Jockstrip: The World As We Know It

LINDBERGH GRANDSON TO RE-FLY OCEAN ROUTE

The grandson of aviator Charles Lindbergh says he will retrace the flying steps of his legendary predecessor, but not in a model of the Spirit of St. Louis. Instead, the younger Lindbergh, 36-year-old Erik, will fly a modern-day plane -- complete with high-tech instruments that his grandfather couldn't even imagine.

Erik Lindbergh is a flight instructor in the Seattle area and says he will undertake the journey in a single-engine Columbia plane being outfitted in Oregon. The plane will be balanced and weighted to come as close to replicating his grandfather's plane as possible.

Charles Lindbergh was only 25 when he captured the imagination of the world by successfully flying from the States to France -- nonstop. His return prompted the biggest ticker-tape parade up to that time in Manhattan. The ceremonies marking his return aired on 50 radio stations in 25 states, marking the first major news event to be carried live by the fledgling NBC Radio Network.

By the way, Erik Lindbergh tells the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he won't be taking along a parachute. He's leaving everything out that might increase the weight of the plane. He will, though, have a global positioning receiver so he -- unlike his grandfather -- will know exactly where he is, and he'll have Internet and e-mail capabilities.

Charles Lindbergh was so weight-conscious that he even cut away the margins of maps and papers to save weight and nearly didn't get off the ground.

(Thanks to UPI's Dennis Daily)

THINGS WE DON'T UNDERSTAND

Another roadblock baby was born Wednesday in the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian woman gave birth to a boy at an Israeli army roadblock near the Gaza Strip's southern town of Khan Younis.

Salma El Dai, the 24-year-old mother, told UPI she wants to call her new baby boy "Hajez," which is an Arabic word for "military roadblock."

El Dai -- who lives in the al Mawasi neighborhood west of Khan Younis -- went into labor at midnight Tuesday and called for an ambulance to carry her to Nasser Hospital's maternity ward. But Israeli troops refused to let the ambulance cross the roadblock to take the woman to the hospital despite negotiations with Palestinian Authority security officials.

Al Mawasi is an area surrounded by Jewish settlements west of Khan Younis. It is completely closed off by Israeli roadblocks and Palestinian residents need special permission to get in and out of the area.

After several hours waiting at the roadblock for the Israeli troops to let her go, the woman gave birth to her fourth child.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent, which is in charge of sending ambulances to emergency areas, said dozens of Palestinian women have given birth under such circumstances during the 16-month-old intifada. The instances include the deaths of several babies and at least one mother.

(Thanks to UPI's Saud Abu Ramadan in Gaza City)

NEWS OF OTHER LIFE FORMS

A promising program aimed at saving the New Orleans French Quarter from destructive Formosan subterranean termites is being expanded to include more of the historic district.

Operation Full Stop has reduced infestations of the nasty termite that was introduced in the area after World War II by shipments from the Pacific. The loss over the years in greater New Orleans has been estimated at $350 million.

The 3-year-old, federally funded program was first used in the 15-block area around Jackson Square Park and now will be expanded to include another 15 blocks.

The Formosan termites pose a bigger threat than native species because they form larger colonies, are more aggressive and form nests above ground. They are also found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and the Carolinas. However, the infestation in the French Quarter is believed to be the highest in the continental United States because of the common walls and other construction factors.

(Thanks to UPI's Phil Magers in Dallas)

TODAY'S SIGN THE WORLD IS ENDING

Two Harvard University seniors face charges that they stole nearly $100,000 from the school's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest undergraduate group in the nation.

Randy J. Gomes and Suzanne M. Pomey, both 21, pleaded innocent in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday to charges they used Hasty Pudding's credit card machine to transfer funds into personal bank accounts. Prosecutors say the pair allegedly stole thousands of dollars a week from March 2000 to June 2001, and used the money to buy drugs, pay off debts to drug dealers, finance shopping trips and furnish their dorm rooms with expensive electronic entertainment equipment.

The thefts were uncovered when new producers took over last fall and discovered discrepancies in the Hasty Pudding's accounts.

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals each year brings celebrities to Cambridge, Mass., for its annual Man and Woman of the Year ceremonies. The group honors Sarah Jessica Parker as Woman of the Year on Thursday, and Bruce Willis as Man of the Year on Valentine's Day.

AND FINALLY, TODAY'S UPLIFTING STORY

It's hard to believe, but Mr. Potato Head turned 50 Wednesday. Hasbro's official "spokes-spud" celebrated at the company's showroom in New York City with friends such as Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld and "Garfield" creator Jim Davis.

Like all Americans turning 50, Mr. Potato Head also became a member of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) -- receiving his AARP card from Jim Parkel, AARP president-elect, in an official induction ceremony.

The 50th birthday celebration will continue throughout 2002 so all fans can take part in the action. Mr. Potato Head will be traveling by spudmobile to attend birthday parties in his honor at more than 250 participating Wal-Mart stores nationwide.