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Tickets going fast for panda cub debut

By wire services
Published November 22, 2005

He isn't Sting, Bon Jovi, Barry Manilow or U2, but Tai Shan is proving quite the draw anyhow. More than half of the tickets for the National Zoo's public debut of the popular giant panda cub were gone within the first hour of an online ticket offering, officials for the Washington, D.C., zoo said Monday. Some 13,000 free, timed-entry tickets were made available for the public to get a glimpse of the little fellow beginning Dec. 8. But an hour later, nearly 8,000 tickets had already been reserved, and the ticket Web site was turning out error messages, said Friends of the National Zoo spokesman Matt Olear.

FBI warns computer users of e-mail scam

The FBI issued an alert Monday about a scam involving unsolicited e-mails, purportedly sent by the FBI, that tell computer users that their Internet surfing is being monitored by the agency. The users are told they have visited illegal Web sites and are instructed to open an attachment to answer questions. The FBI did not send these e-mails and does not send any other unsolicited e-mails to the public, a bureau statement said. The FBI is investigating the scam. Recipients of these e-mails are asked to report them by visiting the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov

British opera stops using blackface

White opera singers will no longer wear blackface paint when playing black characters at the British Royal Opera House. It would not discuss the reason for the timing of its new policy, which was announced within a day of a critical article in the Independent newspaper. The practice of putting black makeup on white performers was used in dress rehearsals but not Thursday's opening night performance of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera , Royal Opera House spokesman Christopher Millard said. "It's racially insensitive," he said.

THE UNUSUAL

Seawater suggested to buoy Venice

A group of engineers and geology experts said Monday they are considering injecting seawater under Venice, Italy, to raise the waterlogged city by 1 foot to rescue it from the tides and floods that bedevil it. That would enable Venice to regain nearly the same height it lost in the last 300 years, said Giuseppe Gambolati, the head of the $117-million project. It is still in its initial phase and far from approval. The final version would be in addition to a much-publicized plan to build a flood barrier to ease the effect of high tides. However, Gambolati's plan has its critics, including one who warned the project requires years of research and millions of dollars before it can even come close to reality.

[Last modified November 22, 2005, 02:15:27]