetaBatt Inc.
How it works
The technology is called betavoltaics. It uses a silicon wafer to capture electrons emitted by a radioactive gas, such as tritium. It is similar to the mechanics of converting sunlight into electricity in a solar panel.
Until now, betavoltaics has been unable to match solar-cell efficiency. The reason is simple: When the gas decays, its electrons shoot out in all directions. Many of them are lost.
"For 50 years, people have been investigating converting simple nuclear decay into usable energy, but the yields were always too low," Fauchet explained. "We've found a way to make the interaction much more efficient, and we hope these findings will lead to a new kind of battery that can pump out energy for years."
Fauchet's team took the flat silicon surface, where the electrons are captured and converted to a current, and turned it into a three-dimensional surface by adding deep pits.
Each pit is about one micron wide. That's four ten-thousandths of an inch. They're more than 40 microns deep.
Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen. Mixed with chemicals that emit light, it is used to illuminate exit signs without electricity -- the sort commonly found in schools and other public buildings.
"It is safe and can be implanted in the body," Fauchet said. "The energetic particles emitted by tritium do not penetrate inside the skin."
Tritium emits only low energy particles "that can be shielded by very thin materials, such as a sheet of paper," said Gadeken of BetaBatt. "The hermetically-sealed, metallic BetaBattery cases will encapsulate the entire radioactive energy source, just like a normal battery contains its chemical source so it cannot escape."
The device is detailed in today's issue of Advanced Materials.
Improvements needed
The manufacturing process is standard to the semiconductor industry, so no other technology breakthroughs are needed to bring the batteries to market. Still, don't expect anything on the store shelves for at least two years, Fauchet said. His team is now working to improve the manufacturing process, aiming for batteries many times more efficient than those announced today.
"If we are as successful as we think we may be, it will take less than five years before this technology is adopted," he said.
A new type of battery based on the radioactive decay of nuclear material is 10 times more powerful than similar prototypes and should last a decade or more without a charge, scientists announced this week.
The longevity would make the battery ideal for use in pacemakers or other surgically implanted devices, developers say, or it might power spacecraft or deep-sea probes.
You might also find these nuclear batteries running sensors and other small devices in your home in a few years. Such devices "don't consume much power," said University of Rochester electrical engineer Philippe Fauchet, "and yet having to replace the battery every so often is a real pain in the neck."
Fauchet told LiveScience the batteries could last a dozen years. They're being developed at Rochester and the technology has been licensed by BetaBatt Inc.
How it works
The technology is called betavoltaics. It uses a silicon wafer to capture electrons emitted by a radioactive gas, such as tritium. It is similar to the mechanics of converting sunlight into electricity in a solar panel.
Until now, betavoltaics has been unable to match solar-cell efficiency. The reason is simple: When the gas decays, its electrons shoot out in all directions. Many of them are lost.
"For 50 years, people have been investigating converting simple nuclear decay into usable energy, but the yields were always too low," Fauchet explained. "We've found a way to make the interaction much more efficient, and we hope these findings will lead to a new kind of battery that can pump out energy for years."
Fauchet's team took the flat silicon surface, where the electrons are captured and converted to a current, and turned it into a three-dimensional surface by adding deep pits.
Each pit is about one micron wide. That's four ten-thousandths of an inch. They're more than 40 microns deep.
Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen. Mixed with chemicals that emit light, it is used to illuminate exit signs without electricity -- the sort commonly found in schools and other public buildings.
"It is safe and can be implanted in the body," Fauchet said. "The energetic particles emitted by tritium do not penetrate inside the skin."
Tritium emits only low energy particles "that can be shielded by very thin materials, such as a sheet of paper," said Gadeken of BetaBatt. "The hermetically-sealed, metallic BetaBattery cases will encapsulate the entire radioactive energy source, just like a normal battery contains its chemical source so it cannot escape."
The device is detailed in today's issue of Advanced Materials.
Improvements needed
The manufacturing process is standard to the semiconductor industry, so no other technology breakthroughs are needed to bring the batteries to market. Still, don't expect anything on the store shelves for at least two years, Fauchet said. His team is now working to improve the manufacturing process, aiming for batteries many times more efficient than those announced today.
"If we are as successful as we think we may be, it will take less than five years before this technology is adopted," he said.
5.12.2005
Police: White paint found on hands, face of slain fortuneteller
05-04) 16:21 PDT Westminster, Calif. (AP) --
White paint was applied to the hands and faces of a Vietnamese fortuneteller and her daughter after the two were stabbed to death, police said Wednesday.
Police hoped new details about the slayings would provide them with leads in a case that has baffled detectives since the bodies of Ha Jade Smith, 52, and Anita Nhi Vo, 23, were found on April 21.
"We have exhausted what we feel are local leads are as far as the white paint and the significance of that," said Lt. Derek Marsh, spokesman for the Westminster Police Department.
"We would request an outreach to the Asian community ... and (ask) if anyone has any information in reference to the symbolic aspect of it — if there is any symbolic reference to it," he said.
Marsh said Smith was known nationally among Vietnamese-Americans as a skilled fortuneteller and had clients from as far away as New York. Clients often came to her home, he said.
Police believe the crime was motivated by robbery, however, and had no link to Smith's profession, he said.
Smith, known as Miss Ha in the local Vietnamese community, did card and palm readings from an office at a strip mall in Midway City. Her daughter was a student at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
Police said Smith was robbed and her house burglarized in separate incidents in 2001. Marsh said those crimes, which remain unsolved, do not appear related to the murders.
White paint was applied to the hands and faces of a Vietnamese fortuneteller and her daughter after the two were stabbed to death, police said Wednesday.
Police hoped new details about the slayings would provide them with leads in a case that has baffled detectives since the bodies of Ha Jade Smith, 52, and Anita Nhi Vo, 23, were found on April 21.
"We have exhausted what we feel are local leads are as far as the white paint and the significance of that," said Lt. Derek Marsh, spokesman for the Westminster Police Department.
"We would request an outreach to the Asian community ... and (ask) if anyone has any information in reference to the symbolic aspect of it — if there is any symbolic reference to it," he said.
Marsh said Smith was known nationally among Vietnamese-Americans as a skilled fortuneteller and had clients from as far away as New York. Clients often came to her home, he said.
Police believe the crime was motivated by robbery, however, and had no link to Smith's profession, he said.
Smith, known as Miss Ha in the local Vietnamese community, did card and palm readings from an office at a strip mall in Midway City. Her daughter was a student at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
Police said Smith was robbed and her house burglarized in separate incidents in 2001. Marsh said those crimes, which remain unsolved, do not appear related to the murders.
Jacko used chimps as cleaners
By Metro
Michael Jackson used his pet chimpanzees to clean Neverland ranch, his trial heard yesterday.
The creatures would help the star by dusting, cleaning windows and brushing the toilets, the jury heard.
In a clip of outtakes from Martin Bashir's ITV1 documentary Living With Michael Jackson, the singer described how he got his animals to help with household chores.
'They are very smart. Their DNA is identical to humans when you look under a microscope,' he said.
He also revealed his beloved pet chimp Bubbles was moved to a monkey sanctuary after he became too strong and started to rebel against him - like a teenage child.
He said: 'They are very, very strong. They are very powerful.'
In the video, which showed a relaxed looking Jackson sitting on a floor cushion in an emerald green silk shirt, he laughed and joked with British journalist Bashir.
He said that although the upkeep of Neverland cost him 'millions' each year, it was worth it for the happiness it brought visiting children. He said he employed between 150 and 200 people to run the ranch.
'That costs a lot of money,' he added. 'I get it all back if I see them [children] smile. That's all worth it.'
Asked why he wanted to make children happy he told Bashir: 'I've always just felt that they are very special to me. I see God through them. Everything I do is inspired by the children. I'm a nut for innocence. I love innocence. If it wasn't for the children. I would throw in the towel.'
And he invoked the memory of Princess Diana to explain why he felt he had to provide fun for youngsters.
He added: 'Especially now that Mother Teresa is not here, Princess Diana is not here, there's no voice for the kids.'
Jackson also joked about the Pope - saying he had trouble telling the difference between the various Catholic leaders.
'Why do they all look alike? That confuses me.'
Michael Jackson used his pet chimpanzees to clean Neverland ranch, his trial heard yesterday.
The creatures would help the star by dusting, cleaning windows and brushing the toilets, the jury heard.
In a clip of outtakes from Martin Bashir's ITV1 documentary Living With Michael Jackson, the singer described how he got his animals to help with household chores.
'They are very smart. Their DNA is identical to humans when you look under a microscope,' he said.
He also revealed his beloved pet chimp Bubbles was moved to a monkey sanctuary after he became too strong and started to rebel against him - like a teenage child.
He said: 'They are very, very strong. They are very powerful.'
In the video, which showed a relaxed looking Jackson sitting on a floor cushion in an emerald green silk shirt, he laughed and joked with British journalist Bashir.
He said that although the upkeep of Neverland cost him 'millions' each year, it was worth it for the happiness it brought visiting children. He said he employed between 150 and 200 people to run the ranch.
'That costs a lot of money,' he added. 'I get it all back if I see them [children] smile. That's all worth it.'
Asked why he wanted to make children happy he told Bashir: 'I've always just felt that they are very special to me. I see God through them. Everything I do is inspired by the children. I'm a nut for innocence. I love innocence. If it wasn't for the children. I would throw in the towel.'
And he invoked the memory of Princess Diana to explain why he felt he had to provide fun for youngsters.
He added: 'Especially now that Mother Teresa is not here, Princess Diana is not here, there's no voice for the kids.'
Jackson also joked about the Pope - saying he had trouble telling the difference between the various Catholic leaders.
'Why do they all look alike? That confuses me.'
5.11.2005
'Oddball rodent' in Laos takes scientists by surprise
By John Noble Wilford The New York Times
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2005
They live in the forests and limestone outcrops of Laos. With long whiskers, stubby legs and a long, furry tail, they are rodents but unlike any seen before by wildlife scientists.
They are definitely not rats or squirrels, only vaguely like a guinea pig or a chinchilla. And they often show up in Laotian outdoor markets being sold for food. There, visiting scientists came upon the animals and determined that they represented a rare find: an entire new family of wildlife.
The discovery was announced Wednesday by the Wildlife Conservation Society and described in a report in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity.
The new species in this previously unknown family is called kha-nyou (pronounced ga-nyou) by local people.
Scientists found that differences in the skull and bone structure and in the animal's DNA revealed this to be a member of a distinct family that diverged from others of the rodent order millions of years ago.
'To find something so distinct in this day and age is just extraordinary,' said Robert Timmins of the Wildlife Conservation Society, one of the discoverers. 'For all we know, this could be the last remaining mammal family left to be discovered.'
Naturalists had trouble recalling when a new family of mammals was last identified. It may have been when, in the 1970s, a new family of bats was found in Thailand. The most active period of finding and classifying new species and families was in the 19th century, when explorers and settlers moved into remote interiors of the continents.
Timmins "said, no Western scientists have ever seen a kha-nyou alive.
The encounter occurred in the late 1990s, about the same time that another scientist, Mark Robinson, independently collected several of the carcasses as specimens. The adults have bodies about a foot long, or 30 centimeters with a tail that is not as bushy as a squirrel's. They knew immediately that this was, as Timmins said, "an oddball rodent."
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2005
They live in the forests and limestone outcrops of Laos. With long whiskers, stubby legs and a long, furry tail, they are rodents but unlike any seen before by wildlife scientists.
They are definitely not rats or squirrels, only vaguely like a guinea pig or a chinchilla. And they often show up in Laotian outdoor markets being sold for food. There, visiting scientists came upon the animals and determined that they represented a rare find: an entire new family of wildlife.
The discovery was announced Wednesday by the Wildlife Conservation Society and described in a report in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity.
The new species in this previously unknown family is called kha-nyou (pronounced ga-nyou) by local people.
Scientists found that differences in the skull and bone structure and in the animal's DNA revealed this to be a member of a distinct family that diverged from others of the rodent order millions of years ago.
'To find something so distinct in this day and age is just extraordinary,' said Robert Timmins of the Wildlife Conservation Society, one of the discoverers. 'For all we know, this could be the last remaining mammal family left to be discovered.'
Naturalists had trouble recalling when a new family of mammals was last identified. It may have been when, in the 1970s, a new family of bats was found in Thailand. The most active period of finding and classifying new species and families was in the 19th century, when explorers and settlers moved into remote interiors of the continents.
Timmins "said, no Western scientists have ever seen a kha-nyou alive.
The encounter occurred in the late 1990s, about the same time that another scientist, Mark Robinson, independently collected several of the carcasses as specimens. The adults have bodies about a foot long, or 30 centimeters with a tail that is not as bushy as a squirrel's. They knew immediately that this was, as Timmins said, "an oddball rodent."
5.10.2005
Jesus Christ in Legal Battle in W.Va..."Christ is not speaking to the press at this time,"
By ERIK SCHELZIG
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Even Jesus Christ can't circumvent the rules for getting a driver's license in West Virginia.
Attempts to prove his name really is Christ have led the man born as Peter Robert Phillips Jr. through a lengthy legal battle and a recent victory in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
'This all started with him expressing his faith and his respect and love for Jesus Christ,' attorney A.P. Pishevar told The Associated Press. 'Now he needs to document it for legal reasons.'
Described by his attorney as a white-haired businessman in his mid-50s, Christ is moving to West Virginia to enjoy a slower lifestyle. He bought property near Lost River, about 100 miles west of Washington, and has a U.S. passport, Social Security card and Washington driver's license bearing the name Jesus Christ.
But he still falls short of West Virginia title and license transfer requirements because his Florida birth certificate has his original name on it and he has been unable to obtain an official name change in Washington.
'We just need official documentation that that's his name,' said Doug Stump, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. 'He will be treated no different than anybody else.'
Christ applied for the legal name change in May 2003, but it was denied by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Tim Murphy because 'taking the name of Jesus Christ may provoke a violent reaction or may significantly offend people.'
In his appeal, Christ's attorney argued that Phillips had changed his name to Jesus Christ 15 years earlier, and 'has been using the name since then without incident.'
name since then without incident."
The appeals court last month sent the name-change proposal back to the lower court, saying some required hearings in the case had not been held.
Any comment from the man in the middle of this legal tussle?
"Christ is not speaking to the press at this time,"Pishevar said.
This is much more real than an image in a slice of toast. (Editor)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Even Jesus Christ can't circumvent the rules for getting a driver's license in West Virginia.
Attempts to prove his name really is Christ have led the man born as Peter Robert Phillips Jr. through a lengthy legal battle and a recent victory in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
'This all started with him expressing his faith and his respect and love for Jesus Christ,' attorney A.P. Pishevar told The Associated Press. 'Now he needs to document it for legal reasons.'
Described by his attorney as a white-haired businessman in his mid-50s, Christ is moving to West Virginia to enjoy a slower lifestyle. He bought property near Lost River, about 100 miles west of Washington, and has a U.S. passport, Social Security card and Washington driver's license bearing the name Jesus Christ.
But he still falls short of West Virginia title and license transfer requirements because his Florida birth certificate has his original name on it and he has been unable to obtain an official name change in Washington.
'We just need official documentation that that's his name,' said Doug Stump, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. 'He will be treated no different than anybody else.'
Christ applied for the legal name change in May 2003, but it was denied by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Tim Murphy because 'taking the name of Jesus Christ may provoke a violent reaction or may significantly offend people.'
In his appeal, Christ's attorney argued that Phillips had changed his name to Jesus Christ 15 years earlier, and 'has been using the name since then without incident.'
name since then without incident."
The appeals court last month sent the name-change proposal back to the lower court, saying some required hearings in the case had not been held.
Any comment from the man in the middle of this legal tussle?
"Christ is not speaking to the press at this time,"Pishevar said.
This is much more real than an image in a slice of toast. (Editor)
5.04.2005
Just Icky
Farrell's failed seduction
By Henry Meller, Daily Mail
At the age of 70 she may have thought her days of being romanced by Hollywood heart-throbs were behind her.
But Dame Eileen Atkins says Colin Farrell - some 42 years her junior - spent more than two hours trying to seduce her.
Dame Eileen, one of the creators of the classic television series Upstairs Downstairs, revealed in an interview yesterday that she was propositioned by the actor just a few months ago.
Asked about her sex life on the ITV chat show Loose Women, she said: 'I was doing a movie and three weeks before my 70th birthday, a simply stunningly gorgeous big film star aged 28 years old, came into my hotel room for sex without strings.
'I spent two and a half hours saying No. But it was pure bliss and it made me sail through my 70th birthday without a care in the world.'
Asked whether she was tempted, she said: 'Of course I was!'
She told how she followed the advice of another respected British actress, her friend Sian Phillips, and kept saying 'this is deeply inappropriate'.
Dame Eileen added: 'It cheered me up fantastically. I said No in the end because he said, "The reason you won't do it is because your body isn't as good as it was when you were young isn't it? That's why you're saying No. I don't care about that. I don't care".
'But I'm too proud of how I looked when I was younger. My body is still the same weight, but it's all distributed in a different way!' The actress, who was made a Dame in June 2001, intended to spare Mr Farrell the embarrassment of having his rejection made public.
But her agent said later: 'I can confirm that it is Colin Farrell that made an advance.'
Dame Eileen and Farrell will be seen together in the film Ask The Dust, which is due for release later this year.
Quite what Dame Eileen's second husband, film producer Bill Shephard makes of the incident is unknown. Her spokesman added: 'As far as I know they are happily married.'
Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Demi Moore and Naomi Campbell are among the women said to have fallen for Farrell, star of the epic flop Alexander.
Dame Eileen has pursued a distinguished career on TV, stage and screen. Her recent movies include Cold Mountain, Gosford Park and Vanity Fair.
By Henry Meller, Daily Mail
At the age of 70 she may have thought her days of being romanced by Hollywood heart-throbs were behind her.
But Dame Eileen Atkins says Colin Farrell - some 42 years her junior - spent more than two hours trying to seduce her.
Dame Eileen, one of the creators of the classic television series Upstairs Downstairs, revealed in an interview yesterday that she was propositioned by the actor just a few months ago.
Asked about her sex life on the ITV chat show Loose Women, she said: 'I was doing a movie and three weeks before my 70th birthday, a simply stunningly gorgeous big film star aged 28 years old, came into my hotel room for sex without strings.
'I spent two and a half hours saying No. But it was pure bliss and it made me sail through my 70th birthday without a care in the world.'
Asked whether she was tempted, she said: 'Of course I was!'
She told how she followed the advice of another respected British actress, her friend Sian Phillips, and kept saying 'this is deeply inappropriate'.
Dame Eileen added: 'It cheered me up fantastically. I said No in the end because he said, "The reason you won't do it is because your body isn't as good as it was when you were young isn't it? That's why you're saying No. I don't care about that. I don't care".
'But I'm too proud of how I looked when I was younger. My body is still the same weight, but it's all distributed in a different way!' The actress, who was made a Dame in June 2001, intended to spare Mr Farrell the embarrassment of having his rejection made public.
But her agent said later: 'I can confirm that it is Colin Farrell that made an advance.'
Dame Eileen and Farrell will be seen together in the film Ask The Dust, which is due for release later this year.
Quite what Dame Eileen's second husband, film producer Bill Shephard makes of the incident is unknown. Her spokesman added: 'As far as I know they are happily married.'
Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Demi Moore and Naomi Campbell are among the women said to have fallen for Farrell, star of the epic flop Alexander.
Dame Eileen has pursued a distinguished career on TV, stage and screen. Her recent movies include Cold Mountain, Gosford Park and Vanity Fair.
This may hit you a little low.
How can you figure out the insane? Imagine the horor of the new home owner. What does the artice mean by One neighbour said: "This place has a bad reputation but everyone is shocked by the discovery."
Woman arrested over dead babies in attics
By Sarah Getty, Metro
A former nurse was arrested last night after police discovered the bodies of three newborn babies in two attics.
Anne Mahoney, 64, was first questioned six weeks ago after a baby's corpse was found wrapped in bags in a loft.
When police searched the attic of her own home yesterday, they found the remains of two more infants. They had been 'bagged up' in a similar way, said an officer.
Detectives sealed off the two-bedroomed council house in a cul-de-sac on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. Other properties are to be searched.
One officer said: 'This has come as quite a shock and we are not sure what we are dealing with at the moment.'
The first baby was found on March 20 by a family moving into their new home.
The father was putting empty packing cases into the attic when he found the remains in a plastic bag.
He thought the bones were a rabbit's before realising in horror it was a baby.
Pathologists said the body - that of a fullterm child - was hidden years ago but failed to establish a cause of death.
Forensic tests were being carried out on the latest corpses last night. One neighbour said: 'This place has a bad reputation but everyone is shocked by the discovery.
'It was bad enough when one baby was found. This is too horrific to think about.'
Residents said Mrs Mahoney worked as a nurse at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, then became a carer for the elderly until her retirement.
5.03.2005
10.5 pounds of ground beef
My Way News: "CLEARFIELD, Pa. (AP) - The burger war is growing. Literally. Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, which lost its crown as the home of the world's biggest burger earlier this year, is now offering a new burger that weighs a whopping 15 pounds.
Dubbed the Beer Barrel Belly Buster, the burger comes with 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers - and a bun.
It costs $30.
'It can feed a family of 10,' said Denny Liegey Sr., the restaurant's owner.
Denny's Beer Barrel Pub had offered a 6-pound burger - with 5 pounds of toppings.
In February, a 100-pound female college student became the first to eat the burger within the three-hour time limit. Kate Stelnick, of Princeton, N.J., was awarded a special certificate, a T-shirt and other prizes and Leigey picked up the $23.95 tab for the burger.
One month later, the Clinton Station Diner in Clinton, N.J., introduced a 12.5-pound burger dubbed Zeus.
So Liegey responded, and the Belly Buster was born.
Over the weekend, four men took the challenge, but couldn't get through the entire burger. They opted for doggie bags, instead.
'It's a little too much for me to handle,' said Steve Hepburn, of Clearfield. 'It's like trying to eat half a cow.'"
Dubbed the Beer Barrel Belly Buster, the burger comes with 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers - and a bun.
It costs $30.
'It can feed a family of 10,' said Denny Liegey Sr., the restaurant's owner.
Denny's Beer Barrel Pub had offered a 6-pound burger - with 5 pounds of toppings.
In February, a 100-pound female college student became the first to eat the burger within the three-hour time limit. Kate Stelnick, of Princeton, N.J., was awarded a special certificate, a T-shirt and other prizes and Leigey picked up the $23.95 tab for the burger.
One month later, the Clinton Station Diner in Clinton, N.J., introduced a 12.5-pound burger dubbed Zeus.
So Liegey responded, and the Belly Buster was born.
Over the weekend, four men took the challenge, but couldn't get through the entire burger. They opted for doggie bags, instead.
'It's a little too much for me to handle,' said Steve Hepburn, of Clearfield. 'It's like trying to eat half a cow.'"
Rampage of naked, shocking behavior
"INVERNESS - An Inverness man was arrested Saturday after breaking into his neighbors' house and threatening them, shocking himself by sticking his fingers into a lamp socket, threatening a deputy with a metal rod, running naked through his yard and chewing through a cable in a patrol car, authorities said.
Authorities arrested Shyne Harris Phelps, 39, of 2510 Jupiter St., at 1:45 a.m., on charges of kidnapping, burglary of a dwelling, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with intent to commit a felony, resisting an officer with violence, battery and criminal mischief, an arrest report said.
Deputies were called to a home on East Dawson Drive, just behind Beall's, at 1:35 a.m. after getting a call of a burglary in progress.
On arrival, Deputy Lynn Tabb saw several people standing in the yard, pointing and yelling. Then he heard something hit the rear passenger side of the patrol car.
When Tabb turned, he saw a man holding a metal rod and wearing only a sheet wrapped around his waist, a report said. He was yelling that he was 'ready to go to jail.'
Tabb got out of his car and ordered the man to drop the rod. He did, but quickly picked it up again and made a threatening gesture. Tabb pulled his gun. The man dropped the rod but shouted that he was 'ready to die' and took off running.
The man tried to scale a chain-link fence to get back to his home on the adjoining property.
The deputy fired a Taser at him, but it didn't connect. The man threw dirt and rocks in the deputy's face, the report said.
The suspect made it over the fence, losing his sheet in the process and sprinted, naked, into his home, the report said.
Neighbors told Tabb that the man had several guns in the house, but the suspect soon"
Authorities arrested Shyne Harris Phelps, 39, of 2510 Jupiter St., at 1:45 a.m., on charges of kidnapping, burglary of a dwelling, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with intent to commit a felony, resisting an officer with violence, battery and criminal mischief, an arrest report said.
Deputies were called to a home on East Dawson Drive, just behind Beall's, at 1:35 a.m. after getting a call of a burglary in progress.
On arrival, Deputy Lynn Tabb saw several people standing in the yard, pointing and yelling. Then he heard something hit the rear passenger side of the patrol car.
When Tabb turned, he saw a man holding a metal rod and wearing only a sheet wrapped around his waist, a report said. He was yelling that he was 'ready to go to jail.'
Tabb got out of his car and ordered the man to drop the rod. He did, but quickly picked it up again and made a threatening gesture. Tabb pulled his gun. The man dropped the rod but shouted that he was 'ready to die' and took off running.
The man tried to scale a chain-link fence to get back to his home on the adjoining property.
The deputy fired a Taser at him, but it didn't connect. The man threw dirt and rocks in the deputy's face, the report said.
The suspect made it over the fence, losing his sheet in the process and sprinted, naked, into his home, the report said.
Neighbors told Tabb that the man had several guns in the house, but the suspect soon"
5.02.2005
Burrito Leads To School Lockdown, Armed Officers On Roof Tops
CLOVIS, N.M. -- A 911 call about a possible weapon at a middle school prompted police to put armed officers on rooftops, close nearby streets and lock down the school.
All over a giant burrito.
Someone called authorities Thursday after seeing a boy carrying something long and wrapped up into Marshall Junior High School.
The drama ended two hours later when the suspicious item was identified as a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos. It was wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-shirt.
"I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," school Principal Diana Russell said.
Russell said the mystery was solved after she brought everyone in the school together in the auditorium to explain what was going on. Afterward, eighth-grader Michael Morrissey approached her.
"He said, 'I think I'm the person they saw,"' Russell said.
The burrito was part of Morrissey's extra-credit assignment to create commercial advertising for a product. "We had to make up a product and it could have been anything. I made up a restaurant that specialized in oddly large burritos," Morrissey said.
After students heard the description of what police were looking for, he and his friends began to make the connection. He then took the burrito to the office.
"I have a new nickname now. It's Burrito Boy," Morrissey said.
Which brings up a older story.
All over a giant burrito.
Someone called authorities Thursday after seeing a boy carrying something long and wrapped up into Marshall Junior High School.
The drama ended two hours later when the suspicious item was identified as a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos. It was wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-shirt.
"I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," school Principal Diana Russell said.
Russell said the mystery was solved after she brought everyone in the school together in the auditorium to explain what was going on. Afterward, eighth-grader Michael Morrissey approached her.
"He said, 'I think I'm the person they saw,"' Russell said.
The burrito was part of Morrissey's extra-credit assignment to create commercial advertising for a product. "We had to make up a product and it could have been anything. I made up a restaurant that specialized in oddly large burritos," Morrissey said.
After students heard the description of what police were looking for, he and his friends began to make the connection. He then took the burrito to the office.
"I have a new nickname now. It's Burrito Boy," Morrissey said.
Which brings up a older story.
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