Of Human Interest: News-lite

ANIMAL STORY

That "Miracle Mutt" stranded aboard a drifting oil tanker has finally been rescued.

Coast Guard officials in Hawaii confirmed that Forgea, a 2-year-old white female terrier mix, was grabbed Friday by crewmen from a tugboat chartered to bring the marooned mascot back to Hawaii nearly a month after the 11 human members of the fire-damaged tanker Insiko 1907 were rescued by a Norwegian cruise ship.

The Insiko and Forgea had nearly been given up for lost after a tug chartered by the Hawaiian Humane Society to fetch the hapless Forgea failed to locate the derelict vessel at its last known location.

The Insiko appeared again April 9 when a Japanese fishing boat sighted it. A Coast Guard C-130 patrol plane was dispatched to check the condition of the tanker and spotted Forgea on the bridge.

The aircrew dropped a supply of snacks to the Insiko and reported its location. A Hawaii-based fishing boat sailed to the scene, but Forgea -- dubbed the "Miracle Mutt -- ran below decks and refused to come out for nearly a week.

The Coast Guard paid for the latest voyage by the rescue tug, tapping the Federal Pollution Fund to charter the tug to prevent the Insiko from running aground on Johnson Atoll, about 620 miles southwest of Hawaii. Officials are considering scuttling the vessel in deep water.

A REALLY BIG WEDDING

Archbishop George Stallings, a former Roman Catholic priest and founder of the breakaway African-American Congregation, his Japanese-born wife, Sayomi Kamimoto, and their week-old baby, were among 700 couples who took part Saturday in a Marriage Blessing and Rededication ceremony of Clergy Couples at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Va.

The Unification Church service linked 144,000 couples in marriage worldwide by satellite and live Web cast.

Among those whose marriages were arranged by head of the Unification Church, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, was the Rev. Dr. Charles Kenyatta, assistant pastor of the White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, N.Y. Once a special assistant to Malcolm X, Kenyatta received 36 bullet wounds when the former was assassinated. Now 82, he first met his several decades younger Filipina wife 30 days ago. "I am 50 years single and I'm 82, and I know what's what," he announced.

The marriage of 18-year old high schooler Kendra Anderson to 20-year old David Stein, meanwhile, had been arranged by their fathers, Virginia state legislator Mark Anderson and Dan Stein, vice president of U.S. Properties Development Corps.

"We decided they would be the best for each other," explained the groom's father, Dan Stein, "so we asked them to talk and meet and see how they would get along. We were amazed! The chemistry turned to fire. We've had a hard time keeping them apart," he joked.

Others, like Wanji and Gary Rowe who married in 1982, were reaffirming their vows. "It gets better and better," said Gary.

(UPI is owned by News World Communications Inc., a media company founded by Moon.)

(Thanks to UPI's Julia Watson in Washington)

LAUNDERING THE LAUNDRY ROOM

What does your laundry room look like? If it's a real mess -- stuff piled on top of the washer and dryer, empty bottles of laundry detergent on the floor, shirts hanging haphazardly -- then it might be a winner.

Two leading laundry products, Purex laundry detergent and Zout stain remover, are offering a $10,000 laundry room makeover for the messiest laundry room.

The search is being led by Linda Cobb, better known as the Queen of Clean and a best-selling author on laundry.

"Laundry areas no longer have to be relegated to dark and dingy basements, and the way your laundry room looks can make all the difference in how you approach the chore," said Cobb. "The routine of doing laundry can become much easier in a well-organized laundry room."

To enter the contest, take a photo of your laundry room and attach an explanation on why you need a laundry room makeover. The official contest rules and entry form can be found in the May 14th issue of Woman's Day or at purex.com and zout.com.

REASONS TO CELEBRATE THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: Today through May 5 is Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line Of Duty Week.

This is Confederate Memorial Day in Mississippi.

Today through May 5 are the Golden Week Holidays in Japan. This period includes Greenery Day (April 29), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3) and Children's Day (May 5).

And this is Cheng Cheng Kung Landing Day in Taiwan, commemorating the arrival in 1661 of Ming Dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng Kung, who ousted the Dutch colonists who'd occupied Taiwan for 37 years.

TUESDAY: This is Beltane, one of the "Greater Sabbats" of the Wiccan year. It's also Walpurgis Night, eve of May Day, which is the feast day of St. Walpurgis, the protectress against magic arts.

Today is Hairstylist Appreciation Day, and International Walk Days.

It's National Honesty Day, with the Honest Abe Awards announced by "The Book of Lies" author Hirsh Goldberg.

This is Spank Out Day USA, a day on which all caregivers of children vow not to use corporal punishment.

The Netherlands celebrates the Queen's Birthday today.

Sweden celebrates the Feast of Valborg, an evening festival that usually involves gathering around a communal bonfire and singing hymns to spring.

And this is Liberation Day in Vietnam, commemorating the fall of Saigon to the Communists in 1975.

WEDNESDAY: Today being May 1, this marks the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Better Hearing and Speech Month, Breathe Easy Month, Clean Air Month, Creative Beginnings Month, Family Support Month, Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month, Freedom Shrine Month, Get Caught Reading Month, Haitian Heritage Month, Huntington's Disease Awareness Month, International Business Image Improvement Month, Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, More Than Just A Pretty Face Month, National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month, National Arthritis Month, National Barbecue Month, National Bike Month, National Book Month, National Correct Posture Month, National Egg Month, National Good Car-Keeping Month, National Hamburger Month, National Hepatitis Awareness Month, National Mental Health Month, National Moving Month, National Neurofibromatosis Month, National Osteoporosis Prevention Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, National Prom Graduation Safety Month, National Salsa Month, National Scholarship Month, National Sight-Saving Month, National Stroke Awareness Month, National Teaching and Joy Month, National Tuberous Sclerosis Awareness Month, Older Americans Month, Personal History Awareness Month, Revise Your Work Schedule Month, Senior Citizens Month, Sight-Saving Ultraviolet Awareness Month, Strike Out Strokes Month and Women's Health Care Month.

National Connecting Week is May 1-7. So is National Peace Of Mind Month.

May Day, a celebration of the planting season, is today.

This is Labor Day in some 140 countries around the world.

Today is National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day. (Web site: freedomfromfear.org) It's also Connecticut Teen Month. Executive Coaching Day, Law Day, Loyalty Day, Mother Goose Day, New Homeowner's Day, Rhino Day and School Principals' Day.

And this is Constitution Day in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

THURSDAY: This is a National Day of Prayer, by presidential proclamation.

Today is Robert's Rules Day, in memory of Henry M. Robert, who wrote "Robert's Rule of Order," the standard parliamentary guide. Robert was born on this date in 1837.

It's Sibling Appreciation Day.

And this is Martin Z. Mollusk Day in Ocean City, N.J. If Martin, a hermit crab, sees his shadow today, local lore has it that summer will come a week early. If he doesn't see his shadow, it means summer will begin on time.

FRIDAY: Today is Tax Freedom Day. According to the Tax Freedom Foundation, the average American had to work until this day in 2000 to pay federal, state and local taxes.

This is Hug Your Cat Day. (Web site: deg.com)

It's Lumpy Rug Day, a time to tease those bigots who shove unwanted facts under the rug.

Today is Constitution Memorial Day in Japan.

Day of the Holy Cross is celebrated today in Mexico, especially by construction workers and miners.

It's Constitution Day in Poland.

And the United Nations observes World Press Freedom Day.

(Thanks to Chase's 2002 Calendar of Events)

BY THE WAY...

This monarch was a recognized authority in the field of marine biology. Who?

Hirohito, emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. He was the world's longest ruling monarch. Hirohito was born on this date in 1901.