September 8, 2008

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Business

Two old pals, bangin' out in Alberta

In the summer of 1878, Mark Twain sailed for Europe with his closest friend, Rev. Joseph Twichell. The trip, which included stops in Germany and Italy, and which Twain later documented in his tailtale travelogue, A Tramp Abroad, was less about tourism than a chance for Twain and Twichell to get into some mischief. By NICHOLAS KÖHLER

YOU CAN'T PICK YOUR FAMILY

Robert Stanley Craft got so mad at his family that he allegedly took a chainsaw to his adult stepson, but he couldn’t get it to start. Then, Salt Lake City police say, he reached for the weed whacker, but he couldn’t get it started either. The stepson fled, and after pummelling the family home with a small wooden statue, Craft fled too, pursued by his wife.

WORLD

Was it by death squad in a garden?

Just about the only fact about Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Suleiman’s death that everyone agrees on is that it occurred near the Syrian seaside resort of Tartus at the beginning of August. The two leading assassination theories, which wouldn’t be out of place in james Bond film, have the close aide of President Bashir al-Assad killed by a death squad in his garden or by an offshore sniper while he was at the beach—at the time, his boss was in Iran attempting to improve relations between the two erstwhile allies, which have been strained over Syria’s indirect peace negotiations with Israel. By PATRICIA TREBLE

DAY IN THE SUN

Ged Mullane has four children, nine grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one title: Britain’s strongest pensioner. Mullane, 75, got the honour in the over-60 category of the British Bench Press Championships. In October, he’s competing in the European Masters Bench Press Championships, where his goal is to bench-press 105 kg. Mullane, who used to commute to work by running 10 km there and back, still trains in a gym every day.

September 12008