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Hawk's hairy dive from grace

A mischievous North Yorkshire hawk will be stepping down from his performer's perch this spring, after a series of embarrassing public incidents. The trouble began at a show a few years ago at Shildon Gala in County Durham, when Harry, a Harris hawk, flew off with a spectator's toupee and tried to eat it - thinking it was live prey. The incident occurred during a "dummy bunny" routine in which a piece of brown fur was thrown into the audience for Harry to retrieve. The bird also punctured a bouncy castle and ruined an ice cream vendor's stock by landing in a tub. Though Harry has continued to perform in a limited sphere, owner Tom Graham says he has now grown so forward that he must retire, news website Ananova.com reported Tuesday. But all is not lost: Harry will spend his first season away from the limelight breeding.

As reservists and National Guard troops continue to be called to active duty for war with Iraq, many of them face the prospect of lost pay or even jobs. Not at Schering Plough, though. The pharmaceutical giant provides full salary and health and life insurance benefits for the duration of deployment, topping a Forbes magazine list of the best places for reservists to work. Others at least make up the difference between civilian and military pay, and most guarantee similar postservice jobs. The list:

1. Schering Plough Corp.
2. First Data Corp., Greenwood Village, Colo. (financial services)
3. W.W. Grainger, Lake Forest, Ill. (equipment distributor)
4. Dow Chemical Co.
5. Bank One Corp., Chicago
6. CDW Computer Centers, Vernon Hills, Ill.
7. Exxon Mobil Corp.
8. IBM Corp.
9. DTE Energy Co., Detroit (electric utility)
10. Union Pacific Corp. (railroad)