Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Millionaire to keep working as cleaner

A Scottish cleaner who won a record bingo jackpot over the Easter weekend said she would return to work as normal on Tuesday (today).

Soraya Lowell, 38, won the national jackpot of 1,167,795 pounds at a bingo hall in Coatbridge, north Lanarkshire.

"I don't intend to give up my job. I like the girls I work with, and they have already said to me 'don't pack it in,'" she said.

"I haven't slept at all but I will be back at work on Tuesday (March 25th) as usual." The mother-of-four from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, said her husband Frankie didn't believe her when she rang home with the news.

Her oldest children have already asked her to buy them cars. Steve Baldwin, of the National Bingo Game, said Sunday's win was the biggest ever.

"We are thrilled for Soraya and look forward to presenting her with her record-breaking cheque," he said.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Judge okays college's ban on female teachers

Leaders of a prominent Southern Baptist seminary in Dallas, USA, who believe women are biblically forbidden from teaching men were within their rights when they told a female professor to leave, a federal judge has ruled.

Sheri Klouda was the only female professor teaching at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s School of Theology when officials decided not to renew her contract in 2006.

Klouda claimed seminary officials breached an oral contract guaranteeing she would remain employed if her performance was favourable.

Seminary officials maintain Klouda was not dismissed but was told she would not be granted tenure. They said their actions were based on ecclesiastical decisions protected under the First Amendment’s religion clauses.

US district judge John McBryde agreed, dismissing Klouda’s claims. "I’m disappointed by the outcome but...it wasn’t totally unexpected," Klouda said.