Around the Globe, Yale Index, and photo blurb

Around the Globe

In a heartwarming story, a mentally handicapped teenager, let's call him Forrest, was recently found after he lost sight of his mother and wandered off some two years ago. Forrest, now 19, took a small, 1,925-mile stroll before his mother found him last month. He had been wandering aimlessly since his disappearance, trekking from São Paulo in southern Brazil to the city of Natal on the northeastern tip of the country.

For the past six months, Forrest had been living in the house of a woman who had found him wandering on a highway near the city of Angicos. "He only said he had lost his mother in Sao Paulo and walked all the way here," the woman said. He also kept mumbling something about a box of chocolates, his mama, and some shrimp. Amazingly, Forrest never once hitched a ride during his journey. "He is frightened to death of cars," his mother told reporters.

Philippines

Mmm, Snoopy. Mountain tribes from seven northern provinces in the Philippines have asked to be exempted from the new government legislation that makes eating dogs a criminal offense. The new Animal Welfare Act of 1998, which does allow man's best friend to become man's best meal for religious reasons, was still seen as a rights violation for the tribes that consider dogs part of their "regional cuisine." Not only are dogs necessary for certain religious practices, but they are also considered a "delicacy" for the tribesmen.

One tribesman from Manila described his appetizing pre-paration of a canine soufflé: "The blood was let. The skin was then burned off, the body chopped to pieces, and boiled in water with ginger and salt"--you know, just like grandma used to make. He also explained how the tribesmen use the canines for prevention of stab wounds and protection of their
harvests.

The government has not yet accommodated the tribes; until it does so, the tribesmen will have to get their protein from beans and cats.

--Compiled by Mike Buckstein
from the Arab News and the South China Morning Post

YALE INDEX
1. Number of Yale Symphony Orchestra (YSO) members who will "spend Spring Break singing and skiing," according to the YDN	67
2. Percentage of YSO tour time currently allotted to singing	0
3. Percentage of YSO tour time currently allotted to skiing	28
4. Percentage of YSO members who can actually ski	85
5. Percentage of YSO members who can actually sing	30
6. Percentage of YSO members who can ski and sing at the same time while playing football with a frozen water bottle and videotaping themselves	0
7. Number of singing groups who will spend Spring Break singing	15
8. Percentage of singing group members who can actually ski	85
9. Percentage of singing group members who can actually sing	30
10. Number of singing groups which should become skiing groups	11
11. Big Brother is watching	1984

--Compiled by Kevin Irwin and Jeremy Rissi

Sources: 1) YDN, 3/3/98; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Rob Meyer, ES '98, YSO President; 7, 8, 9, 10) b.U.G. Polling Services; 11) This week's punchline

DAVID ALTSCHULER/YH Smoke filled the air as firefighters responded to a three-alarm blaze at St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue on Tues., Mar. 3. Authorities believe the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.

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