» FLASHBACK: Amherst professor and mentor thinks flag is 'symbol of terrorism.' Jennie Traschen, a 45-year-old University of Massachusetts physics professor, made it clear what she thought of the American flag at an Amherst town meeting on the eve of the terrorist attacks.

While discussing the flying of 29 American flags that a group of veterans and volunteers had hung from lamp posts along Amherst's main streets, Traschen told the board: "It's a symbol of terrorism and death and fear and destruction and oppression."

· Brad Pitt Says He's Ready for Fatherhood. Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt says his actress wife Jennifer Aniston is at a crossroads now that her hit NBC TV sitcom "Friends," is ending its 10-year run and hinted the time might be right to embrace parenthood.

· DA Changes Dates of Jacko Accusations. Does the Santa Barbara District Attorney really know what happened between Michael Jackson and his accuser? The latest charges filed againt Jackson suggest that Tom Sneddon is either confused or unsure.

· Simpsons salary dispute settled. A month after stalled contract renewal talks led the voices of The Simpsons to stop work, both the actors and Fox are getting more "D'oh!"

Word of The Day by WordThink

Assertive [as·ser·tive] adj. 1.Inclined to confident assertion; aggressively self-assured. "An assertive businesswoman."

· Woman who used oral-sex defense acquitted. A woman charged with manslaughter in the 1999 highway death of her boyfriend was acquitted Thursday. Her attorney had argued that she couldn't have been behind the wheel because she had been performing a sex act on the driver at the time.

· Man Cashes in on Trashed Lottery Ticket. A man stopped at a convenience store in Morgantown to buy his usual Powerball tickets, but was instead coaxed by a clerk to purchase two Hot Lotto tickets that another player decided he didn't want for the April 21 drawing. It was worth $10,000.

· Pilot falls asleep in mid-air - twice. A Japanese airline pilot nodded off twice while at the controls of a domestic flight last month - in front of a transport official who happened to be on board for a routine inspection.

· Man avoids jail in fatal shooting. A New Orleans man who gunned down a teenager trying to break into his car one night in 2002 left court on probation Thursday, moments after the victim's mother urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence.

· South Carolina to give up miniature booze bottles. The state currently stands in splendid isolation as the last place on Earth where, by law, a bar or restaurant must serve spirits out of miniatures, which are pleasing to the eye but a nightmare to handle.

· Man Loses Home Over Body Odor. A 54 year-old Massachusetts man reportedly lost his home after neighbors petitioned the housing authority over the bad odor he emitted.

· Longevity Researcher Dies at 79. Dr. Roy Walford, a UCLA medical school professor whose work focused on finding ways to prolong human life, has died.

· Scott Peterson's Ex-Mistress Gives Birth. The woman whose affair with Scott Peterson is at the center of the murder case against him has given birth to a son.