Kim Jong Il, leader of communist North Korea, is having a hard time making totalitarianism pay. Pyongyang is apparently broke, so Kim issued an apology for the kidnapping of 13 Japanese in the '70s, hoping Japan would reciprocate with billions in monetary compensation for its colonization of Korea. Even evil has to pay the rent
Verbatim
"I hereby declare before you that Iraq is totally clear of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons."
SADDAM HUSSEIN,
Iraqi leader, in a letter to the United Nations read by Iraq's Foreign Minister Naji Sabri
"I'm just looking for a little security. If I get a sugar mama out of this, that's great."
RONALD WILLIAMS,
former Enron employee, on his decision to pose for Playgirl's "Men of Enron" issue
KIM HYE-WON,
South Korean army lieutenant colonel, on efforts by the North and South to clear a path through the heavily mined DMZ
"Beverly Hills is a nice place to be a rat."
RAY HONDA,
Los Angeles county health inspector, commenting on the tony California town's recent rodent infestation
Numbers
12 days is how long a newborn has to spend in Los Angeles to exceed the U.S. government's limit on lifetime acceptable exposure to toxic air pollution, according to a study by the National Environmental Trust
55,553 liters is how much aviation-grade fuel was in a tanker truck headed for the U.S. military base in Bagram, Afghanistan, when nine concealed sticks of dynamite were discovered inside by police
25 years is how long a German man lived in an Australian bus shelter before he died last week
$9 million is the bounty Osama bin Laden offered for the assassination of each of four top U.S. intelligence officials, according to a congressional investigation
$25 million is the FBI reward for information leading to the capture of bin Laden
21% of prescription drugs are marketed with recommended dosages that are wrong and must later be changed by their manufacturer, according to a Georgetown University study
Omen
The Antarctic ozone hole is slowly shrinking and may close within 50 years, scientists report; the atmosphere now neutralizes harmful CFCs faster than they are produced by mankind