A Connecticut man who thought he might get a thank you from his local police department could instead find himself $100 poorer all for trying to be a good citizen. Larry Tarducci of Branford was concerned about the safety of the youngsters in his neighborhood among them his own because of speeding motorists. He asked the town to post diamond-shaped Slow, Children Playing signs. Answer: No. So Tarducci bought and posted two of the signs himself. He was ordered to take them down or pay a fine. The warnings, said the traffic-control commission, aren't enforceable. It would, however, be OK to relocate the signs to his front lawn, 10 feet from the street.
On the subject of traffic control, motorists in Charleston, W.Va., were inconvenienced by what you might call a chocolate drop. A truck carrying 25 tons of pudding cups overturned on I-64, spilling them onto the pavement. No injuries, but the goo took seven hours to clean up. Yes, some in the crew admitted it was the sweetest job they'd ever had.
Least Corrupt Nation? Survey Says It's Denmark Transparency International includes 85 countries in its 1998 index of corruption, based on surveys of experts and the general public. A ranking of 10 indicates a country is perceived to be highly clean; a 0 indicates it is viewed as highly corrupt.
Cameroon is ranked last, with a score of 1.4. Russia is No. 76, with a score of 2.4. The US and Austria, each with a score of 7.5, share 17th place. The 10 nations rated as least corrupt and their scores:
1. Denmark 10.0 2. Finland 9.6 3. Sweden 9.5 4. New Zealand 9.4 5. Iceland 9.3 6. Canada 9.2 7. Singapore 9.1 8. Netherlands 9.0 (tie) Norway 9.0 10. Switzerland 8.9
вторник, 10 июня 2008 г.
15 Rock 'n' Rollers Win Place on Museum Ballot
Next time you watch one of those macho-cop movies in which the hero uses martial arts techniques to subdue the bad guys, think of Jeff Keaton. Keaton was sharpening his karate skills as a deputy sheriff in Fremont County, Iowa, when things apparently got out of hand as he practiced with a colleague. The other fellow is seeking disability payments for an injury that kept him from work for 2-1/2 months. Deputy Keaton was fired. Said his boss: "Some of us aren't in shape for that."
The US courts are groaning under the weight of frivolous lawsuits, right? Yup, and where better to find proof than New York State's prison system, which spends more than $4 million a year defending itself against litigation filed by inmates. One of them alleges the state forced him into a life of crime because he had so many unpaid traffic tickets that he was denied a driver's license. 15 Rock 'n' Rollers Win Place on Museum Ballot
Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel top a list of 15 nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Musicians are eligible 25 years after release of their first recordings. McCartney is already in the hall as a member of the Beatles. If reinducted, it will be as a solo artist. The class of 1999 will be picked by more than 800 artists, producers, journalists, and industry executives and announced in November. The nominees:
Black Sabbath Solomon Burke The Flamingos Billy Joel Darlene Love Curtis Mayfield Paul McCartney The Moonglows Gene Pitney Del Shannon Dusty Springfield Staples Singers Bruce Springsteen Steely Dan Ritchie Valens
The US courts are groaning under the weight of frivolous lawsuits, right? Yup, and where better to find proof than New York State's prison system, which spends more than $4 million a year defending itself against litigation filed by inmates. One of them alleges the state forced him into a life of crime because he had so many unpaid traffic tickets that he was denied a driver's license. 15 Rock 'n' Rollers Win Place on Museum Ballot
Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel top a list of 15 nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Musicians are eligible 25 years after release of their first recordings. McCartney is already in the hall as a member of the Beatles. If reinducted, it will be as a solo artist. The class of 1999 will be picked by more than 800 artists, producers, journalists, and industry executives and announced in November. The nominees:
Black Sabbath Solomon Burke The Flamingos Billy Joel Darlene Love Curtis Mayfield Paul McCartney The Moonglows Gene Pitney Del Shannon Dusty Springfield Staples Singers Bruce Springsteen Steely Dan Ritchie Valens
Most Powerful Women In US Business - Fortune
Reflecting on what had just happened in Oklahoma City, Gregory Johnson said: "It feels great! It feels great! It was well overdue, but it all worked out. Words can't express the way I feel right now!" Had he welcomed the birth of his first child? Perhaps he'd finally paid off his mortgage? No. Johnson, you see, coached Prairie View A&M, a small Texas college, to its first football victory since Oct. 28, 1989 - a streak of 80 consecutive losses, the longest in modern history. The waiting ended when his team edged Langston College, 14-12.
In Slovakia, Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar had some explaining to do earlier this month because of his reelection-campaign billboards. They featured a picture of rugged mountains, lush countryside, and the words "The country of your heart." What could possibly be controversial about that, you ask? Well, his opponents discovered the photo had been taken in Switzerland. Most Powerful Women In US Business - Fortune
Carly Fiorina, group president of Lucent Technologies' Global Service Provider Business, heads a new list of 50 most powerful American businesswomen published by Fortune. In measuring their power, the magazine considered such factors as revenues and profits controlled, the importance of the business to the global economy, and its impact on US culture. The top 10:
1. Carly Fiorina Lucent Technologies
2. Oprah Winfrey Harpo Entertainment Group
3. Heidi Miller Travelers Group
4. Shelly Lazarus Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
5. Sherry Lansing Paramount Pictures
6. Jill Barad Mattel
7. Marilyn Carlson Carlson Cos.
8. Andrea Jung Avon Products
9. Abby Joseph Cohen Goldman Sachs
10. Marjorie Scardino Pearson PLC
In Slovakia, Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar had some explaining to do earlier this month because of his reelection-campaign billboards. They featured a picture of rugged mountains, lush countryside, and the words "The country of your heart." What could possibly be controversial about that, you ask? Well, his opponents discovered the photo had been taken in Switzerland. Most Powerful Women In US Business - Fortune
Carly Fiorina, group president of Lucent Technologies' Global Service Provider Business, heads a new list of 50 most powerful American businesswomen published by Fortune. In measuring their power, the magazine considered such factors as revenues and profits controlled, the importance of the business to the global economy, and its impact on US culture. The top 10:
1. Carly Fiorina Lucent Technologies
2. Oprah Winfrey Harpo Entertainment Group
3. Heidi Miller Travelers Group
4. Shelly Lazarus Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
5. Sherry Lansing Paramount Pictures
6. Jill Barad Mattel
7. Marilyn Carlson Carlson Cos.
8. Andrea Jung Avon Products
9. Abby Joseph Cohen Goldman Sachs
10. Marjorie Scardino Pearson PLC
Six Inventors Admitted To National Hall of Fame
True story: It was late in his shift, and Los Angeles policeman Kelly Benitez could have ignored the old Ford Thunderbird with an expired license. But rather than let the minor infraction go, he signaled for the car to pull over. What happened next is now the stuff of legend around the LAPD. The driver turned out to be the father Benitez last saw when he was a baby. The two had been searching for each other for 29 years. The elder Benitez, a school teacher, embraced his son so warmly that other motorists stopped to render assistance, thinking the cop was being assaulted.
OK, you're in Milwaukee and feel - um - imprisoned by the clothing styles in most of the stores. What to do? Well, for $69 you could buy one of designer George Keppler's new fashions: a blaze-orange jumpsuit on the back of which is stamped "Milwaukee County Jail." Much to police dismay, they've become popular. After one buyer was taken off a bus on suspicion of being an escapee, however, Keppler agreed to stop making them for a while. But, looked at another way, if some future wearer is arrested for a real crime, that's one less piece of prison garb the county would have to issue. Six Inventors Admitted To National Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio, recently inducted six new members as part of its effort to celebrate the creative and entrepreneurial spirit. Best known among them is Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and established the Nobel Prize. The new members and the inventions that won them hall-of-fame status:
S. Joseph Begun, first tape recorder for broadcasting
Douglas Engelbart, computer mouse
James Fergason, liquid crystal displays
Kary Banks Mullis, process used to identify and reproduce DNA
Alfred Nobel, dynamite
Henry Timken, tapered roller bearings
OK, you're in Milwaukee and feel - um - imprisoned by the clothing styles in most of the stores. What to do? Well, for $69 you could buy one of designer George Keppler's new fashions: a blaze-orange jumpsuit on the back of which is stamped "Milwaukee County Jail." Much to police dismay, they've become popular. After one buyer was taken off a bus on suspicion of being an escapee, however, Keppler agreed to stop making them for a while. But, looked at another way, if some future wearer is arrested for a real crime, that's one less piece of prison garb the county would have to issue. Six Inventors Admitted To National Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio, recently inducted six new members as part of its effort to celebrate the creative and entrepreneurial spirit. Best known among them is Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and established the Nobel Prize. The new members and the inventions that won them hall-of-fame status:
S. Joseph Begun, first tape recorder for broadcasting
Douglas Engelbart, computer mouse
James Fergason, liquid crystal displays
Kary Banks Mullis, process used to identify and reproduce DNA
Alfred Nobel, dynamite
Henry Timken, tapered roller bearings
Costliest US Hurricane? That Was Andrew in '92
No trashy jokes, please, but perhaps you can empathize with a Sioux Falls, S.D., couple whose teenage son accidentally threw away a candy wrapper that looked as though it was the winner in a national giveaway contest. The Snickers wrapper from the company's $2 million NFL Shockwave MVP game ended up in Shirley and Tim Garrett's refuse somewhere in the city dump. They enlisted friends to help search for the precious piece of paper. The city's response: No way, because the landfill also holds hazardous wastes. Said a philosophical Mrs. Garrett: ""It's OK; life will go on. We've got each other."
In Mexico City, where police are having trouble fending off corruption allegations, Adolfo Garcia has become a poster boy for honesty. Garcia, who's paid only $6,000 a year, chased down a man trying to get away with $10,000 in cash accidentally dropped outside the US embassy by a departing diplomat. Yes, he returned every cent of it. Costliest US Hurricane? That Was Andrew in '92
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released this ranking of the 10 costliest US storms in terms of total damage, disregarding any loss of life or injuries. Those storms, the year each occurred, the affected region, and a damage estimate (in billions, adjusted to 1996 dollars):
1. Andrew (1992), Florida, Louisiana $30.47
2. Hugo (1989), South Carolina $8.49
3. Agnes (1972), Northeast $7.50
4. Betsy (1965), Florida, Louisiana $7.43
5. Camille (1969), Mississippi, Alabama $6.01
6. Diane (1955), Northeast $4.83
7. Frederic (1979), Alabama, Mississippi $4.33
8. Unnamed (1938), New England $4.14
9. Fran (1996), North Carolina $3.20 10. Opal (1995), Florida, Alabama $3.01
In Mexico City, where police are having trouble fending off corruption allegations, Adolfo Garcia has become a poster boy for honesty. Garcia, who's paid only $6,000 a year, chased down a man trying to get away with $10,000 in cash accidentally dropped outside the US embassy by a departing diplomat. Yes, he returned every cent of it. Costliest US Hurricane? That Was Andrew in '92
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released this ranking of the 10 costliest US storms in terms of total damage, disregarding any loss of life or injuries. Those storms, the year each occurred, the affected region, and a damage estimate (in billions, adjusted to 1996 dollars):
1. Andrew (1992), Florida, Louisiana $30.47
2. Hugo (1989), South Carolina $8.49
3. Agnes (1972), Northeast $7.50
4. Betsy (1965), Florida, Louisiana $7.43
5. Camille (1969), Mississippi, Alabama $6.01
6. Diane (1955), Northeast $4.83
7. Frederic (1979), Alabama, Mississippi $4.33
8. Unnamed (1938), New England $4.14
9. Fran (1996), North Carolina $3.20 10. Opal (1995), Florida, Alabama $3.01
Nations Where Women's Share of Pay Is Highest
Mark McGwire's record season has ensured him a place not just in baseball's record book; it also qualified him for road atlases. The US Senate has voted to rename I-70 as it passes through St. Louis County, Mo., for the Cardinals star. The idea came from Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz, who wrote of McGwire's 70 round-trippers: "That's not a home-run total; that's an interstate." Not adopted was the writer's suggestion that a colossus of the slugger straddle the highway.
The political party of German Chancellor-elect Gerhard Schroder was delighted when his toothy grin helped win over millions of voters last weekend. But the Social Democrats (SDP) aren't at all happy that a toothpaste company also finds the Schroder grin irresistible. Full-page ads for British-made Perlweiss appeared in newspapers within 72 hours of the election, showing Schroder flashing his - well - pearly whites above the slogan, "He showed them all." But using photos of public figures for commercial purposes without permission is illegal in Germany, and the SDP insists that Perlweiss stop or face the bite of legal action.
A recent report from the UN Development Program indicates the share of total earned income paid to women varies widely from country to country - from more than 47 percent in Tanzania to less than 10 percent in Qatar. Using 1995 data, it lists the share for the US as 40.3 percent; for Canada, 37.96 percent. The UN report credits the following nations as having the highest percentage of total earned income going to women:
1. Tanzania 47.29%
2. Cambodia 45.17
3. Sweden 44.70
4. Latvia 43.98
5. Ghana 43.30
6. Ukraine 42.38
7. Norway 42.36
8. Burundi 42.34
9. Burma (Myanmar) 42.33 10. Vietnam 42.03
The political party of German Chancellor-elect Gerhard Schroder was delighted when his toothy grin helped win over millions of voters last weekend. But the Social Democrats (SDP) aren't at all happy that a toothpaste company also finds the Schroder grin irresistible. Full-page ads for British-made Perlweiss appeared in newspapers within 72 hours of the election, showing Schroder flashing his - well - pearly whites above the slogan, "He showed them all." But using photos of public figures for commercial purposes without permission is illegal in Germany, and the SDP insists that Perlweiss stop or face the bite of legal action.
A recent report from the UN Development Program indicates the share of total earned income paid to women varies widely from country to country - from more than 47 percent in Tanzania to less than 10 percent in Qatar. Using 1995 data, it lists the share for the US as 40.3 percent; for Canada, 37.96 percent. The UN report credits the following nations as having the highest percentage of total earned income going to women:
1. Tanzania 47.29%
2. Cambodia 45.17
3. Sweden 44.70
4. Latvia 43.98
5. Ghana 43.30
6. Ukraine 42.38
7. Norway 42.36
8. Burundi 42.34
9. Burma (Myanmar) 42.33 10. Vietnam 42.03
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