News In Brief

WE'RE NOT CAT PEOPLE, OK?

Add someone else to the list of folks who claim to be upset for one reason or another at President Bush. "Our sentiments are hurt," grumped Vinod Tawde, a leader of Bharatiya Janata, India's ruling party. He's seeking an official apology for the disrespect Bush is perceived to have showed in naming his pet feline after the proud South Asian nation, demanding: "How could the United States president do this?" No word on whether Tawde was mollified on learning that the critter is formally known as "India Ink" for its deep blue-black coloring.

HEY, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF

If you enjoy spreading rumors, do not apply for a job with the city of Cascavel, Brazil. Effective immediately, rumor-mongering there is banned by a new ordinance. Anyone caught in the act is subject to an official reprimand, undergoing sensitivity training, or even being fired. Said the sponsor of the measure: "Public employees have moral rights, such as [working] in a professional environment."

Jackie Kennedy rated No. 1 among recent US first ladies

Fifty percent of those polled in a new survey by the research group Harris Interactive said Jackie Kennedy was the best overall US first lady out of the past nine who've occupied the White House. Another 30 percent said Mrs. Kennedy "was the best role model for women in America." The poll of more than 1,000 voters also offered good news for Laura Bush: 81 percent said she has improved the image of the office of first lady, compared with only 52 percent who said Hillary Rodham Clinton did so. US first ladies since 1960 and the percentage of those surveyed who said they viewed each as the best in history:

Jackie Kennedy (1961-63) 50%

Nancy Reagan (1981-89) 11%

Barbara Bush (1989-93) 10%

Hillary Clinton (1993-01) 10%

Laura Bush (2001) 3%

Betty Ford (1974-77) 3%

Rosalyn Carter (1977-81) 0%

Pat Nixon (1969-74) 0%

- PR Newswire

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor