Weird - "I'm very distressed that some people seem willing to believe the worst about the military and the Pentagon." - Defense Secretary William Perry denying revelations that Desert Storm commanders sealed themselves in safety shelters while telling troops to ignore reports of battlefield nerve gas.

Family values - The Italian supreme court ordered reconsideration of an eight-month sentence for a man who beat and kicked his wife. The court ruled wife-beating was a crime only it if was "planned and systematic" and there was "a grave intention to humiliate and oppress" the victim.

Loony Toons do their number - Morris Rosen told a London meeting of the Uranium Institute that radiation safety levels are too stringent. An adviser to the Int'l Atomic Energy Agency, he opined that the Chernobyl evacuation was an overreaction. John Graham of British Nuclear Fuel's U.S. subsidiary told the parley that daily doses of radiation are good for you and one day would be a health requirement. His company hastily issued a disclaimer.

The `big but' system - The World Heath Organization predicts that within 15 years vaccines will be developed for malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea-related diseases and other scourges that kill millions of children, especially in the Third World. "But," the report adds, "there's a catch.... Vaccines are likely to cost not cents, but dollars a dose from now on."

Next she'll be doing aspirins - In Fairborn, Ohio, Erica Taylor, 13, was suspended from school for 10 days and ordered to undergo a drug evaluation. She borrowed Midol from a friend (but didn't use it). An over-the-counter pill, Midol is used to relieve headaches, cramps and other menstrual period symptoms.

Why pay rent? - Check out the Neiman-Marcus "neoclassical pet mansion." $9,400.

The sane society - Homeless folks who think they have problems should consider the plight of the Szysmanski family, home owners in South Barrington, Illinois, a top-dollar gated community. The Szymanskis are suing a developer, charging he built a nearby house that looks like theirs. Earlier they tried to get the offending home torn down, but the Home Owners Association balked.

The Coffin-Nail Express - Philip Morris is building a luxury train. As a perk, deserving employees will get free rides, along with prize-winning customers. Will there be designated smoking cars? Nope. All cars will be smoking cars.

Thought for the week - "Having a driver's license is a privilege," not a right. - Gordy Wright, spokesman for Georgia state cops on new law requiring that applicants for new or renewed licenses submit to fingerprinting.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home