February 28, 2002
EVER GET THE FEELING YOU'RE BEING WATCHED?
New Haven's consumer protection
commissioner James Fleming has ordered Acme Rent-a-Car to stop charging
customers $150 for speeding with their rental cars and ordered the company
to repay about $13,000 in fines they have already collected. Acme had been
using Global Positioning Systems installed in its cars to track its
customers and automatically fine them if they drove above 79 miles per hour
for over two minutes. (CNN)
HOBO FIGHT CLUB
Members of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity at the University of
Tennessee are under investigation and face expulsion as a result of various
"indecent" incidences. The charges include allegations that frat members
were arranging cockfights and regularly hosted gambling nights complete
with strippers. But those events were well-known and hardly raised an
eyebrow. More serious trouble ensued when it was reported that frat boys
were gambling on boxing tournaments using local homeless people, who were
"liquored up" and armed with a set of large boxing gloves. (Daily Beacon)
.
SLAVES 'R' US
A human rights group has accused major U.S. toy
manufacturers of violating China's labor laws and international standards
by allowing toys to be manufactured by over-worked, underpaid workers who
are routinely exposed to dangerous toxins. A report called Toys of
Misery 'Made in China' claims that many workers are forced to work
mandatory 14.5 to 18.5-hour daily shifts, are paid only 13 cents per hour
(half China's minimum wage), and are forced to handle toxic paints, glues
and solvents with their bare hands. (Reuters)
DEAD CLONES
The first direct study of the lifespans of cloned animals,
carried out at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo,
suggests that cloned animals may have sharply decreased lifespans and
greater risk of health problems. The experiment compared 12 cloned mice to
six mice produced using in vitro fertilization, and seven mice from
natural matings. After 800 days, 83 per cent of the cloned mice were dead,
compared to only 23 per cent of the control group. The dead clones also
showed higher rates of pneumonia, liver disease, cancer and a lower level
of antibody protection, suggesting that they had an immune system defect.
(Journal of Nature Genetics)
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN
A Chilean faith healer has disappeared after
bilking one of her customers out of her life savings. The victim had been
told that carrying all of her money around would improve her self-esteem.
Then, at the next appointment, the healer hypnotized her and took the
entire wad. (Ananova)
WHY BUILD 'EM IF WE CAN'T USE 'EM?
And just to be sure that nobody's going
to stand in the way of Dubya using all his toys, the U.S. has announced
that it will no longer follow a 24-year-old policy implemented by Jimmy
Carter which promised that America would not use nuclear weapons against
non-nuclear countries. John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms
control and international security, said that such a pledge reflects "an
unrealistic view of the international situation," and promised that "we
would do whatever is necessary to fend America's innocent civilian
population." (Washington Times)
Go to:
Copyright 2002 by Andreas Ohrt
Email:aohrt@hotmail.com
Website:www.curioustimes.com
