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Crime drops with elder volunteer guards

Crime has gone down since 50 elderly volunteers started guarding their residential community.

Qinglong Residential Community in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, is an open community with eight entrances but only one guard. A total of 73 crimes occurred there from January to April. In early May, a volunteer team of guards was formed by retirees over 60. "It is a pleasure to get exercise and guard," said one of the volunteers. Security has improved and the volunteer guards have been praised by the local government.

Dog saves paralyzed elderly owner

A pet dog in Taiwan fiercely barked to get neighbors' attention after its elderly owner fell into a ravine on Monday.

For four years the faithful dog has followed its paralyzed owner, surnamed Pan.

On Monday the 92-year-old went out in his wheelchair near his home in a mountainous region of Taiwan. Hours later, when Pan had not returned, family and neighbors heard the dog barking. They immediately called the police who rescued Pan from the bottom of the 30-meter-deep ravine. He suffered only a few scratches.

Prison no haven for abused man

Judges in Yingyang, Henan Province, were surprised when a man they sentenced to eight months in prison with a two-year reprieve wanted to go to jail immediately.

Bian Song, 38, was found guilty of theft and sentenced Monday.

He explained he committed the crime hoping to land in prison since, he said, he could not stand being maltreated at home by his wife, Zhang Lan.

Bian and Zhang have been married for 12 years. He said that over the past decade, he had to leave home in the early morning and return at night to avoid his wife's abuse.

Wannabe grave robbers can't read instructions

Three suspected grave robbers in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, were caught by police when they tried to use a metal detector in a graveyard on Monday.

The three suspects were inspired to try their hand at grave robbing after watching a TV show on archaeologists exploring for underground treasure with metal detectors.

They then purchased a metal detector. Since the instruction manual was in English, they had no idea how to use it.

The suspects went to a nearby graveyard to see if they could get the metal detector to respond. While they were applying the detector to graves, police on patrol found them and took them into custody.

(China Daily 07/20/2007)

（英语点津 Linda 编辑）

About the broadcasters:

Matt Doran is an award-winning American newspaper journalist and an undergraduate student at Albion College. He is currently a polisher for China Daily Website and is on summer break from Beijing Foreign Studies University, where he will resume his study of Chinese in the fall.

Suzann Riddle is a senior double majoring in Health Care Management and Economics at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She finds herself at China Daily Website after visiting many areas of China as a Holland Fellow, Appalachian's international exchange program with Fudan University.