How Not To Fly (about)

American Taliban Lindh In Gay Pleasure Triangle

Married Pakistani businessman Khizer Hayat told Time magazine he was 21-year-old Lindh's lover.

Daschle Slams Bush On Iraq Remarks

Some Democrats have objected to [granting] Bush authority that goes far beyond [invading] Iraq.

...over legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security, Bush said, "The House responded, but the Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the American people. I will not accept a Department of Homeland Security that does not allow this president and future presidents to better keep the American people secure...." Several Democrats were present in the Senate when [Majority Leader] Daschle spoke, including Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who lost an arm in combat in World War II.

"The president ought to apologize to Senator Inouye and every veteran who has fought in every war who is a Democrat in the Senate. He ought to apologize to the American people...."

Silent Music Dispute Resolved

Musician Mike Batt had paid a six-figure sum to settle a bizarre dispute over who owns copyright to a silent musical work. Batt, who had a number of hits in the 70s with UK children's characters The Wombles, was accused of plagiarism by the publishers of the late US composer John Cage, after placing a silent track on his latest album...

US Attacks German Hitler Jibe

"This statement by the [German] justice minister is outrageous and inexplicable," Mr Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters. The regional Schwaebisches Tagblatt newspaper quoted Ms Daeubler-Gmelin, as saying: "Bush wants to divert attention from his domestic problems. It's a classic tactic. It's one that Hitler used."

Dad: Girl Killed By Drinking Water Was Sneaky

[Salt Lake City, UT] A couple charged with killing their adopted daughter by forcing her to drink large amounts of water said Wednesday they were treating her "severe problems of sneaking and lying" with rules to promote family bonding....

On ABC's "Good Morning America" show, Killpack said that in June, Cassandra had snuck 8 ounces of Kool-Aid, and that in order to cure her of lying and sneaking, therapists at Cascade Center for Family Growth in Orem, Utah, suggested that she be given water. "One of the suggestions that they made is if she sneaks certain things, that you should go ahead and give her that substance and let her know, Hey, this doesn't need to be sneaked. In fact, we'll give it to you in excess," Killpack said on the show. He explained that it wasn't "water therapy" but simply a method of deterrence....

Sherry Ragan, chief of Utah County Attorney's criminal division, said it probably took several quarts of water to cause Cassandra's death.

South Africa's Sesame Street Gets HIV+ Muppet

[Cape Town] [Education Minister] Asmal said the character, rejected last year as a member of the original U.S. Sesame Street community, would join the local Takalani Sesame from Sept. 30 to help children infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS to understand the disease.

As He Turns 18, Prince Harry Vows To Take Up His Mom's Charity Work

Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, marked his 18th birthday Sunday, promising to take up the charity work of his late mother, Princess Diana.

SEC Launches Informal GE Probe / Ex-CEO Welch's Pay, Perks Eyed

In a column in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, [Jack] Welch disclosed he had offered to give up many of those benefits, which received wide attention after their disclosure in court papers related to his divorce.... He said under his new [retirement package] contract, he will pay the costs which he estimated at $2 million to $2.5 million a year for the use of planes and the GE company apartment in Manhattan and other facilities and services provided by GE.

Rise In Iranian Prostitution Blamed On Strict Sex Rules, Economy

[Mashhad] The monthly magazine Zanan (Women) recently quoted two 15-year-olds as saying they fell into prostitution after they fled homes where they were beaten. One of them said her conservative father tortured her after seeing her chatting with a boy. Iran's strict Islamic rules allow little socializing between the sexes, and young Iranians have been jailed and flogged for dancing together at birthday parties.

Assault Buzz Surrounds Astronaut

Buzz Aldrin apparently was lured to an interview with a videomaker who claims that the moon landings never took place and then was "poked" repeatedly with a Bible before he hit the videomaker in the face, Beverly Hills police said. Bart Sibrel, 37, of Nashville said he plans to file a criminal assault complaint against the 72-year-old Apollo 11 astronaut and will sue him for damages.... Sibrel said he was trying to get Aldrin to swear on the Bible that he had gone to the moon.

More NYC Firefighters Smoke Since 9/11

...fire department officials concluded after a survey found that 23 percent of firefighters who had kicked cigarettes in the past, picked them up again in the past year. To make matters worse, 29 percent of firefighters who already smoked started smoking more.

Butler Calls Iraq Weapons Claim 'Pathetic'

Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter has raised eyebrows recently with his assertions that there is no evidence Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and that the United States used the weapons inspectors to spy on Iraq.

Richard Butler: Until the day he left UNSCOM, Scott was robustly advising me, in writing -- you know, the papers are out there to prove it -- that Iraq continued to retain illegal weapons....

A few months later, he crossed the road and for some reason -- I don't know why, I am not a psychoanalyst -- but he crossed the road and started to tell the world that there were no such weapons. So I put it to you this way. Either he was misleading me when he worked for me, or he began to mislead the world's public later....

[An] independent investigation concluded, that Iraq continued to retain weapons of mass destruction, and that they had misled us, that they had concealed weapons. Now, you know, that is as clear as possibly can be. It is in documents, on the record, backed up by evidence. So, you know, what Scott Ritter has been saying is baffling...

Gov. Bush: Daughter Must 'Accept Responsibility'

[Orlando, FL] Police say [Jeb] Bush's 25-year-old daughter Noelle was found with what is believed to be crack cocaine at a drug rehab center where she was undergoing court-ordered treatment. If confirmed, it would be Noelle Bush's second lapse since entering rehab and could result in jail.... Noelle Bush was arrested in January for allegedly trying to buy an anti-anxiety drug with a fraudulent prescription.

Epileptic Ordered To Pay £3,500 For Contorted Face

[Perth, Scotland] A man who suffers from epilepsy has been ordered to pay compensation to a student who was upset by his contorted face during a seizure....

[Sheriff Michael Fletcher] said: "The defender suffered an epileptic fit and lost control of his vehicle. As a result of the fit, his face was contorted and this led the pursuer to believe that he was having a heart attack and was dying. Passers-by removed the defender from his car and placed him on the pavement to render him assistance. The sight of the defender lying on the pavement upset the pursuer."

Author Warns You Should Be Careful Not To Altar Your Job

...Philipson writes that women tend to have different needs, interests and attitudes about work than men do. "They are more likely to marry their jobs and, therefore, more inclined to feel betrayed when their employers reveal that they don't care, aren't really a family, or that they value the bottom line over corporate cultures built on so-called emotional ties and love..."

Germany Nixes 'Osama' Baby Name

[Berlin] German authorities have denied a Turkish couple's request to name their newborn son Osama bin Laden, a court spokeswoman said Thursday. German laws make it illegal for parents to give their children names that might dishonor them or harm their dignity.... German law allows foreign names if they are accepted in the family's home country, "but this one couldn't be registered in Turkey either," Neepmann said.

Senate Rejects Fed Court Nominee

The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a strict party-line vote, rejected Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen for a federal appeals court seat Thursday, handing President Bush a second major defeat... Democrats contended that Owen, 47, has been an anti-abortion and pro-business judicial activist whose opinions and rulings were overly influenced by her personal beliefs.

Siemens Retreats Over Nazi Name

German engineering giant Siemens has hastily abandoned plans to register the trademark "Zyklon," the same name as the Zyklon B poison gas used in Nazi extermination camps... A year ago, Bosch Siemens Hausgeraete... filed two applications with the US Patent & Trademark Office...

The word Zyklon means "Cyclone" in German, and is already applied to some Siemens vacuum cleaners in its home market. It uses a technology similar to the bagless "cyclone" vacuum cleaners pioneered by UK inventor James Dyson. But while the name may have been chosen innocently, it was condemned as insensitive by observers.

Unexpectedly, Girls As Likely As Boys To Inflict Harm

[Fayetteville, AR] ...boys were just as likely to be victims of violence in a relationship as girls. And girls were just as likely to inflict violence as boys -- a finding that contradicts decades of clinical assumptions.

N. Koreans Seek Refuge At German Site In China

[Beijing] About 15 North Koreans broke into a building complex housing a German school and diplomatic apartments today...