Kenyan women's group sued over sex boycott
Canwest News ServiceMay 10, 2009 7:35 AM
A Kenyan man is seeking damages for anguish sustained during a weeklong sex ban called by women's groups in a bid to force political leaders to put their rivalry aside to work for the common good.
James Kimondo is suing the leaders of G10, a coalition of women's groups that called for a national boycott to push the men into resolving the east African country's political woes.
"Since the women called for the sex boycott, my wife has denied me my conjugal rights. This has caused me anxiety and sleepless nights," Kimondo said.
"I have been suffering mental anguish, stress, backaches, lack of concentration," he told reporters outside the Nairobi High Court, where he lodged his petition for damages.
The group even urged prostitutes to join the strike.
The strike ended Wednesday with the organizers claiming it had been a success. They argued that the country's male leaders should not have time for matters of the flesh when the country is ensnared in economic and political trouble.
President Mwai Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga were pressured into a power-sharing deal by international mediators following violence which accompanied December 2007 polls, but lingering tensions have crippled the coalition government and fuelled widespread discontent.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
AMAZING STORIES
May 14, 2009
Switched at Birth, Women Find New Identity
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
PASCO, Wash. — They are calling themselves “twisters.” After all, the standard terms of family and relationships seem insufficient to describe the recently discovered connection between Kay Rene Qualls and DeeAnn Shafer.
Both women were born on May 3, 1953, the only births that day in tiny Pioneer Memorial Hospital in rural Heppner, Ore. Both grew up happily, got married, raised children and now have grandchildren.
Then, last summer, say friends and family members, an elderly woman who knew the families of both women long ago made a call to Mrs. Qualls’s brother. The woman, who has not been identified, had news she felt she had to share as her life neared its end and the younger women’s parents had already died.
“It’s shocking, totally shocking,” said Mrs. Shafer’s husband, Rick. “But both families have opened up their arms.”
The woman said that Kay Rene and DeeAnn were supposed to be vice versa. She said they had been switched at birth in the hospital, apparently accidentally, and taken home by the other’s mother. Floored and skeptical but also curious, Mrs. Qualls and Mrs. Shafer tracked each other down earlier this year and agreed to a DNA test. Then they went out to lunch.
Both shared stories of the rumors, long ago dismissed, that their mothers had brought home the wrong baby. That moment in the nursery in 1953 apparently had been the only time they had crossed paths.
When the DNA test came back, it confirmed what the elderly woman had said. With their identities upended, they cried and they laughed. They had a party, too.
“They had a birthday family reunion together, when they met all of each other’s siblings,” said Florene Robinson, Mrs. Qualls’s best friend and a colleague at the Bank of Eastern Oregon in Heppner.
The new extended family took pictures. There was Kay Rene standing beside DeeAnn’s sisters, her long-lost mirror images. There was DeeAnn alongside her biological family members, her blue eyes and blond hair suddenly making more sense.
Their story appeared in the East Oregonian newspaper this week and quickly shot across the Internet. Television producers tracked Mrs. Qualls to the ranch outside Heppner where she has long lived with her husband, Lyndale Qualls. They reached Mrs. Shafer here in Pasco, where she has just moved from Spokane, Wash., with her husband of 35 years, Rick, who helps run his brother’s used-car dealership.
“Good Morning America” is flying three generations of both families to New York for an appearance this week. Until then, both women said in brief telephone conversations, they are keeping more of their story to themselves. Already, they have tired of the news media’s inquiries, they said.
And then there are the questions they ask themselves.
“She has her highs and lows,” Mr. Shafer said of his wife. “One minute she’s happy, the next she’s sad because she never got to meet her real mom and dad, or her grandparents.”
“It eats at her,” Mr. Shafer said. “And I know it eats at Kay Rene, too. I mean, DeeAnn’s supposed to be Kay Rene.”
Photo at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14 ... &th&emc=th
Switched at Birth, Women Find New Identity
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
PASCO, Wash. — They are calling themselves “twisters.” After all, the standard terms of family and relationships seem insufficient to describe the recently discovered connection between Kay Rene Qualls and DeeAnn Shafer.
Both women were born on May 3, 1953, the only births that day in tiny Pioneer Memorial Hospital in rural Heppner, Ore. Both grew up happily, got married, raised children and now have grandchildren.
Then, last summer, say friends and family members, an elderly woman who knew the families of both women long ago made a call to Mrs. Qualls’s brother. The woman, who has not been identified, had news she felt she had to share as her life neared its end and the younger women’s parents had already died.
“It’s shocking, totally shocking,” said Mrs. Shafer’s husband, Rick. “But both families have opened up their arms.”
The woman said that Kay Rene and DeeAnn were supposed to be vice versa. She said they had been switched at birth in the hospital, apparently accidentally, and taken home by the other’s mother. Floored and skeptical but also curious, Mrs. Qualls and Mrs. Shafer tracked each other down earlier this year and agreed to a DNA test. Then they went out to lunch.
Both shared stories of the rumors, long ago dismissed, that their mothers had brought home the wrong baby. That moment in the nursery in 1953 apparently had been the only time they had crossed paths.
When the DNA test came back, it confirmed what the elderly woman had said. With their identities upended, they cried and they laughed. They had a party, too.
“They had a birthday family reunion together, when they met all of each other’s siblings,” said Florene Robinson, Mrs. Qualls’s best friend and a colleague at the Bank of Eastern Oregon in Heppner.
The new extended family took pictures. There was Kay Rene standing beside DeeAnn’s sisters, her long-lost mirror images. There was DeeAnn alongside her biological family members, her blue eyes and blond hair suddenly making more sense.
Their story appeared in the East Oregonian newspaper this week and quickly shot across the Internet. Television producers tracked Mrs. Qualls to the ranch outside Heppner where she has long lived with her husband, Lyndale Qualls. They reached Mrs. Shafer here in Pasco, where she has just moved from Spokane, Wash., with her husband of 35 years, Rick, who helps run his brother’s used-car dealership.
“Good Morning America” is flying three generations of both families to New York for an appearance this week. Until then, both women said in brief telephone conversations, they are keeping more of their story to themselves. Already, they have tired of the news media’s inquiries, they said.
And then there are the questions they ask themselves.
“She has her highs and lows,” Mr. Shafer said of his wife. “One minute she’s happy, the next she’s sad because she never got to meet her real mom and dad, or her grandparents.”
“It eats at her,” Mr. Shafer said. “And I know it eats at Kay Rene, too. I mean, DeeAnn’s supposed to be Kay Rene.”
Photo at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14 ... &th&emc=th
Man tried to hire prostitute for son, 14
Canwest News Service
May 17, 2009 7:22 AM
A man who tried to hire a prostitute to take his 14-year-old son's virginity as a present was spared jail by a British court on Friday.
The Polish national took the boy out in his car and allowed him to pick out the prostitute, who was standing at the side of the road in the red-light district of Nottingham, central England.
But the 42-year-old father was arrested because the teen had chosen an undercover police officer, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, after he admitted a charge of trying to solicit a woman to have sex with a child, the Press Association reported.
The court heard that the father, who came to Britain eight years ago, was arrested last July in an undercover operation by the vice squad. Prosecutor Adrian Harris said the man and his son approached the undercover officer whose code name was Sarah. He asked "Sarah" how much it would cost for her to have sex with his son and they agreed on $35. The man was arrested by plainclothes police officers.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Canwest News Service
May 17, 2009 7:22 AM
A man who tried to hire a prostitute to take his 14-year-old son's virginity as a present was spared jail by a British court on Friday.
The Polish national took the boy out in his car and allowed him to pick out the prostitute, who was standing at the side of the road in the red-light district of Nottingham, central England.
But the 42-year-old father was arrested because the teen had chosen an undercover police officer, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, after he admitted a charge of trying to solicit a woman to have sex with a child, the Press Association reported.
The court heard that the father, who came to Britain eight years ago, was arrested last July in an undercover operation by the vice squad. Prosecutor Adrian Harris said the man and his son approached the undercover officer whose code name was Sarah. He asked "Sarah" how much it would cost for her to have sex with his son and they agreed on $35. The man was arrested by plainclothes police officers.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
; Sodomy suit seeks $220M
Canwest News ServiceMay 30, 2009
A man who last year said he had been sodomized by New York police with a truncheon is seeking $220 million in damages, his lawyer said Friday.
Tattoo parlour employee Michael Mineo says police held him down on a subway station platform October 15 and raped him with the baton, tearing his rectum.
His attorney, Kevin Mosley, told AFP he was filing a complaint against New York City, the police force and four officers "based on civil rights violations. Federal law prohibits the excesses."
"Would we not seek some kind of compensation for our life to be ruined? This kind of conduct cannot be tolerated. It has an impact on society,"Mosley said.
An officer was charged in December with aggravated sexual assault in the attack and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Two other officers were charged with an attempted coverup.
The officers say they are innocent. A trial is expected in September.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Canwest News ServiceMay 30, 2009
A man who last year said he had been sodomized by New York police with a truncheon is seeking $220 million in damages, his lawyer said Friday.
Tattoo parlour employee Michael Mineo says police held him down on a subway station platform October 15 and raped him with the baton, tearing his rectum.
His attorney, Kevin Mosley, told AFP he was filing a complaint against New York City, the police force and four officers "based on civil rights violations. Federal law prohibits the excesses."
"Would we not seek some kind of compensation for our life to be ruined? This kind of conduct cannot be tolerated. It has an impact on society,"Mosley said.
An officer was charged in December with aggravated sexual assault in the attack and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Two other officers were charged with an attempted coverup.
The officers say they are innocent. A trial is expected in September.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Horror of Kenya's 'witch' lynchings
By Odhiambo Joseph
BBC News, Kenya
Villagers, many straight from their farms, and armed with machetes, sticks and axes, are shouting and crowding round in a big group in Kenya's fertile Kisii district.
I can't see clearly what is going on, but heavy smoke is rising from the ground and a horrible stench fills the air.
More people are streaming up the hill, some of them with firewood and maize stalks.
Suddenly an old woman breaks from the crowd, screaming for mercy. Three or four people go after her, beat her and drag her back, pushing her onto - what I can now see - is a raging fire.
Burned alive
I was witnessing a horrific practice which appears to be on the increase in Kenya - the lynching of people accused of being witches.
I personally saw the burning alive of five elderly men and women in Itii village.
“ They point at me saying - that is a son of the witch ”
Joseph Ondieki
I had been visiting relatives in a nearby town, when I heard what was happening. I dashed to the scene, accompanied by a village elder.
He reacted as if what we were watching was quite normal, which was shocking for me.
As a stranger I felt I had no choice but to stand by and watch. My fear was that if I showed any sign of disapproval, or made any false move, the angry mob could turn on me.
Not one person was protesting or trying to stop the killing.
Hours later, the police came and removed the charred bodies.
Village youths who took part in the killings told me that the five victims had to die because they had bewitched a young boy.
"Of course some people have been burned. But there is proof of witchcraft," said one youth.
He said that a child had spent the night walking around and then was unable to talk the following morning - except to one of the so-called witches.
I asked the youths whether or not people involved in this supposed witchcraft should be punished.
"Yes, they must be punished, every one," said the first youth.
"We are very angry and that's why we end up punishing these people and even killing them."
His friend agreed: "In other communities, there are witches all round but in Kisii we have come up with a new method, we want to kill these people using our own hands."
I later discovered that the young boy who had supposedly been bewitched, was suffering from epilepsy.
His mother had panicked when he had had an attack.
All too common
The village elder was dismissive of my horror, saying that this kind of thing happens all the time in the western district of Kisii.
He told me about Joseph Ondieki, whose mother had been burned to death less than two months earlier.
I found Joseph and his wife Mary Nyaboke tending vegetables in their small shamba, or homestead.
“ If I visit my neighbours I fear they might poison my food ”
Joseph Ondieki
Mary told me that on the day her mother-in-law had been killed she had been visiting her own parents.
She had heard a noise and discovered the truth when she came home.
She said that in the 20 years she had been married, she had never had any reason to believe her husband's mother was a witch.
Joseph told me he has suffered a lot since his mother died.
"I was born here, but at this stage I feel as if this is not my home any more," he said.
"I cannot visit neighbours or relatives.
"Even when they see me standing by the road side, they point at me, saying: 'That is a son of the witch'.
"And when I go to town they also start wondering what has taken me there. Is it that I am going to give evidence against them?
"When I come back, they say I've been seen at the police station, but I've never been there. I've never reported the matter.
"If I visit the neighbours, I always fear that they might put poison in the food.
"So when I'm forced to visit, I make sure I don't eat anything.
"If I can't get my own food I just have a glass of water and sleep."
I set off with Joseph up the hill towards his house, which was far from the centre of the village.
On the way we passed his mother's house.
A neighbour was reluctant to talk to me and denied even knowing Joseph's mother.
"Here in Kisii, people are being burned on mere allegation and most of them are old," Joseph said.
"We now don't have any old people in the village to consult.
"Even me I'm now approaching 50 years old - I'm afraid that they'll come for me also."
Warning signs
I spent three days in Kisii trying to speak to the authorities, but nobody, neither the police nor the local government officials would talk to me.
As night drew in, and it was time for me to leave, Joseph walked with me from his village to where my car was parked.
When we arrived, he begged me to take him with me to Mombasa, where I am based.
It was very difficult for me to leave him behind.
As I drove away I passed signs pinned to trees, warning witches that they would be tracked down.
"We know you by your names", someone had typed in bold.
To listen to the full broadcast of Kenya's Witch Lynchings , tune in to African Perspective on the BBC World Service. The program is first broadcast on Saturday 27 June at 1106 GMT. It will be available online from 2106 GMT, for one week.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 119201.stm
Published: 2009/06/26 07:17:36 GMT
By Odhiambo Joseph
BBC News, Kenya
Villagers, many straight from their farms, and armed with machetes, sticks and axes, are shouting and crowding round in a big group in Kenya's fertile Kisii district.
I can't see clearly what is going on, but heavy smoke is rising from the ground and a horrible stench fills the air.
More people are streaming up the hill, some of them with firewood and maize stalks.
Suddenly an old woman breaks from the crowd, screaming for mercy. Three or four people go after her, beat her and drag her back, pushing her onto - what I can now see - is a raging fire.
Burned alive
I was witnessing a horrific practice which appears to be on the increase in Kenya - the lynching of people accused of being witches.
I personally saw the burning alive of five elderly men and women in Itii village.
“ They point at me saying - that is a son of the witch ”
Joseph Ondieki
I had been visiting relatives in a nearby town, when I heard what was happening. I dashed to the scene, accompanied by a village elder.
He reacted as if what we were watching was quite normal, which was shocking for me.
As a stranger I felt I had no choice but to stand by and watch. My fear was that if I showed any sign of disapproval, or made any false move, the angry mob could turn on me.
Not one person was protesting or trying to stop the killing.
Hours later, the police came and removed the charred bodies.
Village youths who took part in the killings told me that the five victims had to die because they had bewitched a young boy.
"Of course some people have been burned. But there is proof of witchcraft," said one youth.
He said that a child had spent the night walking around and then was unable to talk the following morning - except to one of the so-called witches.
I asked the youths whether or not people involved in this supposed witchcraft should be punished.
"Yes, they must be punished, every one," said the first youth.
"We are very angry and that's why we end up punishing these people and even killing them."
His friend agreed: "In other communities, there are witches all round but in Kisii we have come up with a new method, we want to kill these people using our own hands."
I later discovered that the young boy who had supposedly been bewitched, was suffering from epilepsy.
His mother had panicked when he had had an attack.
All too common
The village elder was dismissive of my horror, saying that this kind of thing happens all the time in the western district of Kisii.
He told me about Joseph Ondieki, whose mother had been burned to death less than two months earlier.
I found Joseph and his wife Mary Nyaboke tending vegetables in their small shamba, or homestead.
“ If I visit my neighbours I fear they might poison my food ”
Joseph Ondieki
Mary told me that on the day her mother-in-law had been killed she had been visiting her own parents.
She had heard a noise and discovered the truth when she came home.
She said that in the 20 years she had been married, she had never had any reason to believe her husband's mother was a witch.
Joseph told me he has suffered a lot since his mother died.
"I was born here, but at this stage I feel as if this is not my home any more," he said.
"I cannot visit neighbours or relatives.
"Even when they see me standing by the road side, they point at me, saying: 'That is a son of the witch'.
"And when I go to town they also start wondering what has taken me there. Is it that I am going to give evidence against them?
"When I come back, they say I've been seen at the police station, but I've never been there. I've never reported the matter.
"If I visit the neighbours, I always fear that they might put poison in the food.
"So when I'm forced to visit, I make sure I don't eat anything.
"If I can't get my own food I just have a glass of water and sleep."
I set off with Joseph up the hill towards his house, which was far from the centre of the village.
On the way we passed his mother's house.
A neighbour was reluctant to talk to me and denied even knowing Joseph's mother.
"Here in Kisii, people are being burned on mere allegation and most of them are old," Joseph said.
"We now don't have any old people in the village to consult.
"Even me I'm now approaching 50 years old - I'm afraid that they'll come for me also."
Warning signs
I spent three days in Kisii trying to speak to the authorities, but nobody, neither the police nor the local government officials would talk to me.
As night drew in, and it was time for me to leave, Joseph walked with me from his village to where my car was parked.
When we arrived, he begged me to take him with me to Mombasa, where I am based.
It was very difficult for me to leave him behind.
As I drove away I passed signs pinned to trees, warning witches that they would be tracked down.
"We know you by your names", someone had typed in bold.
To listen to the full broadcast of Kenya's Witch Lynchings , tune in to African Perspective on the BBC World Service. The program is first broadcast on Saturday 27 June at 1106 GMT. It will be available online from 2106 GMT, for one week.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 119201.stm
Published: 2009/06/26 07:17:36 GMT
Ethiopian man shackles girl with dogs for 18 years
By Tsegaye Tadesse, ReutersJuly 4, 2009 8:17
Hundreds of women have rallied to demand the death penalty for a man who shackled a girl with dogs for 18 years and abused her, the Ethiopian News Agency reported Friday.
The unnamed suspect from Adama -- a town 100 kilo-metres east of the country's capital Addis Ababa--imprisoned the girl from the age of four, the agency said.
The man took custody of her when his mother, who had been caring for the girl, died.
The victim's mother suffered from mental illness.
"The suspect tortured, violated and brutally abused the girl for 18 years, shackling her with dogs in a secluded room inside his home," police reported.
"He starved the girl, only throwing her crumbs of bread once in a while, and she was forced to share the dogs' food to survive. She is in poor health."
"The suspect tortured, violated and brutally abused the girl for 18 years, shackling her with dogs in a secluded room inside his home," police said.
The case echoes that of Austrian Josef Fritzl.
The discovery and subsequent trial of the man who imprisoned his daughter in a basement for 24 years--and fathering seven children with her--captured world attention.
Fritzl was sentenced to life in prison in March.
Police say that the Ethiopian girl--who is now 22--is suffering from multiple wounds and is being treated in a hospital in the town.
The mayor of Adama, Tadelle Shigute, said that the man will appear in court soon but did not give a specific date.
"It's hoped that he will receive a penalty which is befitting his crimes," said Tadelle.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 5&sponsor=
By Tsegaye Tadesse, ReutersJuly 4, 2009 8:17
Hundreds of women have rallied to demand the death penalty for a man who shackled a girl with dogs for 18 years and abused her, the Ethiopian News Agency reported Friday.
The unnamed suspect from Adama -- a town 100 kilo-metres east of the country's capital Addis Ababa--imprisoned the girl from the age of four, the agency said.
The man took custody of her when his mother, who had been caring for the girl, died.
The victim's mother suffered from mental illness.
"The suspect tortured, violated and brutally abused the girl for 18 years, shackling her with dogs in a secluded room inside his home," police reported.
"He starved the girl, only throwing her crumbs of bread once in a while, and she was forced to share the dogs' food to survive. She is in poor health."
"The suspect tortured, violated and brutally abused the girl for 18 years, shackling her with dogs in a secluded room inside his home," police said.
The case echoes that of Austrian Josef Fritzl.
The discovery and subsequent trial of the man who imprisoned his daughter in a basement for 24 years--and fathering seven children with her--captured world attention.
Fritzl was sentenced to life in prison in March.
Police say that the Ethiopian girl--who is now 22--is suffering from multiple wounds and is being treated in a hospital in the town.
The mayor of Adama, Tadelle Shigute, said that the man will appear in court soon but did not give a specific date.
"It's hoped that he will receive a penalty which is befitting his crimes," said Tadelle.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 5&sponsor=
Sudan women 'lashed for trousers'
Several Sudanese women have been flogged as a punishment for dressing "indecently", according to a local journalist who was arrested with them.
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who says she is facing 40 lashes, said she and 12 other women wearing trousers were arrested in a restaurant in the capital, Khartoum.
She told the BBC several of the women had pleaded guilty to the charges and had 10 lashes immediately.
Khartoum, unlike South Sudan, is governed by Sharia law.
Several of those punished were from the mainly Christian and animist south, Ms Hussein said.
Non-Muslims are not supposed to be subject to Islamic law, even in Khartoum and other parts of the mainly Muslim north.
She said that a group of about 20 or 30 police officers entered the popular Khartoum restaurant and arrested all the women wearing trousers.
"I was wearing trousers and a blouse and the 10 girls who were lashed were wearing like me, there was no difference," she told the BBC's Arabic service.
Ms Hussein said some women pleaded guilty to "get it over with" but others, including herself, chose to speak to their lawyers and are awaiting their fates.
Under Sharia law in Khartoum, the normal punishment for "indecent" dressing is 40 lashes.
Ms Hussein is a well-known reporter who writes a weekly column called Men Talk for Sudanese papers. She also works for the United Nations Mission in Sudan.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 147329.stm
Published: 2009/07/13 12:28:13 GMT
© BBC MMIX
Several Sudanese women have been flogged as a punishment for dressing "indecently", according to a local journalist who was arrested with them.
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who says she is facing 40 lashes, said she and 12 other women wearing trousers were arrested in a restaurant in the capital, Khartoum.
She told the BBC several of the women had pleaded guilty to the charges and had 10 lashes immediately.
Khartoum, unlike South Sudan, is governed by Sharia law.
Several of those punished were from the mainly Christian and animist south, Ms Hussein said.
Non-Muslims are not supposed to be subject to Islamic law, even in Khartoum and other parts of the mainly Muslim north.
She said that a group of about 20 or 30 police officers entered the popular Khartoum restaurant and arrested all the women wearing trousers.
"I was wearing trousers and a blouse and the 10 girls who were lashed were wearing like me, there was no difference," she told the BBC's Arabic service.
Ms Hussein said some women pleaded guilty to "get it over with" but others, including herself, chose to speak to their lawyers and are awaiting their fates.
Under Sharia law in Khartoum, the normal punishment for "indecent" dressing is 40 lashes.
Ms Hussein is a well-known reporter who writes a weekly column called Men Talk for Sudanese papers. She also works for the United Nations Mission in Sudan.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 147329.stm
Published: 2009/07/13 12:28:13 GMT
© BBC MMIX
July 14, 2009
Vocal Minority Insists It Was All Smoke and Mirrors
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
They walk among us, seemingly little different from you or me. Most of the time, you would never know of their true nature — except that occasionally, they feel compelled to speak up.
Take an example from Lens, this newspaper’s photography blog. A recent feature,“ Dateline: Space,” displayed stunning NASA photographs, including the iconic photo of Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface.
The second comment on the feature stated flatly, “Man never got to the moon.”
The author of the post, Nicolas Marino, went on to say, “I think media should stop publicizing something that was a complete sham once and for all and start documenting how they lied blatantly to the whole world.”
Forty years after men first touched the lifeless dirt of the Moon — and they did. Really. Honest. — polling consistently suggests that some 6 percent of Americans believe the landings were faked and could not have happened. The series of landings, one of the greatest gambles of the human race, was an elaborate hoax developed to raise national pride, many among them insist.
They examine photos from the missions for signs of studio fakery, and claim to be able to tell that the American flag was waving in what was supposed to be the vacuum of space. They overstate the health risks of traveling through the radiation belts that girdle our planet; they understate the technological prowess of the American space program; and they cry murder behind every death in the program, linking them to an overall conspiracy.
And while there is no credible evidence to support such views, and the sheer unlikelihood of being able to pull off such an immense plot and keep it secret for four decades staggers the imagination, the deniers continue to amass accusations to this day. They are bolstered by films like a documentary shown on Fox television in 2001 and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon” by Bart Sibrel, a filmmaker in Nashville.
“There are smart, normal people who buy into these conspiracy theories,” said Philip Plait, an astronomer and author who counters the conspiracy theorists point by point and at excruciating length at his “Bad Astronomy” Web site. He is one of many people who have joined the fight to affirm that It Happened. A group effort, at www.clavius.org, debunks with gusto; its main author, Jay Windley, named the site for the Moon base in Arthur C. Clarke’s classic science fiction novel, “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Even though the so-called evidence from the conspiracists can clearly be proved wrong, Mr. Plait said, understanding the proof can require a working knowledge of history and photography and of science and its methodology. “You’ve got to do the work; you’ve got to put the elbow grease to it,” he said, “and most people don’t do the work. So these things get traction.”
Mr. Marino, the author of the post on the Lens blog, is a 31-year-old architect born in Argentina. In an e-mail interview, he said that the political corruption during the years of dictatorship in his country shaped his thinking: “I started to realize how political corruption operates and how it is the interests of a few in power that really governs our world.”
As he traveled the world — he now lives and works in China — he picked up books contending that the landings were faked and saw documentaries including Mr. Sibrel’s, he said, which paints a dark portrait of political manipulation during the Nixon administration and somehow ties in the Vietnam War, the Titanic and the Tower of Babel before even getting to the supposed photographic evidence of lunar deception.
Mr. Sibrel, who sells his films online, has hounded Apollo astronauts with a Bible, insisting that they swear on camera they had walked on the Moon. He so annoyed Buzz Aldrin in 2002 — ambushing him with his Bible and calling him “a coward, and a liar, and a thief” — that Mr. Aldrin punched Mr. Sibrel in the face. Law enforcement officials refused to file charges against Mr. Aldrin, the second man on the Moon.
In an interview, Mr. Sibrel said that his efforts to prove that men never walked on the Moon has cost him dearly. “I have suffered only persecution and financial loss,” he said. “I’ve lost visitation with my son. I’ve been expelled from churches. All because I believe the Moon landings are fraudulent.”
Ted Goertzel, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University who has studied conspiracy theorists, said “there’s a similar kind of logic behind all of these groups, I think.” For the most part, he explained, “They don’t undertake to prove that their view is true” so much as to “find flaws in what the other side is saying.” And so, he said, argument is a matter of accumulation instead of persuasion. “They feel if they’ve got more facts than the other side, that proves they’re right.”
Mark Fenster, a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law who has written extensively on conspiracy theories, said he sees similarities between people who argue that the Moon landings never happened and those who insist that the 9/11 attacks were planned by the government and that President Obama’s birth certificate is fake: at the core, he said, is a polarization so profound that people end up with an unshakable belief that those in power “simply can’t be trusted.”
The emergence of the Internet as a communications medium, he noted, makes it possible for once-scattered believers to find one another. “It allows the theory to continue to exist, to continue to be available — it’s not just some old dusty books on the half-price shelf.”
Adam Savage, the co-star of the television show “MythBusters,” spent an episode last year taking apart Moon hoax theories bit by bit, entertainingly and convincingly. The theorists, he noted, never give up. “They’ll say you have to keep an open mind,” he said, “but they reject every single piece of evidence that doesn’t adhere to their thesis.”
For those who actually went — and have I mentioned that we did land astronauts on the Moon? Six times? — the conspiracy theories are simply galling.
Harrison Schmitt, the pilot of the lunar lander during the last Apollo mission and later a United States senator, said in an interview that the poor state of the nation’s schools has had predictable results. “If people decide they’re going to deny the facts of history and the facts of science and technology, there’s not much you can do with them,” he said.
“For most of them, I just feel sorry that we failed in their education.”
An earlier version of this article misstated who was in a Moon photograph on the Lens blog.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/scien ... nted=print
Vocal Minority Insists It Was All Smoke and Mirrors
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
They walk among us, seemingly little different from you or me. Most of the time, you would never know of their true nature — except that occasionally, they feel compelled to speak up.
Take an example from Lens, this newspaper’s photography blog. A recent feature,“ Dateline: Space,” displayed stunning NASA photographs, including the iconic photo of Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface.
The second comment on the feature stated flatly, “Man never got to the moon.”
The author of the post, Nicolas Marino, went on to say, “I think media should stop publicizing something that was a complete sham once and for all and start documenting how they lied blatantly to the whole world.”
Forty years after men first touched the lifeless dirt of the Moon — and they did. Really. Honest. — polling consistently suggests that some 6 percent of Americans believe the landings were faked and could not have happened. The series of landings, one of the greatest gambles of the human race, was an elaborate hoax developed to raise national pride, many among them insist.
They examine photos from the missions for signs of studio fakery, and claim to be able to tell that the American flag was waving in what was supposed to be the vacuum of space. They overstate the health risks of traveling through the radiation belts that girdle our planet; they understate the technological prowess of the American space program; and they cry murder behind every death in the program, linking them to an overall conspiracy.
And while there is no credible evidence to support such views, and the sheer unlikelihood of being able to pull off such an immense plot and keep it secret for four decades staggers the imagination, the deniers continue to amass accusations to this day. They are bolstered by films like a documentary shown on Fox television in 2001 and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon” by Bart Sibrel, a filmmaker in Nashville.
“There are smart, normal people who buy into these conspiracy theories,” said Philip Plait, an astronomer and author who counters the conspiracy theorists point by point and at excruciating length at his “Bad Astronomy” Web site. He is one of many people who have joined the fight to affirm that It Happened. A group effort, at www.clavius.org, debunks with gusto; its main author, Jay Windley, named the site for the Moon base in Arthur C. Clarke’s classic science fiction novel, “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Even though the so-called evidence from the conspiracists can clearly be proved wrong, Mr. Plait said, understanding the proof can require a working knowledge of history and photography and of science and its methodology. “You’ve got to do the work; you’ve got to put the elbow grease to it,” he said, “and most people don’t do the work. So these things get traction.”
Mr. Marino, the author of the post on the Lens blog, is a 31-year-old architect born in Argentina. In an e-mail interview, he said that the political corruption during the years of dictatorship in his country shaped his thinking: “I started to realize how political corruption operates and how it is the interests of a few in power that really governs our world.”
As he traveled the world — he now lives and works in China — he picked up books contending that the landings were faked and saw documentaries including Mr. Sibrel’s, he said, which paints a dark portrait of political manipulation during the Nixon administration and somehow ties in the Vietnam War, the Titanic and the Tower of Babel before even getting to the supposed photographic evidence of lunar deception.
Mr. Sibrel, who sells his films online, has hounded Apollo astronauts with a Bible, insisting that they swear on camera they had walked on the Moon. He so annoyed Buzz Aldrin in 2002 — ambushing him with his Bible and calling him “a coward, and a liar, and a thief” — that Mr. Aldrin punched Mr. Sibrel in the face. Law enforcement officials refused to file charges against Mr. Aldrin, the second man on the Moon.
In an interview, Mr. Sibrel said that his efforts to prove that men never walked on the Moon has cost him dearly. “I have suffered only persecution and financial loss,” he said. “I’ve lost visitation with my son. I’ve been expelled from churches. All because I believe the Moon landings are fraudulent.”
Ted Goertzel, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University who has studied conspiracy theorists, said “there’s a similar kind of logic behind all of these groups, I think.” For the most part, he explained, “They don’t undertake to prove that their view is true” so much as to “find flaws in what the other side is saying.” And so, he said, argument is a matter of accumulation instead of persuasion. “They feel if they’ve got more facts than the other side, that proves they’re right.”
Mark Fenster, a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law who has written extensively on conspiracy theories, said he sees similarities between people who argue that the Moon landings never happened and those who insist that the 9/11 attacks were planned by the government and that President Obama’s birth certificate is fake: at the core, he said, is a polarization so profound that people end up with an unshakable belief that those in power “simply can’t be trusted.”
The emergence of the Internet as a communications medium, he noted, makes it possible for once-scattered believers to find one another. “It allows the theory to continue to exist, to continue to be available — it’s not just some old dusty books on the half-price shelf.”
Adam Savage, the co-star of the television show “MythBusters,” spent an episode last year taking apart Moon hoax theories bit by bit, entertainingly and convincingly. The theorists, he noted, never give up. “They’ll say you have to keep an open mind,” he said, “but they reject every single piece of evidence that doesn’t adhere to their thesis.”
For those who actually went — and have I mentioned that we did land astronauts on the Moon? Six times? — the conspiracy theories are simply galling.
Harrison Schmitt, the pilot of the lunar lander during the last Apollo mission and later a United States senator, said in an interview that the poor state of the nation’s schools has had predictable results. “If people decide they’re going to deny the facts of history and the facts of science and technology, there’s not much you can do with them,” he said.
“For most of them, I just feel sorry that we failed in their education.”
An earlier version of this article misstated who was in a Moon photograph on the Lens blog.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/scien ... nted=print
SAUDI ARABIA: A lawsuit against a genie
A family in Saudi Arabia has filed suit in a religious court against an unnamed genie, or jinn, who sounds most unpleasant: It steals cellphones, whispers threats and occasionally flings stones.
“We began to hear strange sounds,” a family member who requested anonymity told the Saudi daily Al Watan. “At first we did not take it seriously, but then stranger things started to happen, and the children got particularly scared when the genie started throwing stones.”
The genie -- or genies -- had demands: “A woman spoke to me first, and then a man. They said we should get out of the house,” said the family member, adding that his clan fled their home near the city of Medina.
Jinns and genies are spirits born out of fire that have supernatural powers. They appear in the Koran and Arab mythology, creatures living between humanity and the elements. One of their most famous incarnations lived in Aladdin’s lamp.
Sheikh Amr Al Salmi, head of the local Sharia court, said he will investigate the family’s claims that it has been harassed for two years: “We have to look into this case and verify its truthfulness despite the difficulty of
its consideration,” he told the Saudi daily. “What is interesting is that the complaint has come from every member of the family, and not just one.”
-- Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo
Photo: A mural showing the genie from "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights" is featured on the ceiling of the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Credit Laura Rauch / Associated Press
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylon ... genie.html
A family in Saudi Arabia has filed suit in a religious court against an unnamed genie, or jinn, who sounds most unpleasant: It steals cellphones, whispers threats and occasionally flings stones.
“We began to hear strange sounds,” a family member who requested anonymity told the Saudi daily Al Watan. “At first we did not take it seriously, but then stranger things started to happen, and the children got particularly scared when the genie started throwing stones.”
The genie -- or genies -- had demands: “A woman spoke to me first, and then a man. They said we should get out of the house,” said the family member, adding that his clan fled their home near the city of Medina.
Jinns and genies are spirits born out of fire that have supernatural powers. They appear in the Koran and Arab mythology, creatures living between humanity and the elements. One of their most famous incarnations lived in Aladdin’s lamp.
Sheikh Amr Al Salmi, head of the local Sharia court, said he will investigate the family’s claims that it has been harassed for two years: “We have to look into this case and verify its truthfulness despite the difficulty of
its consideration,” he told the Saudi daily. “What is interesting is that the complaint has come from every member of the family, and not just one.”
-- Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo
Photo: A mural showing the genie from "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights" is featured on the ceiling of the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Credit Laura Rauch / Associated Press
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylon ... genie.html
British teen survives 12 nights in Australian wilderness
By Greg Wood, Agence France-presseJuly 16, 2009
Richard Cass, left, visits his son Jamie Neale on Wednesday. Neale was found alive after being missing for 12 days in the Australian wilderness.
Photograph by: Dean Lewins, AFP-Getty Images, Agence France-presse
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Bri ... story.html
A British teenager is "back from the dead" after surviving 12 nights in Australia's unforgiving wilderness by eating seeds and sleeping under his jacket, his father said on Wednesday.
An exhausted and dehydrated Jamie Neale, 19, was discovered by chance by two hikers in the rugged Blue Mountains west of Sydney, ending an ordeal, which began when he set off for a lone trek on July 3.TVpictures showed Neale sporting a beard and looking bewildered as he arrived at Katoomba Hospital in the Blue Mountains.
Neale's father, Richard Cass, who flew out from Britain, had given up the search and was about to board his flight home when he was told the news.
"I had my little closure ceremony in the park. I carved his name, lit a candle, buried a red rose for England--and he's come back from the dead!"
But while hugely relieved, Cass also had some choice words about the ordeal that Neale had put his family and rescue workers through.
"When I've seen the mistake after mistake he's made -- I can't say I'd kill him because it would just spoil the point of him being back," Cass said.
The Briton had set off from a Katoomba hostel for the Ruined Castle rock formation, where he was last sighted. A major search party had been scouring the remote Jamison Valley using helicopters and dogs, as well as police, firefighters, park rangers and emergency service volunteers.
The harsh terrain is popular with bush walkers, but can be deadly. A 17-year-old hiker died after becoming lost in 2006.
A police spokesman said it was a "miracle" that Neale, who was on his first bush walk, had survived.
Neale's mother Jean said she never gave up hope for her son, whom she described as emotional when they spoke by telephone Wednesday.
"He just said, 'Hello, mom.' He was nearly in tears."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
**
Rescued British hiker admits being 'a total idiot'
Canwest News ServiceJuly 20, 2009
A British backpacker who spent 12 days lost in the Australian wilderness feared he would starve to death if the rescue helicopters he saw overhead failed to find him.
Jamie Neale, 19, broke his silence over his ordeal in the Blue Mountains, telling an Australian current affairs show that he was horrified at the thought of dying slowly of starvation.
He ate seeds and berries and even searched for worms and insects as he struggled through the rugged expanse of forest and mountain.
"I thought I would starve to death, which is something I really didn't want to happen," he told 60 Minutes, which is reported to have paid up to $200,000 for an exclusive interview. "I didn't want a long and drawn-out thing and that terrified me."
Neale admitted being "a total idiot" for setting off without proper preparation or supplies from a youth hostel at Katoomba on July 3 on what was supposed to be a 10-hour bush walk.
"In Britain, you walk for a day and you end up at a pub. Out here, you can get lost so easily," he said.
"I was overconfident and I didn't respect the seriousness of the situation and I made mistakes."
The Briton rejected suggestions that he contrived his story to win a lucrative interview deal.
"I know what's happened and I know the people who were searching for me know that it happened and that's enough for me," he said.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 2&sponsor=
****
World's oldest mom dies, leaves twins orphaned
Herald News ServicesJuly 16, 2009
The Spanish woman who became the world's oldest mother when she gave birth to twins days before turning 67 has died, leaving her sons orphaned before their third birthday.
Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara was diagnosed with cancer within a year of the birth of her twins, Christian and Pau.
She died on Saturday, aged 69, at a hospital near her home in Cadiz. One of her brothers confirmed that she had died on Saturday, but he refused to discuss who would care for the two-year-old twins.
The former shop worker, who was single, provoked great controversy. Her own family called her "selfish and irresponsible."
She admitted lying about her age to doctors to receive fertility treatment at a private clinic in Los Angeles, for which she paid a reported $49,300 US.
Shortly after the birth of her sons on Dec. 29, 2006, Bousada de Lara claimed to be feeling healthier than ever. Within months, however, she was diagnosed with cancer, believed to be breast cancer, and told that the powerful drugs used during her fertility treatment could have helped the disease to spread.
On Wednesday, Josephine Quintavalle, the head of the Comment on Reproductive Ethics campaign group, described women who had children in their 60s as selfish. "This is horrifying, it's such a sad story," she said of Bousada de Lara's death.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
By Greg Wood, Agence France-presseJuly 16, 2009
Richard Cass, left, visits his son Jamie Neale on Wednesday. Neale was found alive after being missing for 12 days in the Australian wilderness.
Photograph by: Dean Lewins, AFP-Getty Images, Agence France-presse
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Bri ... story.html
A British teenager is "back from the dead" after surviving 12 nights in Australia's unforgiving wilderness by eating seeds and sleeping under his jacket, his father said on Wednesday.
An exhausted and dehydrated Jamie Neale, 19, was discovered by chance by two hikers in the rugged Blue Mountains west of Sydney, ending an ordeal, which began when he set off for a lone trek on July 3.TVpictures showed Neale sporting a beard and looking bewildered as he arrived at Katoomba Hospital in the Blue Mountains.
Neale's father, Richard Cass, who flew out from Britain, had given up the search and was about to board his flight home when he was told the news.
"I had my little closure ceremony in the park. I carved his name, lit a candle, buried a red rose for England--and he's come back from the dead!"
But while hugely relieved, Cass also had some choice words about the ordeal that Neale had put his family and rescue workers through.
"When I've seen the mistake after mistake he's made -- I can't say I'd kill him because it would just spoil the point of him being back," Cass said.
The Briton had set off from a Katoomba hostel for the Ruined Castle rock formation, where he was last sighted. A major search party had been scouring the remote Jamison Valley using helicopters and dogs, as well as police, firefighters, park rangers and emergency service volunteers.
The harsh terrain is popular with bush walkers, but can be deadly. A 17-year-old hiker died after becoming lost in 2006.
A police spokesman said it was a "miracle" that Neale, who was on his first bush walk, had survived.
Neale's mother Jean said she never gave up hope for her son, whom she described as emotional when they spoke by telephone Wednesday.
"He just said, 'Hello, mom.' He was nearly in tears."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
**
Rescued British hiker admits being 'a total idiot'
Canwest News ServiceJuly 20, 2009
A British backpacker who spent 12 days lost in the Australian wilderness feared he would starve to death if the rescue helicopters he saw overhead failed to find him.
Jamie Neale, 19, broke his silence over his ordeal in the Blue Mountains, telling an Australian current affairs show that he was horrified at the thought of dying slowly of starvation.
He ate seeds and berries and even searched for worms and insects as he struggled through the rugged expanse of forest and mountain.
"I thought I would starve to death, which is something I really didn't want to happen," he told 60 Minutes, which is reported to have paid up to $200,000 for an exclusive interview. "I didn't want a long and drawn-out thing and that terrified me."
Neale admitted being "a total idiot" for setting off without proper preparation or supplies from a youth hostel at Katoomba on July 3 on what was supposed to be a 10-hour bush walk.
"In Britain, you walk for a day and you end up at a pub. Out here, you can get lost so easily," he said.
"I was overconfident and I didn't respect the seriousness of the situation and I made mistakes."
The Briton rejected suggestions that he contrived his story to win a lucrative interview deal.
"I know what's happened and I know the people who were searching for me know that it happened and that's enough for me," he said.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 2&sponsor=
****
World's oldest mom dies, leaves twins orphaned
Herald News ServicesJuly 16, 2009
The Spanish woman who became the world's oldest mother when she gave birth to twins days before turning 67 has died, leaving her sons orphaned before their third birthday.
Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara was diagnosed with cancer within a year of the birth of her twins, Christian and Pau.
She died on Saturday, aged 69, at a hospital near her home in Cadiz. One of her brothers confirmed that she had died on Saturday, but he refused to discuss who would care for the two-year-old twins.
The former shop worker, who was single, provoked great controversy. Her own family called her "selfish and irresponsible."
She admitted lying about her age to doctors to receive fertility treatment at a private clinic in Los Angeles, for which she paid a reported $49,300 US.
Shortly after the birth of her sons on Dec. 29, 2006, Bousada de Lara claimed to be feeling healthier than ever. Within months, however, she was diagnosed with cancer, believed to be breast cancer, and told that the powerful drugs used during her fertility treatment could have helped the disease to spread.
On Wednesday, Josephine Quintavalle, the head of the Comment on Reproductive Ethics campaign group, described women who had children in their 60s as selfish. "This is horrifying, it's such a sad story," she said of Bousada de Lara's death.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Last edited by kmaherali on Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Teenager sails solo around world
Californian, 17, sets records with trek
ReutersJuly 17, 2009
After braving more than a year of mechanical failures, rough seas and even a pirate scare, Zac Sunderland was welcomed home Thursday by his mother and sister at Marina Del Rey, Calif.
Photograph by: Gabriel Bouys, AFP-Getty Images, Reuters
A17-year-old U. S. mariner piloted his battered sailboat into a southern California harbour on Thursday to complete a gruelling 13-month voyage and become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.
Sandy-haired teenager Zac Sunderland arrived in Marina Del Rey aboard his 11-metre sloop Intrepid at about 10 a. m. local time. During his nearly 52,000-kilometre journey, Sunderland braved storms, equipment failures, close calls with freighters and a run-in with suspected pirates.
"It's awesome to be back" Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., said after he was welcomed home by a flotilla of well-wishers.
Fewer than 250 people have sailed solo around the globe, with three times that many scaling the top of Mount Everest, according to the American Sailing Association, which certified Sunderland's feat.
He left Marina Del Rey, just south of Los Angeles, on June 14,2008, and celebrated his 17th birthday at sea while off Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
His return was delayed near the end of his voyage when his single-masted boat sustained a broken bulkhead in rough seas off Mexico, forcing him to stop at Puerto Vallarta long enough for his father to fly in to make repairs.
Another tense moment occurred in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia, where the Intrepid was approached by a suspected pirate boat.
The intruders fled after a plane flew overhead and Sunderland climbed onto his deck with a gun to ward them off, said Charlie Nobles, executive director of the association.
Sunderland, who remained in satellite phone contact with his father during the voyage, dumped the gun before entering Mexican waters, where it is illegal to carry firearms.
He becomes the first person under 18 to circumnavigate the globe by sea alone, and the youngest to date. The previous record-holder was David Dicks of Australia, who completed his voyage in November 1996 at age 18.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 7&sponsor=
Californian, 17, sets records with trek
ReutersJuly 17, 2009
After braving more than a year of mechanical failures, rough seas and even a pirate scare, Zac Sunderland was welcomed home Thursday by his mother and sister at Marina Del Rey, Calif.
Photograph by: Gabriel Bouys, AFP-Getty Images, Reuters
A17-year-old U. S. mariner piloted his battered sailboat into a southern California harbour on Thursday to complete a gruelling 13-month voyage and become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.
Sandy-haired teenager Zac Sunderland arrived in Marina Del Rey aboard his 11-metre sloop Intrepid at about 10 a. m. local time. During his nearly 52,000-kilometre journey, Sunderland braved storms, equipment failures, close calls with freighters and a run-in with suspected pirates.
"It's awesome to be back" Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., said after he was welcomed home by a flotilla of well-wishers.
Fewer than 250 people have sailed solo around the globe, with three times that many scaling the top of Mount Everest, according to the American Sailing Association, which certified Sunderland's feat.
He left Marina Del Rey, just south of Los Angeles, on June 14,2008, and celebrated his 17th birthday at sea while off Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
His return was delayed near the end of his voyage when his single-masted boat sustained a broken bulkhead in rough seas off Mexico, forcing him to stop at Puerto Vallarta long enough for his father to fly in to make repairs.
Another tense moment occurred in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia, where the Intrepid was approached by a suspected pirate boat.
The intruders fled after a plane flew overhead and Sunderland climbed onto his deck with a gun to ward them off, said Charlie Nobles, executive director of the association.
Sunderland, who remained in satellite phone contact with his father during the voyage, dumped the gun before entering Mexican waters, where it is illegal to carry firearms.
He becomes the first person under 18 to circumnavigate the globe by sea alone, and the youngest to date. The previous record-holder was David Dicks of Australia, who completed his voyage in November 1996 at age 18.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 7&sponsor=
Briton, 82, completes 100 modes of transport challenge
LONDON - An 82-year-old Briton was celebrating Friday after completing his bid to travel on 100 different types of transport within a year.
Edwin Shackleton, a retired aircraft engineer from Bristol in sowthwest England, started off his odyssey with a ride in his car on New Year's Day. Seven months on, the bowel cancer survivor travelled by his 100th mode of transport by taking a ride in a hot-air balloon.
He travelled in a sledge, a fire engine, a rubbish truck, a rickshaw, a police car, a chairlift, a quad bike and a microlight plane.
-Agence France-Presse
Published in today's Calgary Herald.
LONDON - An 82-year-old Briton was celebrating Friday after completing his bid to travel on 100 different types of transport within a year.
Edwin Shackleton, a retired aircraft engineer from Bristol in sowthwest England, started off his odyssey with a ride in his car on New Year's Day. Seven months on, the bowel cancer survivor travelled by his 100th mode of transport by taking a ride in a hot-air balloon.
He travelled in a sledge, a fire engine, a rubbish truck, a rickshaw, a police car, a chairlift, a quad bike and a microlight plane.
-Agence France-Presse
Published in today's Calgary Herald.
World's oldest man, veteran of Great War dies at age 113
Canwest News ServiceJuly 19, 2009 7:52 AM
Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and First World War veteran who put his longevity down to "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women," died Saturday at the age of 113.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown led the tributes to Allingham, who symbolized the stoicism of the last generation of servicemen who saw the horrors of the Great War.
The veteran spoke of his experiences in the 1914-1918 conflict to remember fallen comrades shorn of the chance to live as long has he did and hoped there would be "no more wars."
In moving scenes last November, the frail, wheelchair-bound Allingham tried for minutes to lay his wreath himself as he led the country in marking the 90th anniversary of the armistice.
Allingham spent his 113th birthday on June 6 at a party hosted by the Royal Navy. He become the world's oldest man on June 17, Guinness World Records confirmed, when the previous holder, Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, died at 113.
The world's oldest man now is a 112-year-old American, Walter Breuning, born on Sept. 21, 1896. The world's oldest woman is Gertrude Baines, a 115-year-old American.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Canwest News ServiceJuly 19, 2009 7:52 AM
Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and First World War veteran who put his longevity down to "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women," died Saturday at the age of 113.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown led the tributes to Allingham, who symbolized the stoicism of the last generation of servicemen who saw the horrors of the Great War.
The veteran spoke of his experiences in the 1914-1918 conflict to remember fallen comrades shorn of the chance to live as long has he did and hoped there would be "no more wars."
In moving scenes last November, the frail, wheelchair-bound Allingham tried for minutes to lay his wreath himself as he led the country in marking the 90th anniversary of the armistice.
Allingham spent his 113th birthday on June 6 at a party hosted by the Royal Navy. He become the world's oldest man on June 17, Guinness World Records confirmed, when the previous holder, Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, died at 113.
The world's oldest man now is a 112-year-old American, Walter Breuning, born on Sept. 21, 1896. The world's oldest woman is Gertrude Baines, a 115-year-old American.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
First arm-transplant man dreams of hoisting a beer
By Richard Carter, Agence France-presseJuly 23, 2009
karl Merk shows the donated arms that have allowed him to hug his family for the first time in the six years since his accident.
Photograph by: Michael Dalder,
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 8&sponsor=
Reuters, Agence France-presse
A German whose arms were severed by a combine harvester said Wednesday he expected soon to be able to raise a glass of Bavarian beer to toast the success of his world-first transplant operation.
Karl Merk, 55, a dairy farmer from the southern German city of Munich, showed off his new dexterity in front of the cameras one year after doctors grafted new limbs onto his body in a landmark surgical procedure.
Waving his arms around and scratching his head, a delighted Merk said he had been able to fulfil a long-held dream to ride a bike again and hug his family.
Asked if he was able to drink a glass of beer in typical Bavarian fashion, Merk said: "Well, yeah, at the moment I'm drinking from a straw;otherwise it would be a bit dangerous, but it should happen soon."
However, he said his life was "basically back to normal" after the 15-hour surgery carried out by around 40 doctors, surgeons and nurses on July 25 and 26 last year.
"My biggest dream is to be able to move my fingers a bit and basically do everything independently for myself," Merk said.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
By Richard Carter, Agence France-presseJuly 23, 2009
karl Merk shows the donated arms that have allowed him to hug his family for the first time in the six years since his accident.
Photograph by: Michael Dalder,
http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_prin ... 8&sponsor=
Reuters, Agence France-presse
A German whose arms were severed by a combine harvester said Wednesday he expected soon to be able to raise a glass of Bavarian beer to toast the success of his world-first transplant operation.
Karl Merk, 55, a dairy farmer from the southern German city of Munich, showed off his new dexterity in front of the cameras one year after doctors grafted new limbs onto his body in a landmark surgical procedure.
Waving his arms around and scratching his head, a delighted Merk said he had been able to fulfil a long-held dream to ride a bike again and hug his family.
Asked if he was able to drink a glass of beer in typical Bavarian fashion, Merk said: "Well, yeah, at the moment I'm drinking from a straw;otherwise it would be a bit dangerous, but it should happen soon."
However, he said his life was "basically back to normal" after the 15-hour surgery carried out by around 40 doctors, surgeons and nurses on July 25 and 26 last year.
"My biggest dream is to be able to move my fingers a bit and basically do everything independently for myself," Merk said.
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Aussie survives 20 minutes buried by avalanche
Agence France-presseJuly 26, 2009 7:40 AM
An Australian man pulled unconscious and blue from metres of snow after a deadly avalanche that killed his skiing partner in New Zealand spoke Saturday of the "frightening peace" of his brush with death.
John Castran, a multimillionaire from Melbourne, was heli-skiing with his son Angus when they were hit by tonnes of snow on mountains west of Christchurch, on the South Island, late Friday.
"I was skiing down and all of a sudden the whole side of the mountain just let go," he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
Buried under almost two metres of snow, Castran, 53, said he was still able to move his arms and legs, until a second wave of powder rolled over him and he was completely paralyzed.
"You choke with the snow, you can't breathe, you're suffocating, it's like being poured into plaster of Paris," he said.
"The only thing I could move was my tongue to push the snow away from in front of my mouth. I thought 'I've only got a little bit of air here, I've just got to use all the air very, very carefully,' so I just shut down totally."
It became "frighteningly peaceful" as the air ran out, Castran said.
His son, 23, managed to dig himself out of snow that had buried him to his waist, and located Castran using a search and rescue beacon that was pinned to his chest.
For 20 minutes he dug into the snow, finally pulling his father free, blue in the face and with his eyes rolled back in his head. He and a guide managed to revive Castran with CPR.
Just moments before the thundering avalanche, Castran said the third man in their skiing party, who died before he could be rescued, turned to him and said: "You don't get much closer to heaven than this."
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Agence France-presseJuly 26, 2009 7:40 AM
An Australian man pulled unconscious and blue from metres of snow after a deadly avalanche that killed his skiing partner in New Zealand spoke Saturday of the "frightening peace" of his brush with death.
John Castran, a multimillionaire from Melbourne, was heli-skiing with his son Angus when they were hit by tonnes of snow on mountains west of Christchurch, on the South Island, late Friday.
"I was skiing down and all of a sudden the whole side of the mountain just let go," he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
Buried under almost two metres of snow, Castran, 53, said he was still able to move his arms and legs, until a second wave of powder rolled over him and he was completely paralyzed.
"You choke with the snow, you can't breathe, you're suffocating, it's like being poured into plaster of Paris," he said.
"The only thing I could move was my tongue to push the snow away from in front of my mouth. I thought 'I've only got a little bit of air here, I've just got to use all the air very, very carefully,' so I just shut down totally."
It became "frighteningly peaceful" as the air ran out, Castran said.
His son, 23, managed to dig himself out of snow that had buried him to his waist, and located Castran using a search and rescue beacon that was pinned to his chest.
For 20 minutes he dug into the snow, finally pulling his father free, blue in the face and with his eyes rolled back in his head. He and a guide managed to revive Castran with CPR.
Just moments before the thundering avalanche, Castran said the third man in their skiing party, who died before he could be rescued, turned to him and said: "You don't get much closer to heaven than this."
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Whipping of Muslim model sparks controversy
Herald News ServicesJuly 27, 2009
An Islamic courts decision to have a Muslim model whipped for drinking beer at a pub has triggered controversy in Malaysia, a multicultural country where such convictions are extremely rare.
Last week, a sharia or religious court sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,412) after she pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol in eastern Pahang state last year.
Her conviction created a furor in the nation, which is predominantly Muslim, but also home to large Indian and Chinese minorities. Alcohol is widely available in most parts of the country and Muslims are rarely punished for consuming it.
"The punishment of whipping is defined as torture and hence we should not in any way condone it," said Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Nora Murat.
"This is the wrong way to educate anyone about the religion. When the sin is between her and God, there is always an option of being repentant. It's up to God to decide on her faith, and not people," she said.
Most were stunned that whipping of women was permitted in Malaysias Islamic courts, which operate alongside civil courts under a dual-track system.
"It's not just unkind, it's unjust," leading women rights activist Ivy Josiah told the New Straits Times newspaper.
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Herald News ServicesJuly 27, 2009
An Islamic courts decision to have a Muslim model whipped for drinking beer at a pub has triggered controversy in Malaysia, a multicultural country where such convictions are extremely rare.
Last week, a sharia or religious court sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,412) after she pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol in eastern Pahang state last year.
Her conviction created a furor in the nation, which is predominantly Muslim, but also home to large Indian and Chinese minorities. Alcohol is widely available in most parts of the country and Muslims are rarely punished for consuming it.
"The punishment of whipping is defined as torture and hence we should not in any way condone it," said Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Nora Murat.
"This is the wrong way to educate anyone about the religion. When the sin is between her and God, there is always an option of being repentant. It's up to God to decide on her faith, and not people," she said.
Most were stunned that whipping of women was permitted in Malaysias Islamic courts, which operate alongside civil courts under a dual-track system.
"It's not just unkind, it's unjust," leading women rights activist Ivy Josiah told the New Straits Times newspaper.
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Canada Post carrier admits stealing mail for seven years
Herald News ServicesJuly 29, 2009
A Canada Post employee has pleaded guilty to stealing mail for seven years and leaving it in the garage of a rented house in Saskatoon.
Sentencing was postponed for David Mah, 32, after the Crown could not say exactly what kind of mail filled the nine boxes, two garbage bags, six canvas mail bags, some bundles and a small freezer, all of which were enough to fill the back of a half-tonne truck, according to Crown prosecutor Shawn Moen.
The undelivered mail was found in June 2008 by the landlord of a house in central Saskatoon after Mah moved out. Postmarks on the mail were dated from July 2001, to June 2008, when Mah worked as a relief worker for carriers around the city who were on holidays or ill, Moen said.
"This was not an isolated incident," Moen said.
Mah told his employer he couldn't finish his routes because of knee problems, and was told he had to finish them if he wanted to keep the job, Moen said.
The breach of trust is an aggravating factor to consider in sentencing, Moen said.
Mah told the writer of a pre-sentencing report that he delivered mail that looked important, such as cheques. The Crown disagreed, and gave the judge photographs of the seized mail that included bank cards, drivers licences, letters and postcards.
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Herald News ServicesJuly 29, 2009
A Canada Post employee has pleaded guilty to stealing mail for seven years and leaving it in the garage of a rented house in Saskatoon.
Sentencing was postponed for David Mah, 32, after the Crown could not say exactly what kind of mail filled the nine boxes, two garbage bags, six canvas mail bags, some bundles and a small freezer, all of which were enough to fill the back of a half-tonne truck, according to Crown prosecutor Shawn Moen.
The undelivered mail was found in June 2008 by the landlord of a house in central Saskatoon after Mah moved out. Postmarks on the mail were dated from July 2001, to June 2008, when Mah worked as a relief worker for carriers around the city who were on holidays or ill, Moen said.
"This was not an isolated incident," Moen said.
Mah told his employer he couldn't finish his routes because of knee problems, and was told he had to finish them if he wanted to keep the job, Moen said.
The breach of trust is an aggravating factor to consider in sentencing, Moen said.
Mah told the writer of a pre-sentencing report that he delivered mail that looked important, such as cheques. The Crown disagreed, and gave the judge photographs of the seized mail that included bank cards, drivers licences, letters and postcards.
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Girl beheaded in ritual to spur male heirs
Agence France-PresseJuly 31, 2009
A rural Indian witch doctor beheaded a five-year-old girl as part of a bizarre ritual to help a villager produce healthy male heirs, police said Thursday.
Vandana Kumari was murdered on Tuesday in Lakhimpur Kheri district, 200 kilometres from the Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow, said police officer ravi srivastava.
Occult practitioner Mewalal chauhan recommended the "human sacrifice" when the child's neighbour ram niwas came to him for help, srivastava said.
"Ram Niwas had sons but none of them survived infancy," srivastava said.
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Agence France-PresseJuly 31, 2009
A rural Indian witch doctor beheaded a five-year-old girl as part of a bizarre ritual to help a villager produce healthy male heirs, police said Thursday.
Vandana Kumari was murdered on Tuesday in Lakhimpur Kheri district, 200 kilometres from the Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow, said police officer ravi srivastava.
Occult practitioner Mewalal chauhan recommended the "human sacrifice" when the child's neighbour ram niwas came to him for help, srivastava said.
"Ram Niwas had sons but none of them survived infancy," srivastava said.
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Beer-drinking model wants public caning
Herald News Services
August 21, 2009
A model who will be caned six times in Malaysia next week for drinking beer appealed Thursday for her punishment to be carried out in public to deter other Muslims.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was also fined the equivalent of $1,500 Cdn last month after she pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang last year.
She will be the first woman in the multicultural country to be caned under Islamic law, with the punishment set to be meted out in a female prison.
But the Malaysian mother of two, who lives in neighbouring Singapore, said Thursday she wanted to be caned publicly.
"It will be a more effective way to educate Muslims not to drink if I am caned in public. I want to send this message to other Muslims and I am sincere," Kartika told Agence-France Presse. "I am willing to be caned publicly or in front of a mosque, but the prosecutor has told my dad today that this cannot be done. I also requested for journalists to witness the caning in prison, but it is not allowed."
Kartika said she had the support of her parents and husband to be publicly punished.
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*****
Qur'an filled with heroin nets arrests
Agence France-PresseAugust 21, 2009
Two Indonesians have been arrested for attempting to smuggle from cambodia heroin hidden inside a copy of the Qur'an, an official said Thursday.
Customs officers' suspicions were raised when a routine X-ray revealed holes in the book after it arrived at Jakarta's international airport Tuesday in the form of an express mail delivery.
"They hid four small plastic bags of heroin in the holes they made in the pages of the Qur'an," soekarno-Hatta airport customs office spokesman evy suhartantyo said.
He estimated the drugs were worth $65,000 dollars.
Under Indonesia's tough narcotics law, the alleged smugglers could be sentenced to death if found guilty.
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Herald News Services
August 21, 2009
A model who will be caned six times in Malaysia next week for drinking beer appealed Thursday for her punishment to be carried out in public to deter other Muslims.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was also fined the equivalent of $1,500 Cdn last month after she pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang last year.
She will be the first woman in the multicultural country to be caned under Islamic law, with the punishment set to be meted out in a female prison.
But the Malaysian mother of two, who lives in neighbouring Singapore, said Thursday she wanted to be caned publicly.
"It will be a more effective way to educate Muslims not to drink if I am caned in public. I want to send this message to other Muslims and I am sincere," Kartika told Agence-France Presse. "I am willing to be caned publicly or in front of a mosque, but the prosecutor has told my dad today that this cannot be done. I also requested for journalists to witness the caning in prison, but it is not allowed."
Kartika said she had the support of her parents and husband to be publicly punished.
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*****
Qur'an filled with heroin nets arrests
Agence France-PresseAugust 21, 2009
Two Indonesians have been arrested for attempting to smuggle from cambodia heroin hidden inside a copy of the Qur'an, an official said Thursday.
Customs officers' suspicions were raised when a routine X-ray revealed holes in the book after it arrived at Jakarta's international airport Tuesday in the form of an express mail delivery.
"They hid four small plastic bags of heroin in the holes they made in the pages of the Qur'an," soekarno-Hatta airport customs office spokesman evy suhartantyo said.
He estimated the drugs were worth $65,000 dollars.
Under Indonesia's tough narcotics law, the alleged smugglers could be sentenced to death if found guilty.
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Villagers riot over ban on stone-pelting ritual in India
six injured as angry mob throws stones at police
Agence France-PresseAugust 22, 2009
Villagers in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh went on the rampage Friday as police tried to enforce a ban on a bizarre annual stone-pelting ritual that often leaves people dead or injured, a local official said.
Officers trying to uphold the ban in two villages in an impoverished central region of the country were subjected to a hail of stones and were forced to withdraw, Nikunj Srivastava, a district civil servant said.
The angry mob then got their way and the ritual went ahead as usual, causing at least two serious injuries.
"As soon as the festival started and villagers from both sides came to know that they would not be allowed to hurl stones at each other, they started pelting stones on the cops and their vehicles," Srivastava added.
Two police officers were injured and several police vehicles were damaged, he said.
"Our motive was not to suppress people going to participate in the festival but to reform them and educate them," said Srivastava.
"We have succeeded in the sense that the use of liquor by the participants was almost negligible and they did not use slings to pelt stones or the injuries would have been on a larger scale," Srivastava explained.
The annual Gotmar festival involves teams from the villages of Saargaon and Pandhurhna competing to capture a tree placed in a riverbed running between the two settlements.
Crowds pelt the participants with rocks and pebbles as they attempt to reach the target.
The origin of the custom is unclear, but many locals in Madhya Pradesh state believe it developed from a tale of two young lovers who lived on either side of the river and wanted to elope together.
As they tried to escape, residents of the two villages started throwing stones at each other and killed the couple.
The festival is held in their memory, according to the folklore.
In last year's clash, press reports said one person died and more than 400 were injured.
Attempts to replace the stones with rubber balls in 2001 and 2002 failed when villagers refused to use them.
Ramesh Baghel, a local eyewitness, said the police were forced to withdraw because of the anger provoked by the ban.
"The administrative officials including the police had to rush back as soon as the frenzied mob pelted stones at them injuring at least half a dozen cops," said Bagel.
"Who are they to interfere in our traditional rituals?" the eyewitness added.
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six injured as angry mob throws stones at police
Agence France-PresseAugust 22, 2009
Villagers in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh went on the rampage Friday as police tried to enforce a ban on a bizarre annual stone-pelting ritual that often leaves people dead or injured, a local official said.
Officers trying to uphold the ban in two villages in an impoverished central region of the country were subjected to a hail of stones and were forced to withdraw, Nikunj Srivastava, a district civil servant said.
The angry mob then got their way and the ritual went ahead as usual, causing at least two serious injuries.
"As soon as the festival started and villagers from both sides came to know that they would not be allowed to hurl stones at each other, they started pelting stones on the cops and their vehicles," Srivastava added.
Two police officers were injured and several police vehicles were damaged, he said.
"Our motive was not to suppress people going to participate in the festival but to reform them and educate them," said Srivastava.
"We have succeeded in the sense that the use of liquor by the participants was almost negligible and they did not use slings to pelt stones or the injuries would have been on a larger scale," Srivastava explained.
The annual Gotmar festival involves teams from the villages of Saargaon and Pandhurhna competing to capture a tree placed in a riverbed running between the two settlements.
Crowds pelt the participants with rocks and pebbles as they attempt to reach the target.
The origin of the custom is unclear, but many locals in Madhya Pradesh state believe it developed from a tale of two young lovers who lived on either side of the river and wanted to elope together.
As they tried to escape, residents of the two villages started throwing stones at each other and killed the couple.
The festival is held in their memory, according to the folklore.
In last year's clash, press reports said one person died and more than 400 were injured.
Attempts to replace the stones with rubber balls in 2001 and 2002 failed when villagers refused to use them.
Ramesh Baghel, a local eyewitness, said the police were forced to withdraw because of the anger provoked by the ban.
"The administrative officials including the police had to rush back as soon as the frenzied mob pelted stones at them injuring at least half a dozen cops," said Bagel.
"Who are they to interfere in our traditional rituals?" the eyewitness added.
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Muslims banned from Peas concert
ReutersAugust 28, 2009
Muslims in Malaysia have been barred from attending a concert by u. s. hip-hop band the Black eyed Peas sponsored by Guinness, which is owned by the world's biggest spirits group, Diageo.
The move comes after a Malaysian Islamic court sentenced a 32-year-old Muslim woman to be caned after she was caught drinking beer in a hotel and at a time when an opposition Islamic party has moved against beer sales.
The concert, part of celebrations marking Guinness's 250th birthday, asks on its website ( com.my)www."Areyouarthursday.anon-Muslim aged 18 years and above?" and if the response is no, access is not allowed.
Muslims account for 55 per cent of the 27 million people in this southeast Asian country and are barred from consuming alcohol, although the rules are regularly flouted, especially in big cities like the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia's Guinness Anchor, which sells Guinness here, had sales of 1.2 billion Malaysian ringgit ($340.6 million) in 2008.
Earlier this week, the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party said it wanted Danish band Michael Learns to Rock banned from performing as it would cause immorality.
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*****
Malaysia lifts concert ban for Muslims
ReutersSeptember 4, 2009
Malaysia has reversed an earlier ban on Muslims attending a concert by U. S. hip-hop band The Black Eyed Peas, saying it had no right to stop people from entertainment events.
The concert on Sept 25 is sponsored by Guinness as part of celebrations for the alcoholic brew's 250th birthday. Guinness is owned by the world's biggest spirits group, Diageo.
Information Minister Rais Yatim said it was up to the individual's "better judgment" to decide whether he should attend events organized by an alcohol company.
"We have no legal powers actually to bar people from attending functions," The Star newspaper quoted Rais saying on Wednesday.
Muslims account for 55 per cent of the 27 million people in this southeast Asian country and are barred from consuming alcohol, although the rules are regularly flouted, especially in big cities like the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
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ReutersAugust 28, 2009
Muslims in Malaysia have been barred from attending a concert by u. s. hip-hop band the Black eyed Peas sponsored by Guinness, which is owned by the world's biggest spirits group, Diageo.
The move comes after a Malaysian Islamic court sentenced a 32-year-old Muslim woman to be caned after she was caught drinking beer in a hotel and at a time when an opposition Islamic party has moved against beer sales.
The concert, part of celebrations marking Guinness's 250th birthday, asks on its website ( com.my)www."Areyouarthursday.anon-Muslim aged 18 years and above?" and if the response is no, access is not allowed.
Muslims account for 55 per cent of the 27 million people in this southeast Asian country and are barred from consuming alcohol, although the rules are regularly flouted, especially in big cities like the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia's Guinness Anchor, which sells Guinness here, had sales of 1.2 billion Malaysian ringgit ($340.6 million) in 2008.
Earlier this week, the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party said it wanted Danish band Michael Learns to Rock banned from performing as it would cause immorality.
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http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/today ... story.html
*****
Malaysia lifts concert ban for Muslims
ReutersSeptember 4, 2009
Malaysia has reversed an earlier ban on Muslims attending a concert by U. S. hip-hop band The Black Eyed Peas, saying it had no right to stop people from entertainment events.
The concert on Sept 25 is sponsored by Guinness as part of celebrations for the alcoholic brew's 250th birthday. Guinness is owned by the world's biggest spirits group, Diageo.
Information Minister Rais Yatim said it was up to the individual's "better judgment" to decide whether he should attend events organized by an alcohol company.
"We have no legal powers actually to bar people from attending functions," The Star newspaper quoted Rais saying on Wednesday.
Muslims account for 55 per cent of the 27 million people in this southeast Asian country and are barred from consuming alcohol, although the rules are regularly flouted, especially in big cities like the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
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Last edited by kmaherali on Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Pakistan in tree planting record
By Riaz Sohail
BBC Urdu service, Thatta
A team of volunteers in Pakistan has set a new world record by planting more than half a million trees in one day.
Guinness World Records confirmed that 541,176 trees had been planted in the southern province of Sindh on 15 July.
Some 300 volunteers, working in groups, planted mangrove saplings in the 750 acres of the Indus river delta region.
They beat the previous team record for tree planting which was set in India just last month when 447,874 saplings were planted in Assam state.
Pakistan's tree-planting marathon was witnessed by representatives of Guinness World Records and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Each group was issued saplings by a panel of experts which also monitored the planting process to ensure that standards set by Guinness World Records were met.
Aadil Ahmed, the Guinness representative, told the BBC he was there to ensure that no old plants were included in the count.
Pakistan's environment minister, Hamidullah Jan Afridi, said the event was part of a series of events being held to observe the national year of the environment.
"The government has set aside one billion rupees over a three-year period to protect these plants and help them survive," Mr Afridi said.
Mangroves grow in delta regions where the fresh waters of the river mix with sea water.
Experts say the new saplings will have difficulty surviving because of diminishing river water in the region.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/s ... 154120.stm
Published: 2009/07/16 16:30:27 GMT
© BBC MMIX
By Riaz Sohail
BBC Urdu service, Thatta
A team of volunteers in Pakistan has set a new world record by planting more than half a million trees in one day.
Guinness World Records confirmed that 541,176 trees had been planted in the southern province of Sindh on 15 July.
Some 300 volunteers, working in groups, planted mangrove saplings in the 750 acres of the Indus river delta region.
They beat the previous team record for tree planting which was set in India just last month when 447,874 saplings were planted in Assam state.
Pakistan's tree-planting marathon was witnessed by representatives of Guinness World Records and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Each group was issued saplings by a panel of experts which also monitored the planting process to ensure that standards set by Guinness World Records were met.
Aadil Ahmed, the Guinness representative, told the BBC he was there to ensure that no old plants were included in the count.
Pakistan's environment minister, Hamidullah Jan Afridi, said the event was part of a series of events being held to observe the national year of the environment.
"The government has set aside one billion rupees over a three-year period to protect these plants and help them survive," Mr Afridi said.
Mangroves grow in delta regions where the fresh waters of the river mix with sea water.
Experts say the new saplings will have difficulty surviving because of diminishing river water in the region.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/s ... 154120.stm
Published: 2009/07/16 16:30:27 GMT
© BBC MMIX
Freed Iraqi shoe-thrower likely to become a hero
Herald News Services
September 14, 2009
Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who became famous worldwide when he threw his shoes at then U. S. President George W. Bush, is thought likely to get a hero's welcome if he is freed from jail, as expected, on Monday.
In December 2008 Zaidi's actions toward Bush during the president's farewell visit to Baghdad captured many Iraqis' feelings of resentment following more than six years of bloodshed triggered by the U. S.-led invasion in 2003.
Condemned by the Iraqi government for his "barbaric act" during the news conference Bush held with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Zaidi was sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting a visiting head of state. The jail term was later reduced, and Zaidi's family expects his release on Monday.
Zaidi's lawyer Dhiaa al- Saadi said he had no word yet on when Zaidi would be freed.
Millions of people across the world have watched Zaidi hurl his shoes at Bush and call the man who started the war in Iraq a "dog," both great insults in the Middle East.
Venezuela's anti-American President Hugo Chavez called him courageous; a Libyan group headed by Moammar Gadhafi's daughter gave him an award for bravery; fathers from other Arab nations have offered Zaida their daughters as brides.
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Herald News Services
September 14, 2009
Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who became famous worldwide when he threw his shoes at then U. S. President George W. Bush, is thought likely to get a hero's welcome if he is freed from jail, as expected, on Monday.
In December 2008 Zaidi's actions toward Bush during the president's farewell visit to Baghdad captured many Iraqis' feelings of resentment following more than six years of bloodshed triggered by the U. S.-led invasion in 2003.
Condemned by the Iraqi government for his "barbaric act" during the news conference Bush held with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Zaidi was sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting a visiting head of state. The jail term was later reduced, and Zaidi's family expects his release on Monday.
Zaidi's lawyer Dhiaa al- Saadi said he had no word yet on when Zaidi would be freed.
Millions of people across the world have watched Zaidi hurl his shoes at Bush and call the man who started the war in Iraq a "dog," both great insults in the Middle East.
Venezuela's anti-American President Hugo Chavez called him courageous; a Libyan group headed by Moammar Gadhafi's daughter gave him an award for bravery; fathers from other Arab nations have offered Zaida their daughters as brides.
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Father terrorized daughter 30 years
Incest case likened to Austria's Fritzl
By William West, Agence France-presseSeptember 18, 2009
An Australian man raped his daughter almost daily for 30 years and fathered her four children, a report said on Thursday, drawing chilling comparisons with Austrian Josef Fritzl's incest case.
The man, aged in his 60s, began molesting his daughter in the 1970s when she was 11 and continued until 2007, Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper said in an exclusive report.
Victoria police refused to confirm details of the case, saying it was under a court order banning reporting of proceedings and identifying the accused.
The Herald Sun said the daughter was kept a "virtual prisoner" in the family home about 100 kilometres east of Melbourne, without giving details.
Local media made immediate comparisons with the case of Fritzl, who was jailed for life in May for holding his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years in a cramped, windowless chamber and murdering one of their seven children.
The wife of the accused, also the victim's mother, denied any knowledge of the abuse, the Herald Sun said, adding neighbours and child welfare authorities also failed to act on suspicions about the man.
"We lived in a big house, so I wouldn't have known," she told the newspaper. "He had a very sharp tongue. He was a drinker."
Victoria state Premier John Brumby said "the full force of the law will be applied," acknowledging there would be questions about why the alleged abuse was not detected earlier.
"Obviously any crime of this type is one that is shocking and that is personally repulsive to me and to other Victorians," he told reporters.
"It's a terrible case. It brings to all of us, I think, the worst possible thoughts about families and what might occur there and what may have occurred."
Police will reportedly use DNA evidence to prove the man is the biological father of his daughter's children when the case goes before the courts in November.
The Herald Sun said all the victim's four children were born with birth defects in major Melbourne hospitals. One of them, a girl, died as a result of her health problems.
The victim's mother told the Herald Sun her daughter would "clam up" when questioned about who fathered her children, giving vague answers about meeting men at nightclubs.
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Incest case likened to Austria's Fritzl
By William West, Agence France-presseSeptember 18, 2009
An Australian man raped his daughter almost daily for 30 years and fathered her four children, a report said on Thursday, drawing chilling comparisons with Austrian Josef Fritzl's incest case.
The man, aged in his 60s, began molesting his daughter in the 1970s when she was 11 and continued until 2007, Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper said in an exclusive report.
Victoria police refused to confirm details of the case, saying it was under a court order banning reporting of proceedings and identifying the accused.
The Herald Sun said the daughter was kept a "virtual prisoner" in the family home about 100 kilometres east of Melbourne, without giving details.
Local media made immediate comparisons with the case of Fritzl, who was jailed for life in May for holding his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years in a cramped, windowless chamber and murdering one of their seven children.
The wife of the accused, also the victim's mother, denied any knowledge of the abuse, the Herald Sun said, adding neighbours and child welfare authorities also failed to act on suspicions about the man.
"We lived in a big house, so I wouldn't have known," she told the newspaper. "He had a very sharp tongue. He was a drinker."
Victoria state Premier John Brumby said "the full force of the law will be applied," acknowledging there would be questions about why the alleged abuse was not detected earlier.
"Obviously any crime of this type is one that is shocking and that is personally repulsive to me and to other Victorians," he told reporters.
"It's a terrible case. It brings to all of us, I think, the worst possible thoughts about families and what might occur there and what may have occurred."
Police will reportedly use DNA evidence to prove the man is the biological father of his daughter's children when the case goes before the courts in November.
The Herald Sun said all the victim's four children were born with birth defects in major Melbourne hospitals. One of them, a girl, died as a result of her health problems.
The victim's mother told the Herald Sun her daughter would "clam up" when questioned about who fathered her children, giving vague answers about meeting men at nightclubs.
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Amazing 3 year old boy memorized the whole Holy Quran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_DYaQqajJk[/b]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_DYaQqajJk[/b]
Twenty-pound baby sets record
Agence France-Presse
September 24, 2009
An indonesian woman gave birth by caesarean section Monday to the country's heaviest newborn to date, an 19.2-pound baby boy, right.
Photograph by: Dede, AFP-Getty Images,
Agence France-PresseAn Indonesian woman has given birth to an 19.2-pound baby boy, the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country, a doctor said Wednesday.
The unnamed baby is 24.4 inches long, was born by caesarean section on Monday at a hospital in North Sumatra province, a gynecologist who took part in the operation said.
"This heavy baby made the surgery really tough, especially the process of taking him out of his mum's womb. His legs were so big," Binsar Sitanggang said.
The boy is in a healthy condition despite having to initially be given oxygen to overcome breathing problems, the gynecologist said.
"He's got strong appetite, every minute, it's almost nonstop feeding," he said.
"This baby boy is extraordinary, the way he's crying is not like a usual baby. It's really loud."
The boy's massive size was likely the result of his mother, Ani, 41, having diabetes, Sitanggang said.
She had to be rushed to hospital due to complications with the pregnancy, which had reached nine months.
The baby, her fourth, was the only child not delivered by a traditional midwife.
When a diabetic mother's glucose level is high during pregnancy, the baby can receive too much glucose and grow too large, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Indonesia's previous heaviest baby, born in Jakarta in 2007, weighed 15.2 pounds, according to the Indonesian Museum of Records website.
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Agence France-Presse
September 24, 2009
An indonesian woman gave birth by caesarean section Monday to the country's heaviest newborn to date, an 19.2-pound baby boy, right.
Photograph by: Dede, AFP-Getty Images,
Agence France-PresseAn Indonesian woman has given birth to an 19.2-pound baby boy, the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country, a doctor said Wednesday.
The unnamed baby is 24.4 inches long, was born by caesarean section on Monday at a hospital in North Sumatra province, a gynecologist who took part in the operation said.
"This heavy baby made the surgery really tough, especially the process of taking him out of his mum's womb. His legs were so big," Binsar Sitanggang said.
The boy is in a healthy condition despite having to initially be given oxygen to overcome breathing problems, the gynecologist said.
"He's got strong appetite, every minute, it's almost nonstop feeding," he said.
"This baby boy is extraordinary, the way he's crying is not like a usual baby. It's really loud."
The boy's massive size was likely the result of his mother, Ani, 41, having diabetes, Sitanggang said.
She had to be rushed to hospital due to complications with the pregnancy, which had reached nine months.
The baby, her fourth, was the only child not delivered by a traditional midwife.
When a diabetic mother's glucose level is high during pregnancy, the baby can receive too much glucose and grow too large, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Indonesia's previous heaviest baby, born in Jakarta in 2007, weighed 15.2 pounds, according to the Indonesian Museum of Records website.
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Saudi Arabia opens first co-ed university
Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:40:55 GMT
Saudi Arabia has inaugurated its first-ever fully integrated co-educational university with massive funds, seeking to propel the kingdom into the forefront of global technological research.
The multibillion dollar King Abdullah Science and Technology University (KAUST), built in the fishing village of Thwal -- some 80 km (50 miles) from Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia -- took just two years to be completed. It boasts state-of-the-art labs as well as one of the world's fastest supercomputers. Classes will be taught in English.
The religious police will not operate on-site. Women will be allowed to mix freely with men and drive on campus. Women will also not be required to wear veils in the coeducational classes.
"Humanity has been the target of vicious attacks from extremists, who speak the language of hatred," King Abdullah said at the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. "Undoubtedly, scientific centers that embrace all peoples are the first line of defense against extremists. And today this university will become a house of wisdom ... a beacon of tolerance."
At least 817 students representing 61 different countries have already enrolled in the research university on the Red Sea coast. However, 314 of the students are ready to begin their classes while the rest are scheduled to attend classes at the onset of 2010.
King Abdullah has promoted reforms since taking office in 2005 to create a modern Muslim state, keep Western criticisms at bay and slash oil-fueled coffers. He, nonetheless is confronted by conservative clerics and princes who favor austere interpretation of Islam and spearhead stifling innovation in the kingdom.
Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:40:55 GMT
Saudi Arabia has inaugurated its first-ever fully integrated co-educational university with massive funds, seeking to propel the kingdom into the forefront of global technological research.
The multibillion dollar King Abdullah Science and Technology University (KAUST), built in the fishing village of Thwal -- some 80 km (50 miles) from Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia -- took just two years to be completed. It boasts state-of-the-art labs as well as one of the world's fastest supercomputers. Classes will be taught in English.
The religious police will not operate on-site. Women will be allowed to mix freely with men and drive on campus. Women will also not be required to wear veils in the coeducational classes.
"Humanity has been the target of vicious attacks from extremists, who speak the language of hatred," King Abdullah said at the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. "Undoubtedly, scientific centers that embrace all peoples are the first line of defense against extremists. And today this university will become a house of wisdom ... a beacon of tolerance."
At least 817 students representing 61 different countries have already enrolled in the research university on the Red Sea coast. However, 314 of the students are ready to begin their classes while the rest are scheduled to attend classes at the onset of 2010.
King Abdullah has promoted reforms since taking office in 2005 to create a modern Muslim state, keep Western criticisms at bay and slash oil-fueled coffers. He, nonetheless is confronted by conservative clerics and princes who favor austere interpretation of Islam and spearhead stifling innovation in the kingdom.
U. S. woman with mistaken embryo gives birth to healthy baby boy
Newborn handed over to his biological parents
Agence France-Presse
September 27, 2009 8:00 AM
An Ohio woman who was implanted with the wrong embryo has given birth to a "healthy baby boy" and given him up to his biological parents, her family said in a statement.
Carolyn Savage, 40, and her husband Sean offered their "heartfelt congratulations" to Paul and Shannon Morell -- the boy's biological parents, according to the statement released late Friday.
The child was delivered at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, on Thursday.
"We wish Paul, Shannon, their twin girls and their new baby boy the best, as they move forward with their lives together," the Savage family statement said.
They also asked for privacy, saying "our family is going through a very difficult time and requests privacy in the days ahead."
Savage learned of the mistaken medical procedure about two months into her pregnancy, but decided to give birth to the child anyway and hand over the baby to the Morells after delivery.
Such mistakes are rare, but have often ended with the birth mother going through an abortion or putting the child up for adoption.
Savage decided to go ahead with the pregnancy due to her Catholic religious beliefs.
She went public with her decision in the final weeks of her pregnancy, telling NBC television the decision would be a difficult one.
"Of course, we will wonder about this child every day for the rest of our life," she said.
"The hardest part is going to be the delivery," she said at the time. "I remember communicating with the mother of this child as to what I was envisioning and hoping for. I said, 'We want a moment to say hello, and goodbye.'"
Her husband, Sean, told the Toledo Free Press, "We didn't have to discuss it. We came to an instantaneous conclusion; this was the path that we had to go down."
The couple has three children. They resorted to in vitro fertilization after reproductive problems and a series of miscarriages.
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Newborn handed over to his biological parents
Agence France-Presse
September 27, 2009 8:00 AM
An Ohio woman who was implanted with the wrong embryo has given birth to a "healthy baby boy" and given him up to his biological parents, her family said in a statement.
Carolyn Savage, 40, and her husband Sean offered their "heartfelt congratulations" to Paul and Shannon Morell -- the boy's biological parents, according to the statement released late Friday.
The child was delivered at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, on Thursday.
"We wish Paul, Shannon, their twin girls and their new baby boy the best, as they move forward with their lives together," the Savage family statement said.
They also asked for privacy, saying "our family is going through a very difficult time and requests privacy in the days ahead."
Savage learned of the mistaken medical procedure about two months into her pregnancy, but decided to give birth to the child anyway and hand over the baby to the Morells after delivery.
Such mistakes are rare, but have often ended with the birth mother going through an abortion or putting the child up for adoption.
Savage decided to go ahead with the pregnancy due to her Catholic religious beliefs.
She went public with her decision in the final weeks of her pregnancy, telling NBC television the decision would be a difficult one.
"Of course, we will wonder about this child every day for the rest of our life," she said.
"The hardest part is going to be the delivery," she said at the time. "I remember communicating with the mother of this child as to what I was envisioning and hoping for. I said, 'We want a moment to say hello, and goodbye.'"
Her husband, Sean, told the Toledo Free Press, "We didn't have to discuss it. We came to an instantaneous conclusion; this was the path that we had to go down."
The couple has three children. They resorted to in vitro fertilization after reproductive problems and a series of miscarriages.
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Father of 10 marries four at same time in South Africa
Canwest News Service
September 28, 2009
A South African man walked four brides to the altar, marrying them at the same time to save money and prevent cheating, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
Although polygamy is legally recognized in South Africa, father of 10 Milton Mbhele was still unusual in organizing the weddings at the same time.
The 44-year-old local government employee from KwaZulu Natal pledged his undying and equal love at a lavish white wedding held in a giant marquee in a sports field.
"This is the day I've been waiting for all my life," said Mbhele before taking his multiple vows," reported the newspaper.
Mbhele, in a white linen suit, and his four brides, wearing white princess gowns and tiaras, arrived together at the ceremony in a limousine.
Mbhele, who has seven children with his four brides and three from previous relationships, cited his Zulu "culture" and economic reasons for the unusual wedding.
"It doesn't help to have one wife and have 30 girlfriends that drain you so much you end up with no money," Mbhele said.
He said he loved his brides equally and there was good competition among them.
Eight cows were to be slaughtered Sunday at the groom's home for the traditional part of the ceremony.
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Canwest News Service
September 28, 2009
A South African man walked four brides to the altar, marrying them at the same time to save money and prevent cheating, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
Although polygamy is legally recognized in South Africa, father of 10 Milton Mbhele was still unusual in organizing the weddings at the same time.
The 44-year-old local government employee from KwaZulu Natal pledged his undying and equal love at a lavish white wedding held in a giant marquee in a sports field.
"This is the day I've been waiting for all my life," said Mbhele before taking his multiple vows," reported the newspaper.
Mbhele, in a white linen suit, and his four brides, wearing white princess gowns and tiaras, arrived together at the ceremony in a limousine.
Mbhele, who has seven children with his four brides and three from previous relationships, cited his Zulu "culture" and economic reasons for the unusual wedding.
"It doesn't help to have one wife and have 30 girlfriends that drain you so much you end up with no money," Mbhele said.
He said he loved his brides equally and there was good competition among them.
Eight cows were to be slaughtered Sunday at the groom's home for the traditional part of the ceremony.
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Air India suspends pilots, crew after mid-air brawl
Canwest News Service
October 5, 2009
Air India said on Sunday it was investigating allegations of a mid-air brawl in which pilots and cabin crew were reported to have exchanged blows in front of startled passengers.
The Times of India reported that crew members threw punches and hurled abuse at each other on the flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to New Delhi after a female attendant accused the pilots of sexually harassing her.
The fight spilled out into the galley of the plane as about 100 passengers looked on, the newspaper said under the headline "Pilots, crew slug it out at 30,000 feet."
The cockpit of the Airbus A-320 was left unmanned at one point, and one of the pilots threatened to divert the plane to Pakistan, the newspaper alleged.
The 24-year-old female crew member and a copilot both suffered bruises in the incident on Saturday and police have registered a case against the pilots for "outraging the modesty of a woman."
"There are several eyewitnesses and we are recording their statements," the Times quoted police commissioner Satyendra Garg as saying.
State-run Air India said in a statement it had ordered an inquiry into what it described as a reported "scuffle," adding that two pilots and two crew members had been suspended.
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*****
Canadian pulls 188-tonne plane to set Guinness record
'Go big or go home,' says clergyman
By Jordana Huber, Canwest News Service
October 5, 2009
It started with a fire truck and a little curiosity. More than a decade later, Rev. Kevin Fast holds Guinness World Records for the heaviest vehicle pulled over 30 metres and, more recently, for the heaviest aircraft pulled by a human being.
"Go big or go home," Fast said recently from his home in Cobourg, Ont., about 115 kilometres east of Toronto. "That's the rule around our house."
When he is not overseeing his congregation of 120 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Fast can be found at the gym, tending to his vegetable garden, and, when training for a world record, pulling his green pickup truck up hills.
Soft-spoken and sanguine, the 46-year-old married father of three said he has always been interested in strength events.
He started participating in Highland games in 1994 and two years later, when he saw competitors at the World's Strongest Man trying to pull a fire truck he wondered if he had what it took.
"I was just curious," said Fast, who stands five foot nine and weighs 280 pounds. "But I was able to pull it."
Two years later, he set his first Guinness record, pulling a 16-tonne truck for more than 30 metres.
Shortly after that, he lost the title to a man in the United States and decided he wanted it back.
In 2001, he pulled a 26-tonne fire truck to reclaim his record and since then has bested himself another four times, with the most recent record set in 2008 when he hauled a truck weighing 57.3 tonnes.
Fast holds nine world records, including one for pulling a seven-tonne truck with an arm wrestling move.
Last month, at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, Fast pulled a 188-tonne CC-177 Globemaster for 8.8 metres, besting a record set in 1997 by an Australian man who pulled a Boeing 747-400 weighing just under 187 tonnes. Fast hasn't decided what his next world record attempt will be. He said he'll use his God-given gift as long as he can.
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Canwest News Service
October 5, 2009
Air India said on Sunday it was investigating allegations of a mid-air brawl in which pilots and cabin crew were reported to have exchanged blows in front of startled passengers.
The Times of India reported that crew members threw punches and hurled abuse at each other on the flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to New Delhi after a female attendant accused the pilots of sexually harassing her.
The fight spilled out into the galley of the plane as about 100 passengers looked on, the newspaper said under the headline "Pilots, crew slug it out at 30,000 feet."
The cockpit of the Airbus A-320 was left unmanned at one point, and one of the pilots threatened to divert the plane to Pakistan, the newspaper alleged.
The 24-year-old female crew member and a copilot both suffered bruises in the incident on Saturday and police have registered a case against the pilots for "outraging the modesty of a woman."
"There are several eyewitnesses and we are recording their statements," the Times quoted police commissioner Satyendra Garg as saying.
State-run Air India said in a statement it had ordered an inquiry into what it described as a reported "scuffle," adding that two pilots and two crew members had been suspended.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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*****
Canadian pulls 188-tonne plane to set Guinness record
'Go big or go home,' says clergyman
By Jordana Huber, Canwest News Service
October 5, 2009
It started with a fire truck and a little curiosity. More than a decade later, Rev. Kevin Fast holds Guinness World Records for the heaviest vehicle pulled over 30 metres and, more recently, for the heaviest aircraft pulled by a human being.
"Go big or go home," Fast said recently from his home in Cobourg, Ont., about 115 kilometres east of Toronto. "That's the rule around our house."
When he is not overseeing his congregation of 120 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Fast can be found at the gym, tending to his vegetable garden, and, when training for a world record, pulling his green pickup truck up hills.
Soft-spoken and sanguine, the 46-year-old married father of three said he has always been interested in strength events.
He started participating in Highland games in 1994 and two years later, when he saw competitors at the World's Strongest Man trying to pull a fire truck he wondered if he had what it took.
"I was just curious," said Fast, who stands five foot nine and weighs 280 pounds. "But I was able to pull it."
Two years later, he set his first Guinness record, pulling a 16-tonne truck for more than 30 metres.
Shortly after that, he lost the title to a man in the United States and decided he wanted it back.
In 2001, he pulled a 26-tonne fire truck to reclaim his record and since then has bested himself another four times, with the most recent record set in 2008 when he hauled a truck weighing 57.3 tonnes.
Fast holds nine world records, including one for pulling a seven-tonne truck with an arm wrestling move.
Last month, at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, Fast pulled a 188-tonne CC-177 Globemaster for 8.8 metres, besting a record set in 1997 by an Australian man who pulled a Boeing 747-400 weighing just under 187 tonnes. Fast hasn't decided what his next world record attempt will be. He said he'll use his God-given gift as long as he can.
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