www.examiner.com Publication date: 02/21/2003 BY KEVIN KEATING Special to The Examiner

    Isidro Casanova, a conservationist visiting Venezuela, was floating down the Cuyuni River when he found a tribe poisoning a stream to kill fish.

    He explained to them that they were sinning against nature.

    The natives thought it over and came to the conclusion that the stranger spoke good sense. But that didn't fix their hunger so they decided to eat Casanova, instead.

    He was rescued by some wandering miners who found him tied to a tree, waiting to be popped into the cook pot.

    Their entree gone, the tribe went back to fishing in its traditional way.

    Casanova should write his story for Field & Stream magazine. It's right up their editorial alley.

    In Hawaii, if you see a man walking with a fishing pole over his shoulder, never ask him if he's going fishing. The fish will hear and be warned away.

    British herring fisherman are equally superstitious. Heading for their boats in the early morning, they will turn back if they meet a vicar or a woman on the road.

    Women and parsons shouldn't be up that early, so if they meet either one, it must be unlucky. "Might as well give up fishing today, boys. Let's go see if the pub is open."

    It's also unlucky for a herring fisherman to see or say the word "pig." They refer to the animal as "the article" or "the gadget."

    It seems that one dark morning, a herringman tripped over a "gadget" lying in the road. He and his crew set out to sea and were never seen again.

    A friend just back from Indonesia checked in to say that two lively events are scheduled about once a month at Pasir Putih Beach, Situbondo, East Java.

    Sapp-Sapp is one. It's an airborne chicken race. Men holding chickens wade into the surf. On a command from shore, they release the birds. The chickens fly for the beach and the one that flies farthest wins. "As chickens don't fly very well," my friend said, "there are a lot of wet feathers in East Java."

    On the same beach, they stage another event called Tarik Tambang Perahu. It's a tug-of-war between crews in two boats in the middle of the lagoon.

    I asked my friend how they determined the winner but he didn't know.

    In Central Java, locals will tell you that Sadang Jodo is where the angels bathe. Young people go there to wash their faces and claim it brings them happy marriages.

    Some Japanese honeymooners go to Saipan to start a happy marriage.

    An American living there discovered that young Japanese love pizza and shooting machine guns. He opened a pizza parlor with a firing range in the back. When the newlyweds are finished being romantic, they pop out for a pepperoni pizza. Then they rent an Uzi and shred paper targets. It makes for a lively Saturday night.

    Another love story: a San Francisco journalist wanted to wed the love of his life in Acapulco. The hotel manager said, "You will need photos and blood tests. The photographer is next door and I will send two bellboys to take the blood tests for you."

    Sea stories: It was the good ship Walrus that brought the treasure to Treasure Island. Its list of officers included Capt. Flint, Billy Bones as first mate, and that lovable, old quartermaster, Long John Silver.

    After Flint gave the treasure map to Bones, he issued this cheery command: "Fetch aft the rum, Darby!"

    Now there's a line you can use.

    A persistent tale put forth in the 1920s insisted that the last rivet installed in a cruise ship was always made of gold to celebrate completion of construction.

    Is it true? Let's find out. When you're cruising, ask the captain to show you the gold rivet. If he does, call me right away!

www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au By Scott Murdoch 25feb03

QUEENSLAND medical technology company PanBio is basing its hopes of reversing yet another poor result on the success of its new diagnostic test for a mosquito-transmitted virus in the US. The Brisbane-based outfit revealed yesterday it recorded a net loss of $577,000 for the first half – a better outcome than the $1.27 million loss in the previous corresponding period.

Jim Porter, appointed chief executive officer three weeks ago, has a massive task in pulling the company back into the black but is confident it can turn around within the next 12 months.

PanBio's interim revenue from ordinary activities also fell to $8.43 million, from $8.53 million a year earlier while its borrowing costs jumped from $127 million to $172 million.

No dividend will be paid and earnings a share dropped from a loss of 2.48¢ to 1.13¢.

An appreciating Australian dollar and lack of demand for dengue fever diagnostics in Brazil and Venezuela, Mr Porter said, contributed to the poor result.

PanBio expects the new test for the West Nile virus in the United States to start delivering profit in the year ahead.

"There has been a lot happening in a year-on-year comparison," Mr Porter said.

"I think we will achieve the growth in the next year that we have been pursuing for some time."

PanBio has recently undergone a management shake-up.

This included the appointments of Dr Stuart Hazell as vice-president of research and development and Nicholas Thliveris as vice-president of strategic marketing.

PanBio shares remained steady at 75¢ yesterday.

www.fool.com

The Motley Fool Take on Monday, February 24, 2003

Have you checked the prices at the pump these days? Yowzers! The cost of gasoline jumped seven pennies over the past two weeks to an average of $1.70 per gallon, pushing March 2001's all-time high of $1.77. That's enough to drive anyone to the poorhouse.

Relief may be in sight, however. Warmer weather, increased production in Venezuela, and the reopening of several American refineries should mitigate the costs. Fear of war with Iraq has bumped prices higher, but a resolution -- be it war or not -- should help stabilize concerns.

In the meantime, we offer 18 ways to cut your fuel bills (and fend off road rage!).

In today's Motley Fool Take:

• Lowe's Raises the Roof
• Shameless Plug: Refinance and Save
• Save for College or Retirement?
• Quote of Note
• Fear Grabs Ahold
• Discussion Board of the Day: Current Events
• Quick Takes: Federated Department Stores, Merck, Fidelity Investments, more
• And Finally...

Lowe's Raises the Roof

Whoa, Lowe's (NYSE: LOW). The nation's second-largest home-improvement retailer reported outstanding fourth-quarter and year-end results this morning. One thing's for sure -- this is no shabby fixer-upper.

Quarterly sales improved 16.5% to $6.12 billion, and for the entire year, Lowe's sales shot up 19.8% to $26.5 billion. Comp sales were also positive, up 4.1% for the quarter and 5.6% for the year.

The retailer nailed its earnings as well. It netted $319.4 million in the fourth quarter, ahead of the previous quarter's $218.4 million by a fat 46.2%. Annual income grew almost as much, up 43.8% to $1.47 billion. Lowe's diluted earnings per share shook out at $0.40 for the quarter, and $1.85 for the year. Analysts were expecting $0.33 a share for Q4.

The company also strengthened in other areas. Its long-term debt remained stable at $3.7 billion. Gross margins improved to 30.3% from 2001's 28.8%, and net margins grew to 5.56% from 4.63%.

As for free cash flow, Lowe's created about $335 million for the year, an impressive change from both fiscal 2001 and 2000, when it was free cash flow negative. It generated $2.7 billion in cash from operations.

Looking ahead, Lowe's hopes to keep the party going. It expects to open 130 new stores this year, spending $2.9 billion in capital expenditures. It will finance the vast majority of that expansion from operating cash flow, which says a great deal about the strength it anticipates in fiscal 2003.

Shameless Plug: Refinance and Save

Does saving potentially hundreds of dollars per month on your mortgage sound good to you? Mortgage rates remain historically low, so now might be the time to refinance and save yourself some dough. First, read Tom Jacobs' What Does It Cost to Refinance? Then check out our Home Center.

Save for College or Retirement? Being the good parent that you are, you want to send your little Einstein (or little Norah Jones) to the college of his or her choice. But does that mean saving for school should be your No. 1 financial priority?

Paying for school is an important goal, but it's only part of a broader financial plan. While developing your saving-for-school strategy, keep these other priorities in mind.

Pay off high-interest debt: It doesn't make sense to earn 4% to 10% on your college savings when you're paying 11% to 20% on your credit card debt. If you owe more than $500 on any loan that charges double-digit interest, pay that off first.

Build an emergency fund: You need a stash of accessible cash available to extinguish the potential hazards of unexpected expenses. If you don't have the money available when the furnace blows up, the roof falls in, or your department gets "downsized," then you'll have to turn to the credit card, retirement fund, or college cookie jar. This is not good. Keep three to six months' worth of expenses in a money market investment.

Get adequately insured: Purchase a 10- or 20-year term life insurance policy to replace the income (or child-rearing and home-keeping services) of any members of the family who join that great frat party in the sky. Also, look into disability insurance, since it is more likely that a worker will be temporarily out of work (due to an injury or illness) than permanently (due to kicking the bucket).

Save for retirement: Do not sacrifice retirement savings for college savings. If you don't have enough to cover tuition, your student can apply for financial aid and borrow money. However, there are no scholarships or loans for retirees. If you haven't saved enough to retire, then you can't.

For more information, check out The Motley Fool's Guide to Paying for School: How Cover Education Costs From K to Ph.D.

Quote of Note

"Without education we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." -- G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English author

Fear Grabs Ahold

Shares of Royal Ahold (NYSE: AHO) plunged over 65% this morning after the retail giant unveiled "significant accounting irregularities," forced out its chief executive and chief financial officer, and warned of much lower earnings ahead.

Ahold, based in the Netherlands, has interests in 9,000 discount and grocery stores worldwide. With trailing-12-month sales of $78 billion, it's the world's third-largest retailer, second-largest food seller, and -- with the BI-LO, Giant Food, and Stop & Shop chains -- the No. 1 supermarket operator in the U.S.

The problems stem mostly from the U.S. Foodservice unit, which may have overstated earnings by more than $500 million over the past two fiscal years. That will force restatements for 2001 and the first three quarters of 2002, and it also delays this year's earnings announcement, which had been scheduled for March 5. According to the company, the only other problems come from "the legality of certain transactions and the accounting treatment" at its Disco Argentine subsidiary.

But wait; there's more. Standard & Poor's cut Ahold's credit rating to "junk" status today, and the whole scenario is bringing back unpleasant memories. One equity dealer is quoted in Reuters as asking, "Is 'Ahold' Dutch for 'Enron'?"

The answer at this point seems to be, "Not likely." However, as the plunging share price reflects, many investors aren't taking the chance today.

Discussion Board of the Day: Current Events

Did you catch the Grammy Awards last night, or does the current state of the music industry leave you unmoved? Is Eminem good, bad, or ugly? Will digital distribution ever replace physical CD sales? All this and more -- in the Current Events discussion board. Only on Fool.com. 

Quick Takes

During last week's big snowstorm, people were not only stuck and unable to get to work, they also didn't get much shopping done. The news wires are full of many retailers reporting that they'll have to reduce their February sales expectations, including Federated Department Stores (NYSE: FD) and J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP). Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) was more optimistic. In other retail news, Gap (NYSE: GPS) seems to be gradually getting back on its feet, which isn't good news for its competitors.

The nation's employment outlook remains lackluster, according to the Associated Press, which reports continued hiring hesitation among many companies due to the sluggish economy and looming war in the Middle East. In other economic news, gas prices inched up seven more cents in the past two weeks, flirting with record levels, and CEOs are suggesting that war will hurt the economy.

Medicaid, along with Medicare, is in the news today. The Bush administration is pushing states to reduce Medicaid spending, while Democrats are calling for the government to find ways to cover the 41 uninsured million Americans, many of whom are employed. Read about President Bush's new vision for Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports some big pharmaceutical companies are violating a 1990 law requiring them to report to Medicaid the lowest prices they charge anyone. Merck (NYSE: MRK), for example, has been named by a whistle-blower lawsuit.

Privately owned Fidelity Investments, the nation's largest mutual fund company, has reported its 2002 net income plunged 39% (to $808 million) over year-ago levels, due largely to the stock market's three-year swoon. It also noted that its average assets under management were down 7%, and that in 2002, Fidelity funds outperformed 70% of their competitors on an asset-weighted basis, up from 66% in 2001. (Of course, many or most of those competitors likely had mediocre results, which is why we Fools recommend index funds for the investing masses.)

And Finally...

Today on Fool.com:

• For updated stories throughout the day, bookmark our ever-changing News section.
• Devon Energy will buy rival Ocean Energy in a deal that will create America's largest independent energy exploration and production company.
• Despite a rockin' Grammy Awards ceremony, record sales need to pump up the volume.
• Matt Richey follows up on a small growth company that continues to offer solid value.
• Readers share stock tips, company information, and industry ideas on our Fool discussion boards.
• In Fool's School, slimming your food budget can fatten your bank account.

Contributors: Bob Bobala, Robert Brokamp, Mathew Emmert, Jeff Fischer, Tom Jacobs, LouAnn Lofton, Bill Mann, Selena Maranjian, Rex Moore, Rick Munarriz, Matt Richey, Jackie Ross, Reggie Santiago, Dayana Yochim

The Motley Fool is investors writing for investors. To view a writer's current stock holdings, check out his or her online personal profile.

www.kansascity.com Posted on Mon, Feb. 24, 2003 By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Every night for two months, Venezuelans knew where to find Carlos Ortega. The labor leader was sure be standing before cameras in Caracas, predicting the imminent downfall of President Hugo Chavez.

"The dictator's days are numbered," Ortega would thunder at his news conferences, flanked by business leader Carlos Fernandez.

Now Ortega, the leader of the strike that failed to oust Chavez, is in hiding, charged with treason and rebellion. Fernandez, accused of similar crimes, was seized by federal agents last week and is under house arrest.

Chavez wants both men sentenced to at least 20 years in prison for inflicting pain and suffering on Venezuelans with a strike that crushed the economy.

"See how the others are running to hide," he mocked in a speech after Fernandez's arrest.

Hiding is uncharacteristic of Ortega, the most visible and pugnacious of Chavez's opponents. He is the only government opponent to claim a measure of victory against Chavez since the leftist president was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000.

As president of Venezuela's biggest oil workers union, Fedepetrol, Ortega led a four-day strike in 2000 for back pay and a collective contract for 20,000 workers. Chavez ceded on both counts.

Ortega subsequently rose to the top of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation, or CTV, which boasts 1 million members. In a bid to grasp control of the labor movement, Chavez called a nationwide election for CTV leaders over the protests of the International Labor Organization, which argued union elections were a private matter.

Since then, though, Ortega hasn't been so successful against Chavez.

Last year, he joined his labor forces with Fedecamaras, the leading business chamber, and convoked a general strike in April 2002 to support striking oil workers. Workers were upset with Chavez's intervention in Venezuela's semiautonomous state oil monopoly.

Ortega urged thousands to march on Miraflores, the presidential palace. Nineteen people died during the march, which prompted a two-day coup.

Chavez returned to power when an interim government composed mostly of business executives abolished Venezuela's constitution. Ortega seethed on the sidelines.

Ortega was last seen in public Wednesday, a day after a warrant for his arrest was issued. Alfredo Ramos, executive secretary of the CTV, said Ortega is moving from safehouse to safehouse.

"He will stay underground because there is no guarantee for his physical safety. He's received numerous death threats," Ramos said.

Ortega's whereabouts have become a national obsession. Rumors have put him in Aruba, Colombia or in remote ranches on Venezuela's vast central plains.

"He probably left the country already, but that bandit could be anywhere," said Ramon Ramirez, a construction worker who supports Chavez.

The latest strike, which ended Feb. 4 in all but the oil industry, cost Venezuela more than $4 billion, created shortages of food and medicines, and forced the world's fifth-largest oil exporter to import gasoline.

The strike focused attention on Venezuela's simmering political crisis but failed to bring about either early elections or Chavez's ouster.

The future of talks mediated by Cesar Gaviria, secretary general of the Organization of American States, is in doubt.

Chavez responded angrily Sunday to foreign critics of the charges against the two strike leaders. He directed warnings at some members of a "Group of Friends" initiative created to bolster the negotiating process.

"Don't mess with our affairs!" Chavez said, singling out Gaviria, the United States, Spain and Colombia.

Opposition representatives on Monday sent a letter to Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, coordinator of the "Friends" group, calling for an urgent meeting to discuss "the worsening of the Venezuelan situation."

www.herald.co.zw Herald Reporter THE southern African region will today start a four-day workshop in South Africa to prepare for the Fifth World Parks Congress to be held in the same country later in the year.

Organisers of the workshop, Africa Resources Trust (ART), said yesterday the workshop would synthesise the experience of the region on community based conservation of natural resources.

"The workshop will look at pre-colonial conservation practices in southern Africa region," said ART.

"Emphasis will be on community-based conservation, conservation systems and practices developed under the colonial regime and the legacies of the pre-colonial and colonial systems."

The workshop would be held under the theme: Communities and Protected Areas in Southern Africa: Key Issues and Challe-nges Towards a More Equitable and Sustainable Future.

Organisations involved in the hosting of the workshop include the Programme on Land and Agrarian Studies, the School of Government University of the Western Cape and the Theme on Indigenous and Local Communi-ties.

"The purpose of the workshop is to review lessons learned in the relationship between southern African communities and protected areas such as national parks," said ART.

"The workshop will explore what can be done, feasibly and concretely, to promote more equitable and effective ways of managing natural resources and protected areas in southern Africa."

The Fifth World Parks Congress to be held in September, where the region would present the outcomes of the workshop, would examine challenges and opportunities that protected areas face in the coming decade.

The congress is held after every 10 years, with the first having been held in Seattle, USA in 1962.

The subsequent three congresses took place in Yellowstone, USA, in 1972, in Indonesia in 1982 and in Venezuela in 1992.

Rural communities settled next to protected areas such as national parks would view the Fifth World Parks Congress as a means to bring benefits that have been alluding them for a long time.

Research has shown that as one moves closer to resource-rich protected areas such as national parks, the degree of poverty gets sharper.

This shows that communities settled around these natural resource-rich areas are being denied benefits from resources that are only a stone’s throw away.

The congress comes at an appropriate time in southern Africa, with the launching of the vast Great Limpopo Transfron-tier Park last year by Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.