| Stephen Hawking's cult following
Stephen Hawking, the world's most famous disabled physicist, has a growing fanbase among today's youth. Sales of his book 'A Brief History Of Time' are at an all time high, and the latest popular fashion accessory is a wheelchair, complete with voicebox.One young Hawking fan said "Stephen Hawking is like really cool. He talks just like a robot, and he's so hot. I would totally like to do him."He is especially popular amongst gay men. Many gay nightclubs are now hosting 'Hawking nights' in tribute to the genius, where clubbers dance the night away in their customised wheelchairs.Professor Hawking has declined to comment, but is said to be writing a full article for Playboy magazine, of which he is an aficionado. .
NAACP March Set Saturday
A group will leave from Harnett County Saturday to travel together to participate in the Historic K on Jones Street event and march.The K stands for thousands and Jones Street is the location of the legislature building in Raleigh.
The event is being organized by the NAACP.
From Dunn, vans are leaving at 9:30 a.m. from Burger King close to I-95. Transportation arrangements have been made for about 100 people and those seats are taken. However, those who would like to follow the caravan are encouraged to do so, according to Carolyn McDougal, president of the Harnett County NAACP chapter.
The group will meet at the Progress Energy Center downtown. There will be a program at noon followed by a march to the state legislature building. Transportation will be available for the handicapped.
Letter: Shopper's handicap real but not visible
Today was the last straw. My grandchildren and I went to Wal-Mart. Due to the cold and hanging out with Grandma, they had not been out for almost two weeks. We fixed my glasses, then got our few needed items. For a reward, we went to McDonald's for lunch.Now, when we leave the store, there is a nasty note on my truck: I'm in the handicapped parking.I have been cussed at by white-haired "ladies" and yelled at by obese old men. I am 52 have emphysema and all that goes with it. Because I have avoided a tank and hose that alert the world, I have to endure this abuse.Please don't assume doctors are letting people get away with something or that we are lazy. I'd run from Main to the store if I could. To the female who left the note, you should have looked closer. The sticker was in the window; your note covered it up.
Take another look at tracks, railway head urges council
The head of the Ottawa Central Railway says the city should run diesel commuter trains on existing tracks through the city, rather than going through the extraordinary trouble and expense of building a new system. The city is back to Square 1 with transit planning after cancellation of the $880-million north-south commuter-rail project by the new municipal council. The mayor has set up a task force on transportation headed by former federal transport minister David Collenette. James Allen, general manager of the Ottawa Central Railway, which owns about 200 kilometres of track in and around Ottawa, said his company's tracks could take commuters to neighbourhoods in the quickly growing western side of the region. The Ottawa Central Railway, owned by the Quebec Railway Corp., was created in 1998 and purchased track from Canadian National.
Beijing Gets Rid Of Bad Translations
BEIJING -- For years, foreigners in China have delighted in the loopy English translations that appear on the nation's signs. They range from the offensive ("Deformed Man," outside toilets for the handicapped) to the sublime (on park lawns, "Show Mercy to the Slender Grass"). Last week, Beijing city officials unveiled a plan to stop the laughter. With hordes of foreign visitors expected in town for the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing wants to cleanse its signs of translation nonsense. For the next eight months, 10 teams of linguistic monitors will patrol the city's parks, museums, subway stations and other public places ... .
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