WhiteBoard News for Friday, October 24, 2003

Madyha Pradesh, India (Ananova):

An Indian civil has asked his superiors for permission to kill himself in protest at what he claims is a corrupt and bureaucratic system.

Vinod Shukla, under secretary in the finance department in Madyha Pradesh, sought permission of the Governor and the Chief Minister to commit suicide, reports the Hindustan Times.

Mr Shukla, from Bhopal, said: "I am fed up with the present system where honest officers are being sidelined for reasons best known to the higher ups.

"I am mentally prepared for the final act," he said.

The Governor's office has written to the principal secretaries in home, finance and general administration departments to inquire into the legality of the matter and whether or not suicide is a work place issue.
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Rome, Italy (Ananova):

The actor who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of Christ has escaped injury after being struck by lightning during filming.

The incident, in which The Rock and The Count of Monte Cristo star Jim Caviezel did not sustain an injury, is the second bolt to hit the set of the movie in Italy.

The film has drawn complaints from religious leaders. Jewish leaders say it suggests Jews were responsible for Christ's death. Conservative Catholics who have seen the film have called it a powerful rendering of the hours leading up to Christ's Crucifixion.

The crew was on a remote location a few hours from Rome when the storm occurred.

"I'm about a hundred feet away from them," producer Steve McEveety said, "when I glance over and see lightning coming out of Caviezel's ears."

Both Caviezel and his assistant director Michelini were struck. The main bolt hit Caviezel and one of its forks hit Michelini's umbrella.

Neither of the men sustained injuries in the incident.

Michelini has been nicknamed Lightning Boy after being struck twice by lightning during the filming in Italy. He had already suffered light burns on the tips of his fingers in an earlier incident during filming on a hilltop in the town of Matera.
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Siegen, Germany (Ananova):

A concert by US heavy metal rockers POD had to be cancelled after the sound check made the ceiling collapse.

POD - short for Payable On Death - were scheduled for a surprise performance at the Siegerlandhalle in Siegen, Germany.

Organised by Einslive radio station, tickets had been given away to listeners without revealing who the act would be.

The station's website reports the band arrived at the hall on time and began their sound check.

As music reached concert noise levels, parts of the ceiling loosened and started crashing to the floor.

The concert was cancelled for security reasons, but was rescheduled to take place in Oberhausen the next day.
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New Orleans, Louisiana (AP):

A peck of pickle people packed a hotel ballroom for prime exhibits pickle packers picked. 

Pickle Packers International _ an association of the folks who make the condiment eaten by two-thirds of the public _ and their annual Pickle Fair Trade Show, are at the Sheraton Hotel here for a two-day stay. 

Americans eat about 1.25 million tons of pickles a year, according to PPI (news - web sites). The people who produce those pickles don't take much space, as conventions go; the show had about 250 delegates and 55 booths. 

Highlights included a presentation by the Pickling Cucumber Improvement Committee _ improvements are, it seems, still possible in a process used since "the dawn of civilization" in Mesopotamia _ and one on bioterrorism. 
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Trondheim, Norway (Ananova):

Ikea is chartering planes for customers in remote northern Norway who petitioned the company to build a store near them.

The special flights start next month and will bring people from the north to a store at Trondheim for about $85.

Ikea buses will pick them up from the airport and take them to the store and then take them back later for the return flight.

Customers buying items too big to carry home with them will be given special discount so they can have them delivered.

Some 6,000 people from Tromso, Harstad and Bodo signed the petition asking Ikea to build a northern store.

"This is an experiment and a token of our enthusiasm for all these collected signatures," said Ikea spokeswoman Camilla Lindemann.

The first flight will take off from Bodo on November 8, followed by a departure from Harstad the following week and Tromso on the 22nd.

Shoppers who book their flights early will get their money back in the form of Ikea tokens.
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Santa Cruz, California (AP):

Santa Cruz police remain baffled at perhaps the easiest bank robbery arrest of all time.

A 37-year-old woman landed in County Jail on Wednesday after allegedly robbing a bank and then waiting in the parking lot for police to arrive.

Susie Marie Leigh was the first customer of the day at the U.S. Bank on Morrissey Boulevard. She allegedly gave a note to a teller demanding money, then walked out with $857.

Instead of racing away, Leigh told another teller, "I've now committed a bank robbery, its OK to call police," according to detective Sgt. Mike Pruger.

Then, she walked outside and got into her pickup truck to wait for officers to arrive.

She put up no struggle, and the money was recovered.

"She certainly didn't do what typical bank robbers do to get away," Pruger said. "It doesn't often happen that we catch them this easily. It's one of those for the memoirs."

Bank robbery without a weapon carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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