From:   Top5 Productions
Date:   November 28, 1999 20:12 PST
Subject:   The Daily Probe -- November 29, 1999

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    Please attach the following line to any forwarded portions:
    [ Copyright 1999 by Chris White     in-@dailyprobe.com ]
        

                         November 29, 1999

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[                          DOMESTIC NEWS                          ]
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      SUICIDE POSSIBILITY RAISES NEW CONCERN FOR AIR TRAVELERS

WASHINGTON DC (DPI) - Although the full truth about what happened
on EgyptAir Flight 990 remains to be revealed, the possibility
that *your* airliner's pilot may be hell-bent on self-destruction
is a worrisome one for most airline travelers.

"I mean, it's bad enough getting on a plane, anyway, thinking of
all the things that could go wrong by accident," said frequent
flier and chronic aerophobic Mort Wilberforce of Waterloo, Iowa,
"without having to worry that some crackpot pilot is going to fly
you into the ground because he's off his medication."

Other fliers relate stories of troubling announcements from the
flight deck before and during airline flights." I was on a plane
for Denver to Seattle once," said one woman, "and the pilot started
out very chatty and relaxed - like they always are, you know - but
before too long he was telling us all about the problems he was
having in his marriage and how his wife had left him that very day
and taken their four daughters to go live at a lesbian farm in Idaho.
Let me tell you, I get very nervous about flying with a pilot who's
in tears just before he starts his takeoff roll."

Another passenger told of how he was flying at 37,000 feet over
Detroit last September when the pilot came on the intercom and
launched into a diatribe against an old girlfriend who lived in
that city, ending his tirade with the announcement that, "The idea
of flying this great big bird right down the chimney of the house
that evil ----- lives in is never very far away."

Disability advocates were quick to defend airline pilots who are
experiencing psychiatric or personal problems, and equally quick
to warn airlines about taking what they consider to be punitive
actions against pilots merely because they express suicidal thoughts
or intentions. "They'd better believe they'll hear from our lawyers
if they ground a pilot just because he or she says (to give one
example) that he plans 'to end it all and take his passengers with
him next time he goes up,'" cautioned Philo Mercator of the Center
for Disability Law.

The National Transportation Safety Board continues to wrestle with
the final words of the EgyptAir co-pilot. "We've consulted with
Arabic language experts," said one NTSB official, who declined to be
identified, "and we've learned that the Arabic phrase spoken by the
co-pilot before the autopilot was disengaged and the plane began
diving toward the ocean sounds quite similar to phrases that have
meanings widely different than the one most frequently mentioned in
the press." Asked to provide examples, the official indicated that,
"It can also mean 'I'm thinking of flying this great big bird right
down the chimney of that house' as well as 'My wife just took our
four daughters and moved to a lesbian farm in Idaho.'"

- Reported by Brother Paul Somerville

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                      GORILLA FRAUD REVEALED

WASHINGTON DC (DPI) - Just one week after his humiliating ouster
from the panda habitat at Zoo Atlanta, Lester the Juggling Bear was
discovered impersonating Mandara the Pregnant Ape at the National
Zoo. Crowds had gathered in delighted anticipation as a heavily
pregnant Mandara approached the observation area, lay on her back,
and began huffing and chuffing in the characteristic Lamaze breathing
style that signals birthing pains in most wild apes. However, when
Mandara suddenly reached under her back and whipped out a
suspiciously clean and fuzzy infant gorilla, then stood up and bowed
with no apparent signs of post-partum distress, observers became
suspicious. "It didn't seem natural," said one amateur gorilla-
ologist in the crowd of onlookers. "I watch a lot of nature programs
on TV, and I expected to see some pain, blood, and afterbirth.
Instead we get a damn dancing bear." As happened when he was caught
impersonating Wang Wang the panda at Zoo Atlanta last week, Lester
began juggling his infant when he realized that his charade was not
working. Fortunately, the "infant" was a Hallmark-brand Beanie Baby
knockoff named Cloris Mapes.

Zookeeper Lisa Wilson explained that the deception was necessary
because the plan to borrow Mandara from the Milwaukee Zoo fell apart
when 17-year-old Mandara left the zoo to enter a diversion program
for pregnant teens. Ms. Wilson said, "I hope the program is working
out for Mandara. She is making her own reproductive choices and I
guess squeezing her baby out on a rock in front of a bunch of
tourists somehow didn't appeal to her. But we had printed up a lot of
posters and really talked this thing up. We were desperate." Lester's
owner, Bob "Boy Howdy" Clunt, spoke on condition that we alter his
quote slightly. "Lester's feelings are hurt right now. Back at the
Grizzly Ranch in Tennessee he's a star, and he's used to getting lots
of applause. This angry feedback is killing his confidence. I had to
sauce him up real good with some Jack Daniels to get him to come out
of the gorilla cave, and we're talking about the biggest showboat
east of Arkansas. Look at him, he's depressed again." Mr. Clunt drove
away from the zoo rapidly. A dejected Lester, cooing and grooming
Cloris Mapes, rode in a trailer pulled behind Mr. Clunt's pickup
truck.

- Reported by Chris Jones

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        NYC SUBWAY ANNOUNCES NEW FRAGRANCES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

NEW YORK, NY (DPI) - Yesterday, the NYC subway system announced
three exciting new couture personal fragrances inspired by the
everyday smells of the subway: "Freshly ---- Britches," "Steaming
Hot Urine," and "Wino Stewing in His Own Juices." "We are very
pleased to be able to offer our riders the opportunity to make the
smells of the subway their signature scent," said NYC subway system
spokesperson Liz Garrett. "Sometimes, a rider won't sit in enough
gunk, or have enough crap stuck to the bottom of their shoes to
really continue to delight in the subway experience when they get
home. And bus riders travel above ground, where there's a chance a
breeze will blow the stench from them on the way home. That's why
the NYC subway system has come up with these three signature personal
fragrances, available in gift sets at finer area department stores."

- Reported by Martell Stroup

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                  COWBOYS SIGN BIRD OF A FEATHER

DALLAS, TX (DPI) - The Dallas Cowboys today signed former Carolina
Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth and immediately added him to
their 45-man roster. Carruth, who was charged Thursday with
conspiracy in the drive-by shooting last week of his pregnant
girlfriend, should fill the Cowboys' need for an accused felon.
"This season has been relatively quiet for us, and I just thought
things needed shaking up a bit," commented Cowboys owner Jerry Jones,
"so when I heard that an NFL player had possibly arranged to have
his girlfriend murdered -- his *pregnant* girlfriend, no less --
I said to my General Manager, 'Get me that man, and I mean now!!'"

Jones attempted to quiet the rumors that the Cowboys are also
attempting to sign former Buffalo Bills great, O.J. Simpson.
"Sure, he'd fit right in, but we're not sure O.J.'s still got his
moves," Jones said, "and besides, $33 million for a one-year
contract is a bit steep."

- Reported by Tristan Fabriani

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                           MOTH'S DIARY
                           ------------

Monday 29th November

Along with a gaggle of fellow peers, I have succeeded in placing
a number of time-release stinkbombs in places where the loathsome
and envious Tony Blair is known to frequent. At Number 10 Downing
Street, a former man-servant of mine now in the employ of the
government can be trusted to secret a particularly revolting
whoopee cushion within sofas and Louis XVI chairs just prior to
state visits. At first the poor old gentleman misunderstood his
directive and actually placed one of these disgusting personal
breeze machines between the bowl and the seat of the Prime
Minister's private toilet, where it ended up not eliciting any
surprise. I need not tell you, dear diary, why I have been on the
warpath, you who know my travails concerning the disbanded House of
Lords. My lordship didn't come free, Tony! Even at eBay, a Scottish
lairdship costs at least $300! Eventually the noises and the
sulfurous stench will drive him back to the bargaining table,
mark my words. Until then, beware the masked band of black-robed
and periwigged hoodlums prowling the streets.

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[                   Copyright 1999, Chris White                   ]
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