MADISON, Wis.
Nun a poor choice for would-be thief
A would-be thief came up empty-handed after trying to rob a nun who had taken a vow of poverty.
The man broke into the 61- year-old Catholic nun’s home shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday, police said. When she told him she had no money, he forced her to drive him around in her car for almost an hour in search of money.
The two did not stop at a bank or cash machine because the Sinsinawa Dominican sister continued to tell the man she did not have any money or access to any.
As they drove, the robber apologized “to the victim and wonders if he’s going to be forgiven by her and the Catholic Church,” police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.
Eventually, the man gave up and had the nun drop him off.
Police arrested the 41-year-old man later Tuesday on a probation violation and tentative charges of kidnapping, burglary, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia.
CINCINNATI
Mayor blows whistle on firing starter pistol
Mayor Mark Mallory is refusing to fire a starter pistol to kick off an upcoming road race, saying he doesn’t like the gun’s symbolism in a city that set a record for homicides last year.
Mallory said he’ll blow a whistle at Saturday’s Rhythm Race 5K instead. Mallory made the comment Tuesday while condemning last weekend’s fatal shooting of a man near a youth football tournament held to promote nonviolence in Cincinnati neighborhoods.
Earnest Crear, 19, was shot just outside the field where hundreds of community members were watching children play games in the “Peace Bowl.” Three suspects fled the scene, police said.
Cincinnati had 89 homicides last year, seven more than anytime since city police began keeping consistent records in 1950.
CARACAS, Venezuela
President’s foes vow to fight his “reforms”
Opponents of President Hugo Chavez vowed Thursday to block his plans to radically overhaul the constitution, warning the changes would give him unlimited power and cripple democracy in Venezuela.
Some of the constitutional changes proposed by Chavez on Wednesday night would extend presidential terms from six to seven years and eliminate current limits on his re-election. He also wants the central government to have greater control over local government and would end the autonomy of Venezuela’s Central Bank – potentially funneling billions of dollars in foreign reserves into social programs.
“We will go from town to town to mobilize the people to confront this attempted constitutional coup,” said Manuel Rosales, the leader of Venezuela’s largest opposition party.
BEIJING
Officials annoyed @pair over kid’s name
A Chinese couple seeking a distinctive name for their child settled on the e-mail “@” symbol – annoying government officials grappling with an influx of unorthodox names.
The unidentified couple were cited Thursday by a government official as an example of citizens bringing bizarre names into the Chinese language.
Written Chinese does not use an alphabet but is made up of characters, sometimes making it difficult to develop words for new or foreign objects and ideas. As of last year, only 129 names accounted for 87 percent of all surnames in China, said Li Yuming, vice director of the State Language Commission.
The letters “a” and “t” can be pronounced like “love him” (ai ta) in Chinese. “The whole world uses it to write e-mails,” the father reportedly said, “and, translated into Chinese, it means ‘love him.”‘
