How Not To Fly (about)

GM Industry Puts Human Gene Into Rice

In the first modification of its kind, Japanese researchers have inserted a gene from the human liver into rice to enable it to digest pesticides and industrial chemicals.

Shakespeare Portrait 'Is A Fake'

Not everyone has been convinced that the portrait, owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), was painted during the playwright's lifetime....

The image, which is painted on top of a 16th century portrait of Madonna and child, was named after owner Sir Desmond Flower, who donated it to the RSC.... The Flower Portrait was analysed for four months using a combination of x-rays, ultraviolet examination, paint sampling and microphotography....

The gallery's 16th century curator Dr Tarnya Cooper said the image could be found on the cover of a number of Shakespeare editions found in book shops.... "We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840, exactly the time when there was a resurgence of interest in Shakespeare's plays," she added.

Sly vs. Sly

In one corner, there's the erstwhile Rocky, whose Sly debuted on newsstands Mar. 5 and touts itself as a magazine aimed at male readers who "believe that life begins at 40...."

In the other corner is the challenger, Sly Magazine LLC's Sly, which bills itself as a lifestyle glossy aimed at sophisticated, fashion-conscious women focusing on shoes, handbags and other accessories. Sly Magazine LLC's attorney, John Bostany, admits his client is the real underdog in this fight, being an indie publisher whose premiere issue isn't due until later this year.

From Hitler Youth To The Vatican

By the time he was 35, he had been given a job at the Vatican. Before that, Ratiznger was forced to serve briefly in the Nazi Army during the last months of World War II... Although Ratzinger's military service was brief, it's still on the minds of church leaders and members of other faiths.

Annual Terror Report Won't Include Numbers

The State Department said it will still send Congress the required annual report on terrorism -- minus the numbers...

...last year it had to withdraw the report in which it cited "great progress" in combating terrorism and asserted that the number of terrorist acts had dropped to its lowest level in three decades. After outside reviews showed the data were flawed, Powell ordered the report redone. A second version said that more than twice as many civilians had been killed or injured in terrorist attacks as the initial report showed.

...the report had become politically sensitive since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, serving as the only government-issued benchmark of year-to-year progress against terrorism.

Oklahoma City Bombing Anniversary Events Begin

[Oklahoma City] The ceremony, held alongside the reflecting pool at the memorial, opened a series of events planned over 10 days to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the bombing....

Bomber Timothy McVeigh was convicted of federal conspiracy and murder charges and executed on June 11, 2001.

It's Not Easy Living On Dork Street

"I had a resume kicked back because someone thought I was kidding," said Saucedo, who has lived on the street in this suburb about a dozen miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles for eight years....

Officials say there is no record at City Hall explaining how the street got its distinctive moniker, but residents believe it was named after someone called Dork. It first appeared on a Los Angeles County tract map in 1936.

Defense Grills Jackson Accuser's Mom

The mother of Michael Jackson's teenage accuser testified Monday she showed "poor judgment" by letting her children stay at the pop star's Neverland Ranch after she said she saw Jackson lick her son's head during a 2003 airplane ride....

Also attending Tuesday to support Jackson was Gary Coleman, the former child TV star.

Congress To Consider Birth Control Bill

House and Senate backers unveiled a bill dubbed the Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act (ALPhA) on Thursday. It would allow a pharmacist to refuse to fill a prescription only if the prescription can be passed to and filled by a co-worker at the same pharmacy.

Woman Who Claimed To Find Finger In Chili Won't Sue Wendy's

[San Jose, CA] Anna Ayala dropped her claim because it "has caused her great emotional distress and continues to be difficult emotionally..."

Court records show Ayala has a history of making legal claims against corporations, including a former employer, General Motors and a fast-food restaurant. She acknowledged receiving a settlement for medical costs a year ago after claiming that her daughter was sickened after eating at a Las Vegas restaurant.

Rushdie Says Bush Policies Help Islamic Terrorism

Rushdie -- who lived for years under threat of death after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1989 pronouncement that his novel "The Satanic Verses" was blasphemous -- said he believes U.S. isolationism has turned not just its enemies against America, but its allies too....

Rushdie said he found it striking how the "colossal sympathy" the world felt for the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has been squandered so quickly.

Russian Surgeons 'Grow' Penis On Man's Forearm

In an 11-hour operation, plastic surgeons in Moscow removed the 28-year-old's undersized penis and stitched it on to his left forearm, where they grafted on additional flesh and tissue taken from his inner arm. The newly enlarged organ, which had grown from less than 2ins to nearly 7ins, was then reattached to his groin.

An Odd Twist For An Ex-Dominatrix S&M Specialist-Turned-Bureaucrat Says She Endured Harassment From Her Superior -- A Former Client

When Susan Peacher hung up her latex evening gown and wooden paddle for a job with the federal government, the former dominatrix thought she was done with abuse. She went to work for the Treasury Department in San Francisco, but when she arrived at her new job, she found that one of the office managers was a former client....

When she objected to the salacious advances, Peacher says, the manager manipulatively became her direct supervisor and downgraded her performance evaluation.

Cookie Monster: 'Me Eat Less Cookies'

First PBS announced that "Sesame Street" would kick off its 35th season this week with a multiyear story arc about healthy habits.... There's even a new song -- "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food," where Cookie Monster learns there are "anytime" foods and "sometimes" foods.

Convicted Killer C Murder Changes His Handle

[Baton Rouge, LA] The rapper, whose real name is Corey Miller, will now go by C Miller, his publicist said....

"People hear the name C-Murder and they don't realize that the name simply means that I have seen many murders in my native Calliope projects neighborhood," he said in a statement. Miller was convicted of second-degree murder Sept. 30, 2003... "I am not a murderer," he said.

Senator's Office Source Of Schiavo Memo

The memo said the fight over removing Schiavo's feeding tube "is a great political issue... and a tough issue for Democrats."

"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was described at the time as being circulated among Senate Republicans....

The memo had been disavowed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, both primary forces behind Congress passing the bill and sending it to President Bush on March 21....

Martinez, in his statement, said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, had asked for background information on the bill ordering a federal court to review the Schiavo case. He said he pulled a one-page document from his coat pocket and handed to Harkin. "Unbeknownst to me... I had given him a copy of the now infamous memo."

When policy too hideous to acknowledge gets traced to your office, you don't need to be Kreskin to guess what will happen next.

DeLay Blasts Media Over Report Of Payments To Family

The New York Times reported Wednesday that DeLay's wife and daughter have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by DeLay's political action and campaign committees... The newspaper reports were the latest political controversies for DeLay. He has been admonished three times by the House Ethics Committee, and he faces possible indictment in Texas in connection with a campaign finance probe. The Times said the payments to DeLay's wife, Christine DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money.

"My wife and daughter have any right, just like any other American, to be employed and be compensated for their employment," DeLay said.

"...it's just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me."

Confederate Heritage Groups Upset With Alabama Governor

[Montgomery, AL] Confederate heritage groups seemed excited when Gov. Bob Riley's annual proclamation designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month dropped a paragraph saying slavery was the cause of the Civil War.... [Communications director Jeff] Emerson said the governor was unaware of the deletion until The Associated Press contacted his office. The governor quickly reissued the proclamation with the paragraph on slavery restored, and posted it on his Web site....

When Riley became governor in January 2003, he used the same proclamation as his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman. It contained a paragraph that says "Our recognition of Confederate history also recognizes that slavery was one of the causes of the war, an issue in the war, was ended by the war, and slavery is hereby condemned..." [Confederate Heritage Fund president] Broxton and others in Confederate heritage organizations said they had complained to the governor that the paragraph was historically incorrect.

"It leaves the impression that slavery was the total cause of the war and that's untrue. It was more about tariffs and taxes," said Benjamin Hestley, chief of heritage defense for the Alabama Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Police: Teacher Starts Brawl In Class

[Dallas, TX] A high school teacher faces an assault charge after police say she walked into a middle-school classroom, grabbed that teacher's hair, yanked her out of her chair, and dragged her across the room while punching her in the face and kicking her.

Poll: U.S. Catholics Would Support Changes

A majority of U.S. Catholics surveyed want the next pope to have a theological outlook similar to that of Pope John Paul II, but they would also like to see changes on issues such as birth control, stem cell research and allowing priests to marry, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Sunday.

• More than half -- 59 percent -- said they want someone about the same as John Paul.
• Seventy-eight percent said the next pope should allow Catholics to use birth control...
• 63 percent said he should let priests marry...
• 59 percent said the next pope should have a less-strict policy on stem cell research.
• Fifty-five percent said the next pope should allow women to become priests...
• Asked whether the next pontiff, unlike John Paul, should allow Catholics to divorce and remarry, 49 percent said yes...

Ray, do you want to stay and live with Charlie?

Autopsy Of Terri Schiavo Completed

[Tampa, FL] The autopsy of Terri Schiavo has been completed, and the body is ready for release to her husband, who plans to cremate her remains and bury the ashes without telling his in-laws when or where.

Wisconsin Pageant Winner Loses Crown When Judges Discover She Can Stand

Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin has been stripped of her title because pageant officials say she can stand, and point to a newspaper picture as proof. Janeal Lee, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a scooter, was snapped by The Post-Crescent newspaper standing among her high school math students....

Candidates for the crown have to "mostly be seen in the public using their wheelchairs or scooters," said Judy Hoit, Ms. Wheelchair America's treasurer. "Otherwise you've got women who are in their wheelchairs all the time and they get offended if they see someone standing up. We can't have title holders out there walking when they're seen in the public."