Chinese no longer need permission to wed
BEIJING “”mdash; Marriage in China used to be a matter for a man, a
woman ““ and the couple’s employers. No longer. On
Wednesday, China eliminated a much resented requirement for couples
to obtain their bosses’ approval before tying the knot,
prompting thousands of couples to wed in what, for some, was also a
celebration of the retreat of outside interference in their private
lives. Couples lined up as early as 5 a.m. outside marriage
registration offices. Restaurants and hotel banquet halls were
booked solid in major cities, and Beijing’s streets were
clogged with flower-bedecked motorcades. “Employers in work
units used to have a lot of power over people, but now
there’s no need,” said newlywed Wen Ying, who was
having a late-night snack with her new husband and friends at a
small restaurant near the Forbidden City, Beijing’s ancient
imperial palace. “We’re really glad that this rule was
canceled because it was a real hassle. It makes getting married
feel even better,” said Wen’s husband, Liu Ping. Liu
said the couple had planned to throw a formal banquet for their
families, but were forced to postpone because restaurants were all
reserved by others. Couples said “I do” Wednesday at
mass ceremonies in city squares, at tree planting ceremonies and
even at a Beijing drive-in theater, which transported brides to the
ceremony on horseback. One couple exchanged vows submerged in an
aquarium ““ diving bells over their heads ““ while
tropical fish swam past. The new marriage rules are among social
reforms that increasingly are freeing private lives from unpopular
government controls. Also beginning Wednesday, couples won’t
be required to get health checks to marry, and those wishing to
divorce can do so without attending lengthy government mediation
sessions. Many couples held off registering their weddings until
the change took effect, and long lines formed at government offices
around the country Wednesday, China Central Television reported.
The official Xinhua News Agency said tens of thousands of couples
registered their marriages. Wen said staff at the wedding registry
dressed up the office with flowers and played Mendelssohn’s
wedding march to commemorate the new rules. “They were really
nice. It’s a special day,” she said. The old marriage
law was a throwback to an era when all Chinese worked for the state
or communes and needed permission to travel, get an education or
marry. The employer’s letter was intended to serve as proof
that both bride and groom weren’t already married to other
people. However, the requirement became a source of corruption
““ some employers demanded bribes in exchange for their
consent. Xinhua acknowledged that in a report this week, saying the
old rules were “just a formality or moneymaking procedure in
some areas.” Under the new regulations, couples must show ID
cards and residency papers and sign a document stating they are not
married or related. Officials have threatened to punish bureaucrats
who persist in requiring health exams or demand illegal fees from
those wishing to marry.
Among other recent reforms, the government said last month that
tens of millions of Chinese can now apply for passports without
approval from their employers. But one of the most disliked
official restrictions ““ the household registration system
that dictates where Chinese may live ““ is still in effect.
The government has given no indication that it might be
repealed.
Man jailed after saving friend’s life
SPANISH FORT, Ala. “”mdash; A man saved his friend from drowning
Monday, then was thrown in jail for public intoxication. Kenneth
Hood, 47, said he and his friends were sitting on the western bank
of the Blakeley River when one of them accidentally backed a
sport-utility vehicle into the water. Hood waded into the water and
pulled friend Obie Jordan from the vehicle, taking him to the river
bank and calling police. Jordan and the driver, who was not
identified, were taken to the University of South Alabama Medical
Center, police said. Jordan was listed in fair condition. Hood
refused to be called a hero. “He’s my friend,” he
said. “He’d have done it for me.” He certainly
wasn’t treated like one. Authorities arrested Hood and two
others at the scene ““ Kathleen Margaret Smithart, 36, and
44-year-old Ronald Eugene Briggs ““ for public intoxication.
“I guess it does seem a little harsh,” said Spanish
Fort Police Chief David Edgar. “But if he and his friends
wouldn’t have been drunk, his friend wouldn’t have been
in the water.” Edgar said police had no choice because the
three could barely walk. “If we left them sitting right there
and they fell into the water again and drowned, we’re
responsible,” Edgar said.
Tokyo man allegedly steals old newspapers TOKYO
“”mdash; Crime really doesn’t pay. Hoping to nip a growing
trend in the bud, authorities have charged a Tokyo man with
allegedly stealing old newspapers from a trash disposal site,
officials said Wednesday. The haul was allegedly worth about $1
(100 yen). The suspect, whose name has not been disclosed, was
spotted by the police stealing the old newspapers early Aug. 20 and
taken in for questioning. The case was sent to the prosecutors last
week, said Takahiko Sasaki, a waste recycling official for the
Tokyo ward where the incident occurred. The man is the first to be
prosecuted under new laws in the ward that ban anyone from removing
recyclable materials from designated, streetside trash disposal
sites, Sasaki said. Sasaki said the value of newspaper ““ and
the number of people stealing it from disposal sites ““ has
risen since last year due to increased demand in China. It may also
reflect the growing ranks of poor in Japan hit by this
country’s weak economy. He said the ward has stepped up
police patrols of trash disposal sites and putting up yellow
posters warning that stealing old newspapers is a crime. “If
you don’t know the whole process of making the new
regulations, you might think charging a person for such a petty
crime is too much,” said another ward official, Madoka
Shiohata. She added, however, that local residents have welcomed
the crackdown. It was common until a few years ago to see privately
owned trucks collecting old newspapers in Japan’s major
cities for sale to recycling centers. But urbanites are
increasingly leaving bundles of newspapers on streetsides along
with their trash for the city to recycle.
Kermit gets political Kermit the Frog caught
the recall fever sweeping California to deliver an altered version
of his signature song “It’s Not Easy Being
Green.” On Wednesday’s “KTLA Morning
News,” where Kermit and Miss Piggy were promoting the
Oct. 7 release of the DVD “A Very Merry Muppet Christmas
Movie,” the frog broke into “It’s Not Easy
Being Gray,” a ditty noting the plight of Gov. Gray
Davis. The verses included: “It’s not that easy being
Gray Having to spend every day with special interest groups Still
Gray is our governor right now Even though he’s not very warm
and friendly-like Gray can feel your pain like Clinton; he can
triple your car tax or be stiff like a tree With Gray in office you
see, it can make you wonder why But why wonder, why wonder,
he’s Gray and he’s governor And I’m sure
that’s what he wants to be.”
Phony deputy nabbed after seeking backup
SYRACUSE, N.Y. “”mdash; A 22-year-old man was charged with
impersonating a sheriff’s deputy after he pulled over a
pickup truck and then called for assistance when the occupants
fled. It appeared that Jeremy Lepianka of Syracuse had been posing
as a Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputy for about two years and
had stopped motorists ““ and lectured them ““ on other
occasions, police said. “He told investigators he had been
working as a volunteer deputy for about two years. He said traffic
violations were his main thing. Hopefully, it didn’t go
beyond that,” Lt. Joe Cecile, a Syracuse police spokesman,
said Monday. Lepianka was arraigned Sunday on charges of
impersonating a police officer, a felony, and two misdemeanors:
criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a
noxious substance, pepper spray. He was being held Monday on $5,000
bail or bond. City and county authorities were investigating the
case to determine how extensive Lepianka’s masquerade was.
Cecile said authorities had circulated a photograph of Lepianka and
expected calls from motorists who had been pulled over by him.
“We’ve never seen anything to this extent. It’s
one thing to pretend … but when you call for backup. He had to
know he was going to get caught,” Cecile said.
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.