Dwarf-Tossing Nixed by UN

Practically out of town on Sunday at the café
Porte d'Orléans.

Plus 'Nuit Blanche'

Paris:- Monday, 30. September 2002:- Manuel Wackenheim is a short, 114 cm-tall man, who is angry. A UN human rights body has decided that Manuel cannot be employed as the subject of 'dwarf-throwing,' upholding a 1995 French law banning the practice.

The UN said the need to protect human dignity was more important than Manuel's job despite his argument that the ban invoked by a French administrative court was discriminatory and deprived him of a job of being tossed around discothèques by fun-loving customers, some of whom are large ladies.

The UN Human Rights Committee, in its official opinion, decided that the ban on 'dwarf-throwing' was "necessary in order to protect public order, including considerations of human dignity." The ruling did not amount to 'prohibited discrimination' the committee decided.

For his work Manuel wore a crash helmet and padded clothing which had handles on the back as an aid for throwing. The professional human projectile filed his case in 1999 with the UN committee, made up of 18 independent experts, none of whom are known to be dwarfs.

After the committee's decision was made known, Manuel was not available for comments that could be repeated here.

In case there are people who think everybody in Paris should spend their Saturday nights watching TV, the city has printed an excellent 60 page guide to next Saturday night's 'Nuit Blanche' for the devotedly sleepless.

This is a good idea because there has never been one before, and if it is to be a success, everybody should know what to do - just like they know what there is to see on TV by consulting TV-guides.

And, apropos of TV, next Saturday's program does not seem to include anything about the 'Nuit Blanche.' Thierry Ardisson, who used to run an insane non-stop interview from the Palace when it was Paris' equivalent of Studio 54, will be on TV like he is every Saturday night, with his 'Tout le Monde En Parle.'

The number one private channel will be running an episode of 'New York Section Criminelle' while France-3 will have the météo, pay-TV's Canal+ will have 'Jour de Foot' and Arte will show a movie named 'Le P'tit Bleu.' The M6 station will broadcast two segments of 'Buffy Contre les Vampires.'

The only cable channel that seems to care is Paris Première, which intends to broadcast 'Nuit Blanche' coverage from 00:30 to 06:00.

The 'Nuit Blanche' is supposed to be an artistic trip through Paris by night, beginning about 19:30 on Saturday and continuing until 8:00 Sunday morning.

Everything that is open is supposed to be free and this includes 'Lounge Music' in the Hôtel de Ville, the Pontoise piscine, the Natural History museum, some Czech food with Raoul Marek at the Musée Zadkine, and the Tour Eiffel - which will be open to the top until 02:00. Level four will be open all night too.

The Galeries Lafayette will have two different shows, there will be dancing on the Quai de Valmy, the Communist Party will open up its premises at 120 Rue La Fayette and the Rue Oberkampf will have several attractions in addition to its normal ones.

In the 13th, the compressed air factory at 3. Rue Jean-Antoine, built in 1891, will be pumping out perfume while the nearby Batofar will be pumping up the volume.

Hamburg's famous Chaos Computer Club will be projecting on the four towers of the Mitterrand branch of the Bibliothèque Nationale.