TODAY'S NEWS
Chew on this: Monument clean-up will be easier with no-stick gum.
(By Chip Somodevilla -- Getty Images)
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Burmese Government Slows Relief Efforts
· At least 1 1/2 million people have been "severely affected" by the cyclone that swept through Burma six days ago, a United Nations official said yesterday. That number includes at least 22,000 deaths.
Worldwide efforts to help the survivors have been hampered by the Burmese government, whose cooperation with relief agencies has been "patchy," said John Holmes, a U.N. relief official.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, went further, saying he was "outraged by the slowness of the response" to offers of help.
"Some assistance is starting to get in, but it's a trickle," another U.S. official said.
Complicating the process is the fact that the military leaders in charge in Burma do not have a good relationship with the United States and some other governments.
A Not-So-Sticky Situation
· This could rank as one of the all-time great inventions: A British company is developing a chewing gum that doesn't stick. Not to the pavement. Not to your shoes. Not to the bedpost overnight. (Ask Grandma to explain that one.)
Today's chewing gums are made from synthetic latex, which is very sticky. But the new product, called Clean Gum, has a special ingredient that makes it easy to peel off places where gum shouldn't be.
No word on when it might be available.
Beware of Bear
· The way the warden sees it, the 400-plus-pound black bear seen in the middle of his sprawling prison complex in Louisiana last week is an extra layer of security.
"I love that bear being right where it is. . . . None of our inmates are going to try to get out after dark and wander around when they might run into a big old bear," said Burl Cain, warden at the Angola penitentiary. "It's like having another guard, at no cost to the taxpayer."
Cain said the bear's pawprints measure six inches across: "Every inch equals 75 pounds, so that would make it about 450 pounds."
Some wildlife officials doubt that the bear would prevent an escape, since black bears are very shy and more likely to run from people.
But the prison has a fallback escape deterrent: nearby alligators, rattlesnakes and wild pigs.
Correction: Our Latin-dancing article on Sunday incorrectly identified the owner of the Chevy Chase Ballroom & DanceSport Center. He is Ron Bennett.
