Newscan

Sweet heart

A week after undergoing a rare cancer operation at Houston's Methodist Hospital, Joanne Minnich, aged 57, said she felt fine and looked forward to making her husband's favourite raspberry jam. Dr. Michael Reardon and his team took out Minnich's heart, cut three tumours, repaired the heart with specially treated cow tissue in a seven-hour operation. A heart-lung machine kept Minnich alive during the surgery, which is only the fourth known heart autotransplant. "I love her very much," husband William Minnich said, wiping away tears, "I love her raspberry jam."

Festive glow

The Lewis family of the Lamar County countryside in Purvis has, for this Christmas, turned on 1,90,000 lights along paths winding through a two-acre yard. For a dozen years, sisters Barbara and Evelyn Lewis and their 88-year-old father, Frank Lewis, have been opening their yard to the residents of their village when they light up for the season. Barbara says: "When you see all those happy faces, it makes it worth all the backbreaking work."

Fresh air

More families are opting for real trees this year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association in St. Louis. Surveys show that 36 million natural trees will be sold in America this season. Andy Cole, a pine grower for 25 years in Greenville, Michigan, says people are buying natural trees because of economic prosperity. "There's a strong demand, or a strong return, to the traditional things in life," he adds.

Mixed bag

Brazilian jails may have a grim reputation for crammed cells and cruel treatment of prisoners, but the Dutra Ladeira prison now is famous for something else - it's pizza. Run by convict Thenys Chagas Pereira, the Little Tutu pizzeria and bakery, operated by drug traffickers, thieves and killers, sells pizzas to prisoners and guards. "We all love this pizza, especially the tomato and sausage," said Col. Carlos Roberto de Paula, secretary to prison director, who allowed the bakery on the prison grounds as part of a rehabilitation project.

Flying high

Two drunken Germans, apparently looking for a toilet at Frankfurt airport, boarded an aircraft bound for Moscow. The 20-year-old men, on arrival in Moscow, noticed it was cold and realised they had no passports, let alone entry visas. They were put on a flight back to Frankfurt where Federal Border Police charged them with joyriding.

Compiled by

SUBAJAYANTHI WILSON

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Section  : Features
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