How Not To Fly (about)

Many More Black Men 'In Jail Than College'

Under the previous Bush administration, the chances of being jailed for a drug offence rose from about 15% to more than 50%... US Government figures show that overall black people account for 46% of prisoners in America, compared to 36% who are white.

Bush Urges Saudis On Child Custody

He referred to the case of Amjad Radwan, 19, born in Houston to an American mother and Saudi father, who is prohibited from leaving Saudi Arabia. Her mother, Monica Stowers, had taken the child and her older brother to Saudi Arabia in 1985, only to learn that her husband already was married with a family.

In 1990, Stowers was able to get the children and flee to the American Embassy, which refused to help. Stowers ultimately was arrested and imprisoned. Eventually, Amjad escaped to live with her mother and brother [still living] in Saudi Arabia, but she is not allowed to leave.... Asked why Bush raised the issue now with Saudi officials, [White House spokesman] Fleischer said, "Because not enough progress has been made."

Man Backs Off Billing for Jury Duty

Williamson, of San Antonio [TX], was called in to be part of the jury pool for a seven-week trial. He sent the court an invoice for $16,800 for "court-ordered professional services for the entire month of August 2002." He also warned officials that the bill would start accruing interest if not paid by the end of August. And then came the topper: "If you would like to meet and discuss this, please have his honor call and schedule an appointment."

"The Court is happy to accommodate Mr. Williamson's suggestion for an appointment," [Judge] Biery's faxed response read. "Mr. Williamson is hereby ordered to appear ... to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of the court and jailed accordingly."

Rare White Bear Off Limits To Alaska Hunters

[Anchorage, AK] It looks almost like a polar bear... Experts say it likely is a variation of what biologists call a glacier bear...

BBC Nominates 100 Greatest Britons

The British Broadcasting Corp. polled more than 30,000 people to come up with the list, in which John Lydon (better known as Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten) and Boy George mingle with Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton and Tim Berners Lee, the father of the Internet.

Canadian Hookers Campaign Against Hollywood

[Vancouver, BC] For years, Hollywood guilds have bemoaned the fact production has emigrated to Canada, which offers cheaper costs. But now shooting in downtown Vancouver has created a Canuck conundrum as street workers are demanding compensation for the business they lose thanks to filming....

"Sex trade workers must be compensated for displacement they experience at your hands in the same manner you would compensate a business if you were to use their locale during operating hours. The same must hold true for homeless people you push from beneath a bridge or doorway, and drug users you move from a park."

'Face-Clawing Monster' Terrifies Indian State

[Lucknow, India] Reports of a flashing space creature, or maybe a mutant bug that glows at both ends, have created panic in India's most populous state, triggering riots and lynchings that have killed more than a dozen people. Victims report being scratched by something flashing blue, red or green that strikes only at faces and only at night. The creature has been dubbed "Muhnochwa," or "face-clawing monster."

Other Animals' Sperm Produced in Rodents

Scientists in Pennsylvania have created pig and goat sperm inside the bodies of laboratory mice, marking the first time that male reproductive cells have been produced in such distantly related species.... The technique, in which bits of testicular tissue from newborn pigs and goats were grafted onto the backs of mice, could also provide an unprecedented window through which scientists may watch the mysterious process by which sperm develop in various species -- including humans.

Scientists Create 'Endurance' Mouse

[Boston, MA] To create the endurance mouse, Spiegelman's group bioengineered PGC-1 into mouse muscle tissue. They expected that it would promote the development of cellular power plants called mitochondria, which fuel the growth and development of slow-twitch muscle fiber....

The muscle itself actually changed color, taking on a reddish hue characteristic of oxygen-rich tissue. Further, in an endurance test at a Texas laboratory, the bioengineered muscle turned out to contract efficiently two and a half times longer than regular muscle.

Green Lantern Fights Gay-Bashing

Terry is a sidekick to Kyle Rayner -- aka Green Lantern -- whose emerald ring gives him supernatural powers that keep New Yorkers safe.... If there's a lesson in dropping gay issues into "Green Lantern," one of DC's flagship titles, "it might be that it would be great for young people to see that the Green Lantern doesn't care that Terry is gay...."

U.S. Decried On Fungus-Based Meat

"Quorn mycoprotein has been proven to cause severe digestive reactions," Michael Jacobson, CSPI's executive director, said in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration.

"Those reactions have led to fainting and dehydration, which could be life-threatening." Because mycoprotein makes some people sick, it "cannot be considered Generally Recognized as Safe" -- as designated by the FDA. Labels on Quorn products say mycoprotein comes from a member of the mushroom family. But critics say that's a stretch and that the FDA should have studied it more before it hit the shelves in American supermarkets.

Five Former Enron Executives Who Reaped Millions Seek Extra Pay

[Houston, TX] The five insiders joined 49 other former colleagues in opting out of a tentative agreement negotiated earlier this summer that would give some 3,550 laid-off workers as much as $13,500 each in severance. Instead, they filed individual claims -- with several seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars more from the bankrupt energy company.... Among those who opted out of the tentative agreement was Rebecca Carter, a former senior vice president who married Skilling in March and received more than $477,500 in payments and stock in the year leading up to Enron's collapse.

In all, 144 insiders amassed more than $743 million in salary, bonuses, long-term incentives, loan advances, stock options and more between December 2000 and December 2001, when Enron filed for bankruptcy. For his part, Skilling received nearly $35 million over that period. Now, Carter is asking for $875,000 more, according to bankruptcy court filings.

JFK Airport Security Forces Woman To Drink Own Breast Milk

McGarry and her daughter, Maggie, were pulled out of the boarding line for a random search as they waited to get on their flight south. Guards examined her shoes, searched her baby and went through her diaper bag, [Attorney] Kuby said. "None of that bothered her," Kuby said. "Only when she was ordered to drink the breast milk did she fail to see the connection to stopping terrorism."

Board Says Surgery Halted For Bank Trip

The patient was on his stomach, anesthetized, with an open incision in his back. Six hours into spinal surgery, according to the state medical board, the surgeon told the operating staff at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge [MA] that he needed to "step out." Then, the board said, Dr. David C. Arndt went to Harvard Square to deposit a paycheck. Arndt hitched a ride with a sales representative from a medical device company, the board alleges, leaving nurses and anesthesiologists wondering where he was and when he would be back.... He returned after about 35 minutes, according to the board, and completed the operation about two hours later.

Water Recycling Plan Mocked

[Singapore] Jokes are flowing thick and fast about Singapore's moves to recycle water from toilet bowls, the latest plan to reduce reliance on supplies from Malaysia.... In reality, Newater has been certified cleaner than tap water by a panel of international experts. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong gave it his seal of approval by swigging a bottle for the local press after a recent game of tennis.

In Global Warming Fight, Trees Not Always Best Answer

In the study, published in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, Duke University scientists say trees and shrubs growing in areas of abundant rainfall are less effective storehouses for carbon than native grasslands they have steadily replaced across much of the western United States....

"Grasses are deceptively productive," Jackson said. "You don't see where all the carbon goes so there is a misconception that woody species store more carbon. That's just not always the case." Previously, studies estimated that U.S. shrublands contain about 440 million tons of carbon. The number may be closer to 280 million tons...

NYC Workers Stole Millions After Sept. 11, DA Says

Credit union officials soon realized they could not properly monitor the computer network that handles automated teller transactions. But they decided to allow withdrawals without the normal banking safeguards so they would not offend members affected by the tragedy.... as many as 4,000 people manipulated the system to overdraw their bank accounts by at least $1,000. Of that group, more than 540 credit union members exceeded their balances by more than $5,000.

• According to authorities, a 54-year-old nurse made 54 cash withdrawals from September 18 to the end of October, leaving her with a negative balance of $18,111.
• A Housing Authority employee allegedly made dozens of withdrawals, using his credit union card to make purchases at a barbecue restaurant, a liquor store and a motel.
• A school safetyofficer allegedly made 80 withdrawals in a five-week span, leaving her account more than $11,000 in debt.

Since September 11, local and federal prosecutors have already charged more than 90 people on a variety of fraud counts, many involving false claims for assistance.

Teen Who Disappeared In San Francisco Area Is Found Safe With Relatives In Western Massachusetts

Authorities at first had feared that Yukun Jia may have been kidnapped when she disappeared from Chinese tour group Thursday during a layover in San Francisco on a trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. However, following a visit with the girl and her family in western Massachusetts, INS officials determined she was not forced to go with anyone.

As of Monday, the girl was still in Amherst, INS spokeswoman Callie Gagnon said. The INS regional office in Burlington, Vt., issued a statement Monday saying the girl is in a legal status.

FBI Leak Probe Irks Lawmakers

Most of the lawmakers have told the FBI they would refuse a polygraph, citing the constitutional separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government and the unreliability of the exam, those involved in the inquiry said. [The FBI] are trying to find the source of news stories that quoted Arabic communications making vague references to an impending attack on the United States, which were intercepted by the NSA on Sept. 10 but not translated until Sept. 12.

It's Confirmed: Traficant's Unruly 'Do Is A Toupee

[Akron, OH] Traficant, 61, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in federal prison for corruption.... The former representative [D] from Youngstown, who was expelled by the House last week, is being held temporarily in the jail while awaiting assignment to a federal prison. Alexander said Traficant was allowed to keep the toupee in his cell and jail personnel didn't require him to remove it for his booking photo. But federal prisoners aren't allowed to wear toupees, so Traficant must give it up when he's sent to federal prison soon...

Man Shot On 'Date' Set Up To Rob Him, Police Say

[Indianapolis, IN] Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Turner said Krulewitch called the chat line to arrange to take Vernon riverboat gambling. As he was picking Vernon up at a house in the 6300 block of East Washington Street, a man approached with a gun and demanded Krulewitch's money. Vernon also grabbed for Krulewitch's fanny pack, Turner said. Krulewitch was shot four or five times. He then drove to a nearby gas station, Turner said. Krulewitch was in fair condition in Methodist Hospital.