Frank D'Arcy wrote:
Reuters
Miami, FL

She's only 7 (can u believe it)? And she's gonna sail around the
world all by herself!* That's right! Second grader Caitlin Hunt of
Tallahassee, FL is going to break the world record for the youngest
ever to sail around the world.

"She's just a little devil", says her Grandmother. "She's always
loved the ocean, esp. since her father is a professional sailor."

But is she TOO young? Leading psychologists say that while youth may
offer advantages in terms of alertness and quick reflexes, very young
children are at dire risk when attempting such feats.

"This kind of thing used to be the domain of older adults maybe 20
years ago." claims Dr. David Hathaway, an expert in child prodigy
development at Johns Hopkings University. "But now, we're seeing very
small
children pilot planes, hike the world's tallest peaks, and yes,
captain ships."

"I am concerned about the welfare of those children. They are clearly
vulnerable," said Hathaway. "It's just too much for them at such a
tender age. They should be at home coloring. Not conquering oceans."

But that doesn't faze young Caitlin. "I'm a lot smarter than other
kids my age and I can do this all by myself!" said Caitlin in an
interview w/news crews. Indeed, our hearts skip a beat just
pondering the bravery of this young girl.

That's NOT FUNNY! (Stamps foot...;-)

Mike.
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If reply address is invalid, remove spurious "@" and substitute "plus"
where needed.

Reuters
Miami, FL

She's only 7 (can u believe it)? And she's gonna sail around the world
all by herself!* That's right! Second grader Caitlin Hunt of
Tallahassee, FL is going to break the world record for the youngest ever
to sail around the world.

"She's just a little devil", says her Grandmother. "She's always loved
the ocean, esp. since her father is a professional sailor."

But is she TOO young? Leading psychologists say that while youth may
offer advantages in terms of alertness and quick reflexes, very young
children are at dire risk when attempting such feats.

"This kind of thing used to be the domain of older adults maybe 20 years
ago." claims Dr. David Hathaway, an expert in child prodigy development
at Johns Hopkings University. "But now, we're seeing very small
children pilot planes, hike the world's tallest peaks, and yes, captain
ships."

"I am concerned about the welfare of those children. They are clearly
vulnerable," said Hathaway. "It's just too much for them at such a
tender age. They should be at home coloring. Not conquering oceans."

But that doesn't faze young Caitlin. "I'm a lot smarter than other kids
my age and I can do this all by myself!" said Caitlin in an interview
w/news crews. Indeed, our hearts skip a beat just pondering the bravery
of this young girl.

(
* - will be assisted by sailing instructor and emergency crews aboard**

** - rescuers from 7 countries standing by in case of equipment failure
on the boat***

*** - Food and other aid will be dropped into boat in case of shortages****

**** - NATO and Indian naval forces standing by in case of attack by
hostile ships
)




















































--
OTHER NEWS:

Reuters
Bosaso, Somalia

Pirate attacks escalated near the coast of Somalia on Saturday, as two
more oil tankers were struck. US naval crews reported taking fire from
"unidentified vessels." US Adm. Benjamin Ross reported several
high-speed boats carrying what appeared to be "valuable goods."

According to crewmembers in the area, pirate ships had been firing on US
ships for several months, while US ships had been returning fire.
Sources have also confirmed that the bodies of two pre-adolescent
African males had been recovered from one of the destroyed skiffs, along
w/2 AK-47 rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

"They were pretty shot up," said Ross. "Looked like they were bout 7,
8. Slimy little *******s!"