News In Brief

June 2, 2000

I JUST DECIDED TO DROP BY

The lawn in front of Palacio da Alvorada, Brazil's presidential residence, is so huge you could almost land an airplane on it. In fact, it was just what Marcelo Pereira da Silva needed when winds blew him off course 80 miles into his flight, forcing him to the ground. Why didn't he use Brasilia's airport? Probably because he wasn't in a plane; he was practicing for a hang-gliding competition. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso was home at the time, so now da Silva must wait for the authorities to decide whether to charge him with a criminal breach of security.

HE HAD TO STAY SOMEWHERE

Back home in Arkansas, President Clinton may no longer be welcome in the ranks of the state bar association, which could take away his license to practice law. But he had lots of lawyerly company - 1,600 of them, to be exact - last night on his stay in Germany, stop No. 2 on his European tour. He was booked into Berlin's Intercontinental Hotel, where the German Lawyers' Association is holding its annual convention.

Teen drivers admit to lapses in survey, but not to parents

It's no secret that American teens don't have the cleanest driving records. But judging from the results of a new survey, many parents are still in the dark about what really happens when their children get behind the wheel. Some 700 students and 400 parents responded to a questionnaire drawn up by Liberty Mutual Group, a Boston-based insurer, and the national organization SADD (formerly Students Against Driving Drunk, now Students Against Destructive Decisions). The release of the results coincides with high school proms and graduations - prime time for teen drivers. The percentage who answered affirmatively to the following scenarios:

Parents think their teens:

Buckle their seat belts 93%

Never speed 46%

Don't drink and drive 92%

But young drivers say they:

Don't wear seat belts 39%

Exceed the speed limit 77%

Drink and drive 21%

- Associated Press, Reuters

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society