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Conference back40::soapbox

Title:Soapbox. Just Soapbox.
Notice:No more new notes
Moderator:WAHOO::LEVESQUEONS
Created:Thu Nov 17 1994
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:862
Total number of notes:339684

79.0. "Wacky News Briefs" by MILPND::CLARK_D () Sun Nov 20 1994 19:06

    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
79.1MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Nov 21 1994 01:037
re: .0

Thanks for starting it. I was going to earlier today when I read Steve's
"wish" for it. I couldn't figure out why he didn't start it himself, except
it appeared that he was pretty busy getting confused by the Contract
With America.

79.2oops...WRKSYS::MORONEYMon Nov 21 1994 11:4413
Man finds woman collapsed in her apartment.  Believes she's dead but calls
paramedics.

Paramedics come and say "yup, she's dead".

Coroner says "she's dead."

Placed in a morgue fridge, and retrieved 45 minutes to be sent off to a
funeral home.  Worker finds she's breathing!

Now listed in critical condition.

-Madman
79.3CALDEC::RAHthe truth is out there.Mon Nov 21 1994 13:297
    
    pronouncing people dead who appear otherwize intact happens all the
    time.
    
    I used to police up "dead" drunks back in '70s, and found (once, to
    my embarrassment) that the classic death signs (cynanosis, non-responsive 
    pupils, cold skin) are present in folks who are in fact still alive. 
79.4MPGS::MARKEYWorse!! How could it be worse!?!?Mon Nov 21 1994 14:153
    Who needs more than a look at Warren Christopher to realize this?
    
    -b
79.5CALDEC::RAHthe truth is out there.Mon Nov 21 1994 14:223
    
    Spike, the 2.5 foot long 65yr old lobsta, will not be eaten.
    
79.6NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 21 1994 14:381
Warren Christopher does not look dead.  He looks like E.T.
79.7TROOA::COLLINSNot Phil, not Tom, not Joan...Mon Nov 21 1994 15:5214
    
    The following products were available at China's First National Healthy
    Sexual Behaviour And Sexual Education Exhibition:
    
    Creams/Ointments:
    
    Men's Cheerful Spray, Erection Aid Emulsion Ring, Wrinkle Jelly, 
    Super Miraculous Oil, Poodle Oil.
    
    Condoms:
    
    Double Happy, Strongarm Health Protecting, Double One, Super Zero, 
    Condom Delay, Sex Happy Sheath, Wild Buck, Zero-0-Wrinkle.
    
79.8GMT1::TEEKEMAClass Clown & Box Jester...%^)Mon Nov 21 1994 15:534
	Where do you get this stuff from (the story I mean) ??

	Keep 'em coming......... (the stories I mean)   %^)
79.9This StinksDYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Mon Nov 21 1994 16:117
   Mike McElroy, making an appeal to the West Lake Hills, Texas, City
   Council in August of the benefits of his being allowed to keep his
   pet donkey, Pearl, at his home despite regulations against it:
   "[This] is  a great opportunity for our kids and other kids who come
   to see us to be able to recognize and identify manure, which will
   help them in the future.  Children need, at an early age, to be able
   to identify manure."
79.10It was indeed safeDYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Mon Nov 21 1994 16:1912
   According to the sheriff in Martin, Ohio, two or more burglars
   unsuccessfully attempted to break into the safe at W&W Custom
   Applicators Inc. at 4 o'clock one morning in October. They rolled the
   4-foot-high, concrete-lined safe outside and used a front-end loader
   to smash it against the side of a building to open it.  The safe
   crashed through the wall but did not open.  Then they smashed it
   against  the side of utililty trailer with the same result..  Then
   they placed it on nearby railroad tracks so that a Conrail train
   could plow into it, but the train pushed it along the tracks, far out
   of the sight of the burglars.  The burglars then fled, nearly
   empty-handed.  (They had remembered to loot the petty cash box at
   W&W.)
79.11USAT02::WARRENFELTZRTue Nov 22 1994 10:525
    In our nations capital, the cesspool that has again elected Marion "I
    never knew a dope I didn't like" Barry, the police department has to
    buy USED tires for its vehicles due to mega budget problems...
    
     
79.12WRKSYS::MORONEYTue Nov 22 1994 11:339
Woman in New Zealand is playing with her dog in a park.  Dog runs off and
comes back with a hand grenade in its mouth.  When woman realizes what it is,
she tries to convince the dog to drop it, but the dog thinks she's playing,
pretending to give it to her and running off, dropping it rolling in it and
picking it up to run off again, etc.  Finally she's able to distract the
dog long enough.  Police later detonate the grenade which was live.
Police do not know how a live grenade got into the park.

-Madman
79.13MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue Nov 22 1994 12:564
re: .11, Ron

I'm surprised they don't hold a fund raiser. Mebbe selling confiscated weapons.

79.14CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantTue Nov 22 1994 16:3111
    Another Bobbitt story has appeared in Peru.  A man was quoted as saying
    "It's getting to the point where it is not safe to sleep in the nude
    anymore."  No word on the success of the reunification.  
    
    A man in PA was convicted of man slaughter after pleading innocent by
    virtue of a sleep disorder.  He claimed he was unaware he was shooting
    his wife while sleep walking.  His failed defense was based upon a 
    documented history of the sleep disorder.   
    
    Brian
    
79.15POLAR::RICHARDSONThe Pantless Snow-BaggerTue Nov 22 1994 16:331
    Sleep Glocking? (sp?)
79.16ODIXIE::CIAROCHIOne Less DogTue Nov 22 1994 17:291
    o deer...
79.17<- can I tm that?!POWDML::LAUERoh dear (tm)Tue Nov 22 1994 17:452
    
    
79.18??????????HANNAH::MODICAJourneyman NoterWed Nov 23 1994 15:0620
    
    In Todays paper, a short article about Tracy Lippard, the
    former beauty queen who after crowning her successor, got in
    her car and drove 250 miles armed with a gun, a butcher knife,
    lighter fluid and a hammer intending to kill the Weikle family.
    [Seems she was jealous that her boyfriend was also dating
    Melissa Weikle.]
    
    She was founf guilty of reduced charges and faces up to 6 1/2 years
    instead of the possible 30 years if she had been convicted on
    all counts brought forth.
    
    Now, here's the clincher...
    
    She was not found guilty of the more serious charges according to
    juror Jane Metheney because "It was a heat of the moment thing".
    
    Good grief! What does it take to be premeditated??????
    
    							Hank
79.19OOTOOL::CHELSEAMostly harmless.Wed Nov 23 1994 15:275
    Re: .18
    
    >"It was a heat of the moment thing".
    
    For sufficiently large values of "moment."
79.20CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 15:5511
* The Deutsche Presse Agentur news agency reported in
March that German cemetery operators are worried about
the increasing resilience of embalmed bodies.  Because
of the country's land shortage, burial plots are often
only rented out for 15-year periods, with the hope that
the bodies will have decomposed by that time and that
families will not object to their disposal.  Cemetery
owners are now avoiding certain soils that retard air
and moisture circulation, for they restrict the growth
of bacteria that eat the bodies. [Columbus Dispatch-
DPA, 3-8-94] 
79.21CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 15:558
* In Melbourne in May, Australian Rules football player
Russell Prowse was ejected from a game and severely
reprimanded by the league.  He had attempted to defuse
a potential brawl by grabbing opponent Scott Cameron
and kissing him flush on the lips.  Prowse's gambit
worked:  Cameron reportedly staggered back; a hush came
over the players; and order was restored. [San
Francisco Chronicle-AP, 5-9-94] 
79.22CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 15:567
* In February, according to Ogden, Utah, police Sgt.
Gary Petersen, a man walked into the station to hand
over his two rifles, asking that the police store them
until a doctor certified him as calm enough to handle
them.  The man had just that day been evicted from his
home and feared he would shoot the lawyer of the bank
that held the mortgage. [Deseret News-AP, 2-21-94] 
79.23CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 15:5721
* In January, the health insurance board in Quebec
finally approved the requested payment of about $2,400
to Renee Durand, 20, for breast enhancement surgery
that also corrected a breast-position condition.  At
first, the board declined to pay, calling the surgery
merely cosmetic, but Durand fought back by sending out
a flood of nude photographs of herself, with her
previously asymmetrical breasts--to the board's
doctors, to retired Quebec premier Robert Bourassa, to
a former health minister, and to several other Quebec
and federal officials. [London Free Press-CP, 1-21-94] 

* The New York Times reported in June on Spain's most
popular TV program, "The Truth Machine," in which
celebrity guests are hooked up to lie detectors, which
are monitored by "experts," and quizzed on aspects of
their scandals.  A recent guest was John Wayne Bobbitt,
who was judged "significant[ly] decept[ive]" when he
denied hitting his wife Lorena and forcing her to have
sex. [New York Times, 6-19-94] 
    
79.24CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 22:0811
* Former hostage Terry Anderson, who was kidnaped by
terrorists in Beirut in 1985 and held for nearly seven
years, filed a lawsuit against 13 federal agencies in
September because they refused to release U. S.
government documents pertaining to the kidnaping. 
Among the agencies' rejection letters was one from the
Drug Enforcement Administration, which said it would
not release records unless Anderson provided an
"original notarized authorization" from his captors
waiving their privacy rights. [Washington Post, 10-3-
94] 
79.25CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 22:0923
* As part of an ongoing feud, according to police in
Fairfield, Iowa, Ronald Warren Switzer, 39, flew a
small paraplane over the home of Mike Parsons in July
and fired several rifle shots--perhaps the nation's
first fly-by shooting.  And in March, the FBI charged
that James A. McClelland, 48, of Spokane, Wash., hired
a man to murder his wife with a poisonous needle in a
skate-by pricking. [Des Moines Register, 8-4-94]
[Independence Examiner-AP, 7-27-94] 

* According to Durham, N. C., convenience store clerk
Saundra Lewis, who was held up by a man in February,
the robber almost could not stop apologizing.  He said
he was sorry when he began the holdup, then again when
he rejected her plea to think it over, then again just
as he fled.  A few seconds after leaving, he returned
and said, "I'm sorry, really, I'm sorry," but
nevertheless kept the money.  By contrast, in March,
the robber of a tobacco shop in Mesa, Ariz., not only
returned the next night to rob the clerk again but
chastised her for having been rude to him the night
before. [Durham Herald-Sun, 2-18-94] [Arizona Republic,
3-26-94] 
79.26CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 22:099
* In August, Cindy Hartman, 26, startled a burglar
when, upon encountering him in her home in Conway,
Ark., she dropped to her knees and began to pray for
him.  The man apologized and called to his partner
outside, "We've got to [give back] all of this.  This
is a Christian home.  We can't do this."  The two
burglars brought back the items they had stolen and
even left their gun with her. [Santa Maria Times,
Aug94] 
79.27CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 22:119
* The Leesburg (Fla.) Daily Commercial reported in
December on the response of shoplifting suspect Darlene
Oar, 25, when asked for personal ID by Officer Scott
Gray at the station house.  When Gray asked Oar her
color of hair, Oar allegedly stood up, pulled her pants
down to her knees, and asked, "Why don't you look?" 
Oar was warned she would face additional charges if she
continued to expose herself. [The Daily Commercial, 12-
31-93] 
79.28CSC32::J_OPPELTOracle-boundWed Nov 23 1994 22:1234
* Recent uses of food as a weapon:  Laurie Remillard
was pelted with doughnuts in May in a drive-by attack
in Biddeford, Maine; Gary Boyington, 23, was charged
last winter with a robbery in Olathe, Kan., in which,
though he claimed he had a gun, he was armed only with
a chili dog he had just purchased; McDonald's
restaurant employee Greg Dean stopped a robber in
Oklahoma City in August by hitting the man in the chest
with a Quarter-Pounder, startling him and causing him
to flee; Teresa Ann Johnson, 27, was arrested in
Wilmington, N. C., in August and charged with tossing a
vat of hot crabs on the police officer who had come to
break up a fight at her home; film producer Donald P.
Borchers claimed in July that one of his actors, Hunter
Von Leer, had hurled a bowl of green Jello at him in
Goldfield, Nev., during a break in making the movie,
"The Stranger." [Chicago Sun-Times-Reuters, 6-11-94]
[Olathe Daily News, 12-30-93] [Pryor Daily Times-AP,
Aug94] [Wilmington Morning Star, 8-11-94] [Gateway
Gazette (Pahrump, Nev.), 7-28-94] 

* Recent uses of live animals as weapons:  Two people
in Camden, N. J., in August, and the owner of a store
in Columbia, S. C., in May, said they were robbed by
men brandishing only large, black snakes; Roland Wood,
31, said in July that he was assaulted by a man in
Austin, Tex., who threw a Mexican freetail bat at him;
a woman in Coraopolis, Pa., decided not to press
charges against her former boyfriend, whom she had
accused in June of chasing her with a snapping turtle
in a fight over their breakup. [Washington Post, 8-12-
94; The State (Columbia, S. C.)], 5-28-94] [Dallas
Morning News-AP, Jul94] [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6-21-
94; Wilmington Morning Star-AP, 7-13-94] 
79.29POLAR::RICHARDSONThe Pantless Snow-BaggerThu Nov 24 1994 13:461
    These are good. More more.
79.30HBFDT1::SCHARNBERGSenior KodierwurstThu Nov 24 1994 14:089
79.31TROOA::COLLINSNot Phil, not Tom, not Joan...Thu Nov 24 1994 18:257
    
    A man in Falls Church, Va., who claims to have multiple personalities,
    has been charged with raping a woman who also has multiple person-
    alities.  They met at a therapy group and became friends, says The
    Washington Post.  The defence of 44-year-old Edward Kelly is that one
    of his personalities and one of hers agreed to have sex.
    
79.32CSLALL::HENDERSONDig a little deeperThu Nov 24 1994 22:275



   Geesh...
79.33One-man showTNPUBS::JONGSteveFri Nov 25 1994 21:003
    Joe, are you going to run this whole topic yourself?
    If so, you've got a great source of whacky news, and I hope you can
    keep it up!
79.34People with Too Much Time on Their HandsDYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Mon Nov 28 1994 16:117
   In April, University of Toronto English professor Eleanor Cook was
   awarded grants totaling around $85,000 (U.S.) to spend the next two
   and a half years studying "the structure and function" of the riddle. 
   Said Cook, "I want to  think about long-term patterns in
   riddles...and the long-term decisions in our lives."
   
   --News of the WEIRD, by Chuck Shepherd
79.35Whipped Cream, Cherry, no NutsDYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Mon Nov 28 1994 16:148
   Among current course selections at Oregon State University's Food
   Science and Technology department is a one-credit class, "The
   Maraschino Cherry."  Among the lecturers were two retired professors
   who returned especially to talk on the history of the maraschino
   cherry.  Said course professor Ron Wrolstad,  "I think the students
   were just awed to have these professors there."
   
   -- News of the Wierd, by Chuck Shepherd
79.36CSOA1::LEECHannuit coeptis novus ordo seclorumMon Nov 28 1994 16:303
    re: .34
    
    Your tax-payer $$ at work.
79.37Somewhat old news, but someone had to put this in hereDECWIN::RALTOMon Nov 28 1994 17:1716
    A cable TV customer in Somerville, Mass. stopped eating, and would
    only quit his hunger strike if the cable company would agree to add
    an all-Portuguese TV channel to the cable system's offerings, free
    of charge.
    
    He quit his week-long hunger strike after his local cable company
    started offering the Portuguese channel on a temporary trial basis
    on one of the public access channels for the remainder of the year.
    He claims that the wide media attention given to this issue as a
    result of his hunger strike was worth any personal discomfort.
    
    Reportedly several other customers are considering similar hunger
    strikes over the same issue, depending on what happens after the
    trial period is over.
    
    Chris
79.38CSLALL::HENDERSONDig a little deeperMon Nov 28 1994 17:3610

 Hmm...wonder if I went on a hunger strike they'd get all those shopping
 channels off?





Jim
79.39USAT05::WARRENFELTZRTue Nov 29 1994 10:001
    wonder why the Bulletts are 0-3 after signing 2/5 of the Fab Five?
79.40TROOA::COLLINSNot Phil, not Tom, not Joan...Wed Nov 30 1994 14:587
    
    The `Bad Sex Prize', a British award for the worst description of 
    sex in a novel, went to Philip Hook.  The passage in his book `The
    Stonebreakers' included the lines: "Their jaws ground in feverish
    mutual mastication. Saliva and sweat. Sweat and saliva. There was
    a purposeful shedding of clothing."
     
79.41:-)MPGS::MARKEYBill Clinton: recognizable obscenityWed Nov 30 1994 15:024
    Ya know, I went to a marriage counselor not too long ago who suggest
    mutual mastication... oh that was mutual... oh nevermind.
    
    -b
79.42WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Nov 30 1994 15:031
    <- sounds like this belongs in the Dalmer note...
79.43TROOA::COLLINSNot Phil, not Tom, not Joan...Wed Nov 30 1994 15:129
    
    A farmer in Alberta just bought a huge bomb shelter from the DND,
    which had originally been built to house the provincial government
    in times of war. It was an impulse purchase...he didn't discuss it
    with his wife beforehand.  Cost was $160,000 CDN, which was about
    what the doors of the facility cost during construction.
    
    He couldn't say why he bought it.
    
79.44POLAR::RICHARDSONThe Quintessential GruntlingWed Nov 30 1994 15:221
    You never know what might crop up.
79.45POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of PerditionWed Nov 30 1994 15:254
    
    Well, what's the government going to do when a war breaks out and they
    have NOWHERE TO GO?
    
79.46CSLALL::HENDERSONDig a little deeperWed Nov 30 1994 15:2610

 They can buy it back from the guy and he can make a healthy profit!






Jim
79.47POLAR::RICHARDSONThe Quintessential GruntlingWed Nov 30 1994 15:261
    Not seek re-election?
79.48WRKSYS::MORONEYWed Nov 30 1994 15:306
Man was eating a meal in a Florida bar when a small monkey ran out of a
woman's purse, climbed on his head and bit his ear.

Woman and monkey are still at large.

-Madman
79.49MPGS::MARKEYBill Clinton: recognizable obscenityWed Nov 30 1994 15:311
    He's not the first guy in a bar to have a monkey on his back...
79.50GMT1::TEEKEMABarney made me do it !!Wed Nov 30 1994 15:325
	WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, Same thing happened to me,

	Only my wife wouldn't believe the bite marks on my ear
were from a monkey and not a blonde...............%^(
79.51OOTOOL::CHELSEAMostly harmless.Wed Nov 30 1994 15:346
    Re: .42
    
    >sounds like this belongs in the Dalmer note...
    
    Dahmer.  DaHmer.  D-A-H-M-E-R.  Practice for a while if you have to,
    but get it right already.
79.52MPGS::MARKEYBill Clinton: recognizable obscenityWed Nov 30 1994 15:351
    WGAS?
79.53POLAR::RICHARDSONThe Quintessential GruntlingWed Nov 30 1994 15:351
    <---- Take it to the Dollmer note.
79.54GMT1::TEEKEMABarney made me do it !!Wed Nov 30 1994 15:364
	Now this troubles me.........Chelsea, do you have
any background in the military or have you owned guns a
long time ????	%^)
79.55WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Nov 30 1994 15:493
    Dalmer - Dahmer... A cannibal by any other name...
    
     Gee Chelseeee, take a pill...
79.56PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRWed Nov 30 1994 15:509
    Guy/Girl go and see the new Cruise yuk of a movie, Inteview with
    Vampires.
    
    Anyway, at home that evening, he tells her he'll try out some of the
    'tricks' in the movie and suck out all her blood.  Next evening, while 
    she sleeps, the boyfriend attacks the girl, 8 bite marks total, he ends
    in jail she in the hospital.
    
    Guess they won't be seeing Silence of the Lambs anytime soon.
79.57GMT1::TEEKEMABarney made me do it !!Wed Nov 30 1994 15:523
	Just think what will happen when virtual reality becomes
readily available ????
79.58POLAR::RICHARDSONThe Quintessential GruntlingWed Nov 30 1994 15:551
    More biting questions no doubt.
79.59GAVEL::JANDROWGreen Eyed Lady...Wed Nov 30 1994 15:5911
    
    
    man in kansas called 9-1-1 recently...seems he had a turtle stuck to
    his nose.  a real turtle.  i guess he picked it up, peered inside to
    see if it was in there and POP...out it comes, clamping onto his nose. 
    ambulance gets there and told the guy there were going to have to break
    the neck of the turtle to get it off, and he insisted they not hurt the
    turtle...so, they just pulled it off...the turtle survived, and after 2
    operations, the man is doing just fine...
    
    
79.60MPGS::MARKEYBill Clinton: recognizable obscenityWed Nov 30 1994 16:034
    I bet he has to _shell_ out a few bucks to get fixed... and his recovery
    will probably be very _slow_.
    
    -b
79.61NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 30 1994 16:381
Now boys and girls, what lesson has this tortoise?
79.62DTRACY::CHELSEAMostly harmless.Wed Nov 30 1994 16:568
    Re: .55
    
    >Dalmer - Dahmer... A cannibal by any other name...
    
    Is not the same person.  Names are like that.
    
    What's so hard about spelling a name?  Is it really such an
    overwhelming challenge for you?
79.63I'm an i-n-s-t-i-g-a-t-o-rCONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantWed Nov 30 1994 17:015
    I'm with Chelsea.  Wrote the same note yesterday myself but deleted it
    after my blood pressure subsided a few.  How hard can it be to spell
    Dalhmer correctly anyway?  
    
    Brian
79.64PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsWed Nov 30 1994 17:055
>>Now boys and girls, what lesson has this tortoise?

	sumpin' about a sher way of gettin' yer nose tortoise shreds.

79.65BIGQ::MARCHANDWed Nov 30 1994 17:112
    
       Or "if you want to keep your nose don't be so nosey." 
79.66Touchy... touchy... touchy...SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIgrep this!Wed Nov 30 1994 17:111
    
79.67WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Nov 30 1994 17:121
    Okay, okay... How's it go again?
79.68DTRACY::CHELSEAMostly harmless.Wed Nov 30 1994 17:151
    Learn to read, and you can tell us.
79.69USMVS::DAVISWed Nov 30 1994 17:1811
            <<< Note 79.59 by GAVEL::JANDROW "Green Eyed Lady..." >>>

I must confess, the same thing happened to me as a kid. I caught a 
painted turtle on my fishing line. After considerable effort removing the 
hook, I held it in front of my face and scolded it roundly for 
interrupting my fishing. I thought painted turtles were harmless, but this 
one proved me wrong. Grabbed my nose and wouldn't let go without extracting 
its pound of flesh from me.

Sorry to discover I haven't gotten any smarter over the many years since. 
Else why would I be stickin my nose into the 'box?
79.70PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRWed Nov 30 1994 18:253
    so that's whats wrong with ya, huh Tom?!
    
    :-))
79.71USMVS::DAVISWed Nov 30 1994 18:347
                   <<< Note 79.70 by PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZR >>>

>    so that's whats wrong with ya, huh Tom?!
    
Yup. It appears turtles have an effect similar to vampire. If they bite 
you, you become an incredibly slooooooooow study.

79.72WRKSYS::MORONEYFri Dec 02 1994 21:478
A couple months ago someone from the Netherlands got seasick on a boat in the
North Sea, and while leaning over the railing lost his dentures overboard.

Recently, a fisherman caught a cod and while cleaning it found dentures in
its stomach.  This got reported on the news, and the first person went down
to check them out.

Perfect fit.
79.73SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowFri Dec 02 1994 21:482
    Really, I just wouldn't want them back at that point.
    
79.74MPGS::MARKEYThey got flannel up 'n' down 'emFri Dec 02 1994 21:491
    I wonder if that cod had a dental plan?
79.75CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Fri Dec 02 1994 22:024
    	re .73
    
    	Oh, I don't know.  That effervescent polident can remove even
    	the worst stains...  And it leaves a nice minty flavor afterwards!
79.76Witty reply.BHAJI::DMILLERHello...it's me.Sun Dec 04 1994 01:135
    
    Thank 'cod' 'salmon' found them!
    
    
    
79.77POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of PerditionSun Dec 04 1994 01:502
    
    Oh, I dunno, JoJo...dentures are expensive, ya know!  8^)
79.78POLAR::RICHARDSONSun Dec 04 1994 02:493
    The biting question is would you put 'em back in yer mouth.

    I would.
79.79Being preserved from the old 'boxMOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Sun Dec 04 1994 11:36197
I just happened to think - I'd hate to see this lost forever when the
archive gets trashed.


         <<< ALPHAZ::SYS$SYSDEVICE:[NOTES$LIBRARY]OLD_SOAPBOX.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< SOAPBOX: The Golden Days >-
================================================================================
Note 1721.8                     Wacky News Briefs                       8 of 455
BULEAN::ROBERTS "Are your lights out?"              186 lines  16-AUG-1994 14:41
                   -< Hope you don't find this one "boring" >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
More than you ever wanted to know about trepanation from
_Eccentric Lives & Peculiar Notions_ by John Michell.

THE PEOPLE WITH HOLES IN THEIR HEADS

Amanda Feilding lives in a charming flat looking over London's river with her
companion, Joey Mellen, and their infant son, Rock.  She is a successful
painter, and she and Joey have an art gallery in a fashionable street of the
King's Road.  Another of her talents is for politics.  At the last two
General Elections she stood for Parliament in Chelsea, more than doubling
her vote on the second occasion from 49 to 139.  It does not sound much,
but the cause for which she stands is unfamiliar and lacks obvious appeal.
Feilding and her voters demand that trepanning operations be made freely
available on the National Health.  Trepanation means cutting a hole in your
skull.
  The founder of the trepanation movement is a Dutch savant, Dr Bart Hughes.
In 1962 he made a discovery which his followers proclaim as the most 
significant
in modern times.  One's state and degree of consciousness, he realized, are
related to the volume of blood in the brain.  According to his theory of
evolution, the adoption of an upright stance brought certain benefits to the
human race, but it caused the flow of blood through the head to be limited
by gravity, thus reducing the range of human consciousness.  Certain parts of
the brain ceased or reduced their functions while others, particularly those
parts relating to speech and reasoning, became emphasized in compensation.  One
can redress the balance by a number of methods, such as standing on one's head,
jumping from a hot bath into a cold one, or the use of drugs; but the wider
consciousness thus obtained is only temporary.  Bart Hughes shared the common
goal of mystics and poets in all ages: he wanted to achieve permanently the
higher level of vision, which he associated with an increased volume of blood
in the capillaries of the brain.
  The higher state of mind he sought was that of childhood.  Babies are born
with skulls unsealed, and it is not until one is an adult that the bony
carapace is formed which completely encloses the membranes surrounding the
brain and inhibits their pulsations in repsonse to heart-beats.  In 
consequence,
the adult loses touch with the dreams, imagination and intense perceptions of
the child.  His mental balance becomes upset by egoism and neuroses.  To cure
these problems, first in himself and then for the whole world, Dr Huges 
returned
his cranium to something like the condition of infancy by cutting out a small
disc of bone with an electric drill.  Experiencing immediate beneficial effects
from this operation, he began preaching to anyone who would listen to the
doctrine of trepanation.  By liberating his brain from its total imprisonment
in his skull, he claimed to have restored its pulsations, increased the volume
of blood in it and acquired a more complete, satisfying state of consciousness
than grown-up people normally enjoy.  The medical and legal authorities reacted
to Huges's discovery with horror and rewarded him with a spell in a Dutch
lunatic asylum.
  Joseph Mellen met Bart Huges in 1965 in Ibiza and quickly became his leading,
or rather one and only, disciple.  Years later he wrote a book called _Bore
Hole_, the contents of which are summarized in its opening sentence: 'This is
the story of how I came to drill a hole in my skull to get permanently high.'
  . . . (a few paragraphs detail Joseph Mellen's early experiments with LSD,
and how he finds out about Bart Huges.)
  The time came when Joey felt he had preached enough and that he now had to
act.  He did not agree with Holingshead that the third eye was merely a figure
of speech, believing in its physical attainment through self-trepanation.
Support for this can be found in archaeology.  Skulls of ancient people all
over the world give evidence that their owners were skillfully trepanned
during their lifetimes, and many of these appear to have been of noble or
priestly castes.  The medical practice of trepanation was continued up to the
present century in treatment of madness, the hole in the skull being seen as a
way of relieving pressure on the brain or letting out the devils that possessed
it.  By his scientific explanation of the reasons for the operation, Bart Huges
had removed it from the area of superstition, and Joey Mellen proposed to be
the second person to perform it on himself in the interest of enlightenment.
  Bart had become a close friend of Amanda Feilding, and they went off to
Amsterdam together while Joey took care of Amanda's flat.  This was the
opportunity he had been waiting for to bore a hole in his head.
  The most gripping passages in _Bore Hole_ describe his various attempts to
complete the operation.  They are also extremely gruesome, and those who lack
medical curiosity would do well to read no further.  Yet to those who might
contemplate trepanation for and by themselves, Joey's experiences are a
salutary warning.  It should be empahasized that neither he, Bart nor Amanda
has ever recommended people to follow their example by performing their own
operations.  For years they have been looking for doctors who would understand
their theories and would agree to trepan volunteer patients as a form 
of therapy
Strangely enough, not one member of the medical profession has been converted.
  In a surgical store Joey found a trepan instrument, a kind of auger or cork-
screw designed to be worked by hand.  It was much cheaper and, Joey felt, more
sensitive than an electric drill.  Its main feature was a metal spike,
surrounded by a ring of saw-teeth.  The spike was meant to be driven into the
skull, holding the trepan steady until the revolving saw made a groove, after
which it could be retracted.  If all went well, the saw-band should remove a
disc of bone and expose the brain.
  Joey's first attempt at self-trepanation was a fiasco.  He had no previous
medical experience, and the needles he had bought for administering a local
anaesthetic to the crown of his head proved to be too thin and crumpled up or
broke.  Next day he obtained some stouted needles, took a tab of LSD to
steady his nerves and set to in earnest.  First he made an incision to the
bone, and then applied the trepan to his bared skull.  But the first part of
the operation, driving the spike into the bone, was impossible to accomplish.
Joey described it as like trying to uncork a bottle from the inside.  He
realized he needed help and telephoned Bart in Amsterdam, who promised he
would come over and assist at the next operation.  This plan was frustrated by
the Home Office, which listed Dr Huges as an undesirable visitor to Britain and
barred his entry.
  Amanda agreed to take his place.  Soon after her return to London she helped
Joey re-open the wound in his head and, by pressing the trepan with all her
might against his skull, managed to get the spike to take hold and the saw-
teeth to bite.  Joey then took over at cranking the saw.  Once again he had
swallowed some LSD.  After a long period of sawing, just as he was about to
break through, he suddenly fainted.  Amanda called an ambulance and he was
taken to hospital, where horrified doctors told him that he was lucky to be
alive and that if he had drilled a fraction of an inch further he would have
killed himself.
  The psychiatrists took a particular interest in his case, and a group of
them arranged to examine him.  Before this could be done, he had to appear in
court on a charge of possessing a small amount of cannabis.  The magistrate
demanded another psychiatrist's report and demanded him for a week in prison.
  There followed a period of embarrassment as the rumour went round London
that Joey Mellen had trepanned himself, whereas in fact he had failed to do so.
As soon as possible, therefore, he prepared for a third attempt.  Proceeding
as before, but now with the benefit of experience, he soon found the groove
from the previous operation and began to saw through the sliver of bone
separating him from enlightenment or, as the doctors had predicted, instant
death.  What followed is best quoted from _Bore Hole_.
  'After some time there was an ominous sounding schlurp and the sound of
bubbling.  I drew the trepan out and the gurgling continued.  It sounded like
air bubbles running under the skull as they were pressed out.  I looked at the
trepan and there was a bit of bone in it.  At last!  On closer inspection I saw
that the disc of bone was much deeper on one side than on the other. Obviously
the trepan had not been straight and had gone through at one point only, then
the piece of bone had snapped off and come out.  I was reluctant to start
drilling again for fear of damaging the brain membranes with the deeper part
while I was cutting through the rest or of breaking off a splinter.  If only I
had an electric drill it would have been so much simpler.  Amanda was
sure I was through.  There seemed no other explanation for the
schlurping noises
I decided to call it a day.  At the time I thought that any hole would do, no
matter what size.  I bandaged up my head and cleared away the mess.'
  There was still doubt in his mind as to whether he had really broken through
and, if so, whether the hole was big enough to restore pulsation to his brain.
The operation had left him with a feeling of wellbeing, but he realized that
it could simply be from relief at having ended it.  To put the matter beyond
doubt, he decided to bore another hole at a new spot just above the hairline,
this time using an electric drill.  In the spring of 1970, Amanda was in
America and Joey did the operation alone.  He applied the drill to his 
forehead,
but after half and hour's work the electric cable burnt out.  Once again he was
frustrated.  An engineer in the flat below him was able to repair the 
instrument
and next day he set out to finish the job. 'This time I was not in any doubt.
The drill head went at least an inch deep through the hole.  A great gush of
blood followed my withdrawal of the drill.  In the mirror I could see the blood
in the hole rising and falling with the pulsation of the brain.'
  The result was all he had hoped for.  During the next four hours he felt his
spirits rising higher until he reached a state of freedom and serenity which he
claims, has been with him ever since.
  For some time now he had been sharing a flat with Amanda, and when she came
back from America she immediately noticed the change in him.  This encouraged
her to join him on the mental plane by doing her own trepanation.  The
operation was carefully recorded.  She had obtained a cine-camera, and Joey
stood by, filming, as she attacked her head with an electric drill.  The film
shows her carefully at work, dressed in a blood-spattered white robe.  She
shaves her head, makes an incision in her head with a scalpel and calmly starts
drilling.  Blood spurts as she penetrates the skull.  She lays aside the drill
and with a triumphant smile advances towards Joey and the camera.
  Ever since, Joey and amanda have lived and worked together in harmony. From
the business of buying old prints to colour and resell, they have progressed
to ownership of the Pigeonhole Gallery and seem reasonably prosperous.  They
have also started a family.  There is nothing apparently abnormal about them,
and many of their old friends agree in finding them even more pleasant and
contented since their operations.  There is plenty of leisure in their lives,
mingled with the kind of activities they most enjoy.  These of course include
talking and writing about trepanation.  They have lectured widely in Europe
and America to groups of doctors and other interested people, showing the film
of Amanda's self-operation, entitled _Heartbeat in the Brain_.  It is generally
received with awe, the sight of blood often causing people to faint.  At one
showing in London a film critic described the audience 'dropping off their
seats one by one like ripe plums'.  Yet it was not designed to be gruesome.
The soundtrack is of soothing music, and the surgical scenes alternate with
some delightful motion studies of Amanda's pet pigeon, Birdie, as a symbol
of peace and wisdom."

Bill jacobs
I've got seven holes in my skull.
_______________________________________________________________________
William Jacobs               |   Someday we'll look back on all this
Astronomy Dept., San Diego State    and plow into a parked car.
bjacobs@ucssun1.sdsu.edu
    
    
79.80LJSRV2::KALIKOWCyberian-AmericanSun Dec 04 1994 12:432
    thx!
    
79.81TROOA::COLLINSComfortably numb...Sun Dec 04 1994 14:038
    
    Local band `Bare Naked Ladies' became upset when the Art Gallery of
    Ontario, promoting the Barnes Exhibit, released a T-shirt with three
    paintings from the Barnes collection and a caption that read "Rare
    Naked Ladies."  However, the initial urge to sue was put aside for a
    better idea...they are releasing their own T-shirt with three pictures
    of barns and a caption that reads "The Barns Exhibit."
    
79.82HAAG::HAAGRode hard. Put up wet.Sun Dec 04 1994 17:183
    would be nice if someone could dredge up that wacky news article about
    the guy who got his penis stuck in the swimming pools' water filter
    hole and they had to call the cops.
79.83MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Dec 05 1994 00:165
I don't recall whether or not we ever actually got a full account of it, Gene.
I just checked the old 'box and found RAH's initial mention of the story in
14.7195 around 7/22 or so. The Wacky topic wasn't started until the next month
in the old 'box.

79.84HAAG::HAAGRode hard. Put up wet.Mon Dec 05 1994 17:341
    bummer. thanks jack.
79.85MPGS::MARKEYMy big stick is a BerettaTue Dec 06 1994 20:2612
    According to a report in the Metro Section of today's NY Times, an
    English Sheepdog was intercepted at Kennedy Airport with 5 pounds
    of cocaine surgically implanted in its abdomen. The cocaine was
    packed in 10 condoms.
    
    The condoms were not sterilized, which led to a massive infection
    which caused severe abdominal swelling. Customs agents noticed
    the dog acting lethargic and looking emaciated. Once they determined
    that the dog was not, in fact, Keith Richards [my editorial comment,
    TYVM], they x-rayed its abdomen and discovered the cocaine.
    
    -b
79.86CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 20:539
* Mike McElroy, making an appeal to the West Lake
Hills, Tex., City Council in August of the benefits of
his being allowed to keep his pet donkey, Pearl, at his
home despite regulations against it:  "[This] is a
great opportunity for our kids and other kids who come
to see us to be able to recognize and identify manure,
which will help them in the future.  Children need, at
an early age, to be able to identify manure." [Austin
American-Statesman, Aug94] 
79.87CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 20:538
* Adoption agency official Mary Graves, in a
Doylestown, Pa., case in which a girl had been taken
from her father after the mother passed away, testified
in August that she favored keeping the girl with the
adopted family.  With her father, Graves said, "She
would have none of the benefits but all of the
disadvantages of a mother who is dead." [Greensboro
News Record, Aug94] 
79.88CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 20:545
* In a July article, the Daily Oklahoman newspaper
quoted state Sen. John Monks as once arguing, while
defending the "sport" of cockfighting, "The first thing
the communists do when they take over a country is to
outlaw cockfighting." [The Daily Oklahoman, 7-4-94] 
79.89CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 20:549
* One issue on the ballot in San Francisco this year is
an initiative on whether a subway station should be
constructed inside the San Francisco International
Airport, or just outside the Airport boundary.  In
April, a local judge rejected a complaint about the
poor taste of one ad placed by the "inside" advocates--
an ad arguing, "Taking [the train] almost into the
Airport is like not coming." [San Francisco Examiner,
4-15-94] 
79.90CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 20:549
* Columnist Emil Guillermo, writing in Filipinas
magazine last fall, urging Philippine-Americans to come
out of the closet regarding their appetite for dog
meat:  "Whether you have eaten it or not, deep down you
know you'd eat it.  Yet that restrictive idea of 'when
in America, do as Americans do' prevents us from
outright declaring 'Mmmm, I prefer my German shepherd
baked and my cocker spaniel sauteed.'" [San Francisco
Chronicle, 10-1-93] 
79.91CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 20:5616
* In a prepared statement released in September, the
British firm Proteus International, manufacturer of a
new chemical neutering drug for animals, said the
product works by stopping sperm production.  "It also
shrinks the testicles," the firm stated, "but arguably
it is better to have shrunken testicles than no
testicles at all." [Chicago Sun-Times, 10-3-94] 

* In October, after an evening of drinking with
friends, Christopher Millwood, 20, was found dead with
his head, shoulders, and upper body wedged into a
Federal Express drop box in Hot Springs, Ark.  Police,
who knew of no motive for the incident, said Millwood
suffocated when his head got caught between the box and
a drawer inside. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette-Hot Springs
Sentinel-Record, 10-19-94] 
79.92MPGS::MARKEYMy big stick is a BerettaTue Dec 06 1994 20:597
   >                                  "but arguably
   >it is better to have shrunken testicles than no
   >testicles at all."
    
    I've heard Lisa Marie Presley has made similar comments...
    
    -b
79.93LJSRV2::KALIKOWCyberian-AmericanTue Dec 06 1994 22:183
    Stick to these news briefs Oppelt & I'll read ALL the stuff you post in
    the 'Box!!
    
79.94CSC32::J_OPPELTI'm an orca.Tue Dec 06 1994 22:454
    	Why should I care that you real all my stuff?  
    
    	But I'm glad that I can provide some stuff for you from time to
    	time that's easy enough for you to deal with!  :^)
79.95LJSRV2::KALIKOWCyberian-AmericanTue Dec 06 1994 23:206
    Moderately good answer!  Moderately good answer!!
    
    :-)
    
    |-{:-)
    
79.96CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:3627
ELECTION RECAP

* Robert Garner, who won the Republican nomination for Hawaii's
congressional seat in September, dropped out of sight after that
and missed the entire campaign before losing the election in
November to incumbent Patsy Mink.  The party hired private
detectives to track him down but discovered his address and phone
number were invalid and that he had no credit history.  One person
who signed his original nominating petition said he thinks Garner
is well and may be living on a boat. [The State (Columbia, S. C.)
-AP, 10-24-94

* After a state legislative candidates' forum in Wentworth, N. C.,
in October, the wife of the Republican challenger tore into the
incumbent, Rep. Bertha "B" Holt, after accusing Holt of "smiling
and making fun of my husband" during his speech.  Said the wife,
Cathy Miller:  "I'd like to pull every white hair out of that
[deleted in original story] head."  Said candidate Ken Miller:  "I
think my wife is like any other female in a similar situation.
She was defending her own." [Greensboro News Record, Oct94]

* In September, after six losing quixotic campaigns for parliament
in Denmark, standup comedian Jacob Haugaard actually got elected.
Among his campaign promises this time were good weather, better
Christmas presents, guaranteed tail winds for all cyclists, and
standard-size dust bags in vacuum cleaners. [Wall St.  Journal,
10-6-94; Chicago Sun-Times-Reuters, 9-23-94]
79.97CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:4221
* Reminding the public that the Endangered Species Act of 1973
applies to "mammals," two activist petitions were recently filed
with government agencies urging that (1) black Americans and (2)
Old Order Amish and Mennonites be given protection under the Act.
In the first, Milwaukee activists Bob Thompson and David Young
told the Milwaukee Sentinel in September that  since young black
males are about 15 times more likely to be murdered than whites,
some pristine wilderness should be established for their
preservation.  The U. S.  Department of the Interior once rejected
a similar petition for the Samish Indian Tribe on the ground that
its members were not "wild."  [[Milwaukee Sentinel], 9-26-94]

* In November, in what is believed to be the first-ever relocation
of its kind, the contents of a Paris sperm bank were transported
by truck about 2-1/2 miles to new facilities, with the logistical
detail reminiscent of the transfer of nuclear materials.  The
300,000 sperm samples, frozen in liquid nitrogen, along with
several hundred embryos, were insulated against spills and
vibrations, and a motorcycle guard assured that the truck, which
made four trips, could pass through all traffic signals without
stopping. [Washington Times-Reuters, 11-11- 94]
79.98CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:4218
* A former municipal morgue attendant in Brisbane, Australia, told
reporters in July that the morgue routinely made available for
researchers a variety of organs from corpses without permission
from the families of the deceased.  In particular, he said the
morgue sold pituitary glands collected during the late- 1980s for
about 50 cents each in order to fund a staff Christmas party last
year.  [The Sunday Mail (Queensland), 7-10-94]

* In Brownsville, Tex., in September, Laura Lugo, 27, accused two
women of luring her to a Mexican clinic in 1992 when she was 8-1/2
months pregnant, drugging her, arranging for a C-section, and
stealing her baby.  Paulyna and Rosa Botello, Mexican nationals
who were living legally in the U. S., denied the charges and told
investigators at various times that each of them was the mother of
the child, who is now in a foster home.  As part of her lawsuit to
gain custody of the child, Lugo submitted to DNA testing, which
established a 99% likelihood that she is the mother. [Tampa
Tribune-AP, 9-24-94]
79.99CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:436
* Operating like noted police public-relations mascots Officer
Friendly and Officer McGruff, a costumed Barry J. Bullet visited
kindergartens and day-care centers in suburban Chicago earlier in
the year to tell kids, among other things, to hit the floor
immediately if they hear gunfire. [Chicago Sun-Times, May94]
use. [In These Times-National Catholic Reporter, 3-1-94]
79.100CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:448
* Early in the morning on October 30, a man described by the New
York Daily News as a "career criminal" was apprehended in the
middle of a burglary at an upscale Fire Island, N. Y., home.  The
residents had arisen to check out noises in the house but found no
one.  However, in the vicinity of a closet door, they heard
flatulence and discovered Richard Magpiong, 56, hiding in a
closet.  They held him until police arrived. [N. Y. Daily News,
11-1-94]
79.101litigationsCSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:4553
* Amil Dinsio, 58, filed a $15 million lawsuit in May against the
United Carolina Bank in Charlotte, N. C., from his federal prison
cell in Loretto, Pa., where he serving four years for robbing the
bank in 1992.  Sentencing guidelines call for consideration of the
amount of money involved in the robbery, and Dinsio accused the
bank of fraudulently inflating the amount, resulting in his
spending an extra 16 months in prison. [St. Petersburg Times-
Reuters, 5-16-94]

* Janet S. Robinson filed a lawsuit in Roanoke, Va., in April,
asking $100,000 in damages for an ankle injury she suffered when
hit by a truck.  The truck was a remote-controlled toy truck
operated by another customer at the Kay-Bee Toys store at Valley
View Mall.  Robinson called her injury "serious" and the
consequences of the accident "pain, humiliation, aggravation, and
disability." [Roanoke Times & World News, Apr94]

* Former Durham, N. C., police officer Bernard Bagley filed a
lawsuit in July against the police department, asking $3 million.
Bagley is serving two life sentences for shooting his wife to
death with his service revolver, and now says the department
should not have issued him a gun, since he was suffering from
anxiety attacks. [Durham Herald-Sun, 7-28-94]

* In July, ex-student Jason Wilkins sued the University of Idaho
for $940,000 to pay for injuries he suffered when he fell through
a third-story dormitory window while mooning students.  Wilkins
had climbed onto a three-foot-high heater to reach the window but
claimed the University should have posted warnings. [San Luis
Obispo Telegram-Tribune-AP, Aug94; USA Today, 8-23- 94]

* In August, comedian Jackie Mason told reporters he had filed a
$25 million lawsuit against the five theatrical groups responsible
for Broadway's Tony awards because they had failed to nominate him
in any category.  He claimed that the lack of recognition for his
one-man show "Jackie Mason:  Politically Incorrect," was "an
abridgment of my rights as a human being."  [Arizona Republic,
8-14-94]

* The Missouri Pacific Railroad announced in August that it had
paid an undisclosed amount of money to the families of a Mexican
couple to settle their wrongful-death lawsuit.  The two
undocumented immigrants were hit by a train and killed when they
stopped on the tracks near McAllen, Tex., to rest.  Law
enforcement officials said such immigrants often rest on railroad
tracks where they are safe from border patrol heat sensors.
[McAllen Monitor, 8-19-94]

* In October, Carla S. Koch filed a lawsuit in Cheshire, Conn.,
against the municipal dog-obedience school for an incident last
year in which she slipped in a puddle of dog drool and broke her
ankle.  She said the school should have had a mat on the floor.
[N. Y. Times-AP, 10-14-94]
79.102from the 'get a life' department:CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:4534
* In April, University of Toronto English professor Eleanor Cook
was awarded grants totaling around $85,000 (U.S.) to spend the
next 2-1/2 years studying "the structure and function" of the
riddle.  Said Cook, "I want to think about long-term patterns in
riddles . . . and the long-term decisions in our lives." [Edmonton
Journal-Toronto Star, 4-29-94]

* During the third week in June, reporters in Huntington, Ind.,
and Providence, R. I., coincidentally published features about
local collectors of outhouses.  Huntington's Hy Goldenberg
collects actual privies, and now has 12, but Virginia Williams
collects only photographs of them, of which she now has about 100.
[Athens Messenger-AP, 6-16-94] [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 6-
16-94]

* Among current course selections at Oregon State University's
Food Science and Technology department is a one-credit class, "The
Maraschino Cherry." Among the lecturers were two retired
professors who returned especially to talk on the history of the
maraschino cherry.  Said course professor Ron Wrolstad, "I think
the students were just awed to have these professors there."
[[College News, Mar94]]

* The Los Angeles Times reported in July that engineer Walt
Netschert has invented a smokers' hat with a facial apparatus that
he says completely filters the noxious elements out of cigarette
smoke before it is released into the air.  A filtering locker,
which is about 6 inches square by 3 inches high, cleanses the
smoke and is strapped onto the smoker's forehead.  A clear plastic
shield drops down in front of his face to trap the smoke, which is
then drawn up into the filter.  Netschert, who has smoked for 40
years because cigarettes calm his nerves and who calls nonsmokers
"FAFs"--"Fresh Air Freaks"--hopes to sell the hats for $79.95. [L.
A. Times, 7-20-94]
79.103CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantFri Dec 16 1994 17:485
    re: .100
    
    I can see the head line now....
    
    Farting Filcher Foiled during Fire Island Foul Play.  
79.104PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRFri Dec 16 1994 17:504
    A man in Fairfax, VA stole an assistant DAs purse when she was going
    out to lunch.  He ended up calling her a few hours later requesting a
    ransom for the purse.  The police showed up at the meet point and
    arrested the purse snatcher, goods in hand.
79.105CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:5311
* In August, a San Francisco insecticide company sponsored a
contest demonstrate its pest control prowess and selected as its
winner the home of Rosemary Mitchell, in Tulsa, Okla., as a
sufficient challenge.  Entomologist Austin Frishman, aka
television's Dr. Cockroach, began work on the home after
estimating that 60,000 to 100,000 cockroaches lived there.
Mitchell said, "I keep a pretty clean house," but admitted she had
to check the bed thoroughly every night and shake the shower
curtains off every morning.  Frishman said he has seen a lot worse
and rated Mitchell's house only a "3" on a scale of 1 to 5.
[Dallas Morning News-AP, 8-20-94]
79.106CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:5716
* In July in Iowa City, Iowa, 26 pianists combined talents to play
"Vexations" by French composer Eric Satie, consisting of a single
sheet of music which must be played 840 consecutive times.  The
work is a single page of chords, with the admonition that it
should be played "Very Slow." Each repetition lasts 90 seconds;
the entire composition takes from 21 to 25 hours to play.  [Des
Moines Register, 7-16-94]

* In February, artist Lars Kraemmer of Vancouver, British
Columbia, emerged from a seven-week stint living in a 5-foot by
5-foot box that had been built using five of his paintings.
Kraemmer called his performance "Retreat" and said he saw dazzling
colors in the total darkness--an inspiration that led him to
develop a "new theory" of color during the seven weeks.  "One
thing it has done," said Kraemmer, "is put me at ease." [Edmonton
Journal, 2-11-94]
79.107CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:5816
* Among the specialized, small-market magazines recently appearing
in Japan is Combustible Garbage [Moeru Gomi], by artist Tetsuo
Ogawa, 22, consisting merely of a vinyl bag of garbage from his
and his friends' apartments.  He solicits people to let him clean
their rooms and periodically "publishes" the results. [Mainichi
Daily News, 7-24-94]

* In May, a show at the Serpentine Gallery in London by British
artist Damien Hirst featured his brutal animal pieces, including
"Away from the Flock," a lamb embalmed in a glass case (which sold
for about $37,000).  In previous shows, he has featured "Mother
and Child Divided" (a dead cow and calf bisected, with the innards
in formaldehyde in a glass case), and a cow's head being devoured
by maggots (an exhibit which had to be refreshed every 36 hours
with a new head and maggots).  In New York City in May, he will
show skinned cows copulating.  [The Economist, 10-29-94]
79.108CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 17:5924
* In August, several newspapers reported on the growing obsession
abroad, especially in Japan, with Levi's blue jeans from the 1950s
and 1960s.  As in America, used jeans sell for more than new ones,
but in Japan, vintage jeans bring as much as $5,000 a pair.  An
Associated Press writer noted that trendy Japanese magazines fuel
the jeans market by providing readers with "detailed instructions
on how to be hip."  (Used, sweaty Air Jordan shoes from the 1980s
sell for as much as $800 a pair.)  [New York Times, 8-22-94; St.
Louis Post- Dispatch-AP, 8-17-94]

* The New York Times reported in August on the increased pressure
from Muslim mullahs in Iran to outlaw the satellite TV dishes that
bring in Western programing, which is more popular among many
people than the three religious channels available locally.  Among
the most popular shows is "Baywatch," quite an alternative in
Iran, where even a woman's ankle cannot be exposed.  Said one
businessman, "We are addicted to shows like 'Donahue.'  Today,
Donahue had on a guy who has an open relationship with his
girlfriend. . . .  We couldn't believe it.  We never hear or talk
about this kind of thing."  (Iran permitted "live" broadcasts of
World Cup soccer matches this year from the U.  S., but only after
deleting summer crowd scenes, which featured much female skin, and
substituting winter crowd scenes, in which spectators were bundled
up.) [New York Times, 8-21-94]
79.109CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 18:0014
* In August, the government of the Malaysian state of Perlis
announced it would crack down on conservative female Muslim
physicians who use pencils or pens or long objects to examine male
patients.  Many Muslims believe it is a sin if a woman touches a
man other than her husband. [Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 8-12-94]

* In July in Portland, Maine, Judge Robert E. Crowley found a
39-year-old Afghan refugee guilty of sexual assault against his
2-year-old son.  A neighbor had seen the man kiss the boy's penis,
but according to the man's lawyer, and about a dozen Afghanis who
attended the trial, that is accepted, and common, in Afghan
culture as a show of affection.  Crowley said the statute calls
the action illegal even if not done for sexual pleasure. [Portland
Press Herald, 7-27-94]
79.110CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 18:0210
* On a trip to New York in January to receive a prestigious
international sports award, Chinese running phenom Wang Junxia,
20, told reporters that her daily regimen consists of up to 22
miles of running and a diet that usually includes worms, extract
of caterpillar fungus, and the blood of soft-shell turtles.  Wang
has broken so many world records that some suspected she was using
illegal drugs, but tests have always turned up negative.  Her
coach, Ma Junren, insists her secret is the worm elixir, which he
now bottles and sells worldwide, with revenues of at least $1
million. [New York Times, 2-1-94]
79.111CSC32::J_OPPELTPlucky kind of a kidFri Dec 16 1994 18:025
* In November, a heavily intoxicated 24-year-old man in Garfield,
N. J., died after he was run over by his own car that he was
driving.  He tumbled out while the car was in reverse, landing so
that the front wheel pinned his neck, suffocating him. [Newark
Star Ledger, 11-6-94]
79.112PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRFri Dec 16 1994 18:061
    watta way to go...guess it beats eatin worms
79.113BIGQ::SILVANobody wants a Charlie in the Box!Fri Dec 16 1994 18:077

	You know, he needs to push the idle higher. The car should be able to
go up hills on it's own.


Glen
79.114SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras should be seen and not herdFri Dec 16 1994 18:074
    
    RE: .111
    
    Wonder if his family will sue him??
79.115Solid gold laughs!TNPUBS::JONGSteveFri Dec 16 1994 18:111
   Thanks again, Joe!
79.116SCAPAS::GUINEO::MOOREI'll have the rat-on-a-stickSat Dec 17 1994 04:156
    .106
    
    This man lived in a box mad out of his own paintings.
    Obviously he inhales.
    
    
79.117TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Thu Dec 29 1994 15:426
    
    Police in Middletown, Ohio, have arrested a high school principal and
    his wife, claiming they tried to hire the same hit man to kill each
    other.  Officials have also arrested the hit man, who relayed competing
    bid back and forth to the couple.
    
79.118POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of EcstacyThu Dec 29 1994 16:032
    
    Nothing like a little free enterprise.
79.119HAAG::HAAGThu Dec 29 1994 16:059
    >Police in Middletown, Ohio, have arrested a high school principal and
    >his wife, claiming they tried to hire the same hit man to kill each
    >other.  Officials have also arrested the hit man, who relayed competing
    >bid back and forth to the couple.
    
    hit man missed a GOLDEN opportunity. perhaps it couldn't be avoided and
    these statement don't elaborate much detail. however, the hit man could
    have collected money from both, carried out the job, and left NO
    witnesses. perfect crime.
79.120TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Thu Dec 29 1994 17:178
    
    One target of F-117A pilots during the Gulf War was the Baghdad switch-
    board, through which CNN's Peter Arnett was allowed to broadcast. The
    pilots, it seems, were no great fans of Arnett.  On the night of the
    strike, off-duty pilots gathered to watch the TV set and count down the
    seconds until, right on schedule, their screen suddenly went to a 
    roaring grey amid the cheers of the pilots.
    
79.121CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Dec 29 1994 17:2738
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

* In June, the Central Park Zoo revealed that it had paid an
animal behaviorist $25,000 for psychotherapy for Gus, its
9-year-old polar bear, who was involved in various repetitive
behaviors, which the zoo director said could have been a mild
neurosis.  The behaviorist recommended creating games to make
Gus's life less monotonous. [Chicago Sun- Times-AP, 6-28-94]

* On a sanctuary island off the coast of Mauritius, England's
Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust has run breeding programs for
seriously endangered species, including the extremely rare
Mauritius kestrel falcon and the equally rare Mauritius pink
pigeon.  In October, the Trust announced that one of the falcons
had swooped down and eaten one of the pigeons. [Globe &
Mail-Reuters, 10-10-94]

* Among the latest animal inheritances:  In January, Anna Morgan
of Seattle, Wash., left an estate valued at $500,000 to Tinker,
her 11-year- old Turkish Angora cat; Morgan's apartment will be
maintained, and a live-in caretaker hired, purely for Tinker's
benefit.  And in August in Santa Ana, Calif., the executor of
LaVerne Wheeler's $2.1 million estate announced that Wheeler's two
brothers would receive only $25,000 each, much to their chagrin,
but that the Santa Ana Police Department K-9 Corps would receive
$612,000. [Rocky Mountain News, 12-28-93; Monterey County
Herald-AP, 8-13-94]

* In June, the Brookfield (Mo.) News Bulletin reported that three
cows at the University of Missouri Forage Systems Research Center
near Linneus, Mo, have been surgically equipped with removable
"portholes" so that researchers can ascertain what the cows have
eaten.  Twice a week, animal science students reach into the cow's
stomach, remove the contents, send the cow out to graze, and then
re-check the stomach's contents when the cow returns.  According
to one student, the cow doesn't seem to mind the procedure.  "They
just stand there and ignore us." [Brookfield (Mo.) News Bulletin,
6-17-94]
79.122CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Dec 29 1994 17:3036
JUST CAN'T STOP MYSELF

* In Belleville, Ill., in September, James Dowdy, 23, was
sentenced to three years in prison after being arrested carrying a
bag of stolen socks.  He was at the time on probation for another
sock theft and has never been accused of stealing anything except
socks. [St. Louis Post- Dispatch, 9-9-94]

* To help cleanse himself  from a 1993 vandalism episode, Robert
D.  Pollard Jr. wrote his community an "apology from the heart,"
published in the Winston-Salem (N. C.) Journal.  Writing that he
was "really and truly sorry," he went on for several paragraphs
about the "great change" in his life because of Jesus, who "has
really shown me that he is the only way out."  The Journal
published the letter on March 7, 1994.  Elsewhere in that edition
was a news story reporting that police had charged Pollard on
March 6 with punching his wife in the face with his fist.
[Winston-Salem Journal, 3-10-94]

* In October in Jacksonville, Fla., Wesley (Pop) Honeywood, 94,
was given a 7-year prison sentence on a charge of aggravated
assault for pulling a gun on a man who had yelled at him.  During
his life, Honeywood has been charged with 46 crimes; in the last
few years, prosecutors and judges have been lenient with him
because of his age, including giving him probation on a charge at
age 92 of having sex with a 7-year-old girl.  Honeywood's lawyer
said her client preferred jail to a nursing home. [New York
Times-AP, 11-6-94; St. Petersburg Times-
AP, 9-24-94]

* Betty Lou Blair, 48, was arrested in October after holding
Knoxville, Tenn., police at bay with a shotgun for more than hour.
Over the last twelve years, Blair has been arrested 425 times,
mostly for behaviors induced by alcohol consumption, such as
disturbing the peace, indecent exposure, and urinating in public.
[Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10-27-94]
79.123CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Dec 29 1994 17:3135
* Within a three-month period this year, the heads of both
Arkansas State University and the Arkansas School for the Blind
left their jobs because of scandals.  In April ASU president John
Mangieri was fired after his two secretaries testified that they
had seen him masturbating in his office.  (Mangieri denied the
charge and produced three doctors' letters stating that a medical
condition had destroyed his sex drive.)  In June, ASB
superintendent Leonard Ogburn resigned after allegedly spanking a
female teacher as part of a job evaluation.  [Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette, 4-8-94, 9-24-94; Dallas Morning News, 7-10-94]

* In October at the annual Living in Leather convention in
Toronto, Canadian entrepreneur Cam Ferry unveiled a "portable
dungeon" at $1,450 (Canadian) to sell in his local S&M store,
Binding Leather.  Its four-foot by eight-foot base holds four
detachable posts and two stocks, with snug holes for head, hands,
and feet.  In the center is a seesaw.  [Globe & Mail, 10-10-94]

* In September, Tucson, Ariz., police arrested a 41-year-old man
who a witness said appeared to be trying to coax horses from the
University of Arizona Agricultural Center toward him with food,
which he was holding near his exposed penis as if to invite oral
sex.  Police had warned the man in June against similar behavior.
Also in September, in Warren, Ohio, a 31-year-old employee of the
county's Sanitary Engineering Department was suspended for five
days for sexually fondling a dog while on duty. [Arizona Daily
Wildcat, 9-19-94; Warren Tribune Chronicle, 10-1-94]

* In October, it was reported that two men had been arrested in
Tavares, Fla., in the back of a van in a public park, charged with
committing an unnatural and lascivious act, but that their
explanation was that they were merely examining and discussing the
penile implant that one of them had just gotten.  In November,
a jury believed their story and acquitted the men. [Orlando
Sentinel, Nov94]
79.124POLAR::RICHARDSONThu Dec 29 1994 17:381
    The last one really made me cock my head.
79.125TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Thu Dec 29 1994 17:393
    
    Get a grip on yourself, Glenn.
    
79.126NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 29 1994 17:402
I'm happy to see that there's so little crime in Illinois that they can
afford the jail space for a sock thief.
79.127MPGS::MARKEYAIBOHPHOBIA: Fear of PalindromesThu Dec 29 1994 17:4015
   >* Within a three-month period this year, the heads of both
   >Arkansas State University and the Arkansas School for the Blind
   >left their jobs because of scandals.  In April ASU president John
   >Mangieri was fired after his two secretaries testified that they
   >had seen him masturbating in his office.  (Mangieri denied the
   >charge and produced three doctors' letters stating that a medical
   >condition had destroyed his sex drive.)  In June, ASB
   >superintendent Leonard Ogburn resigned after allegedly spanking a
   >female teacher as part of a job evaluation.  [Arkansas
   >Democrat-Gazette, 4-8-94, 9-24-94; Dallas Morning News, 7-10-94]
    
    Mr. Mangieri of ASU better be careful, or he'll end up at the
    ASB!
    
    -b
79.128POLAR::RICHARDSONThu Dec 29 1994 17:412
    Well, after reading those, I don't think I will, they'll put me in the
    dock!
79.129TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Thu Dec 29 1994 17:447
    
   >In April ASU president John
   >Mangieri was fired after his two secretaries testified that they
   >had seen him masturbating in his office.
    
    Seriously...hasn't Jocelyn Elders returned to her previous job at ASU?
    
79.130WankersasMPGS::MARKEYAIBOHPHOBIA: Fear of PalindromesThu Dec 29 1994 17:451
    There's something about Arkansas I guess...
79.131TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Thu Dec 29 1994 17:465
    
    .128:
    
    I can see where that would warrant a stiff sentence.
    
79.132MPGS::MARKEYAIBOHPHOBIA: Fear of PalindromesThu Dec 29 1994 17:471
    The hand of justice was upon him...
79.133TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Thu Dec 29 1994 17:513
    
    Onan The Librarian
    
79.134POLAR::RICHARDSONThu Dec 29 1994 18:042
    Who spilled his seed in the fact or fiction section of the Watford
    public library.
79.135Funny stuff :-)DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundThu Dec 29 1994 18:094
    Joe,
    
    These are great; where can we get them once you are Oraclized?
    
79.136CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Dec 29 1994 18:294
    	You know, I really don't know.  I get them from someone on
    	the internet, who gets them from someone else... Somewhere
    	there is a head of the chain, and whe I find out how to get 
    	on that distribution list, I'll post it here.
79.137CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Jan 03 1995 21:4616
* Among the Republicans swept into office in November was Steve
Mansfield, elected to Texas's highest court that handles criminal
appeals.  Among Mansfield's pre-election lies or exaggerations
(freely admitted in a post-election interview in the publication
Texas Lawyer) were his claim of vast criminal-court experience (he
is an insurance and tax lawyer), that he was born in Texas
(actually, Massachusetts), that he dated a woman "who died" (she
is still alive), and that he had "appeared" in courts in Illinois
(never) and Florida (advised a friend of his, but not as a
lawyer).  During the interview, Mansfield said that he lived in
Houston as a kid, but when the reporter asked him if that was a
lie, Mansfield reluctantly admitted it was.  Mansfield called
those and other instances "puffery" and "exaggerations" and said
he would stop doing that now that he is one of the highest-
ranking judges in Texas. [Texas Lawyer, 11-21-94; Houston Press,
11-17-94]
79.138CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Jan 03 1995 21:4747
* In September, a judge in Santa Ana, Calif., suspended a murder
trial for one day so that a juror could get medical help after she
mistook nail adhesive for contact lens cleaner and glued her eye
shut during a recess. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9-28-94]

* In July, an Army National Guard unit on maneuvers near Grayling,
Mich., miscalculated in firing a 105mm artillery shell,  and
instead of providing tactical cover for troops, blasted the yard
of Robert and Joan Hutton in a subdivision in the next county,
sending shrapnel and smoke through the house. [Chicago Tribune,
7-20-94]

* The Times (London) reported in August that a woman was taken to
Wexham Park Hospital in Berkshire after falling from a tree in a
park just a few hundred meters from Windsor Castle.  According to
rangers at the Windsor Great Park, she fell out of the tree,
naked, during a lovemaking session with her boyfriend. [The Times,
8-2-94]

* In April, runner Mauro Prosperi took a wrong turn and got lost
in the desert between Morocco and Algeria during the Des Sables
marathon.  He was missing for nine days.  And in August, Tobago
marathoner Michael Alexander, out for a practice run in Burbank,
Calif., took a wrong turn and was missing for 13 hours in the San
Fernando Valley.  During that time, he jogged four miles illegally
on the Ventura Freeway and called a relative in Tobago to ask for
help.  [Globe & Mail, 5-3-94; Los Angeles Times, 8-3-94]

* Paul D. Kimball, 25, was charged with sexual assault in Ogden,
Utah, in August.  Even though he escaped, he was identified by the
woman he allegedly assaulted because he left her house without his
pants, which contained his wallet. [Salt Lake Tribune, 8-10-94]

* During a spirited on-stage sword fight during a September
performance of  the opera, "The Vagabond King," in Denver, Colo.,
one of the swords broke off, flew through the air, and severed the
bow of a violinist in the orchestra. Opera officials were
considering stringing a net over the orchestra pit for protection.
[[Milwaukee Journal-Scripps Howard, Sept94]]

* Among recent truck spills:  In Adams County, Colo., in May, 200
tons of carpet-tacking strips with nails; near Remington, Va., in
September, 20 tons of jalapeno pepper powder.  And in February, in
Michigan, a 30-ton, 2,400-square-foot house being driven across
largely-frozen Lake Walloon, fell through the ice. [Rocky Mountain
News, 5-22-94; Washington Times-AP, 9-28-94; Chicago Tribune-
AP, 2-14-94]
79.139CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Jan 03 1995 21:4732
* In September, the makers of Michelin tires said they would
reformulate a substance used to make new-model tires grip the road
better on wet pavement because the old formula permitted a buildup
of static electricity.  For months, attendants on the Illinois
Tollway had reported taking measures to insulate themselves every
time new Honda Accords (which feature the new Michelin tires)
stopped to pay tolls.  Some attendants even refused to accept
money from some drivers for fear of shocks. [Kansas City
Star-Chicago Tribune, 9-21- 94]

* According to a September issue of American Medical News,
physicians at the Medical College of Georgia and engineers at
Georgia Tech are working to develop a synthetic finger to enable
a person in one site to be touched and a doctor at another site to
feel exactly what would be felt if the doctor were touching him in
person.  [American Medical News, 9-5-94]

* At a June open house, officials at the Sandia National
Laboratories demonstrated its latest law enforcement technology,
including strobe lights that make criminals disoriented and
nauseous (but Sandia has not yet perfected eye shields to immunize
police officers from the light), a receiver inside an officer's
gun so he can disable it if a criminal steals it, and a gun that
shoots out a goo so sticky (actually developed by a guy named Tom
Goolsby) that it completely immobilizes the target. [Albuquerque
Journal, 6-3-94]

* In November, the Netherlands Liver and Intestine Foundation,
which supports research on digestive problems, announced a
publicity campaign to encourage people to pass gas as much as 15
times a day to ease intestinal discomfort. [Montreal
Gazette-Reuters, 11-10-94]
79.140CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Jan 03 1995 21:4818
* In July in Kirkland, Wash., a 30-year-old man on a motorcycle,
who said he wanted to test a radar sign that measures how fast
vehicles approaching it are traveling, rode to the end of the
street, turned around, gunned his engine, and raced toward the
sign, which he watched rise to "59" mph.  However, the man then
smashed into the sign; he was taken to Evergreen Hospital Medical
Center with numerous cuts and bruises. [Seattle Times, 7-8-94]


* In November, a jury in Taos, New Mexico, deadlocked for a second
time in five months on a charge of vehicular homicide against
Gordon House, 35.  In December 1992, according to police
investigators, House drank at least 17 beers and then, driving
89.9 mph the wrong way on an interstate highway near Albuquerque,
rammed another car, killing a woman and her three young daughters.
House denied he was drunk and said he was not responsible in that
he had a severe migraine headache at the time. [Albuquerque
Journal, several May 1994, November 1994 stories]
79.141MPGS::MARKEYAIBOHPHOBIA: Fear of PalindromesTue Jan 03 1995 22:0815
    >* During a spirited on-stage sword fight during a September
    >performance of  the opera, "The Vagabond King," in Denver, Colo.,
    >one of the swords broke off, flew through the air, and severed the
    >bow of a violinist in the orchestra. Opera officials were
    >considering stringing a net over the orchestra pit for protection.
    >[[Milwaukee Journal-Scripps Howard, Sept94]]
    
    Apparently, they've never heard of "props"
    
    Actually, I was once poked rather nastily in the naughty bits
    by a violinist during a performance of Gustav Mahler's 8th
    Symphony... damn small stages!!! Anyway, I guess I can consider
    this payback in absentia...
    
    -b
79.142USAT05::WARRENFELTZRWed Jan 04 1995 10:401
    liked the one about the woman fallin from the tree naked.
79.143USAT05::WARRENFELTZRWed Jan 04 1995 10:415
    Only if it were true:
    
    Mayor Marion Barry, in his first full day in office, issued executive
    orders making the illegal parking statutes in DC illegal and abolishing
    the anti-drug laws of Washington. 
79.144PEAKS::OAKEYThe difference? About 8000 milesWed Jan 04 1995 10:456
    
    Mayor Marion Barry, gram for gram the best candidate for the job...

    (seen on an office wall here in CXO1)

                                  Roak
79.145LJSRV2::KALIKOWNotes, NEWS: Old; GroupWeb: NEW!Wed Jan 04 1995 11:316
    Heard the "Capitol Steps" compare Marion Barry to a Social Disease...
    
    *  It's embarrassing
    *  It's recurring
    *  It responds well to drugs
    
79.146No fooling?PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftWed Jan 04 1995 11:388
    re: .137
    
    And hear I thought that Murphy Brown was a funny show this week but a
    *reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal* stretch.
    
    Guess not.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.147EeeeshCSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jan 05 1995 15:4239


 Warning: The following is not for the squeamish


 I'm tellin' ya


 OK..



 MAN CUTS OUT EYEBALL AFTER SEEING PENTAGRAM IN IRIS


 Merriam, Kan (AP)

 A man who thought he saw a pentagram in the iris of his right eyeball
 popped it out of his head, used a knife to cut the tendons and flushed
 it down the toilet, police said.

 The 26 year old man, who was not identified, told authorities he looked
 in the mirror Sunday evening and saw the pentagram, a five-pointed star
 commonly associated with the occult.

 The man told police he had to remove the eyeball because he couldn't 
 remove the pentagram.

 "The paramedics said his eye looked puffy and red.  It just looked like
 somebody punched him", said police Lt. Bill Lietzke.


 "But they opened up the eyelid and pointed a flashlight in there and his
 eyeball was gone".



 
79.148CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Jan 05 1995 15:482
    	Wait until he shaves his head and he finds a birthmark in the
    	shape of three sixes...
79.149MPGS::MARKEYI most definitely think I mightThu Jan 05 1995 15:547
    %$#%ing idiot. Well now he'll find out what it's like to go through
    life with one eye. Maybe he'll even be lucky and not have the specter
    of losing his other eye hanging over him (like I do). Lay off the
    LSD you moron, or seek psychological help next time you have the
    urge to flush one of God's greatest gifts down the loo!!!
    
    -b
79.150MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Jan 05 1995 18:175
>    	Wait until he shaves his head and he finds a birthmark in the
>    	shape of three sixes...

Well, if he were to bring it in here, he could count on it being defaced.

79.151SCAPAS::GUINEO::MOOREI'll have the rat-on-a-stickTue Jan 10 1995 20:577
    .114
    
    Yeah, Marion is going to make a crack mayor.  He'll keep 'em in line.
    He'll smoke out his opposition.
    
    ;^)
    
79.152PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRWed Jan 11 1995 10:089
    borders on the Wacky - maybe Vengeful!
    
    Marion has authorized the City to bill former mayor Kelly for 3 police
    officers acting as private guards...on the surface nothing wrong - City
    is desperate financial shape and Kelly has not touched the huge golden
    parachute PEPCO paid her in 1990.
    
    Seems Marion was peeved when Kelly billed him in 1990 for 2 cops acting
    as his security when he left office-the last time.
79.153Hadda put it here and brief it ain'tSOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras should be seen and not herdWed Jan 11 1995 19:2982
 Boston Globe Jan. 11,1995 pg. 17,21


Accused woman says she'll drink and drive

By Geeta Anand

FRAMINGHAM - As she sat in jail yesterday after what she said was her 25th 
drunken-driving arrest, wanting a cigarette but otherwise feeling fine, Joan 
Vitaris could think of nothing anyone could do to keep here off the roads.

  Vitaris said she has been through two rehabilitation programs for alcohol 
abuse and served two prison terms for drunken driving during the past two 
decades. But she said the experience has not discouraged her from climbing 
behind the wheel - time and time again - while intoxicated.

  "I really don't think I'm a danger," said the 41-year old North Grafton 
woman during an hour-long interview yesterday at the Massachusetts 
Correctional Institute at Framingham. "And there's no other way to get 
around."

  Vitaris, who is being held without bail, was arrested early Sunday in 
Hopkinton by a police officer who said he spotted her Buick Skyhawk weaving 
along West Main Street about 3 a.m. Police discovered her Massachusetts  
driver's license had been suspended eight years ago, and prosecutors checking 
records in three states found 15 drunken-driving convictions against her.

  Vitaris volunteered the information that she had been arrested 25 times 
across the country for drunken driving, before pleading not guilty Monday in 
Framingham District Court to the charge of driving under the influence of 
alcohol.

  Seated in a large, fluorescent-bulb lit visiting room at the jail, Vitaris 
said: "I can't believe I'm back here again. I'd forgotten how degrading and 
humiliating it was."

  Yet, by her own account, Vitaris has continued to drink and drive. She was 
first arrested for driving drunk at the age of 18, soon after graduating high 
school in Grafton. She describes a tough life across three states, laden with 
many disappointments - a failed marriage, broken relationships.

  Last month, she left San Diego where she had been charged with driving drunk 
and injuring someone. She said the charges were dropped, and she came home to 
care for her elderly parents. California authorities have maintained the 
charges are pending and say they consider her a fugitive from justice.

  Vitaris said she bought a car and drove cross-country, knowing her license 
was suspended in Massachusetts. And by her own admission, she was at the wheel 
last weekend after drinking at a Hudson bar.

  Asked about the dangers of drinking and driving yesterday, Vitaris said she 
considered it safe for her to drive after drinking. She complained that the 
blood-alcohol level indicating drunkenness was set artificially low, that no 
one was drunk at a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent, the state's threshold 
for driving while intoxicated.

  The problem, she said, was that she kept getting caught.

  But pressed, she recanted almost immediately and acknowledged that drunk 
drivers cause many accidents. She said she knew she really shouldn't drive 
after drinking. She said she couldn't help herself.

  Responding to Vitaris' case, Brackett Denniston, Gov. Weld's chief legal 
counsel, rushed yesterday to emphasize the harsher penalties for drunken 
driving that the state implemented last year, including the lower alcohol 
threshold and harsher penalties for repeat offenders. But for a small group of 
people, Denniston said, there is no deterrent, and the only alternative is 
jail. Vitaris faces a 2 to 5 year sentence if convicted on the drunken-driving 
charge.

  Vitaris balked at the prospect of a long jail sentence, saying she had never 
committed a violent crime - never robbed or assaulted anyone. But presented 
with the question of what, if anything, would persuade her to stay off the 
road after drinking, Vitaris paused momentarily and then answered, "Nothing."

  What if she hurt or killed someone while driving drunk?

  Vitaris was silent for a long time. Then softly, she said: "You know, that's 
probably the only thing that would stop me."
  


79.154CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Jan 12 1995 19:439
    Someone or something has been busy lately on alt.religion.scientology, the 
   Usenet newsgroup that carries the escalating flamewar on the Internet 
   between the Church of Scientology and its critics. Over the past few weeks, 
   dozens of messages -- some of which contained documents the church 
   considers secret and sacred -- have mysteriously disappeared. Dennis 
   Erlich, a former Scientology minister, accuses the church of unleashing a 
   "robot canceler" that deleted his messages. A spokesperson calls his 
   charges "baseless." Erlich says he will repost the material as soon as he 
   figures out why his phone line suddenly went dead. 
79.155USAT02::WARRENFELTZRFri Jan 13 1995 10:335
    heard on the radio this AM but didn't get the location;
    
    guy decides to go 4-wheeling and somehow wanders onto a nearby army
    base and it's mine field...luckily he stopped and was rescued by a
    half-track
79.156USAT02::WARRENFELTZRFri Jan 13 1995 10:534
    A guy working the the morgue in Baltimore was fired after a hidden
    camera showed that he was stealing person items off corpses when they
    were brought in for autopies.  Items stolen included jewelry, gold
    tooth and hiking boots...yes, HIKING BOOTS!
79.157SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras should be seen and not herdFri Jan 13 1995 15:333
    
    Why let them go to waste???
    
79.158POLAR::RICHARDSONFri Jan 13 1995 15:351
    I wonder if any of them were eaters?
79.159MPGS::MARKEYHoist the Jolly Roger!Fri Jan 13 1995 15:381
    Are you suggesting we eat my mother?
79.160POLAR::RICHARDSONFri Jan 13 1995 15:416
    Um
    
    yea, NOT RAW! NOT RAW! We'd cook 'er. She'd be delicious with a few
    french fries a little brock-o-lie 'en stuffin', delicious!
    
    {smack smack smack}
79.161MPGS::MARKEYHoist the Jolly Roger!Fri Jan 13 1995 15:433
    Ummmmm..... all right.
    
    -b
79.162POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Oral ExploitsFri Jan 13 1995 16:024
    	
    Tell you what.  We'll eat your mum, and if you feel a bit guilty about it 
    afterwards, we'll dig a grave and you can throw up into it.
    
79.163SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras should be seen and not herdFri Jan 13 1995 16:055
    
    <---------
    
    Is that an "oral exploit"???
    
79.164POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Oral ExploitsFri Jan 13 1995 16:152
    
    Not in MY Little Chamber you don't 8^).
79.165Oh DearMPGS::MARKEYHoist the Jolly Roger!Fri Jan 13 1995 16:161
    
79.166GMT1::TEEKEMACount down 5..4..3..2..1..Out o' here.Fri Jan 13 1995 16:182
	That's for Mz Debra's little chamber of horror's...%^)
79.167MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Fri Jan 13 1995 19:496
re: .155, Ron

Mine field and target range, I believe. The other part I heard was that
they were going to confiscate (as in "Leave it where it is") his 4x4,
which would become yet another target.

79.168CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Jan 13 1995 19:5911
* In November, a judge in Oakland, Calif., dismissed the 1992
libel lawsuit filed by More University against its former student,
Allan Steele, along with Steele's counterclaim of fraud.  Steele
had become disillusioned after allegedly paying more than $200,000
in tuition for a "Ph.D. in Sensuality" and had termed the school
merely a cult that featured prostitution and drug use.  More's
lawyers told the court that Steele was happy enough with the
school when it awarded him a certificate for his ability to
achieve a "Victor-accepted orgasm" and when he was performing
sexual techniques for the campus station KLIT-TV. [Oakland
Tribune, 11-19-94]
79.169CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Jan 13 1995 20:0018
* In August, Aaron Miller, 17, an Amish man, tried to outrun
sheriff's deputies for four miles in his buggy near Leon, N. Y.
The officers followed patiently in their cruiser and ultimately
charged Miller with traffic violations. [Buffalo News, 8-9-94]

* Dallas County (Missouri) prosecutor Wayne Rieschel told
reporters in May that, after consulting with the state attorney
general's office, he could find no law of any kind violated by the
owner of a tanning salon who secretly videotaped his female
customers nude.  Among the 83 victims were Rieschel's wife and
daughter. [Albuquerque Journal-AP, 5-26-94]

* In April, prosecutors in Gastonia, N. C., charged Rev. William
Darryl Lippard, 40, who was already in jail awaiting retrial on a
sexual assault charge, with manufacturing wine in his cell.
Jailers confiscated sugar, milk cartons, and glass jars, and said
Lippard was selling the wine to other inmates. [Charlotte
Observer, 4-19-94]
79.170Maybe this one belongs in the metric topicCSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Jan 13 1995 20:008
* In May, St. Peters, Mo. (population 45,000), became the first
city in the country to post traffic signs exclusively in metric
measures.  (For example, "Speed Limit 35" signs overnight became
"Speed Limit 60" signs.)  Said the public works director, "We're
pretty progressive here in St. Peters."  According to an
Associated Press reporter, the director may have misunderstood
federal regulations on timetables for conversions. [Columbus
Dispatch-AP, May94]
79.171CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Jan 13 1995 20:018
* In June, student and former football player Keary Johns, 23,
filed a lawsuit against political science professor Julian Foster
of California State University, Fullerton.  According to Johns,
when he asked Foster's permission to drop his course, which he was
failing, Foster gave him the option of an F grade or six lashes on
his bare bottom, and Johns, to save his grade average, took the
spanking, which he now calls inappropriate and humiliating. [Los
Angeles Times, 6-11-94]
79.172CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Jan 13 1995 20:0215
* In Haddam, Conn., just before a vote on the school budget, about
20 anonymously posted signs appeared around town reading "For
Christ's Sake, Vote No."  The budget, which had been rejected
twice before, passed by 34 votes this time, and supporters
attributed the reversal to the signs' offensiveness.  [Hartford
Courant, 6-3-94]

* On December 8, the Rhode Island attorney general ended a 20-
year legal battle with old-tire collector Bill Davis by getting
him to agree to clean up gradually his Smithfield, R. I., mountain
of tires, which he estimates at 33 million and which the state
says is a fire hazard.  Davis started his collection as an
investment against the return of a 1970s-style oil embargo because
the rubber in tires is a source of  petroleum. [Providence
Journal-Bulletin, 12-9-94]
79.173Hiked to death.SCAPAS::PLATNO::MOOREI'll have the rat-on-a-stickSat Jan 14 1995 04:364
    .156
    
    We can't have the dead walking around, can we ?
    
79.174NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 17 1995 17:346
Nashua -- Shane Barry of Nashua told police he saw a man acting suspiciously
near some cars outside his home, so he confronted him.  The man responded by
lurching toward him and thrusting a pet opossum on Barry, he told police.
Barry, 26, said the animal bit him several times on the right hand, puncturing
his thumb.  Police said they were looking for the suspect, who they believe
is a Nashua resident. (AP)
79.175MAIL2::CRANETue Jan 17 1995 17:361
    Now I know what I can do with Spike...attack squirrel at large!!!
79.176CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantTue Jan 17 1995 18:201
    Ban assault opossums.
79.177POLAR::RICHARDSONTue Jan 17 1995 19:051
    I wouldn't want to reload one of those, at first.
79.178We have met the enemy, and he is usNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 17 1995 19:141
If somebody attacks you with an opossum, play dead.
79.179SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowTue Jan 17 1995 20:011
Ban prehensile tails!
79.180WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Jan 18 1995 09:065
    Shhhhh! If oberstfeuhrer Brady hears you they'll end up on the
    list... Or at the very least a background check will be required
    prior to ownership...
    
    Chip
79.181POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Oral ExploitsThu Jan 19 1995 01:437
    
    From the Shirley Police Log for Monday, January 9, 1995
    
    Noise complaint - loud game of cribbage.  Peace restored.
    
    
    Thank goodness.
79.182MPGS::MARKEYHoist the Jolly Roger!Thu Jan 19 1995 02:031
    Musta been some serious peggin' going on there!
79.183SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowThu Jan 19 1995 02:132
    Ban Cribbage.
    
79.184WFOV12::STONE_AThe fat lady's clearing her throat.Thu Jan 19 1995 10:114
    
    
    
    fifteen two, fifteen four....
79.185WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceThu Jan 19 1995 10:231
    a double run for 12 and the right jack is 13.
79.186REFINE::KOMARMy congressman is a crookThu Jan 19 1995 10:4612
    	A newspaper item from my hometown a couple months back...
    
    	A resident reported a drive-by shooting.  Upon further
    investigation, it was determined that someone had thrown a rock at a
    pedestrian.
    
    	This also..
    
    	It was reported that someone ran over a curb.  There were no
    damages.
    
    	Now you know what kind of town I grew up in. :-)
79.187POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Oral ExploitsThu Jan 19 1995 12:195
    
    >a double run for 12 and the right jack is 13.
    
    
    The "right jack"?  I always call it the "happy jack" 8^).
79.188CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantThu Jan 19 1995 13:062
    Ban assault cribbage boards.  They are easily spotted by the camo
    appearance.  
79.189SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowThu Jan 19 1995 13:1212
"right jack" vs "happy jack"

These exchanges are the breeding ground that turn
a civilized game into a drunken slugfest requiting
local police intervention.  And it's well-known (by
me) that cribbage leads to welfare, crime, and other
deteriorations of society.

Ban "Trouble" too, I say!  That Pop-O-Matic surely
violates the local noise ordinances.

Ban all board games!!!
79.190SMURF::BINDERgustam vitareThu Jan 19 1995 13:1810
    the right jack, more properly called the right bower, is the jack of
    trumps in euchre.  the jack that is worth extra points in cribbage can
    be one of two things:
    
    1.  if a jack is turned on the cut, it's the nob, and it's worth two.
    
    2.  if a hand contains the jack of the suit turned on the cut, it's his
        heels, and it's worth one.
    
    nnttm.
79.191WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceThu Jan 19 1995 13:191
    oh, so that's where the term "nob off" comes from. ;-)
79.19229....NOTWFOV12::STONE_AThe fat lady's clearing her throat.Thu Jan 19 1995 13:384
    
    And that means three fives with nobby jack with a 5 cut..=
    
    			...a hole in the head for the cheater!!!!
79.193SMURF::BINDERgustam vitareThu Jan 19 1995 13:425
    .192
    
    i've never seen a 29 hand, but i've seen the setup for it three times.
    even without that last five, it's not a bad hand.  i'll settle for 14,
    and a chance to peg a couple, most any day.
79.194CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Jan 19 1995 16:032
    	I prefer getting bunches of 6-7-8-9's.  Or 4-5-6's.  Those
    	12's (and especially if they turn to 24's) are game breakers.
79.195WFOV12::STONE_AThe fat lady's clearing her throat.Thu Jan 19 1995 16:053
    
    
    But I like double-skunking the opposition!!!!!
79.197RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Thu Jan 19 1995 16:188
    A VMS cribbage program dealt me a 29-point hand once.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.198SMURF::BINDERgustam vitareThu Jan 19 1995 16:353
    .197
    
    should we assume that you programmed it and that it knew its daddy?
79.199CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Jan 19 1995 17:033
    	re .197
    
    	That's because your Public key fingerprint smudged the cards.
79.200CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jan 19 1995 17:034


 Wacky News snarf
79.201Go Fish!!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras should be seen and not herdThu Jan 19 1995 17:041
    
79.202How We Made A Profit In Q2 ??ASABET::EARLYLose anything but your sense of humor.Mon Jan 30 1995 13:1920
    

    >From InfoWorld, 23-Jan-1995, page 114:

    "And speaking of natural disasters, Digital Equipment Corp., in  the
    latest issue of its inForm magazine for VAX and alpha users, lists the 
    tech support order line as "800-DIGITAL [(800) 344-3825]."  Of course
    the  correct letter-to-number conversion is (800) 344-4825.  The 3825
    number is a  phone sex service.  Maybe that's how Digital posted a
    profit last quarter."
    
    ... I knew it was only a matter of time before we found our market
    niche.
    
    
    Intern
    

    
    
79.203COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Jan 30 1995 13:247
BTW, don't try to call the "almost" 800-DIGITAL line from most DEC phones
in the GMA.

Apparently someone ordered Digital Telecom to block access to that one
specific number.

/john
79.204SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, SDSC West, Palo AltoMon Jan 30 1995 14:423
    how do you know, John?
    
    DougO
79.205...25 blocked, but calls to ...24, ...26 and ...27 workCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Jan 30 1995 15:216
Because I dialed it to see if the story was bogus, and was not able
to reach the 800 number from DEC phones, but could from a pay phone.

There is an internal recording, from the PBX, blocking the calls.

/john
79.206BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeMon Jan 30 1995 15:495

	Doug, you should know by now that john will spend mucho time on finding
ways he can do what he is not supposed to. the phone number is one example,
=wn= is an even better one.
79.207CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantMon Jan 30 1995 15:5728
From the North Tahoe Truckee Week....

From the close calls files....

In September, near Queensville Ontario, skydiving student Sharon McClelland, 
26, who had just amazingly survived a 10,000-foot plunge into a marsh when her 
parachute malfunctioned, struggled to her feet and rushed to apologize to her 
instructor Kevin Killin because she had not followed procedures to open up her 
back up chute.  

From the NIMBY files...

In October oganizers of a pop music concert at Hong Kong Stadium announced 
that they had reached an accommodation with nearby residents who fear the loud 
noise.  Organizers will give out 17,500 pairs of gloves for the audience to 
wear so that when they applaud their idols, they won't make very much noise.  

And you wonder why folks "go postal".....

In August, postal clerk Joannie McCaughery and three others were issued formal 
reprimands by their supervisor in Cambridge, MA because they had punched in 
for work at 8:59 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. shift.  "Future deficiencies....will 
result in more severe disciplinary action" read the reprimand, "including 
suspension or removal from the Postal Service." Said the supervisor, Michael 
Hannon, "It would become an abusive situation" if every employee wanted to 
punch in one minute early every day.  


79.208COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Jan 30 1995 16:478
>Doug, you should know by now that john will spend mucho time on finding
>ways he can do what he is not supposed to. the phone number is one example,

Grow up, Glen.

What was I not supposed to do?

/john
79.209BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeMon Jan 30 1995 17:373

	Maybe calling a known sex line from a Digital phone? 
79.210COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Jan 30 1995 17:403
And where is that forbidden?

/john
79.211BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeMon Jan 30 1995 17:499

	John, why don't you send Bob Palmer a note and ask if you can call the
sex lines. OR, why don't you just call them and wait for the phone bill comes
in. Let's see how long it takes before they talk to you. Oh yeah... why do you
think they blocked the number from DEC phones? Because it was ok to call? 


Glen
79.212STUDIO::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundMon Jan 30 1995 17:5313
Heard on perpetual news this a.m., France started a revolutionary idea. There
are supermarkets for selecting funeral accoutrements. You can just go up and
down the isles with your shopping basket and pick out caskets, flowers, ...and
whatever else one needs for the occassion.

They're starting one in London this week.

A spokesperson responded to the observation that people may resent such a casual
way of honoring the dear departed by saying "They may at first...but they'll get
used to it".

Opportunity knocks -- and sounds like Beetovens' Fifth.
	
79.213NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 30 1995 17:531
Glen, it's an 800 number, so it won't show up on the phone bill.
79.214BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeMon Jan 30 1995 18:054


	Gerald, I thought they did, because I know local numbers do.
79.215GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERSpace for rentMon Jan 30 1995 18:444
    
    
    Sounds interesting, Brandon.  Do they have home embalming kits and all? 
    I wonder of they charge extra for assebling the casket there. :')
79.216COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Jan 30 1995 19:003
Glen, charges for 800 numbers are not permitted to show up on phone bills.

/john
79.217STUDIO::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundMon Jan 30 1995 19:223
Hmmmmm....and just why are you asking Micheal?

You planning some "Do It Yourself"...renovations?
79.218:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERSpace for rentMon Jan 30 1995 19:248
    
    
    Just struck me as funny.  I can imagine all the aisles and accessories.
    
    As for when I go, just dig a hole and plant me.......no need for all
    the other stuff.
    
    Mike
79.219SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowMon Jan 30 1995 19:272
So, do they have shopping carts so that you lug along your
dearly departed and try on shrouds, casket styles, etc.?
79.220STUDIO::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundMon Jan 30 1995 19:405
I didn't get too many details about the configuration but heard that the aisles
(thanks Mike) were wide and the store was well lighted. (No thematic displays
I suppose)...I really hope they don't expect in-store tryouts...but even the
thought of hearing "Attention shoppers, for the next five minutes all crypts
will be reduced"...leaves a funny taste in my mouth.
79.221MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Jan 30 1995 19:444
I hope they have a nice selection of urns.

I've always hoped to be put in one with a paisley motif.

79.222SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowMon Jan 30 1995 19:457
If one of these places opens locally, I'll be sure to go in 
and make a fool of myself.  ("What do you think honey, do I look
better in the mahogany or the oak?")

I'd probably have no need to shop there, since cremation is my
preference, unless they might provide that service as well?
In by 9, out by 5, or something?
79.223WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Jan 31 1995 09:148
    -1 cremation for me, but can you see the sign?
    
    
               For The Do-It-Yourself Home Carpenter 
    
                        Unassembled Casket
    
    
79.224GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERSpace for rentTue Jan 31 1995 09:3413
    
    
    Gee Jack, I always thought you'd go for the Milwaukee's Best motif...
    
    
    Actually it does seem strange but could be a good idea.  A person could
    go in and pick out a package and keep it on file at the store.  This
    way it would save the family having to do this chore when they are at a
    vulnerable time in their lives grieving a loved one.  I can hear the
    catchy slogans now.........
    
    
    
79.225MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue Jan 31 1995 12:432
"My pattern is on file at Klutzbaum's Mortuarama"

79.226NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 31 1995 13:081
Do these places have a registry (like a bridal registry)?
79.227SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowTue Jan 31 1995 13:265
A registry, eh?  Could be a problem if I pick a pattern now.
What if I don't snuff it for, say, another 40 years, and my 
selections have been discontinued?

I'd better keep a cigar box in hand, just to be safe.
79.228MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue Jan 31 1995 14:077
79.229SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowTue Jan 31 1995 14:296
Good point, Jack.  I'd hate to burden my mourners
with a social faux pas on top of the unbearable
grief re: my passing on.  ;^)

Guess I'd better stick with the basic navy blue
and gold trim and forget that Lion King urn.
79.230ASABET::EARLYLose anything but your sense of humor.Tue Jan 31 1995 14:5416
    What a concept:
    
    "Can I help you, sir?"
    
    	"No thanks ... just browsing."
    
    "Sure ... let me know if I can help."
    
    	"This is a pretty neat one. How much?"
    
    "Oh, that's a dandy casket ... hop in. I'll get you a 
     satin pillow and you can try 'er out."
    
    
    /Intern
    
79.231CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Jan 31 1995 16:074
    	I could never understand pre-planning for a funeral.  
    
    	The way I figure it, after you're dead for 3 days or so, SOMEBODY
    	will bury you...
79.232NETCAD::WOODFORDThirty on Thursday..Proud of it.Tue Jan 31 1995 16:0911
    
    
    RE: .231...
    Why doesn't this surprise me??
    
    
    
    
    :*)
    Terrie
    
79.233;>PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsTue Jan 31 1995 16:285
>>    	I could never understand pre-planning for a funeral.  

	I could never understand "pre-planning".  

79.234MAIL2::CRANETue Jan 31 1995 16:314
    .233
    Every spring my Aunt (73 years old) goes to the cemetary to put flowers
    on her late husbands grave. At the same time she puts them on her grave
    site as well just to see what it will look like when she dies.
79.235PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsTue Jan 31 1995 16:385
	 .234

	er, the point was that "pre-planning" is redundant.

79.236I'm only thinking about planning.SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowTue Jan 31 1995 17:235
"Pre-planning", I love that word.

What is it, like, getting ready to plan,
but you can't quite commit to planning just
yet?
79.237...Attention shoppers...all caskets will be lowered for the next 15 minutes...STUDIO::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundTue Jan 31 1995 17:256
As the 17th century haiku poet Basho wrote when coming upon a grave among bamboo
shoots:

	"Ah the vicissitudes of life.
	Sad, after all to finally 
	become a bamboo shoot"
79.238CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Jan 31 1995 17:276
    	AHD says:
    
    	pre-plan, intr & tr. v., to make plans or plan in advance.
    
    	I don't see what the problem is with the word pre-planning.  It
    	certainly gets the point across as far as I am concerned!
79.239Not to be confused with...GAAS::BRAUCHERTue Jan 31 1995 17:345
    
    Yes, I suppose it would make sense to us.  We work for Digital,
    where just "planning" would be assumed to mean "post-planning".
    
    Elsewhere, the "pre-" would be the default, howsomever...  bb
79.240POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsTue Jan 31 1995 17:361
    I will have to pre-think about this....
79.241pre-plan, preplanPENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsTue Jan 31 1995 17:575
	Interesting that the new American Heritage College Dictionary
	(third edition) doesn't list it, although they do list stuff
	like "cyberpunk" and "voice mail".  ;>

79.242POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsTue Jan 31 1995 18:021
    do they list "alright" ?
79.243PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsTue Jan 31 1995 18:108
>>    do they list "alright" ?

	Yes, but it's "non-standard".  The usage note at "all right" says
	that it probably should have followed the same orthographic 
	development as "already" and "altogether", but despite its use by
	a number of reputable authors [Deirdre, Ursula, etc.], the 
	spelling "alright" has never been accepted as a standard variant.
79.244NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 31 1995 18:114
>	                                           but despite its use by
>	a number of reputable authors [Deirdre, Ursula, etc.]

But they're foreigners!  
79.245POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsTue Jan 31 1995 18:113
    So what you're saying is, I'm a trend setter?
    
    That's alright with me.
79.246MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue Jan 31 1995 18:152
Does Boutros Boutros use "alright"?

79.247POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsTue Jan 31 1995 18:281
    Oh sure Jack, make fun of my illness.
79.248POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryWed Feb 01 1995 03:163
    
    A former SO of mine, a mortician (DON'T say it), called it "pre-need
    planning".         
79.249RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Wed Feb 01 1995 12:1713
    Re .238:
    
    a) Nobody said that "pre-plan" did not have a meaning, just that it's
    redundant.
    
    b) AHD stinks.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.250POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsWed Feb 01 1995 12:573
    You had an undertaker for a SO? 
    
    Did he bring home any eatahs?
79.251NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 01 1995 12:593
I remember an Ann Landers/Dear Abby type column in which a woman complained
that her undertaker husband insisted that she take a cold bath before sex
and that she lie perfectly still during the act.
79.252PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsWed Feb 01 1995 13:105
>>    You had an undertaker for a SO? 

	So did I.  Kind of a trip, ain't it Debster?  ;>

79.253PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsWed Feb 01 1995 13:147
    b) AHD stinks.

	edp, it seems a lot of people think that.  What do you rely on
	for reference - Webster's? (assuming that you don't have the
	OED in your office).  Too bad we can't get Chambers over 
	here - at least I don't think we can.      
79.254POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryWed Feb 01 1995 13:185
    
    No eatahs 8^).
    
    And btw, he preferred "Mortician, Funeral Director and Certified
    Embalmer" to "Undertaker".
79.255BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeWed Feb 01 1995 13:205

    b) AHD stinks.

	I've heard people say that about edp...... so many accronyms...
79.256POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsWed Feb 01 1995 14:241
    So this SO didn't claim to deal with stiffs?
79.2578^)POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryWed Feb 01 1995 14:292
    
    He WAS one, that's for sure 8^p.
79.258NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 01 1995 14:491
That's good, no?
79.259<-- 8^pppPPpPpPpPpPpPPpPpPpPOWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryWed Feb 01 1995 14:572
    
    
79.260Hey Sus, just pop an apple in her mouthDECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundWed Feb 01 1995 16:216
    I like the idea of reducing funeral costs, but must the families do
    the embalming/cremations themselves????
    
    
    I can just see my sister trying to stuff me into her over :-}
    
79.261Oh wellDECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundWed Feb 01 1995 16:222
    Ooops, make that her oven!!
    
79.262SUBPAC::JJENSENJojo the Fishing WidowWed Feb 01 1995 16:3315
My family almost resorted to do-it-yourself cremation
when my grandmother died in 1987.  During that spring,
New Englanders may recall, we received a week or so of
massive rain.  Grandma died that week. She had made it
known that she wished to be cremated.  Well, due to the
weather, the local facility was inaccessible, so Grandma
had to remain on ice for more than a few days.

Then, once the cremation was finally done, we found out
that in New York City, where her ashes were to be buried, 
the cemetery workers were on strike!

It took several weeks to finally put her "to rest" at the
Lutheran Cemetery in Queens.  (Plus we had to drive from
Boston to NYC with her ashes in the trunk.  eeeeuuuwwwww.....)
79.263On the mantelpiece, actually...GAAS::BRAUCHERWed Feb 01 1995 16:424
    
      My mom (almost 80) has my Dad's ashes in a cute little urn.
    
      bb
79.264WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Feb 01 1995 16:433
    what's a little earn?
    
     Chip
79.265MAIL2::CRANEWed Feb 01 1995 16:582
    .264
    My wages at Digital!!!!
79.266RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Wed Feb 01 1995 19:2210
    Re .253:
    
    Merriam-Webster's is okay.  "Webster's" has been licensed too freely.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.267NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 01 1995 19:251
Wrong.  The name Webster's is public domain.
79.268CSC32::M_EVANSproud counter-culture McGovernikWed Feb 01 1995 19:2718
    hey grams and dads ashes have been sitting on closet shelves for some
    time.  Gram's were due to the fact that my dad wanted to see them
    scattered, and there was no way I could hike him before he died to the
    place on the peak she wants to be scattered, and now I can't do
    anything with dad's until mom can figure out a way to get to sentinel
    point and she gets altitude sickness of the worst kind above 9500 feet.  
    she is also not in shape to hike a couple of miles, let alone the 10
    from gram's favorite place to where dad wants to be dumped.
    
    They will probably sit in their respective cardboard boxes until mom
    goes.  then I will have the fun of hiking from one side of the peak to
    the other, scattering ashes in the appropriate order to make all the
    ghosts happy, and then hopping into the 4X4 to get mom in the area of
    the headwaters of the Rio Grande.  
    
    Strange rituals we have arrund such things.
    
    meg
79.269MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Wed Feb 01 1995 19:302
Perhaps that's why folks feel justified in tying up a piece of urban real
estate instead . . . 
79.270SEAPIG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROWed Feb 01 1995 19:3916
         <<< Note 79.262 by SUBPAC::JJENSEN "Jojo the Fishing Widow" >>>

>It took several weeks to finally put her "to rest" at the
>Lutheran Cemetery in Queens.  (Plus we had to drive from
>Boston to NYC with her ashes in the trunk.  eeeeuuuwwwww.....)

	It beats carry-on baggage. My mother and I had to transport
	my brother's ashes from Houston to Cleveland since none of
	the overnight services would accept the responsibility and
	we didn't feel like trusting Parcel Post.

	Luckily we had booked First Class and received special help
	from Continental's supervisor in getting the bronze box
	through Security.

Jim
79.271COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Feb 01 1995 19:397
>>Webster's has been licensed too freely.
>
>Wrong.  The name Webster's is public domain.

Public domain is free license.

/john
79.272PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsWed Feb 01 1995 19:435
>>Public domain is free license.

	That's true, according to the American Heritage.  ;>

79.273CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Wed Feb 01 1995 21:161
    	Well Webster has pre-plan in it too.
79.274Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Wed Feb 01 1995 21:552
    Wass an SO, I can't figure it out - Unless of corse you are refering
    to past lovers as Sex Objects.....
79.275Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Wed Feb 01 1995 21:561
    And yes I know I can't spell.
79.276POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryThu Feb 02 1995 01:262
    
    Significant Other, Martinluv.
79.277Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 02:325
    I kinda thought Sex Object was a better description a few hours ago.
    But, I have grown slightly older and wiser and Significant Other
    sounds poifect.
    
    Ta :^)
79.278POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsThu Feb 02 1995 02:403
    Ta?
    
    You into baby talk now?
79.279Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 02:421
    wass rong wiv Ta ?
79.280POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsThu Feb 02 1995 02:451
    ta the ba ba to da da.
79.281ta = thank youPOWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryThu Feb 02 1995 02:452
    
    
79.282notes collusionCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Feb 02 1995 02:463
In Oz (and mebbe even in England), "Ta" is short for "thanks."

/john
79.283Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 02:499
    No John you have that round the wrong way. In England "ta" is short
    for "thankyou" But I have a feeling the ozzies don't use it anywhere
    near as much.
    
    
    as for the baby talk it's......
    
    Ouchiecouchiwoowooowooodedooo....ooosalittlelovieeehey....coshumsee
    woopsiewoowoos
79.284POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryThu Feb 02 1995 02:502
    
    <-- well, that was vaguely nauseating 8^)
79.285Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 02:515
    Ohh ta very much :^) I thought it was a perfect impression of this
    person I once saw talking to a baby.
    
    I used to talk to my dog like that to confuse the hell out of her !
    She gave me the weirdest looks
79.286re .284COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Feb 02 1995 02:511
Cor, wasn't it though?
79.287POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Organic JewelryThu Feb 02 1995 02:522
    
    Not 'alf.
79.288POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsThu Feb 02 1995 02:522
    Don't have kids Martin, they'll be nuts!
    8^)
79.289COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Feb 02 1995 02:543
re .288

Wot!  'Ze a tree?
79.290POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsThu Feb 02 1995 02:561
    That was acorny joke.
79.291Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 02:575
    re .288 - Well you have to have something that runs in the family
    and I'm not talking about diarrhoea !! :^)
    
    re .289 - Well I have had a part of my body refered to as a Giant
    Red Wood before ! :^)
79.292Mr. Green JeansCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Feb 02 1995 02:596
>    re .288 - Well you have to have something that runs in the family
>    and I'm not talking about diarrhoea !! :^)

Ackshully, that runs in your genes.

/john
79.293Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 02:591
    Bwahahahahah
79.294GIDDAY::BURTLet us reason togetherThu Feb 02 1995 03:003
Pinocchio meets the woodchippers!


79.295Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMAnd monkeys might fly outa my butt!Thu Feb 02 1995 03:011
    Why I orta.....
79.296COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Feb 02 1995 03:011
Rotary snojac.
79.297GIDDAY::BURTLet us reason togetherThu Feb 02 1995 03:285
I guess a "Rotary snojac" bears no semblance to a Hills Hoist?


Chele

79.298RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Thu Feb 02 1995 11:5516
    Re .273:
    
    > Well Webster has pre-plan in it too.

    Merriam-Webster or just Webster?  If it is in Merriam-Webster, that
    just means that people do use it, which is true and not their fault. 
    The fact that it is in American Heritage means the editors are
    suggesting you can go ahead and use it, which is stupid and is their
    fault.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.299SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy, vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Thu Feb 02 1995 12:144
    
    
    WACKY NEW BRIEFS PEOPLE!!!!   WACKY NEW BRIEFS!!!!!!!
    
79.300CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Thu Feb 02 1995 12:154


 Wacky News Snarfs people
79.301fascinatin'PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsThu Feb 02 1995 12:4410
>>    The fact that it is in American Heritage means the editors are
>>    suggesting you can go ahead and use it, which is stupid and is their
>>    fault.

	How do you know what the editors are "suggesting", just out
	of curiosity?  I agree that it's a stupid word to use, but
	on what is this distinction between the dictionaries' intents
	founded?

79.302Through the courtesy of Fred's two feetDECWIN::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryThu Feb 02 1995 12:5512
    Well, given the lack of wacko new briefs, let's see if I can
    invent one.  Hey, how 'bout:
    
    Rushdie wanted to use some of the lyrics from the theme to the
    "The Flintstones" cartoon show in his new book.  But Ted Turner
    and company, who owns the rights, refused to give permission,
    because they didn't know the exact context in which the Flintstones
    lyrics would be used, and they were afraid of possible repercussions.
    
    Whoops, sorry... I didn't make that up after all!
    
    Chris
79.303POLAR::RICHARDSONhapless-random-thought-patternsThu Feb 02 1995 13:019
    This makes me wonder about the term premeditated. Is not meditated
    sufficient? premeditated to me is like saying pre-thought.

    This could create another personality with further premeditation.
    
    Glenn/Deirdre/Pamela/Franny/Ned/Dierdre/Anton/Sean/Alice/Jimi/Pauline/Rex/
    Nathan/Melanie/Ursula/Hildegard/Nigel/Boutros Boutros
    
    
79.304MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Feb 02 1995 13:014
Martin,
   SO = Salad Onion
Hth

79.305MAIL2::CRANEThu Feb 02 1995 13:013
    How`s about this," Al Bundy character really is a good football
    player". I read in this weeks TV Guide that he played for the Steelers
    and was all state for Ohio. 
79.306Support the right to arm bears (but not cows)EVMS::MORONEYThu Feb 02 1995 13:031
A cow in Columbia shoots and critically injures another cow.
79.307NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 02 1995 13:091
Columbia MD or Columbia MO?
79.308PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsThu Feb 02 1995 13:102
Columbia MOO

79.309GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampThu Feb 02 1995 13:207
    
    or possibly bogata, columbia???
    
    (don't know how to spell it and i didn't find it in the ahd...tho i did
    find the initial EDP...meaning 'electronic data processing'...)
    
    
79.310colombia...SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy, vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Thu Feb 02 1995 13:221
    
79.311GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampThu Feb 02 1995 13:275
    
    
    well, actually, i was referring to bogata...but i see i also made
    another spelling error...as neither is in my ahd...
    
79.312GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampThu Feb 02 1995 13:2810
    
    
    well, i'll be...i found it...way in the back...page 828...it's bogota...
    
    
    thank you...
    
    :>
    
    
79.313NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 02 1995 13:281
79.314GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampThu Feb 02 1995 13:579
    
    
    well, for what it is worth, your correction means squat to me...
    
    i cannot read anything with funky little accent marks and stuff like
    that...all i saw was 'Bogot .'...
    
    
    
79.315RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Thu Feb 02 1995 14:1023
    Re .301:
    
    > 	How do you know what the editors are "suggesting", just out
    >	of curiosity?
    
    1)	American Heritage's reputation
    
    2)	the tone of the book and explicit recommendations in it
    
    3)	the snotty introduction by William Buckley
    
    Aside from Buckley's comments, there's probably something else in the
    front matter that indicates the nature of the dictionary.  I can't say
    for sure, although I do recall one of the introductions was on the
    mathematics of English -- how much redundant information there is, et
    cetera.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.316WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 02 1995 14:551
    Correction... Al Bundy t-r-i-e-d out for the PS's
79.317MAIL2::CRANEThu Feb 02 1995 15:263
    My inside source who has followed the Steelers for most of his life says
    he played one year as a defensive end(?) in the 60`s. I will ask him to
    get a more specific year but I won`t be hear tomorrow. 
79.318WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 02 1995 16:474
    i believe this is incorrect. i remember reading an interview with him.
    he specifically stated try-outs... he didn't make it.
    
    Chip
79.319MAIL2::CRANEThu Feb 02 1995 16:503
    .318
    I`ll try to have a specific year for you on monday. He will double
    check his facts.
79.320NCMAIL::GEIBELLfiremen:Find'em hot leave'em wetThu Feb 02 1995 17:229
    
    
       .318
      
     I do believe that you are correct, he tried out but didnt make it, but
    he was all state in ohio.
    
                                                           Lee
    
79.321SUBPAC::SADINcaught in the 'netFri Feb 03 1995 10:446
The angel of death lands role as Valentine's Day cherub

    [n.America] THE wistful-looking cherub on 1.4 billion stamps being
   issued to mark St Valentine's Day is hardly a token of romantic love.
   By mistake, the US Postal Service has chosen the angel of death
   
79.322an HK Colt eh? Where can I get one? :*)SUBPAC::SADINcaught in the 'netFri Feb 03 1995 10:459
Bodyguard Gloria serves with stars

    [europe] A FEMALE bodyguard has been assigned to protect Boris Becker
   and Michael Stich during a Davis Cup tie against Croatia. The security
   specialist, identified only as a 28-year-old called Gloria, is armed
   with a Heckler and Koch Colt for her duties with the tennis players in
   Karlsruhe
   
79.323SEAPIG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROFri Feb 03 1995 12:546
            <<< Note 79.322 by SUBPAC::SADIN "caught in the 'net" >>>
>                  -< an HK Colt eh? Where can I get one? :*) >-

	At your General Motors Ford dealership. '-)

Jim
79.324SUBPAC::SADINcaught in the 'netFri Feb 03 1995 13:064
    
    
    	<snicker - snicker>
    
79.325PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRFri Feb 03 1995 13:0815
    On the drive-in this AM I heard a piece of the following story:
    
    A man, I believe from Virginia, borrowed his girlfriend's car.  He then
    proceeded to go and rob a bank.  As he left the bank and went back to
    his car, he realized he left the hold up note on the counter. He went
    back into the back to retieve said note, then ran out.  He then
    realized he left the car keys in the bank. He panicked and ran home.
    
    Once he got to the girlfriend's, she wanted to know 'where' her car
    was.  He told her the whole story.  She called 911, they pick up the
    man, and put 2+2 together and find the holdup note, car, and id the
    clueless bank robber.
    
    
    
79.326CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantMon Feb 06 1995 13:4411
    From USA Today, 2/3/95..
    
    Nashville police are investigating whether Raymond Mitchell, 45,
    committed rape by fraud when he called women late at night, persuaded
    them to unlock their door, undress, put on a blindfold and wait for him
    in bed.  Three women did so, thinking he was their boyfriend.  One
    woman had sex with the so-called Fantasy Man, twice a week for two
    months.  Mitchell, married with two children, claims the sex was
    consensual.  
    
    Brian
79.327WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceMon Feb 06 1995 16:001
    I guess he was, uh, average in all respects.
79.328MSBCS::EVANSMon Feb 06 1995 17:215
Wonder how he was discovered?  Must have been quite a scene!

Jim

79.329NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 06 1995 17:221
According to the story I read, the blindfold slipped.
79.330SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareMon Feb 06 1995 17:312
    
    ...after more than two years of frequent visits.
79.331PENUTS::DDESMAISONStoo few argsMon Feb 06 1995 17:345
    
>>    ...after more than two years of frequent visits.

	thought it was two months, no?

79.332SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy, vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Mon Feb 06 1995 17:403
    
    Maybe it just seemed like two years...
    
79.333SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareMon Feb 06 1995 17:413
    i coulda misread it.  been caught doing that once or twice before.  i
    knew i shoulda scanned the article in, it would have been fodder for
    much box merriment, i'm sure.
79.334POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerMon Feb 06 1995 17:531
    2 years?!? Wow, I can only manage 30 seconds.
79.335SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareMon Feb 06 1995 17:542
    you should buy that book, glenn, the one called "the one-minute
    manager."
79.336POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerMon Feb 06 1995 17:581
    Or "the one minute mangler"
79.337GLRMAI::DWESSELSLife is like working for Digital... FGWed Feb 08 1995 19:127
    re .321
    
    this troubles me...  I used these stamps for my wedding invitation
    response envelopes!!  
    
    /dlw
    formerly_a_read-only_noter_who_is_now_worried_about_omens
79.338NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 09 1995 11:4214
A Vietnamese metallurgy magazine has been ordered to
recall an issue that the government said had too many
stories about cannibalism, polygamists and the secrets
of embalming bodies.

In Stockholm, Sweden, a convicted killer barred from
recording his trial beat up his two defense attorneys
with the tape recorder, briefly halting the trial.

An etching by French impressionist Auguste Renoir was
found gathering dust on a filing cabinet in an
Australian country town decades after it had been
donated to a now-defunct rural college as a pig-
breeding trophy.
79.339From the net...GAAS::BRAUCHERThu Feb 09 1995 12:5646
Subj:	Whale Removal
    
The Farside comes to life in Oregon.
    
I am absolutely not making this incident up; in fact I have it all
on videotape.  The tape is from a local TV news show in Oregon, which 
sent a reporter out to cover the removal of a 45-foot, eight-ton
dead whale that washed up on the beach.  The responsibility for 
getting rid of the carcass was placed on the Oregon State Highway 
Division, apparently on the theory that highways and whales are 
very similar in the sense of being large objects.
    
So anyway, the highway engineers hit upon the plan--remember, I am 
not making this up--of blowing up the whale with dynamite. The 
thinking is that the whale would be blown into small pieces, which 
would be eaten by seagulls, and that would be that.  A textbook 
whale removal.
    
So they moved the spectators back up the beach, put a half-ton of 
dynamite next to the whale and set it off.  I am probably not guilty 
of understatement when I say that what follows, on the videotape, is 
the most wonderful event in the history of the universe. First you 
see the whale carcass disappear in a huge blast of smoke and flame. 
Then you hear the happy spectators shouting "Yayy!" and "Whee!" 
Then, suddenly, the crowd's tone changes. You hear a new sound like 
"splud."  You hear a woman's voice shouting "Here come pieces of... 
MY GOD!" Something smears the camera lens.
    
Later, the reporter explains: "The humor of the entire situation 
suddenly gave way to a run for survival as huge chunks of whale blubber 
fell everywhere." One piece caved in the roof of a car parked more than 
a quarter of a mile away.  Remaining on the beach were several rotting 
whale sectors the size of condominium units.  There was no sign of the 
seagulls who had no doubt permanently relocated to Brazil.
    
This is a very sobering videotape.  Here at the institute we watch
it often, especially at parties. But this is no time for gaiety.  This 
is a time to get hold of the folks at the Oregon State Highway Division 
and ask them, when they get done cleaning up the beaches, to give us an 
estimate on the US Capitol.
    
Tom Mahoney, #9,  Coast Guard Sqn.1/Div.13 CatLo

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Received: from inet-gw-3.pa.dec.com by us1rmc.bb.dec.com (5.65/rmc-22feb94) id AA07239; Wed, 1 Feb 95 17:24:56 -050
79.340NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 09 1995 13:034
re .339:

That's stolen from a 1990 Dave Barry column, note 602 in the Dave_Barry
notesfile.
79.341SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Thu Feb 09 1995 17:4810
    PHILADELPHIA - A former parking official who filed a disability claim
    after tripping in an elevator says he now has another debilitating
    problem - negative press. Michael McAleer, 57, has asked the city Board
    of Pensions and Retirement to triple has $951 monthly pension check,
    saying bad publicity surrounding his original claim has caused him to
    suffer from insomnia, agitation and tightness in his chest. McAleer
    said the negative press compounded the stress he suffered on the job
    before he retired in April 1993 and the problems have kept him from
    getting another job. The full nine-member pension board votes on the
    matter next week.(AP)
79.342Glenn??? Are all of you out there??SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Thu Feb 09 1995 17:539
    FRANFORT, Ky. - Toni Tenner says she remained faithful to her husband;
    it was Andrea, one of her 13 personalities, who cheated on him. "She
    admits that her body committed adultery," Stanley Spees, the lawyer for
    Mark Tenner, told the Kentucky Supreme Court yesterday. But Spees said
    Mrs. Tenner, who is appealing the amount of the alimony she gets, could
    control the switching of her personalities. According to court records,
    Mrs. Tenner's phychiatrist said she has 13 personalities, and the one
    known as Andrea had the extramarital affair that Mark Tenner blames for
    the beginning of the breakup.(AP)
79.343NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 09 1995 17:597
Troy, Ohio -- A man charged with domestic violence for spanking and bruising
his 10-year-old son allowed police to paddle him in a plea bargain, his lawyer
said yesterday.  Prosecutors agreed to drop the charge if the 33-year-old man
allowed a police officer to strike him three times on the buttocks with the
same paddle he had used on his son.  The 8-inch-long paddle, with the words
"Board of Education," was then destroyed.  The paddling was carried out Feb. 1
in the office of Jose Lopez, the man's lawyer. (AP)
79.344Just a spanking???? sigh...BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Feb 09 1995 18:024


	That's it? 
79.345TROOA::COLLINSDistributed being...Thu Feb 09 1995 18:037
    
    >The 8-inch-long paddle, with the words
    >"Board of Education," was then destroyed.

    Thank God!  Can you imagine what would have happened if that paddle had
    made it out onto the streets?
    
79.346NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 09 1995 18:042
Glen, I suggest you turn yourself in to the Troy Ohio police department
and confess to domestic violence.
79.347MAIL2::CRANEThu Feb 09 1995 18:054
    .343
    If I amy quote from my lapel pin, "Sticks and stones may break my bones
    but whips and chains excite me". Would I be allowed to go back for
    more?
79.348BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Feb 09 1995 18:057
| <<< Note 79.346 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

| Glen, I suggest you turn yourself in to the Troy Ohio police department
| and confess to domestic violence.


	Huh? 
79.349DELNI::CRITZScott Critz, LKG2/1, Pole V3Thu Feb 09 1995 18:066
    	RE: 79.343...
    
    	That's my home town. My mom still lives there. I think I'll
    	print this out and ask her about it.
    
    	Scott
79.350NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 09 1995 18:061
You mean you don't want to get spanked by a policeman in uniform?
79.351BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Feb 09 1995 18:076
| <<< Note 79.347 by MAIL2::CRANE >>>


| If I amy quote from my lapel pin, 

	You're name is AMY?????  HAAA!
79.352BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Feb 09 1995 18:098
| <<< Note 79.350 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

| You mean you don't want to get spanked by a policeman in uniform?

	Wow.... another one by me today.... when they said he got spanked, and
I said that's all? Just spanked? sigh...... it was due to I was pissed as that
was the only punishment handed down, not because I wanted him to get more
sexual fulfillment in his life....
79.353MAIL2::CRANEThu Feb 09 1995 18:104
    .347
    OOOOPPPPPPS! It should have said If I may quote from my lapel pin,
    Picky,picky,picky, I`m almost ready to go home and you expect me to
    know how to spell too!
79.354BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Feb 09 1995 18:137


	Your NAME in here will be known as AMY!  Vain attempts to cover it up
with "may" will NOT work in the BOX! 


79.355TROOA::COLLINSDistributed being...Thu Feb 09 1995 18:228
    
    STOCKHOLM (AP) - In an embarrassing admission, Swedish defence ministry
    analysts say many signals detected by the navy's high-tech bouys and
    thought to be foreign submarines were just the sounds of swimming
    minks.  The report - coming after the military conceded that an animal
    set off a weeks-long sub hunt in the Baltic Sea last spring - was
    leaked to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper and published yesterday.
    
79.356When?DYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Thu Feb 09 1995 18:2410
79.357NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 09 1995 18:442
The paddling story was in today's Boston Globe.  I reproduced it in its entirety
(i.e. no date is mentioned).
79.358CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Feb 09 1995 18:586
    	re .343
    
    	I'll have to assume (in the absence of details) that the man
    	did more than just spank the kid with a paddle to warrant 
    	police intervention.  If not, most of our parents should have
    	criminal records today.
79.359REFINE::KOMARMy congressman is a crookThu Feb 09 1995 20:156
	RE: paddling

	Don't be so sure that there is more to it.  I have heart of
cases like this one.

ME
79.360SEAPIG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROThu Feb 09 1995 23:5316
      <<< Note 79.358 by CSC32::J_OPPELT "Whatever happened to ADDATA?" >>>

>    	I'll have to assume (in the absence of details) that the man
>    	did more than just spank the kid with a paddle to warrant 
>    	police intervention.  If not, most of our parents should have
>    	criminal records today.

	You may want to assume that, but today if you leave a visible
	mark, you can go to jail for child abuse.

	A good swat with a wooden paddle will probably leave such
	marks.

Jim


79.361MAIL2::CRANEFri Feb 10 1995 09:582
    Spanking in N.J. is o.k. but I`m not sure I`d use a paddle that big on
    him. My preferance wpould be my hand...
79.362WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceFri Feb 10 1995 10:151
    8" is not big.
79.363MAIL2::CRANEFri Feb 10 1995 10:202
    .362
    My hand is larger...its 9".
79.364GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampFri Feb 10 1995 11:306
    
    >>> 8" is not big.
    
    well, to some it is... :> :>
    
    
79.3658^)POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Orgastic BlissFri Feb 10 1995 11:5310
    
    >WAHOO::LEVESQUE "luxure et supplice"
    
    >8" is not big.
    
    
    
    {ahem} er, Mark, doing anything tonight?
    
    
79.36617 years and 5 wrecks later...EVMS::MORONEYFri Feb 10 1995 12:192
Man in England gets his driver's license after passing his driving test,
his 632nd attempt to do so.
79.367SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Fri Feb 10 1995 12:3415
    
    RE: .361
    
    I would think about your preference...
    
    Remember, those are the same hands that reach down and console,
    comfort, hug and hold.. and love that child...
    
     What's best is something designated as the punishing instrument...
    left out or hanging in plain sight... 
    
      You wouldn't believe how infrequently it has to be used just by
    calling attention to where it is and the "possibility" of it being
    administered.
    
79.374BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeFri Feb 10 1995 13:256
| <<< Note 79.362 by WAHOO::LEVESQUE "luxure et supplice" >>>

| 8" is not big.


	ohhh.... nevermind....
79.375NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 10 1995 14:03126
WEIRDNUZ.364 (News of the Weird, January 27, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In Columbia, S. C., in December, Rev. Noel Vande Grift revealed
plans to expand his 20-member [Richard M.] Nixon Memorial Church,
a congregation blending Baptist and Quaker preachings.  Vande
Grift said the inspiration to name the church after the former
president came during a prayer.  He told reporters the church
would be the largest in the South by the year 2010. [The State
(Columbia), 12-28-94]

THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

* Non-Whitewater news from Arkansas:  In Eureka Springs, alderman
candidate Louise Berry died on October 6, but her supporters
continued to run ads against her opponent.  On November 8, because
of the effectiveness of the campaign, Berry pulled out a narrow
victory.  In September, attorney-general candidate Dan Ivy won his
fight to stay on the ballot despite having been convicted of
beating his wife two months earlier.  Mrs. Ivy had helpfully made
an audio recording of the beating; on the tape, Ivy appeared
mainly concerned about recovering valuable coins his wife had put
in a safe-deposit box.  After Ivy told her he wanted his coins,
she reminded him it was Sunday and that the box was not
accessible; during the remainder of the 30-minute tape, Ivy says
"I want my coins" 76 more times. Ivy lost the election. [Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette, Aug94, Sept94]

* In August, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Billy Inmon collapsed
and had to be hospitalized after a 27-day hunger strike outside
the Capitol in Columbus.  He was trying to get incumbent George
Voinovich to debate him, but Voinovich never did.  However, 18
days into the strike, a man protesting Inmon's anti-gay policies
urinated on Inmon's tent, provoking Inmon to point a gun at him.
[Canton Repository-AP, 8-29-94]

* In May, Richard Finney, 34, flunked his driver's license exam in
Topeka, Kan.  The next day he returned to the exam office,
accompanied by his mother, Gov. Joan Finney, who, according to a
licensing employee "was mad.  She was real mad."  After the
governor scolded the examiners, Richard Finney was escorted to the
front of the line and administered the exam again, by the
supervisor of the office.  He passed. [Topeka Capital-Journal-
Kansas City Star, May94]

* In the April election for city council in Ypsilanti, Mich.,
incumbent Geoffrey Rose turned over his voter list to student
Frank Houston, 18, who had offered to help him get out the vote.
Armed with the list, Houston went door to door and then won the
election himself as a write-in candidate.  He told reporters
afterward that he did not deceive Rose:  "All I ever said all
along was that I was going to get people to vote." [Greenville (S.
C.) News-AP, 4-7-94]

* In Rice, Minn., Virgil Nelson and Mitch Fiedler, who tied 90- 90
in the November election for a city council seat, settled the race
by drawing cards.  On the first try, both drew 8's, and on the
second, both drew aces.  Then Nelson drew a 7, and Fiedler drew an
8 for the victory. [St. Cloud Times-AP, 11-19-94, 11- 21-94]

* In August, Mascotte, Fla., mayor Josh Thomas was arrested and
charged with stealing nearly $7,000 worth of dirt, over a period
of several days, from a construction site. [Orlando Sentinel,
8-19-94]

* Marion Barry, re-elected as mayor of Washington, D. C., after
serving six months in prison on a 1991 cocaine possession charge,
was assisted by the 75-felon-member Coalition of Ex- Offenders,
who went door to door campaigning for him.  According to organizer
"Roach" Brown, the Coalition members were especially helpful
because they went into the toughest neighborhoods to register D.
C.'s substantial criminal population, most of whom were unaware
that a 1976 law gave them voting rights. [Washington Times,
10-18-94]

CLICHES COME TO LIFE

* In April in Grand Junction, Colo., Ed Tucker bought his son a
toy airplane made in Taiwan.  When he unpacked it, he found a note
in English written by a man who said he was being held prisoner
and subjected to human rights abuses and begging someone to help
him. [Independence Examiner-AP, 4-20-94]

* In December in Pittsburgh, Pa., two inmates escaped from
Allegheny County Jail by tying bedsheets together and making a
200-foot rope, which they hung out a window and climbed down.
[Kansas City Star-AP, 12-20-94]

* In June, Damian Michael Toya, 22, pleaded guilty to voluntary
manslaughter in Albuquerque, N. Mex., for shooting his father to
death.  Toya claimed his father had long ridiculed him for being
gay and unmanly.  According to Toya, the father's last words, when
Toya pointed the gun at him, were, "You don't have the guts to do
it." [Albuquerque Journal, 6-23-94]

* Federal law permits victims' lawyers in civil rights cases, if
they win, to have their fees and expenses paid by the losing
party.  Among the expenses that Rodney King's lawyers submitted to
the City of Los Angeles for compensation were these:  Accompanying
King to see the film "Malcolm X" ($1,300); reading a newspaper
article about the trial (20 minutes) ($81.25); and attending
King's 1991 birthday party ($650).  The total requested was $4.4
million, more than King himself won in the lawsuit ($3.8 million).
[N. Y. Times, 10-30-94; St.  Petersburg Times-Seattle Times,
10-17-94]

* A month after Susan Smith said a carjacker made off with her two
boys in Union, S. C., a man in Lubbock, Tex., jumped into Donna
Robles's Dodge and sped off, probably unaware that her son, Ethan,
3, was strapped in the back seat.  The car was found crashed two
blocks away, with Ethan unhurt.  Police speculate that Ethan's
beginning to cry so startled the thief that he lost control of the
car.  He escaped. [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 12- 2-94]

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* Annette Green, president of an association of perfume and
cologne manufacturers, on why some celebrity-named products sell
well but not others:  "As it turns out, people didn't necessarily
want to smell like Cher." [Chicago Sun-Times, 12- 28-94]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.376CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantFri Feb 10 1995 14:091
    <---- These were funny, yes indeedy.
79.377SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Fri Feb 10 1995 15:564
    
    I'd like to find out a little more about this law in D.C. that allows
    criminals to vote... anyone know more about it?
    
79.378CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Sat Feb 11 1995 13:3525
	I came across another weird-story service.  The posting ends
    	with the following, so I assume that I can't post in here
    	the copy I received.  But it has some really good stuff in
    	it -- at least the single copy I received.
    
    
TO RECEIVE "THIS JUST IN" every week free by e-mail, send e-mail to
  listserv@netcom.com with the message: "subscribe this-just-in"
  (without quotes) -- please, nothing else on the line. To UNSUBSCRIBE
  or for HELP subscribing, e-mail this-just-in-approval@netcom.com; a
  human will help. Comments are welcome: e-mail arcie@netcom.com or
  write to Randy c/o Freelance Communications, PO Box 1895, Upland CA
  91785-1895 USA, fax 818 791-0405.

Copyright 1995 by Randy Cassingham, All Rights Reserved. Permission
  granted to circulate this publication by retransmission via manual
  forwarding on e-mail to another single person providing that 1) the
  file is transmitted IN ITS ENTIRETY, from the title and byline on top
  to the end of this paragraph, and 2) NO FEE is charged. Any other
  publication or storage -- including on BBSs, "FTP" archives, CD-ROM,
  listservers, or any other type of information retrieval systems -- is
  STRICTLY PROHIBITED without PRIOR written permission. That's not too
  much to ask, is it?

We hope you enjoy TJI!                   ** End of automated message. **
79.379CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Sat Feb 11 1995 14:5211
    	And to get News of the Weird (I've posted excerpts from it
    	previously) do:
    
>    Send a mail message to NotW-Request@NINE.Org.  The subject line is
>    ignored, and in the body of the message type:
>
>    subscribe your name  
>
>    So for me, I typed: subscribe Joe Oppelt

    	That's it!
79.380FFFAAAATTTTAAAALLLL Attraction!PNTAGN::WARRENFELTZRMon Feb 13 1995 10:5421
    2/12/95 off Prodigy News
    
    Spurned girlfriend takes revenge
         Albany, NY
    A woman has been charged with putting the head of a coyote in her
    ex-boyfriend's car, a dead squirrel at his doorstep, and a dead cat in
    his hot tub, police said.
       
    Stephanie Hubbs,31, faces 4 misdemeanor counts of harassment and one
    count of criminal trespass.  She was arraigned Thursday on $7500 bail.
    
    She allegedly left eerie and harassing notes to her former boyfriend
    with each animal's corpse.  
    
    The harassment allegedly started on Christmas Day when the boyfriend
    found ther dead squirrel on his doorstepp.  It continued periodically
    until last Monday when Hubbs allegedly left a live puppy in the man's
    bbackyard in below-freezing temperatures.
    
    Hubbs told police she found the dead coyote, decapitated it and placed
    it in the car.
79.381Could be Spikes BrotherMAIL2::CRANEMon Feb 13 1995 11:001
    I don`t think I`ll read this to Spike with the 6:00 news tonight.
79.382EVMS::MORONEYMon Feb 13 1995 12:126
A Palestinian shepherd has a billy goat that has one teat that gives milk.
There is a waiting list of men, both Israeli and Palestinian, to buy the
milk, at about $33/glass.  The purchasers believe the milk will cure impotence.
The goat gives only 2 glasses of milk per day. 

The goat is otherwise a normal male, and has sired 50 kids.
79.383SMURF::MSCANLONoh-oh. It go. It gone. Bye-bye.Mon Feb 13 1995 12:405
    re: .383
    
    Well, at $33 a glass I know one thing it WILL cure:
    
    The owner's poverty :-)
79.384TROOA::COLLINSDistributed being...Mon Feb 13 1995 16:476
    
    Toronto comedy troupe `The Blockheads' are being sued by `The Jerry
    Springer Show' for fooling Springer with a false scenario about a man 
    who cheated on his wife with the babysitter, and tells his wife about
    it (for the first time) on the show.
     
79.385COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Feb 14 1995 03:218
   Remember that case where the operators of a sex BBS in California
   were charged and convicted of obscenity under Memphis standards?

   Well, lawyers in Pakistan want to extradite Michael Jackson and
   Madonna -- and try them for destroying Islamic moral values.

/john
79.386POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerTue Feb 14 1995 03:261
    Benazir Bhutto is a babe.
79.387LJSRV2::KALIKOWTechnology Hunter/GathererTue Feb 14 1995 05:462
       Yep, anyone who answers to the nickname "Pinky" flips MY nickel.
    
79.388WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceTue Feb 14 1995 10:151
    nickle. hth. ;-)
79.389LJSRV2::KALIKOWTechnology Hunter/GathererTue Feb 14 1995 10:544
    I'm clearly missing summat.  Summat FEELTHY.  Please please, a free clue!??
    
    |-{:-)
    
79.390For oldsters onlyDECWIN::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryTue Feb 14 1995 12:315
    >>   Yep, anyone who answers to the nickname "Pinky" flips MY nickel.
    
    Pinky Lee?  (Who died a couple of years ago at a ripe old age, btw)
    
    Chris
79.391DC-Not even a fun place to visit!USAT05::WARRENFELTZRFortius,aka I'm Outta Here!Thu Feb 16 1995 11:4023
    Last week, Marion Barry tried to get the DC City Council to raise the
    business tax rate, generating $41 M for a city hemmoraging (sp?) in
    over $700 M in debt.  
    
    2 city councilmen voted against the increase.  Monday, inflamed, Barry
    threatened to reduce the police force in those two wards.  Needless to
    say, city-hall was flooded with calls from irate citizenry to the
    president of the Nat'l Police Chiefs Assn.
    
    Wednesday, Barry said the press misrepresented him and this was blown
    out of proportion.
    
    The SEC is investigating Barry, ex mayor Kelly and City Council
    President who went to Wall Street in November after Barry was elected
    Mayor to get a $250M loan, insinuating that this was the extent of the
    city's debt.  Two weeks ago, Barry disclosed the $700M debt figure. 
    
    BTW, Maryland doesn't want ANY part of annexing DC.  I believe Congress
    should use it's existing power [remove home rule}, remove Barry and 
    appoint an administrator to run the city while a full blown audit in each
    department and its finances.  Maybe by October 1 and the new FY, things
    can be straight enough to allow DC to rule itself again. 
               
79.393MAIL2::CRANEThu Feb 16 1995 12:011
    Tahts equiv to DEC stock now...at least we`re not alone.
79.394A trend ?GAAS::BRAUCHERThu Feb 16 1995 12:385
    
      According to the Times in London, global weirdness declined
     2% in 1994.
    
      bb
79.395POWDML::LAUERIntoxicatingly ConnectedThu Feb 16 1995 13:184
    
    I wonder who got (er...became) less weird.  I know my personal W.Q. 
    (weirdness quotient) increased in 1994.
                        
79.396I'll drink to that!!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Thu Feb 16 1995 13:191
    
79.397<-- ...hey!POWDML::LAUERIntoxicatingly ConnectedThu Feb 16 1995 13:251
    
79.398Or listened to talk radio, either61875::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryThu Feb 16 1995 14:307
    >>  According to the Times in London, global weirdness declined
    >>  2% in 1994.
    
    Obviously they haven't been watching American daytime TV
    talk shows.
    
    Chris
79.399NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 16 1995 14:391
It could be explained by a decrease in weirdness outside the U.S.
79.400Snarfy News BriefsPOWDML::LAUERIntoxicatingly ConnectedThu Feb 16 1995 14:461
    
79.401POWDML::LAUERIntoxicatingly ConnectedThu Feb 16 1995 14:474
    
    .399
    
    There's been no decrease of weirdness in Canada.
79.402WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 16 1995 14:503
    -1 which leaves it... where? :-)
    
    Chip
79.403MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Feb 16 1995 14:506
The story I heard said that the "weirdness index" is calculated based on
various "sightings" and reports of strange phenomena. I forget which
factors were noted as "up" in 94, but I did hear that the number of
reports of aquatic monsters was down, i.e fewer sightings of Nessie,
as an example.

79.404Weirder than Nessie61875::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryThu Feb 16 1995 14:524
    But fewer sightings of Nessie has been countered by increased
    sightings of Barney.
    
    Chris
79.405CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Thu Feb 16 1995 15:1310


 According to a headline (and picture!) in the Weekly World News, Nessie,
 is alas, dead.  Apparantly she was quite ill and beached herself on the
 shore of the Lock, and several locals arrived to view the her corpse.



 Jim
79.406NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 16 1995 15:191
Loch.
79.407:*)SPEZKO::FRASERMobius Loop; see other sideThu Feb 16 1995 15:208
        It is purely coincidence that Nessie has not been sighted since
        I quit swimming in Loch Ness and moved to the US.
        
        Andy
        
        PS.  The  Fraser  clan  lands are at the NW end of the loch and
        the Grant clan lands are at the NE end ...
        
79.408Nessy on vacationKAOA09::KAOU55::MCGREGORThu Feb 16 1995 15:346
Apparently there was no cases of human sponteneous combustion. Usually
there is a case a year. Wonder what these people eat/drink?

Also in the article it mentioned that a Nessy type creature had been spotted
in Venezuela. Perhaps Nessy was picked up by a gail force wind and landed in 
South America.
79.409NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 16 1995 15:534
>Apparently there was no cases of human sponteneous combustion. Usually
>there is a case a year. Wonder what these people eat/drink?

MSG and Aspertame, of course.
79.410MSBCS::EVANSThu Feb 16 1995 16:007
The birth of a white buffalo was mentioned as one of the big weirdness items.
Last I heard on this, they were going to do some genetic testing to determine
if this "white buffalo" had some cow genes.

Jim

79.411POWDML::LAUERIntoxicatingly ConnectedThu Feb 16 1995 16:042
    Apparently there were
    gale force wind
79.412CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Thu Feb 16 1995 16:059


>    Apparently there were
>    gale force wind



   And His Orchrestra
79.413orchestraPOWDML::LAUERIntoxicatingly ConnectedThu Feb 16 1995 16:192
    
    
79.414CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Thu Feb 16 1995 16:265


 Oops...I had an extra "r" hanging around here so I thought I'd sneak it
 in there..
79.415NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 17 1995 13:47128
WEIRDNUZ.365 (News of the Weird, February 3, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Among the recent uses of DNA genetic "fingerprinting":
Scientists at Oxford University are using it to determine the
gender of the world's rarest bird, the Brazilian blue Spix macaw,
whose males ostensibly completely resemble females.  In Panama
City, Fla., prosecutors introduced DNA-matched sperm samples from
Sheriff Al Harrison and his office carpet (even though Harrison
had machine-cleaned it) in his January trial for forcing female
inmates to perform oral sex on him. And authorities in Cocoa,
Fla., filed cattle rustling charges against two men in November
after matching the DNA of a calf that was the offspring of a
purebred, slaughtered cow with the DNA in an uncooked slab of pot
roast the men allegedly sold after cutting it from the cow. [Globe
& Mail, 12-17-94; St. Petersburg Times,
1-26-94; St. Petersburg Times, 11-10-94]

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* Gordon Davey, 30, was named in November by a TV show in London
as Britain's most boring man, after he waxed rhapsodic about his
extensive collection of brown paper, which he said has fascinated
him ever since he was an art student.  Said Davey, "I shall
obviously have to try to be more interesting and less obsessive."
[St. Louis Post-Dispatch-Reuters, 11-13-94]

* Police in Washington, D. C., and its Maryland and Virginia
suburbs conducted a three-week campaign in November to increase
motorist awareness of traffic signals, including the mass
distribution of "I Stop for Red Lights" bumper stickers.
[Washington Post, 11-17-94]

* California's January 1994 earthquake officially killed 58
people, but within six months, the state had received almost 400
requests for the $6,000 burial grants, from federal disaster
funds, by people claiming their dead relatives perished because of
the quake. [Los Angeles Times, Jun94]

* In July, Vickye L. Phye, 34, pleaded guilty to lesser charges in
Nashville, Tenn., after having been accused of the rape of a 39-
year-old woman.  According to the victim, Phye had demanded to
perform oral sex on her and then had "started rubbing me like a
man would."  Tennessee law defines rape as "any" sexual
penetration. [The Tennessean, 7-20-94]

* According to a Thanksgiving press release from the Butterball
company, the highlight of calls to the company's emergency hotline
occurred in 1993 when a woman reported that her pet chihuahua had
jumped into the cavity of the family's turkey and was stuck.
[Greensboro News-Record, Nov94]

* In November, Japan's Economic Planning Agency, in an annual
report, called on Japanese husbands to participate more in family
activities.  Agency surveys estimated that 85% of husbands "never"
help their wives with household chores and that younger women,
knowing this, are increasingly declining marriage, resulting in a
falling birth rate that alarms the Agency.  [St. Petersburg
Times-Reuters, 11-24-94]

* In October, William Soule, 71, on probation on DUI charges in
Dubuque, Iowa, turned himself in and said he'd rather go to jail.
Said Soule, "I can't take another year of probation."  And in
September, Kansas prisoner Joe Carr, 77, convicted of murder in
1941, passed up his parole-board hearing for the 15th consecutive
time.  But another Kansas inmate, murderer Marvin D. Brockett, 64,
is vying for parole.  Since age 7, Brockett has been free of
correctional facilities only for a total of three years. [Dubuque
Telegraph Herald, 10-8-94; Sikeston (Mo.) Standard Democrat- AP,
8-9-94; The State (Columbia, S. C.)-K. C. Star, 8-2-94]

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

* In July, Robert Minahan, a chef who specializes in crocodile
cuisine at a resort in the Kakadu National Park in Australia, was
attacked by a 6-foot crocodile while swimming at Barramundi Gorge.
Said Minahan, "It feels strange to be on the other end of the food
chain." [Athens Messenger-AP, Jul94]

* In Grand Junction, Colo., in September, retired Chicago police
officer Arthur R. Smith, 56, allegedly a hit man who fired several
gunshots at Rita Quam, but missed, had a heart attack and died
when police officers arrived to arrest him. [Chicago Sun- Times,
9-15-94]

* In September, four women, using a chemical spray, allegedly
attacked another woman who had beaten them to a parking space at
the Galleria mall in Glendale, Calif., sending the woman to the
hospital.  Police went to the parking lot, looking for the women,
and found them having an argument outside their car because the
keys were locked inside.  After finding the chemical spray, police
charged the women with assault, then helped open the car--and
found  shoplifted clothing in the back seat. [L. A. Daily News,
10-1-94]

* The Chicago Tribune, reporting in July on the trial of a
marriage matchmaker in Guangzhou Province, related the testimony
of a barber who agreed to offer his unwilling wife to the
matchmaker for a scam in which they would sell the woman to a
farmer, collect the fee, then immediately retrieve her.  The
barber was first cheated out of the promised reward and now faces
life in prison for selling his wife.  Furthermore, the wife
preferred the farmer, anyway, and will not be returning to the
barber. [Chicago Tribune, Jul94]

I DON'T THINK SO

* In November, acting on a tip, Juneau, Alaska, police raided the
hotel room of an Oregon man and found cocaine and $10,000 in cash,
which the man later relinquished in his haste to leave the state
before charges were filed.  When police asked him why he had such
a large amount of cash, he said it was given to him by a woman
(whose name he could not recall) as a reward for great sex.
[Anchorage Daily News-AP, 11-4-94]

* Ener Arcilla Henson, 34, was arrested in Glendale, Calif., in
January and charged with stealing a "humvee" military vehicle from
the local National Guard armory.  Police said Henson was driving
the vehicle at night without lights, refused to acknowledge them
when they signaled him to pull over, and said, when finally
stopped, that President Clinton had given him the humvee. [[Los
Angeles Daily News, 1-9-95]]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material, or of the name News of the Weird.
79.416Math is hardDECWIN::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryFri Feb 17 1995 15:2010
    Paullll Harrrrveyyyy reports this morning that one restaurant
    began offering one-third-pound hamburgers, to entice customers
    away from their competitor who was offering quarter-pound
    hamburgers.
    
    But the restaurant soon withdrew the 1/3 pounders; sales were
    at a virtual standstill because most consumers had believed that
    1/3 pound is less than 1/4 pound.
    
    Chris
79.417UHUH::MARISONScott MarisonFri Feb 17 1995 16:1311
>    But the restaurant soon withdrew the 1/3 pounders; sales were
>    at a virtual standstill because most consumers had believed that
>    1/3 pound is less than 1/4 pound.

They're right... If I want to eat 1 pound of hamburgers then I only
need to eat 3 1/3 pounders... but I'll need to eat 4 of those 1/4 
punders, so I'm eating more...

;-)

/scott
79.418SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Fri Feb 17 1995 16:3516
    
    RE: last few
    
     Was at the deli counter of my supermarket not too long ago and asked
    the person for a 1/3 pound of something.... 
    
     I could see the perplexed look on his face as he started to pile more
    and more on.... 
    
      He was up to about 3/4 lb. when I quietly whispered to him...
    
     Pssssst... that .33 of a pound....
    
    
     Edjumacation in this country!! Ain't it wonderful!!!
    
79.419NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 17 1995 16:372
Several years ago a teenager asked me the time.  I said it was quarter to
four.  She had a hard time figuring out what that was in "digital time."
79.420SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Fri Feb 17 1995 16:396
    
    Don't ya love it!!!
    
    You hand the clerk a $20 and a $1 for an $11.00 purchase and they don't
    know what to do....!!!
    
79.421BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeFri Feb 17 1995 16:429
| <<< Note 79.419 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>



| Several years ago a teenager asked me the time.  I said it was quarter to
| four.  She had a hard time figuring out what that was in "digital time."


	You mean it was 1:00?????  <stolen from the Richardsons>
79.422MPGS::MARKEYCalm down: it's only 1s and 0sFri Feb 17 1995 16:4312
    For people this profoundly moronic (sorry, but math stupidity is a sore
    spot for me and I have little patience for it), give them the book
    "Math Magic". It has tips for the otherwise arithmetically impaired
    to make it through the day.
    
    What I want to know is, why isn't the ability to correctly perform
    sixth grade math a prerequisite for working in a store? Talk
    about idjits!!!
    
    (OK, you've hit a pet peeve nerve...)
    
    -b
79.423MAIL2::CRANEFri Feb 17 1995 17:114
    .422
    Thanks, I`ve been looking for something that might help. When I was in
    late elementry school/earlie high school I used to get whacked if I got
    the wrong answer in math.
79.424Good ol' analog scales showed all fractionsDECWIN::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryFri Feb 17 1995 17:1413
    >>  He was up to about 3/4 lb. when I quietly whispered to him...
    
    Hah!  The revenge of the analog scales!  If he'd had a good
    old-fashioned analog scale, like they had when I was working
    in a deli in my college days, he would have gotten 1/3 pound
    right even if he had no idea what 1/3 means (and he would've
    known, back then, but that's another matter).
    
    S'about time this newfangled digital know-nothing junk bit itself
    on the ass.  I'm feeling old-fashioned today.  Must be the new
    first white hairs in the mustache.
    
    Chris
79.425POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerFri Feb 17 1995 18:249
    re: <<< Note 79.421 by BIGQ::SILVA
    
    No Glen, Gerald tells the time properly. He said it was a quarter TO
    four, which is a quarter to four. Had he said it was a quarter of four
    then it would be one.
    
    nnttmha
    
    The Richardsons
79.426GOOEY::JUDYThat's Ms. Bitch to you!Fri Feb 17 1995 18:249
    
    	I remember buying beer at the grocery store and the 
    	kid asked me for my ID.  So I handed it to him, he 
    	looked at it and then started counting on his fingers.
    
    	I waited a second or two, then whispered to him "I'm 26"
    
    	Ay yi yi.
    
79.427MPGS::MARKEYCalm down: it's only 1s and 0sFri Feb 17 1995 18:263
    >nnttmha ????
    
    No need to thank my hairy ass? :-)
79.428POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerFri Feb 17 1995 18:453
    <----- Clever little fellow. Can he talk?
    
    	   Do you like your rattle? Do you like your little rattle rattle?
79.429MPGS::MARKEYCalm down: it's only 1s and 0sFri Feb 17 1995 18:545
    <----- Clever little fellow. Can he talk?
    
    I should hope so. I am the Minister for Overseas Development! :-)
    
    -b
79.430MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Fri Feb 17 1995 18:559
Andy,
   If you really want to mess them up at the deli, tell them you want
   "about 5 ounces". I once had a delidroid actually respond with

		"I can't do that."


	!!!!!

79.431POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerFri Feb 17 1995 18:566
    OOoooooh, he IS a clever little fellow eh?
    
    Oh, goochie koo.....
    
    
    <BOOM>
79.432MPGS::MARKEYCalm down: it's only 1s and 0sFri Feb 17 1995 18:581
    Oh look, Mrs. N.....baiter has exploded!
79.433SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Fri Feb 17 1995 19:016
    
    RE: .430
    
    Jack,
    
     I'll try that next time... just to watch the reaction!!!  :) :)
79.434POLAR::RICHARDSONWeird Canadian Type GeezerFri Feb 17 1995 19:471
    good thing too.
79.435MPGS::MARKEYCalm down: it's only 1s and 0sMon Feb 20 1995 15:446
    >Bride and groom in Romania beat up a drunken priest who was reading a
    >funeral oratary at their wedding ceremony.
    
    Apparently, the priest had been married before! :-)
    
    -b
79.436EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesMon Feb 20 1995 15:449
Bride and groom in Romania beat up a drunken priest who was reading a
funeral oratory at their wedding ceremony.

Couple getting married in Empire State Building on Valentine's Day has
marriage certificate blow out the window.  (fortunately they had a Xerox
copy)

Ku Klux Klan stirs up trouble in an Ohio county by offering to participate in
their "Adopt-A-Highway" litter cleanup program.
79.437Presidential Candidate arrested for Firearms ViolationASABET::MCWILLIAMSWed Feb 22 1995 17:3842
                     GOP candidate arrested for toting gun
                          copied w/o permission from
                            Lawrence Eagle Tribune
                             Tuesday,  21-Feb-1995

     MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful Robert Haines
     first made news when he wrestled a gunman to the ground who had shot
     several rounds into the White House.

     This time, it was Mr. Haines who had the gun.

     Mr. Haines was arrested by Manchester police Sunday and charged with
     brandishing a rifle downtown about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. He was also
     wearing a bulletproof vest, a felony during the commission of a crime.

     Mr. Haines, 47, of Pennsylvania, who has said crime is the No. 1 issue
     in America, has been campaigning in New Hampshire for several months.
     He claims he was assaulted in January at a busy Manchester
     intersection by a man who allegedly kicked him and threatened to kill
     him.

     Mr. Haines also claimed to have been assaulted while campaigning in
     Washington prior to the Manchester attack.

     Police Lt. Gary Simmons, acting as prosecutor, said Haines pointed a
     loaded 35-caliber rifle at two people. The rifle had one round in the
     chamber, Lt. Simmons said.

     District Judge Armand Capistran set bail on Mr. Haines at $4,000, and
     he ordered Mr. Haines to appear in court for a probable cause hearing
     March 6.

     "I'm due in Washington D.C.," Mr. Haines told the judge. "There's a
     conflict here."

     Mr. Haines was one of the passersby who helped subdue Francisco Martin
     Duran after Mr. Duran allegedly fired at the White House in October.
     In 1992, Mr. Haines ran for president as an independent write-in
     candidate.
                                     -30-
    
                                                               
79.438SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Wed Feb 22 1995 17:444
    
    
      35 caliber?????
    
79.439WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceWed Feb 22 1995 17:571
    Sure. .35 remington, .35 wheelen.
79.440SUBPAC::SADINOne if by LAN, two if by CWed Feb 22 1995 18:026
    
    
    	yup...plenty of .35's out there....
    
    
    
79.441SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Wed Feb 22 1995 18:366
    
    > Sure. .35 remington, .35 wheelen.
    
    Is that the only designation? Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with those
    calibers...
    
79.442SUBPAC::SADINOne if by LAN, two if by CWed Feb 22 1995 19:077
    
    
    	They're mostly a deer hunting cartridge. Fairly popular with the
    purists....
    
    
    
79.443CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Wed Feb 22 1995 21:342
    	Sounts like the demon was transferred from the Washington gunman
    	into his subduer.
79.444WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 23 1995 09:026
    i'm surprised the media didn't report more than 1 round in the chamber.
    
    you know, those deadly, illegal, multi-chambering assault hunting
    rifles.
    
    Chip
79.445NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 24 1995 15:27117
WEIRDNUZ.366 (News of the Weird, February 10, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In December, a jury in Ellsworth, Wis., deliberated for three
hours before ruling against Stewart Blair in his lawsuit against
his friend Maurice Poulin for injuries incurred when Blair tripped
over a snowplow blade.  Blair claimed that Poulin caused the fall
when he startled Blair by accidentally passing gas in his face.
And in a postscript to the trial, as the jurors ceremonially
exited the courtroom, the foreman accidentally, audibly passed gas
as he walked by the judge. [Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, 12-3-94]

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* In August, police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, arrested master thief
Robson Augusto Araujo and confiscated a stash of his business
cards with the firm name (in Portuguese) "Thefts and Robberies,
Ltd." and his job title "Thief."  Though the card's address was
fake, the cellular phone number was real, along with the legend
"325 iS," which is the model of BMW he specialized in stealing.
[[Arizona Daily Star-AP, 8-6-94]]

* And in August, police in Chandler, Ariz., confiscated a
videotape allegedly made by four teenage boys known as the Insane
Skate Posse and containing inspirational promotional messages of
mayhem and destruction designed to recruit new members for their
gang.  They are shown having fun by smoking marijuana, drinking
beer, destroying a parked car, and making harassing phone calls.
[The Arizona Republic, 8-14-94]

* In July the Catholic Church in the Netherlands announced it had
reached an agreement with cellular telephone companies to sell
space on church steeples for the companies' antennas.  [Seattle
Times, Jul94]

* In October, the New York Times reported that Kimberly-Clark
Corporation had received a patent for chemically realistic,
synthetic feces that it regards as crucial for testing diapers and
incontinence garments.  Technicians had concluded that makeshift
substances, such as mashed potatoes, peanut butter, and canned
pumpkin pie mix were inadequate because they separated into
liquids and solids more quickly than feces does.  [New York Times,
10-24-94]

* The People's Insurance Company of China recently began offering
a marriage insurance policy, in which a couple that divorces
forfeits all premiums paid, but a couple that stays together 25,
40, or 50 years stands to gain substantial dividends.  [Arlington
Journal, Sept94]

* In December, Dr. Henry Abrams of Loveladies, N. J., who was
Albert Einstein's ophthalmologist and who removed Einstein's eyes
during his autopsy in 1955 (storing them in a safe-deposit box
ever since), announced the eyes were for sale and said he expected
they could bring $5 million. [Chicago Sun- Times-Agence
France-Presse, 12-18-94]

* Vermont Business Magazine reported last spring that the
Holstein-Friesian Association, which exports pedigreed dairy
cattle and must get them quickly to their clients in Europe and
Saudi Arabia, delivers them by air in Federal Express planes.
[Vermont Business Magazine, April 1994]

OVERREACTIONS

* Recent Sensitive People:  Brenda L. Hunter, 31, Zion, Ill.,
allegedly shot her brother because she did not like the kind of
cheese he was putting on their chili dinner; Michael R.  Waggoner,
37, Knoxville, Tenn., allegedly shot a man five times in a bar
because he thought the man had asked "Have you got a light, baby?"
when the man actually ended the question with "buddy"; Anthony
Foti, 35, Missasauga, Ontario, was charged with severely punching
and kicking an elementary school principal because one of his
teachers was wearing a skirt that was too short. [Chicago Tribune,
1-20-94; Knoxville News-Sentinel, 9-20-94; Edmonton Journal-CP,
9-29-94]

* The Charlotte Observer reported in June that a Sanford, N. C.,
man drove to City Hall, wearing only a towel, to complain that his
water had just been shut off in the middle of his shower.  After
the city pointed out that his account was overdue and that it had
mailed two warnings, the man stood in line, paid his bill, and
drove back home to finish his shower. [Charlotte Observer, 6-25-
94]

* In June, in Liberty, Ohio, police officer Bradley L. Sebastian,
tired of waiting for his food order at Denny's, stormed into the
kitchen, held his service revolver to the cook's head, and told
her he would kill her if she didn't hurry up.  In August, in
Oklahoma City, a Hardee's restaurant worker, angered that a
drive-through customer continued to complain about the delay in
his order, stripped off his headset, ran to his car, grabbed his
gun out of the trunk, and threatened the customer before fleeing.
[Warren Tribune, 6-10-94; Saturday Oklahoman, 8-20-94]

* Christian-oriented radio station WKID in Vevay, Ind., was
burglarized and set afire in September, probably by the man who
became angry earlier in the day when a DJ refused to play his
request.  [Editor's Note: The song was "Don't Take the Girl" by
Tim McGraw.  DJ's seeking to avoid trouble are advised to honor
all requests to play that song.] [USA Today, 9-29-94]

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* Oklahoma City prosecutor Pattye Wallace, on a jury's
recommendation that Charles Scott Robinson be sentenced to 5,000
years in prison on each of six counts of rape of a 3-year- old
girl (which the judge ruled were to be served in sequence, from
1995 until the year 31995):  "I don't know if we'll get more
30,000-year sentences or not, but [this one] was deserved."
[Dallas Morning News-AP, Jan95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material, or of the name News of the Weird.
79.446OOTOOL::CHELSEAMostly harmless.Fri Feb 24 1995 17:427
    Re: .445
    
    >Michael R.  Waggoner, 37, Knoxville, Tenn., allegedly shot a man five 
    >times in a bar because he thought the man had asked "Have you got a 
    >light, baby?" when the man actually ended the question with "buddy"
    
    Talk about your homophobia....
79.447MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityFri Feb 24 1995 17:453
    
    I wonder how they'll ask him for a light once he gets to prison...
    
79.448POLAR::RICHARDSONOoo Ah silly meFri Feb 24 1995 17:521
    Better not ask him to pick up any soap, that's for sure.
79.449BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeFri Feb 24 1995 17:523

	Yeah.... bet they will
79.450NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 28 1995 12:2430
Tampa, Florida:

A man who went into surgery to have his right foot
amputated awoke to learn the wrong foot was gone.

The patient, in his 50s, was told of the blunder while
he was in the recovery room at University Community
Hospital last week.  The man's leg was severed midway
between ankle and knee, hospital spokesman John Andreas
said.

Andreas did not know if the surgery team made an
attempt to reattach the limb, and said patient
confidentiality concerns and the man's wishes prevented
him from naming those involved and providing other
details.

The hospital is investigating the mistake.

Surgeon Emilio Echevarria, a member of the state Board
of Medicine, said doctors commonly circle a kneecap
with a marker or tie a ribbon on the correct limb.

Often they ask patients which side of the body, or
which limb, is to be operated on before administering
anesthesia.

"Sometimes the patient laughs at you -- 'Are you
kidding me, doctor?  You don't know what side it is
on?'"  Echevarria said.  "You can't be too careful."
79.451NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 28 1995 12:254
Biologists have found the secret trysting place for one
species of South African leech, and their discovery
explains why it remained unrevealed for so long -- it
is inside a hippopotamus' rectum.
79.452GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampTue Feb 28 1995 12:344
    
    leech is from south africa!?!?!?
    
    
79.453he he heBRAT::MINICHINOTue Feb 28 1995 12:353
    no...it's from a hippo's rectum!!!
    
    
79.454SUBPAC::JJENSENJj the Alleged Fishing WidowTue Feb 28 1995 12:362
That little fact could've remained undiscovered...
I wouldn'ta minded.
79.455GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA member in good standingTue Feb 28 1995 12:434
    
    
    
    Glad I'm not the one who made the discovery........
79.456CSOA1::LEECHhiTue Feb 28 1995 12:444
    What were the scientists doing looking up a hippo's rectum?  Strange
    lot, I'd say.
    
    -steve (not from south africa)
79.457SUBPAC::JJENSENJj the Alleged Fishing WidowTue Feb 28 1995 12:455
Most troubling that someone went to the, uh, effort
to make the discovery.

I don't want to hear about his/her experimental
procedures.  No I don't.
79.459GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA member in good standingTue Feb 28 1995 13:144
    
    
    
    prostate problem????????????
79.460POLAR::RICHARDSONGotta hard salami?Tue Feb 28 1995 14:031
    {gwarrrrgul}
79.461MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityTue Feb 28 1995 14:163
    
    Did the hippo sing "Moon River"?
    
79.462WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Feb 28 1995 14:271
    -1 hey, is that a shot at Andy Williams?   :-)
79.463MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityTue Feb 28 1995 14:294
    Not, it's a reference to the movie "Fletch". If you didn't
    see it, there's really no point explaining it.
    
    -b
79.464naaaahhhhhh can't be 2 of them (n)CLYDE::KOWALEWICZ_MThe Ballad of the Lost C'MellWed Mar 01 1995 11:135
   Cover of Bulls Eye magazine Jan. 1995

     Picture of Glenn Silva holding the Guinness(?) book of world records which
      will publish his record of 1261 bullseyes in 10 hours.

79.465REFINE::KOMARThe karaoke masterWed Mar 01 1995 11:233
Doesn't Silva's first name have only one n?

ME
79.466BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeWed Mar 01 1995 14:096

	If it were me, I would like to have seen what the bullseye was a
picture of......:-)


79.467NETCAD::WOODFORDLight dawns over marblehead....Wed Mar 01 1995 14:4310
    
    
    RE: Tampa University Hospital....My brother works there.
    I wonder if he will be working for an amputee soon....that
    man is gonna 'own' the entire hospital when he's done.
    
    
    
    Terrie
    
79.468STOWOA::JOLLIMOREFood for a crowWed Mar 01 1995 15:154
>    gonna 'own' the entire hospital when he's done.

	I think the entire hospital would cost and arm and a leg.
	They might give him a wing tho.
79.469another pun-fest?CSOA1::LEECHhiWed Mar 01 1995 16:041
    Uh oh...I think we're starting off on the wrong foot again. 
79.470MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityWed Mar 01 1995 16:061
    oh, cut it out.
79.471GAVEL::JANDROWbrain crampWed Mar 01 1995 16:075
    
    
    just knock it off!!
    
    
79.472CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantWed Mar 01 1995 16:106
    I am not going to toe the box party line to not engage in repetitious
    pun strings.  It's time we stopped pussy footing around and got down to
    some serious inanity.  Let's not dance around this one folks.  Jump
    right in with both feet.  It'll keep us in stitches.  
    
    Lefty
79.473MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityWed Mar 01 1995 16:141
    I would Lefty, but I'm stumped.
79.474CSOA1::LEECHhiWed Mar 01 1995 16:501
    ol Lefty is a cut above the rest, eh?   
79.476NETCAD::WOODFORDLight dawns over marblehead....Wed Mar 01 1995 16:583
    
    How long are we gonna 'drag' this on for?
    
79.478POLAR::RICHARDSONUngird thou thy loinsWed Mar 01 1995 17:251
    You'd have to hand it to him.
79.479nameSTRATA::JPROCTORspeak in tonguesThu Mar 02 1995 09:201
    What was the persons name -- Ilean.
79.480SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful awound Zebwas!Thu Mar 02 1995 13:296
    
    Maybe this person would appreciate seeing the string of puns here at
    his expense...
    
     Might even cheer him up a bit... don't ya know...
    
79.481NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 02 1995 15:0632
Chicago, Illinois:

Male sexual arousal depends on more than meets the eye:
Certain fragrances are powerful turn-ons and may even
be useful in treating impotence, suggests a new study
out Friday.

Chic perfumes, though, aren't the best aphrodisiacs.
It's the homey odors of pumpkin pie, doughnuts,
licorice and lavender that send blood rushing to a
man's penis, says Dr. Alan Hirsch of the Smell & Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.  He will
report on studies of 31 men at the American
Psychosomatic Society meeting in New Orleans.

Poor blood flow to the penis, increasingly a problem as
men age, is the most common physical cause of
impotence, says Hirsch.  He tested the blood flow of
men wearing masks scented with varied odors.

Every odor -- from cheese pizza to popcorn and roses --
boosted blood flow to the penis.  But some fragrances
were mega-erotic.  A combination of pumpkin pie and
lavender evoked a 40% increase in blood flow; doughnuts
and black licorice, 32%; doughnuts and pumpkin pie,
20%.

Donna Reed and Harriet Nelson probably were ahead of
their time, Hirsch jokes.  "This suggests women have
more of an affect on men if they throw away those
expensive perfumes and put some pumpkin pie in the
oven."
79.482NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 02 1995 15:0725
Redmond, Washington:

Police prevented a very bizarre suicide.

A 27-year-old man who police say wrapped his pickup
with electrical wire, took a large number of
painkillers, and had swigged a fifth of whiskey was in
Harborview Medical Center after his attempt at suicide.

When police arrived at his home, they found the man
sitting in his vehicle, which was wrapped in wire.  The
windows were covered with plastic on the inside, and
they could see the man holding an object connected to
wiring on the outside of the truck.

The man told officers he was despondent over a breaking
up with his girlfriend and that "he was going to drink
for a while and then electrocute himself."

Police, however, found the wiring was not connected to
any electrical source.

Redmond firefighters arrived, broke into the truck and
removed the man who was taken to the hospital for
psychiatric evaluation.
79.483MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityThu Mar 02 1995 15:2011
    >It's the homey odors of pumpkin pie, doughnuts,
    >licorice and lavender that send blood rushing to a
    >man's penis, 
    
    I always knew I was abnormal. I'm afraid the smell of
    doughnuts does not send blood rushing to my penis.
    
    I suppose that's why so many people use the drive-through
    at DD now...
    
    -b
79.484SUBPAC::SADINOne if by LAN, two if by CThu Mar 02 1995 15:317
    
    
    	lavender eh? that explains it....
    
    	Lilacs have a very nice scent also.....
    
    
79.485GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA member in good standingThu Mar 02 1995 15:374
    
    
    
    Anyone else going to buy some stock in Dunkin Donuts?
79.486Coil of My DreamsAMN1::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryThu Mar 02 1995 15:3811
>> A 27-year-old man who police say wrapped his pickup
>> with electrical wire
    .
    .
>> Police, however, found the wiring was not connected to
>> any electrical source.
    
    Maybe he was going to drive repeatedly through a large magnet
    and induct himself.
    
    Chris
79.487GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA member in good standingThu Mar 02 1995 15:413
    
    
    Take advantage of some of that eddy current that's out there......
79.488MPGS::MARKEYMother is the invention of necessityThu Mar 02 1995 15:446
  >  Maybe he was going to drive repeatedly through a large magnet
  >  and induct himself.
  
    I don't think I've laughed that hard in weeks. Thank you!!!!
    
    -b
79.489NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 02 1995 15:444
>    Maybe he was going to drive repeatedly through a large magnet
>    and induct himself.

You mean down at the Induction Center?  While eating Oh Henry bars?
79.490REFINE::KOMARThe karaoke masterThu Mar 02 1995 15:463
	At karaoke last night, two people called themselves the Fried Inductors.

ME
79.491Submitted for your approval, one Ronald OpusAMN1::RALTOGala 10th Year ECAD SW AnniversaryFri Mar 03 1995 13:3560
 ================================================================
   
 Suicide, Homicide or Accident? 
  
 "On March 23 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus 
 and concluded that he died from a gunshot wound of the head caused 
 by a shotgun. Investigation to that point had revealed that the 
 decedent had jumped from the top of a ten story building with the 
 intent to commit suicide (he left a note indicating his despondency). 
 As he passed the 9th floor on the way down, his life was interrupted by 
 a shotgun blast through a window, killing him instantly. Neither the 
 shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been erected 
 at the 8th floor level to protect some window washers and that the 
 decedent would not have been able to complete his intent to commit 
 suicide because of this. 
  
 Ordinarily, if a person sets out to commit suicide but dies by means 
 other than those intended, the death is deemed a suicide. That he was 
 shot on the way to certain death nine stories below probably would not 
 change his mode of death from suicide to homicide. But the fact that 
 his suicide would not have been achieved because of the net caused the 
 medical examiner to feel that he had homicide on his hands. 

 Further investigation led to the discovery that the room on the 9th 
 floor from whence the shotgun blast emanated was occupied by an 
 elderly man and his wife. He was threatening her with the shotgun 
 because of an interspousal spat and became so upset that he could not 
 hold the shotgun straight. Therefore, when he pulled the trigger, he 
 completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the window 
 striking the decedent. When one intends to kill subject A, but kills 
 subject B in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject B. 
  
 The old man was confronted with this conclusion, but both he and his 
 wife were adamant in stating that neither knew that the shotgun was 
 loaded. It was the longtime habit of the old man to threaten his wife 
 with an unloaded shotgun. He had no intent to murder her; therefore, 
 the killing of the decedent appeared to be an accident. That is, the gun 
 had been accidentally loaded. 

 But further investigation turned up a witness stating that their son was 
 seen loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal 
 accident. That investigation showed that the mother (the old lady) had 
 cut off her son's financial support and her son, knowing the propensity 
 of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the 
 expectation that the father would shoot his mother. 
  
 The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the 
 death of Ronald Opus. Further investigation revealed that the son 
 became increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to get 
 his mother murdered. This led him to jump off the ten story building 
 on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun blast through a 9th story 
 window. The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide." 
  
 Only real life can be this weird... 
  
 ================================================== hmmmm! =============== 
 
----- End Included Message -----


79.492MPGS::MARKEYSend John Thomas some doughnutsFri Mar 03 1995 13:555
    >Suicide, Homicide or Accident? 
    
    None of the above. Urban legend sounds most likely.
    
    -b
79.493NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 03 1995 14:07129
WEIRDNUZ.367 (News of the Weird, February 17, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Among the victims of New Year's celebrations this year were
people in Phoenix, Atlanta, and New Orleans, killed when bullets
fell back to earth after celebratory gunshots (along with two
similar deaths each in Angola and Italy), and six people in Japan,
who choked to death on sticky ricecakes that are traditional New
Year's Eve dishes.  But in Islamabad, Pakistan, the government
banned New Year's celebrations after Islamic fundamentalists
threatened to smash the cars of people suspected of having any
fun. [Riverside Press-Enterprise-AP, 1-2-95; New York Times,
1-4-95; Globe and Mail-AP, 12-31-94]

QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS

* In November, a man in Jerusalem, suffering from impotency and
frustrated with his treatments, injected himself improperly with a
serum and suffered a 36-hour erection, requiring hospitalization
until the swelling subsided.  Two days later, in London,
accountant Arthur Spears, who was notorious for shunning doctors,
died when the cable he had inserted into his urethra to combat a
pain became infected. [Toronto Star-Reuter, 11-28-94; Reuters
wirecopy, 12-1-94]

* In November, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner of Toledo, Ohio, told
reporters that the best solution to the increasing complaints of
noise at the Toledo Airport was to relocate deaf people to the
high-noise areas, facilitating their purchase of homes of the
complainers. (Several days later, the mayor apologized.) [St.
Petersburg Times-Toledo Blade, 11-5-94]

* According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Muslim
sect Tehrik-a-Nifaz in Pakistan declared in May that proper
Muslims should reject the government's traffic rules and begin
driving their cars on the right side of the road.  Since everyone
else in Pakistan drives on the left side, there were so many
serious accidents that two weeks later, the sect was forced to
rescind the decree. [San Francisco Chronicle, 6-9-94]

* In September, Merrill Shepro admitted to the national TV
audience of the Oprah Winfrey Show that he had burglarized the
home of Marguerite Greer.  (Later in the show, he returned her
belongings to her.)  Immediately afterward, several police
departments in the Chicago area, where Shepro lives, began
investigating Shepro for unsolved burglaries, and later in the
month, a DuPage county grand jury indicted him. [Chicago Tribune,
9-25-94]

* St. Bernard  Parish, La., city equipment driver Bobby Bouffine
resigned under fire in October.  According to city officials,
Bouffine had decided to stop by an X-rated video store for several
hours during the work day and parked the city's $100,000,
eight-ton, 25-foot-long pothole-filling machine in the parking
lot. [Times-Picayune, 10-6-94]

* Cockpit transcripts of the March crash of the Aeroflot jet in
Siberia, released in September, show that the pilot's 16-year-old
son and 12-year-old daughter were constantly playing with the
controls during the flight.  One of the last communications was of
the girl, asking, "Daddy, can I turn this?" [St. Petersburg Times-
AP, 9-28-94]

* An alleged drug courier was arrested near Rigaud, Quebec, in
August after his car came apart on the road.  When police found
700 pounds of hashish stuffed into various places in the trunk.
The driver had gotten a flat tire but could not replace it because
the spare had been removed to increase the hashish storage space.
When the tire went flat, the increased pressure in the trunk broke
the  car's rear suspension.  The courier got away but the hashish
he abandoned was worth $5.2 (Canadian) million dollars. [The
Montreal Gazette, 8-5-94]

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS

* In October, India's leading Hindu holy "rolling man" Lotan Baba,
on a pilgrimage to England, demonstrated his craft by rolling on
his side for three miles through the middle of town in his quest
for world peace and eternal salvation.  He says he has rolled over
4,000 kilometers in India, through deserts, and in the middle of
monsoons.  Said a shopkeeper quoted by Reuters News Service, "I
just looked outside and there was this idiot rolling along the
ground." [[Bangkok Post, Oct94]]

* The New York Times reported in October that country-western
dancing enthusiast Les Burns of Waxhaw, N. C., had received a
patent for an electronic sensor worn on the arms that will alert
the dancer that his posture is bad--when he is, according to
Burns, "leaning hopelessly to one side or another." [Kansas City
Star-N. Y. Times, 10-9-94]

* In August, Harry Finley opened the Museum of Menstruation in the
basement of his Hyattsville, Md., home, according to a report in
Washington City Paper, and set up displays of 20th century
feminine hygiene products and advertisements.  Finley, who
explains his obsession only by saying that he finds menstruation
interesting, plans a Kotex retrospective for 1995.  [Washington
City Paper, 9-30-94]

* In September Professor Malcolm Wilkins of Glasgow University
told a conference at Loughborough University in England that
vegetarians are cruel to plants.  "Plants are sensitive
organisms," he said, claiming that some plants emit crackling
noises (inaudible to humans) when they need water. Wilkins said he
is especially annoyed at vegetarians who "don't like animals being
killed.  I say to them, 'You are perfectly happy to slice up a
tomato or cucumber.  Where is your logic?'"[Chicago Tribune-
Reuters, 9-10-94]

* Albert Cohen of Troy, N. Y., was awarded a patent in October for
an artificial arm to be attached to desk, floor, or wall and which
is designed primarily to be struck by sports fans in need of
giving someone a high-five when their favorite team enjoys
momentary success. [Albany Times Union, 11-16-94]

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* University of Washington astrophysicist Dr. Bruce H. Margon,
quoted by the New York Times on the continuing inability of
science to measure or infer what the "blackness" in space is, even
though, by its properties, they know it must be matter:  "It's a
fairly embarrassing situation to admit that we can't find 90
percent of the universe." [New York Times, 11-29-94]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material, or of the name News of the Weird.
79.494NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Mar 03 1995 16:5215
re:>rolling on his side for three miles through the middle of town in his quest
>for world peace and eternal salvation. 

"We never, ever do _nothin_ nice...and easy. We always do it nice....and
rough..."

"Left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
worryin' 'bout the way that things might've been...
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin
And we're rollin' (rollin')
Rollin' (rollin')
Rollin' on the river... 
79.495NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Mar 03 1995 16:579
* University of Washington astrophysicist Dr. Bruce H. Margon,
quoted by the New York Times on the continuing inability of
science to measure or infer what the "blackness" in space is, even
though, by its properties, they know it must be matter:  "It's a
fairly embarrassing situation to admit that we can't find 90
percent of the universe." [New York Times, 11-29-94]

It was reported today that the "top quark" had been discovered...which is
supposed to indicate that the universe is "understandable".
79.496Score one for the ADA!REFINE::KOMARThe karaoke masterMon Mar 06 1995 12:1444
From:	WIDMTH::RUFFO        "Mac 'n' cheese! We gotta make this."  6-MAR-1995 08:36:53.13
To:	refine::komar
CC:	
Subj:	Fwd: Nude Beach Gets Ramp

---------- Forwarded message begins here ----------

	MIAMI (AP) -- No clothes, no tan lines, no obstacles: Dade
County's only nude public beach has installed a wheelchair ramp
that has handicapped sunbathers tickled pink all over.
	``I'm really pleased that it's here, obviously,'' Fred Shotz,
who has a joint disorder, said as he soaked up the sun in the buff.
``It's a real benefit to people who are disabled who want to use
this beach.''
	The county paid $18,500 for the 150-foot ramp, which stretches
over the dunes to the half-mile ``clothing-optional'' strip of
Haulover Beach.
	The county also expects to spend up to $30,000 more on closer
parking for disabled nudists.
	Before the ramp was completed last month, Shotz had to call
ahead to have a park employee wheel him over to the nude zone.
Sometimes, several nudists would help out.
	``People would come over the stairway and carry your stuff,''
Shotz said Thursday. ``They even carried people in wheelchairs up
the steps and down across the beach.''
	Haulover is Florida's only nude public beach with a ramp that
makes it accessible to the disabled, said Shirley Mason, former
president of South Florida Free Beaches, a nudist organization.
	Activists demanded the ramp after Congress in 1990 passed the
Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires that public
accommodations be accessible to the handicapped.
	``It's two different issues. Whether or not to have the beach is
one. The other is, once having had it, providing access to it is
pretty much a given,'' said Diana Richardson, chief of the county's
Office of ADA Coordination. ``It's something that you must do under
ADA.''
	Haulover also has two $850 beach wheelchairs, which look like
long lawn chairs with huge tires for use on sand.
	Four regulatory agencies had to oversee the ramp project because
of Haulover Beach's delicate plant life and dunes.
	``It took a lot of permits and it took a lot of time,'' said
Marcus Breece, Haulover's beach safety manager.


79.497LJSRV2::KALIKOWTechnoCatalystMon Mar 06 1995 12:282
    "Joint Disorder," eh...  I'll just bet... :-)
    
79.498NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 06 1995 14:353
A student in Park View High School in Sterling, Va. who took a swig of mouthwash
was suspended for 10 days and ordered to attend a three-day substance abuse
program.  School rules prohibit possession of liquids containing alcohol.
79.499Special for BinderNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 06 1995 14:4319
Helsinki, Finland:

"Nunc hic aut numquam."

That's not exactly the way Elvis Presley sang "It's Now
or Never," but it is the Latin equivalent.  Some of his
biggest hits have been reissued in Finland and
translated into Latin on a compact disk to mark his
60th birthday, which was January 8.

"Latin is an eternal language, so what better way to
immortalize a legend?" said Jukka Ammondt, a literature
professor at the University of Jyvaskyla, 165 miles
north of Helsinki.  Ammondt made the CD with Finland's
Eurovision choir.

Ammondt's CD also includes: "Nunc aeternitatis" and
"Tenere me ama," "I Surrender" and "Love Me Tender"
respectively.
79.500FinlandiaPEKING::SULLIVANDNot gauche, just sinisterMon Mar 06 1995 14:522
    I saw a news story that the news is broadcast in Latin in Finland.
    
79.501SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareMon Mar 06 1995 15:062
    acta diurna in charta etiam fiunt.  plus quam quinquaginta milia homines
    mulieresque sunt qui latine dicunt leguntque ac scribunt.
79.502POLAR::RICHARDSONAlleged DegirdificationMon Mar 06 1995 16:053
    "scribunt"
    
    I've felt like this before too.
79.503TROOA::COLLINSConsultants Of SwingTue Mar 07 1995 19:515
    
    According to a recent poll by The Washington Post, 43% of people
    surveyed either approved of the 1975 Public Affairs Act, or felt 
    that it should be repealed.  There is no such legislation.
    
79.504NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 10 1995 15:3617
Bartow, Florida:

A suspect in a 14-year-old double murder surrendered
and made a futile attempt to collect the $3,000 reward
for his own capture.

Gerald Lydell Voyles went straight to jail instead.

"We believe he was serious about the reward.  He will
not be eligible," Sheriff Lawrence Crow Jr. said.

Police said Voyles, 39, walked up to the Polk County
jail information window on Sunday, asked about the
$3,000, and gave his name.

Voyles and two others were charged in the deaths of two
men in 1981.
79.505Paging \nasser...NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 10 1995 15:3659
San Jose, California:

If only he had more time to practice, Jorge Aramuni
thought, he could become a chess master.

So the Brazilian native -- already a fine player --
quite his job and checked into a San Jose homeless
shelter, where he gets free health care, meals, even
voice mail.

Now he spends his days at a table deep in the stacks on
the fourth floor of San Jose State's main library,
immersed in books on chess tactics.  He plays out the
crucial moves with the plastic pawns, knights and rooks
he brings along.

"Many persons waste precious time," said the 6-foot-2-
inch, 240-pound Aramuni, in a deep voice that still
struggles with the English language.  "If you lose one
day, you lose that day forever."

Homeless shelter officials say Aramuni is simply doing
what they want all their clients to do: honing job
skills.

"He doesn't fit the criteria that others in the shelter
do," said InnVision's program manager, Marty Cameron,
"but I felt he deserved a chance.  His work, in my
mind, is his chess."

InnVision admits only 15 male clients at a time -- each
of whom must be highly motivated to end "their cycle of
homelessness" -- to a program of counseling and job
training that lasts three months.

Aramuni, 33, admits he volunteered for homelessness.
He gave up a job caring for the elderly in their homes
so he could train for the New York Open Chess
Tournament that begins April 12.

"When I was working, there was no time to study chess,"
he said.  "I looked at many books and asked people
about places I could stay for free so that I could
dedicate my time to chess."

Aramuni came to the Bay Area from Brazil in 1993.  In
his home country, his chess skills made him prominent
enough to secure corporate sponsors and he could
concentrate all his time on the game.

But to be really good at chess, one must play people
ranked higher than oneself and win.  In Brazil, Aramuni
said, he had run out of competition.

At the shelter, Aramuni gets what every InnVision
resident gets: food, a bus pass, A Santa Clara Valley
Medical card, a YMCA membership, his own phone voice
mail service and a mattress on the floor of a
sponsoring church.
79.506CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Mar 10 1995 15:542
    	\nasser in disguise.  Sounds like he finally got away from
    	that leaky faucet!~
79.507POLAR::RICHARDSONAlleged DegirdificationFri Mar 10 1995 16:031
    And getting chemigally castritated before barroll.
79.508NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 10 1995 16:10130
WEIRDNUZ.368 (News of the Weird, February 24, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* After a 34-year-old man somehow convinced a 19-year-old Central
Bible College student to submit to a gynecological exam in his
motel room so she could be cleared for a "scholarship" offer,
Springfield, Mo., prosecutors said in January that the man's only
crime apparently was a misdemeanor deceptive business practice.
And police in Nashville, Tenn., are in a quandary this month about
whether to charge Raymond Mitchell, 45, with a crime.  Six women
reported that he telephoned them, convinced them to blindfold
themselves and to wait for him, and had sex with them.  Each of
the women said she assumed it was a boyfriend calling.  One woman
had sex with Mitchell in that manner several times without
realizing he was a stranger.  [Springfield News-Leader, 1-15-94,
1-18-95; Tennessean, 1-22- 95, 1-26-95]

BRIGHT IDEAS

* The New York Times reported in January that among United Nations
Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's suggestions for greater
UN recognition in 1995--its 50th anniversary--were advertisements
featuring a beautiful woman in an expensive car driving by the UN
building and exclaiming, "Ah, the United Nations!" [N. Y. Times,
1-3-95]

* In December, two avid Beethoven fans acquired a four-inch- long
lock of the composer's hair for $7,300 at a Sotheby's auction in
London and plan to have it tested to confirm historical suspicions
that the composer had African blood and had syphilis.  The hair
allegedly was snipped by Beethoven's father in 1827.  [The State
(Columbia, S. C.)-AP, 12-18-94]

* Police in Bimghamton, N. Y., finally were able to fingerprint
Lane L. Fontes on December 13 and thus learned he was wanted for
parole violations in Virginia.  They had to wait until his fingers
healed because Fontes, who had been arrested two weeks earlier for
leaving the scene of a car accident, had deliberately chewed the
skin off of the tips of all ten fingers just after he was
arrested, making it impossible to fingerprint him. [AP wirecopy,
12-14-94]

* James R. Scott was convicted in November of removing sandbags
from a Mississippi River levee during the 1993 floods, causing
millions of dollars in damages and closing the only bridge for 100
miles that connected Missouri and Illinois.  According to a
witness at Scott's trial, Scott, of Fowler, Ill., did it to strand
his wife in Missouri "so he could have a party at his house."
[Columbia Tribune-AP, 11-1-94]

* In her Chicago trial in November for trying to hire a hit man to
kill her husband, physician Wynne Superson denied the charge and
testified that her desire to see her husband dead was just a
fantasy.  However, prosecutors produced a tape in which a police
informant discussed a hit man with Superson, who said she could
not afford to pay money but would offer the hit man oral sex every
day for the next ten years. [Chicago Tribune, 11-11-94]

* In June, the U. S. Army revealed to Congress that in 1964 and
1965 its scientists had gone into stockyards in six cities,
sneaked up on cattle, and sprayed them with ordinary deodorant.
The Army wanted to see how difficult it would be for the Soviets
to sneak into stockyards and spread hoof-and-mouth germs in order
to poison the U. S. meat supply. [Albuquerque Journal-AP, 8-5- 94]


* Last spring, New Jersey officials stopped a rash of purse-
snatchings in restrooms along the Garden State Parkway by removing
hooks from ladies' room stall doors.  (Thieves would reach over
the stall doors and remove purses, which women had hung on hooks
while they used the toilet.)  According to a Philadelphia Inquirer
story in June, the thieves then reinstalled the hooks at their own
expense, facilitating the theft rate to rise once again.
[Philadelphia Inquirer, 6-14-94]

FEUDS

* As part of a longstanding feud, James Helton petitioned the
Sumter (S. C.) City Council in August to change the name of
Goodson Road, which runs by his property, to Helton Road.  The
government paved the road ten years ago and named it for the
neighboring Goodson family after asking residents what name they
preferred for the road.  Helton's petition pointed out that his
family had lived on the road since 1907 (versus 1935 for the
Goodsons) and that on the day of the name survey, the Heltons
weren't home. [Charleston Post & Courier, 8-13-94]

* In September, an employee of the Myers Construction Company was
convicted of misdemeanor assault against the owner of a competing
company, Herbert M. Miller.  While Miller was in his bulldozer
working on the Stewartstown Station development in York, Pa., in
June 1993, three Myers employees blocked his way in their
earth-moving machines, and when Miller tried to go over a curb
around them, one followed him, caught up to him, and used his
machine's "bulldozer bucket" to lift Miller's bulldozer off the
ground and tip it over. [York Daily Record, 9- 16-94, 9-17-94]

* In September, St. Louis, Mo., police accused Joseph Monti, 87,
of shooting to death former mob figure Frank Parrino outside
Parrino's tavern in July.  According to police, the reason Monti
gave for the killing was that Parrino beat Monti up once in the
mid-1960s when Monti told Parrino to leave his club because he was
making too much noise. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9-17-94]

CREME DE LA WEIRD

* In January, anesthesiologist Channagirie Manjanatha pleaded
guilty to criminal negligence in Regina, Saskatchewan, for leaving
the room for 15 minutes during surgery to make a phone call, thus
leaving an oxygen machine unmonitored, which resulted in brain
damage to the patient.  And in November, the North Carolina Board
of Medical Examiners suspended neurosurgeon Raymond Sattler for
nine incidents including one in which he took a lunch break in the
middle of aneurysm surgery, leaving the patient's brain exposed
with no other physician in the room. [Edmonton Journal-CP, 1-7-95;
Charlotte Observer-AP, 11-25-94; ]

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* Jack Wright of Kingston, Ontario, the Guinness Book record
holder for the owner of the most cats at one time (689), quoted in
the Toronto Star in April:  "You can visualize a hundred cats.
Beyond that, you can't.  Two hundred, five hundred, it all looks
the same." [Sault Star-Toronto Star-CP, 4-28-94]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.509MPGS::MARKEYSend John Thomas some doughnutsFri Mar 10 1995 16:187
    >informant discussed a hit man with Superson, who said she could
    >not afford to pay money but would offer the hit man oral sex every
    >day for the next ten years. [Chicago Tribune, 11-11-94]
    
    Hmmm. I wonder if he requested a (going) down payment.
    
    -b
79.510WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceFri Mar 10 1995 16:471
    every day for the next ten years?!!
79.511NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 10 1995 16:521
Whatever it takes [tm].
79.512NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Mar 10 1995 18:413
It's a matter of deposits and withdrawals.

(Oh this isn't the "Working Out" topic?!)
79.513REFINE::KOMARThe karaoke masterFri Mar 10 1995 19:504
	Sorry about breaking up the puns, but my hometown (practically)
was in there - Binghamton

ME
79.514say what?TROOA::TEMPLETONTue Mar 14 1995 01:149
    Spanish newspaper printed that Canada had sent out an armed fleet to
    repel the fishing fleet, including an AIRCRAFT CARRIER, that must have
    had the boys in Ottawa reaching for their phones trying to find out who
    went out and baught an aircraft carrier without telling them first.
    
    
    joan
    
    
79.515POLAR::RICHARDSONcan we have your liver then?Tue Mar 14 1995 01:421
    Yes, we Canadians are pirates as far as the EU is concerned.
79.516ASABET::EARLYLose anything but your sense of humor.Tue Mar 14 1995 10:584
    <--- True, but I thought Canadian pirating was well known to be
    confined to the St. Lawrence Seaway.
    
    
79.517REFINE::KOMARThe karaoke masterTue Mar 14 1995 11:023
	Best look out for the pirates of the Canadian.

ME
79.518BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeTue Mar 14 1995 13:203

	Glenn, does that make you Cabin Boy? :-)
79.520BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeTue Mar 14 1995 13:3612
| <<< Note 79.519 by CAPNET::ROSCH >>>

| There is nothing more vicious than a rabid and aroused maple-leaf
| wearing beaver. God help Franco's folly...


	Well, said in my best/loudest Garret Morris news for the deaf voice...

	

                        FRANSISCO FRANCO IS STILL DEAD
		
79.521CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Wed Mar 15 1995 18:16157
"I haven't committed a crime.  What I did was fail to comply with the law."
        David Dinkins, New York City Mayor, answering accusations that
        he failed to pay his taxes.

"They give you a book of checks.  They didn't ask for any deposits."
        Congressman Joe Early (D-Mass) at a press conference to answer
        questions about the House bank scandal.

"He didn't say that.  He read what was given to him in a speech."
        Richard Darman, director of OMB, explaining why President Bush
        wasn't following up on his campaign pledge that there would be
        no loss of wetlands

"It depends on your definition of asleep.  They weren't stretched out.
They had their eyes closed.  They were seated at their desks with their
heads in a nodding position."
        Commonwealth Edison supervisor of news information John Hogan,
        responding to a charge by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission
        inspector that two Dresden Nuclear Plant Operators were
        sleeping on the job.

"I didn't accept it.  I received it."
        Richard Allen, National Security Advisor to President Reagan,
        explaining the $1000 in cash and two watches he was given by
        two Japanese journalists after he helped arrange a private
        interview for them with First Lady Nancy Reagan.

"I was a pilot flying an airplane and it just so happened that *where*
I was flying made what I was doing spying."
        Francis Gary Power, U-2 reconnaissance pilot held by the Soviets
        for spying, in an interview after he was returned to the US.

"I was under medication when I made the decision not to burn the tapes."
        President Richard Nixon

 "Smoking kills.  If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of
your  life."
      Brooke Shields, said to demonstrate why she should become
      spokesperson for a federal antismoking campaign


 "I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body."
      Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward


 "I support efforts to limit the terms of members of Congress, especially
 members of the House and members of the Senate."
      Vice-President Dan Quayle (surprise, surprise)


 "Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the
 country."
      Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, D.C.


 On Pesticides:
 "Sure, it's going to kill a lot of people, but they may be dying of
 something else anyway."
      Othal Brand, member of a Texas pesticide review board, on chlordane


 "The exports include thumbscrews and cattle prods, just routine items for the
 police."
      Commerce Department spokesman on a regulation allowing the export of
      various products abroad


 "Are you any relation to your brother Marv?"
      Leon Wood, New Jersey Nets guard, to Steve Albert, Nets TV commentator


 "If you can't make the putts and can't get the man in from second on the
 bottom of the ninth, you're not going to win enough football games in this
 league, and that's the problem we had today."
      Sam Rutigliano, Cleveland Browns coach, on why his team lost


 On  Government Ability to Communicate After Death,:
 "Beginning in February 1976 your assistance benefits will be
 discontinued...Reason: it has been reported to our office that you expired
 on January 1, 1976."
   Illinois Department of Public Aid


 On Criticism:
 "That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass--and
 I'm just the one to do it."
      a congressional candidate in Texas


 "It takes a virile man to make a chicken pregnant."
      Perdue chicken ad, as mistranslated abroad


 MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS ONLY
      sign outside Mexico City's Mandinga Disco in the Hotel Emporio


 Wish--To end all the killing in the world
 Hobbies--Hunting and fishing
      from personal statistics of California Angel Bryan Harvey, flashed on
      the scoreboard at Anaheim Stadium


 "He's trying to take the decision out of the hands of twelve honest men and
 give it to 435 Congressmen!"
      Representative Charles Vanik of Ohio, when he heard that the indicted
      Spiro Agnew was asking to have his corruption case tried by the House
      instead of in a regular court


 "The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history...this
 century's history....  We all lived in this century.  I didn't live in
 this century."
      Dan Quayle, then Indiana senator and Republican vice-presidential
      candidate during a news conference in which he was asked his opinion
      about the Holocaust


 "In the early sixties, we were strong, we were virulent..."
      John Connally, Secretary of Treasury under Richard Nixon, in an early
      seventies speech, as reported in a contemporary "American Scholar"


 "At the Lincoln Park traps on Sunday...over 80 shooters took part in the
 program.  Rotarians, be patriotic!  Learn to shoot yourself."
      from Chicago Rotary Club journal, "Gyrator"


 "The streets are safe in Philadelphia, it's only the people who make them
 unsafe."
      Frank Rizzo, ex-police chief and mayor of Philadelphia


 "I've always thought that underpopulated countries in Africa are vastly
 underpolluted."
      Lawrence Summers, chief economist of the World Bank, explaining why
      we should export toxic wastes to Third World countries


 On the Little-known Importance of Poultry Inspectors:
 "The crime bill passed by the Senate would reinstate the Federal death
 penalty for certain violent crimes:  assassinating the President;
 hijackiing an airliner; and murdering a government poultry inspector."
      Knight Ridder News Service dispatch


 "After finding no qualified candidates for the position of principal, the
 school department is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of
 David Steele to the post."
      Philip Streifer, superintendent of schools, Barrington Rhode Island


 "The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing."
      baseball great Dizzy Dean explaining how he felt after being hit on
      the head by a ball in the 1934 World Series

79.522NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Mar 15 1995 18:412
I can't give you a "1" but I can rate you a high "2".
				-- my manager
79.523PENUTS::DDESMAISONSno, i'm aluminuming 'um, mumWed Mar 15 1995 18:446
	.522  how nice.  ;>

	one has to have descended from mt. olympus to get a "1"
	around these parts.

79.524NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 15 1995 18:454
>	one has to have descended from mt. olympus to get a "1"
>	around these parts.

You mean like a goddess?
79.525PENUTS::DDESMAISONSno, i'm aluminuming 'um, mumWed Mar 15 1995 18:473
 careful - your bias is showing. 

79.526NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 15 1995 18:471
Anybody have a needle and thread?
79.527NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Mar 15 1995 18:531
Nope. All I've got is scissors and a can of Coors.
79.528BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeWed Mar 15 1995 19:043

	Much better than a N&T imho...
79.529NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 15 1995 19:061
How will scissors and beer fix my bias?
79.530NETCAD::WOODFORDAppease Belligerents.Wed Mar 15 1995 19:1011
    
    
    I'm not gonna *TOUCH* that one....
    
    
    
    
    
    
    HAHAHAHAHA
    
79.531BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeWed Mar 15 1995 19:115

	Easy, you drink enough, discover your bias was wrong, and cut up your
bias. Of course in the morning your bias will return, well, once the headache
goes away....
79.532NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Mar 15 1995 19:125
Hey, I only tol' you what I had. Ifn' you want/need 'em you figure out how to
use 'em. This is the knowledge-based age, doncha know...ain't got time to write
documentation. 

Can't have the Coors 'til I finish it tho...
79.533POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 02:086
    
    
    Coors, feh.  I'm having a Post Road Pale Ale.
    
    Drinking Coors is like making love in a canoe.
    
79.534LJSRV2::KALIKOWTechnoCatalystThu Mar 16 1995 02:143
    Now THIS has got to be a simile to make one smile... Give wif the
    reason, MzDeb!!!  Prithee!!!?
    
79.535POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 02:163
    
    Lean close, Dr.Dan, and I'll whisper it in your ear.  Just between you
    and me and all 8^).
79.536LJSRV2::KALIKOWTechnoCatalystThu Mar 16 1995 02:225
    Waal if YOU won't, someone else WILL put it in the 'Box (oo er 'n all).
    
    (I just *know* I've heard it before... I guess I just repress all that
    licentious stuff, eh...)
                  
79.538SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareThu Mar 16 1995 12:473
    drdan, since mz_deb is gonna hold out on you, drinking coors (or any
    other 'murican mass-market product of similar persuasion) is like
    making love in a canoe because it's effing close to water.
79.540POLAR::RICHARDSONbouncy bouncyThu Mar 16 1995 13:321
    So you don't know what a J stroke is?
79.541BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Mar 16 1995 13:406
| <<< Note 79.533 by POWDML::LAUER "Little Chamber of Fuzzy Faces" >>>


| Drinking Coors is like making love in a canoe.

	Tipsey?
79.542POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 14:124
                                                     
    Dick is correct 8^).
    
    Hey, I know what a j-stroke is!
79.543MPGS::MARKEYSpecialists in Horizontal DecorumThu Mar 16 1995 14:275
    
    I just thought I'd step in here to dispell the notion that
    the j in j-stroke stands for John Thomas. :-) :-)
    
    -b
79.545NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundThu Mar 16 1995 14:309
Welll MS. Deb...my taste is broad (oh-er) and I've sipped many in my time.

USually I like Carlsberg (for price and all) but I've been known to cop Fuller's
E.S.B. and some other German/Danish/Mexican/Dutch/Jamaican....varieties.

(For some reason Coors -- which I have hardly ever drunk -- came to mind when
trying -- at least onece in a while -- a little levity in the 'box cauldron.)

As for canoeing...I ain't afraid to get wet.
79.546POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 14:3410
    >I just thought I'd step in here to dispell the notion that
    >the j in j-stroke stands for John Thomas. :-) :-)
     
    Oh.  I guess I don't know what a j-stroke is, then 8^o.
    
    
    
    
    Heh 8^).  Just kidding.  I do, I really do.  I have two canoes in my
    back yard.
79.547MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Mar 16 1995 14:354
> I have two canoes in my back yard.

They might be more useful elsewhere.

79.548MPGS::MARKEYSpecialists in Horizontal DecorumThu Mar 16 1995 14:368
    >heh 8^).  Just kidding.  I do, I really do.  I have two canoes in my
    >back yard.
    
    What was that about two punts and a canoe? :-)
    
    {I'll save you the trouble; I just slapped myself... :-) }
    
    -b
79.549(still a bit lost on the j-stroke and canoe thing)GAVEL::JANDROWThu Mar 16 1995 14:457
    
    
    two deb???  i only thought ya had one...but anyway...you, me, and tine
    (minus the aussies and my swan lake impression) should take it out this
    summer...i love canoeing (sp)...
    
    
79.550POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 14:503
    
    Youall help me get it on top of the Rodeo, and we'll go.  I can't lift
    it high enough by myself 8^p. 
79.551MPGS::MARKEYSpecialists in Horizontal DecorumThu Mar 16 1995 14:5312
    
    Waaaaayyyyyy Waaaaaaay back when, I was a camp councelor at
    Treasure Valley Boy Scout reservation, and was the instructor
    for merit badges in canoeing, sailing and marksmanship...
    (no, they're not all the same thing :-)
    
    I love canoeing too... whitewater especially. Paddling
    around a lake is a tad boring, but doing some serious
    rapids on some of the rivers in Western MA or Maine is
    defintely cool adrenaline junky stuff...
    
    -b
79.552counselorPOWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 15:011
    
79.553BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Mar 16 1995 15:337
| <<< Note 79.546 by POWDML::LAUER "Little Chamber of Fuzzy Faces" >>>



| Heh 8^). Just kidding. I do, I really do. I have two canoes in my back yard.

	Does that mean you drink 2 Coors at a time???
79.554POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 15:553
    
    Bite your tongue, my love; Coors does not pass my lips!
    
79.555BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Mar 16 1995 16:177
| <<< Note 79.554 by POWDML::LAUER "Little Chamber of Fuzzy Faces" >>>


| Bite your tongue, my love; Coors does not pass my lips!

	Soooo...... now that you opened the err... door... what does pass by
your lips...:-)
79.5568^)POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 16:181
    
79.557BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeThu Mar 16 1995 16:303

	You didn't answer the question......
79.558LJSRV2::KALIKOWTechnoCatalystThu Mar 16 1995 17:555
    Herr BinderSan, I yam in yer debt as per usual.  I *knew* I'd heard
    that 'un before...
    
    Nice innocent act, MzDeb... :-)
    
79.559{blink}{blink}POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesThu Mar 16 1995 18:131
    
79.560NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 17 1995 14:361
Wacky News Briefs, people, Wacky News Briefs!
79.561NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 17 1995 14:36124
WEIRDNUZ.369 (News of the Weird, March 3, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Two instances of flying cows were reported recently:  In
November, a cow fell off of a cliff and crashed through the roof
of a small house near Yaounde, Cameroon, landing on Marguerite
Nomo's dinner table.  And the Associated Press reported in
November that high winds in Arkansas killed several cattle by
carrying them into treetops. [St. Catharines Standard- Reuter,
11-18-94; New York Times-AP, 11-28-94]

NAMES IN THE NEWS

* An Associated Press report from Ocean Springs, Miss., in January
revealed that restaurant owner Nikone Unknown, 40, acquired that
name when he immigrated to the U. S. from Laos in 1979 and feared
revealing his real name to American officials, who simply listed
his last name as "unknown."  Unknown's wife, Ratchanee Unknown,
and his son, Nick Unknown, live with him.  [Arlington Journal,
Jan95]

* Recent deaths: Gladys Louise White-Black, in Austin, Tex.;
Hallelujah Amen Lee, in Kasilof, Alaska; Kevin C. Tombs, in New
York City; lawyer Thomas C. Angst, 31, of suicide after a
Pennsylvania Supreme Court disciplinary board investigation closed
in on him; and Mr. Eleven Hopson, 74, in Columbus, Ohio, the last
survivor of Mary and Thomas Hopson's eleven children. [Austin
American-Statesman, 8-16-94; Anchorage Daily News, Jun94; Newark
Star-Ledger, Nov94; Syracuse Herald-Journal-Knight-Ridder,
10-8-94; Columbus Dispatch, 9-8- 94]

* Recent births (girls): In York, Pa., Atheist Evolution Rollason
(named because her parents believe that God played no role in her
creation); and in Portland, Ore., Surreal Turquoise Spiral
Hawthorne. [Denver Post-AP, 9-8-94; USA Today, 8-15-94]

* Recent business news:  The announcement of Cupid Network
Television's home shopping channel for sexy merchandise was made
by president Offer Assis; a federal grand jury returned an
indictment for false corporate-tax returns against Bert A. Lies,
Jr.; and the announcement of Jantzen's new bust-enhancing swimwear
for 1995 was made by the company then-president, Jay R. Titsworth.
[L. A. Times-AP, 5-29-94; Albuquerque Journal, 8-10-94; Charlotte
Observer, 12-20-94]

* Recent arrests:  On a prostitution charge in Pisgah, Md., Alonda
Ann Hoe, 21; on marijuana-smuggling charges in Sarita, Tex.,
George Washington, 40; on murder charges in Miami (for a plot in
Haiti), Hitler Fleurinord; on trespassing charges at a Fairfax,
Va., high school, Fonzie Agnew, 20. [Maryland Independent
(Waldorf, Md.), 12-28-94; McAllen Monitor-Valley Morning Star,
12-31-94; New York Times, 11-19-94; Washington Times, 10-20-94]

* Recent sports news:  Rev. Jesse Jackson protested the hiring of
a white man, over a black man, to be head football coach at the
University of Colorado by sending a letter to the school's
president, Judith E. N. Albino; the point guard for the Florida
A&M Rattlers basketball team is freshman Scientific Mapp; and
other well-named basketball players researched by the Providence
(R. I.) Phoenix include Mr. Theatric Ishmon (Jackson State), Mr.
Fabulous Flournoy (McNeese State), and high school player Ms.
Summer Erb (Lakewood, Ohio). [Chronicle of Higher Education,
12-14-94; Southwest Times Record (Ft. Smith, Ark.), 12-21-94;
Providence Phoenix, 11-18-94]

PEOPLE IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME

* In July at the zoo in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Alexander Perez, 19,
suffering from diarrhea, decided that the most privacy he could
get in a moment's notice was behind some bushes in the lion's pen.
The lion charged after him, and Perez, unable to run because his
pants were down, was severely mauled before a friend could jump
into the pen and hit the lion with a brick.  [Calgary
Herald-Reuter, 7-29-94]

* In October, jailers in Lubbock, Tex., inadvertently put two men
they had arrested in separate incidents, Raymond Medellin, 17, and
Jesus Garcia, 39, in the same cell.  The two slept peaceably but
then, over breakfast, Garcia realized that Medellin had been
arrested for killing Garcia's son.  Garcia beat Medellin up before
jailers intervened. [San Antonio Express-News, 10-8- 94]

* In October, drug dealers in Baltimore, Md., panicking after
seeing a police officer on one side of their building, began
tossing cocaine packets out the second-story window on the other
side of the building.  At that moment, below the window, police
officers on another job were setting up traffic cones to mark off
parking spaces for the police commissioner and other officials
interested in visiting a "drug neighborhood." [Baltimore Sun, 10-
28-94]

* In August, California Highway Patrol officers caught up to
accused speeder K. Stanley Rutkowski when he had to stop on
Interstate 5 near Oceanside; the highway had been closed
temporarily because a man was threatening a suicide jump from an
overpass.  And near Enfield, Conn., in January, a robbery suspect
was caught when he was forced to stop on Interstate 91; the
highway was blocked because of a long funeral procession for a
deceased police officer. [L. A. Times, 8-10-94; New Haven
Register-AP, 1-5-95]

* Timothy Weems, 34, was arrested in Fontana, Calif., in October
and charged with attempted theft of a television set from John
Victor's apartment.  Allegedly, Weems forced his way in and took
the set, but encountered police on his way out of the building.
The police were there because Weems had been robbed a few minutes
earlier by someone else, had called police, and was waiting for
them to arrive when Weems allegedly barged in.  [Inland Valley
Daily Bulletin, 10-3-94]

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* Accused murderer Bob Russell Williams, Jr., allegedly telling a
Bakersfield, Calif., police officer that he did not deserve the
death penalty (which could be given if the murder occurred in
conjunction with other felonies):  "I might have killed that lady,
but I'm no burglar." [Bakersfield Californian-L. A. Times, 11-
11-94]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.562SMURF::MSCANLONoh-oh. It go. It gone. Bye-bye.Fri Mar 17 1995 14:508
    re: .561
    
    RE: LEAD STORY
    
    Somehow, the only thing that came to mind when I read that
    was all those commercials that said,
    
    "Beef. It's what's for dinner."
79.563NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 17 1995 15:486
Mark Bourglas, 33, of South Boston, was convicted of robbing a Burger King
a week after he got out of jail, where he had been serving time for robbing
the same restaurant.  Four BK employees jumped him as he tried to flee the
restaurant.  When he was arrested, he bit the arresting officer on the leg.
During sentencing, the judge asked Bourglas is he was aware that infections
can be spread through bites.  He replied, "I brush my teeth, your honor."
79.564EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesFri Mar 17 1995 21:355
Man in his 80s cashed in his penny collection which he saved over his lifetime.
Approximately 8 million pennies, or $80,000 worth, and they filled about
40 garbage cans.

-Madman
79.565POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesSat Mar 18 1995 03:326
    
    
    Oh no!  Oh no!  Didn't we argue about this one some time back, or is it
    possible that there are multiple people hoarding pennies in garbage
    cans 8^)?
                                          			
79.566CONSLT::MCBRIDEaspiring peasantMon Mar 20 1995 12:141
    That's where I keep mine.  Gonna cash them in and buy me a double wide.
79.567GAVEL::JANDROWMon Mar 20 1995 16:215
    
    
    already been discussed
    
    
79.568NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 27 1995 13:266
During a radio interview, Kenneth Clarke, Britain's finance minister, noted
the great success of the northern England town of Consett, saying it had "one
of the best steelworks in Europe."  But the steel mill was closed down 15 years
ago, putting 3000 employees out of work.  To redeem himself of that gaffe, last
week Clarke cited another Consett factory as a major competitor in the world of
disposable diapers.  The town's diaper plant closed down two years ago.
79.569NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 27 1995 13:2715
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England:

A man awaiting appearance for a breach of probation in
Newcastle-upon-Tyne took advantage of a court recess to
rob a woman of 100 pounds as she withdrew money from a
local cash machine.

Glen Telford, 21, had the shock of his life however
when he finally made his court appearance in the
afternoon and the woman he robbed turned out to be the
Justice of the Peace in charge his probation case.

Magistrate Linda Hoggs recognized her lunch break
mugger immediately, and quickly dispatched the
Northumberland man to jail for three years.
79.570NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 27 1995 13:28126
WEIRDNUZ.370 (News of the Weird, March 10, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Police in East Patchogue, N. Y., filed a false-report charge
against Nicholas Lalla, 32, in January after he had sworn out a
complaint that his estranged wife slapped him.  Lalla played for
police an audiotape he had made clandestinely in which slapping
sounds are heard amidst his yelling, "Don't hit me."  When police
informed Mrs. Lalla of the clandestine audiotape, she played for
them a clandestine videotape she had made of him making the
audiotape:  He is shown yelling "Don't hit me" outside her house
after she has left to go back inside. [Marshfield (Mo.) Mail-AP,
1-25-95]

COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* In December, the Internal Revenue Service demanded that John
Zwynenberg pay $6.4 million within 90 days.  But Zwynenberg's only
tax "liability" is that he stands to be awarded money in the
lawsuits filed in connection with the 1988 terrorist bombing of
Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in which his son,
John, was killed.  However, no date has been set for the
distribution of that money, and the award might be much less than
IRS anticipates.  Still, IRS said Zwynenberg would either have to
pay up or to hire a lawyer and sue the agency. [St.  Petersburg
Times-AP, 12-22-94]

* A central Florida enterprise called Pyramids Unlimited, rejected
in October in the town of Bushnell, plans to approach several
other towns with its venture of a 50-story-high, pyramid- shaped
tomb to hold 300,000 crypts and house a chapel at the top.  Said
Pyramids spokesman Ben Everidge, of the $200 million project,
"We're not talking some tacky mall here." [Orlando Sentinel,
10-12-94; Newsweek, 11-7-94]

* In September, a 25-year-old woman was abducted from her home in
Carrollton, Ohio, by a man police identified as Donald Eugene
Bright, 37.  According to police, Bright took her to a motel near
Pittsburgh, Pa., where he raped her.  She escaped from the room
and, shoeless, ran along a road, avoiding Bright's pursuing car,
periodically making collect phone calls for help, and being
unsuccessful in getting assistance from passersby.  So many
motorists refused to help her that when police finally picked her
up, she had run 15 miles from the motel. [Canton Repository,
9-5-94]

* In December in Stuart, Fla., Francis Reichert, 58, inadvertently
dislodged a cherry pit, one-half inch in diameter, from his nose
during a routine visit to his doctor.  Reichert said he stuffed
cherry pits up his nose to impress playmates when he was a kid,
but had not done that since he was 8.  Reichert's doctor said the
pit may be the longest-standing object ever discovered in
someone's nose. [St. Petersburg Times-AP, 12-15- 94]

* In October, in Jakarta, Indonesia, authorities discovered one of
the largest caches of drugs ever found in a smuggler's stomach.
Basudev Parajuli, 26, of Katmandu, was carrying at least 103
tubes, containing 2.6 pounds of heroin, valued at $460,000.
[Greenville (S. C.) News, 10-15-94]

CHUTZPAH

* After David May resigned in October from the office of Registrar
of Vital Statistics in Buffalo, N. Y., he asked to be paid the
$8,500 in unused annual leave he had accrued.  May resigned only
because he had been caught on videotape taking cash payments from
people requesting documents like birth certificates, and had over
$200,000 in improperly-gained cash at his house.  According to the
city's labor relations director, May is legally entitled to the
$8,500.  [Jefferson City (Mo.) Capital News-AP, 10-28-94]

* According to a November Wall Street Journal story, a traveler
telephoned the Hyatt Hotel in Dubai to ask that it send him
luggage that he had absent-mindedly left behind.  The luggage had
already been searched for identification by the hotel and was
found to contain Hyatt towels, Hyatt silverware, and the Hyatt
clock and bathroom scale from the man's room. [Wall Street
Journal, 11-18-94]

* In July, James Dixon, 29, demanded that police come to his home
in Syracuse and listen to his complaint about massive drug-
trafficking in the neighborhood around his apartment house.  After
the visit, on a hunch, one officer stayed behind as the police car
pulled away from the building.  Almost immediately, reported the
officer, a stream of customers knocked on Dixon's door to buy
drugs.  A search turned up 84 bags of crack cocaine.  [Syracuse
Herald-Journal, 7-5-94]

* In December, three men were arrested in Russellville, Ark., and
charged with theft.  The men lived in a three-bedroom, two- bath
house that, according to the Pope County sheriff, was built and
furnished in its entirety with stolen materials--everything,
according to an investigator, from the plywood to a porch swing to
the teapots. [New Haven Register, 12-25-94]

FAMILY VALUES

* In November, Donna Dunik, 63, was arrested for trying to smuggle
drugs and supplies to her incarcerated son in Warren, Ohio.  In
colored balloons housed in her socks and bra were marijuana, paste
cocaine, flake cocaine, vitamin B (to cut the cocaine), and yeast
(an ingredient for homemade wine).  And in Lancaster, Ohio, in
October, Elsie Sheets, 54, was indicted for helping her son and
his friends dispose of the bodies of two schoolmates they
allegedly killed.  According to prosecutors, after disposal,
Sheets brought the kids home and made pizza for them. [USA Today,
10-20-94]

* According to police in Odell, Ill., in August, William Wykes,
57, burst into the home of his bedridden father, Otis Wykes, 85,
and pointed a handgun at him, but before he could get off a shot,
the father pulled his own gun and fired four times, wounding his
son.  Said the prosecutor, "It appears there was a history between
the two." [Peoria Journal-Star, 8-4-94]

* At sentencing in November in Brattleboro, Vt., for killing his
father with a chain saw, Kevin Record, 28, was asked by the judge
if he had any regrets.  Said Record, "One of the main regrets that
I have is that I wasn't able to take the chain saw to the rest of
my family." [USA Today, 11-25-94]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.571SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yap!Mon Mar 27 1995 13:3313
    
    Had to put this here...
    
    A couple in the South End (Boston) was found stabbed to death in their
    home yesterday...
    
     Police have no clues nor motive...
    
      Boston Police Deputy Superintendent said both victims were stabbed
    repeatedly in the stomach and chest..
    
      ***** He said police are considering whether the case may be a
    murder-suicide.*******
79.572WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceMon Mar 27 1995 13:425
     A couple took their dalmation to the vet. It seems their pooch had
    suddenly been seized with sneezing fits. An examination lead to the
    retrieval of a ball point pen which the canine had somehow managed to
    get up its nose. The dog owner used the pen to write the check to pay
    for the bill.
79.573A regular guy...NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Mar 29 1995 18:396
Man writes Ex-Lax for refund.

Ex-Lax grants refund but mistakenly uses man's zip code as the check amount.
Instead of 1.99, he gets 98,002.

Search for man is underway.
79.574NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 29 1995 18:401
I guess I should move west before asking Ex-Lax for a refund.
79.575The mob maybe, but not Ex-Lax....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftWed Mar 29 1995 19:147
   
   You really think anyone would be hunting for someone who cashed a 2K
   and change over payment?
   
   (But .573 sounds like an urban legend to me.)
   
   								-mr. bill
79.576BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeWed Mar 29 1995 19:1811
| <<< Note 79.575 by PERFOM::LICEA_KANE "when it's comin' from the left" >>>


| You really think anyone would be hunting for someone who cashed a 2K and 
| change over payment?

	Uhhhhh reread it. It's over 98k.....

| (But .573 sounds like an urban legend to me.)

	Nah, you just didn't read it right.... :-)
79.577DEC (er Digital) is an excellent training ground for Life.NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Mar 29 1995 20:314
re:.574

You think that's something you should hear the story about my Lo-jack, and
how it got "repaired".
79.578EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesWed Mar 29 1995 22:073
160 year old loan to Sam Houston (yes the one who helped the US steal Texas
from Mexico :-) ) for $100 paid back by descendent of lendee to Houston's
descendent.
79.579CALDEC::RAHRobert Holt @PAGThu Mar 30 1995 01:192
    
    stolen fair and square..
79.580Talking telephone numbersPEKING::SULLIVANDNot gauche, just sinisterThu Mar 30 1995 07:589
    re .573
    
    This actually happened to a colleague of mine recently - she got given
    a bonus and they keyed in her badge number as the amount !! She got
    given over seven thousand pounds. For some strange reason the company
    wanted it back...
    
    Dave
    ====
79.581honesty was the best policyCOMICS::MCSKEANEoch, away an' play wi' the buses!!Thu Mar 30 1995 09:1616
    < Note 79.580 by PEKING::SULLIVAND "Not gauche, just sinister" >
    
    >This actually happened to a colleague of mine recently - she got given
    >a bonus and they keyed in her badge number as the amount !!
    
    The same person must have been doing the typing when my details were
    changed. My London weighting which had dropped to zero when I moved to
    the CSC, was mysteriously amended to be the badge number of the next
    person to be processed!!!!
    
    Like the previous example, the company wanted the money back too!!!!
    Luckily I had queeried the amount, so I didn't owe the company too much
    money. I sometime wonder if I'd just shut up, would I still be getting
    the allowance every month!!!!   :>>>>>>> 
    
    POL
79.582NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 31 1995 15:42126
WEIRDNUZ.371 (News of the Weird, March 17, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Writing in the February Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, two
Wisconsin researchers concluded that nose-picking does not create
problems for most people, but that for some, the habit "may meet
criteria for a disorder--rhinotillexomania."  Among their survey
findings: 66.4% of pickers did it "to relieve discomfort or
itchiness" (versus 2.1% for "enjoyment" and 0.4% for "sexual
stimulation"); 65.1% used the index finger (versus 20.2% little
finger and 16.4% thumb); and "Once removed, the nasal debris was
examined, at least some of the time, by most respondents."
[Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, February 1995]

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

* Roger T. Martinez filed a $1 million slander suit in Los Angeles
in August against comedian Paul Rodriguez.  According to the
lawsuit, Rodriguez, in a TV comedy routine, falsely said that he
failed to marry his girlfriend (Martinez's daughter) because
Martinez had attacked him with a gun, that Rodriguez had then
become scared and had inadvertently urinated, and that Rodriguez
was able to escape only because Martinez slipped on the urine and
fell. [Entertainment Law & Finance, September 1994]

* Convicted murderer Allen Kinsella told an Ontario judge in
November that he intends to sue officials at the Bath Institution
prison.  Kinsella, who was harshly punished after an escape, said
that a ladder carelessly left behind by a construction crew, and
not removed by prison officials, gave him the idea that he could
slip away. [Kingston Whig-Standard, 11-23-94]

* Canada Olympic team goalie Corey Hirsch threatened to file a
lawsuit in February against the government of Sweden because it
plans to issue a postage stamp depicting Sweden's dramatic 1994
hockey victory over Canada.  The winning goal was scored against
Hirsch, and he is protesting that the picture of him, allowing
Sweden the winning goal, "is not the way I want to be remembered."
[Edmonton Journal-AP, 2-9-95]

* In January, David Degondea filed a $3 million lawsuit against
the New York Police Department claiming that officers injured him
during an arrest.  The arrest was for killing another officer, a
crime for which Degondea was convicted.  Part of the $3 million is
for "loss of earnings," but police evidence shows that Degondea's
only occupation was as drug dealer. [New York Post, 1-9-95]

* In January, the Headcorn Parachute Club in Kent, England, won a
lawsuit against the estate of a deceased member for damaging its
airplane.  The woman was accidentally killed when she fell into
the airplane's moving propeller, damaging it.  And in August, the
federal Board of Veterans' Appeals granted the application of  a
wife to receive survivors' benefits because her husband died of
"service-related" injuries.  Actually, the wife had shot the
husband to death during an altercation, but she successfully
claimed that previous military stress had caused him to start the
altercation. [Globe and Mail-Reuters, 1-12-95] [Clearinghouse
Review, November 1994]

* Kenneth Abbott filed a lawsuit in December against state and
local police over an traffic incident in Bowling Green, Ky.,
charging them with negligence in letting him off with a warning.
Abbott was intoxicated at the time but was released by the
officers.  He subsequently caused a traffic accident and was
charged with seven counts of wanton endangerment.  He contends
that if officers had arrested him in the first place, the accident
never would have occurred. [Owensboro Messenger- Inquirer,
12-30-94]

*  In August a judge in Ogden, Utah, awarded $267 in damages to
the owner of a dented car after a man admitted to having sex with
a woman on the hood.  The woman claimed that the two had sex on
the ground next to the car; her partner contradicted her, saying
that the sex took place on the car but that she is the one who
caused the dents. [Salt Lake Tribune, 8-25-94]

* Last year, women filed lawsuits in Charleston, S. C., and
Clifton Park, N. Y., over injuries suffered in public restroom
mishaps.  In April, the South Carolina woman claimed the toilet in
Children's Hospital shattered beneath her, causing her to fall and
injure her back.  In December, the New York woman said the toilet
at a McDonald's restaurant was unsteady, causing her to be
"thrown" against a wall when she sat down, injuring her arm,
shoulder, and chest. [Post & Courier, 6-22-94] [St. Petersburg
Times, 12-9-94]

* Joel Ford filed a $45 million lawsuit in Jackson, Miss., in
September against Oxford University Press, which publishes the
principal edition of the Bible, on the ground that it is based on
hearsay and that it oppresses blacks and gays.  (He dropped the
lawsuit one month later because, he said, he had received threats
on his life.) [Times-Picayune-AP, 10-29-94]

* A judge in Oakland, Calif., ended Fred Whitaker's free access to
state courts in October after the man filed his 23rd petition in
that court, of about 40 overall since 1987, that the judge called
"frivolous."  Among his previous lawsuits:  Whitaker sued a
grocery store that accepted his 30-cents-off coupon on Mug Root
Beer but charged sales tax on the posted price, lowering his yield
to 28 cents.  He sued a video club that had issued him a one-free-
video-per-month coupon but had declined to give him two videos one
month after he pointed out that he had not used his coupon the
previous month. [San Francisco Examiner, 10-12-94]

LEAST COMPETENT PERSON

* In December a student at Georgia Tech was hospitalized in
serious condition after he ran down a long dormitory hallway at
full speed and jumped through a window.  According to campus
police, the man might have panicked when a very small fire broke
out among papers in his room at 3 p.m. [Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, 12-14-94]

LEAST JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE

* William Patrick Ford III, 15, was charged with the murder of a
liquor store owner in Dundalk, Md., in February.  According to the
police, Ford shot the man after being rebuffed in his request for
change of a dollar.  The victim's last words were, "What do I look
like, a bank?" [Baltimore Sun, 2-22-95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.583BIGQ::SILVASquirrels R MeFri Mar 31 1995 16:593

<---- Gerald, one would think you could PICK a better lead story....
79.584I should get a federal grant...ROWLET::AINSLEYRest In Peace, PeterFri Mar 31 1995 17:486
re: .582

They forgot to ask one very important question:  What do people do with the
nasal debris after they examine it?

Bob
79.585POLAR::RICHARDSONBaloney ConvalescenceFri Mar 31 1995 18:441
    snot for you to know.
79.586Wonder what they're examining it for, gold?DECWIN::RALTOThe Voice and Image of DigitalFri Mar 31 1995 19:456
>> They forgot to ask one very important question:  What do people do with the
>> nasal debris after they examine it?
    
    They paste it onto the same place where they stick their chewed gum?
    
    Chris
79.587unlikely neighbors...EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesTue Apr 04 1995 00:012
Operation Rescue moves their headquarters next door to an abortion clinic
run by the woman who was "Roe" in the Roe v. Wade case...
79.588POLAR::RICHARDSONFan Club BaloneyTue Apr 04 1995 02:201
    Did Roe have a child named Salmon?
79.589POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesTue Apr 04 1995 04:372
    
    ...or Yer Boat?
79.590NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 04 1995 12:4918
Natchitoches, Louisiana:

A man claims his German car told him to kill an
American-made one.  His choice?  A Chevrolet police
car.

Simpson Williams Jr. lost control of his Mercedes Benz
on Tuesday and it struck a pole and a fence.

When a patrol car arrived, Williams rammed his car into
it and pushed it into a yard and garage.

The officers said Williams told them his car made him
attack the American vehicle.

Williams, 42, was jailed without bond on charges of
attempted murder, driving while intoxicated and damage
to property.
79.591CSC32::M_EVANSproud counter-culture McGovernikTue Apr 04 1995 18:583
    Well,
    
    At least when some nut case torches the clinic, OR will burn with it.
79.592SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Tue Apr 04 1995 19:307
    
    <-------
    
    You did forget the smiley face....
    
    Didn't you?
    
79.593CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Tue Apr 04 1995 19:575
    	You know, Meg, you might have something there.  Really.  Maybe
    	all abortion clinics should share buildings with anti-abortion
    	offices.  It would be kind of like Saddam Hussein mingling his
    	military operations among the civilian populations and using them
    	as shields...
79.594POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesTue Apr 04 1995 20:105
    
    I don't care for the Saddam Hussein analogy, but I can see the benefits
    of diametrically opposed groups sharing space.  Perhaps they could
    learn from each other and develop a little of that compassion that
    Nancy mentioned.             
79.595CSC32::M_EVANSproud counter-culture McGovernikTue Apr 04 1995 21:095
    Joe, since OR leased after PP, I would say OR is taking its offixces in
    its own hands.  Or maybe they will be complicent with the reproductive
    care people because their offices might just discourage some whacko.
    
    meg
79.596SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Wed Apr 05 1995 15:285
    
    So... you didn't forget the smiley face...
    
    How sad....
    
79.597POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesWed Apr 05 1995 15:4918
    
    No, no, no.  I think Meg is on to something here.
    
    
    Why NOT encourage pro-life and pro-choice groups to share space?  They 
    might be able to come to an agreement on how to treat each other's
    staff and clients; they might learn that there are human beings and pros 
    and cons on each side rather than just putting their figurative hands over 
    their figurative ears and shouting "I'M NOT LISTENING I'M NOT LISTENING 
    I'M NOT LISTENING"; and each group would presumably be safe from the 
    wackos of the other side.  I mean, you're hopefully not going to bomb or 
    spraypaint or torch or vandalize or blockade a place where people are 
    doing work with which you agree.
    
    I don't know that OR is a good choice for this experiment; but what 
    about Birthright or someone like that sharing space with PP?
                                                                        
    
79.598RDGE44::ALEUC8Wed Apr 05 1995 15:515
    .597
    
    hey, 'nuff respect
    
    ric
79.599SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Wed Apr 05 1995 15:5211
    
    RE: .597
    
    
    Mz_deb...
    
    Sorry..... maybe I "don't get it"... but the initial implication by meg
    was NOT what you opined....
    
      I "get" your reply....
    
79.600CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Wed Apr 05 1995 16:004


 Yuk yuk yuk...wAckY NeWS SnARf
79.601REFINE::KOMARThe BarbarianWed Apr 05 1995 16:353
Could we have some Wacky News Briefs, please!

ME
79.602SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Wed Apr 05 1995 16:366
    
    Yeah People!!!
    
    
     WACKY NEW BRIEFS!!!!  WACKY NEW BRIEFS!!!!
    
79.603CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Wed Apr 05 1995 23:5725
    	From a friend at HP
    
>Who says Germans have no sense of humour?  The following is from the
>Big Issue:
>
>"One of the primary reasons cat flaps are called cat flaps is that
>they're flaps specifically designed for cats, as opposed to dogs,
>or giraffes, or humans.  All of this became abundantly clear to
>teenager Jason Evans, of Eastleigh, Hampshire, when he recently
>spent six hours stuck in one after using it in an attempt to get
>into his house.  He was eventually cut free by firemen.  In
>Germany, meanwhile, Gunther Burpus remained wedged in his
>front-door cat flap for two days because passers-by thought he was
>a piece of installation art.  Mr Burpus, 41, of Bremen, was using
>the flap because he had mislaid his keys.  Unfortunately he was
>spotted by a group of student pranksters who removed his trousers
>and pants, painted his bottom bright blue, stuck a daffodil
>between his buttocks and erected a sign saying 'Germany Resurgent,
>an Essay in Street Art.  Please give Generously'.  Passers-by
>assumed Mr Burpus' screams were part of the act and it was only
>when an old woman complained to the police that he was finally
>freed.  "I kept calling for help," he said, "but people just
>said 'Very good!  Very clever!' and threw coins at me." "

79.604GAVEL::JANDROWThu Apr 06 1995 12:086
    
    
    %^>
    
    
    
79.605GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA member in good standingThu Apr 06 1995 12:576
    
    Painting expected to sell for over $1,000,000.  This painting was
    created by 3 women dragging their naked bodies across the canvas.
    
    
    Any of you ladies out there want to help me with my latest works???
79.606NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 06 1995 14:354
>    Painting expected to sell for over $1,000,000.  This painting was
>    created by 3 women dragging their naked bodies across the canvas.

Is there a lot of bright blue in this painting?
79.607EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesThu Apr 06 1995 16:599
Farmer in India has discovered playing Michael Jackson music keeps the
wild pigs that have been eating his crops away.

The farmer on the West Bank with the milk-giving billygoat has killed it,
under pressure from fundamentalists, who say he has been bilking people.

Family with a fat cat moved, and cat disappeared somewhere in the process.
27 days later the cat was found in a box, hungry and dehydrated, but still
alive, and no longer fat.
79.608NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 06 1995 17:014
>The farmer on the West Bank with the milk-giving billygoat has killed it,
>under pressure from fundamentalists, who say he has been bilking people.

The story I saw said the PLO told him to kill it.
79.609CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Thu Apr 06 1995 17:0915


>Farmer in India has discovered playing Michael Jackson music keeps the
>wild pigs that have been eating his crops away.


 how about the jewelry sow?






Jim
79.610MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryThu Apr 06 1995 17:1511
    >Farmer in India has discovered playing Michael Jackson music keeps the
    >wild pigs that have been eating his crops away.

    For such occasions, I normally recommend Lou Reed's "Metal Machine
    Music." In fact, it is quite useful for keeping anything away.
    I used to play it at the end of college dorm parties when we wanted
    everyone to leave. Even the people who were passed out always
    managed to summon the strength to leave. Highly recommended as
    assault music for use on mothers-in-law as well.

    -b
79.611CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenThu Apr 06 1995 17:165
    Ah yes, Lou's little experiment in alternative music.  It would most
    likely work well with cockroach infestations as well.  Truly ghastly
    stuff.  
    
    Brian
79.612same tunes?HBAHBA::HAASrecurring recusancyThu Apr 06 1995 17:214
Didn't they play Michael Jackson's stuff when they were trying to drive
Noriega outta Panama?

TTom
79.613NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 06 1995 17:244
>Didn't they play Michael Jackson's stuff when they were trying to drive
>Noriega outta Panama?

All I remember is that they played "I Fought the Law and the Law Won."
79.614MKOTS3::JMARTINYou-Had-Forty-Years!!!Thu Apr 06 1995 17:474
    It would have been funny if Noriega hung out a sheet from the embassy
    saying, "Please play Molly Hatchet"
    
    
79.615BIGQ::SILVADiabloThu Apr 06 1995 19:031
<-----HAAAAAHAAAAJAAAA!!!!! Good one Jack!
79.616NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 07 1995 18:35131
WEIRDNUZ.372 (News of the Weird, March 24, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In February, the defense minister of Sweden acknowledged that
the "Russian submarine" intrusions into Sweden's waters that had
so preoccupied the military for the last three years were actually
only the activities of frolicking minks.  The minister blamed the
error on hydrophonic equipment installed in 1992.  On a brighter
note, according to a January report in Jane's Defence Weekly,
Sweden's military has developed a prototype igloo, which sustains
only minimal damage when shelled by 155mm artillery.  Construction
material, i.e., ice, is cheap and abundant, and, lacking metal,
the structures (which would be offices, hospitals, and helicopter
bases) are invisible to the sensors that guide "smart bombs." [St.
Louis Post-Dispatch-Reuters, 2-11-95; Jane's Defence Weekly,
1-7-95]

POLICE BLOTTER

* In November a man robbed a Barnett Bank branch in Orlando, Fla.,
but the surveillance camera photographed him, and he appeared to
be wearing a fake-glasses-and-large-nose disguise, according to
police interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel.  But when witnesses
said the man's large nose was in fact his own, the Sentinel
published the photo.  "Numerous" people called the crime tips hot
line to identify the fellow with the large nose as a man named
Chuck Newman.  Police went to his home on December 8, and, after a
brief chase, arrested him. [Orlando Sentinel, 12-9-94]

* Dominic McDonnell and Cathy Snelson were married in London in
July, just weeks after they had met while they were arrested
during a raid on a local bar.  They had spent two hours chatting,
sitting on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs,
while police sorted out which suspects they wanted and which were
innocent.  The couple was released and began dating immediately.
[[Bangkok Post-London Daily Star, Oct94]]

* Among the weapons reportedly used recently in robberies: a spray
bottle of toilet cleaner, pointed at a shopkeeper in Norwich,
Ontario, in December; a manhole cover, brandished by a street
mugger who made off with $75 from a man in Chicago in February; a
golf ball, thrown by one of three unidentified youths at a
bicyclist, who fell off and was robbed of $75, in December in
Evansville, Ill.; and a pitchfolk, wielded by one of two men in
the robbery of a market in Greensboro, N. C., in October. [The
Union Jack, January 1995] [Chicago Skyline, 2-23-95] [Evansville
Press, Dec94] [Greensboro News-Record, Oct94]

* On the other hand, recent attempted thefts were foiled by
victims wielding (1) a large spatula and oven scrub brush in the
aborted robbery of a pizzeria in Dayton, Ohio, in December, and
(2) a can of Raid, used by a homeowner in Stark County, Ohio, in
December to momentarily blind a burglar. [Athens Messenger- AP,
Dec94] [[Canton Repository, Dec94]]

* In July in Seattle, Wash., FBI agents arrested Johnny Madison
Williams, Jr., and his wife Carolyn on bank robbery and gun
charges.  According to the FBI, the couple kept a record of their
bank robberies, one entry per heist, with columns marked Date, Day
[of the week], State/County/City, Location [address], Net Cash
[taken in that job], and Running Total.  According to the record,
the Williamses pulled off 56 robberies in eight years, totaling
nearly $900,000.  Between jobs, the couple lived a quiet, suburban
life in Los Osos, Calif. [New York Times-AP, 7-14-94]

* In June, Roy Gordon, 22, was arrested in Antioch, Calif., after
he allegedly pulled a gun on a man and ordered him to try to fix
Gordon's truck.  And in September, David Lynn Justice, 21, was
sentenced to 30 years in prison in Houston, Tex., for kidnaping
two women and forcing them to buy him Twinkies and No-Doz and then
to accompany him by car as he visited residential Christmas
decorations. [San Francisco Examiner, 6-18-94; Denver Post-AP,
9-10-94]

* Recent thieves with unusual needs:  Two men in Loveland, Colo.,
were accused of stealing five hedgehogs from a pet store in
January; two men in Yuba City, Calif., tried to steal a still-hot
barbecue grill at a county probation office picnic last April; a
43- year-old man in Wilmington, N. C., was charged in September
with digging up and taking 1,500 Venus's-flytrap plants; a 42-
year-old man was charged in October with stealing six slabs of the
sidewalk at Forest Avenue and Shehy Street in Youngstown, Ohio;
and a serial doorbell thief hit houses in Long Hill Township, N.
J., in May. [Rocky Mountain News, 1-27-95] [[Marysville-Yuba City
Appeal-Democrat, 4-28-94]] [Wilmington Morning Star, 9-14-94]
[Youngstown Vindicator, 10-9-94][[Newark Star, 5-24-94]]

COINCIDENCES

* In November 1973, Madison County (Ind.) prosecutor William
Lawler obtained a conviction against 18-year-old Rodney Cummings
for burglary, a charge for which Cummings served a three-year
probation.  Cummings recovered from his rocky start to become a
police officer and lawyer, and in the November 1994 elections, he
knocked Lawler out of his job in a close race.  [Chicago Tribune,
11-11-94]

* Twins Lorraine and Levinia Christmas, en route in their cars to
deliver Christmas presents to each other in December near
Flitcham, England, collided.  Neither was seriously injured.
[Detroit Free Press, 12-28-94]

* Bob Bornack's billboard marriage proposal to Teri Ungar in
October in Wood Dale, Ill., was accepted.  ("Teri, Please Marry
Me!  Love, Bob.")  However, the billboard company reported that
ten other women named "Teri," who were dating men named Bob,
inquired whether the message was for them--including one Teri who
was dating two men named Bob. [St. Louis Post- Dispatch-AP,
10-12-94]

* In December, according to police, Cliff Brown shot his estranged
wife in the head three times and then took his own life in a quiet
neighborhood in Georgetown, Tex.  The neighborhood had returned to
normal since 1989, when the couple that previously owned the
Browns' house had also suffered a tragedy in which the wife was
shot to death and the husband--the only suspect--had killed
himself days later. [Austin American- Statesman, Jan95]

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

* A 31-year-old woman was arrested in Antioch, Calif., in February
after she walked into the police station carrying a bag of
methamphetamine she said she wanted tested because she thought her
boyfriend had added hallucinogens to it. [Contra Costa Times,
2-18-95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name Newsof the Weird.
79.617POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Fuzzy FacesFri Apr 07 1995 18:4311
    
    >* On the other hand, recent attempted thefts were foiled by
    >victims wielding (1) a large spatula and oven scrub brush in the
    >aborted robbery of a pizzeria in Dayton, Ohio, in December, and
    
    My friend Mel scared off an intruder in her bedroom a couple of years
    ago by brandishing a plunger at him.
    
    It was only in her bedroom because she was going to wrap it up and give
    it as a Christmas present to another friend.  Don't ask me to explain
    why 8^).
79.618MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryFri Apr 07 1995 18:4914
    >only minimal damage when shelled by 155mm artillery.  Construction
    >material, i.e., ice, is cheap and abundant, and, lacking metal,
    >the structures (which would be offices, hospitals, and helicopter
    >bases) are invisible to the sensors that guide "smart bombs." [St.

    I don't think this is true. The smart bombs that I'm aware
    of are guided by lasers which "paint" the target, either
    from an aircraft or from the ground.

    It would seem to me that these would be unaffected by the
    material the target was made from (as long as it was
    solid).

    -b
79.619Maybe Maalox would have helped the poor piggies?DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri Apr 07 1995 19:0411
    Did anyone hear the news broadcast about the South African
    plane with 300+ passengers aboard having to make an emergency
    stop at Heathrow?
    
    Apparently in the hold there were 75 stud pigs.  It was said that
    the combination of the animals' body heat and methane gas dis-
    charges triggered some sort of alarm in the plane.  It was thought
    there was a fire and Halon spewed into the cargo hold smothering
    15 of the prize pigs before they could be removed :-)
    
    
79.620NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 07 1995 19:101
More like Beano, I'd think.
79.621CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Fri Apr 07 1995 19:394


 Was the jewelry sow in there?
79.622POLAR::RICHARDSONSpecial Fan Club BaloneyFri Apr 07 1995 19:411
    Did the plane do a pork belly landing?
79.623CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Apr 07 1995 19:431
    I just hope it was a no smoking flight......
79.624NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 07 1995 19:433
> Was the jewelry sow in there?

Close.  These were stud pigs, valued for their [family] jewels.
79.625POLAR::RICHARDSONSpecial Fan Club BaloneyFri Apr 07 1995 19:541
    Boy if it had crashed it would have boared into the ground.
79.626MKOTS3::JMARTINYou-Had-Forty-Years!!!Fri Apr 07 1995 20:221
    Were they square?
79.627DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri Apr 07 1995 20:272
    Ummmm, is flatulence really methane gas?
    
79.628MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryFri Apr 07 1995 20:293
    
    Yes
    
79.629NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 07 1995 20:291
Mostly.  You can allegedly light it.
79.630MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryFri Apr 07 1995 20:303
    
    You can also allegedly let it. :-)
    
79.631SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareFri Apr 07 1995 20:333
    .629
    
    Not only allegedly.
79.632BIGQ::SILVADiabloFri Apr 07 1995 20:444

	I think Dick ran another one of his experiments again. Man this guy is
good! :-)
79.633NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 10 1995 12:4920
Ceres, California:

Three janitors trying to freeze a gopher to death
caused an explosion that injured 19 people, mostly
pupils, at an elementary school, officials said.

The janitors were blown out of a small utility room on
Monday when one tried to light a cigarette after
spraying the gopher with several cans of a freezing
solvent used to clean gum and wax off floors.

One janitor, Jeff Davis, said they were trying to kill
the gopher, which a student had found on school grounds
and had taken to them.

Two janitors remained hospitalized today in stable
condition.  Sixteen pupils near the explosion were
treated for minor injuries.

The gopher survived and was later released in a field.
79.634Could have been a scene in "Caddyshack"REFINE::KOMARThe BarbarianMon Apr 10 1995 12:553
Was Bill Murray involved?

ME
79.635SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Mon Apr 10 1995 15:0710
    
    Nothing "alleged" about the methane flame...
    
     Way back, when I was in the US Army and out in the field... we'd be so
    bored that we'd have contests to see who could shoot the longest
    flame..
    
      Set up score cards and everything....
    
       5.8  5.8  5.9  5.7  5.9  6.0
79.636SMURF::BINDERvitam gustareMon Apr 10 1995 15:273
    The main safety warning for methane flaming is don't do it when you're
    buck naked.  The flashback can be devastating.  Briefs behave like a
    gas mantle, stopping the flame a safe distance from the fuel source.
79.637POLAR::RICHARDSONSpecial Fan Club BaloneyMon Apr 10 1995 15:291
    Boy, you really _do_ know everything!
79.638WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon Apr 10 1995 15:293
    -1 thanks for that important piece of physics... :-)
    
       Chip
79.639SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Mon Apr 10 1995 15:558
    
    Herr Binder is correct...
    
    One of the guys in my squad, after imbibing mucho libations one night,
    tried to show off by "flaming" one buck-nekkid...
    
     Much to his distress, the flame crisped a goodly portion of his
    posterior hair growth...
79.640CALDEC::RAHHow you play is who you are.Mon Apr 10 1995 15:562
    
    i think this is a tall tale. 
79.641SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Mon Apr 10 1995 15:5813
    
    au contraire Robert....
    
     I kid you knot... :)
    
     I was one of the "participants"....
    
    Sad to say, I couldn't actually see my own, and got low scoring numbers
    accordingly... but many a time I gave out high numbers for some real
    "shooters"...
    
     Hontest!
    
79.642Gas LightingMPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryMon Apr 10 1995 15:595
    It's one of the few subjects about which I will gladly admit
    both my total ignorance and lack of experience...

    -b
79.643CALDEC::RAHHow you play is who you are.Mon Apr 10 1995 16:094
    
    i just don't buy that humyn gas is of sufficient purity to
    support combustion.
    
79.644MKOTS3::JMARTINYou-Had-Forty-Years!!!Mon Apr 10 1995 16:104
    One of my frat brothers could poop at will.  He had us on the floor
    when he'd sing Jingle Bells.
    
    -Jack
79.645SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIYap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Yap!Mon Apr 10 1995 16:198
    
    re: .643
    
    Well Robert... Here's one experiment you can try on your own (so to
    speak)...
    
      Be sure to wear your skivies though... :)
    
79.646NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 10 1995 16:3024
Miami (Reuters) --  Sorcery has become so rampant in Miami's county courthouse
that officials have created a "voodoo squad," whose job is to clean up dead
chickens and goats, as well as corn, eggs and other items each morning.

"Sometimes we find one chicken, sometimes we find three or four," said Raul
Guasp, a courthouse maintenance man. "It all depends on who is on trial."

Some of the defendants in Dade County courts are Cuban and Haitian natives
who turn to spirits for a little help with their legal troubles.

The squad canvasses the courthouse grounds early each morning to pick up
dead animals, charms and other objects offered up by relatives of defendants.

Courthouse officials said someone once released a white pigeon inside a
courtroom.  And in another, two dead lizards -- their mouths tied shut with
twine -- were found during a break in a cocaine trial.

Items commonly found include corn kernels, which are supposed to speed up
a trial date; eggs, which make a case collapse; cakes, which sweeten a
judge's attitude toward a defendant, and black pepper, to keep someone jailed.

"Why do people go to Lourdes?  Because they believe it works," said Florida
International University sociology professor Teresita Pedraza.  "It's part
of a religious belief and value system."
79.647PENUTS::DDESMAISONSno, i'm aluminuming 'um, mumMon Apr 10 1995 16:324
>> eggs, which make a case collapse...

	only if you slam the courtroom door though.

79.648CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenMon Apr 10 1995 17:383
    <----- :-)
    
    
79.649Back in my college days ...BRITE::FYFENever tell a dragon your real name.Mon Apr 10 1995 17:517
  >  i just don't buy that humyn gas is of sufficient purity to
  >  support combustion.
  
  My roommate was quite proud of his ability to produce a rather large flame.
  A real hit at parties (this he could do through his jeans).

  Doug.
79.650CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend will you be ready?Mon Apr 10 1995 17:5814


 re .649



 I have an uncle who is similarly blessed..





Jim
79.651I've read those with methane are in the minorityEVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesMon Apr 10 1995 22:146
re .643:

>    i just don't buy that humyn gas is of sufficient purity to
>    support combustion.

Depends on your, err, "culture"....
79.652CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Sat Apr 15 1995 17:45130
WEIRDNUZ.373 (News of the Weird, March 31, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In December in Bartow, Fla., spurned and distraught lover Edward
Leonard Hand, 33, confronted his girlfriend and her husband, stuck
a gun to his own chin, and fired. The bullet glanced off a bone in
Hand's face, hit the husband, and killed him.  Hand survived.  In
January, police said they were satisfied Hand had not intended to
harm the husband and thus filed only gun-use charges against him.
[Philadelphia Inquirer-Reuters, 1-9- 95; AP wirecopy, 1-18-95]

FIRST THINGS FIRST

* In November, firefighters near Portland, Ore., were called to
rescue a woman and her two kids, who were trapped upside down in
an Alfa Romeo as a result of a one-car crash.  The woman
interrupted the extrication--by the "jaws of life" tool--in order
to take a call on her car phone.  Said a rescuer, "It was
unbelievable.  She's hanging partially out of her vehicle, and she
proceeds to have an argument with her husband about where she is."
[Oregonian, 11-17-94]

* Kay Mounsey, widow of one of the "friendly fire" servicemen
killed in the F-15/Black Hawk helicopter incident in northern Iraq
in April, complained to reporters in September that the federal
government had offered her only the $6,000 survivor benefit but
gave the families of eleven foreign citizens who died in the
incident $100,000 each. [Los Angeles Times, 11-10-94]

* Testifying at her murder trial in November in Arlington, Va.,
Monique Mullen said she endured her abusive three-year marriage to
Kenneth Mullen despite his having struck her, choked her, raped
her, stalked her, and threatened to shoot her.  However, in March
1994, she stabbed him to death with a butcher knife because he
threatened to kill the family dachshund.  [Washington Post,
11-17-94]

* According to police in Circleville, Ohio, in December, Elaine
Pope fired one shot at ex-husband Charles R. Pope, hitting him in
the chest as he slept, and would have fired several more times had
the gun not jammed.  According to a detective, Pope then woke up,
was unaware that he had been shot, and tried to get Mrs. Pope to
have sex with him.  Mrs. Pope declined, saying, "I just shot you."
[Columbus Dispatch, Dec94]

* Last spring, two Canadian prisoners had time added to their
sentences for brief escapes.  Robert Lavergne got 60 more days
behind bars in Kingston, Ontario, because he couldn't resist
sneaking out to get a bottle of whiskey, and Donald Snow had 15
days added to his sentence in New Brunswick after he ran out to a
convenience store to buy a lottery ticket. [Sioux Star-CP, 5-26-
94; Edmonton Sun, 5-1-94]

* In August, Sanford, Fla., judge Newman Brock picked up hair
clippers and went to the local Seminole County Jail for his
regular biweekly haircut from his longtime hairstylist Rick
Thrower, who was serving 45 days for DUI violations.  Said
Thrower, "[The judge is] a very loyal customer." [Orlando
Sentinel, 8-5-94]

EH-UUUH, GROSS!

* In December, U. S. Customs agents in Miami found 200 baby
tarantulas, 300 thumb-sized frogs, and several sacks of tarantula
eggs in luggage belonging to Venezuelan Manuel Frade.  Agents
opened his luggage after they found 14 baby boa constrictors in
bags tucked in his trouser legs.  In January, customs officials in
Stockholm, Sweden, found 65 baby grass snakes concealed by a
42-year-old woman in her brassiere, and six lizards elsewhere in
her blouse. [Columbus Dispatch-Knight Ridder, Dec94; Albuquerque
Journal, 1-20-95]

* The opening of the West Woods Elementary School in Hamden,
Conn., was delayed in August when officials discovered a massive,
green, wooly fungus--which sprang up virtually overnight--covering
walls, furniture, and books.  The final bill for the cleanup was
expected to be about $100,000.  In November, about 20 students at
Central High School in Erie, Pa., were suspended for walking out
of class to protest an infestation of cockroaches.  [New York
Times-AP, 8-20-94; The Tennessean, 11-19-94]

* Recent overpowering stenches in the news:  In January, Hamilton,
Ontario, dermatologist Peter Bolton was charged with depositing an
unidentified but extremely foul-smelling substance several times
outside the office of another doctor with whom he had been
feuding.  About 100 gallons of deodorizer was needed in February
to neutralize the smell from stray cats that had been living
underneath Burbank (Calif.) High School.  The July 1994 floods in
Macon County, Ga., drowned 250,000 chickens, creating, according
to the Associated Press, "an unfathomably foul, gag-inducing"
stench that hung over the area for more than a week. [Edmonton
Journal, 1-25-95] [Tampa Tribune-AP, 3-2- 95] [Columbus
Dispatch-AP, Jul94]

THINGS YOU THOUGHT DIDN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE

* Michael E. Marcum, 21, was arrested for theft of six 350- pound
power company transformers in Stanberry, Mo., in January.  Marcum
said he needed the transformers for the "time machine" he was
building.  He said he wanted to transport himself into the future
a few days, find out the winning lottery numbers, and then return
to buy a ticket. [St. Joseph News-Press, 3-8-95]

* In January, Pamela Baker asked a judge in Beaufort, S. C., to
excuse her from jury duty in a murder trial because her husband,
Baptist pastor Karl Baker, forbids her from speaking in public.
[Post & Courier (Charleston, S. C.), 1-20-95]

* In January in Ludlow, England, town crier Barry McQueen
complained to a reporter that he had been shut out of news on town
events since 1990, when he began having an affair with Pat
Middleton, who is the wife of the mayor. [Edmonton Journal, 1-
13-95]

COMPELLING EXPLANATION

* Warwick, N. Y., judge Daniel Coleman imposed a light sentence on
a man in December for a speeding ticket because the man had
brought his soiled underpants to court to lend credence to his
claim that he had needed to rush home in order to deal with his
diarrhea.  However, Coleman said he feared there was a danger if
people learned about the successful defense:  "[E]verybody," said
the judge, "will start walking into court with [soiled] drawers."
[Middleton (N. Y.) Times Herald Record, 1-1- 95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.653RDGE44::ALEUC8Mon Apr 17 1995 09:527
    >Conn., was delayed in August when officials discovered a massive,
    >green, wooly fungus--which sprang up virtually overnight--covering
    
    
    err, any idea what this was?
    
    ric
79.654NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 17 1995 12:5192
WhiteBoard News for April 14, 1995 [excerpts]

Spokane, Washington:

It's cold, rainy and dark, and you're fleeing
authorities who believe you robbed a bank eight hours
earlier.  How do you stay warm?

Michael L. Best's solution was to burn about $500 in
cash he's been charged with stealing in the holdup.

Best turned himself in to police on Friday after
robbing Farmington State Bank on Thursday.  During the
chase, in order to stay warm, Best burned some of the
$3,900 reputed to have been taken in the heist.  $3,418
was recovered from a plastic bag Best had on him at the
time of his arrest.

Authorities are not sure where he burned the money but
are looking for the ashes.

"He told the FBI that he was so cold and wet after the
robbery that he burned about $500," said Assistant U.S.
Attorney Pam DeRusha.
==========

Canberra, Australia:

Vandals beheaded a controversial sculpture of a nude
Queen Elizabeth in Australia's capital Thursday night,
Canberra police said.

Nobody has claimed responsibility or demanded a ransom
for its return, a police spokesman said.  A nude statue
of the queen's husband, Prince Philip, sitting beside
her on a park bench appeared untouched, he said.

The rusted ferro-concrete sculpture of a flabby, naked
queen and her paunchy husband sitting together on the
park bench beside Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin
outraged Australia's monarchists, who want the British
ruler to remain head of state.

The work, titled "Down by the Lake with Liz and Phil"
is part of a month-long outdoor sculpture exhibition
approved by the National Capital Planning Authority, a
federal government body led by an avowed republican.
==========

Lake Baykal, Russia:

Hunters examining a den in Russia'a Okhinsky district
were startled to discover a wanted criminal snoozing in
the warm embrace of a hibernating bear.

The Itar-Tass news agency reported that the awakened
fugitive was incoherent and could not explain why he
had taken up winter residence with the bruin near Lake
Baykal.  It was also unclear why the bear had not
reacted to the man's intrusion.

Missing since last autumn, the man was taken to a
nearby clinic where medics could find no "pathological
deviations in the patient."
==========

Montreal, Quebec, Canada:

A comedian said Thursday he was able to talk to Pope
John Paul II for 18 minutes by pretending he was
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Pierre Brassard said he spoke to the pope Tuesday in a
telephone call broadcast on radio, and mimicking
Chretien, told the pontiff he intended to amend the
constitution to assure Canadians the right to life.

The pope supposedly replied: "I hope that will help us
during the conference in Peking."

"Would you be prepared to come to Canada?" Brassard
asked.  "Not right now," the pope said laughing.

After asking the pope when he would install a toy
propeller atop his cap, Brassard finally admitted that
he was not a prime minister, but a radio announcer.
The pope chuckled and blessed Canada.

"I swear it's true.  We wouldn't pull a hoax like
that," Brassard told Reuters at CKOI-FM, the French-
language Montreal radio station that broadcast the 18-
minute phone call.
79.655CALDEC::RAHHow you play is who you are.Mon Apr 17 1995 14:282
    
    i always suspected that this pope was a right guy.
79.656NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 17 1995 19:582
Remember the Tampa hospital that amputated the wrong leg?  The name of the
chairman of the board of the hospital is Lightfoot.
79.657MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Apr 17 1995 20:122
Please don't tell me that his nickname is "Stubby".

79.658POLAR::RICHARDSONSpecial Fan Club BaloneyMon Apr 17 1995 20:131
    They should treat this guy with a heavy hand.
79.659Who visits on Easter? Not the Easter Bunny, but Spiderman!EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesMon Apr 17 1995 21:204
Man pursued by police after a possible DWI-related accident
climbs telephone pole and climbed along the wires from pole
to pole, and to houses, over a distance of 2 blocks. He was
often sitting on crossarms between high tension electric lines.
79.660just another day in NYCCSSREG::BROWNJust Visiting This PlanetTue Apr 18 1995 11:1311
    Heard this on last friday's Limbaugh:
    
    Man in NYC driving unreg car, unlicensed, stopped by police and
    arrested. After they get him to a "holding facility" they tell him
    to remove his clothes and don the jail uniform they give him.
    While he is disrobing, a small boa constrictor is found in his 
    underwear. (no, it wasn't his 'thang'). His explanation, it was a 
    pet snake, and he was trying to keep it warm.
    
    The 'perp' is allowed the usual phone call, he calls his girlfriend, 
    who comes and collects the snake. 
79.661GAVEL::JANDROWTue Apr 18 1995 17:2514
    
    
    <-- heard about that on a local radio last week...the guy they were
    talking to was supposedly one of the officers from the city it happened
    it, and i am pretty sure it wasn't nyc...not that it really matters...
    
    
    >>>The July 1994 floods in Macon County, Ga., drowned 250,000 chickens, 
    >>>creating, according to the Associated Press, "an unfathomably foul, 
    >>>gag-inducing" stench that hung over the area for more than a week 
    
    shouldn't that be a 'fowl' stench??? 
    :>
    
79.662One cleanup volunteer said they'd never eat chicken againDECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundTue Apr 18 1995 18:124
    raq,
    
    No matter how you slice it, it STUNK!!!
    
79.663not news, but wackyPOLAR::RICHARDSONSpecial Fan Club BaloneyTue Apr 18 1995 18:3353
    Subj:	Batman: the crisped crusader ?

           
           Newsgroups: sci.engr.safety
           Subject: Interesting Repost From Fire Safety 
           Listserver-"Snakes & Gaters"
           Date: 13 Apr 1995 14:05:24 GMT
           Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center -- 
           Greenbelt, Maryland USA
           Lines: 20
           Message-ID: 
           <rbolt-1304950912080001@bolt.gsfc.nasa.gov>
           NNTP-Posting-Host: bolt.gsfc.nasa.gov
           
           Many years ago, I went over to Eastern Washington to 
           watch a training fire involving an old grain silo.  
           The "plan" was to roll in, do some smoke drills, then 
           fight the fire.  Those of us from Western Washington, 
           and many others who came to watch, were layed out on a 
           hillside about 100 yds. away (picnic lunches, blankes, 
           wives & girlfriends, you know).  
           
           They lit the fire in the hay at the base, and within 
           minutes the fire had ran up to the head house.  That's 
           when the fun started.  It turns out that the 
           "residents" of the head house included several hundred 
           bats.  Flaming bats were flying all over the place, 
           landing amonst the visitors, and bouncing around on 
           the ground (still on fire).  Wives, girlfriends, and 
           kids were screaming, and the rest of us were busy 
           stomping out burning bats!  (Meanwhile, the fire had 
           spread much faster than planned, and nearly ignited
           a corrugated metal on wood frame shed nearby.)
           All and all, a fun and "entertaining" afternoon.
           
           John King,
           Des Moines, WA
           kingjohne@aol.com

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79.664BIGQ::SILVADiabloTue Apr 18 1995 18:483

                                     it's
79.665BIGQ::SILVADiabloTue Apr 18 1995 18:481
                                   another
79.666111BIGQ::SILVADiabloTue Apr 18 1995 18:481
                                devil snarf!!
79.667SUBPAC::SADINOne if by LAN, two if by CTue Apr 18 1995 21:399
    
    
    	re: .663
    
    	that was the best! It's tough to work when you're doubled over in
    laughter...:)
    
    
    jim
79.668POLAR::RICHARDSONSpecial Fan Club BaloneyWed Apr 19 1995 02:153
    Jes.
    
    8^)
79.669BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed Apr 19 1995 03:031
69 snarf!~
79.670NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 24 1995 12:55130
WEIRDNUZ.374 (News of the Weird, April 7, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* A January Reuters news service story on the Japanese physical
comedy team, Tokyo Shock Boys, listed several grotesque injuries
suffered by team members' aiming for laughs:  scarring of groins
and buttocks from dropping firecrackers down their pants; tender
skin, in patches, resulting from gluing various objects to their
faces; and missing teeth by one member caused by bites of
scorpions he puts in his mouth.  One member, Danna Koyanagi, takes
milk into his mouth and squirts it out his eyes.  The group's
advertising slogan is "Please laugh,  We're risking our lives."
[Globe & Mail-Reuter, 1-30-95]

OOPS!

* Recent highway spills:  324,000 eggs from a truck near New
Hampton, Iowa, in December; 22,000 kilograms of vegetable oil on
Highway 401 in Toronto in November; thousands of gallons of
molasses, near Springfield, Mo., in January; and about $1,000 in
trade association dues, in Portland, Ore., in December, caused by
the treasurer's leaving the cash box on top of his car when he
drove off. [USA Today, 12-23-94] [Sault Star-CP, 11-8-94]
[Sikeston Standard Democrat-AP, 1-25-95] [The Oregonian, 12-
11-94]

* Recent surgical errors: the wrong leg amputated, and a wrong
knee operated on (different patients) at the same hospital in
Tampa, Fla., in February; the wrong ear of a vertigo sufferer
operated on in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1991 and the subject of a
February 1995 lawsuit; and the wrong breast removed in a
mastectomy in Grand Rapids, Mich., in February. [Tampa Tribune,
3-18-95; Riverside Press-Enterprise-AP, Mar95] [Quad City Times,
2-23-95] [Greenville (S.C.) News-AP, 3-17-95]

* A pilot and his passenger were arrested in December when the
pilot, flying a small plane running methamphetamines, got confused
and missed his intended nighttime landing at the small airstrip in
Turlock, Calif.  Instead, he landed at nearby Castle Air Force
Base. [Chicago Tribune-Reuters, 12-11-94]

* Halfdan Prahl, 35, was arrested in Westport, Conn., in February
when he frightened patrons by bringing a chain saw into a
restaurant and carving his initials into the floor of the bar.
Afterward, Prahl said he knew the owner and was certain the owner
found his stunt amusing; however, according to the police, Prahl
was unaware that his friend had recently sold the restaurant to
another man. [Boston Globe, 2-8-95]

* In October in Davenport, Iowa, middle school Spanish teacher
Patricia Lewis was smacked in the head with a baseball bat by a
blindfolded 7th grader in a classroom pinata accident. [Quad City
Times, 10-29-94]

* Newton, Mass., Fire Chief Edward Murphy told reporters in
November that he and other firefighters and police officers spent
15 minutes helping free a woman whose long fingernail had become
wedged into the coin slot of a parking meter. [Newton TAB, Nov94]


GROWN-UPS

* New York City police officer Angelo Angelico, Jr., 27, was shot
by a colleague in October when he drove his car up a walkway and
failed to heed other officers' warnings to stop.  As he emerged
from his car, officers said, he was holding his .357 Magnum.  His
last statement before being shot was that he didn't need to stop
because "My gun's bigger than yours."  [New York Newsday, 10-6-94]


* In August, nurse Bobbie Heaney filed a lawsuit against Dr.
William McIntosh after an incident in a hospital delivery room in
Odessa, Tex.  Heaney accused McIntosh of deliberately squirting
her in the face with blood from an umbilical cord during an
argument. [[USA Today, Aug94]]

* Recent use of biting by teachers for disciplinary purposes:  In
November a private-school teacher in Longueuil, Quebec, was
charged with biting a four-year-old boy on the arm; Montgomery,
Ala., high-school coach Ed Donahoo resigned last summer after
biting a 15-year-old boy on the nose during physical education
class. [Edmonton Journal-CP, 11-5-94] [Montgomery Advertiser,
5-19-94]

CHILD PRODIGIES

* In January in Lafayette, Ind., Ben Orndorff, age 7, helped his
21-year-old cousin deliver her baby because everyone else in the
family happened to be out shopping when the woman went into labor.
[Houston Chronicle-AP, 1-19-95]

* In October Michael Jones, age 8, of Lawrenceville, Ga., arrived
at Dr. Robert Zaworski's office for outpatient surgery on a facial
mole but was  clutching his handwritten last will and testament.
(Had the surgery been unsuccessful, Mom would have gotten his bed
and Dad his picture and toys, and Tedy would have been buried with
Michael.) [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11-3-94]

* Among recent child criminal phenoms:  a boy, age 10, turned in
by his 9-year-old brother after allegedly robbing a convenience
store in Grand Junction, Colo., last summer; and a boy, age 11,
arrested in Sandersville, Ga., in January, for robbing a bank with
a .38-calibre pistol and making his getaway on a bicycle. [Quad
City Times, 8-4-94] [Arlington Journal, 1-18-95]

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

* In March, Gerald Lydell Voyles, 39, who was a suspect in an
unsolved 1981 double murder, walked into the Polk County jail in
Bartow, Fla., and, giving his real name, asked about the
longstanding $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest
of Gerald Lydell Voyles.  He was promptly arrested.  Said Sheriff
Lawrence W. Crow Jr., "We believe he was serious about the reward.
He will not be eligible." [[Orlando Sentinel-AP, 3- 8-95]]

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

* A University of Pennsylvania student group, White Women Against
Racism, recently excluded a black woman who wanted to join.  Group
spokesperson Elena DiLapi said whites have to meet among
themselves in order to understand why whites so often exclude
blacks.  "[R]acism is a white problem, and we have a
responsibility as white women in particular to do what we can to
eradicate racism." [Chicago Sun-Times, 3-3-95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.671NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 24 1995 13:0484
WhiteBoard News for April 21, 1995 [excerpts]

Ventura, California:

A man furious over a failed land deal took it out on
the property owner by having 90,000 magazines sent to
her address.

"I got every known magazine on the face of the Earth,"
lawyer Theresa McConville said after Reynaldo Fong was
sentenced Tuesday.  Fong got a year in jail for forging
her name on subscription forms.

"He could have won the Nobel prize if he would have put
as much energy into his job as he did with me," said
McConville, of Camarillo, who got the unsolicited
magazines over the past 13 years.

Fong, 45, of Santa Paula, is an anesthesiologist from
the Philippines who had been in the United State
illegally since his visa expired in 1980.

According to a probation report, Fong said he had a
vendetta against McConville because she rejected his
bid for land she was selling.
===========

Perkern, Pakistan:

Black plumes of smoke rose from the sweltering desert
Tuesday as officials burned 40 tons of hashish, some of
it carefully packed in McDonald's hamburger wrappers.

The drugs were seized from a caravan of 150 smugglers
and 200 camels, spotted by army helicopters Friday in
the remote desert of southern Pakistan.

The smugglers fired on the helicopters with automatic
rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, hitting one of
the aircraft with bullets before escaping in the
winding mountain passes.

The authorities captured the hashish and about 50
camels.  It was one of the biggest drug hauls ever in
Pakistan.

On Tuesday, officials from Pakistan, the United States,
Britain and the United Nations watched as the hashish
was set on fire at the same site where it was seized.
==========

Northampton, Massachusetts:

A thief who was forgiven and presented with a New
England Patriots cap by the employer he ripped off has
been ordered by a judge to wear the hat for two years
as a reminder of a friendship betrayed.

"If I take it off, I go to jail.  It's a constant
reminder of what I have done and the addiction I have
to fight," Mark Gagnon said Wednesday.  He was found
guilty of stealing $4,382 worth of lottery tickets in
an attempt to satisfy his gambling habits.

Judge W. Michael Ryan imposed the sentence last Friday
after watching Gagnon turn red with shame in court when
his former boss, James Brazeau, tried to give him the
hat he had been promised back in November of last year.

Brazeau walked over to where Gagnon was seated while he
waited to be sentenced.

"He said, 'I want this to be a learning experience for
you,'" Gagnon said.  Then Brazeau handed him a paper
bag containing the cap.  Gagnon broke down and told
Brazeau he couldn't accept the gift.

That's when the judge, watching from the bench, made
the cap part of Gagnon's sentence, ordering Gagnon to
wear the hat every time he goes out in public for two
years.

Ryan also placed Gagnon on probation for two years and
ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service.
79.672NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 25 1995 13:254
Followup to .174 (the attack by an opossum-wielding man in Nashua):
According to "WhiteBoard News" a New Hampshire man pleaded no contest
to the charge of attacking another man with an opossum.  This is probably
the same case.
79.673NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 25 1995 13:2743
WhiteBoard News for April 24, 1995 [excerpts]

Phoenix, Arizona:

Remember when your mother told you to shut up and eat
your vegetables?  Now an Arizona state law says you had
better shut up and not say anything mean about them.

Legislation dubbed the "veggie hate crimes bill" was
signed into law this week by Governor Fife Symington.
The measure allows farmers and produce shippers to sue
anyone who maliciously spreads false information about
Arizona farm products.
===========

Bangkok, Thailand:

A 42-year-old Thai mechanic has been eating a daily
lunch of auto-lube grease sandwiches the past five
years, reports the Japan Airlines newsletter.

The mechanics doctor is concerned, however, and wants
him to come in for a checkup.  (Every 5,000 miles,
perhaps?)
==========

Las Vegas, Nevada:

Members of the Society for the Study of Impotence are
concerned about ads promoting surgery to enlarge
penises.

The urologist group says it finds no data demonstrating
such procedures are either safe or effective.

"Penile lengthening and girth enhancement surgery
should be regarded as experimental surgery" and may
have bad results, says the group.  "The Society is
aware of complications and adverse outcomes which
should be clearly disclosed to patients considering
such surgery," said the statement released Sunday at
the American Urological Association meeting in Las
Vegas.
79.674measuring upCSSREG::BROWNJust Visiting This PlanetWed Apr 26 1995 15:597
    Speaking of penile length and girth, heard on WWWE in the wee hours 
    on ABC news this little tidbit:
    
    According to a doctor in California (don't recall the name or city)
    who took a "survey" by measuring the erect penes of sixty men, 
    calculated that the average erect penile size is 5.1" long and 
    4.9" in girth. Just what you always wanted to know at 4:00 AM.
79.675EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesWed Apr 26 1995 16:072
Louisiana's David Duke, formerly of the KKK, wants people with AIDS
to have their genitalia tattooed with this fact, with glow-in-the-dark ink.
79.676NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 26 1995 16:153
re .675:

See 323.382.
79.677CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Apr 27 1995 01:153
    	Glow-in-the-dark ink isn't all that effective if the lights
    	don't get turned off, and is totally ineffective in the dark
    	if it hasn't first been exposed to light.
79.678RDGE44::ALEUC8Thu Apr 27 1995 10:277
    .674
    
    *gulp*
    
    *shuffles around eyes down feeling embarrassed*
    
    ric
79.679SUBPAC::SADINOne if by LAN, two if by CThu Apr 27 1995 11:248
    
    
    	re: glow in the dark
    
    	Just inplant small tritium capsules in them. That'll light 'em up,
    and it's low yield radiation so it won't shrivel up your John Thomas...
    
    
79.680CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Apr 27 1995 17:015
    	I read a little clip that the manufacturers of animal crackers
    	will be having a "limited edition" of endangered species.
    
    	Are we expected to not eat these out of respect for the laws
    	that protect these species?
79.681CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Apr 27 1995 17:023

 :-)
79.682SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful of yapping zebwasThu Apr 27 1995 17:086
    
    RE: .680
    
    No.... you're supposed to feed them TO the endangered species..
    
    :)
79.683My kids woulda bit their freakin' heads offMOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Apr 27 1995 19:333
Said animule crackers are intended to be used only for determining
the synsytyvyty of your offspring.

79.684CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Apr 27 1995 19:525
    	One of the endangered cookies will be the black rhino.  How
    	am I supposed to tell that one from the regular rhino that
    	is currently in the box?
    
    	Or are they using this opportunity to sell the burned ones?
79.685SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful of yapping zebwasThu Apr 27 1995 20:1411
    
    <-------
    
    That should be
    
    "rhino of colour"...
    
    NNTTM...
    
    :)
    
79.686CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu Apr 27 1995 22:063
    	<-----------------
    
    	And the Chinese Alligator?
79.687"But Dad, don't we eat the antelope?"DECWIN::RALTOIt's a small third world after allFri Apr 28 1995 15:237
    >>	Are we expected to not eat these out of respect for the laws
    >>	that protect these species?
    
    Just pop in a "Lion King" videocassette and tell the kiddies that
    it's all part of the "Circle of Life". :-)
    
    Chris
79.688Yes, Simba, but let me explain...CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri Apr 28 1995 18:381
    	:^)
79.689NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 01 1995 14:49130
WEIRDNUZ.375 (News of the Weird, April 14, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In October, the grandson of Rev. Fred Phelps, the Topeka, Kan.,
preacher who routinely pickets with harsh anti-gay signs at the
funerals of AIDS victims, petitioned the Topeka school district to
be allowed to participate in the district's "public service"
program designed to encourage high school students to volunteer
time to improve the community.  The grandson's "public service"
would be to picket alongside Phelps to help rid the community of
homosexual behavior. As of mid-March, the district had still not
decided whether to grant the petition.  [Topeka Capital Journal,
10-12-94]

JUST CAN'T STOP MYSELF

* Richard Panzella, 32, was arrested in Plainview, N. Y., in
November and charged with two counts of stealing shoes off the
feet of women.  According to a police spokesman, Panzella built
his large collection of women's shoes first by buying them at
stores, then by buying shoes on the spot from women on the street,
and now by stealing them. [New Haven Register-AP, 11- 24-94]

* Dr. Robert J. Cosgrove's reappointment as staff anesthesiologist
at Granville Medical Center in Oxford, N. C., was delayed briefly
in December.  According to a sheriff's report, three female YMCA
employees reported that a man, who entered on Cosgrove's
membership card and left in his car, had dressed as a woman and
gone into a women's locker room at the Y.  Further arousing
suspicion was Cosgrove's decision to shave his longstanding beard
right around the time of the incident.  Cosgrove denied the
charges and was reappointed. [Durham Herald-Sun, 12-21-94]

* The city of Winston-Salem, N. C., agreed to a settlement in
September with its most notorious parking-ticket scofflaw.
Details were not revealed, but Thomas D. Scott potentially owed
$52,000 for 990 parking tickets (and late fees) acquired over the
last five years.  Initially, Scott's reaction was: "That's not
even real, man.  How could anybody get that many parking tickets?"
[Charlotte Observer-AP, 9-8-94]

* Police in Poplar Bluff, Mo., arrested April Lynn Bostic, 28,
along with her husband in January after neighbors complained of
numerous episodes of indecent exposure by the couple in the front
window of their home.  According to a police officer, "There was
nothing this girl wouldn't do as far as an exhibitionist."  While
under police surveillance, Bostic allegedly performed various acts
using common household items. [Poplar Bluff Daily American
Republic, 1-19-95]

* Larry W. Russell, 32, was charged with damaging telephone
equipment belonging to the Bob Friederich Insurance Company in
Belleville, Ill., in March.  Police found him at night in his car,
with his pants down, and with a wire running from the Friederich
building into his car.  Police said he had tapped into an outside
telephone box to call 900-number sex-talk operations. [Belleville
News-Democrat, 3-7-95]

* In February Friendsville, Md., mayor Spencer Schlosgnagle, 31,
pleaded guilty to one count of exposing himself in his car along
Interstate 68.  He had already served 30 days of work- release
stemming from a November conviction for a similar incident on the
same highway.  Schlosnagle was first elected mayor at age 21 and,
despite the widespread local knowledge of his "problem," was
overwhelmingly re-elected in February 1994.  [Baltimore Sun,
3-1-95; Washington Post, 12-26-94]

* In February, two boys, age 15 and 14, were released from court
in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after a hearing before Judge Larry
Seidlin for stealing a car, which, according to police, was the
25th car theft committed by the boys in two years.  According to
police, the boys walked out of the courthouse, realized they had
no bus fare home, and promptly swiped number 26, which they
crashed into a fence 45 minutes later. [Syracuse Herald-Journal-
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, 2-28-95]

UH-OH

* In December, scientists for an environmental group reported that
a new species of plant and three new species of insects were found
during inspection of the grounds of the federal government's
Hanford nuclear reservation near Richland, Wash.  [Jefferson City
Capital News-AP, 12-28-94]

* The San Francisco Health Department ordered fumigation of the
San Francisco Opera house in December after musicians complained
of itching, caused by scabies.  Some violinists reportedly had to
lay down their bows during performances in order to scratch. [Los
Angeles Times, 12-8-94]

* In August Nancy Bell, 46, was arrested on a DUI charge in East
Moline, Ill.  Bell, who wanted to become a member of the Zion
Lutheran Church and was serving a probationary period while
members evaluated her application, accidentally crashed into the
church at 1:15 a.m. [Rock Island Argus, 8-19-94]

* In August, shopkeepers whose kiosks are on the ground level of
the National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, threatened a lawsuit if
the National Sports Council doesn't deal with their most pressing
concern.  According to a spokesman for the shopkeepers, when the
80,000-capacity stadium is full, as it is for soccer games, it
often appears "as if it's raining" down below because the Stadium
was built without public restrooms. [Valley News (Lebanon,
N.H.)-AP, 8-25-94]

* In January, the New York Health Department revealed that someone
had recently stolen a dismantled, four-foot-deep, aboveground pool
from an industrial site in Tonawanda, N. Y., perhaps with the
intent to install it as a backyard swimming facility.  However,
the Department announced that the pool had been used only to store
the radioactive substance americium.  Said a spokesman, "[W]e
believe the pool should not be used for swimming." [[Milwaukee
Journal-AP, 1-4-95]]

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

* Daniel Robert Shodean, 24, pleaded guilty in February to the
November attempted robbery of a convenience store in Detroit
Lakes, Minn.  According to the prosecutor, Shodean told a man he
was going to rob the store, gave the man a dollar, and asked him
to go into the store and buy Shodean a scarf that would conceal
his identity during the crime.  The man took the dollar, walked
inside, and informed the clerk, who called police.  [Becker County
Record, Feb95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.690I think I found one...MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryMon May 01 1995 15:0615
> * In October, the grandson of Rev. Fred Phelps, the Topeka, Kan.,
> preacher who routinely pickets with harsh anti-gay signs at the
> funerals of AIDS victims, petitioned the Topeka school district to
> be allowed to participate in the district's "public service"
> program designed to encourage high school students to volunteer
> time to improve the community.  The grandson's "public service"
> would be to picket alongside Phelps to help rid the community of
> homosexual behavior. As of mid-March, the district had still not
> decided whether to grant the petition.  [Topeka Capital Journal,
> 10-12-94]
    
    Those of you who were struggling to define the term "homophobe"
    a while back need look no further...
    
    -b
79.691CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanMon May 01 1995 15:1910

 Please note that the Rev Mr. Phelps does NOT represent conservative Christian-
 ity and has been shunned by most Christians, including members of his own
 family.




 Jim
79.692POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Creamy PresentsMon May 01 1995 17:012
    
    ...except for his grandson 8^/.
79.693CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanMon May 01 1995 17:524


 Maybe he'll catch on..
79.694CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenMon May 01 1995 17:531
    ..fire.
79.695NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 02 1995 13:4128
Yakima, Washington:

Subcontractors forgot a small but significant detail
when they were finishing the city's new Public Works
Administration Building last year.

The building's sewer lines were never connected to the
main line that carries waste to the treatment plant.

For the past year, hundreds of feet of sewer line and
several manholes have been filling up with raw sewage.
Last week, there just wasn't any more room.

"The toilets all exploded," said City Manager Dick
Zais.

Public Works Director Jerry Copeland said, "Right away
you can tell something is wrong when stuff starts
coming out of the floor drain."

City crews pumped out the lines and discovered the
sewer lines were never hooked up.

The subcontractor, Ken Leingang Excavating, fixed the
problem in a couple of hours.

"Their reaction was the same as ours," said city transit
planner John Haddix.  "They couldn't believe it."
79.696I hate when that happensCSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue May 02 1995 13:454


 Whoops...
79.697STAR::PARKETrue Engineers Combat ObfuscationTue May 02 1995 14:125
    Re: .696
    
    Doncha mean poops ???   }8-)}
    
    
79.698A story from some German publication...UHUH::MARISONScott MarisonTue May 02 1995 15:5322
  Who says Germans have no sense of humour? The following is from the
  Big Issue:

  "One of the primary reasons cat flaps are called cat flaps is that
  they're flaps specifically designed for cats, as opposed to dogs, or
  giraffes, or humans. All of this became abundantly clear to teenager
  Jason Evans, of Eastleigh, Hampshire, when he recently spent six hours
  stuck in one after using it in an attempt to get into his house. He
  was eventually cut free by firemen. In Germany, meanwhile, Gunther
  Burpus remained wedged in his front-door cat flap for two days because
  passers-by thought he was a piece of installation art. Mr Burpus, 41,
  of Bremen, was using the flap because he had mislaid his keys.
  Unfortunately he was spotted by a group of student pranksters who
  removed his trousers and pants, painted his bottom bright blue, stuck
  a daffodil between his buttocks and erected a sign saying 'Germany
  Resurgent, an Essay in Street Art. Please give Generously'. Passers-by
  assumed Mr Burpus' screams were part of the act and it was only when
  an old woman complained to the police that he was finally freed. "I
  kept calling for help," he said, "but people just said 'Very good!
  Very clever!' and threw coins at me." "

79.699NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 02 1995 15:591
See .603.
79.700yuk yukCSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue May 02 1995 16:095


 
 Wacky news snarfs
79.701GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyTue May 02 1995 18:076
    re: .695
    
    
    man, that really stinks...
    
    
79.702CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue May 02 1995 18:125



 Yeah, what a waste
79.703GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA member in good standingTue May 02 1995 18:2316
          CCCCCCCC         RRRRRRRRR      AAAAAAAAAA         PPPPPPPP
         CC      CC       RR       RR    AA        AA       PP      PP
        CC        C      RR        RR    AA        AA      PP        PP
        CC               RR        RR    AA        AA      PP        PP
        CC               RR        RR    AA        AA      PP        PP
        CC               RRRRRRRRRRR     AAAAAAAAAAAA      PPPPPPPPPPP
        CC               RRRRR           AA        AA      PP   
        CC               RR  RR          AA        AA      PP
        CC               RR   RR         AA        AA      PP
        CC        C      RR    RR        AA        AA      PP
         CC      CC      RR     RR       AA        AA      PP
          CCCCCCCC       RR      RR      AA        AA      PP


    TM
79.704baaa!42344::CBHLager LoutTue May 02 1995 18:243
oh gawd, Hog's spirit is alive and well...

Chris.
79.705MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 02 1995 21:2513
          CCCCCCCC        AAAAAAAAAA       AAAAAAAAA         PPPPPPPP
         CC      CC      AA        AA     RR       RR       PP      PP
        CC        C      AA        AA    RR        RR      PP        PP
        CC               AA        AA    RR        RR      PP        PP
        CC               AA        AA    RR        RR      PP        PP
        CC               AAAAAAAAAAAA    RRRRRRRRRRR       PPPPPPPPPPP
        CC               AA        AA    RRRRR             PP   
        CC               AA        AA    RR  RR            PP
        CC               AA        AA    RR   RR           PP
        CC        C      AA        AA    RR    RR          PP
         CC      CC      AA        AA    RR     RR         PP
          CCCCCCCC       AA        AA    RR      RR        PP
    
79.706cue the fish "jokes"...42344::CBHLager LoutTue May 02 1995 21:323
for cod's sake, stop carping on!

Chris.
79.707CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenTue May 02 1995 21:438
    Give it up Chris, noone's going to take the bait.  You can troll all
    you want for someone to go on an inane string of related and stupid
    puns but you won't land any here.  Boxers used to school for the
    opportunity but this is the new, improved, mature box.  You'll have to
    look elsewhere for your fish to fry.  No, your efforts will net you
    none of the past silliness.  
    
    Brian
79.708MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue May 02 1995 23:112
(That should send him down the pike right quick.)

79.709POLAR::RICHARDSONFan Club Frog HemmingWed May 03 1995 02:431
    An excellent pun made by a very very lucky man.
79.710EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesWed May 03 1995 16:142
Man in Buffalo arrested for theft chokes to death in the back of a
police cruiser on a $50 bill.  Apparently he swallowed the evidence.
79.711POLAR::RICHARDSONGrim Falcon The ElfWed May 03 1995 16:322
    I'm sure the bereaved family members will now sue the U.S. mint for not
    printing a warning about the risks of ingesting the bank note .
79.712NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 04 1995 12:5357
WhiteBoard News for May 03, 1995 [excerpts]

Liverpool, England:

A streaker ran onto Britain's airwaves Tuesday during a
live weather report.

The weather reports on ITV network's "This Morning"
program normally feature forecaster Fred Talbot
prancing about on a 50-foot-wide map of Britain and
Ireland afloat in the Liverpool Docks.

The streaker, taking a running leap from the nearby
docks, joined Talbot aboard the floating podium.

As Talbot tried to continue with his report, the
streaker ran from England into Wales, fully exposing
himself to several million viewers and a cheering
dockside crowd.  He stumbled into the sea while trying
to leap from Scotland to Northern Ireland.

When the streaker pulled himself back onto dry land, a
stunned Talbot handed him his clipboard to cover
himself.  No action was brought against the streaker.

"He told us he had done it because it was a sunny day
and it was a bit of fun," said program host Richard
Maddeley.  "Anyone who fails to see the funny side
needs a sense-of-humor transplant."
==========

New York, New York:

Concerned about your high-fiber diet?  There's a new
way to deal with the -- um -- after effects.

The Toot Trapper is a 15-inch by 17-inch carbon-foam
filter disguised as a cushion, guaranteed to improve
the air quality around the afflicted person.

The advertising is even bolder than that: "Saves
marriages, friendships -- maybe even LIVES" it says,
without going into details.

The Toot Trapper was designed by inventor Frank Lathrop
after he had developed diabetes -- which often includes
intestinal distress.
==========

Phoenix, Arizona:

Radio shock-jock Howard Stern's fanny is public domain.
So declared an Arizona State Supreme Court justice.

The radio star sued Delphi Internet Services for using
a picture of his nether-region to hype its computer
bulletin board.
79.713NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 05 1995 14:105
The Arizona state legislature has passed the Arizona Agricultural Protection
Act.  Under this law, it is illegal to impugn the reputation of any item of
produce grown in Arizona.

This is the legislature that declared the bola tie the Official State Neckwear.
79.714WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri May 05 1995 14:144
    pray tell, how is impugn defined and how will they tell if someone
    was kidding?  :-)
    
     Chip
79.715GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyFri May 05 1995 14:226
    
    
    gerald, in case no one has ever said so, i thank you very much for the
    wacky briefs you put in here...they are most amusing...
    
    
79.716NETCAD::WOODFORDBoiOIoiOIoiOIoiOIoiOIngFri May 05 1995 14:239
    
    
    I second that motion Raq!  :*)
    
    
    
    
    Terrie
    
79.717NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 05 1995 14:293
Thanks.  Most of the stuff comes from various email lists (News of the Wierd,
WhiteBoard News), but I get the occasional piece from the paper.  The Arizona
vegetable law has been discussed in the GARDENS and Chile-Heads lists.
79.718PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri May 05 1995 14:345
>>...(News of the Wierd,

  do they actually spell it that way?

79.719NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 05 1995 14:361
Grrr.
79.721NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 05 1995 15:18130
WEIRDNUZ.376 (News of the Weird, April 21, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Three men in recent months have been ordered by judges to
continue child support payments even though none is the father of
the child.  Blood tests exonerated men in Ramsey County, Minn.,
and Talbot County, Md., and a Baltimore, Md., mother admitted that
she committed perjury in identifying a man as her child's father.
In each case, however, appeals courts (in Maryland in October and
Minnesota in March) ruled that state law requires that the men
continue to make the payments. [Baltimore Sun, 10- 12-94;
Minneapolis Star Tribune-AP, 3-7-95]

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION

* At a booksigning appearance in Tampa, Fla., in July, astronaut
Alan Shepard refused the request of John Williams, 55, to sign a
photograph, telling the man he would sign only purchased copies of
his new book on the space program.  The photograph Shepard refused
to sign was a 1961 shot of Williams, then a helicopter crewman,
pulling Shepard out of the Atlantic Ocean after his Mercury
capsule splashed down on America's first manned space mission.
[St. Petersburg Times, 7-22-94]

* Last fall, the resume of the newly appointed Mexican secretary
of education, Fausto Alzati, was challenged in the press.   Alzati
claimed to have a doctorate from Harvard, but his office later
conceded that he had only a master's degree in public
administration from Harvard.  A month later, his office said that
actually, he did not have even a bachelor's degree.  In January,
Alzati resigned, admitting that he was expelled from the second
grade for bad behavior. [Globe and Mail-N. Y. Times, 1-24-95]

* In September, the Air Quality Management District covering Los
Angeles and surrounding counties imposed regulations on
restaurants that cook fat, contending that they release nine times
more soot particles than all the region's buses.  Restaurants
would have three years to reduce emissions to the equivalent
released by cooking about 500 quarter-pound hamburgers per day.
[San Francisco Chronicle-L. A. Times, 9-2-94]

* Among the examples of the continuing economic problems in the
former Soviet Union:  Lumberjacks in northern Russia were paid at
the end of August in tampons because the employer was short of
cash.  And in December, Ukraine issued a new banknote worth
500,000 karbovanets and announced that 35 tons of old karbovanet
notes with denominations below 100 would immediately be recycled
into toilet paper. [Washington Times- Reuters, 9-5-94; Columbus
Dispatch-AP, 12-10-94]

* Last year, residents of an area near Renton, Wash., grew weary
of the state's three-year planning and permitting process for
renovating a dangerous highway intersection.  Six neighbors, using
private equipment and money, built their own turn lane on the
highway in December.  The state transportation agency was highly
critical, listing several laws and regulations that the people
violated, but, asked one of the six, "Why should we wait for their
multimillion-dollar turn lane that never comes?" [Atlanta
Journal-Seattle Times, 12-30-94]

* In January, Mathew Panak, president of the Warren (Ohio) Board
of Trustees, said the regularly scheduled Monday meeting would
take place on January 16 even though it was the Martin Luther
King, Jr., holiday.  Said Panak, "None of us is colored.  It's not
going to affect us."  Several days later, Panak changed his mind
and postponed the meeting. [Akron Beacon-Journal, 1- 17-95]

* In March, U. S. astronaut Norman Thagard agreed to follow
Russian cosmonaut customs in their joint mission to dock with a
Russian space station.  Among the customs was one established by
the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, and followed by all subsequent
cosmonauts--men and women:  to urinate on a tire of the bus that
takes them to the launch pad. [Boston Herald, 3-14- 95]

* In September, a Rotterdam businessman announced his company
would start local home delivery of up to 30 grams of hashish and
marijuana (which are legal in the Netherlands).  In July, a
political organization in Amsterdam called the Interest Group for
Drug Users reported that it had received about $120,000 from the
government to support its work, which includes lobbying for
liberalization of drug laws and providing counseling for drug
abusers. [Fairfax Journal, 9-2-94; Chicago Tribune, 7-15-94]

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

* According to a report in the Toledo (Ohio) Blade in October,
some parents who are deaf rejoice in the news that their children
have been born deaf because they see themselves not as handicapped
but merely as a linguistic minority.  Last spring, about 20 deaf
protestors demonstrated in front of Children's Hospital of Eastern
Ontario (Canada) against the use of bionic ear implants for
children.  Said one protester, "I've grown up being deaf, and I
haven't missed anything." [St. Petersburg Times- Toledo Blade,
10-11-94; Ottawa Citizen, 5-28-94]

* Several news reports on the Kobe, Japan, earthquake mentioned
instances in which the Japanese are hindering world efforts to
help victims.  The New York Times reported that the Japanese
government refused offers of U. S. vaccines, doctors, dogs (to
sniff out persons alive under rubble), and medicines.  An
Associated Press dispatch noted Japanese refusal for the homeless
to be treated on a nearby U. S. aircraft carrier or to be treated
at a Japanese country club because that would not be fair to those
who were not treated in such luxury. [N. Y. Times, 2-5-95; San
Juan Star-AP, 1-28-95]

* In February, in Islamabad, Pakistan, a Christian boy, 14, and
his uncle were convicted of blaspheming Islam and given the
traditional mandatory death sentences.  The boy had written an
anti-Islam message in chalk on a wall and then had immediately
erased it.  The next week, another court overturned the conviction
because no evidence existed against the two--since the words had
been erased, and all eyewitnesses feared repeating the words, even
in court.  [Washington Times-AP, 2-24-95]

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* University of California anthropology professor Alan Dundes,
quoted in the Wall Street Journal explaining why some people
collect items from McDonald's restaurants (e.g., Big Mac wrappers,
Happy Meal toys):  "The arches, if you want to look at it that
way, could be breasts.  [Many people see] McDonald's as a big
nurturing place to get your meals." [Wall Street Journal, 3-
29-95]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved.
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.722NETCAD::WOODFORDBoiOIoiOIoiOIoiOIoiOIngFri May 05 1995 15:239
    
    
    
    Remind me never to take a job as a lumberjack!  :*)
    
    
    
    Terrie
    
79.723TROOA::COLLINSShazzbot!Fri May 05 1995 15:243
    
    Wotta warm and tender guy that Alan Shepard is...
    
79.724wacky news briefsMKOTS1::BUTLERFri May 05 1995 16:0010
    Heard on the radio this morning that this guys elderly father died, so
    the son decided to put the old man in the freezer for two years to
    allow him to continue to collect his social security checks. They were
    quoted as saying it brings new meaning to word "popsicle" bad! bad!
    bad! :-)
    
    Also heard that Pat Paulson is considering his 4th run for president.
    Glen! does he have your vote??? :-)
    
    
79.725NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 05 1995 16:041
That's the old moron joke.
79.726ThudDECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri May 05 1995 16:262
    Not the father, but must continue supporting the child.....
    
79.727CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Fri May 05 1995 17:001
    	Paulsen will switch parties and run as a Democrat this time.
79.728SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotFri May 05 1995 18:413
    I'd probably vote for Paulsen.  It's likely that he has zero political
    savvy, but he might just possibly be less of an a$$hole than all those
    experienced politicians.
79.729biologically inspired robot tunaSUBPAC::SADINOne if by LAN, two if by CSat May 06 1995 12:2561
From: alma@media.mit.edu (Suzanne McDermott)
Subject: MIT Media Lab Colloquium - Wednesday 10 May @ 4:30 PM

                          MEDIA LAB COLLOQUIUM

                         Wednesday 10 May 1995
                              4:30 - 6:00 PM
                          Refreshments 4:15 PM
                                E15 - 054

               Building a Biologically Inspired Robot Tuna:
                   reverse engineering mother nature


In the undersea community there is tremendous interest in the use of
Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (AUVs) for oceanographic, military and
commercial missions. Existing AUVs are typically small robotic vehicles
powered by rotary propellers. The low efficiency of this type propulsion
system leads to short mission times, low speeds and poor maneuverability.
To explore the possibility of substantial improvements, we have turned to
the design of comparably sized biological systems ( fish and cetaceans )
for  inspiration.  The fact that fish and cetaceans are extremely efficient
swimmers is easily apparent to anyone who has admired their speed and grace
through an aquarium's walls; but why study such systems? The answer is,
because they have already solved the propulsion problem. Fish exist in the
same physical environment as the AUV, they are subject to the same physical
laws, they experience the same viscous and inertial forces. Mother Nature
has been continuously refining and improving the basic design of fast
pelagic fish for over 60 million years in an highly competitive
evolutionary environment. In a strictly engineering sense where speed,
maneuverability and endurance are crucial to survival, they are very close
to an optimal design. Can a biological system made from muscle, bone and
skin legitimately guide the design of a man made system?  -- In this talk I
will describe the process of transforming 83 lbs of fresh tuna into the
full-sized, carefully instrumented, servo-actuated robot fish currently
swimming (and evolving) in the M.I.T. Ocean Engineering Testing Tank .

                                      ///

Dave Barrett is an inventor, engineer and builder of impossible things. Dave
started building robotic devices in graduate school at MIT back in 1979 and
has been building them nonstop ever since; ranging in size from the
Artificial Intelligence Lab's "Squirt" (the World's largest 1 cubic inch
robot!) to Draper Lab's 35 foot long, 6 ton robotic garment assembly line
(the world's largest sewing machine!). And ranging in complexity from
dynamically stable hopping kangaroo-bots to deep ocean autonomous undersea
vehicles. On his current tour of duty at MIT, he is a graduate student in
the terminal phase of a Phd program in the Dept. of Ocean Engineering and
the principal architect of a robotic undersea vehicle dubbed by the popular
press as "RoboTuna". Dave's current research work includes using genetic
algorithms driven by real wet experimental data to evolve an optimal
swimming controller for the tuna, developing an accurate hydrodynamic
simulation of the tuna and designing the next generation of
"RoboFish".

Host:     Neil Gershenfeld
          MIT Media Lab

To have your name placed on the Colloquium mailing list, please send email
to "colloquium-admin@media.mit.edu".

79.730NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 08 1995 13:024
Paul Armstrong of London proposed to Connie Norman by having the message
"Connie will you marry me?" tattooed on his behind.  He asked her to
give him a massage and waited until she saw the question.  She plans to
have "Yes" tattooed on hers.
79.731Innovation knows no bounds.NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundMon May 08 1995 14:331
Where exactly did he ask for his massage?
79.732POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Creamy PresentsMon May 08 1995 14:354
    
    "Honey, rub my butt, wouldja?"
    
    
79.733POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayMon May 08 1995 14:541
    I'll be right over!
79.734MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryMon May 08 1995 14:567
    RE: butt tattoo
    
    I was thinking... this could start a new trend in advertising.
    People with large behinds could be in great demand. We could
    have advertising slogans like "I Moon for Midol."
    
    -b
79.735 "brought to you by ..." STOWOA::JOLLIMOREDancing Madly BackwardsMon May 08 1995 15:021
	and over your butt tattoo you'd wear Whacky News Briefs???
79.736ODIXIE::ZOGRANYoungest one's walking - OH NO!Mon May 08 1995 15:163
    Where's Kosmo "Ass MAn" Kramer when you need him?
    
    Dan
79.737GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberMon May 08 1995 15:5610
    
    
    Shapiro put his Mercedes on the auction block.  He told the auctioneer
    that his name would start the bidding at $50,000.
    
    
    Car sold for $9,000.
    
    
    
79.738CSOA1::LEECHMon May 08 1995 16:381
    Who's Shapiro?   8^)
79.739:-)DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundMon May 08 1995 17:255
    Mickey,
    
    Was that Attorney Bob?
    
    
79.740GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberMon May 08 1995 17:254
    
    That's the one, Karen.
    
    
79.741XEDON::JENSENMon May 08 1995 20:352
    $9,000?  Now *that* made my day.
    
79.74242344::CBHLager LoutTue May 09 1995 07:144
huh huh huh, hey Beavis huh huh, I'm gonna get a tattoo of a butt with
a butt tattoo on my butt!!  huh huh huh

Chris.
79.743NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 11 1995 19:3412
David MacKey, 38, of Holyoke MA was charged with possession of a firearm
without a permit and possession of an infernal machine -- Massachusetts
legalese for an explosive device -- when a Holyoke patrolman spotted him
carrying his potato gun down a city street last August.  The device
consisted of a five-foot plastic pipe, fueled with hair spray that,
when ignited, could cause a potato to be fired from the tube.

His lawyer argued that it couldn't be both a firearm and an infernal device,
and the prosecutor agreed to drop the firearm charge.  The judge ruled that
it wasn't an infernal machine either, since it has to be capable of causing
injury to people or property by fire or explosion, and he decided that the
impact of a potato doesn't do so.
79.744BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Thu May 11 1995 19:376
    
    	See??
    
    	With a good lawyer, even a gun-toting looney can weasel out of
    	a weapons charge.
    
79.745PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu May 11 1995 19:413
  potato gun?  precursor to the spud missile, no doubt.

79.746CSOA1::LEECHThu May 11 1995 19:421
    Potato guns are cool! heh heh...heh heh heh
79.748NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 11 1995 19:452
I understand that a Colorado defense contractor is developing an
anti-spud missile missile.  It has yellow and black stripes.
79.749POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayThu May 11 1995 19:561
    Are this missiles armed with masher tips or mirved masher tips?
79.750CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu May 11 1995 20:362
    	The anti-spud missiles have eyes that allow them to track their
    	targets.
79.751POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayThu May 11 1995 20:411
    I hear they can really peel too!
79.752CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Thu May 11 1995 20:431
    	Looks like 'dem spud missiles are gonna git fried!
79.753SNOFS2::ROBERTSONentropy requires no maintenanceThu May 11 1995 23:292
    as long as the designs aren't half baked
    
79.754MKOTS3::JMARTINYou-Had-Forty-Years!!!Fri May 12 1995 13:161
    Boil em first!
79.755DYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Fri May 12 1995 17:341
      Would julienne fries be comparable to flechettes?
79.756CSEXP2::ANDREWSI'm the NRAFri May 12 1995 17:391
    Nope, Hash browns.
79.758NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 12 1995 20:50132
WEIRDNUZ.377 (News of the Weird, April 28, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In March, eight Connecticut legislators, and almost three dozen
other guests, became ill, with diarrhea and stomach cramps, from
eating food at a reception sponsored by lobbyists for the
Connecticut Food Association.  Meanwhile, in Maine, a legislator 
introduced a bill to force lobbyists, while on duty in the State 
House, to wear oversized name tags of the same orange color as 
deer hunters' vests. [New Haven Register-AP, 3-30-95; USA 
Today, 3-24-95] 

SCIENCE FAIR

* Twins Timothy Keys and Celeste Keys were born in New
Orleans recently--Timothy on October 15 and Celeste on January
18.  Doctors believe this gap among twins is unprecedented.  A
week before Celeste was born, a girl named Elisabetta was born
in Rome, Italy, about two years after her mother had died.  (The
mother's preserved embryo was implanted in the womb of
Elisabetta's father's sister.)  [USA Today, 1-19-95; Athens
Messenger-AP, 1-18-95] 

* In a January issue of the journal Nature, London researchers
explained that it is sexual activity that causes female fruit flies 
to die young.  Sperm of super-virile fruit flies contains an additive
that causes the female to become disinterested in sex for a while,
in order to give that sperm a head start at fertilization before the
female mates again.  The researchers found that that additive is
also associated with early mortality. [Washington Times-AP,
Jan95] 

* The New York Times reported in January that some
dermatologists, who are dissatisfied with injecting collagen to
ease forehead wrinkles, have turned to a solution of the toxin that
causes the botulism food poisoning.  The treatment, which has
been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, paralyzes
the muscles that pull down the eyebrows, easing the wrinkles. 
And in tests at a Palm Springs, Calif., cancer center, doctors
reported in December that a derivative of mistletoe has been their
most effective treatment in cases of advanced lung cancer. [N. Y.
Times, 1-15-95] [Washington Times, 12-27-94] 

* A report in a January issue of The New England Journal of
Medicine revealed that the cause of a woman's chronic heel pain
was an accumulation of dog hairs embedded in the skin over the
Achilles tendon, produced by years of her rubbing her Scottish
terrier with her bare heel. [Toronto Star, 2-6-95]

* A medical journal reported in September that a 28-year-old
man had been saved from certain death in his fall from a seven-
story building recently in Toronto--because he landed on a
signpost and was impaled.  The steel post pierced his back and
protruded about six inches out of his chest near the armpit.  The
man received "minimal injuries," according to doctors, and
suffered no permanent impairments. [The Medical Post, Sept94] 

* A study in the November issue of the journal Obstetrics &
Gynecology evaluated females in four body positions to find out
which was the most effective in keeping them from wetting their
pants.  Findings:  It is much better to cross your legs, and more
effective to stand upright while doing it than to be bent at the
waist. [Harvard Women's Health Watch, Feb95] 

LATEST RIGHTS

* In January, the European Commission of Human Rights agreed
to investigate the case of three British men who were convicted of
assault while participating in various consensual sado-masochistic
sex acts.  Britain's highest court, the House of Lords, had upheld
a trial court's ruling that consent is not a defense to acts of 
bodily harm. [Globe & Mail-Reuters, 1-19-95] 

* In February at a Veterans Administration facility in Jackson,
Miss., Navy veteran Michael Martin received a taxpayer-paid 
penile implant to cure his impotence.  Martin had been released
from prison ten months earlier after serving four years for
molesting two young girls. Said Martin, "My only wish for the
future is that I be allowed my rights under the Constitution to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." [Washington Post, 2-
26-95] 

* In Denver, Colo., in October, U. S. District Judge Edward
Nottingham ruled that imprisoned kidnaper Robert James Howard
should be allowed to practice certain rituals associated with his
religion of Satanism, and that the prison should perhaps furnish
Howard with a robe and incense.  One of the rituals was a
"destruction ritual," during which, according to Howard, he
would visualize the death of an enemy and then convince himself,
he would hope, not to carry out the killing. [Washington Times-
Rocky Mountain News, 10-13-94] 

* In September, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a
Montreal man was entitled to a new trial on the sexual assault
charge brought against him for attacking a 65-year-old woman in
a wheelchair.  The Court said the man was entitled to show that
he should be acquitted because he was so intoxicated that he did
not understand what he was doing.  A few weeks later, in
Alberta, Canada, a man was acquitted to assaulting his wife,
based explicitly on the Supreme Court's ruling. [B. Springs-AP,
11-15-94] 

* In December, New York state Rep. Michael Nozzolio told
reporters that the state spends $700,000 a year on estrogen for its
87 male prison inmates who want to become female.  State law
establishes a right to such hormone treatment if the person was
receiving the treatments before he was imprisoned, and some
legislators fear that indigent transsexuals may be committing
crimes in order to receive free treatment. [New York Newsday,
12-13-94] 

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS

* In March, a man with a gun burst into a Columbia, Tenn.,
building that formerly housed the First Citizens Bank and rushed
up to what were formerly the tellers' counters.  However, the
bank had relocated six months earlier, and the building now
houses an insurance company, two of whose employees were on
duty.  Asked the man, "Is this not a bank anymore?"  He
managed to escape after robbing the two women.  And in New
Jersey, James J. Downes, 29, was arrested for attempted robbery
of the Sussex County State Bank in Vernon Township after he
drew attention to himself by banging on the bank's doors, while
wearing a mask, a few minutes after the bank had closed for the
day on April 1. [Nashville Banner, 3-31-95; Morristown Daily
Record, 4-4-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.759BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Fri May 12 1995 21:2626
    
    >* A report in a January issue of The New England Journal of
>Medicine revealed that the cause of a woman's chronic heel pain
>was an accumulation of dog hairs embedded in the skin over the
>Achilles tendon, produced by years of her rubbing her Scottish
>terrier with her bare heel. [Toronto Star, 2-6-95]

    	Over 10 years ago, my neighbor [then 7 or so] complained to his
    	mother that he had this nagging pain in his foot, only to go to
    	the doctor's and find out that he had stepped on a sewing needle
    	who-knows-how-long ago and it had become lodged in his foot some-
    	where, and finally "drifted" to a point where it bothered him.
    
>* In September, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a
>Montreal man was entitled to a new trial on the sexual assault
>charge brought against him for attacking a 65-year-old woman in
>a wheelchair.  The Court said the man was entitled to show that
>he should be acquitted because he was so intoxicated that he did
>not understand what he was doing.  A few weeks later, in
>Alberta, Canada, a man was acquitted to assaulting his wife,
>based explicitly on the Supreme Court's ruling. [B. Springs-AP,
>11-15-94] 
    
    	This one's scary, especially if it sets a precednt for these types
    	of cases.
    
79.760CSC32::J_OPPELTWhatever happened to ADDATA?Sat May 13 1995 15:513
    	The town of Bellevue, Washington is requiring a strip joint
    	to make its dance stage wheelchair accessible.  Are there 
    	really wheelchair-bound strip dancers?
79.761Out, damned Scott!COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertSun May 14 1995 21:381
	Images of Dr. Scott dance in my head.
79.762POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Creamy PresentsMon May 15 1995 00:004
    
    <-- BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    8^)
79.763NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 15 1995 13:599
An Allston woman whose car smashed into a Dunkin Donuts in Brighton MA was
charged with driving under the influence of a prescription drug.  A patron
of the shop was critically injured.  Police said one prescription bottle
found in the car was empty, and the other held an anti-anxiety drug that,
according the the PDR, can cause drowsiness.

The driver said she had trouble with the car's clutch, which caused her to
lose control of the vehicle.  Police said the car actually had an automatic
transmission.
79.764Updates on recent weird cases in Canada.KAOFS::D_STREETMon May 15 1995 14:5413
    I believe Canada has enacted a new law to eliminate the drunk defense.
    
     I was appalled when the first guy got off, and by reading the papers
    here, so was everybody else. As I said, I am fairly sure it has been
    corrected.
    
     I would also like to let people know that the guy accused of child
    abuse for spanking his child in a parkeing lot, was acquitted. The
    judge said it was the parents choice to spank or not. In this case the
    kid slammed the car door on it's siblings hand, **after being told not
    to**.
    
    							Derek.
79.765NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 16 1995 13:178
Groton, Conn. (AP) -- A 400-pound statue of the Virgin Mary fell on top of
a youth trying to scale the roof of a Catholic school, pinning him to the
ground for nearly two hours before help arrived.  Stephen J. Miller, 16,
suffered only bruises in the weekend incident at Sacred Heart School, but
did not escape a trespassing charge.  The statue is in a rock garden a few
feet from the side of the primary school.  Miller was trying to climb onto
the school's low roof about 2 a.m. Saturday when he hit the statue on his
way down.
79.766Not the answer she was looking forAMN1::RALTOIt's a small third world after allTue May 16 1995 17:467
    From the Files of Local Police Log:
    
    A female customer at PayLess Shoe Store in Woburn, Massachusetts
    declined medical attention after being struck on the forehead by
    a male store employee, in response to her inquiry about whether
    there were other shoe stores in the area.
    
79.767MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 17:473
    
    <-- what a heel!
    
79.768NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 16 1995 17:481
PayLess maybe, Painless no.
79.769BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Tue May 16 1995 17:5110
    
    >declined medical attention after being struck on the forehead by
    >a male store employee, in response to her inquiry about whether
    
    
    	Does anyone else read this as "someone threw an employee and he
    	landed on a customer"?
    
    	Didn't think so.  8^)
    
79.770OUTSRC::HEISERthe dumbing down of AmericaTue May 16 1995 17:561
    She's got no sole!
79.771POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayTue May 16 1995 18:531
    I would have laced the employee.
79.772CSOA1::LEECHTue May 16 1995 19:251
    I'd say that employee was treading on thin ice.
79.773POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayTue May 16 1995 19:432
    Will that employee get his/her walking papers? If I owned the store
    that employee would get the boot for sure.
79.774MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 19:443
    
    He shouldn't have socked her.
    
79.775GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberTue May 16 1995 19:593
    
    
    Maybe they can go to the golden arches, have lunch and make nice.
79.776POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayTue May 16 1995 20:021
    By polishing off a few burgers?
79.777I shoulda said "smacked" :-)AMN1::RALTOIt's a small third world after allTue May 16 1995 20:0211
    >>	Does anyone else read this as "someone threw an employee and he
    >>	landed on a customer"?
    
    Hmmm, now that you mention it... maybe he was so amazed at her
    question, that he fell off one of those shoe-store rolling
    ladders and landed on her forehead.
    
    As for the employee, they can go ahead and fire him; he was a
    loafer anyway.
    
    Chris
79.778GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberTue May 16 1995 20:033
    
    
    Chris, you would be a loafer too if you only made pennies.
79.779MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 20:083
    
    This may cause a big sandal.
    
79.780POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayTue May 16 1995 20:091
    <--- You sneaker you.
79.781MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 20:133
    
    That shoe store is gonna get hosed...
                   
79.782GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberTue May 16 1995 20:133
    
    
    This note is getting corny.....
79.783MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 20:153
    
    I wouldn't get too pumped if I was you...
    
79.784POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayTue May 16 1995 20:201
    It's leaving me flat actually.
79.785MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 20:213
    
    What about your arch enemies?
    
79.786POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayTue May 16 1995 20:221
    You're always one step ahead of me.
79.787MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 20:233
    
    I'm trying to toe the line.
    
79.788SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, ISVETS Palo AltoTue May 16 1995 20:243
    put a sock in it!
    
    DougO
79.789MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue May 16 1995 20:243
    Don't be so callous!

79.790GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyTue May 16 1995 21:274
    
    
    shoely you guys are done with these puns, yes??
    
79.791BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed May 17 1995 02:153

	but raq, they got so much sole!
79.792Rubel saved from devaluationNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 17 1995 14:2611
Exeter, NH (AP) -- A New York woman said she wanted to spare her common-law
husband the grief of financial disaster, so she shot him in the back and
then hid his body in a freezer, police said.

In documents presented at an extradition hearing in Exeter District Court,
police said Gail Hanna, 45, told them she killed Richard Rubel last week
in Lake Luzerne, NY, because she did not think he could deal with money
problems.

New York authorities found Rubel's body in a freezer at his home in Lake
Luzerne, about 60 miles north of Albany.
79.793GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberWed May 17 1995 14:473
    
    
    .....and they say there are no compassionate wimmins left.
79.794DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundThu May 18 1995 17:304
    Hmmmmm, wonder if she got the idea of putting the body in the
    freezer from Pickett Fences :-)
    
    
79.795Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnFri May 19 1995 03:131
    BAN Pickett Fences !!
79.796NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 19 1995 14:0412
Birmingham, Ala. (AP) -- The state that brought back chain gangs has a new
prison wrinkle: hot-pink uniforms for male inmates who habitually expose
themselves to female guards.

The Corrections Department has ordered 50 of the garish outfits to be worn
by public masturbators in an attempt to shame them into behaving.

Nothing else has worked, officials said yesterday.

"We've even taken disposable cameras and taken a picture of them and told
them we were going to send it to their mothers.  They don't care," said
Charlie Bodiford, a spokesman at the 800-man Holman prison.
79.797POLAR::RICHARDSONIndeedy Do Da DayFri May 19 1995 14:081
    <--- Truly a wacky news brief.
79.798DASHER::RALSTONAnagram: Lost hat on MarsMon May 22 1995 03:203
    Mr. Montgomery Burns, Energy Tycoon and Nuclear energy advocate was
    found shot in Springfield this evening. It is not known at present if
    Mr. Burns survived the assult.
79.799BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon May 22 1995 11:135
	He was assulted? Wow... and all this time I thought he was assaulted.



79.800mad, sad Scotsman snarfs, Film at 11COMICS::MCSKEANECough red noseMon May 22 1995 11:371
    
79.801NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 22 1995 13:283
From another story on the Alabama prison flashers:

They're known as "gunslingers" in prison lingo.
79.802NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 22 1995 13:29131
WEIRDNUZ.378 (News of the Weird, May 5, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In March, after the president of the Puerto Rico House of
Representatives accused him of illegal drug use, Sen. Freddie
Valentin denied the charge and led reporters into a restroom in
the Capitol building in San Juan, where he yielded a urine sample
that he later submitted to the Senate leadership.  A TV camera
shot over Valentin's shoulder, and journalist Sonia Salgado's
play-by-play radio report ended, "I have just transmitted, for the
first time ever, a senator taking a pee before the media." [Austin
American-Statesman-AP, 3-18-95] 

WEIRD ANIMAL NEWS

* In February, Humane Society officer Tori Matthews in Los
Angeles and farmer Janet Bonney in Harpswell, Maine, revived
animals that were near death.  Matthews applied mouth-to-nose
help to a boy's pet iguana, and Bonney saved a nearly frozen
chicken with mouth-to-beak resuscitation. [St. Louis Post-
Dispatch-AP, 2-12-95; Syracuse Herald-Journal-AP, 2-24-95] 

* On January 16 in the woods near Waukegan, Ill., a German
shepherd dog named Friendly brought home a two-foot section of
a severed human left leg and five days later brought home a
portion of a right one.  Authorities identified the legs as
belonging to a 24-year-old woman missing since January 3, but
in extensive sweeps through the area, and after outfitting Friendly
with a radio transmitter, they were unable to find the rest of the
body. [Chicago Tribune, 1-18-95, 1-24-95; Chicago Sun-Times,
2-1-95] 

* In June in Camden, N. J., two-year-old Matthew Mikel slipped
while reaching for a cat on a balcony.  He and the cat fell three
stories; doctors said Matthew survived because his landing was
cushioned by the cat, which did not survive.  [Philadelphia
Inquirer, 6-24-94] 

* In a February Los Angeles Times story on the San Francisco
Zoo's annual Valentine's Day mating-practices tour, the pygmy
hippopotamus seemed the most hapless exhibit.  According to
Zoo official Jane Tollini, "Roly" has lived with his mate "Poly"
since 1969 with no success.  "He'd put it in her ear," said
Tollini.  "He'd put it under her arm.  In 26 years he never put it
in the right spot." [Los Angeles Times, 2-14-95] 

* In a four-student, Davidson College class project reported in
November in The (Charlotte, N. C.) Observer, an Australian
terrier named Willie starred in an experiment in which the
students sprayed a synthetic dog-scent chemical on stakes, hoping
to see how often dogs would urinate on the scent.  Willie, who is
legendary because he has been known to urinate dozens of times
on a single stroll through the neighborhood, correctly hit three of
the five marked stakes but also hit two of the unscented ones.
[Charlotte Observer, 11-2-94] 

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

* The federal Small Business Administration office in
Birmingham, Ala., confirmed in December that it had helped
Mobile, Ala., entrepreneurs who opened Sammy's, a topless go-
go bar adjacent to Westlawn Elementary School.  Said the SBA
director, "[W]e could not discriminate against them [just] because
they are a go-go club." [Tuscaloosa News-AP, 12-16-94] 

* In 1993, the Fairbanks, Alaska, Social Security Administration
office rejected the application of Athabaskan Indian Altona
Brown, 90, for Medicaid benefits because she was not poor
enough.  She owned only a $3,000 coffin, a $700 plane ticket
(reserved for flying her body home to her tribe when she passed
away), and various rugs and clothing that she had a tribal duty to
pass on to her survivors.  The Social Security office said Brown's
coffin was too fancy to be counted as an exempt "burial
receptacle," and later said that the ticket and rugs were worth
more than the $1,500 burial-expense exemption.  In December
1994, the office changed its mind and ruled her Medicaid-
eligible. [Independence Examiner-AP, 12-17-94; AP wirecopy,
12-5-94] 

* In December, a former lawyer for Canada's House of
Commons, Paul Ebbs, reached a settlement in his lawsuit against
the government for having given him a boring job.  He claimed
the government enticed him to take a pay cut from his previous
job, promised him "exciting, challenging, and demanding" work,
but assigned him to a four-lawyer office that had only enough
work for two.  Ebbs spent two years doing nothing before filing
his complaint. [Globe & Mail-CP, 12-20-94] 

* In September, Dutch officials modified their political-asylum
policy, which had recently been plagued with abuses estimated to
cost $100 million a year.  Teenagers from other European
countries had been claiming "political asylum" in upscale
Netherlands beach resorts, where they would then be given
government-paid room and board plus about $15 a week to spend
while their claims were being processed. [Columbus Dispatch-
Scripps Howard, 8-10-94] 

* When U. S. Army Gen. Joseph Ashy left his post in Naples,
Italy, in September to assume his new command duties in
Colorado Springs, Colo., taxpayers paid out $120,000 for the
trip.  A C-141 with a crew of 13 flew from New Jersey to pick
him up, then on to Colorado Springs with only two passengers--
Ashy and his aide. [Albuquerque Journal-Colorado Springs
Gazette Telegraph, 12-7-94] 

* Recent government employee news:  A guard for an Illinois
mental health center, who was fired when an investigator took
photographs of him sleeping on the job, was reinstated by an
arbitrator's decision in August.  Warwick, R. I., police Sgt.
Michael D. Mallette filed a lawsuit in February claiming he was
wrongfully fired.  Mallette repeatedly had sex with a woman on
duty, lied about it during investigations over a nine-month period
(in which he was on mandatory, paid leave earning $42,000), and
confessed only when confronted with tape recordings that were to
be the basis for perjury charges. [Chicago Tribune, 8-21-94;
Providence Journal-Bulletin, 2-23-95] 

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS

* Jeremy E. Bennett and three juveniles were arrested in
Waynesboro, Va., in February and charged with burglary after
allegedly throwing a bowling ball through a store window to gain
entry.  Police knew who to look for because the gang left behind
the bowling ball, which had the name of one of the juveniles
engraved on it. [Waynesboro News-Virginian, 2-14-95] 
               
Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or the name News of the Weird.
79.803NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 22 1995 13:32144
WhiteBoard News for May 19, 1995 [excerpts]

Denver, Colorado:

A medical anomaly -- 8-month-old fraternal twins with
different fathers -- is the backdrop for a custody
battle involving the girls' mother, boyfriend and
estranged husband.

DNA tests show the husband fathered one girl and the
boyfriend fathered the other, said lawyer John
Ciccolella, who represents the husband.  The tests say
neither man could have sired both girls.

El Paso County District Judge John Hall is deciding who
should get custody.  He's expected to issue a temporary
order next week.

The mother, who has moved out of state with her
boyfriend, wants to keep full custody of the children,
Ciccolella said, while the husband wants them to return
to Colorado Springs so he can have contact with the
child.

Cases in which twins have separate fathers are rare,
says Dr. Bradley Hurst, an assistant professor of
endocrinology at the University of Colorado Health
Sciences Center.

"It is something that under any circumstances would be
very rare and I can't imagine there can be more than
five or 10 cases reported in the medical literature
over the last 100 years," he said.  "Before the days of
DNA testing, the ability to prove different fathers was
kind of hard to do."

For it to occur, the mother would have to ovulate twice
in one cycle and have intercourse with both men around
the time she ovulated, he said.

The DNA tests were ordered to settle the paternity
issue as part of divorce proceedings, Ciccolella said.

"The mere fact that the children are of separate
fathers makes no difference as far as custody
determination," he said.
==========

Hollywood, California:

In a combination of highbrow and pop culture, the Greek
tragedy "The Trojan Women" is being staged at CBS'
"Gilligan's Island" lagoon.

"I was a little skeptical" when asked to star in the
modernized adaptation directed by Michael Arabian,
Emmy-winning actress Mariette Hartley said.

"When he told me that he wanted it to be done as a kind
of modern-day seaport, in the 'Gilligan's Island'
lagoon, and (King) Meneleus is coming in on one of
those seacraft,...he really convinced me that there's
some kind of magic going on there."

The play, written by Euripides about 416 B.C., is an
anti-war story set during the Trojan War.  Hartley
plays Andromache, one of a number of grieving women.
==========

Seattle, Washington:

Travis Powell of Snohomish was taking in the sights
from the Space Needle Tuesday night, looking through
the telescope, soaking in the view after a nice dinner
celebrating his girlfriend's birthday.

He looked at the Coliseum.  He looked at the M on the
roof of the McDonald's.  And he looked at his red 1979
Camaro, parked in a parking lot.

And the guy breaking into it.

From the observation deck of the Space Needle, Powell
reached for his cellular phone to call the police, but
the battery was dead.

He and his girlfriend watched the man finish taking
stuff out of the Camaro, push-start his Volkswagon
Rabbit and drive off.

"I was pretty bummed, the car was thrashed," said
Powell.  He didn't report the theft right away because
he had tickets to "Miss Saigon" at the Paramount
Theatre.

While driving to the theater, Powell recognized the
thief's car and the clothing of the guy inside.

As the suspect parked, "I pulled alongside the vehicle,
blocking him in," Powell said.  "I then got out of my
vehicle and popped the hood so that the motorist behind
me would see that I wasn't going to be moving my car."

He wanted to get a closer look at the suspect, who
drove over the curb and down the sidewalk, pursued by
Powell.  Meanwhile, Reed called the police from the
cellular phone, now plugged into the dash.

Police arrested the man nearby.  He was booked into
King County Jail for investigation of theft.  Powell's
possessions were recovered, except for a camera.
===========

London, England:

An Anglican bishop says churches should be more
understanding when people commit adultery because
humans have a God-given urge to "propagate as widely as
possible."

"God has given us our promiscuous genes, so I think it
would be wrong for the church to condemn people who
have followed their instincts," the Most Reverend
Richard Holloway said in a published interview.

A front-page headline in The Guardian read, "Bishop
tells audience to sow seed and scatter."  The Daily
Telegraph, also on Page One said, "Adultery not a sin,
says bishop."

Holloway later said his point had been misconstrued.
Adultery is wrong, he told the British Broadcasting
Corporation.

"But having got that out of the way, we have to ask why
people go on committing it," he said.
==========

San Diego, California:

Inmate Richard Loritz, 31, has sued to force the county
to reimburse him $2,000 for his dental bill.  Loritz
says he developed four cavities because guards denied
him dental floss.
79.804NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 22 1995 13:374
79.805CSC32::J_OPPELTHe said, 'To blave...'Tue May 23 1995 20:167
>Inmate Richard Loritz, 31, has sued to force the county
>to reimburse him $2,000 for his dental bill.  Loritz
>says he developed four cavities because guards denied
>him dental floss.

    I thought that inmates get free dental service (and medical service)
    while in jail...  Where did he rack up a $2-grand bill?
79.806POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Deadly WeaponsTue May 23 1995 20:543
    
    $2,000 for four cavities, anyway?  $500 per cavity?  We're talking
    BIIIIG cavities here.
79.807NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 23 1995 20:551
Untreated cavities can lead to root canals.
79.808POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Deadly WeaponsTue May 23 1995 20:572
    
    Ah, I see.  I would presume those are more expensive.
79.809BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Tue May 23 1995 21:055
    
    	Yes, quite a bit.
    
    	If Madonna is a big cavity, Traci Lords is the root canal.
    
79.810Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnWed May 24 1995 04:181
    Who'd wanna root a canal ?
79.811NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 24 1995 13:557
New York (Reuters) -- The carcass of a female black bear, its abdomen gutted
and a crucifix stuffed inside, was found in a New York City park, the apparent
victim of a religious sacrifice, officials said yesterday.  Parks Department
spokesman Bradley Tusk said the bear was found wrapped in a blanket by a worker
Monday in Forest Hills Park in Queens.  Carcasses of chickens, goats, cats and
dogs have been found in the city's parks over the years.  Officials believe
many were sacrificed by devotees of Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion.
79.812CSC32::J_OPPELTHe said, 'To blave...'Wed May 24 1995 16:095
    	At a minor-league exhibition baseball game that was held to
    	"strike out domestic violence", a brawl broke out among the
    	players.  One player is still hospitalized with facial
    	injuries that included many of his teeth getting knocked
    	out.
79.813EVMS::MORONEYVerbing weirds languagesFri May 26 1995 16:467
12 foot shark leaps into a boat off Fiji and attacks and kills
a man in the boat.

Man in Rome, late for his flight, calls in a bomb threat for his
flight from his car phone while rushing to the airport to delay it.
When he reached the airport his flight was still there, however
the police already traced the call to him and arrested him.
79.814BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Fri May 26 1995 18:114
    
    	What a moron ... he could've stopped at a pay phone [do they have
    	those in Rome?] instead!!
    
79.815NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri May 26 1995 18:461
"It just doesn't ring true".
79.816NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 30 1995 15:2177
WhiteBoard News for May 24, 1995 [excerpts]


London, England:

Two doctors used a knife and fork, a coat hanger, a
bottle and adhesive tape to operate on a woman whose
lung collapsed on a flight from Hong Kong to London
Monday.

Paula Dixon, 39, was reportedly in a motorcycle
accident on her way to the airport, and British Airways
said she complained of pain in her arm as the Boeing
747 prepared to take off with more than 300 passengers
aboard.

Twenty minutes into the 14-hour flight, she reported
chest pains and two doctors on board diagnosed
fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.

"To release the collapsed lung, we needed to insert a
chest drain," orthopedic specialist Angus Wallace, one
of the doctors, told a London newspaper.

As flight attendants held a blanket around Dixon,
Wallace and Tom Wong, a doctor at a Scottish hospital,
injected her with anesthetic from the plane's first aid
box and made a small incision in her chest with a
scalpel.

Holding the wound open with a knife and fork, they used
the coathanger to push a catheter into the incision,
fixing it in place with adhesive tape.  They fed the
tube into a bottle of mineral water, which acted as a
valve to drain an air pocket that had built up around
one lung.

Dixon, is now recovering in a London hospital.
==========

Los Angeles, California:

What's the drink of choice for growing numbers of the
Harley-Davidson set?  Would you guess an herbal soda?

Skeleteens, a line of natural soft drinks that come in
such downbeat flavors as Brain Wash, Black Lemonade and
DOA, is developing a loyal following among bikers in
southern California.

James "Grizzly" Watkins, a 28-year-old biker from
Newport Beach says he likes the drink as an alternative
to beer because of its rebellious image and high
caffeine content.  "The coolest of the cool people
drink this," he says.

Skeleteens sell for about $2 a bottle in coffee shops,
small grocery stores and a few clothing boutiques.  The
drinks come in black, yellow and purple; drinkers of
the Brain Wash flavor will find that their teeth and
lips turn blue.  What has made the drink popular among
bikers and some teenagers, though, are the images of
skulls and crossbones on the labels.

But the drink crosses cultural boundaries also.

David Hobbs, who runs a computer programming company in
Long Beach says he heard about the beverage on the
Internet.  He likes it because he says it keeps his
staff alert without making them nervous.  "It's not
just about being awake.  You're on the cutting edge
with an attitude," he says.

In fact, the brands' creators say their product has
several social benefits.  "Everyone's trying to impress
each other, but when your mouth is bright blue," Steve
Corri says, "everyone seems equal."
79.817NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 30 1995 15:2253
WhiteBoard News for May 26, 1995 [excerpts]



Maricopa County, Arizona:

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio plans to pipe in a
10-part video lecture by House Speaker Newt Gingrich
into cells of the county's 5,200 inmates.

"I understand some people might call this cruel and
unusual punishment, but so what," said Arpaio.

He also has banned coffee, girlie magazines and
smoking, and has reinstituted chain gangs in his hard
time campaign.

==========

Toutle, Washington:

A state toxic spill team, clad in protective gear and
scientific equipment, gingerly probed the mysterious
mound of greenish gel near an old logging road.

Already, three people had been treated at a hospital
after being exposed to the goo.  Authorities, who had
characterized the unknown substance as "highly
corrosive" and perhaps life-threatening, feared the
worst.

After careful analysis, the team experts identified
what they were up against:

Diapers.  Lots of soiled diapers.

"It was, uh, like an absorbent gel inside the
disposable diaper," said Brett Manning, a member of the
state Department of Ecology's spill response team.
"After sitting there for several months, it took on a
greenish appearance.  It was actually the urine that
turned this color."

The pile was found earlier this week on a road near
Mount St. Helens, by two hikers.  They and a sheriff's
deputy fell ill while examing the mess.  All three have
recovered and were released.

Manning said that as the diapers' absorbent material
decomposed, it turned various shades of green, brown
and yellow.

"It was kind of strange," he said.
79.818CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue May 30 1995 15:594


 I'm not hungry anymore..
79.819GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyTue May 30 1995 16:018
    re: two doctors and a collapsed lung...
    
    ya forgot to mention that the doctor sterlized the coat hanger with
    brandy...
    
    very intersting story, indeed...saw it a couple of times last week...
    
    
79.820DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundTue May 30 1995 17:504
    Heard an interview with the one doc; he said he drank the remaining
    brandy when the procedure was completed :-)
    
    
79.821GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyTue May 30 1995 21:357
    
    
    heard that too...almost typed it, but wasn't sure if he drank the rest
    brandy from the glass used to sterilize the coat hanger or if there
    was more in the bottle... ;>
    
    
79.822DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundTue May 30 1995 23:096
    raq,
    
    After that experience, I don't think the doc cared where the bottle
    came from :-)
    
    
79.824LJSRV2::KALIKOWWed May 31 1995 18:142
    Sounds like Janet is beginning to fret overmuch...
    
79.825PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed May 31 1995 18:153
  oh my heart.

79.826NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 31 1995 18:251
Di, are you rejecting Glen in favor of Kalikow?
79.827BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed May 31 1995 18:291
well... he does have a stang and all.... i would understand.... :-)
79.828PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed May 31 1995 18:313
	'stang nuthin' - you should see his banana trick.

79.829BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed May 31 1995 18:348
| <<< Note 79.828 by PENUTS::DDESMAISONS "person B" >>>


| 'stang nuthin' - you should see his banana trick.


	I wuz there Di.... remember????? I was quite impressed with wirley
twirley mans banana...... 
79.830PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed May 31 1995 18:405
 i was speaking to gerald, my dear.

 i couldn't _possibly_ forget you were there.  try as i might. ;>

79.831(-: Ta da bofe ov yez: :-)LJSRV2::KALIKOWWed May 31 1995 18:402
                                   {{{SMAQ}}}
     
79.832Like quail frum a bush...GAAS::BRAUCHERWed May 31 1995 18:422
    
    Wot ?  Captain Beanie's smoke out of hiz RO posture ?  bb
79.833NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 31 1995 18:461
Banana trick?  Please... this is a family notesfile.
79.835re .832LJSRV2::KALIKOWWed May 31 1995 18:574
    Not so much RO as vaqation, busy-ness, and the minusqule S/N of 'BoxLand.
    
    (said he, returning to the woodworq)
                         
79.836PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed May 31 1995 19:004
	now see what you've done, bob?  he has not-so-ceremoniously
	thumbed his nose at us and retreated.  a fine kettle of fish. ;>       

79.837BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Wed May 31 1995 19:257
    
    	Just mention his name and he appears.
    
    	Kinda like that other guy, e ...
    
    	... oops!!  You know, he-who-signs-off-with-his-initials.
    
79.838testing the theoryNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 31 1995 19:281
Shawn, you'd look lovely in calico.
79.839BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed May 31 1995 19:536
| <<< Note 79.830 by PENUTS::DDESMAISONS "person B" >>>


| i couldn't _possibly_ forget you were there.  try as i might. ;>

	:'-(    sniff..... boo hoo hoo..... 
79.840BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed May 31 1995 19:543

	Who were ya smaq'n dan???
79.841GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyWed May 31 1995 20:456
    
    
    i should be smaq'n him...for incorrectly q-ing....
    
    
    
79.842TROOA::COLLINSOn a wavelength far from home.Fri Jun 02 1995 13:164
    
    Saw on the nooz last night that the Space Shuttle currently awaiting
    launch had been attacked by woodpeckers.
    
79.843CBHVAX::CBHLager LoutFri Jun 02 1995 13:469
re .842,

isn't the space centre in the middle of a nature reserve?  I heard on
the news that the woodpeckers chipping away at the insulation hasn't
been the only problem, apparently they sometimes have to wait for the
alligators to wander away from the site before they can commence a
launch!

Chris.
79.844MMMM MMMM Good !DEVLPR::DKILLORANFri Jun 02 1995 13:493
    Why, don't they like well done 'gator burgers?
    
    Dan
79.845POLAR::RICHARDSONRepetitive Fan Club NappingFri Jun 02 1995 13:521
    You gotta put too much country croc on em.
79.846NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 02 1995 14:041
Did Ray Kroc like gator burgers?
79.847BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Fri Jun 02 1995 14:523
    
    	News briefs, people, news briefs!!
    
79.848POWDML::CKELLYCute Li'l RascalFri Jun 02 1995 14:543
    shawn, you twit, it's NEW BRIEFS, PEOPLE, NEW BRIEFS.
    :-)))))
    hth
79.849NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 02 1995 14:551
No, it's WACKY NEWS BRIEFS, PEOPLE, WACKY NEWS BRIEFS!
79.850POWDML::CKELLYCute Li'l RascalFri Jun 02 1995 15:072
    No, no, no, it's WACKY NEW BRIEFS, WACKY NEW BRIEFS!
    :-)))))
79.851BOXORN::HAYSI think we are toast. Remember the jam?Fri Jun 02 1995 15:081
Would anyone like to look at my wacky old briefs?
79.852:-)POWDML::CKELLYCute Li'l RascalFri Jun 02 1995 15:091
    since you asked nicely phil.....
79.853POLAR::RICHARDSONRepetitive Fan Club NappingFri Jun 02 1995 15:091
    As long as they have an April fresh scent.
79.854BOXORN::HAYSI think we are toast. Remember the jam?Fri Jun 02 1995 15:132
I can lend them to April.  I'm not sure how fresh the scent will be unless 
you come pick them up from her.
79.855Where to today?... Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, or...DECWIN::RALTOIt's a small third world after allFri Jun 02 1995 16:4712
    Disneyworld, MGM Studios, Sea World, move over!  Some major new
    entertainment is coming into the Orlando area:
    
    		American Gladiators Dinner Theater!
    
    The manager (or some similar person) said that more "family
    entertainment" was needed in the Orlando area, and he's hoping
    that people will "flock" to the dinner theater, where the
    Gladiators will stage the same kinds of events that are loved
    by millions on television.
    
    Chris
79.856CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanFri Jun 02 1995 16:534


 Thud.
79.857BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Fri Jun 02 1995 18:415
    
    	I didn't see a smiley, nor did I see a "just kidding" on .855.
    
    	Does that mean it's true?  Scary if so.
    
79.858A minor but notable sign of our decaying timesDECWIN::RALTOIt's a small third world after allFri Jun 02 1995 19:0011
    Incredibly, it's true, or at least it was reported as being true,
    on either WBZ or WRKO radio news last night (I jump back and forth
    between the two during both stations' overly-long commercial breaks).
    
    I added the "loved by millions on television" part, mostly to serve
    as either cynical commentary or glowing tribute, depending on whether
    you can't stand it or love it, an "eye of the beholder" thing.
    
    Me, I can't stand it!  :-)
    
    Chris
79.859TROOA::COLLINSOn a wavelength far from home.Wed Jun 07 1995 01:2010
    
    For Haag (forward at will!):
    
    Recently, British golfer Peter Cooke drove a ball 40 yards from the tee
    of a course in South Wales and saw it lodge below the tail of a sheep.
    The animal, looking mildly surprised, carried the ball 30 yards closer
    to the green before dropping it like an egg.  Cooke then bogied the
    par-four 17th and went on to win the match.  Club officials said the
    ball had been dropped in bounds and the rules were not contravened.
    
79.860POWDML::CKELLYCute Li'l RascalWed Jun 07 1995 01:223
    re:-1
    
    i'm dying :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
79.861umm, umm, ummXEDON::JENSENWed Jun 07 1995 01:255
    There's some sort of hole-in-one joke here, but even I'm
    not that depraved.
    
    As my son says, "thanks for sharing."
    
79.862WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Jun 07 1995 10:393
    i'm sure he had his caddy handle that one...
    
    Chip
79.863Funny story, but...ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Wed Jun 07 1995 12:2412
I'm no golfer, but a lot of that doesn't make sense.

1) A 40 yard drive???  What did he hit it with, a nerf golf club???

2) He bogied the hole after the sheep assist?  How about birdied?

3) How does someone win a tournament with 40 yard drives?

Maybe I should rent some clubs and attend that tournament.  I probably could
finish in the money.

Bob
79.864TROOA::COLLINSOn a wavelength far from home.Wed Jun 07 1995 12:304
    
    Actually, the "40 yards" part sounded wrong to me, too, but I know
    pretty much zero about golf...
    
79.865CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenWed Jun 07 1995 12:426
    He biffed the drive, could almost have been a dickout.  The sheep
    caught it and wandered down the fairway another 30 yards for a total of
    a 120 yard drive.  I would say this person was a hack or at least had a
    bad hole.  
    
    Brian
79.866GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyWed Jun 07 1995 12:456
    
    
    our batman is now playing golf in england?!?!?!?!?!?!
    
    
    
79.867RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Wed Jun 07 1995 13:3912
    Re .863:
    
    > 1) A 40 yard drive???  What did he hit it with, a nerf golf club???
    
    It doesn't say "40-yard drive", it says "40 yards from the tee".
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.868CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenWed Jun 07 1995 13:458
    >Recently, British golfer Peter Cooke drove a ball 40 yards from the tee
    				   	  ^^^^^
    Sure sounds like a 40 yard drive to me.	
    
    Raq, I didn't catch the PRC reference until now, no e at the end of his
    name though.  Could be a disguise though :-).	
    
    
79.870PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Jun 07 1995 13:504
	i think maybe eric made a mistake and this has me quite
	upset.  i might have to go home and lie down.

79.871WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Jun 07 1995 13:514
    someone 'splain the difference between a 40yd. drive and 40yds. from
    the tee, please, please, please...
    
    Chip
79.872GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberWed Jun 07 1995 13:534
    
    
    
    Take 2 anagrams and call me in the morning M'Lady.
79.873PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Jun 07 1995 13:553
 .872  ;>

79.874CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenWed Jun 07 1995 13:5912
    If it was a second (or subsequent) shot, it would not be a drive as a 
    drive is customarily the tee shot which one uses a driver but not 
    exclusively.  One can select another club based upon the distance needed 
    to drive or lack of proficiency with using a driver which is for most 
    players, harder to control.  Regardless, the news clip as written here 
    specified the player drove the ball 40 yards from the tee.  This implies 
    it was driven 40 yards and therefore would make it a 40 yard drive.  One 
    can assume from this unless of course the reporter is uninformed, that 
    this was the first shot and a rather poor one at that for the winner of the
    match.  
    
    Brian
79.875WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Jun 07 1995 14:133
    -1 how eloquent, but then, it doesn't surpise me. :-)
    
       Chip
79.876GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberWed Jun 07 1995 14:467
    
    
    RE: .874  Real men can control their driver.  
    
    
    Mike (who has been know to hit the ball 300yds off the tee....well a
    few years ago anyway)
79.877I'm sorry, I couldn't help it...TAMDNO::WHITMANthe 2nd Amendment assures the restWed Jun 07 1995 14:588
<    Mike (who has been know to hit the ball 300yds off the tee....well a

    Of course it took him 3 strokes to get that 300yds from the tee;-);-)

			OR

    Didn't the rest of your foursome tell you that you can only use the little
wooden ball rest the first time you whack the ball on any given hole?;-);-)
79.879Like the floors in the MillCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Jun 07 1995 15:005
I imagine the ball would be a bit slippery with all the lanolin dripping
from it.


79.880CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenWed Jun 07 1995 15:067
    Regardless of the physics, the distance is measured from the tee to
    where the ball comes to rest.  If an inanimate or in this case animate
    object impedes the the travel of the ball, it matters not.  The
    distance is still measured to where it stops.  In this case, it
    originally came to rest, relatively, 40 yards from the tee.  BTW Mike,
    a hundred yards in the air and a two hundred yard roll still counts as
    a three hundred yard drive, so your safe. :-)
79.881TROOA::COLLINSOn a wavelength far from home.Wed Jun 07 1995 15:2510
    Haag Replies To .859:
    
>i would call you a bloody cossack but i'm mellowing in my old age. there are
>no sheep in this neck of the woods. there are, however, plenty of mountain
>lion and coyotes which are extremely difficult to catch.

    :^)
    
    
79.882CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenWed Jun 07 1995 15:272
    And mountain goats which are distant cousins to the shaggy Welsh
    variety.  Probably put up a good fight too.  Maybe Gene can verify?
79.883:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberWed Jun 07 1995 15:556
    
    
    Thanks guys.....
    
    
    Mike
79.884GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyWed Jun 07 1995 16:1810
    
    
    well, for the record, when golfing, because i suck (at golf,
    thanyouverymuch), i drive with an iron and there is hardly any
    trajectory stuff involved...pretty close to the before-mentioned
    line-drives...
    
    but i am getting better... :>
    
    
79.885TROOA::COLLINSOn a wavelength far from home.Wed Jun 07 1995 16:2211
    .882:
    
    Gene replies to Brian:

>>Brian McBride believes that you're not telling us about the mountain goats.
>>Fess up!

>you can tell brian that one doesn't publically advertise a "good thing" less
>the multitudes and hordes try to cash in as well.

79.886Wacky does not necessarily mean funny...CSC32::J_OPPELTHe said, 'To blave...'Wed Jun 07 1995 16:315
    	Boy scouts in Germany were trying to get into the Guiness Book of
    	Records by participating in the largest tug-of-war.  The rope
    	snapped, and the broken end whipped back and struck a boy, killing
    	him.  The ensuing tumble and crush of bodies resulted in another
    	death and several other injuries.
79.887what a bummerPENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Jun 07 1995 16:354
	so now they'll be in there under "most boy scouts killed during
	tug-of-war".  sheesh.

79.888CSOA1::LEECHWed Jun 07 1995 16:473
    re: .869
    
    {snicker}
79.889CSOA1::LEECHWed Jun 07 1995 16:5412
    re: .876
    
    Oh yeah, well I've been known to "woods" golf balls on the driving
    range (i.e. the woods past the last distance marker of 250 yeards).
    
    Trouble is, I usually "woods" the ball off my tee shots, too, which is
    not as good as the above.  Not to mention my lack of any kind of short
    game...  8^) 
    
    
    -steve (who also had to walk through 7 miles of snow, uphill both ways,
    to take golf lessons)
79.890DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundWed Jun 07 1995 17:315
    .859
    
    Thanks, the mental image is priceless :-)
    
    
79.891ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Wed Jun 07 1995 17:405
re: .884

Ahhhhh, Mz. Wormburner, I presume.

Bob
79.892BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Wed Jun 07 1995 17:487
    
    	How fast was that rope travelling that it could kill someone?
    
    	RE: Diane [.887]
    
    	I know that wasn't supposed to be funny, but I'm rolling!!
    
79.893CSC32::J_OPPELTHe said, 'To blave...'Wed Jun 07 1995 17:554
    	Don't know how fast the rope was traveling.  The article said
    	that there were 600-some boys in the event, and the rope was
    	about as thick as a thumb in diameter.  Could have been a lot
    	of force behind that snap.
79.894Kind of a small rope for 600 peopleDYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Wed Jun 07 1995 18:1416
79.895CSC32::J_OPPELTHe said, 'To blave...'Wed Jun 07 1995 18:217
    	Hey, don't yell at me!  I'm only recounting what I read in the
    	paper.
    
    	Couldn't monofilament braided to a thumb-thickness be pretty
    	strong?
    
    	But this was Germany.  So what do you expect?  :^)
79.896WAHOO::LEVESQUEluxure et suppliceWed Jun 07 1995 18:467
    I think it was a nylon line, in which case the breaking strength could
    easily have been several thousand pounds (which still is insufficient
    for 600 scouts.) We broke a 2" manila rope with only 100 or so of us in
    a matter of seconds.
    
     The problem with nylo is that it stretches a long way before breaking,
    building up a lot of potential energy. When it lets go, look out!
79.897NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jun 07 1995 19:5675
WhiteBoard News for June 02, 1995 [excerpts]

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada:

A golf-course owner thought he was about to catch
vandals red-handed when he went out early to water the
course.

Instead, Chris Turton surprised three red-faced duffers
in the buff.

Turton was out at 4:45 AM Sunday to turn on the
sprinklers on the nine-hole McCulloch Orchard Greens
course when he heard a loud bang.  It sounded like the
noise created when a golf club hits one of his steel
tee-off area markers.

He could see a pair of legs through the trees, so he
followed.  Then he saw two other sets of legs -- and a
lot more.

"Hell, they were stark naked," Turton said.  "And they
were obviously drunk."

The threesome had a case of beer and a bag of golf
clubs.
===========

New York, New York:

Wold Trade Center bombing defendant Ramzi Ahmed Yousef
got his toothpaste, Koran and other personal belongings
returned after a federal judge accused prison officials
of removing the items as punishment rather than for
security reasons.

Judge Kevin Duffy said the treatment of Yousef gives
ammuntion for foreign enemies who accuse America of
being insensitive.

"This case has international ramifications and is being
watched by the entire civilized and perhaps uncivilized
world," Duffy said.

He ordered Rick Reish, warden of the Metropolitan
Corrections Facility in New York, to explain how
Yousef's belongings were dangerous.  Reish said a watch
could be used as a timing device for a bomb.

"Exactly what would he connect the timing device to?"
Duffy asked.  Reish said the coffee creamer was very
flammable.
==========

Kuwait City, Kuwait:

While ranchers and environmentalists have been arguing
over reintroduction of wolves here in the United
States, officials in Kuwait are hoping that wolves will
improve highway safety.

After a recent study at Sweden's University of Umea
showed that camels do an about-face when they smell
wolf urine, Kuwait's highway patrol started sprinkling
the stuff along busy roads.  They are hoping the urine,
which is being bottled and imported like beer from
Sweden, will cut down on the number of camel-vehicle
encounters on roadways.
==========

Fredrick Ward is charged with stealing $506 from
Hot&Speedy Pizza of Waterbury, Connecticut.  He was
arrested after he ordered a pizza from the same
restaurant a week later and the delivery man recognized
him as the robber, police say.
79.898NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jun 07 1995 19:57128
WEIRDNUZ.380 (News of the Weird, May 19, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In February, the Prostitute Information Centre in Amsterdam
began offering a six-day course, for around $160, on how to
practice the trade in the Netherlands.   Sessions include a survey
of job opportunities, a field trip to a sex bar, a role-playing class
with an actor portraying a customer, and a class on finances to
explain the tax-deductibility of such expenses as condoms,
leatherwear, and beauty aids. [Globe & Mail-Deutsche Presse
Agentur, 4-14-95] 

LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES

* Results of a Louis Harris poll, released in January, included the
finding that about 70% of Americans believe their financial
situation is "at least somewhat" a reflection of "God's regard for
them."  (People with lower incomes are more likely to believe
that.)  And in December, John M. Templeton, head of a family
of mutual funds, wrote in a religious magazine that prayer is the
most important part of his success in financial forecasting. [New
Haven Register-Bloomberg Business News, 1-29-95; Minneapolis
Star Tribune, 12-25-94] 

* The Winston-Salem Journal reported in February on North
Wilkesboro, N. C., evangelist Steven Jones, who describes
himself as one of the few in his profession who specialize in
saving people with tooth trouble.  He said he has had the God-
given power since 1993 to straighten teeth, end toothaches, and
replace lead and mercury fillings with those of gold, silver, and
pearl. [Winston-Salem Journal, 2-19-95] 

* Moana Pozzi, 33, once Italy's most prominent hard-core
pornographic film star, died of cancer in September and was
profoundly praised by many of the country's Roman Catholics
because of her turn to religion at the end of her life.  The
newsmagazine L'Espresso called her "Saint Moana" and noted
that Jesus, also, died at age 33.  The Archbishop of Naples said,
"She was an example that redemption is possible." [Globe &
Mail, 10-17-94] 

* In February, the Union Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church
in Athens, Ala., raised $2,500 by staging a "Coon Hunt for
Christ."  Said Rev. Charles Hood, "The coon hunt is a way to
spread the word of God, to talk about Jesus Christ." [Tuscaloosa
News-AP, 3-2-95] 

* The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Albany, N. Y., rejected
requests that good Catholics be allowed to eat the traditional
corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day this year, since it
fell on the nonmeat day of Friday.  However, the vicar general of
the adjacent Archdiocese of New York said he would make an
exception this year and not urge his parishioners to abstain from
eating meat on that day. [The Daily Freeman, 3-17-95] 

* In December in Singapore, a couple brought a cow and a calf
on the elevator to their apartment, along with 40 relatives, to
bless their new home in an ancient Hindu ceremony.  The cow
rental fee was $480, and the couple paid an additional $200 in
cleaning costs when the cow soiled the living room during the
ceremony. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 11-30-94; Arkansas Democrat-
Gazette-AP, Nov94] 

COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS

* In October, Robert Cole, 80, pleaded guilty in Belvidere, N.
J., to having sex with a teenage boy.  In a previous such case,
state troopers said Cole told them that such contact was for the
kid's benefit, so he would not be "running out and getting some
girl in trouble or something like that." [Newark Star Ledger, 10-
19-94] 

* In March, according to police, Kyung-A Ha, 25, was beaten to
death by five members of the Emeryville, Calif., Jesus-Amen
Ministries, who allegedly acted on a report by Ha's sister, Kelly,
that Ha was possessed by demons.  Kelly Ha, 21, told police
after the death that there were several telltale signals of
possession:  "She couldn't sleep at night.  She didn't talk much to
people.  And sometimes she was aggressive." [San Francisco
Chronicle, 3-17-95] 

* In January, Carthage, Mo., well-regarded porcelain artist
Lowell Davis set fire to his studio, destroying many original
works of his art because he had become disillusioned with his
career success, admitting that money and fame were "tearing me
up."  He told the Carthage Press newspaper that he would like to
"apologize to all the people that I have cheated or stepped on on
the way up to the top." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1-20-95] 

* The Sunday Times newspaper in Harare, Zimbabwe, reported
in February that Israel Zinhanga, 28, was sentenced to nine
months in jail in the small town of Rusape after admitting that he
had sex with a cow.  Zinhanga told the court that he "felt safe
having sex with a cow in view of the AIDS epidemic." [The
Asian Age-AFP, 3-2-95] 

* In April, Ellsworth Stewart, 27, was charged with shooting two
New York City utility company workers.  According to his
lawyer, several factors contributed to Stewart's mental state,
including weak gun control laws, which failed to stop him from
acquiring his pistol, and the fact that the full moon that night
"agitated" Stewart. [New York Daily News, 4-18-95] 

WEIRD SPORTS

* In October, Song Sung Il won the gold medal in a Greco-
Roman wrestling event at the Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan,
despite competing with a malignant tumor in his stomach the size
of a pair of fists.  The tumor was removed 15 days later.  Song
had refused to take painkillers while wrestling because he feared
failing Asian Games drug tests. [Washington Post, 10-21-94] 

* In a small-college football playoff game in December,
Arkansas-Pine Bluff adopted a novel strategy while trailing, 46-
45, with Western Montana driving for yet another touchdown at
the Pine Bluff 19-yard-line with about 90 seconds remaining. 
When Western Montana started its next play, Pine Bluff players
stood still, allowing Western Montana to score easily and kick the
extra point to lead, 53-45.  Pine Bluff capitalized on the strategy
by scoring a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to tie, 53-53,
and then to win in overtime, 60-53. [New York Newsday-AP,
12-4-94] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.899NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jun 07 1995 19:5865
WhiteBoard News for June 05, 1995 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of Bruce Cronquist:

Seattle, Washington:

Twelve-year-old Ellen Smith, a student at Shoreline's
Meridian Park school, has a class assignment: Carry
around a 5-pound bag of sugar, wrapped in a doll's
dress, for an entire week.  The idea was to show kids
how a baby can change one's lifestyle.

On Monday, Ellen hiked with friends through the 2.3-
mile Snoqualmie Tunnel, carrying her "baby" in a
backpack.  The hikers came upon a father and his
teenage son, a diabetic who had suddenly become faint
due to low blood sugar.

Talk about timing.  Ellen's sugar baby was immediately
raided to revive the teenager.  That left one problem:
The leaking sugar sack.  Not to worry.  Ellen repaired
the sack, using duct tape.
==========

This item comes by way of Christopher Hackett

In April, radio station KMJ in Madera fired weather
forecaster Sean Boyd.

The station said it had a cumulative dissatisfaction
with him, but Boyd said the precipitating incident was
his refusal to forecast good enough weather for the
station's annual public picnic in honor of Rush
Limbaugh.

Boyd, and 18-year veteran, had forecast "partly
cloudy," which KMJ executives wanted changed to "partly
sunny' so as not to discourage attendance.
==========

Concord, California:

A bird in the hair is worth two in the bush?

Just ask Asaad Liebig.

A young hummingbird that considered the 11-year-old a
likely nesting spot clung to his hair for three hours
before teachers were able to pluck it free.

Asaad found the dazed young bird on the ground at
recess on Wednesday.  "It was sitting there, and it
looked lonely, so I picked it up," he said.

When he brought it to class, his teacher asked him to
take it outside, but the bird, the size of Asaad's
thumb, hopped onto his head, nestled into his hair and
refused to budge.

Teachers eventually pried the tiny creature free and
took it to an expert.  Sandy Fender, the Alexander
Lindsay Museum's wildlife supervisor, said the bird
probably tried to fly too soon an tumbled from its
nest, then settled on Asaad's head as the tallest thing
around.
79.901COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Jun 07 1995 20:215
German gummint is considering filing charges of negligence against the
organizers of the event, who should have known that a stronger rope
would be needed.

/john
79.902CSEXP2::ANDREWSI'm the NRAWed Jun 07 1995 20:3214
    I have no joke here, I'd just like to point out two phrases:
    
    >* In April, Ellsworth Stewart, 27, was charged with shooting two
    >New York City utility company workers.  According to his
    >lawyer, several factors contributed to Stewart's mental state,
    >including weak gun control laws, which failed to stop him from
    >acquiring his pistol
    
    New York City and weak gun control laws, that's one of them oxymorons.
    
    >They are hoping the urine, which is being bottled and imported like beer
    >from Sweden,
    
    Note to myself:  Never, EVER, drink Swedish beer.
79.903ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Wed Jun 07 1995 20:338
>Boyd, and 18-year veteran, had forecast "partly
>cloudy," which KMJ executives wanted changed to "partly
>sunny' so as not to discourage attendance.

Talk about idiots, I guess the station management didn't realize that 'partly
cloudy' weather is better than 'partly sunny'.

Bob
79.904GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyWed Jun 07 1995 21:5216
    
    
    re:. 891
    
    
    yep, bob...dat's me!!!!  :> :>
    
    >>* Moana Pozzi, 33, once Italy's most prominent hard-core
    >>pornographic film star
    
    i find it most amusing that and italian porno chiq is (was) named 
    moan-a...
    
    
    :>
    
79.905NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 08 1995 12:5084
WhiteBoard News for June 07, 1995 [excerpts]

Portland, Oregon:

Doctors are predicting a full recovery for a 19-year-
old man whose brain was pierced by a car antenna in a
freak accident.

Troy Harding was leaning against his car talking to
friends outside the supermarket where he works, when he
turned his head and walked right into the antenna on
his 1984 Fiero.

The antenna went in about three and a half inches,
piercing his nasal membrane and his sinus before
entering his brain, where it hit his pituitary gland.
He lost about a pint of blood.

"It's the weirdest thing you've ever heard of," Harding
said.  He was able to pull himself free.

Doctors have directed him to lie with his feet raised
and his head below his heart to keep spinal fluid from
leaking out his nose.
==========

Chechnya:

Two Russian army surgeons, in a 40-minute operation,
removed a live grenade from the jaw of a soldier
injured in Chechnya.

The rifle-launched grenade lodged in the man's upper
jaw during a fight with Chechen rebels.

Army engineers had refused to try to remove the
grenade, fearing an explosion.
==========

New York, New York:

Workers in the Bronx are complaining that the cheap
poison used by the Health Department to control rats
was worsening the rodent problem and causing the pests
to become "psychotic."

The rats are strolling into offices in broad daylight,
sending horrified workers screaming out of some
buildings.

"I saw seven or eight scurrying from the main floor;
they were the size of small cats, very big," said John
Owens, a worker at the Office of Employment Services.

Health Department spokesman Sam Friedman denied that
the city's extermination efforts were making the rats
crazy.

But the problem is getting worse now that workers are
finding dead rats in their drawers and file cabinets
and the smell of rotting rodents is filling the
elevator shafts.
==========

Fast News Forum:

County officials in Germantown, Maryland, sent a posse
of maids to Richard Lurix's house to clean up.
Neighbors had complained of foul odors.  Police had
suspected a corpse; it turned out to be maggot-infested
rotting meats.

Two cows that escaped Friday from the Rock Island,
Illinois, Livestock Auction remain at large.  "I saw
these two cows running full-speed down the street with
20 people chasing right behind them," Andrea Moffitt,
19, said.  "Thirty seconds later, I saw the same 20
people running back the other way with the cows right
on their heels."

An inmate in leg irons, handcuffs and a waist chain
walked out of a Baltimore, Maryland, police station and
still remains at large.  Police are seeking Raymond
Bell, 40.
79.906NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 08 1995 13:046
Bristol, R.I. (AP) -- Town Council chairman Halsey Herreshoff has been fined
$700 by the Coast Guard after passengers on his boat "mooned" a cruise ship
in Bristol Harbor.  Herreshoff's boat pulled close to the Vista Jubilee last
Aug. 29 and several of Herreshoff's passengers mooned people on the cruise
ship.  Herreshoff, an America's Cup veteran and a skilled mariner, said he
did not violate "any standing rules of the Coast Guard."
79.908PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jun 08 1995 13:503
 .907  ;>

79.909XELENT::MUTHI drank WHAT? - SocratesThu Jun 08 1995 15:0010
    
    >>They are hoping the urine, which is being bottled and imported like beer
    >>from Sweden,
    
    >Note to myself:  Never, EVER, drink Swedish beer.

    Also, never drink sorghum wine called "Thousand Mile Red"


    Bill
79.910NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 08 1995 16:094
A group of German entrepreneurs wants to open a Cold War theme park near
Ft. Lauderdale.  The park would give visitors the feeling of being on each
side of the Berlin Wall.  It would be complete with machine-gun toting
"soldiers."
79.911GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Jun 08 1995 16:183
    
    
    As well as watchdogs and the sound of said machine gun fire.
79.912CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jun 08 1995 16:209

 With Kruschev thumping his shoe on a podium.






79.913NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 08 1995 16:451
Khrushchev.  NNTTM.
79.914GagDECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundThu Jun 08 1995 17:425
    .985
    
    Gives a whole new meaning to the expression "I smell a rat".
    
    
79.915BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Thu Jun 08 1995 17:465
    
    	Which topic is this reply 985 in?
    
    	Can't find it in this one.  8^)
    
79.916Who would steal rocks in New England?NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 12 1995 14:487
From a local MA paper:

May 31
At 9:25 pm, a ranger from Minuteman National Historical Park reported the
driver of a flatbed truck had just stolen three stones from the wall in
front of the John Buttrick House on Liberty St. The incident is under
investigation.
79.917CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenMon Jun 12 1995 14:533
    Plenty of people poach rocks from rock walls.  You can dig 'em up but
    they won't have the weathered mossy look of the original stone wall. 
    There is a law against distrubing stone walls in MA.  
79.918NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 12 1995 14:541
That's very distrubing.
79.920NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 12 1995 15:1516
From WhiteBoard News:

Phil Barker went to a Boise, Idaho, hospital for a
routine exam and discovered he was dead -- at least
Social Security thought so.  Medicare had refused to
pay the bill for his previous visit because of his
paperwork death.  "I feel very well for a corpse,"
Barker remarked.

Despite protests from other Duncombe, Iowa, residents,
the owners of a juice bar featuring nude dancers plans
to open Friday -- next door to city hall.  No alcohol
will be sold to comply with state law.

The Geary County Courthouse in Junction City, Kansas,
is closed indefinitely due to pigeon odor.
79.921SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotMon Jun 12 1995 15:184
    > No alcohol
    > will be sold to comply with state law.
    
    How much alcohol *should* be sold to comply with that law?
79.922NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 12 1995 15:232
The Monster Raving Loony Party, headed by Screaming Lord Sutch, has been
saved from bankruptcy by a British bookie.
79.924NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 13 1995 13:1082
WhiteBoard News for June 12, 1995 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of S. Spencer Sun:

Los Angeles, California:

The Weird Museum in Hollywood is just too weird for the
coroner's office.

For a $3 admission fee, visitors could gawk at corpses,
severed heads, a shrunken head and fetus-crammed jars.

Authorities said that violates the state Health and
Safety Code.  The "apparently human remains" were to
have been hauled off on Thursday, but legal wrangling
has pushed back the date indefinitely.

The gruesome exhibits include what is billed as the
body of 15th-century Romanian tyrant Vlad the Impaler
-- a desiccated corpse, topped by a greasy turban and
propped vertically in a glass case.

Another dried body -- this one displayed horizontally
in a plywood sarcophagus -- is said to be all that's
left of a 3600-year-old Egyptian who had been buried
alive.

For those interested in merely heads, there are three
of those, all severed, in rather poor condition,
purportedly salvaged from the corpses of a warlock who
was burned at the stake in Salem, a guillotined mass
murderer and an Ohio victim of a Depression-era serial
killer.

Then there are the fetuses, a 23-pound excised tumor
and several cancerous human organs.

"Those are all things that do not seem to be suitable
for the location," said Craig Harvey, the coroner's
chief of operations.

"By law the coroner has to step in and direct the
interment of those items" when family members or other
authorized people aren't around to do it, Harvey said.

The coroner's office says only the museum's less ghastly
items can remain -- like the voodoo mask, and the
electronic gizmo that measures "psychic emanations."

The exhibits sit in a dusty 10-by-24-foot room at the
rear of "Panpipes," a jumbled little shop on Cahuenga
Boulevard that sells herbs, oils, incense, candles and
Ouija boards.

George Derby, who performs Tarot card readings at the
store, said the collection was assembled by Donald R.
Blyth, a onetime carnival performer.  He bought most of
his specimens from other collectors, Derby said.

The coroner's office has known of his hodgepodge for
about 10 years, but let him keep it because he had a
Ph.D. and used the place as a teaching center, Harvey
said.
==========

Chattanooga, Tennessee:

Doctors failed to reattach the hand that got torn off a
man's wrist in a tug-of-war game at a company picnic.

Stanley Dewane Farris, 21, was in fair condition
Saturday at Erlanger Medical Center, said spokeswoman
Doris Chastain.  She said "the injury was too severe"
to save the hand.

Farris had rope wrapped around his wrist during the
tug-of-war between teams of 25 adults on Friday.  A
hard tug by the other team severed his hand.  Farris
was his team's anchor, last in the line.

He was rushed to the hospital.  The severed hand was
put in ice immediately, Chastain said.
79.925What's bigger than grapefruit-sized?MKOTS3::CASHMONa kind of human gom jabbarTue Jun 13 1995 13:3911
    
    A 23-pound excised tumor?!  Damn...
    
    Not that any of the other stuff is any less weird, but 23 pounds?
    
    
    
    
    
    Rob
    
79.926POLAR::RICHARDSONAntihistamine-free BolognaTue Jun 13 1995 13:561
    Anomalous grapefruit sized of course.
79.927And the winnah is...DECWIN::RALTOBatman &amp; Robin in '96Tue Jun 13 1995 16:4210
    >> A 23-pound excised tumor?!  Damn...
    >> Not that any of the other stuff is any less weird, but 23 pounds?
    
    While scanning through the Guinness Book of Records that one of
    my kids bought at the school book fair (?!), there was a story
    and photograph of a removed tumor that weighed in at over 300 pounds.
    
    It looked like... well, you'll have to see the picture.
    
    Chris
79.928SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful of yapping zebwasTue Jun 13 1995 18:025
    
    <------
    
    Shouldn't that go in the "gak" note???
    
79.929NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jun 14 1995 15:0910
Three cows in Guilford, Vermont died from alcohol poisoning after eating
stale bread and dough from a local bakery.  Fred Cheney bought a truckload
to feed to his cattle.  When it arrived, he found 20,000 loaves individually
wrapped in plastic bags, with unbaked dough and trash mixed in.  He and a
farm hand tried unsuccessfully to separate the plastic bags and dough from
the bread.  The bakery and the trucking firm refused to take it away.  Two
weeks later, Cheney's cows broke down the pasture fence and began to seat
the now-moldy bread and dough.  A veterinarian managed to save all but
three of the 25 sick cows.  Yeast in unbaked dough reacts in cows' rumens
to produce alcohol.
79.930POLAR::RICHARDSONAntihistamine-free BolognaWed Jun 14 1995 15:139
				(hic)
    			      /
                          (__)
                          (oo)
                   /-------\/ 
                  / |     ||  
                 *  ||W---||  
                    ~~    ~~  

79.931CSOA1::LEECHWed Jun 14 1995 17:051
    That gives a whole new meaning to the term "moo-juice".
79.932BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed Jun 14 1995 17:3016
                      +-------------------------------+
                      |               /|  /|          |
                      |              / |_/ |          |
                      |           -/ / _\  _\         |
                      |        ---/   (o) (o)         |
                      |       ---/  (  \  |\ \        |
                      |     ----/     \ \  \| \       |
                      |    ----/       \ \()___()     +
                      |   ----/         \_/____/      |
                      |  ----/          \             |
                      |     /            \            |
                      |  "No Sir. I don't think I     |
                      |   have any use for moo        |
                      |   juice"  - Mr Horse          |
                      +-------------------------------+
79.933NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 15 1995 12:4722
>   <<< Note 79.796 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>
>
>Birmingham, Ala. (AP) -- The state that brought back chain gangs has a new
>prison wrinkle: hot-pink uniforms for male inmates who habitually expose
>themselves to female guards.
>
>The Corrections Department has ordered 50 of the garish outfits to be worn
>by public masturbators in an attempt to shame them into behaving.
>
>Nothing else has worked, officials said yesterday.
>
>"We've even taken disposable cameras and taken a picture of them and told
>them we were going to send it to their mothers.  They don't care," said
>Charlie Bodiford, a spokesman at the 800-man Holman prison.

Here's a followup:

Alabama Prison Commissioner Ron Jones says the first
batch of 50 pink uniforms intended for convicts who
habitually expose themselves to female guards "are not
pink enough."  The uniforms are being redyed in a
"hotter pink," he says.
79.934NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 15 1995 12:4817
Rio de Janerio, Brazil:

Bras made of water taps, kettles and toilet plungers
stole the show at a fashion parade on Monday night in
Rio's Museum of Fine Arts.

Italian designer Samuale Mazza's traveling show of 231
art bras also feature bras made from cupcake tins, toy
airplane propellers, wooden candlesticks and neon
lights.

"This has nothing to do with lingerie," Mazza says.
"This is my little museum."

And, says Mazza, each bra has a message.  A bra with
hundreds of nails stuck through two metal strainers
apparently means "Don't touch me."
79.935NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 15 1995 13:184
Carmel, NY (AP) -- A woman who reported her Cadillac stolen and collected
nearly $16,000 in insurance was arrested after the car was found buried
13 feet deep in her back yard.  Patricia Tanzi, 45, was charged with grand
larceny and insurance fraud and was released without bail.
79.936HANNAH::MODICAJourneyman NoterThu Jun 15 1995 13:292
    
    How did they find the car?
79.937BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Thu Jun 15 1995 13:313
    
    	She left it running.
    
79.938SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful of yapping zebwasThu Jun 15 1995 13:324
    
    
    She left the radio on??
    
79.939SMURF::MSCANLONalliaskofmyselfisthatiholdtogetherThu Jun 15 1995 14:066
    Well, think about it.  If you observed YOUR neighbor burying
    a Cadillac in their backyard, wouldn't you be the teensiest
    bit curious?
    
    It's not the sort of thing that goes unnoticed.
    
79.940Any bets somebody noticed two kids in a car?PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftThu Jun 15 1995 14:2311
    Oh, it was probably noticed.
    
    But hey, we have a country where neighbors will notice three
    jokers drinking beer and setting off bombs....
    
    We have country where neighbors notice somebody firing shots
    over their house....
    
    ....but who do absolutely nothing about it.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.941EVMS::MORONEYGreen Cards and SpamThu Jun 15 1995 16:2810
re .939:

I also read the story and apparently the property is several acres and
it would be possible to bury a car with heavy equipment and not be noticed.
The neighbors said they didn't notice anything.

The police took aerial photos of the property before determining where the
car was buried.

My guess is she bragged and someone reported it to police.
79.942OUTSRC::HEISERMaranatha!Thu Jun 15 1995 18:011
    But, most importantly, does the Caddy still run?
79.943BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Thu Jun 15 1995 18:046
    
    	If the windows and trunk were closed, I don't see why not.
    
    	That is, it'll be dirty, but won't run any worse than it had
    	before it were buried.
    
79.944XEDON::JENSENThu Jun 15 1995 22:496
    According to _Weekly_World_News_:
    
    Nostradamus has predicted incredibly hot weather for this summer.
    June, July, and August will be "like living in a blast furnace."
    
    No further word on the 500-foot Jesus.
79.945POLAR::RICHARDSONFri Jun 16 1995 01:511
    Jesus has 500 feet?
79.946BUSY::SLABOUNTYTrouble with a capital 'T'Fri Jun 16 1995 14:013
    
    	That'd be a "500-footed Jesus".
    
79.947POLAR::RICHARDSONFri Jun 16 1995 14:071
    And where is that one at?
79.948MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Fri Jun 16 1995 14:092
Useta be out on route 66 somewhere . . . 

79.949POLAR::RICHARDSONFri Jun 16 1995 14:111
    So _that's_ why you can get your kicks on route 66!
79.950XEDON::JENSENFri Jun 16 1995 14:385
    Heh, heh, heh...  Glenn fell into my evil trap.
    
    And Jack, would that bell pepper have been proportioned for
    a "normal-sized" Jesus or a 500-foot-tall one?
    
79.951POLAR::RICHARDSONFri Jun 16 1995 14:441
    You mean there really isn't a 500 foot Jesus? Or a 500 footed Jesus?
79.952It's more of a Penultimate SupperXEDON::JENSENFri Jun 16 1995 14:503
    'ang on.  I'll check my "Last Supper" print containing the three Christs
    and the kangaroos.
    
79.953POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of PasshionFri Jun 16 1995 19:3717
Newsgroup: alt.drunken-bastards
Subject: Let's see you top this
From: ipgrier@epoch.uwaterloo.ca (Iain P. Grier)
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 15:07:43 GMT

(Reuters) ...Polish farmer Krystof Azninski, who staked 
a strong claim to being Europe's most macho man 
by cutting off his own head. Azninski, 30, had been drinking 
with friends when it was suggested they strip naked and play
some "men's games". Initially they hit each other over the head 
with frozen swedes (apparently a kind of turnip), but then 
one man seized a chainsaw and cut off the end of his foot. 
Not to be outdone, Azninski grabbed the saw and crying 
"Watch this then!" swung at his own head and chopped it off. 
"It's funny," said one companion, "Cos when he was young 
he put on his sister's underwear. But he died like a man."

79.954 ;*) SPEZKO::FRASERMobius Loop; see other sideFri Jun 16 1995 20:175
        And then he picked up his own head and kissed it ...
        
        &y
        

79.955SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful of yapping zebwasFri Jun 16 1995 20:436
    
    
    More like stuck it between his legs and kissed his a** goodby!!!!
    
    :)
    
79.956NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 19 1995 12:48124
WEIRDNUZ.381 (News of the Weird, May 26, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In April, radio station KMJ in Madera, Calif., fired
weatherman Sean Boyd.  The station said it had a cumulative
dissatisfaction with him, but Boyd said the precipitating incident
was his refusal to forecast good enough weather for the station's
annual public picnic in honor of Rush Limbaugh.  Boyd, an 18-
year-veteran, had forecast "partly cloudy," which KMJ
executives wanted changed to "partly sunny" so as not to
discourage attendance. [Los Angeles Times, 4-28-95] 

INEXPLICABLE

* In October, the U. S. Department of Justice received a check
for $5.6 million from the late Stanley S. Newberg, who died
without blood relatives and who had ordered that his estate go to
the government as thanks for having taken his family as
immigrants from Austria in 1906.   Based on the 1994 budget,
the bequest will cover about two minutes' federal spending. [New
York Times-AP, 10-9-94] 

* In March, President Clinton invited sidewalk protestor Todd
Ouellette, 27, into the Oval Office for a five-minute meeting. 
Ouellette had requested the meeting on February 19, 1993, after
returning from a seven-month walk across the U. S., picking up
signatures demanding action on Vietnam war POWs and MIAs. 
After a five-minute chat, Ouellette announced he was satisfied,
that he was ending his 25-month protest, and that he was moving 
on to other issues, such as the war with China which "will be
coming up around the year 2000."  (In a previous interview,
Ouellette said he did not know why he was so obsessed with the
POW-MIA issue, in that he had no friends or relatives who
served there.) [Washington Post-AP, 3-25-95] 

* Syracuse, N. Y., fire chief James L. Cummings announced in
March that his firefighters were injured more often in fire station
accidents (28 times) last year than in putting out fires (25 times).
[Syracuse Post-Standard, 4-1-95] 

* In March, in an all-white neighborhood in Columbia, Pa.,
vandals damaged several cars and wrote "KKK" and various
racial epithets on the houses of three families. [Youngstown 
Vindicator-AP, 3-9-95] 

* In February, Odalys Toledo, 30, was sentenced to five years in
prison for attempted bank robbery.  Last August, she had
telephoned the FBI in Newark, N. J., and told them that a
woman, fitting her own description and wearing what she was
wearing, would soon try to rob the City National Bank
downtown.  She was arrested when she later entered the bank. 
Asked Toledo's motive, her public-defender lawyer said, "I have
no good answer." [Newark Star-Ledger, 2-23-95] 

* In December, the town of Bexley, Ohio, adjacent to Columbus,
granted a permit for a McDonald's on a main street, and
construction began despite much opposition that a fast-food
restaurant was not appropriate for the neighborhood. The
opponents said they preferred the site's then-current occupant, an
adult video store. [Albuquerque Journal-AP, 12-28-94] 

PEOPLE UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

* At a press conference in Beijing called in March to announce
activities surrounding China's participation in the United Nations
World Conference on Women, eleven of the 14 winners in the
song and poster contests were male, and eight of the nine head-
table convenors of the press conference were men. [Globe &
Mail, Mar95; San Francisco Chronicle, 5-4-95] 

* In December, the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration
office in Wilmington, N. C., made a public announcement that a
valuable piece of technology had been stolen.  The head of the
office asked the public's help for its return, and offered a reward,
but refused to identify the object except to say that it was palm-
sized.  Said the supervisor, "For security reasons, I can't say
what it looked like." [The Observer (Charlotte, N. C.), 12-5-94] 

* Joseph Bertolino, 37, said he has been in severe pain since
1993, when his arm was pulled into a woodworking machine
while he was employed at a Sierra Pacific Industries mill in Red
Bluff, Calif.  In April 1995, Bertolino, distraught with pain, 
rushed into the mill with a gun and fired 20 shots at the machine,
resulting in some dents and chipped paint. [San Jose Mercury
News-AP, 4-23-95] 

* James Musgrow, 31, filed a lawsuit in August against the
Davenport, Iowa, police department charging that he was
unconstitutionally arrested earlier in the year.  Musgrow had
come to the police station to get help in finding his mother's car
but was wearing a black T-shirt with about 30 drawings of
marijuana leaves on it.  According to the lawsuit, police Sgt.
Dave Holden took offense at the shirt and ordered Musgrow to
leave.  When Musgrow insisted on inquiring about the car, he
was arrested and charged with trespass, but the charge was
dismissed two months later. [Quad-City Times, 8-27-94] 

2ND AMENDMENT BLUES

* In Salem, Ohio, in January, Robert E. Pugh, 24, accidentally
shot himself in the leg while crawling on the floor of his
girlfriend's home tracking down a mouse he had seen.
[Youngstown Vindicator, 1-6-95] 

* In New Orleans in May, tourist Freddie Harrison reached into a
bag for his video camera while walking through the French
Quarter and accidentally caused his gun to discharge, killing his
31-year-old daughter. [Columbia Tribune-AP, 5-3-95] 

* In Youngstown, Ohio, in March, Andre Adkins, 23,
accidentally shot himself in the groin when, after firing off a few
shots at a target, he put the gun into his waistband with his finger
still on the trigger.  And Al Rodrigues, 24, who had planned to
return the gun he had just bought because he and his wife had
decided it was dangerous to have around, accidentally shot
himself in the penis as he stood at the side of a road in
Hawthorne, Calif., in March after supposedly unloading the gun.
[Youngstown Vindicator, 3-28-95] [The Daily Breeze, 4-1-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.957NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 19 1995 12:575
Greenpeace is running advertisements in British newspapers on the adverse
effects of environmental pollution.  The headline reads "You're not half the
man your father was" and shows a tiny penis.  "Scientists have shown that some
chemicals that we dump into our seas are causing willies to shrink in size,"
continues the ad.
79.958free willySMURF::WALTERSMon Jun 19 1995 13:032
    
    And all these years I thought it was just the cold water.
79.959CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanMon Jun 19 1995 13:057


 "I was in the pool, I was in the pool"


                          George Castanza
79.960POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of PasshionTue Jun 20 1995 13:2936
    - - - -

    One in ten British men wear underpants two days

    LONDON - One in 10 British men wear the same underpants two or three
    days running and one in 100 wears the same pair all week, according to
    a survey just published.

    One in four of those surveyed confessed to going without a bath or
    shower for three days on a regular basis.

    Not that it's cramping their sex life. Survey Research Associates said
    their poll of 1,000 adults showed a large number of women seem happy
    with the smell of perspiration.

    Indeed, one in six of the women questioned said they also went three
    days without a bath or shower and half said they kept wearing underwear
    after it had gone grey with age.

    - - - -

    Rotting soy beans used to cure smelly feet

    OSAKA, Japan - Stinking soy beans seem an unlikely cure for smelly
    feet. But a Japanese biotechnology company has launched a product using
    bacteria from the fermented beans to remedy acute foot odour.

    Sticky, fermenting soy beans -- known as natto in Japanese -- are
    widely eaten with rice for breakfast in Japan.

    The Osaka-based company Capital Corp combines dormant natto bacteria
    with sawdust and rice bran into thin packs worn under the feet. The
    other ingredients preserve the bacteria until they are activated by the
    heat and humidity of the feet, neutralising the bad smell.

    REUTER
79.961SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBe vewy caweful of yapping zebwasTue Jun 20 1995 14:535
    
    <------
    
    Shouldn't those go in the "gak" note???
    
79.962CSC32::J_OPPELTHe said, 'To blave...'Tue Jun 20 1995 16:496
   <<< Note 79.956 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

>* In October, the U. S. Department of Justice received a check
>for $5.6 million from the late Stanley S. Newberg, 
    
    	I wonder if the govt charged itself an estate tax...
79.963BIGQ::SILVADiabloTue Jun 20 1995 23:254

	Deb... they should be easy to spot.... they will be the ones with the
starch looked underwear going INTO the washer! :-)
79.964POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of PasshionWed Jun 21 1995 13:0759
    AP 20 Jun 95 16:30 EDT V0942
 
    Copyright 1995 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
 
    CHICAGO (AP) -- If love doesn't blind you, sex might. 

    Vigorous sex can cause tiny blood vessels to break or delicate tissues
    at the back of the eyeball to tear, suddenly causing blurry vision,
    researchers say. 

    The researchers saw half a dozen patients with the problem and reported
    the findings in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology,
    published by the American Medical Association. 

    "Maybe this gives us a physical explanation as to why there were some
    old wives' tales that certain sexual activities could result in
    blindness," said a co-author of the study, Dr. Neil M. Bressler of
    Johns Hopkins University. 

    "If that is true, it's temporary, and the prognosis is excellent," he
    added by telephone Tuesday from Baltimore. 

    The patients were five men and one woman, ages 24 to 53. Each patient
    suffered a vision loss in one eye, ranging from mild blurriness to
    inability to count fingers at a distance of more than 6 inches. 

    Of the five patients who returned to the doctors for follow-up care,
    all got their vision back. Four needed no treatment. One patient
    required laser surgery to seal tiny rips in the tissues at the back of
    the eye and decrease the risk of permanent damage, the researchers
    said. 

    The patients' vision returned to normal within several weeks or months. 

    "We believe that loss of vision occurring during sexual activity must
    be a rare event," considering the small number of such cases and the
    frequency of sexual encounters, wrote the researchers, led by Dr.
    Thomas R. Friberg of the Eye and Ear Institute at the University of
    Pittsburgh. 

    The researchers said they wanted to alert eye doctors to the
    phenomenon, however, since most ophthalmologists probably don't think
    to take a sexual history from a person with sudden vision loss. 

    And they also wanted to reassure the public that the problem -- called
    valsava retinopathy -- usually isn't serious, Bressler said. 

    Valsalva retinopathy is usually associated with other forms of
    exertion, such as weightlifting, or with prolonged vomiting or severe
    coughing. 

    Dr. Wayne E. Fung, a spokesman for the American Academy of
    Ophthalmology, said the authors' observations are undoubtedly correct.
    But he noted it took three medical centers to come up with six subjects
    for the study. 

    "These conditions are not that common. Otherwise we'd hear a lot more
    about them," Fung said Tuesday by telephone from San Francisco, where
    he is an ophthalmologist at California Pacific Medical Center. 
79.965WAHOO::LEVESQUEMr BlisterWed Jun 21 1995 13:171
    I wanna know what they were doing when they were injured. :-)
79.966NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Jun 21 1995 14:411
Gee...everything's gettin' fuzzy...
79.967Score in the morning, don't score at nightDECWIN::RALTOI hate summerWed Jun 21 1995 15:014
    Radio DJ this morning said that this sex/vision thing goes a long
    way towards explaining Jose Canseco's, er, performance, this year.
    
    Chris
79.968BIGQ::SILVADiabloWed Jun 21 1995 18:196
| <<< Note 79.966 by NASAU::GUILLERMO "But the world still goes round and round" >>>

| Gee...everything's gettin' fuzzy...


	You gotta be having sex, not dreaming you are.... :-)
79.969NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Jun 21 1995 18:294
Somebody shake me! Wake me!....when it's over...(when it's over)

Somebody tell me, that I'm dreamin', and wake me...when it's over (when it's
over)...
79.970OUTSRC::HEISERMaranatha!Wed Jun 21 1995 19:171
    oh, so that's why that happens.
79.972oops! you mean it's on the other side? :)38240::SADINWe the people?Fri Jun 23 1995 15:4950
date=6/23/95
type=correspondent report
number=2-180942
title=surgery error (s only)
byline=larry freund
dateline=new york
content=
voiced at:  

intro: a leading cancer hospital in new york city says one of its
physicians was at fault when he performed surgery on the mother  
of one of india's leading film stars and operated on the wrong  
half of her brain. correspondent larry freund reports.

text: rajeswari ayyappan was brought from her village in india to
new york's sloan-kettering cancer center for treatment of a brain
tumor.  mrs. ayyappan, 59, is the mother of one of india's  
leading film stars, sridevi.

but a hospital spokeswoman says the neurosurgeon brought the  
wrong pictures of his patient's brain into the operating room and
then began operating on the wrong half of her brain to remove the
tumor.

the hospital spokeswoman, avis mehan, says the hospital has  
removed the physician's surgical privileges and he has been  
relieved of administrative responsibilities within the hospital.

                        /// mehan act ///

         our standards of patient care were not met in this case.
         we've acknowledged that a mistake was made and we have  
         extended a heartfelt apology to the patient's family.

                         /// end act ///

after the surgical error on may 26th, mrs. ayyappan was  
transferred to another hospital in new york, where surgeons  
removed part of the cancerous tumor. she is now undergoing  
radiation therapy at that hospital and is reported to be in  
stable condition. (signed)

neb/ny/lsf/gpt  

23-jun-95 9:30 am edt (1330 utc)
nnnn

source: voice of america
.
79.973CALDEC::RAHa wind from the EastFri Jun 23 1995 16:172
    
    oops is right!
79.974Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!DECWIN::RALTOI hate summerFri Jun 23 1995 16:349
    Let's see, now... if I'm facing the patient, his left is my right
    and my left is his right, if he's facing up... but if I'm standing
    behind him, his right is my right and my left is his left, if he's
    facing up... but if he's facing down, my left is his right and my
    right is his left, if I'm standing behind him... but if I'm standing
    in front of him... ahhhhhhhh, what the hell, let's just get this
    over with, I've got a golf game this afternoon!
    
    Chris
79.975NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 23 1995 16:352
The problem wasn't that the doctor didn't know right from left.
He had x-rays/scans of the wrong patient.
79.976What is all this about "rain surgery"?DECWIN::RALTOI hate summerFri Jun 23 1995 16:385
    Oh.  Well, then.  That's different.
    
    Never mind!
    
    Chris
79.977OOPS !DEVLPR::DKILLORANM1A - The choice of champions !Fri Jun 23 1995 18:0211
    My grandfather, an orthopedic surgeon, accidentally operated on the wrong
    hand of a patient.  The way he explained it was, an intern preps the
    patient, and when the surgeon walks into the operating room the whole
    body is covered with a sheet.  The only exposed skin is the area to be
    operated on.  There is also often a sheet "wall" between the area to be
    worked on and the rest of the patient.  Well the intern prepped the
    wrong hand.  In walks my grandfather and sees the hand all prepped, and
    didn't think to verify which hand had been prepped.  

    Needless to say he was sued and lost.

79.978ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Fri Jun 23 1995 18:0312
re: .975

Try again.  It says:

>but a hospital spokeswoman says the neurosurgeon brought the  
>wrong pictures of his patient's brain into the operating room and
>then began operating on the wrong half of her brain to remove the
>tumor.

Nowhere does it say they were pictures of the wrong patient.

Bob
79.979NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 23 1995 18:112
Has it occurred to you that I may have read a different version of the story?
Tha AP version in this morning's Globe said it was the wrong person.
79.981NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 23 1995 18:183
> "Our standards of patient care were not met in this case," Simone said.

I think this qualifies as an understatement.
79.982How dare you question the veracity of .972, it's VOA!PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftFri Jun 23 1995 18:1813
    
    Shame on you Gerald.
    
    Everything Jim posts is the fact, the whole fact, and nothing but the
    fact.
    
    It is all gospel.
    
    There are never errors in his sources.
    
    Ever.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.983OOTOOL::CHELSEAMostly harmless.Fri Jun 23 1995 18:254
    Re: .978
    
    If they were the wrong pictures of the right patient, they wouldn't
    have shown a tumor.
79.984If we can't be competent, be compassionateDECWIN::RALTOI hate summerFri Jun 23 1995 18:388
>> "We have acknowledged that a mistake was made, and we have extended a
>> heartfelt apology to the patient's family," said Dr. Joseph Simone,
>> Sloan-Kettering's physician-in-chief.
    
    "Heartfelt", well, okay then.  If it had been one of those half-hearted
    apologies, though, the family would've been really ticked off.
    
    Chris
79.985SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Fri Jun 23 1995 19:1716
    
    	re: Mr. Bill
    
    	How nice of you to drop by! Care for some lemonade? Possibly a
    snifter of brandy?
    
    
    	snuggles,
    
    	jim
    
    
    p.s. - I wonder if Mr. Bill tells his 3yr old he's "Stupid" or tells
    "lies" if he doesn't verify everything he says? Hmmmm....
    
    
79.986He could outnote most noters....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftFri Jun 23 1995 19:455
    
    My son is not stupid.
    My son can tell the difference between pretend and real.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.987GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberFri Jun 23 1995 19:463
    
    
    Including yourself, right William?
79.988I can't do "In The Night Kitchen" cover to cover, he can....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftFri Jun 23 1995 19:484
    
    Yup.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.989:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberFri Jun 23 1995 19:516
    
    
    Well, you can't blame a dad for bein proud of his child.  I concede
    your assertion. 
    
    Mike
79.990NETRIX::thomasThe Code WarriorFri Jun 23 1995 22:381
I wonder if they refunded their money...
79.991Sorry, I flunked mind-reading 101...ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Mon Jun 26 1995 03:366
    re: .979
    
    Well, why didn't you say so????  All a lot of us have for reference is
    the article as posted.
    
    Bob
79.992NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 26 1995 13:4662
WhiteBoard News for June 23, 1995 [excerpts]

==========

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

It wasn't the "True Reward" AT&T customers had in mind.

AT&T Corporation in a mailing to 175,000 True Reward
customers, mistakenly provided the toll-free number to
a sex chat line.

Callers expecting to reach an AT&T operator were
greeted instead by a sultry, breathy voice saying: "Are
you ready to get naked? ... If you want hard-core,
uncensored, explicit sex now ... then come and take
it!"

The number AT&T meant to provide allows customers to
turn points earned in long-distance service into free
airline tickets and Disney merchandise.

But two digits were transposed in a printing error,
yielding a number to a $2.98-a-minute sex chat line
operated by Los Angeles-based Amtec Communications.
Callers are billed only after listening to the
introduction and entering a credit card number.

"People have been calling and expressing their
dissatisfaction," said Donna Alexander, an AT&T
spokeswoman.  "We have apologized profusely because
it's not just the kind of mistake we usually make."

Not all callers went away mad.

Amtec customer service manager Jamie Black said she
noticed an increase in business, indicating some AT&T
callers stayed on the line.
===========

Fast News Forum:

Dennis Sheehy always said "Boop, Boop Ba Do, I Love
You," family members say.  They want the state of
Connecticut to make the Catholic Church let them put
"Boop, Boop Ba Do, We Love You" on his tombstone.
Church officials say it is inappropriate.

Chicago's School Board President D. Sharon Grant has
not paid income taxes since 1977, and used phony names
to hide $1 million, prosecutors say.  Grant, 45, says
she forgot to file and it was a youthful mistake.

Fredericksburg, Virginia, police arrested James
Warwick, 35, on charges of indecent exposure -- walking
his dog while naked.  The dog went to the pound.

A 7-year-old in Colebrook, New Hampshire, was riding
his bike to school when he realized he would be late,
so he stole a Ford Escort, police said.  The owner had
left the keys in the car.  Police stopped the boy as he
drove.
79.993GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyMon Jun 26 1995 17:0311
    >A 7-year-old in Colebrook, New Hampshire, was riding
    >his bike to school when he realized he would be late,
    >so he stole a Ford Escort, police said.  The owner had
    >left the keys in the car.  Police stopped the boy as he
    >drove.
    
    
    i've been to colebrook...doesn't surprise me that the keys were kept in
    the car...i think there are more cows than people up there...
    
    
79.994More car theftsDYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Tue Jun 27 1995 00:425
   Last week in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a police officer left his cruiser
   so he could warn some residents of a car thief thought to be in the
   area.  When he returned, his cruiser was gone.
   
   Seems he left the motor running.
79.995NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 27 1995 13:202
When I was in high school, it was SOP for Syracuse police to leave their
engines running.
79.996NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 27 1995 13:2153
WhiteBoard News for June 26, 1995 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of Louis Grilli:

St. Petersburg, Florida:

The man stood before County Judge Paul Levine, accused
of violating his probation.  For the 17th time, he had
been caught driving with a suspended license.

Nevertheless, Defense Attorney Robert Pope urged Levine
not to send his client to jail.

The judge, scanning the 8 page printout of the man's
driving infractions, wondered aloud about the most
recent ticket, the result of a November 26, 1994 crash
in Broward County.

Pope conferred with his client, then gave this
straight-faced explanation:

It was Thanksgiving, and the man had picked up a frozen
turkey and was taking it to his family.  Suddenly, the
car ahead of him stopped short, forcing him to slam on
his breaks.  The frozen turkey flew off the front seat,
and wedged itself on the gas pedal, making the car
lunge forward and strike two other cars, Pope claimed.

Judge Levine said "I did give him credit for a
wonderful story -- and I gave him 6 months in jail."
===========

Paris, France:

French insect lovers want parts of the Paris Metro to
be declared a nature reserve, fearing the subway is
getting too clean for rare colonies of crickets that
chirp in the warm, dark tunnels.

While most commuters welcome efforts to clean up the
Metro and rid it of mosquitoes, rats and other pests,
one insect special interest group wants protective
measures taken for the crickets, whose buzzing is a
symbol of good fortune in French folklore.

"Ideally, we'd like the two Metro lines where there are
the most crickets to be declared a natural park," said
Lionel Antoine, president of the Protection League for
the Crickets of the Paris Metro.

The league warns that powerful new vacuum cleaners,
pesticides and efforts to stop water leaks all threaten
the insects.
79.998CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Jun 27 1995 13:523

 Did she put up a stink?
79.999CBHVAX::CBHLager LoutTue Jun 27 1995 17:134
So do they also abort the flight if someone does a particularly malevolent
fart?!

Chris.
79.1000Snarferooni!CBHVAX::CBHLager LoutTue Jun 27 1995 17:140
79.1001SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebwas have foot-in-mouth disease!Tue Jun 27 1995 17:364
    
    
    Leech woulda been proud of you... setting yourself up like that!!
    
79.1002CBHVAX::CBHLager LoutTue Jun 27 1995 18:014
I know, disgraceful, wasn't it?  :)  At least the setup wasn't entirely
content free though, if a little feeble...

Chris.
79.1003Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnWed Jun 28 1995 00:132
    Chris, remind me never to get on the same plane as you. I can't imagine
    what your farts smell like......never want to know either.
79.1004I smell foul play and police cover-upCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Jun 28 1995 15:3866
Arright.  What _really_ happened here?  Those key-card locks are run off
batteries, and aren't even connected the power line.

    AP 27 Jun 95 16:06 EDT V0899
 
    Copyright 1995 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
 
    NEW CARROLLTON, Md. (AP) -- Barefoot and soaking wet, Milika Sloan was
    trying to get back into her hotel room when she slid her electronic key
    card into the steel door's lock and was electrocuted. 

    Police were awaiting an engineer's report to determine exactly what
    happened, but they believe an electrical charge from a faulty air
    conditioner caused the 18-year-old Cincinnati woman's death. 

    They don't believe the VingCard electronic key that is used in more
    than 1 million hotel and motel rooms worldwide was to blame. 

    "We have concluded the electrical charge was being transmitted from the
    air conditioner to the door. How that happened we don't know," Sgt.
    Rick Morris, a spokesman for the Prince George's County police, said
    Tuesday. 

    Sloan, who was attending an employment training program for teen-agers
    at the New Carrollton Ramada Inn in this Washington, D.C., suburb, had
    just run through the rain from a friend's room nearby when the accident
    occurred shortly after midnight Friday, Morris said. 

    Her supervisor heard her scream and found her in the doorway. She died
    almost instantly. 

    The VingCard she used to open the door is powered by six 1 1/2-volt
    batteries and could not have caused her death, said Terry Aasen, vice
    president of Dallas-based VingCard. 

    "It has nothing to do with the lock whatsoever. Electricity must have
    come through the door," Aasen said. 

    Such cards are in use at about 30 percent of the nation's hotels and
    motels nationwide because, being reprogrammable after each use, they
    cut down on thefts from rooms and provide guests with greater security,
    Aasen said. 

    Industry officials said this was the first time they had ever heard of
    anyone being electrocuted while using one. 

    "This appears to be a freakish, isolated but very tragic incident,"
    said Maura Nelson, a spokeswoman for the American Hotel & Motel
    Association in Washington. 

    Anthony G. Marshall, who writes a column on safety and security for
    Hotel & Motel Management magazine, said he has heard of such freak
    accidents as a hotel guest bitten by a rabid mongoose and a young man
    who got a body part stuck in a swimming pool's suction pipe. 

    "This is the first time I have ever heard of a guest being electrocuted
    by using a sophisticated electronic lock," he said. "This certainly
    takes its place in 'Believe It or Not."' 

    At the 237-bed Ramada, management moved guests from the two-story
    courtyard overlooking the pool to the tower, which has no direct
    outside access. 

    "It is an unfortunate accident," said Thomas Harris, the hotel's
    general manager. "Until we get more details on exactly what happened,
    we will have no comment." 
79.1005SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotWed Jun 28 1995 15:4710
    .1004
    
    The door of the room was a steel door.  The locks are screwed to the
    door with metal-piercing screws.  Doors are hung with metal hinges,
    secured with metal-piercing screws or spotwelds, to metal door frames,
    which are secured to the steel structure of the building, which is in
    turn connected to the grounding circuit of the electrical system.  All
    of this adds up to a perfect circuit path, and I can see that if the
    wiring was faulty it would be not only possible but rather only a
    matter of time before such an accident happened.
79.1006NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jun 28 1995 15:496
>    Anthony G. Marshall, who writes a column on safety and security for
>    Hotel & Motel Management magazine, said he has heard of such freak
>    accidents as a hotel guest bitten by a rabid mongoose and a young man
>    who got a body part stuck in a swimming pool's suction pipe. 

Um, what body part was that?
79.1007DEVLPR::DKILLORANM1A - The choice of champions !Wed Jun 28 1995 16:039
    <-----
    
    from what I hear, you DON'T want to know !
    
    OOOWWWWW that had to hurt !
    
    :-)
    Dan
    
79.1008Space AliensCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Jun 29 1995 03:2317
Many forwards removed....


  OFFICE MEMO           Subject:                               Time:11:28 AM
                        Space Aliens                           Date:6/19/95

For the first time, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, after
some prodding by the U.S. State Department, will officially allow two
aliens from space to land in the United States.

It seems that U.S. entry visas for cosmonauts Vladimir Dezurov and Grennady
Strekalov were forgotten before the launch of Mir-18.  They were launched from
Kazakstanon March 14 and are scheduled to land either in Florida or California
in early July aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-71). The U.S. State
Department has, for the first time, asked for a waiver for "aliens from
outer space."  The INS has agreed not to arrest the cosmonauts for illegal
entry into the United States.
79.1009NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 29 1995 12:4839
WhiteBoard News for June 28, 1995 [excerpts]

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho:

A 23-year-old Post Falls woman charged with
fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs contends that
one of her 3,817 personalities is actually the
responsible party.

Nichol Chastain is being held in the Kootenai County
Jail on $5,000 bond following her arrest last
Wednesday.  In the past two months, she visited nine
doctors in Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, seeking morphine
because of what she said was an inoperable brain tumor,
police records show.

Six doctors prescribed the drug without looking at her
medical records.  But another physician became
suspicious and called police.

Chastain blamed "Nikki," one of her personalities.
==========

New York, New York:

"No More Frogs to Kiss," a new book about empowering
girls economically, offers unusual tips like hosting an
"economic film festival" with movies such as "9 to 5"
and "Working Girl," all featuring working women.

Another idea: taking a girl to a Grateful Dead concert
for "a music economics lesson" about the businesss of
big-money performances."
==========


A Kenyan member of Parliament has proposed that hyenas
be allowed to clean up hospitals that have no
mortuaries by eating the bodies of the unclaimed dead.
79.1012NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 29 1995 12:49131
WEIRDNUZ.383 (News of the Weird, June 9, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In separate recent actions, four Irish Republican Army inmates
in Britain and the family of an inmate murderer in New Jersey
have filed lawsuits against prisons for injuries incurred during
escape attempts.  In the New Jersey case, Giovanni A.
Almovodar, 18, awaiting trial on a murder charge, died when he
fell on his head after climbing through a wall in Camden County
Jail;  his family accused jailers of not maintaining a "reasonably
safe facility." [Fortune-Legal Intelligencer, 5-29-95; Edmonton
Journal, 5-6-95] 

WELL-PUT

* John Christo, a friend of accused abortion-clinic murderer John
Salvi, admonishing the media in January for portraying his friend
as a serial killer:  "There's nothing wrong with John whatsoever
other than he killed a couple of people." [Biloxi Sun-Herald-AP,
1-2-95] 

* From a recent scientific paper noting that not everyone regards
the body-gas inhibitor Beano favorably:  For some people, "the
production of high volumes of resonant, pungent intestinal gas is
a source of personal pride and fulfillment." [Orlando Sentinel,
Jan95] 

* Defense lawyer Paul Fernandez, explaining in a Paterson, N.J.,
court in March why his client, a 14-year-old boy, might have
sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl:  They were "two kids who
had nothing better to do.  They don't have cable TV, what do
you do?" [Newark Star-Ledger, 3-9-95] 

* Kingston, Ontario, city  councilman Dave Meers, at an April
council meeting in which he argued the uselessness of inviting
candidates for the provincial legislature to appear before the
council to give their platforms:  "We all know that all politicians
are liars, including ourselves." [Sault Star-CP, 5-4-95] 

* Texas Sen. David Sibley, describing tough negotiations in
February on pending state tort reform legislation:  "It was like
playing pick-up sticks with your butt cheeks." [Austin American-
Statesman, 2-11-95] 

* University of Arkansas football coach Danny Ford on the
September decision by freshman Chad Roe to give back his
football scholarship and return home:  "He signed with us just to
get [an engineering] education, and that's the wrong reason.  I
wish he had told us that [sooner]."  Little Rock Free Press-
Hawgs Illustrated, Oct94]

* In September, after U. S. Air had suffered two fatal crashes in
two months, bringing to five the number of fatal crashes in five
years for the airline, Steven Fink, a Los Angeles public-relations
specialist, told the Wall Street Journal: "To the casual observer,
there seems to be a disturbing pattern." [Wall Street Journal, 9-
21-94] 

* Marie D'Amico, 53, pleading guilty and showing tearful
remorse as the prosecutor read the charges against her in Chicago
in October for defrauding three local government agencies by
accepting high wages for "ghost" jobs for which she barely
showed up:  "It makes me sick to hear what I did." [Chicago
Tribune, 10-13-94] 

NOT WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND

* A Republican Party of Virginia open house in May to attract
black voters, set up for a 6,000-seat convention hall in
Richmond, attracted a crowd of nine.  [Newport News Daily
Press, 5-6-95] 

* In March a federal judge awarded $871,000 in damages to six
Belize nationals on the payroll of U. S. drug agents.  The six had
been hired to fly cocaine to Miami in order to sting the drug
runners who would meet the plane, but at a scheduled stopover in
Honduras, the cocaine was detected by Honduran officials, who
arrested the six and subjected them to 12 days of torture before
U. S. officials were able to intercede. [Chicago Sun Times, 3-13-
95] 

* In February, federal prison inmate Rodney Curtis Hamrick, 29,
was charged with threatening the life of President Clinton from
behind bars.  Hamrick was originally imprisoned in the mid-
1980s, with a modest sentence, for writing bad checks.  Since
then, for expressing his dissatisfaction about his trial, he has had
about 50 years added to his sentence for threatening President
Reagan, the judge who sentenced him, and his prosecutors, and
building five small fire bombs while in prison and mailing two of
them to the prosecutors. [Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, 2-15-
95] 

* In January, the city of San Francisco halted its plans to change
the name of Army Street to Cesar Chavez Street, in honor of the
late labor organizer.  The city had budgeted $20,000 for
replacing the street signs, but state officials said the cost would
be almost $1 million because the longer name would necessitate
bigger signs on the intersecting interstate highway, which would
require larger beams to support them and more lights to
illuminate them. [Standard Democrat (Sikeston, Mo.)-AP, 1-25-
95] 

* Two janitors at a Ceres, Calif., school were hospitalized in
April and 16 pupils injured in a failed scheme by the janitors to
kill a gopher by pouring a gum- and wax-removing compound on
him.  One of the janitors lit a cigarette, causing an explosion. 
And in New Orleans's French Quarter in March, an apartment
explosion injured two people when a woman set out six cans of
aerosol insecticide (one can is the recommended capacity), which
were ignited by the flame on the water heater. [Merced Sun-Star,
4-4-95; Times-Picayune, 3-14-95] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* In April, Stephen Gordon, 37, was sentenced to almost six
years in prison in Denver, Colo., for stalking a woman. 
According to his lawyer, Gordon's contacts with the 27-year-old
victim were just coincidences.  Gordon had pursued the woman
first in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he was discovered hiding
underneath her car (looking for a bird's nest, he said); when she
moved to Denver in 1993, Gordon moved there, too, and
eventually moved into her apartment complex, where he was
discovered in the crawl space underneath her apartment after
allegedly boring holes into the woman's bathroom (trying to trace
a mysterious noise, he said). [Arizona Republic-SHNS, 3-14-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1011NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 29 1995 12:53131
WEIRDNUZ.382 (News of the Weird, June 2, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In upholding a divorce court ruling in September, the South
Dakota Supreme Court concurred that the fault for the dissolution
of the marriage lay clearly with the husband.  The divorce court
had found that, among the man's several disturbing patterns was
his habit of passing gas frequently around the house and reacting
testily to his wife's complaints about it.  According to the wife,
the husband was easily able to regulate the offensive activity and
would pass gas as a "retaliation thing."  Two supreme court
justices dissented to the size of the wife's alimony award, with
one commenting, "[T]he price of gas is going up in Sioux Falls."
[BNA Family Law Reporter, 10-11-94] 

GREAT ART

* Recent newsworthy objects of art:  A toilet brush, soon to be
available in the U. S. for around $30, from the noted French
designer Philippe Starck, who calls the work "the apotheosis of
my career"; a cage of spiders, snakes, scorpions, and frogs
devouring each other as a testament to a Darwinian world, from
Chinese artist Huang Yon Ping at a show in Paris last November;
and U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright,
the subject of a poem in an Iraqi newspaper in October ("Why do
you hate the day and love the night?  Albright, don't put out the
light.") [N. Y. Times, 2-16-95] [Washington Times-AP, 11-10-
94] [Univ. of Missouri Maneater, 10-21-94] 

* From a review of a Helmut Federle show, in Artforum
magazine, quoted by the New York Times in October in an
article on mundane art criticism:  "Federle's grouping of works
also suggests a kind of epigenesis of abstraction:  each stage
offers a greater, more exacting epiphany of the idea of
abstraction as such and the essential consciousness--a
consciousness that can recognize and deal with essences (in a
Husserlian sense)--than the preceding one." [N. Y. Times-
Artforum, 10-23-94] 

* U. S. Rep. Don Young, speaking to high school student-
constituents in Fairbanks, Alaska, in April, said he was opposed
to federal funding for any art that portrayed people doing
"offensive things."  Pressed for an example by an inquisitive
student, Young quickly answered (apparently referring to the
homoerotic art of the late Robert Mapplethorpe) with a 11-letter
word for anal intercourse.  He said later that his answer would
have lacked impact if he had used milder words. [AP wirecopy,
4-22-95] 

* In February, Davis, Calif., city councilwoman Julie Partansky
invoked a provision of the state's Environmental Quality Act to
postpone a routine paving request for an 80-year-old gravel alley
that she says qualifies for historical preservation.  According to
one resident, the alley is muddy in winter, dusty in summer, a
mosquito-breeding ground in spring, and is, in general, a
"pigsty."  Partansky said, "It's real mellow in the alley."  The
council is studying the problem. [San Jose Mercury News-AP, 3-
2-95] 

* A May Wall Street Journal review of New York City's
Gramercy Hotel art fair (in which artists set up their wares in
individual hotel rooms as patrons roam the hallways) reported
that as one gallery's employees left their card game to attend to
some customers, other customers commented on the card layout
as if it were a work on display.  And another art display was
ruined when a cleaning lady made the artist's bed by mistake.
[Wall Street Journal, 5-4-95] 

THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

* The city council in Capao da Canoa, Brazil, voted in March to
install breathalyzer equipment at city hall, mainly because one
member, Delci Romano, habitually shows up drunk and demands
to cast votes on issues not on the agenda.  And Katia Nogueira
Tapeti, a city councilmember in the state of Piaui, was recently
re-elected and is widely believed to be the most popular politician
in the state's history, despite the region's macho culture and the
fact that she is a transvestite living openly with her gay husband. 
[Houston Post-Reuter, 3-31-95] [San Francisco Examiner-
Toronto Globe & Mail, Apr95] 

* During an April debate on government funding for abortions,
Rep. Henry Aldridge told the North Carolina House
Appropriations Committee that rape victims didn't need the fund 
because "they don't get pregnant."  "[P]eople who are raped--
who are truly raped--the juices don't flow, the body functions
don't work," said the 71-year-old periodontist.  And in a Georgia
House judiciary committee meeting in March, Rep. Brian Joyce
said he thought marital rape should not be a crime, but that if the
wife says, "I don't want to have sex tonight," "[the husband]
should take that into consideration." [Great Falls Tribune-AP, 4-
21-95; Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3-8-95] 

* Mayors in trouble recently:  Mayor Lee Young resigned from
office in Galena, Mo., in October (after being threatened with
impeachment) and in retaliation took most of the town's
Christmas decorations away with him.  Said Young, "I probably
could be bigger about it . . . but I'm not going to."  Mayor
Russell Holland of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, began serving
a 60-day jail sentence in April for embezzlement by a public
official.  And Mayor Brian Terrell of Maloy, Iowa, was released
from a four-month prison stint in Marion, Ill., in February for
trespassing in a nuclear weapons demonstration, the latest of his
several political-protest arrests. [Independence Examiner-AP, 12-
16-94] [USA Today, 4-4-95] [Des Moines Register, Jan95] 

* Recent voter choices:  State Rep. Ken Calvert was re-elected in
California, despite his having been caught, as a customer, in a
prostitution sting early in 1994.  (According to a Los Angeles
Times analysis, Calvert took an "at least I like girls" approach to
beat his opponent, who was a strong supporter of gay rights.).
Stripper Susy Diaz was elected to Congress in Peru after a
campaign of bumping and grinding public appearances, but she
vowed to concentrate on helping women, artists, and farmers.
[Los Angeles Times, 11-11-94] [San Francisco Chronicle 4-25-
95] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* New York Daily News photographer Dick Corkery, who had
accused comedian Bill Cosby of roughing him, called the federal
court decision in New York City in August a "victory."  Because
the court found Corkery almost totally at fault, it ordered Cosby
to pay damages of 10 cents on each of two charges. [St.
Petersburg Times, 8-6-94] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1013NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 05 1995 15:0041
WhiteBoard News for June 30, 1995 [excerpts]
==========

St. Paul, Minnesota:

Sue Olsen ran 62.9 miles over the weekend.  The next
day, she gave birth to her first child.

His middle name, appropriately enough, is Miles.

"It has been a pretty strenuous couple of days," said
the ultramarathoner from Burnsville, Minnesota.

John Miles Olsen was born Monday, weighing at 7 pounds,
3 ounces and was 21 inches in length.  Less than 30
hours earlier, Olsen had completed the 100-kilometer
mark in the FANS 24-hour race around Lake Harriet in
Minneapolis.

And just before that, on June 17, Olsen, 38, ran in
Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, finishing the 26-plus
miles in 4 hours.

Olsen's doctor gave permission to continue running
during her pregnancy because she is already accustomed
to running such distances.
==========

Chicago, Illinois:

Film critic Roger Ebert has reported on the popular
Japanese animated film "Pompoko," which features a
family of cute, badger-like animals -- and Ebert
predicts it won't succeed here in America.

The badgers' secret weapon is an ability to make their
testicles grow large so they can crush opponents.

Said a Japanese film fan: "The Japanese are more open
about bodily parts."  Kids in Japan find the secret
weapon "hilarious."
79.1014TROOA::COLLINSMotion in the ocean (oo ah!)Wed Jul 05 1995 15:033
    
    What is the secret weapon of the female badgers?
    
79.1016NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 05 1995 15:1132
Murder trial of ex-NYC officer is delayed [Boston Globe, 5-July-1995]

Haverhill, N.H. -- The trial of a former New York City policeman charged
with killing, decapitating and burning his wife has been delayed as a
result of requests from defense lawyers, a prosecutor said.

James Anderson, 50, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of
his wife at their Alexandria home.  He was to appear Monday at a pretrial
conference in Grafton County Superior Court, but defense requests have
knocked it off the July schedule, Assistant Attorney General Janice Rundles
said.

The defense is challenging searches of the Anderson home, near where burned
parts of Sheilah Anderson's body were found.

Mrs. Anderson's torso and head were found in October, 16 months after she
disappeared in June 1993.

Sgt. James Kelleher of the New Hampshire State Police said that Anderson
told police he tried to cremate his wife and bury her remains after she
committed suicide.  After failing to burn her torso, Anderson said he
decided to leave the body, wrapped in burlap and bound in a green garbage
bag, at a place in the woods where the couple had had peaceful times,
Kelleher said.

Investigators have said Anderson was abusive and killed his wife, although
they say they do not know how she died.  The back of Mrs. Anderson's head
bore a silver dollar-sized hole.

About nine months before she disappeared, Mrs. Anderson went to Plymouth
District Court for a restraining order, claiming Anderson threatened to
put her through a plate glass window.
79.1017CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Jul 05 1995 15:215


 Maybe she committed suicide by hitting herself real hard on the back of the
 head with a silver dollar?
79.1018NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 07 1995 14:019
The Lambda Report on Homosexuality reports that UMASS professor Charley Shively
claims that Abraham Lincoln was gay.  In his book "Drum Beats: Walt Whitman's
Civil War Boy Lovers" he writes that Lincoln and his friend Joshua Speed were
lovers for four years.  He also identifies Lincoln's law partner William
Herndon as one of his lovers, and says that Lincoln cruised Lafayette Park
for lovers when he was president.

Shively also claims that George Washington had homosexual experiences throughout
his life, starting as a teenager.
79.1020NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 07 1995 14:081
That was before "life begins at 40."
79.1021TROOA::COLLINSGone ballistic. Back in 5 minutes.Fri Jul 07 1995 14:083
    
    He was born at a very early age.
    
79.1023DASHER::RALSTONcantwejustbenicetoeachother?:)Fri Jul 07 1995 14:238
           >"You've got to think about what you're doing to the family
           >relationship and the child," Baird said. "Who is its mom? What
           >does this do to the child's self-concept as it grows?"
    
    Having a child makes one the birth parent. Caring, providing, loving and
    teaching that child to be a valuable member of society makes one a mom.
    
    ...Tom
79.1024GOOEY::JUDYThat's Ms. Bitch to you!Fri Jul 07 1995 15:085
    
    
    	My thoughts exactly.  I think it's a wonderful thing that
    	woman did for her daughter.
    
79.1025CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Jul 07 1995 15:221
    wasn't that also a made for t.v. movie as well?  a documentary perhaps?  
79.1026TROOA::COLLINSGone ballistic. Back in 5 minutes.Fri Jul 07 1995 15:244
    
    If so, it was no doubt titled `Labour Of Love: The <mumble mumble>
    Story'.
    
79.1027DEVLPR::DKILLORANJack Martin - Wanted Dead or AliveFri Jul 07 1995 15:395
    You really had to puuussshhhh that one.  It involved a lot of
    stretching, and there may have been some tearing....

    :-)
    Dan
79.1028POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Bronze GoddessesFri Jul 07 1995 16:503
    
    <-- oh please don't, that sounds a bit like one of Suz Kinaci's notes
    8^).
79.1029MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Sat Jul 08 1995 13:082
<---- wot do u mean by that?

79.1030LJSRV2::KALIKOWBuddy, can youse paradigm?Sun Jul 09 1995 20:006
    If memory soives, the redoubtable Suz rarely tired of telling us, in
    glorious detail, about the horrors of laybuh as she herself experienced
    'em.
    
    A minor failing, sez I.
    
79.1031MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Sun Jul 09 1995 22:322
4 wot reasons didn't u recognize the rhetorical question?

79.1032LJSRV2::KALIKOWBuddy, can youse paradigm?Sun Jul 09 1995 22:402
        Aiee.  Time to replace the batteries on my irony-meter. :-)
    
79.1033NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 10 1995 15:1687
WhiteBoard News for July 07, 1995 [excerpts]


Des Moines, Iowa:

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad called for a change in
state law to avoid a repeat of last week's state
Supreme Court order that Tom and Kim Grant of Britt
must pay some legal costs of the drunken driver who
killed their 12-year-old son.

The driver, Raymond Lauri, is too poor to pay the
$900,000 a jury awarded to the Grants, or the $1,850
for his state-appointed lawyer, Charles Levad.

So the Grants must pay Levad, the high court said,
despite arguments by the Grants' lawyer, Alfred
Beardmore, that such a ruling would be another reason
why "the legal profession and the courts are not in
great favor with the public."
==========

Newark, New Jersey:

The family of a New Jersey inmate has filed a lawsuit
against the prison for injuries he incurred during an
escape attempt.

Giovanni Almovodar, 18, was awaiting trial on a murder
charge when he fell on his head after climbing through
a wall in the Camden County Jail.

His family accuses the jailers of not maintaining a
"reasonably safe facility."
==========

Thonotosassa, Florida:

A man who called himself "Master Troy" has been charged
with operating a whips-and-chains sex dungeon in his
home where customers could hire prostitutes and even a
dog.

"People have all sorts of fantasies," Terry Lynn Thomas
said after he was arrested in a raid Thursday.  "That's
one of the things I help them out with."

Thomas, 48, was charged with racketeering, prostitution
and pornography offenses as well as animal cruelty.

The raid came after an undercover detective responded
to a magazine advertisement about the dungeon in this
rural Tampa suburb.

Three women were arrested along with Thomas on similar
charges.

The raid also netted pornographic tapes Thomas
allegedly had for rent.  Investigators said some tapes
involved exotic animals such as electric eels,
anteaters and water buffalo.
==========

Fast News Forum:

The state of Oregon is losing $60,000 a year because
prison food is so good that inmates are helping
themselves to large portions and sneaking back for
seconds, an auditor says.  Recommended: tighter control
over servings of corn and potatoes.

A Denver, Colorado, man accused of pouring varnish on
his wife during sex instead of the honey and chocolate
syrup she was expecting has pleaded guilty to assault
and disturbing the peace.

An Albany, New York, appeals court ruled that a judge
was wrong to find a witness in a murder trial in
contempt for wearing a shirt that read, "If (expletive)
could fly, this place would be an airport."

Boston, Massachusetts, bus driver Nick Filandrianos,
32, earned dinner for two and some movie passes by
eating a bag of live bugs, dried grass and leaves, and
sucking water from his woolen socks.  It was part of a
WRKO-AM tribute to Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady, the
pilot who was rescued from Bosnia.
79.1034Taking a shine to herAMN1::RALTOI hate summerMon Jul 10 1995 15:346
>> A Denver, Colorado, man accused of pouring varnish on
>> his wife during sex...
    
    What's the problem?... he was only trying to help her finish.
    
    Chris
79.1035MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryMon Jul 10 1995 15:454
    
    She was apparently _so_ good in bed, he wanted to enbalm her.
    
    -b
79.1036NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 10 1995 16:086
Philadelphia (AP) -- Seconds after Rufus Lawsen and Catrina Josey were
pronounced husband and wife Saturday, police officers marched up the aisle
and arrested the stunned groom.  Lawsen, 29, had walked away from his trial
on a jewelry shop robbery during jury selection last month and was convicted
in his absence, said police Detective Michael Reynolds.  Lawsen was being
held pending a hearing.  He faces five years in prison on the conviction.
79.1037EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Mon Jul 10 1995 16:284
Woman in Louisiana has the following job:  Go and stand around in
designated spots and allow herself to get bit by mosquitoes.
If she gets bit more than 5 times in a minute she calls out
the sprayers.
79.1038PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jul 10 1995 16:333
 .1037  that's _so_ dumb, it has to be true.

79.1039MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryMon Jul 10 1995 16:344
    I wonder if they give her encephalitis insurance?

    -b
79.1040CSOA1::LEECHAnd then he threw the chimney at us!Mon Jul 10 1995 16:423
    re: .1037
    
    That really bugs me for some reason.  
79.1041NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 10 1995 16:451
Hey, a lot of people would be itching to get that job.
79.1042CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanMon Jul 10 1995 16:474


 Tell 'em to start from scractch....
79.10438^)CSOA1::LEECHAnd then he threw the chimney at us!Mon Jul 10 1995 17:041
    scractch?
79.1044CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanMon Jul 10 1995 17:084


 Whoops ;-)
79.1045Is it Goat Hampshire?NEMAIL::HULBERTCome on 5 O'clockMon Jul 10 1995 17:5918
    Friday afternoon on WRKO police blotter runner up;
    
    19 year male was shot and wounded in the knee by a farmer in So. New
    Hampshire.  It seems that the young man was hanging around a particular
    goat.  The farmer had taken the goat to the vet and it was discovered
    that the goat had experienced "vaginal trauma."  The farmer obtained a
    restraining order against the young man stating he was not to be within
    1/4 of a mile of the goat. The wife observed the young man near the
    goat on Friday and as she called 911 the farmer grabbed his shot gun
    and confronted the fellow.
    
    This kid must be one sick puppy!  Violating a restraining order to have
    relations with a goat is truly sick.
    
    Editor's note;  When police asked the young man what it was like having
    sex with the goat the young man replied;
    
    Not BAAAAAAAHHHHHDDDDD! 
79.1046NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 10 1995 18:011
He was probably raised by a nanny.
79.1047CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanMon Jul 10 1995 18:0211
    
>    This kid must be one sick puppy!  Violating a restraining order to have

   So it was a young goat?    
 





   
79.1048CSOA1::LEECHAnd then he threw the chimney at us!Mon Jul 10 1995 18:031
    I've herd similar stories.  
79.1049BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Jul 10 1995 19:053

	The guy had a goatee, right?
79.1050naa-a-a-a-aEVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Mon Jul 10 1995 19:161
Wonder if he has any kids...
79.1051BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Jul 10 1995 19:413

	So he was getting the farmers goat, eh???? 
79.1052The real Giles goat-boyWRKSYS::ROTHGeometry is the real life!Mon Jul 10 1995 20:443
   Reminds me of a certain novel by John Barth...

   - Jim
79.1053MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryMon Jul 10 1995 20:464
    
    So, like, this guy's the butt of a lot of jokes, right?
    
    -b
79.1054Try to keep up, eh??? :-)LJSRV2::KALIKOWBuddy, can youse paradigm?Mon Jul 10 1995 21:002
    reread .1045 & revise your pun immediately, you bum!
    
79.1055SCAPAS::63620::MOOREOutta my way. IT'S ME !Mon Jul 10 1995 21:083
    
    There's not a goat of a chance he'll be convicted.
    
79.1056NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 11 1995 12:4980
WhiteBoard News for July 10, 1995 [excerpts]

Osnabruck, Germany:

Two male storks that took up nesting in the same German
zoo enclosure have hatched a wayward penguin egg and
are now raising the offspring as their own.

"Pingu" is being bottle-fed a mixture of fish juice and
vitamins six times a day by the zoo staff in this
western German town.  They placed the egg in the
storks' nest after it had been thrown out by its
parents, hoping the "childless couple" would adopt the
hatchling.

Pingu's two fathers took turns sitting on the egg for
14 days until it began to break out of its shell.
==========

"I had to upgrade my former name to show some expansion
and to show everybody who the biggest Geto Boy of all is."

Bushwick Bill, rap artist and founder of the Geto Boys,
who henceforth wants to be known as Dr. Wolfgang Von
Bushwickin the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High Dollar
Billstir.
==========

Jingxi Province, China:

An owl in southern China's Jingxi Province enjoys
television so much that he built a nest in a farmer's
house so that he can watch the flickering screen every
night, the China Daily reported.

One evening, three years ago, the owl flew into the
large home of farmer Zhang Liuyou, perched on a beam
and began watching the television with the family.  The
animal returned every night for the next three weeks,
sometimes perching on the dinner table.  He then left,
seemingly for good.

But he showed up two years later and built a permanent
nest under the eaves of the house where he sleeps
during the day and watches the television at night.
==========

Helsinki, Finland:

Lapland is a summer favorite for two groups who just
don't get along -- humans and mosquitoes -- and the
inevitable bloodshed has broken out.

About 40 mosquito haters, including Finns, Swedes and
Germans, are readying their reflexes to Sunday's World
Championship of Mosquito Killing in Pelkosenniemi.

Competitors get five minutes each to kill as many
mosquitoes as possible.

An exceptionally damp, warm summer has led the smart
money to bet on a kill topping the old record of seven
mosquitoes in 5 minutes.

"I know it's surprisingly few, but the problem is that
the mosquitoes are drawn toward the warmth of the crowd
watching the competition," said the contest organizer
Kai Kullervo Salmijarvi.  "That's another reason why
the contest is so short -- people get bitten."

The prize is a trophy and a weekend for two at a
Lappish resort -- likely infested with mosquitoes.

Insecticides, nets and fly swatters are banned.

"It's a clean contest and that means no outside help,"
Salmijarvi said.

"Mind you, we don't have dope tests," he added, "so
everyone can tank up as they see fit."
79.1057Thanks, JoeNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 11 1995 17:44132
WEIRDNUZ.384 (News of the Weird, June 16, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In May police in Prince William County, Va., and Clearwater,
Fla., dejectedly perused law books to find crimes with which to
charge men whom they believed to be peeping Toms.  Police in
Virginia said James Harrison Burdick, 23, had rigged a ladder to
look into a high school girls' locker room, but state law makes it
illegal only to peep into a dwelling, not a public building.  Police
in Florida said that Fred J. Dohring, 50, held a video camera
under a stall in a coed beach changing room but that the only
surreptitious taping that is illegal is audiotaping. [Washington
Post, 5-17-95; St. Petersburg Times, 6-1-95] 

LEAST COMPETENT PEOPLE

* One of China's most-discussed stories of 1994, according to a
November New York Times report, was an account originally in
the official Legal Daily paper about a couple who had failed for
months to conceive a child.  A doctor examining the woman
found her still to be a virgin and possessing the belief that a
couple's merely sleeping in the same bed constituted a
reproductive act. [N. Y. Times, 11-27-94] 

* A May Associated Press story summarized several schemes in
which scoundrels managed to take advantage of rabid anti-
government and militia types with fraudulent fund-raising
pitches.  Perhaps the most gullible victims were those of Scott
Hildebrand and three others, who were convicted in Michigan
after somehow convincing several people to pay a $300 filing fee
so that they could share in the pot of "$600 trillion" Hildebrand
claimed he had just won in his lawsuit against the federal 
government for abandoning the gold standard in 1933. [Austin
American-Statesman-AP, 5-12-95] 

* Time magazine reported in March that, four months after he
lost the election and two months after he left office, former
Illinois congressman Dan Rostenkowski was still getting phone
calls at his Chicago office from constituents demanding that he do
them the usual favors.  A former aide speculated that voters only
wanted to scare Rostenkowski in November:  "I don't think
anyone thought he'd really lose." [Time, 3-13-95] 


* Jormel F. Williams, 20, was arrested in St. Louis, Mo., in
April on several charges, including using a stolen credit card. 
Williams was detected when, after using a Dillard's card
belonging to John Einspanier, he was asked what his last name
was.  According to police, Williams did not even come close,
either to pronouncing "Einspanier" or spelling it. [St. Louis Post-
Dispatch, 4-12-95] 

* In incidents in February in Virginia Beach, Va., and
Springfield, Mo., bank robbers had their capers foiled because,
in each case, the robber had visited the respective bank only
minutes before and filled out paperwork using his own name and
address, in one case for a loan and in the other for a bank credit
card. [Newport News Daily Press-AP, 2-4-95] 

* In Toronto, Ontario, in December, two men were arrested for
burglary by officers responding to a 911 call.  The suspects'
getaway ended abruptly when, as they leaped off of a porch, the
17-year-old landed on top of the 22-year-old and suffered a badly
sprained ankle, while leaving his colleague with a fractured skull,
broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a collapsed lung. [Sault
Star-CP, 12-21-94] 

* Jorge Rodriguez, 22, went before a Kenosha, Wis., municipal
judge in November on a charge that he had hit a parked car while
driving drunk.  Rodriguez earnestly handed the judge a
Monopoly-like "Get out of jail free" card that had been
distributed by a candidate for sheriff as a gimmick during the
just-ended campaign.  Said the prosecutor, "Clearly, the
defendant had the impression it was legitimate."  Rodriguez
received a fine and probation. [Tampa Tribune-AP, 11-11-94] 

* William Edward Woods, 49, was arrested in Tampa, Fla., in
May on fraud charges after he had gone to a Paine Webber office
and asked for a $50 billion line of credit.  As collateral, Woods
offered the brokerage firm a $1 billion bond allegedly issued by
the city of Moscow, Russia, and a $625 million certificate of
deposit allegedly issued by a bank in Croatia, plus a receipt for
$66 million in gold that was supposedly waiting for him in the
warehouse of treasure hunter Mel Fisher.  A state official called
Woods's alleged scheme "the preposterous, raised to the 10th
power." "[I'm] amazed [the Paine Webber people] didn't break
out laughing." [St. Petersburg Times, 5-24-95] 

* Inmate Frederick McGowan, 26, who had walked away from
the Blue Ridge Community work-release facility in Taylors,
S. Car., on March 10, was recaptured a week later when he
returned to the center to pick up his paycheck.  (Officials, aware
of the way Mr. McGowan's mind works, were waiting for him.)
[Augusta Chronicle, 3-18-95] 

* Police in Howland, Ohio, arrested a 17-year-old man in
January and charged him with breaking into Gilmore's
Greenhouse Florist and carrying out seven hanging plants.  Police
arrived at the man's home by following a trail of petals.
[Youngstown Vindicator, Jan95] 

* In January, police in Edmonton, Alberta, charged Kevin
Krishna Niranjan, 30, with mischief after they tracked him down
from a failed bank robbery.  Police said Niranjan, unarmed,
entered the Bank of Nova Scotia and yelled, "Freeze!  This is a
holdup!"  However, because he remained in the doorway and
gave no other instruction, people in the bank merely stared at
him, bewildered.  According to the bank manager, Niranjan
finally yelled something to the effect that he didn't think the
staring was funny and ran out of the bank. [Edmonton Sun, 1-19-
95] 

* In February, Mayor Burhanettin Ozfatura of Izmir, Turkey,
who was upset at an attempt by Sen. Bob Dole to block U. S. aid
to Turkey, banned the sale of Dole bananas in his city.  (Sen.
Dole has no connection to Dole bananas.) [Chicago Sun-Times,
2-27-95] 

UNDIGNIFIED DEATHS

* In April, a woman and her brother died in Libertyville, Ill.,
when their car slammed into a tree at the Ascension Cemetery.   
And in March, a Wall Street analyst in his 20s leaped to his death
from the 22nd floor of 71 Broadway, landing in the graveyard of
Trinity Church, where Alexander Hamilton is buried. [Chicago
Tribune, 4-24-95; Syracuse Herald-Tribune-AP, 3-30-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1058NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 11 1995 17:45138
WEIRDNUZ.385 (News of the Weird, June 23, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* On May 31, a small plane buzzed the U. S. nuclear weapons
plant at Oak Ridge, Tenn., and dropped more than 100 sheets of
pornographic photos.  Oak Ridge police suspected that the culprit
was the former boyfriend of a female plant employee, who had
earlier accused the man of stalking her.  And two weeks earlier,
pilot Robert B. Moore, 38, was convicted in Independence,
Kan., of littering during an airborne frolic, when he tried to
demonstrate his prowess by selecting a target and bombarding it
with toilet paper. [The Tennessean-AP, 6-2-95; Washington Post,
5-20-95] 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* The former principal of PS 100 in Brooklyn, Stuart Posner,
was accused in February of stealing from the school candy store,
establishing businesses on school property, and charging students
admission to watch television during class time. [New York
Daily News, 3-1-95] 

* Among cities in which "mile high club" entrepreneurs were
reported operating recently were Hayward, Calif., Santa Monica,
Calif., Meriden, Conn., and Cincinnati.  For fees ranging from
$199 to $279, a pilot will fly a couple around for an hour so that
they can have sexual intercourse while airborne. [San Francisco
Chronicle, 2-13-95; Cincinnati Enquirer, 11-14-94; Chicago
Tribune, 5-5-94] 

* Among new products recently developed or on the market: 
Toe floss (invented by Ronald M. Hannon), a three-foot-long
rope that attaches to the floor of the shower, is held taut, and
permits the user to clean between his toes; a tiered cocktail-
waitress "dress" that holds 250 canapes, from designer Bruno
Ferrer; a 30"-high, porcelain-headed doll of Indiana University
basketball coach Bob Knight, wearing traditional red sweater and
Converse sneakers, from local dollmaker Tom Alberts, for $545;
and a line of toilet-seat lids in the shape of guitars (electric and
acoustic), starting at $49, from Marvin Maxwell of Louisville,
Ky. [New York Times, 5-29-95] [Japan Times-Reuter, 2-19-95]
[Harper's, March 1995] [[Details, Jan95]] 

* In March one Japanese company introduced "odor-eater"
underwear containing a substance that stops the growth of certain
bacteria, and in April another Japanese company introduced pre-
odorized underwear--containing a synthetic pheromone found in
underarm sweat, masked by a musk fragrance.  The manufacturer
suggests, but does not guarantee, that the scent attracts women.
[Victoria (Tex.) Advocate-AP, 3-29-95; Japan Times-AP, 4-15-
95] 

* In May, the New York Times ran a routine classified ad placed
by Russian-born Victor Rylkov, announcing that he had for sale a
genuine Russian space shuttle, the Buran.  According to a follow-
up story in the New York Post, Rylkov said he and his partner,
the Molniya aerospace company, actually had two and were
asking $5-$10 million each.  Said Rylkov, "A lot of things are
for sale in today's Russia if you've got the right people working
for you." [New York Post, 6-1-95] 

* A firm called UltraTech Products of Houston, Tex., is offering
the TooT TrappeR Chair Cushion, a foam cushion with a
"superactivated carbon filter," which supposedly absorbs passed
gas before it can escape ($29.95 plus shipping).  [Chicago
Tribune, 9-5-94] 

* Among the crime-protection products now available by mail are
Dyewitness, a canister of green foam that will make an assailant
(or anyone else) foam up to look like a Chia Pet, and Rapel, a
foul-smelling liquid that victims spray on themselves so as to be
unbearable. [The Oregonian, 2-28-95] 

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS

* A Chicago Sun-Times wire service report in April identified a
Chinese boy, Zhang Zhuo, 12, as having just set a record by
reciting from memory the value of pi (the ratio of a circle's
circumference to its diameter) to 4,000 decimal places--a feat
which took him 25 minutes.  However, two months earlier, a
Seattle Times wire service story had identified a Japanese man,
Hiroyuki Goto, 21, as having captured the world record--to over
42,000 decimal places--a feat which took him over nine hours.
[Chicago Sun-Times, 4-24-95; Seattle Times, 2-26-95] 

* The winner of National Enquirer's contest for the "Most Boring
Husband in America," named in May, was Michael Colangelo,
whose wife claimed that he cannot seem to pass an ant mound
without taking a picture of it.  Said she, "We hardly have any
family photos, but we have an album of fire ants."  Said
Michael, "It's amazing how [ants] are so persistent." [St.
Petersburg Times, 5-27-95] 

* In February, the Consumer Product Safety Commission ended
five years of deliberation on what to do about five-gallon
buckets, which it deemed dangers to toddlers who might fall into
them and drown.  In May 1994, the agency tentatively had
decided to order manufacturers to redesign the buckets. 
However, it has now decided merely to require warnings on the
pails. [Rock Island Argus-Chicago Tribune, 2-12-95] 

* In October, Gary Taylor filed a formal Charge of
Discrimination against the City of Austin, Texas, for having fired
him, allegedly because he had filed a complaint against the city's
Electric Utility Department over what he called the practice of
"painting."  According to Taylor, painting is a departmental
"abusive sexual hazing ritual" in which workers gang up on
another employee in honor of his birthday or other special
occasion, pull his pants down, and spit on his genitals.
[Plaintiff's complaint in Taylor v. City of Austin, No. 92-10773,
October 11, 1994] 

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

* Amy Brasher, 45, was arrested in San Antonio, Tex., in
January after a mechanic notified police that 18 packages of
marijuana were packed alongside the engine of her car, which she
had turned over to the mechanic for an oil change.  According to
police, Brasher later said she did not realize that the mechanic
would have to raise the hood to change the oil. [San Antonio
Express-News, 1-19-95] 

CORRECTION

In "News of the Weird" released to newspapers April 16, 1995,
it was reported that astronaut Alan Shepard, at an event
exclusively to sign copies of his new book, refused to autograph
a photo of his 1961 Mercury capsule landing, requested by a man
who helped pull him up that day from the Atlantic Ocean.  While
the man, John Williams, may have played some role in the
rescue, he was not one of the two men who pulled Shepard up.  I
apologize for the error.--Chuck Shepherd

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or the name News of the Weird.
79.1059Did he also paint pictures of happy little ants?DECWIN::RALTOI hate summerTue Jul 11 1995 18:186
>> The winner of National Enquirer's contest for the "Most Boring
>> Husband in America," named in May, was Michael Colangelo...
    
    Mike Colangelo?  Hmmm...
    
    Chris
79.1060I wonder how the burgers fared....SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebwas have foot-in-mouth disease!Wed Jul 12 1995 15:5732
From:	
Subj:	Engineering Hobbies :-)


   This is all true...I have pictures...

   Do you like having backyard barbecues, but get impatient waiting
   for the charcoal to get ready? George did. 

   George Goble is the designer and administrator of Purdue's Engineering
   Computer Network, and as a pasttime he decided to set the World's Record
   for Speed Charcoal Preparation. He tried several technologies before
   finally developing a process involving a few gallons of *Liquid Oxygen*.

   Igniting the LOX over the charcoal created a fireball that burned at
   10,000 degrees, judging from the fact that the metal grill was vaporized
   in the process.
   
   Charcoal went from start to finish in 3 SECONDS.

   Kids, don't try this at home!

   Check out George's Web page, which documents the whole thing...
   with photos, sounds, and even MPEG and QuickTime video!

   http://ghg.ecn.purdue.edu/

   Dave Barry got wind of this and did an article on it, published
   June 23rd in some papers. There's a link to the column on the Web page.

   Enjoy!
	
79.1061GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed LadyWed Jul 12 1995 16:007
    
    
    hey, wasn't george goble one of those folks that was guest all the time
    on 'the match game' or 'the hollywood squares'...the one with the buzz
    cut and the glasses????
    
    
79.1062SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotWed Jul 12 1995 16:063
    Raq, that was "Lonesome George" Gobel, not Goble.  In the '50s, he had
    a pretty funny teevee sitcom - many jokes revolved around his wife,
    Alice, whom the viewer never saw.
79.1063NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 12 1995 16:2912
It's not quite a WNB, but I couldn't think of a better topic.  From today's
Ask The Globe:

Q. Figure skater Tonya Harding started a mail fan club called Golden Blade
at 11050 SE 257th Dr., Gresham, Oregon 97080.  She invited fans to order
products through the club, so I ordered two signed photos of her, costing $39.
The photos never arrived, and when I called the club president, Vonnie
Reifenrath, at 503-658-5874, I was told all the money had been given to
Tonya.  Will I ever see the photos?			C.H., Tewksbury

A. It's hard to say.  The Oregon Better Business Bureau inquiry to Tonya
Harding has been ignored.
79.1064SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotWed Jul 12 1995 16:393
    .1063
    
    Yeah, that one had me chuckling for quite a while.
79.1065MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryWed Jul 12 1995 16:415
    
    If'n I was that woman, I woulda just put a great big "STOOPID"
    stamp in the middle of my forehead and been done with it.
    
    -b
79.1066Bwaaaa!DECWIN::RALTOI hate summerWed Jul 12 1995 16:4310
      >> Charcoal went from start to finish in 3 SECONDS.
      >> Check out George's Web page, which documents the whole thing...
    
    I just checked it out, and the still photo alone is hilarious,
    thanks for posting this.
    
    It's a must-see for anyone who's ever struggled with a charcoal
    grill...
    
    Chris
79.1067Hee hawCSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Jul 12 1995 16:4411



  re .1065




 Kinda like one of them old cartoons where they guy does something dumb and
 he turns into a donkey..
79.1068SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotWed Jul 12 1995 16:486
    .1065
    
    > If'n I was that woman...
    
    Conclusion calls for facts not in evidence.  The article, as posted,
    does not specify the gender of the writer.
79.1069NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 12 1995 16:491
When did Chris Hedley move to Tewksbury?
79.1070MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryWed Jul 12 1995 16:528
    > Conclusion calls for facts not in evidence.  The article, as posted,
    > does not specify the gender of the writer.
    
    Correct you are. First reading somehow left me with the
    impression it was a wimmins. Coulda been anything, but
    it was still STOOPID.
    
    -b
79.1071NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 13 1995 12:4876
WhiteBoard News for July 12, 1995 [excerpts]

==========

Las Vegas, Nevada:

John Wayne Bobbitt's resume now includes porn star,
stripper and recording artist: He's done a takeoff on
Chuck Berry's "My Ding-A-Ling."

Bobbitt, who lives in Las Vegas, also is making a
sequel to his porn flick, "John Bobbitt...Uncut," his
agent said.

Bobbitt became famous when his ex-wife cut off his
penis after she claimed he raped her.  Surgeons were
able to pull him back together.
==========

London, England:

The contestants lined up in the St. Andrews Church hall
on a recent rainy Saturday afternoon are all primed to
win.

They've been bathed.  The white ones have had their
coats brushed with talcum powder; others have been
rubbed with a velvet cloth.  Their tails have been
scrubbed with a toothbrush dipped in animal shampoo,
and their nails have been trimmed.

But this is not just another high-pressure dog or cat
competition.  It's the monthly rat show, organized by
Great Britain's National Fancy Rat Society, being held
in Surbiton, a suburb of London.

There is little noise in the room except the
conversational murmur of about 20 rat fanciers and the
faint scratching of more than 80 rodents, who are
poking their pointed noses through the wire of their
cages.

Some, in the language of rat breeders, are "fawn,"
"Siamese," or "Albino."  Male rats are called "bucks,"
females "does" and young rats "kittens."  Yet for all
the fancy names, they are identical genetically and
proportionally to the brown rat, rattus norvegicus.
And they carry all the nightmare-inducing hallmarks:
scaly, snake-like tails, tiny but strangely human hands
and gnashing front teeth.

That doesn't deter the fanciers, who feel the rat has
been given a bad rap.  "There is a prejudice against
rats," says Lisa Grove.  "I tell my neighbors, 'I've
got Norwegian long-tailed hamsters,' and they're fine,
but if I say the word that begins with R and ends in T
and has an A in the middle, they shriek."

The rats here are competing for 13 different awards,
including "best stud buck," "best pink-eyed white,"
"best silver fawn" and "best pet."

While fanciers dote on their own vermin, they're not
all so crazy about wild rats.  In the March/April issue
of Pro-Rat-A, a bimonthly journal for rat fanciers,
Sharon McAllister writes of meeting a rat in the wild:
"I can now say I have seen a wild rate face to face,
and it is an experience I would rather not repeat."
==========

Fast News Forum:

West Contra Costa County (California) School Board
member Charles Ramsey says he won't resign despite
charges he solicited a prostitute.  He said quitting
would set a bad example for students.
79.1072NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 13 1995 12:502
Three Republican legislators in NH have proposed punishing vandals by
spanking their bare buttocks in public.
79.1073Since the special services include spray paint, call ahead....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftThu Jul 13 1995 12:564
    If the three so enjoy that sort of thing, I think they should spend
    their own money.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.1074CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 13 1995 13:0010


 I'd hoped we'd heard the last of Mr. Bobbit





 Jim
79.1075DEVLPR::DKILLORANJack Martin - Wanted Dead or AliveThu Jul 13 1995 15:558
    
    No Jim,
    That was just the tip of it..... :-)
    
    Sorry, just couldn't resist that pun !
    
    :-)
    Dan
79.1076NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 14 1995 12:597
79.1077TROOA::COLLINSGone ballistic. Back in 5 minutes.Fri Jul 14 1995 13:086
    
    A man was arrested in an Ontario provincial park last week after
    a woman noticed a face looking up at her from the hole of the
    outhouse she was using.  Seems the guy had this fetish about watching
    women...ummm...uhhh...relieve themselves.
    
79.1080NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 14 1995 13:48123
WEIRDNUZ.386 (News of the Weird, June 30, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In a May column, film critic Roger Ebert reported on the
popular Japanese animated film, "Pompoko," which features a
family of cute badger-like animals, but said the film would not
likely be successful in America.  The badgers' secret weapon is
an ability to make their testicles grow large so that they can crush
opponents.  Said a Japanese film fan, "The Japanese are more
open about bodily parts."  He said kids in Japan find the secret
weapon "hilarious." [Chicago Sun-Times, 5-23-95] 

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

* Etta Stephens filed a lawsuit against Barnett Bank in Tampa,
Fla., in May, seeking damages for the heart attack she suffered. 
She was stricken after opening her monthly statement to find, due
to bank error, that her $20,000 money market account was
empty. [USA Today, 5-24-95] 

* In May, trial began in Toronto, Ontario, in the lawsuit by
Toronto-Dominion Bank to recover $3.5 million from Edward
Del Grande, who had borrowed for his businesses.  Del Grande
is countersuing for $30 million, saying the problem was that the
bank had loaned him too much money.  Del Grande charged that
if the bank had been more prudent, his companies could have
survived the down market in real estate. [Globe & Mail, 5-25-95] 

* Recently, Chesapeake, Va., inmate Robert Lee Brock filed a $5
million lawsuit against Robert Lee Brock--accusing himself of
violating his religious beliefs and his civil rights by getting
himself drunk enough to engage in various crimes.  He wrote, "I
want to pay myself five million dollars [for this breach of rights]
but ask the state to pay it in my behalf since I can't work and am
a ward of the state."  In April, the lawsuit was dismissed. [Austin
American-Statesman-AP, 4-8-95] 

* In June, the family of the late Bridgeport, Conn., radio station
executive Jefferson Ketcham filed a lawsuit in connection with
his recent death.  The lawsuit charged Cobb's Mill Inn and its
waiter Paul Kane with negligence because, when Kane drove the
intoxicated Ketcham home from the bar as a favor, he merely let
him out of the car and failed to accompany him into his house. 
Ketcham tripped on the front steps, hit his head, and died.
[Greenwich Time, 6-10-95] 

* Bob Glaser filed a $5.4 million lawsuit in March against the
city of San Diego, Calif., for the "emotional trauma" he suffered
at an Elton John-Billy Joel concert, held at a municipal stadium. 
Some women, thwarted by long lines for their rest room, had
entered the men's room, and Glaser said he was "extremely
upset" at the sight of a woman in front of him using a urinal.
[San Francisco Examiner, 3-31-95] 

* Tucson, Ariz., lawyer Howard Baldwin filed a lawsuit in
February against the local electric company, charging that meter
reader Chuck Leon literally frightened his poodle, Jasmine, to
death.  According to Baldwin, when Jasmine saw Leon in the
back yard, she crashed into a glass door, "involuntarily
urinated," then escaped out the rear gate.  She was found dead
the next day, allegedly of exhaustion. [Arizona Daily Star, 2-24-
95] 

LITIGIOUS PRISONERS

* The attorneys general of New York and Minnesota recently
announced their states' "top 10" lists of frivolous lawsuits.  New
York prisoners have filed lawsuits alleging a defective haircut by
the prison barber, improper "white" towels instead of "beige,"
and an ice cream dessert that was largely melted.  Minnesota
inmates have filed lawsuits demanding damages for being
provided an improper variety of beans on the menu, a lack of
salsa, a surfeit of bologna, and underwear that was too tight
("cruel and unusual punishment").  One Minnesota inmate said
his primary purpose in filing his lawsuit was "pure delight in
spending taxpayers' money."[N. Y. Post, 6-13-95] [St. Paul
Pioneer Press, 3-25-95] 

* In Indiana, a soon-to-take-effect law will allow prison officials
to deny good-time credit to prisoners who file frivolous lawsuits. 
Among Indiana's most frivolous pending lawsuits is one asking
damages because meat and vegetables were served somewhat
mixed together on a dinner plate. [USA Today, 5-12-95] 

* In Idaho in April, three inmates filed a $10.7 million lawsuit
against Cassia County because jail guards failed to give them
late-night snacks. [USA Today, 4-24-95] 

* A public employees' union in Ontario, among whose members
are prison guards who staged a walkout in 1989, agreed in
February to pay 11 hospitalized criminals $45,000 for their
having been "inconvenienced" during the labor dispute.  The
leader of the 11, psychotic murderer Michael Krueger, got
$2,250. [Edmonton Journal-Ottawa Citizen, 2-10-95] 

CLICHES COME TO LIFE

* In Amarillo, Tex., in May, citizen Joe Brooks, spotting a man
who was fleeing police officers in a public park, galloped after
him on horseback and lassoed him. [Brownsville Herald-AP, 5-
26-95] 

* Protective fathers of teenage daughters in the news:  In
October, according to police in Oshkosh, Wis., Thomas A. Hunt,
48, roughed up the boyfriend of his 15-year-old stepdaughter,
wrapped him head-to-toe in duct tape, and abandoned him in a
nearby town.  And in Toronto, Ontario, in January, Desmond
Kelley was sentenced to 15 months in jail for a 1993 incident in
which he forced his daughter's boyfriend to leap from a fifth-
floor balcony after catching the couple naked. [Milwaukee
Sentinel, 11-9-94; Edmonton Journal-CP, 1-28-95] 

* In December Jack Horkheimer, who is host of a public
television astronomy show and who ends each show urging
viewers to "keep looking up" at the stars, broke four toes in his
left foot when he misstepped on a deck one night while watching
the star Canopus. [Orlando Sentinel, 1-11-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1081GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberFri Jul 14 1995 13:544
    
    
    
    We don't need no steenkin tort reform....
79.1082MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryFri Jul 14 1995 16:2510
    > * In December Jack Horkheimer, who is host of a public
    > television astronomy show and who ends each show urging
    > viewers to "keep looking up" at the stars, broke four toes in his
    > left foot when he misstepped on a deck one night while watching
    > the star Canopus. [Orlando Sentinel, 1-11-95] 

    
    Tragedy strikes the great star poof! :-)
    
    -b
79.1083TROOA::COLLINSGone ballistic. Back in 5 minutes.Fri Jul 14 1995 19:075
    
    The police force in Oxnard, California, is considering a proposal to
    put ads on its squad cars, a move that could raise about $15,000 toward
    hiring new officers.
    
79.1084DEVLPR::DKILLORANJack Martin - RIPFri Jul 14 1995 19:2215
    
    <--------
    I can see it now:

    "for a good time call Trixie...She delivers!"
                          or
    "Crack just $20 per rock, See the man in the baseball cap
    on the corner of first street and eastern ave.
    Half off on Super Tuesday !"
                          or
    "Visit Abdul's Bazooka Hut... 
    When you can't take the heat pack some of your own!"

    :-) 
    Dan
79.1085EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Fri Jul 14 1995 22:302
Man in Toronto robs a girl running a lemonade stand at knifepoint
and makes off with an estimated $6 CDN.
79.1086SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Fri Jul 14 1995 22:475
    
    
    	guy like that needs to be dragged behind a large pickup truck....
    
    
79.1087TROOA::COLLINSGone ballistic. Back in 5 minutes.Fri Jul 14 1995 23:0513
    
    .1085:
    
    Saw that on the nooz tonight, although I thought it was a younger
    perp involved.  In any case, it's still really crappy.
    
    Yesterday afternoon a 13-year-old girl in Barrie was beaten and burned
    by a gang of teenage girls, and this afternoon a 10- or 12-year-old kid
    tried to rob a Pakistani family with a knife by threatening to cut
    their 5-month-old baby.
    
    WTF is wrong with kids these days??????
    
79.1088SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Fri Jul 14 1995 23:169
    
    
>    WTF is wrong with kids these days??????
    
    	More like WTF is wrong with the parents that are (aren't?) raising
    these kids these days?
    
    
    
79.1089MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Sat Jul 15 1995 00:446
How 'bout -
    WTF wrong with courts/prosecutors/society that isn't sending
    a clear message that this is unacceptable behavior?

    Why on earth is it that perps/custodians have a mindset that this sort
    of crap can be gotten away with?
79.1090... or so some claim ...CSC32::J_OPPELTWanna see my scar?Sat Jul 15 1995 02:314
    
    	Oh, it's no different today from what it used to be.  No worse,
    	nosiree...  We just hear more about it because the media is
    	better at reporting it.  It's been happening all along.
79.1091MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Sat Jul 15 1995 02:578
>          <<< Note 79.1090 by CSC32::J_OPPELT "Wanna see my scar?" >>>
>                         -< ... or so some claim ... >-
>    	Oh, it's no different today from what it used to be.  No worse,
>    	nosiree...  We just hear more about it because the media is
>    	better at reporting it.  It's been happening all along.

What's your point, Joe?

79.1092SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Sat Jul 15 1995 11:166
    
    
    	I think Joe's saying that alot of folks deny there's a problem...
    
    
    
79.1093SEAPIG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROSat Jul 15 1995 14:409
        <<< Note 79.1091 by MOLAR::DELBALSO "I (spade) my (dogface)" >>>

>What's your point, Joe?

	Joe's point is generalizing from the specific. A mark of unlcear
	thinking.

Jim

79.1094CSC32::J_OPPELTWanna see my scar?Sat Jul 15 1995 15:479
    	I'm not willing to "think" away the truth.  It stares me in the 
    	face each day, Jim.  It does the same for you too, but you seem 
    	content to dismiss it under the guise of "thinking".
    
    	.1092 was close in his suggestion.  What I was really saying is
    	that some folks deny that the problem is getting worse, and I had 
    	you specifically in mind, Jim, when I posted my original reply.  
    	I'm sure you knew that, else you wouldn't have seen the need for
    	the insult.
79.1095SEAPIG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROSun Jul 16 1995 13:5611
          <<< Note 79.1094 by CSC32::J_OPPELT "Wanna see my scar?" >>>

>    	.1092 was close in his suggestion.  What I was really saying is
>    	that some folks deny that the problem is getting worse, and I had 
>    	you specifically in mind, Jim, when I posted my original reply.  

	I'm quite aware of that. I'm also aware, as you apparently are
	not, that the other discussion was on a completely different
	topic.

Jim
79.1096BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Jul 17 1995 00:114

	I don't know Jim, I think Joe is saying something bad about you
thinking. I'll take thinking over reaction anytime.....
79.1097CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Mon Jul 17 1995 12:543
    re: .1090
    
    Beat me to it!  8^)
79.1098NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 17 1995 14:0130
Here's a longer version of .1076, courtesy of WhiteBoard News:

Ogden, Utah:

A missing-person report filed by a Utah husband anxious
about his wife uncovered the shocking truth: The "wife"
was actually a man who is accused of taking the husband
for up to $40,000 during their 3 1/2-year marriage.

Felix Urioste is in jail on $20,000 bail on fraud
charges, and Bruce Jensen is confused, embarrassed and
broke.

Jensen told police he didn't know his wife was a man
until officers convinced him.  "I feel pretty stupid,"
Jensen, 39, told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden, Utah.

The deception unraveled when Urioste, 34, was arrested
in Las Vegas for using 33 credit cards that were
fraudulently obtained in the names of Bruce and Leasa
Jensen and others.

Prosecutor Bill McGuire said Jensen was "just
incredibly naive."  "You've got a situation where a guy
didn't have a normal marriage," he said.  "The victim
is just a really nice guy."

Authorities said Urioste was able to pull off the
deception because he looked like a woman and because
Jensen never saw him naked.
79.1099NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 17 1995 14:032
Two prisoners in Russia strangled their cellmate, cooked some of his body
partsm, and ate them.  They said they wanted to add some spice to their life.
79.1100Wacky SNARF$#&*@!!CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Mon Jul 17 1995 14:071
    
79.1101must have had 'box in mindSMURF::WALTERSMon Jul 17 1995 14:386
    
    Bill Reiss(?) on Nude Hamster Pubic Radio this AM:
    
    	Cloudy, with a chance of drivel all day.
    
    
79.1102BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Jul 17 1995 14:468
| <<< Note 79.1099 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>


| Two prisoners in Russia strangled their cellmate, cooked some of his body
| partsm, and ate them.  They said they wanted to add some spice to their life.

	I bet they can't wait for their new cellmate!!!!!!!  Maybe they will
make a tossed salad next time..... 
79.1104UNlucky owners DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundTue Jul 18 1995 14:011
    
79.1105POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Tue Jul 18 1995 14:081
    This would never happen to, say, someone like Jack Delbalso.
79.1106TROOA::COLLINSLife is a great big hang up...Wed Jul 19 1995 12:406
    
    I thought this headline (in today's Toronto Star) was a little wacky, 
    even if the related story is a little grim:
    
    "Leg found in pond linked to drug user"
    
79.1107no hard evidence, thoughHBAHBA::HAAStime compressedWed Jul 19 1995 14:373
I Heard a blurb that Upjohn is working on a drug to overcome impotence.

TTom
79.1108gulpSMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 19 1995 15:123
    
    It's a pill.  If you don't swallow it fast enough you get a stiff neck.
    
79.1109SHRCTR::DAVISWed Jul 19 1995 15:535
Follwing jc's lead...

The local Clinton, MA rag had a nice headline the other day:

"Leominster hires dead animal officer"
79.1110POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Big VsWed Jul 19 1995 15:5511
    
    I read in the Glob a week or two ago about an anti-impotence drug which
    one injects directly into the penis and which, er, takes effect, within
    5 or 10 minutes.
    
    The article also mentioned that one shouldn't use it more than 3 times
    a day.
    
    Interesting stuff.
    
     
79.1111gulpCSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Jul 19 1995 16:010
79.1112<<<sproing>>>TROOA::COLLINSLife is a great big hang up...Wed Jul 19 1995 16:041
    
79.1113MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryWed Jul 19 1995 16:0511
    
    just a consumer tip here: codeine-laced pain meds are dandy,
    but... er, um, they tend to focus their work on places where
    blood is collecting, if'n you know what i mean. everything
    works fine, but it goes numb. can't feel a damn thing. on
    the other hand, you can go on for hours... nothing's going
    to happen, it just stands there like a happy little soldier...
    your partner will love it... makes you feel like such a
    stud-muffin too! :-)
    
    -b
79.1114POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Wed Jul 19 1995 16:091
    <--- What if you're a cop though?
79.1115Paul Lynde visits againDECWIN::RALTOI still hate summerWed Jul 19 1995 16:414
>> ...Upjohn is working on a drug to overcome impotence.
    
    Yes, and if you take too many, you'll overcome.
    
79.1116LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Wed Jul 19 1995 17:126
    Great -- I left a buncha asparageese in the fridge too long & they
    wilted, poor thingies.  I'll jes' shoot 'em all up and have a nice
    crunchy veggie side-dish for dindin.
    
    Thank you medical science!!!
                                       
79.1117GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberWed Jul 19 1995 17:163
    
    
    RE: .1113  So your uninjured arm is getting a lot of workout......
79.1118DEVLPR::DKILLORANLove In An ElevatorWed Jul 19 1995 17:357
    
    > ...Upjohn is working on a drug to overcome impotence.
         ^^^^^^
         ^^
    Is it just me, or is there humor in there someplace ! :-)
    
    Dan
79.1119LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Wed Jul 19 1995 17:392
    Can we take all this to the "Wanky New Briefs" note pleeeeeyuz???
      
79.1120CHEFS::GIDDINGS_DParanormal activityThu Jul 20 1995 11:468
Upjohn HAS got a drug for impotence. Apparently it was orginally developed as a 
hair restorer.  Wonder how its other effect was discovered?! The  clinical 
trials involved blue movies and strain gauges (I kid you not).
They recently did a product recall in the UK after a defective batch was 
discovered. There were more phone calls from people asking how to get the drug
than from those already using it....

Dave  
79.1121will'ee keep it upSMURF::WALTERSThu Jul 20 1995 12:282
    Really? The penile strain gauge is an old experimental, er, tool.  EMGs
    are more effective.                                                   
79.1123ah! soulSMURF::WALTERSThu Jul 20 1995 13:028
    The Zulu impi warriors believed that the methane gas, which caused the
    bodies of their enemies to swell in the hot African sun, was
    the trapped soul of the enemy.  They would slit an enemy from
    belly to breasbone as a favour, to help the soul escape.
    Ignorant Europeans viewed this as deliberate mutilation of the
    dead and indulged themselves accordingly.
    
    Muffin anyone?
79.1124NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 20 1995 13:064
>    Really? The penile strain gauge is an old experimental, er, tool.  EMGs
>    are more effective.                                                   

Ah, the peter meter.
79.1126RE .1121, .1124 -- Nerd Humour:LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Thu Jul 20 1995 13:162
    Real men use accelerometers.
    
79.1127SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Thu Jul 20 1995 13:346
    funny...minoxidil (sp?) was not originally a hair restorer...what was
    it for? High blood pressure?
    
    And now something designed as a hair restorer cures impotence...
    
    Sounds like someone is looking out for bald impotent men.
79.1128whoooshh, BANG !BUMP::DKILLORANThu Jul 20 1995 13:3414
    
    
    > Apparently, the methane found in cows has no opportunity to escape
    > when the cow expires.

    There is obviously a need for tracer ammunition to be widely
    available... :-)
    Just get the visual on that one !

    Sick, funny, but sick !

    :-)
    Dan

79.1129NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 20 1995 13:3792
WhiteBoard News for July 19, 1995 [excerpts]

Johannesburg, South Africa:

A South African exploration driller strangled a leopard
with his bare hands after the beast attacked him in the
Kalahari Desert in Botswana.

Frik van Heerden, 37, said Saturday that the animal
pounced on him while he walked from his trailer home to
his office in the Kutse Reserve, about 155 miles from
the Botswana capital of Gaborone.

"I was between the two trailers when I heard a noise
and turned around when the leopard attacked me," he
said at his home in Bothaville, South Africa, where he
is recovering from the attack.

He said he shouted for help from his wife, Alta, and
two sons who watched helplessly as he wrestled with the
animal.

"I punched the leopard, but could not dislodge it.  The
survival instinct took over.  I did not know what I was
doing...I was just fighting the animal.  I managed to
grab its throat and strangled it," van Heerden said.

Heerden escaped with minor bites and scratches.

==========

Cincinnati, Ohio:

A man ordered to marry his longtime girlfriend after he
was convicted of hitting her is asking the judge for a
change of heart.

It's not the first matrimonial order issued by Judge
Albert Mestemaker.

Scott Hancock, 25, had pleaded no contest to domestic
violence and was sentenced Thursday.

Mestemaker gave him a suspended four-month sentence,
fined him $100, placed him on nine months probation and
ordered him to undergo counseling.  He also ordered
Hancock to marry Yvonne Sevier within nine months.
==========

Enumclaw, Washington:

Prosecutors are considering whether to file charges in
the case of a homeowner who shot and wounded an
intruder he feared was molesting his pygmy goats.

The intruder was hit in the leg with shotgun pellets
but not seriously wounded.  He could face burglary
charges, said a police spokesman.

The homeowner had suspected someone was sexually
molesting his goats.

"In the case report, a veterinarian from a nearby
hospital had found some swelling and trauma to the
vaginal area of the pygmy goats," said the spokesman.

So the homeowner told police that when he was awakened
at 3:00 AM on June 25 by a noise from the goat barn, he
raced out with his shotgun and confronted the intruder.
==========

Fast News Forum:

40 people  stomped on the lake floor of Spirit Lake in
Idaho to keep it from drying up.  Organizers of the
"Wade to Save Our Lake" campaign hope that tamping down
silt on the lake bottom could seal cracks.

Police in Fort Collins, Colorado, have a new strategy
to catch speeders.  A plainclothes officer sitting on a
lawn chair clocks motorists and uniformed officers
write tickets.  A recent three-hour outing yielded 60
tickets.

A new theme park has opened in Pinyu, China, featuring
2 million snakes.  And...you can eat some of them at a
restaurant on the park grounds.

After years of searching, botanists in New Zealand
found an orchid believed to be extinct.  It was lying
flattened under a groundsheet when they took down their
tent.
79.1130NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 20 1995 13:392
Compare the goat story in .1045 with the goat story in .1129.  Either this guy
gets around, or someone messed up the location.
79.1131SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Thu Jul 20 1995 13:463
    re: .1128
    
    excellent idea!
79.1132MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Jul 20 1995 13:554
re: .1122, exploding midwestern cows 

The story of the dynamite detail which disposed of the beached whale on the
west coast should be required reading material for the local residents.
79.1133POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Big VsThu Jul 20 1995 14:0324
Cincinnati, Ohio:

A man ordered to marry his longtime girlfriend after he
was convicted of hitting her is asking the judge for a
change of heart.

It's not the first matrimonial order issued by Judge
Albert Mestemaker.

Scott Hancock, 25, had pleaded no contest to domestic
violence and was sentenced Thursday.

Mestemaker gave him a suspended four-month sentence,
fined him $100, placed him on nine months probation and
ordered him to undergo counseling.  He also ordered
Hancock to marry Yvonne Sevier within nine months.
==========
    
    
    What is this judge, flippin' nuts?  Who wants to marry a man who'll hit
    you?
    
    
79.1134NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 20 1995 14:154
>    What is this judge, flippin' nuts?  Who wants to marry a man who'll hit
>    you?
    
Plenty of women stay with men who hit them.  Plenty of women marry them.
79.1135POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Big VsThu Jul 20 1995 14:175
    
    I realize that, but you'd think a judge would know better than to
    *order* a hitter and hittee to get married.
    
    
79.1136NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 20 1995 14:211
This isn't just any judge.  He's a "Wacky News Briefs" judge.
79.1137DEVLPR::DKILLORANLove In An ElevatorThu Jul 20 1995 14:235
    
    He should have ordered the woman to take unarmed combat training.....
    That'd fix the bastage's wagon.... hehehehe
    
    Dan
79.1138PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jul 20 1995 14:275
	the judge is an idjit.  this woman _wants_ to marry the jerk?
	why would the judge be ordering it otherwise?
	if so, the woman's an idjit too.

79.1139CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 20 1995 14:284


 They're all a bunch of idjits.
79.1140GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Jul 20 1995 14:385
    
    
    I love the one about the thought extinct flower being found under the
    tent.  Definitely a far side incident.
    
79.1141POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Thu Jul 20 1995 14:411
    Love means never having to say that you are sore.
79.1142DASHER::RALSTONcantwejustbenicetoeachother?:)Thu Jul 20 1995 15:369
    >Apparently, the methane found in cows has no opportunity to escape
    >when the cow expires.  When the body of a deceased beast is in the
    >sun/heat for a period of time, the gases can in fact combust and
    >the carcass explode.
    
    Maybe we could donate them to the UN. They could drop them on the
    Serbs.
    
    ...Tom
79.1144CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenThu Jul 20 1995 17:301
    ....unbelieveable....
79.1145Daddy, what's "personal responsibility"?ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Thu Jul 20 1995 17:300
79.1146DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundThu Jul 20 1995 17:352
    And we're supposed to "trust" the jury system?
    
79.1147CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 20 1995 19:2011



 My eldest son wants to sue the neighbor of his who called the cops because he
 was visiting his girlfriend after provisions of bail told him to stay away..




 Jim
79.1148TROOA::COLLINSThe Greater Action AreaThu Jul 20 1995 19:225
    
    Y'know, Muppet-man, the more I hear about your eldest son, the 
    less I like 'im.  I feel bad for you, all the headaches he's
    given you.
    
79.1149GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Jul 20 1995 19:243
    
    
    What grounds has he come up with to sue this person?
79.1150MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryThu Jul 20 1995 19:247
    
    jim,
    
    no offense, but given the kind of person you are (i hold you in
    high regard) are you _sure_ this guy is your son?
    
    -b
79.1151CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 20 1995 19:267
    
    
>    What grounds has he come up with to sue this person?


  None, of course, but you can't tell him that.
79.1152GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Jul 20 1995 19:306
    
    Jim, 
    
    
    You ever think of tieing him up and gagging him and dropping him off at
    the local Marine Corp recruiting station?
79.1153CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 20 1995 19:3222
    
>    no offense, but given the kind of person you are (i hold you in
>    high regard) are you _sure_ this guy is your son?
 

   

   Thank you.  He is my adopted son (adopted when he was 4 yrs).  His natural
 father is nowhere to be found, though his mother tells me that Sean is quite
 like his father, though he hasn't seen him since he was about 3.  Unfortunately
 Sean's early life was shaped by his grandparents (on mom's side), where he
 basically learned through manipulation of his grandmother he could get what-
 ever he wanted and "no" didn't mean "no".  Unfortunately for the ensuing 
 years despite my efforts to the contrary, he could never quite understand
 limits, rules or handle any kind of authority, and at the age of 24 he has 
 yet to really pay any consequences for any negative behaviour as his grand-
 mother continues to bail him out.  So now, he not only has no respect for
 any kind of authority, but he sees himself as invinceable.

 

 Jim
79.1154CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 20 1995 19:3314
    
    
>    You ever think of tieing him up and gagging him and dropping him off at
>    the local Marine Corp recruiting station?


  Tried that a few years ago.  Lacking a completed highschool education, they
 didn't want him.





 Jim
79.1155SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Jul 20 1995 19:443
    
    
    And people laugh when you tell them about those early "formative years"
79.1156CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 20 1995 19:5610


 Re formative years...I could eat up plenty disk space talking about the years
 4-10, but I'll save the readers from having to endure the horror.




 Jim
79.1157way backHBAHBA::HAAStime compressedThu Jul 20 1995 19:575
Jim

You were alive in years 4-10? Man, now, that's old!

TTom
79.1158CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Thu Jul 20 1995 20:033
    Yeah, he's even older than me.
    
    -founding father -steve
79.1159SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Jul 20 1995 20:485
    
     My understanding of the "formative years" is not the 4-10, but 1-4..
    
     It seems that the 1-4 range is where your adoptive son learned all the
    "formatives" he's been using ever since!
79.1160NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 20 1995 20:491
The Wonder Bread years are ages 1-12.
79.1161SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Jul 20 1995 20:545
    
    <-------
    
    For all races???
    
79.1162mostly still all whiteHBAHBA::HAAStime compressedThu Jul 20 1995 20:573
I don't think Wonder Bread has instituted any AA quota type stuff yet.

TTom
79.1163PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jul 20 1995 20:593
 i think he was trying to be rye.

79.1164wheatever you say is oatay by meHBAHBA::HAAStime compressedThu Jul 20 1995 21:020
79.1165POWDML::LAUERLittle Chamber of Big VsThu Jul 20 1995 21:034
    
    Agh, they're raisin the pun stuff up again!
    
    
79.1166POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Thu Jul 20 1995 21:131
    They'll be on a roll soon!
79.1167DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundThu Jul 20 1995 21:479
    Jim,
    
    Sounds like you have gone above and beyond the call with this young
    man.  I admire you for continuing to care about what happens to him;
    I also glad that you realize you can't/won't fix all his messes.
    
    When he hits bottom it's going to be a mighty fall.
    
    
79.1168CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanFri Jul 21 1995 03:1314


    
>     My understanding of the "formative years" is not the 4-10, but 1-4..
 

      Yep, I agree.  However, the 4-10 years which brought me into the picture
      presented an interesting challenge..


   
 
   Jim
79.1169opinion variesSMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 21 1995 13:173
    1-4 According to some
    1-12 According to others
    1-7 According to the rest + the Jesuits.
79.1170NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 21 1995 14:22131
WEIRDNUZ.387 (News of the Weird, July 7, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In two June incidents four days apart, tug-of-war games ended
in tragedy.  In Chattanooga, Tenn., a 21-year-old man's hand
was severed after an unexpectedly hard tug from the other team
at a company picnic, and in Frankfurt, Germany, two Boy Scouts
were killed and five other people were seriously injured after a
rope snapped during a game. [Edmonton Journal-AP, 6-11-95;
St. Petersburg Times, 6-7-95] 

QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS

* An account in a March issue of The Medical Post magazine
reported on the failure of a recommended abdominal-colic
therapy for babies.  According to the therapy, parents were to
place the baby in a child's car seat on top of a running washing
machine, letting the warmth and vibration settle him down. 
However, in the reported case, the baby vibrated off of the
machine, fell to the floor, and suffered a seizure. [The Medical
Post, 3-14-95] 

* In Winnipeg, Manitoba, in February, Andrew Hofer, 26, gave
his brother's name when asked for identification by police. 
Hofer was evading the police because he had failed to pay a fine,
but unknown to him, a more-serious warrant was outstanding on
his brother.  Said Hofer's lawyer, "This is the only time . . . I've
heard of a person giving the police the name of somebody who's
in more trouble than they are."  (Well, it happened in
Peterborough, Ontario, last June, to Anthony Duco, who had
unpaid traffic fines and a brother who was, unknown to him,
wanted for sexual assault.) [Sault Star-CP, 2-10-95; Edmonton
Journal-CP, 6-24-95] 

* James Burns, 34, of Alamo, Mich., was killed in March as he
was trying to repair what police described as a "farm-type dump
truck."  Burns got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while
Burns hung underneath so that he could ascertain the source of a
troubling noise.  Burns's clothes caught on something, however,
and the other man found Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft."
[Kalamazoo Gazette, 4-1-95] 

* The Church of England's Easter advertising this year contained
no reference, in picture or word, to a crucifix, and instead had
Jesus uttering "Surprise!" on Easter morning.   Said a bewildered
ad executive, "The cross is arguably the best-known brand logo
in the entire world."  Said an official of the church-run
Advertising Network, which placed the ad:  "[The cross] carries
too much cultural baggage." [Vancouver Sun-AP, 4-15-95] 

* In June 1994, Robert Clinton Robinette turned down a plea
bargain in Gainesville, Fla., that would have sent him to prison
for four years on prostitution and child-sex charges, fired the
attorney who recommended he take the deal, and paid a $50,000
retainer to a new attorney.  In April 1995, the best Robinette
could do for himself in a subsequent plea bargain on those
charges was a sentence of 10 years in prison, and he accepted.
[Tampa Tribune-AP, 4-4-95] 

* In February in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Joseph C. Aaron, 20, was
hit in the leg with pieces of the bullet he fired at the exhaust pipe
of his car.  While repairing the car, he had needed to bore a hole
in the pipe and, when he could not find a drill, tried to shoot a
hole in it. [Tampa Tribune, 2-17-95] 

* In January, at a show in Paris on the 50th anniversary of the
liberation of Auschwitz, Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo
released a line of fashions resembling the striped uniforms worn
by Holocaust victims.  One item had serial-type numbers on the
back, another had boot marks, and yet another was modeled by a
woman who appeared more emaciated than the other models and
with closely-cropped hair.  After protests, Kawakubo withdrew
the line two weeks later. [Chicago Sun-Times-Reuters, 2-8-95] 

* In March in San Fernando, Calif., Guy Dean Bouck was
charged with the 1987 murder of his wife after police kept the
investigation open, waiting for Bouck to slip up and supply them
with more evidence.  In the ensuing eight years, Bouck (1)
bitterly contested the disposition of his wife's estate, which
forced a civil court judge to make a ruling that Bouck most likely
was the killer and thus was not entitled to any of the property;
and (2) alienated the girlfriend who had provided him with his
1987 alibi by raping her (a crime for which he is currently
imprisoned). [Los Angeles Times, 3-3-95] 

* In February, Regina Louise Vaughan, 20, was charged with
statutory rape after she applied for public assistance and named,
as the father of her child, the then-13-year-old boy for whom she
regularly babysat in Portage des Sioux, Mo. [St. Peters Journal,
2-19-95] 

PEOPLE IN THE WRONG PLACE
AT THE WRONG TIME

* In May at a high school track meet in Akron, Ohio, the father
of an athlete was hospitalized after he wandered, unknowingly,
onto the shot-put range and was hit in the head by a 16-pound
shot.  Other spectators had been yelling at him to leave the area,
and he had just turned to try to hear them when he was hit.
[Akron Beacon Journal, 5-2-95] 

* In May, Kyle Stone, operator of a ticket agency in Providence,
R. I., had $3,500 in receipts stolen from his car.  The next
morning, as Stone dropped by his bank to withdraw cash to
replace the stolen money, he spotted the man he said he saw
emerging from his car the night before.  Steven Lewis was
arrested at the bank, where he was in the process of opening an
account into which to deposit the $3,500. [Providence Journal-
Bulletin, May95] 

* In January, Donald Bruesewitz, 64, filed a lawsuit against
Merle Hay Mall and the city of Urbandale, Iowa, over what he
called his false arrest five months earlier.  Two boys in a men's
room reported Bruesewitz to mall security officers as a pervert,
but Bruesewitz informed the officers that his prostate condition 
requires him to massage his genitals before urinating. [Des
Moines Register, 1-12-95] 

LEAST COMPETENT PERSON

* Bowling Green, Ohio, student Robert Ricketts, 19, had his
head bloodied in May when he was struck by a Conrail train.  He
told police he was trying to see how close to the moving train he
could place his head without getting hit. [[Bowling Green
Sentinel-Tribune, May95]]

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1171POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Fri Jul 21 1995 14:313
    When they said "brains" he thought they said "trains"....
    
    sheesh.
79.1172CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanFri Jul 21 1995 17:025



 So, did they figure out what the noise was on that truck?
79.1173POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Fri Jul 21 1995 17:031
    He probably smoked the universal joint.
79.1174SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotFri Jul 21 1995 17:073
    <----
    
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!
79.1175tres wittySMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 21 1995 17:192
    
    that was a good one, that
79.1176XEDON::JENSENFri Jul 21 1995 19:473
    Hang on, I hear the 3:49 passing through...  time to run out
    to the crossing for my daily experiment.
    
79.1177Vampires and an expen$ive Bible...EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Fri Jul 21 1995 22:1513
Man in Russia arrested for luring a drunk into some bushes,
biting his neck and drinking his blood out of his cardioid
artery.  Supposedly the attacker acquired his taste for human
blood while in the Russian army.

Woman in Iran arrested for killing her husband and drinking
his blood.


==

Man in Argentina has his furniture and a pizza oven reposessed
after failing to make payments on a Bible he bought.
79.1178DEVLPR::DKILLORANThe Lecher... ;-&gt; Sat Jul 22 1995 01:075
    
    That's one EXPENSIVE Bible...

    Dan

79.1179LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Sat Jul 22 1995 01:1014
    carotid.
    
    nnttm.
    
    Haveta admit, the image of a cardioid artery is rather diverting,
    seeing as how it's typically seen as a polar-coordinate diagram of the
    sensitivity-response curve of certain types of microphones -- those
    eponymous ones, you know, Gawrsh, I've forgotten the name.
    
    Well anyhow, a cardioid is the locus of a point on a circle rolling
    around the circumference of another circle.  Rawther hard to get blood
    to circulate in such a thingie.  If you had one, and some vampire found
    the cork, you'd be a goner instanter.
    
79.1180DEVLPR::DKILLORANThe Lecher... ;-&gt; Sat Jul 22 1995 01:145
    
    > ...instanter.

    Excuse me, could you translate this into English please?

79.1181LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Sat Jul 22 1995 03:162
    I'd rather translate eponymous, if you don't mind.
    
79.1182that must be one ripe hand!SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Sat Jul 22 1995 16:5332
Monk on deathbed revived by 300-year-old hand


(c) 1995 Copyright the News & Observer Publishing Co.

(c) 1995 Reuter Information Service

LONDON (Jul 22, 1995 - 10:18 EDT) - A British Benedictine monk
made a sudden recovery from a stroke after the 300-year-old hand of
a saint was laid on his forehead, the Times newspaper said Saturday.

Father Christopher Jenkins, 63, a parish priest in Hereford, central
England, went into a coma after suffering the stroke July 15, and
doctors had not expected him to live.

But a colleague, Father Antony Tumulty, took the hand, usually kept at
their St. Francis Xavier Church in Hereford, to the hospital, laid it on
Father Jenkins and prayed.

He is now talking and eating normally and can walk around.

"Nobody expected him to live, but he came out of the coma within
hours. It's not up to me to say whether his recovery is a miracle but it's
beyond our wildest hopes," Tumulty said.

The hand was once attached to the body of St. John Kemble, a 17th
century Catholic priest, until he was hanged, drawn and quartered in
Hereford in 1679 for being a Catholic priest at the time of the
Reformation.

After the execution, the hand was severed and thrown to the crowd,
and has been kept in the church for the past 200 years.
79.1183Lends new meaning to "the laying on of hands"!LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Sat Jul 22 1995 20:071
    
79.1184POLAR::RICHARDSONYurple Takes The Lead!Sun Jul 23 1995 18:555
    Good thing it was a whole hand and not just a finger. I don't think I
    could have handled a headline that said "Monk Recovers From Stroke
    After He Was Given The Finger".


79.1186MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Jul 24 1995 12:453
Oh, brother . . . 

Where's George M. to tell us how upstanding the legal profession is?
79.1187LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Mon Jul 24 1995 12:494
    Would that therapist perchance have been Ernst Stavro Biofield????
    
    If so, sounds like something he'd do.
    
79.1188NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 24 1995 14:333
Harold Weingold of West Orange, N.J. has been advertising a "cosmic protector"
that's supposed to bring good luck and protect the buyer from bad people.
A judge has ordered him to stop.  The device is a solar-powered calculator.
79.1189SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotMon Jul 24 1995 16:232
    "Instanter" is a term as archaic as the good DrDan hisself.  It means
    immidgetly if not sooner.
79.1190IMPROV::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQMon Jul 24 1995 18:586
> The hand was once attached to the body of St. John Kemble, a 17th
> century Catholic priest, until he was hanged, drawn and quartered in
> Hereford in 1679 for being a Catholic priest at the time of the
> Reformation.

Is this what they do in "Braveheart"?
79.1191NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 24 1995 18:592
He was hanged before he was drawn and quartered?  Awww, takes all the fun
out of it.
79.1192SPEZKO::FRASERMobius Loop; see other sideMon Jul 24 1995 19:159
        Hanging in that  style  does  not  involve  a drop - rather, slow
        strangulation until unconsciousness.   Then  taken  down, revived
        and usually allowed to watch  the extraction and burning of one's
        own  entrails.  Then beheaded, dismembered,  martyred,  picks  up
        one's own head and kisses
                                 [cont'd p94] etc.
        
        &y
        
79.1193GOOEY::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Mon Jul 24 1995 19:376
    
    
    	Gee, *thanks*  &y !!
    
    	yecch!
    
79.1194About 100 years later they weren't as good at it....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftMon Jul 24 1995 19:5810
    Reminds me of the marker outside the Jefferson Cutter House in
    Arlington Center.
    
    	Near this spot Samuel Whittemore, then 80 years old,
    	killed three British soldiers April 19, 1775.  He was
    	shot, bayonetted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered
    	and lived to be 98 years of age.
    
    
    								-mr. bill
79.1195MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Jul 24 1995 20:055
'Twas the nineteenth of April in '75
  When old Sam Whittemore, barely alive,
    Began his recovery, but cried in his beer
      Knowing history'd mostly recall Paul Revere.

79.1196SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotMon Jul 24 1995 20:081
    Bravo, Lucky Jack.
79.1197MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Jul 24 1995 20:122
A little inspiration normally helps me get along, Fellow.

79.1198Done well....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftMon Jul 24 1995 20:135
    re: .1195 by Jack Delbaso
    
    Best retold over a pint at the Irish-American club across the street?
    
    								-mr. bill
79.1199CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Mon Jul 24 1995 20:231
    WACKY NEWS BRIEFS PEOPLE WACKY NEWS BRIEFS!
79.1200Wacky SNARF!CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Mon Jul 24 1995 20:231
    
79.1201MKOTS3::CASHMONa kind of human gom jabbarTue Jul 25 1995 11:1455
    
    Wall Street Journal, 7/25/95:
    
    Advertising a Chamber of Horrors Can Be a Hair-Raising Experience
    
    By Tara Parker-Pope
    Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
    
    
    A dispute over a new advertisement for Madame Tussaud's wax museum has 
    finally come to a head.
    
    Four heads, to be exact.
    
    The famous maker of wax figures was criticized by Britain's Advertising
    Standards Authority for putting up posters in the London Underground
    featuring waxworks of four severed heads stuck on poles.
    
    Madame Tussaud's was recently forced to remove the ads, which
    proclaimed the museum a place to find "Heads of state, heads of 
    Parliament and...er...heads," after nearly a dozen parents 
    complained that the ads terrified their young children.
    
    "Their kids would see these posters and cry, 'Aaagh!  What's that?  
    I'm scared!'" says Bill Lennon, a spokesman for the Advertising
    Standards Authority, which regulates nonbroadcast advertising in 
    Britain.  "Some people just felt it was grotesque and completely
    inappropriate."
    
    In its defense, Madame Tussaud's explained to the advertising 
    authority that the heads belonged to historical figures guillotined
    during the French Revolution.  Indeed, Madame Tussaud herself created
    the molds more than 200 years ago, taking facial imprints from the
    actual severed heads of King Louis XVI and revolutionaries Robespierre,
    Hebert and Carrier.
    
    "These are authentic items of historical interest," says Angus Fear, 
    who is in charge of the Madame Tussaud's account at London ad agency
    J. Walter Thompson.  "It's not just spurious bad taste."
    
    The wax heads are on display in the museum's famous Chamber of Horrors,
    where visitors can see, among other things, a waxwork of American 
    serial killer Gary Gilmore being executed by a firing squad.
    
    Madame Tussaud's claims of historical significance fell on deaf ears at
    the Advertising Standards Authority, however.  "There's a difference
    between deciding to go and see the Chamber of Horrors and seeing
    posters on the Underground," says Mr. Lennon.
    
    Undaunted, Madame Tussaud's has been putting up a slightly less
    horrifying replacement poster that features waxworks of Elizabeth
    Taylor, Cher and Michael Jackson.  The new slogan:  "Everyone who's 
    anyone has had their face done."
    
                                                                    
79.1202NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 25 1995 12:565
New York City has begun a campaign to get New Yorkers to be more polite.
Ads in subways read "Turn Your Back on Tourists and They'll Turn Their Backs
on New York" and "Instead of Making a Wisecrack, Crack a Smile."  One slogan
was rejected by the Transit Authority: "Instead of Giving the Finger, Lend
a Hand."
79.1203SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Tue Jul 25 1995 13:183
    That sounds like custom-made fuel for Letterman. He'll have a field day
    with it. I'd bet a big chunk of money that tonight's Top Ten list has
    something to do with this subject.
79.1204NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 25 1995 13:2191
WhiteBoard News for July 24, 1995 [excerpts]


Benxi, China:

A column of migrating toads more than 1,000 miles long
snaked through northeastern China's Liaoning Province,
stunning residents who had never seen such an exodus.

Residents in Benxi city watched in amazement as the
toads traveled along the local Taize River, according
to the official Xinhua news agency.

"The toads seemed disciplined...once one tried to stop,
the others would push him on," the agency quoted one
witness as saying.

While most of the toads were newly-born and no longer
than a fingernail, larger ones were said to be spaced
out every 30 feet, leading the others along.
==========

London, England:

Songbirds living near British motorways are losing the
ability to produce their true natural mating and
territorial songs because of the discordant roar of
traffic that has confused their auditory senses, the
British Ecological Society announced.

Birds, ranging from wrens and blue tits to woodcocks
and pheasant, are so off-key that they cannot ward off
intruders from their territory or attract a mate.

A report in the society's journal quotes a Dutch study
that says that noise pollution also affects the
reproduction of birds living within two or three miles
of major highways by drowning out the chirps and coos
to prospective partners.
==========

Vacaville, California:

Charles Manson has recorded his own CD, including a
tribute to country legend Hank Williams Sr. and songs
about ecology.

"Commemoration" contains music Manson recorded between
1981 and 1985 at the maximum-security California
Medical Facility at Vacaville.
==========

Vancouver, Washington:

Witnesses thought the robber was a man.  The woman
arrested by Clark County sheriff's deputies blamed the
stickups on one of her male alternate personalities.

Kristin Deane Pearsall, 29, was arrested Thursday for
investigation in the holdup of a bank the previous
night.

Deputies said she told them she had multiple
personality disorder and that one of the personalities,
named John, was responsible for the holdups.  She said
her other personalities were named Tommy, Paul, Jeremy
and Sarah.

In both cases the robber wore a mask, carried a gun and
was described by witnesses as a short, heavily built
man with a deep voice.
==========

New York, New York:

The case of Rianna Tranchant, aspiring fashion model,
has reportedly taken an interesting turn.

Citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Tranchant recently
filed an employment discrimination suit, naming such
defendants as Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Karl
Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren and the magazines Detail,
Vogue, Vanity Fair and Mademoiselle.

Her suit states: "Between the dates of 8/11/94 and
8/22/94 defendant did not hire me.  I was informed that
they do not hire anyone under 5'9"."

"I believe that I am being regarded as disabled because
my height is not within normal range of my job
description."
79.1205GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfTue Jul 25 1995 16:4011
    >>blue tits to woodcocks
    
    i won't say it...nope...not gonna...
    
    ah, heck...
    
    is woodcock another name for a woodpecker????
    
    :> :>
    
    
79.1206SMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotTue Jul 25 1995 16:411
    No.
79.1207it's also a type of birdMPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue Jul 25 1995 16:436
    
    a woodcock is what is more commonly known as a "birdie" in
    the game of badminton. it has nothing to do with dr. dan's
    virtual reality experiments.

    -b
79.1209DEVLPR::DKILLORANThe Lecher... ;-&gt; Tue Jul 25 1995 16:507
    
    not to mention that "blue tits" sound painful :-(
    
    Ouch !
    
    :-)
    Dan
79.1210POLAR::RICHARDSONPainful But YummyTue Jul 25 1995 16:501
    He would have been very popular with the lady puppets if he had.
79.1211Shuttlecock and battledoreSMURF::BINDERFather, Son, and Holy SpigotTue Jul 25 1995 16:5112
    .1207
    
    > a woodcock is what is more commonly known as a "birdie" in
    > the game of badminton.
    
    BZZZZZT!  The "birdie" in badminton is a shuttlecock.  A woodcock is a
    medium-sized bird with longish legs, a very long bill, and a primarily
    terrestrial lifestyle that includes sticking its nose into the ground
    looking for bugs and things.  It is unique in that the upper half of
    the bill is hinged in the middle to allow the bird to open its mouth
    partially while the bill is speared into the soft humus-laden soil
    where the bird lives.
79.1212MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue Jul 25 1995 16:525
    
    ah, yes. i stand most humbly corrected. i really did not mean
    to contribute to the confusion regarding types of cocks.
    
    -b
79.1213TROOA::TRP109::Chrisskipping the light fandangoTue Jul 25 1995 18:201
<------- Oh my!
79.1214POLAR::RICHARDSONPainful But YummyTue Jul 25 1995 18:311
    No, his.
79.1215Re .1211 Binder -- so who's mixing ground chickpeas wid doit?LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Tue Jul 25 1995 18:4210
     ... and _in re_ Brian's earlier --
    
       "a woodcock is what is more commonly known as a "birdie" in
    	the game of badminton. it has nothing to do with dr. dan's
    	virtual reality experiments."
    
    <wary look><gulps, decides to chance it><gazes skywards in prayer>
    
    WotEVER do U mean, Brian??
    
79.1216:-) :-) :-)MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue Jul 25 1995 18:5711
    
    re: .1215
    
    would not the art of teledildonics be an example of virtual reality?
    
    has wood not played an important role in dildonics over the
    centuries?
    
    are you not the resident expert on such matters?
    
    -b
79.1217Noting ectoplasmically, he sez:LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Tue Jul 25 1995 21:0914
    Were I still on your mortal plane (is cyberspace mortal?), I would say:
    
    ========================================================================
 <taxed look><lower lip curlz up in a nascent grin><can't keep stiff upper lip>
    
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!! :-)
    
    I have been hacked, well & truly.
    
    |-{:-)
    ========================================================================
    
    But since I yam deceased, all I can manage is a wan smile...
                                                             
79.1219DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Wed Jul 26 1995 19:066
    
    Actually, he was expecting O.J. to make the catch....

    :-)
    Dan

79.1220CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Jul 27 1995 03:084


 Wonderful...
79.1221NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 27 1995 14:1169
WhiteBoard News for July 26, 1995 [excerpts]

London, England:

Most British funding agencies won't take Colin Leakey
and his flatometer, designed to detect the dietary
origins of the human fart, seriously.

But, the English bean biologist believes, if he can
find the chemicals that makes bean eaters break wind,
he can develop new strains that avoid the age-old
problem.  He is already test-marketing one bean in
France.

Leakey has used his flatometer on a series of
volunteers and has presented his findings at meetings
of biologists specializing in legumes and related
subjects.

To Leakey, flatulence is not amusing.  "The whole issue
of flatulence is one where taboos predominate, and you
get all sorts of merry mirth," he said.  Flatulence can
be a sign of serious disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
affecting up to one in five people.
==========

New York, New York:

Doctors are, for the most part, human.  Which means
they make blunders and bloopers just like anybody else.

The current Journal of Polymorphous Perversity offers a
collection of oddball medical reports -- and as the
introduction warns, "this varicose vein of anguished
English has in no way been doctored."

Some excerpts:

-- The patient has been depressed ever since she began
seeing me in 1983.

-- Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side
for over a year.

-- He had a left-toe amputation one month ago.  He also
had a left-knee amputation last year.

-- Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

-- By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had
stopped, and he was feeling better.

-- The patient is a 79-year-old widow who no longer
lives with her husband.

-- The patient refused an autopsy.

-- The patient's past medical history has been
remarkably insignificant with only a 40-pound weight
gain in the past three days.

-- Many years ago the patient had frostbite of the
right shoe.

-- The bugs that grew out of her urine were cultured in
the ER and are not available.  I WILL FIND THEM!!!

-- The patient left the hospital feeling much better
except for her original complaints.
79.1222GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfThu Jul 27 1995 14:169
    
    >>Colin Leakey
    
    it's a stretch, but am i the only one who sees the humor in a man named
    colin leakey doing research on flatulence???
    
    
    -raq
    
79.1223I would've refused, too.CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Thu Jul 27 1995 14:283
    > -- The patient refused an autopsy.
    
    Smart patient.  8^)
79.1226All goneMOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Jul 27 1995 20:352
Ooops. Sorry - hadn't seen it there.

79.1227Where there is a market??!!DASHER::RALSTONcantwejustbenicetoeachother?:)Fri Jul 28 1995 20:4530
From a fellow Deccie:
    
    
"ORGAN THIEVES IN LAS VEGAS"

This is "not" just a rumour.  This actually happened.

My nieces 3 male friends went to Vegas.  This first
night they met this woman.  By the 4th night she
invited them to a party.  Two of the guys said they
were too tired to go, so one guy went with her.
The next day he woke up in a motel room, didn't
know where he was and didn't remember anything.
He woke up in terrible pain.  He called his friends
and had them call the cops, trace the call.  The
cops came and took him to the hospital.  Someone
had removed his kidney.

The hospital told him that this was definately
a professional job.  They had even put the patch
behind his ear to release antibiotics.

The police told him that this has been happening
alot with both men and women.  Soooo, if you know
of anyone going to Vegas.  It would be a good idea
to warn them.  

This guy had just turned 21 and was a non-drinker.


79.1228EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Fri Jul 28 1995 20:587
re .1227:

Well-known urban legend.  In fact I knew what the story was by
the time I got to "this actually happened".

http://www.cathouse.org/UrbanLegends/Medical/ has an entry for
"Organ theft rumor debunkings" but no page for this yet.
79.1229DASHER::RALSTONIdontlikeitsojuststopit!!Fri Jul 28 1995 21:194
    It must be true, it came from a Digital CXO Manager.   :)
    
    
    ...Tom
79.1230NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 31 1995 16:3889
WhiteBoard News for July 28, 1995 [excerpts]

Moscow, Russia:

Russian soldiers taken prisoner by the Chechens and
later released are now being told they have to
compensate the government for the loss of their
Kalashnikov automatic rifles.

The military says the soldiers must pay $693.50 for a
weapon, even though a typical draftee makes $2 a month.
Refusal to pay, the soldiers have been warned, will
result in criminal prosecution.

The Russians have never looked kindly on their soldiers
who have been taken prisoner.  Those who surrendered to
the Nazis in World War II went straight from German
prison camps to Soviet prison camps.

The government, a Russian spokesman said, doesn't want
former POWs refuting Russian claims of Chechen torture.
The government was embarrassed when several released
prisoners said their living conditions and diets were
better while under confinement than they had been
before their capture.
==========

Chicago, Illionis:

Scientists have long suffered the reputation of being
geeky.  But a soon-to-be-published calendar aims to
change that.

Called -- no kidding -- "Studmuffins of Science," the
1996 calendar will feature photos of the "dozen most
delectable doctorates in science today," says Karen
Hopkin, producer of the calendar.

The models, all male, are somewhat clothed in the
pictures (one is photographed in a swimsuit).  They
include professors and gradate students from such
universities as Cornell, Columbia and the University of
Chicago, as well as researchers from industry.  They
were selected based on appearence from a pool of
hundreds who either nominated themselves or were
nominated by others in reponse to postings on the
Internet.

The models were photographed doing athletic activities
like running, skating and biking.  Smaller photos show
researchers at work in their labs, and biographical
blurbs list such details as "favorite subatomic
particle" and "favorite bacterium."

Hopkins is spending her life savings to print 20,000
copies of the calendar, which should be available in
September by mail order and at some university
bookstores for about $15.  It may not outsell calendars
featuring Hollywood hunks, but Hopkins says she already
has 400 to 500 e-mail requests for calendars.  And she
is planning an encore: a 1997 calendar featuring Nobel
laureates.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Arkansas Circuit Judge Tom Keith has sentenced drug
dealer Jesus Salazar to 30 years in prison, with 10
years suspended provided the Colombian learns to speak
English.  Learning English is his requirement of anyone
seeking probation or lesser sentence.

A man serving time on sex abuse charges in Kentucky has
persuaded the governors of six states to proclaim
October 8 as "Love Day."  Officials said they knew Lou
Torok was an inmate, but were unaware he molested two
boys.

Three thieves who set fire to a fortune when they
bungled what would have been Britain's biggest cash
robbery have been jailed for up to 12 years.  The raid
went wrong after the gang burned a hole in an armored
car's side and $2.4 million went up in flames.

The leader of a family values group has been married
five times, owes $18,000 in child support and has been
accused of threatening his ex-wife and girlfriend, the
San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper reported.  Jim
Harnsberger, 40, admits to making past mistakes.
79.1231NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 31 1995 16:436
BTW, I subscribe to three wacky news mailing lists, "News of the Weird,"
"WhiteBoard News," and "This is True."  "This is True," the least interesting
of them, has all kinds of dire copyright warnings, so I seldom post anything
from it (and when I do, I paraphrase).  "WhiteBoard News" has a lot of People
Magazine type stuff, so I only post [what I consider] the good stuff.  I post
"News of the Weird" in its entirety.
79.1232NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 01 1995 13:1360
WhiteBoard News for July 31, 1995 [excerpts]

Bolzano, Italy:

Mountaineer Reinhold Messner, the first man to scale
Mount Everest without oxygen, was recovering in a
hospital Saturday after falling off a wall at his home
in Italy, doctors said.

Messner, 50, who was also the first person to conquer
all the world's peaks over 26,250 feet, broke a bone in
his heel falling off a perimeter wall of his castle in
the mountains of northeast Italy.

Messner's brother Hubert, who has partnered him on
several of his expeditions, denied reports the
mountaineer was trying to climb in after locking
himself out.
============

Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Dutch prostitutes will be invited to join an
affiliation of the country's main trade union to
improve working conditions and uphold their rights, the
Dutch ANP news agency said Saturday.

The group, to be called Prosex, will represent the
30,000 men and women earning a living in the country's
sex industry and will work to stop exploitation and set
standards of service.

Sadomasochistic sessions, for example, will be more
strictly regulated.  The mistress must guarantee client
safety, keep a key nearby and ensure that handcuffs and
other bindings take no longer than 30 seconds to
unfasten in the event of an emergency, ANP said.
============

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil:

Three ravenous sheep and a cow in this southern Brazil
state died from an overdose of marijuana after a
farmhand fed them what he thought was dried alfalfa.

Foreman Paulo Sergio Goulart found bricks of plastic-
wrapped marijuana hidden in a farm pen near the
southern city of Porto Alegre and fed the beasts what
he thought was merely strong-smelling alfalfa.

The famished farm animals devoured the cannabis and its
packaging, then began falling down, bleating and mooing
for no apparent reason.

"It was a good thing that the cow wasn't giving milk,
or people would have gotten stoned by just drinking
it," Goulart told reporters.

The incident is being investigated by federal drug
officials.
79.1233EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Tue Aug 01 1995 16:032
Man in New York City hires a cab and takes it to Troy, Michigan, outside
Detroit.  He pays cab fare ($2,000) with a check, which later bounces.
79.1234sequential snarfCSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Aug 01 1995 16:095



 [insert picture of cab driver with the head of a donkey on his shoulders]
79.1235NETCAD::WOODFORDIfStressWasFood,I'dBeVERYfat!Tue Aug 01 1995 16:124
    
    Yup, and the passenger who wrote the bad check was the
    back end of the donkey....
    
79.1236PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Aug 01 1995 16:276
>> [insert picture of cab driver with the head of a donkey on his shoulders]

	you would think he would have been stopped somewhere along
	the way.

79.1237CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Aug 01 1995 16:3312



 Maybe people seeing a man with a donkey head would be too startled to 
 stop him.  Would you stop a man with a donkey head?





 Jim
79.1238PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Aug 01 1995 16:364
   >>Would you stop a man with a donkey head?

	no, i'd probably put my siren on.

79.1239NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 01 1995 16:411
You have a siren?
79.1240CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Aug 01 1995 16:454


 and where do you put it, if you put it on?
79.1241PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Aug 01 1995 16:453
 .1239  i'm full of surprises.  oh yes i am.

79.1242PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Aug 01 1995 16:465
>> and where do you put it, if you put it on?

	right there in the middle of the street.

79.1243CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Aug 01 1995 16:474


 and that would stop the donkey headed cab driver?
79.1244EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Tue Aug 01 1995 16:4911
re .1236:


>>> [insert picture of cab driver with the head of a donkey on his shoulders]
>
>	you would think he would have been stopped somewhere along
>	the way.

He was.  Twice.  But it was for speeding, so I guess DWDH (driving while
donkey-headed) is legal, at least in some states.

79.1245CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Aug 01 1995 16:536



 Maybe the cab driver was wearing sunglasses and the cop didn't recognize him
 as DWDH?
79.1246PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Aug 01 1995 16:593
	hey, if he drove in reverse, that would be ass-backwards!

79.1247SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Tue Aug 01 1995 17:265
    And if he did it while holding a fish in his teeth, it would be...
    
    
    
    bass-awkwards!
79.1248NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 01 1995 18:169
This is an old one, posted as part of a compendium on rec.humor.funny:

  In Orland Park, Illinois, a mother has filed a $225,000 suit against a
  local high school for unreasonable search of her 16-year-old son. After
  noticing a suspiciously large bulge in the crotch of the boy's pants,
  school officials thought he might have stashed drugs there. But a strip
  search revealed nothing but teenage boy. Trying to explain the mistake
  to the mother, a sensitive teacher said, "I don't know how to put this to
  you delicately, but have you ever heard of [porn star] John Holmes ?"
79.1249CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanTue Aug 01 1995 18:185



 Whoops
79.1250MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryTue Aug 01 1995 18:255
    
    hah! and they thought he was popular with the girls because
    he was selling them drugs! :-)
    
    -b
79.1251POLAR::RICHARDSONPrepositional MasochistTue Aug 01 1995 20:461
    Are you saying he was selling the girls a warm moist rogering?
79.1252TROOA::COLLINSCareful! That sponge has corners!Tue Aug 01 1995 22:596
    
    John Wayne Bobbitt is considering a penis enlargement operation 
    prior to appearing in a sequel to his porn movie `Uncut'.
    
    The working title is `Dr. Frankenpenis'.
    
79.1253SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Wed Aug 02 1995 02:111
    I guess he's not worried about scars any longer...
79.1254SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Wed Aug 02 1995 02:1210
    I won't....
    
    
    I shouldn't!....
    
    
    I will....
    
    
    Or any thicker.
79.1255GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfWed Aug 02 1995 12:086
    
    speaking of him, he was down the cape last nite (according to a
    listener of the radio station i have on in the morning) at strip club
    (of some sort) and he wasn't exactly a gentleman...
    
    
79.1256SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Wed Aug 02 1995 12:151
    Not that he ever was to begin with.
79.1257GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfWed Aug 02 1995 12:194
    
    true...very true...
    
    
79.1258GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberWed Aug 02 1995 13:079
    
    
    This is a whacky news story, save the tragic ending.
    
    Two women were in a fight over a man, when the one woman got in her car
    and sped off.  The other woman followed in hot pursuit.  The chase
    ended when one of the women hit another car (uninvolved in the chase) and 
    killed 3 (I think) people.  
    
79.1259Hormel's been Spa'am'edDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamWed Aug 02 1995 15:537
    Hormel Inc., the meat-packing company, is suing Jim Henson Productions,
    because there is a character in an upcoming Muppet movie named
    Spa'am, who is depicted as an obnoxious, repulsive pig.  Hormel
    claims that this unsavory character damages the reputation of
    their Spam product.
    
    Chris
79.1260NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 02 1995 15:571
When's Hormel going to sue the Internet?
79.1261EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Wed Aug 02 1995 16:0210
6 people drown trying to rescue a chicken from a well.

A farmer in southern Egypt went into a well to retrieve a
chicken that had fallen in and got pulled under the surface.

3 family members attempted to rescue their brother and also
drowned, as did 2 other farmers who attempted to rescue them.

Later the bodies were retrieved, as was the chicken, which
survived.
79.1262CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Aug 02 1995 16:1417
>    Hormel Inc., the meat-packing company, is suing Jim Henson Productions,
>    because there is a character in an upcoming Muppet movie named
 


    Great...just what I need.




    Oh, that's Henson, not HenDERson





79.1263PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Aug 02 1995 16:154
>>When's Hormel going to sue the Internet?

	would that make the Internet the sue-eeee!?
79.1264bacon, eggs, sausage and spam...WAHOO::LEVESQUEthe heat is onWed Aug 02 1995 16:201
    They should have sued Monty Python years ago... :-)
79.1265MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryWed Aug 02 1995 16:355
    
    are they going to sue me for expressing my opinion that
    spam is indistinguishable from dog food?

    -b
79.1266NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 02 1995 16:373
>    spam is indistinguishable from dog food

I've never seen dog food in a Spam-shaped can.
79.1268MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryWed Aug 02 1995 16:477
        >   I believe that Brother Markey was saying that he can't taste the
    >   difference between the two.

    why no, frater igneous; i was referring only to their common
    visual characteristics.

    -b
79.1269WAHOO::LEVESQUEthe heat is onWed Aug 02 1995 16:491
    and olfactory characteristics...
79.1270NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 02 1995 16:501
Spam is pig.  Dog food is horse.  HTH.
79.1271SMURF::MSCANLONalliaskofmyselfisthatiholdtogetherWed Aug 02 1995 17:025
    How can you possibly *damage* the reputation of SPAM?!!
    That's sort of like asking how much lower you can go when
    you've already hit bottom.......
    
    
79.1272POLAR::RICHARDSONPrepositional MasochistWed Aug 02 1995 17:041
    Bloody Vikings!
79.1273MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryWed Aug 02 1995 17:086
    > Spam is pig.  Dog food is horse.  HTH.
    
    oh, like there's a big difference between the two after
    they get passed through an industrial meat grinder! :-)
    
    -b
79.1274Must cook Spam to industrial hardnessDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamWed Aug 02 1995 17:155
    >> spam is indistinguishable from dog food?
    
    Specifically, Calo dog food, if it's still around.
    
    Chris
79.1275PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Aug 02 1995 17:247
    
>>    Specifically, Calo dog food, if it's still around.

	ohmigawd - haven't thought about that for eons.  old
	Nellie wolfed down a lot of that disgusting stuff in her day.
	eesh.

79.1276CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Aug 02 1995 19:043

 Dr. Ross dogfood is doggoned good..woof!
79.1277NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 02 1995 19:061
Jim, did you do the voice of Jimmy Dean's si'kick, Ralph (or was it Rowlf?)
79.1278CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Aug 02 1995 19:095



 Hmm...not that I recall, Jack
79.1279NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 02 1995 19:101
He was a Muppet, wasn't he?
79.1280CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanWed Aug 02 1995 19:305



 Maybe I forgot :-/
79.1281SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Wed Aug 02 1995 19:564
    
    
    "Calo everybody... Calo!!"
    
79.1282PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Aug 02 1995 20:008
    
>>    "Calo everybody... Calo!!"

    "...Calo is the dogfood that purifies your hair..."

    oh wait - that can't be right.
    

79.1283SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Wed Aug 02 1995 20:0311
    
    <------
    
    She got it!!! She got it!!!
    
    :) :) :)
    
     Oh oh... Di  we're dating ourselves...            
    
                                                          ----------------->
    
79.1284NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 02 1995 20:031
You must be hard up if you're dating yourselves.
79.1285PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Aug 02 1995 20:093
 ba-da-boom.

79.1286NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 03 1995 14:4028
WhiteBoard News for August 02, 1995 [excerpts]

Washington, District of Columbia:

U.S. Forest Service officials, under pressure from a
Washington state representative, are backing off plans
to paint some rocks they fear don't look natural enough
to sit along a scenic highway in the Cascade Range.

"We are not going to proceed with the painting of the
rocks as originally planned," said Ron DeHart, a
spokesman for the Forest Service.  "We decided if this
is disturbing to people, let's let it go and see what
it looks like in a year."

Representative Jack Metcalf (R-Wash.), raised an alarm
over the "rock colorization" projects when he heard
about the idea and he pressured the agency to abandon
the plan.

The painting projects have become commonplace on
national scenic highways throughout the country,
including the Mount St. Helens Highway in Washington
state.

Rocks newly exposed along the highways by construction
or landslides are painted because of concerns it takes
too long for them to weather naturally.
79.1287CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Aug 03 1995 14:515



 Your tax dollars at work
79.1289GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 03 1995 15:224
    
    
    
    Noone's bread for this type of abuse.....
79.1290GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfThu Aug 03 1995 15:254
    
    yet's hope at yeast it was a quiq death...
    
    
79.1291into the Mixer?HBAHBA::HAASbuggedThu Aug 03 1995 15:265
Mystic Mixer?

Isn't that a tune by Van Morrison?

TTom
79.1292CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenThu Aug 03 1995 15:273
    Death by dough is on the rise I hear.
    
    
79.1293let's hope he never felt the kneadSMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 03 1995 15:281
    I thought American soldiers were dough-boys
79.1294SMURF::BINDERNight's candles are burnt out.Thu Aug 03 1995 15:361
    Poor soldier.  Such a dough-lorous end.
79.1295POLAR::RICHARDSONPrepositional MasochistThu Aug 03 1995 15:381
    Perhaps this pizza was to die for.
79.1296TROOA::COLLINSCareful! That sponge has corners!Thu Aug 03 1995 15:393
    
    That's it, we're in for another string of rye puns.
    
79.1297SMURF::BINDERNight's candles are burnt out.Thu Aug 03 1995 15:391
    better than wry buns, i'd say.
79.1298POLAR::RICHARDSONPrepositional MasochistThu Aug 03 1995 15:421
    Wonder if he was a vegetarian?
79.1299DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Thu Aug 03 1995 16:066
    
    I think we've found a government organization that need to be reduced,
    i.e. the U.S. Forestry Service...

    :-|
    Dan
79.1300GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 03 1995 16:064
    
    
    The reason he was working for the pizza joint was because he kneaded
    the money to add to his roll.
79.1301SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, ISVETS Palo AltoThu Aug 03 1995 16:223
    Outrageous.
    
    DougO
79.1302POLAR::RICHARDSONPrepositional MasochistThu Aug 03 1995 16:321
    Dan, you have a clear cut solution?
79.1303Pizza deliverance availableDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamThu Aug 03 1995 17:513
    This pizza guy, his name wasn't Knead Beatty by any chance?...
    
    Chris
79.1304NETCAD::WOODFORDIfStressWasFood,I'dBeVERYfat!Thu Aug 03 1995 17:514
    
    
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!! :*)
    
79.1305CSC32::J_OPPELTWanna see my scar?Thu Aug 03 1995 19:432
    	And when Homer Simpson heard that his pizza shop would be
    	shut down because of the investigation, he said, "Doh!"
79.1306Shades of Stephen King's "The Mangler"! :-)LJSRV2::KALIKOWHi-ho! Yow! I'm surfing Arpanet!Thu Aug 03 1995 22:481
    
79.1307CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Aug 04 1995 12:482
    I have not been able to enter a dry cleaners without breaking into a
    cold sweat since reading that story.  
79.1308NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 04 1995 15:45135
WEIRDNUZ.388 (News of the Weird, July 14, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* An Associated Press dispatch from Thailand in January
reported on a Bangkok mechanic named Somsong
Thanopwattana, who ingests quantities of lube grease, which he
first tried five years ago.  He prefers 20/50 grade and says his
bowel movements are the best he's ever had.  His doctor,
however, has cautioned him against the diet, pointing to grease's 
combustibility and warning him against passing gas close to an
open flame. [Asahi Evening News-AP, 1-16-95] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In April, three members of San Francisco's Bay Area
Carnivorous Plant Society pleaded guilty to smuggling over 200
rare plants into the U. S. from Asia.  Said another Society
member, who speculated on their motive:  "Carnivorous plants
can really give you an obsession. . . . I started out with a
Venus's flytrap 35 years ago. . . . You get one and you want
another one." [San Francisco Examiner, 4-16-95] 

* Phoenix, Ariz., police arrested a Christian school headmaster, 
Michael William Wetton, in March and charged him with child
abuse.  A woman and her 15-year-old daughter had met with
Wetton to consider enrolling the girl, and, according to police,
Wetton demonstrated the school's Christian discipline by forcing
the girl to strip and submit to a paddling while reciting the Lord's
Prayer. [Arizona Republic, 3-22-95, 5-20-95] 

* Denver, Colo., police arrested Milton Edward Anderson, 63,
in March and said he was their principal suspect in a wave of
about 200 recent brassiere-slashings (right cup only) at retail
stores.  Anderson denied the charge but admitted he was wearing
women's underwear at the time he was arrested. [Rocky
Mountain News, 3-28-95] 

* In March, librarians in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties in
California were on the lookout for a mystery slasher who had
removed the pages from poetry books in several libraries. 
Speculated the editor of a poetry magazine interviewed by the
San Francisco Chronicle, "The poetry world attracts people on
the fringes. . . . Maybe this person thinks these poems should be
in a different style or form, or wants them to rhyme." [San
Francisco Chronicle, 3-25-95] 

* In February in East Moline, Ill., Benjy G. Kremenak, 39,
pleaded guilty to having stalked a woman for nearly three years. 
His hearing had been postponed from May 1994 because the
judge at that time became alarmed when Kremenak several times
during the hearing spontaneously broke out singing his rendition
of "Chapel of Love." [Quad-City Times, Feb95] 

* In December, Charles Moody, 34, was arrested in Louisville,
Ky., and charged with killing his mother and brother, wrapping
the bodies in plastic so that some features were visible, and
leaving them at curbside for garbage pickup.  He told onlookers
quite unconvincingly that they were only fake bodies.  Said a
local psychologist interviewed by the Louisville Courier-Journal,
"[Moody's] is a classic example of denial that will be taught in
classrooms for years." [Louisville Courier-Journal, 12-7-94] 

* In April in Haddon Heights, N. J., police charged Ms. Leslie
Nelson with the murders of two police officers who had come to
her home to serve a warrant for weapons violations.  Nelson
resisted arrest and barricaded herself inside for 14 hours.  The 6-
foot-2 Nelson, who had recently undergone a sex-change
operation to cease being Mr. Glenn Nelson, was seen during the
standoff at a window in the home holding a rifle while clad in G-
string and halter top. [Houston Chronicle-Phila. Inquirer, 4-21-
95] 

* In January, months of investigative work by the Warren (Ohio)
Tribune-Chronicle resulted in murder charges being filed against
a man for a 1978 murder that had been officially reported as a
suicide by county coroner Joseph A. Sudimack, who had retired
in 1987.  Still being investigated are several other of Sudimack's
"suicide" determinations, including one case of a man who was
shot and run over by a bulldozer; another of a man who was
found hanged, on his knees, with toilet paper stuffed in his
mouth; and another of a man who died of carbon monoxide
poisoning from an inoperable lawn mower. [Tuscaloosa News-
AP, 2-12-95] 

* Danny Strickland, 34, was arrested in Savannah, Ga., in
November after a shoot-out with police, and charged with killing 
his father.  Among the evidence against Strickland was a to-do
list he had made for disposing of the body (e.g., nail windows
closed, repair bullet holes, melt bullets) and some equipment he
had purchased to dispose of the body (e.g., a meat grinder). [Post
& Courier-AP, 11-21-94] 

* In January, attorney Lawrence Gottfried, 50, was sentenced to
15 months in prison for destroying documents during his tenure
with the Board of Veterans' Appeals in Washington, D. C. 
According to Gottfried's attorney, Gottfried cracked under
domestic and work-related stress.  He removed or tore up files
from more than 30 veterans' cases he had been working on in
order to return the cases as "incomplete" so he would not have to
work further on them. [Washington Post, 1-24-95] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* In a May story on the racial harassment of Lateef Saibu by his
neighbors in Providence, R. I., one neighbor quoted Saibu's
chief antagonist as saying he opposed the Saibu family's moving
there because "it would bring down [my] property value." 
According to the Providence Journal-Bulletin, the neighborhood
consists of seven houses and three small industries "jammed up
against a hilly dead-end," with "bare dirt yards," rusted "junk
cars and truck tops," "cracked windows," and facades with
"curling shingles." [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 5-27-95] 

* According to Allentown, Pa., district attorney Robert
Steinberg, the skinhead brothers Bryan and David Freeman, who
are charged with the brutal February murders of their parents,
don't really believe the skinhead doctrine of racial hate. 
Steinberg says they have told others they acquired their forehead
tattoos (e.g., "Berserker") "because it was a good way of meeting
girls." [Columbia Daily Tribune-Knight-Ridder, 4-27-95] 

* In a May letter to a California state senator, the Motion Picture
Association of America wrote that Hollywood is not responsible
for any increase in violence in society and that "in fact, the
opposite may be true."  According to MPAA executive Vans
Stevenson, the sexual revolution and the civil unrest and rioting
on college campuses in the late 1960s and early 1970s must have
been produced by kids' watching "healthy" shows like "Captain
Kangaroo." [San Jose Mercury News, 5-5-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1309SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Fri Aug 04 1995 15:461
    The Phoenix Headmaster is a GAK.
79.1310CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanFri Aug 04 1995 16:1711



 The Phoenix Headmaster should be in jail.  While most Christian Schools
 may paddle children (with their parent's knowledge and consent) such nonsense
 by this guy should not go unpunished.  



 Jim
79.1311NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 04 1995 16:234
Was the headmaster reciting the lord's prayer, or was the girl reciting it?

And why is he called the headmaster?  His mastery seems to be over another
part of the anatomy.
79.1312CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanFri Aug 04 1995 16:2310


 Hmmm...good question.  Either way the guy oughta be in the slammer.





 Jim
79.1313CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Aug 04 1995 16:482
    So, most christian schools condone the use of violence as way of
    disciplining children, how nice.  
79.1315CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanFri Aug 04 1995 17:1814



 re .1313



 I'll not jump into that rathole, thank you very much.




 Jim
79.1316MKOTS3::JMARTINI press on toward the goalFri Aug 04 1995 17:215
    I will.  Brian, I believe the use of corporal punishment is profitable 
    within guidelines that protect the student and the one administering
    it.  I don't condone the use of violence.
    
    -Jack
79.1317DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Fri Aug 04 1995 17:267
    
    > ...corporal punishment is profitable 

    Professional caner....
    Have cane will travel....????

    Dan
79.1318SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Fri Aug 04 1995 17:287
    
    re: .1313
    
    We've been over this silly "violence" thing in the past...
    
     Go catch up on some of the old notes...
    
79.1319POLAR::RICHARDSONThank You KindlyFri Aug 04 1995 17:281
    A professional caner would have to be wacky.
79.1320NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 04 1995 17:311
Professional caners do it with Breuer chairs.
79.1321Out of fashion...GAAS::BRAUCHERFri Aug 04 1995 17:324
    
     Silly violence thing ?  You mean, the Three Stooges ?
    
     bb
79.1323send lawyers, canes and moneyHBAHBA::HAASbuggedFri Aug 04 1995 18:128
>    I will.  Brian, I believe the use of corporal punishment is profitable 
>    within guidelines that protect the student and the one administering
>    it.  I don't condone the use of violence.

The way it's described here, it sounds profitable to the lawyers who get
to argue about who was protected from what.

TTom
79.1324CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Aug 04 1995 18:224
    Not only that but it is contradictory to condone corporal punishment
    within whatever guidelines but not condone the use of violence.  Then
    again we alreeady have a spanking note where this has all been beaten
    to the nth degree already.  
79.1325POLAR::RICHARDSONThank You KindlyFri Aug 04 1995 18:381
    Why not start a brand spanking new one?
79.1326GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfFri Aug 04 1995 19:004
    
    <---  or how 'bout one we haven't done before!!
    
    
79.1327DASHER::RALSTONIdontlikeitsojuststopit!!Fri Aug 04 1995 19:207
    >So, most christian schools condone the use of violence as way of 
    >disciplining children, how nice.
    
    I don't know if they still condone it but I remember the scars on my
    mother's hands, placed there by a nun's ruler.
    
    ...Tom
79.1328SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Fri Aug 04 1995 19:225
    
    
    Funny... I got whacked by the nuns more than a few times back then, and
    there ain't no scars (visible) on my hands...
    
79.1329DASHER::RALSTONIdontlikeitsojuststopit!!Fri Aug 04 1995 19:544
    You callin my mom a LIAR??? Thems fighten words!!
    
    
    ...Tom
79.1330COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Aug 04 1995 19:551
Sounds like more Catholic bashing.
79.1331NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 04 1995 19:561
Andy's nuns used a rubber ruler.
79.1332SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Fri Aug 04 1995 19:588
    
    <------
    
    I wish!!!
    
    Wait!!!Let me check the back of my head!!! I got whacked there more
    than a few times too!!! (with your standard, wooden type tyvm!! :)
    
79.1333TROOA::COLLINSCareful! That sponge has corners!Fri Aug 04 1995 19:594
    
    Rulers these days are made from matte-black graphite and are 
    indetectable prior to impact.
    
79.1334MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryFri Aug 04 1995 20:004
    
    ...leading to the new phenomenon of "stealth sisters".

    -b
79.1335"Pointer Sisters" :) SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Fri Aug 04 1995 20:016
    
    
    <-----
    
    vs. the nuns using the round, rubber tipped ones???
    
79.1336Fun to ponder, even though I won't be doing itDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamFri Aug 04 1995 20:4012
    re: Nuns and other sadistic teacher types
    
    Simply wait until they're helpless, feeble old croakers sitting in
    a nursing home, then sneak up behind them and club 'em with whatever
    implement you find sufficiently vengeful, whilst yelling "See how you
    like it!"
    
    That's what I'm planning on doing with my shop teacher, in about ten
    years, when he'll be good 'n' old enough.  "Whack a defenseless kid
    on the head with a 2x4, eh?"
    
    Chris
79.1337SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Fri Aug 04 1995 20:497
    
    <------
    
    Good idea!!!
    
    
    Problem is.. most of mine are probably already dead!!!  :(
79.1338MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryFri Aug 04 1995 21:2916
    hmmmm... given chris' suggestion, i wonder what i should do
    to the math teacher i had in the 10th grade who, when i forgot
    to bring the book to class with me and requested to go to
    my locker to get it, said (as i left the room; his voice
    loud enough for all in the room to hear) "don't play with
    yourself".

    (stuff of questionable taste deleted by the author)
    
    a couple years later, this teacher was fired for some
    questionable conduct involving young ladies under his
    tutilage; not quite in the "strip for a good spanking"
    class, but close...)

    -b
             
79.1339SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Fri Aug 04 1995 21:323
    
    	the original was much more entertaining...:)
    
79.1340too rightSMURF::WALTERSFri Aug 04 1995 21:354
    
    And much more satisfying.  I wish I'd had the opportunity
    to duff some of the sadist caners at my Grammar School.
     
79.1341Samurai Nun !DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Mon Aug 07 1995 11:4017
    
    I had a nun one time who's favorite implement was a steel
    (probably aluminum, but LOOKED LIKE STEEL) yardstick.  I must admit I
    never actually saw her use it, the mere presence was sufficient to cow
    even the most foolhardy.  Get the visual of this, she was about 5'
    tall, in a white habit that reached the floor.  The habit had wide
    sleeves, so she'd grab the yardstick with two hands and hold it at
    roughly shoulder height, so you'd see these muscular forearms and
    sizable upper arms.  She looked kinda like one o' dem samurai you 
    see the the grade B flicks...  Truly an intimidating sight.  Not even
    the football players would give her a hard time... :-)

    You had to see it!

    :-)
    Dan
    
79.1342GAVEL::JANDROWFriendsRtheFamilyUChooseForYourselfMon Aug 07 1995 14:2211
    
    
    i remember a substitute teacher we used to have in high school...the
    woman had to have been 80 years old...don't know how she managed to get
    work.  anyway, she must have been stuck in the dark ages of teaching as
    she often resorted to smacking the class clowns when they wouldn't
    behave.  most of them (the cc) thought it was funny, but i saw no humor
    in it...and if it had been me that had gotten slapped (not that i was a
    class clown), she'd have seen her wrinkley aged butt in court...
    
    
79.1343MAIL1::CRANEMon Aug 07 1995 14:506
    I used to have an elemetry principle that would take me into the boiler
    room and use a broom handle on me. He did that once...next day my
    father and two very large brothers had a boiler room meeting of their
    own with him.
    
    
79.1344DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Mon Aug 07 1995 15:338
    
    > I used to have an elemetry principle ...
                        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    
    Nah, I ain't gonna say it, but god what a target that one is....
    
    :-)
    Dan
79.1345NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 07 1995 20:55128
WhiteBoard News for August 05, 1995 [excerpts]
==========

Berlin, Germany:

Who would want to live in a goldfish bowl?  With four
video cameras covering your every move and relaying
pictures to the curious folks on the sidewalk outside?

For five weeks, Kaethe Be has been living in a fish
bowl of sorts he built on busy Rosenthaler Strasse in
the former East Berlin.

It hasn't been exactly a summer idyll, he says.  But he
has learned about "living openly" and explored his
personal limits.

He's gotten use to the video-observed toilet, but
lately he's been self-conscious while eating.  And of
course, sex is off-limits.

"I wanted to know how it would be to be completely
open," he said.

People outside want to know what he's doing.  One
recent afternoon, some of those who stopped and stared
thought it was "quite extravagant," "art" and "pretty
crazy."

One video camera focuses on the bed, another on the
shower, another on the toilet, another on the tiny
kitchen.  They feed into a four-screen monitor in the
window.

He says the display carries no message.  He got the
idea of living openly after an ex-girlfriend told him
she had a strong feeling of security when locked in a
windowless bathroom.

He thought he'd try the opposite.

It took getting used to.  The video-observed toilet was
difficult, and it was a "shock to run out undressed
into this room and have 50 people watching outside.

Lately he's felt self-conscious while eating.
"Normally if I dropped some food I would pick it up and
eat it.  I can't do that anymore.  The watchers would
say, 'What a pig he is.'"

Be expects to be in his goldfish bowl until October.
==========

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Some families mail letters to stay in touch.  Sorting
them brought James Austin and Yvette "Cookie"
Richardson together.

Austin and Richardson had worked side by side for two
years in Philadelphia's main post office before
discovering they had the same mother.

"Working in the same department," Richardson said,
shaking her head, "the same place, the same time, every
day.  What are the odds of that?"

The pair made the discovery in June and have been
taking their breaks together and trying to "establish a
friendship," Richardson said.

Decades ago, James' father left their mother, taking 7-
month-old James with him.  Richardson stayed with her
mother in South Philadelphia.

Over the years they traveled separate but similar
paths, going to school within blocks of each other,
both studying accounting and both ending up on the 4 PM
shift at the post office, which has 4,100 employees.

Their reunion was brought about by shop steward Barrie
Bowens, who figured out they both had mothers named
Veronica Potter.

Bowens said she then delicately asked Richardson if
she'd like to meet her brother.  Richardson said she
was stunned.

"I'm thinking, 'Yeah, sure, where is he?'" she
recalled.

"He's close," Bowens said.

Austin walked from behind a counter.

"Oh, my God!  It is him," Richardson said.
==========

Barcelona, Spain:

After performing 2,878 operations, some of them badly,
Juan Miguel Sanchez Romera has admitted he never was a
doctor.

Former patients of the fake ear, nose and throat
specialist testified in court last week to suffering
permanent injuries.  One was left with an unintended
hole between his mouth and his nose.

At his trial, Sanchez told a judge he had finished half
of Spain's six-year medical degree program when the Red
Cross hospital in a Barcelona suburb hired him in 1979.

Sanchez voluntarily left the hospital in 1987 without
revealing his secret.  A later inspection at his
private practice uncovered the fraud.

He is accused of using a colleague's medical license
number.  He may face a maximum of 11 years in prison
and a fine.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Arlington, Virginia, police said they've been getting
calls from angry escort service customers who feel
cheated because the escorts refused to provide sex.
Police said they can't help these clients.
79.1346POLAR::RICHARDSONThank You KindlyMon Aug 07 1995 21:202
    A fake ear, nose and throat specialist. Interesting specialty, but
    how many people in Spain have fake ears?
79.1347CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenMon Aug 07 1995 22:052
    Grouch Marx was very big over there.  Kind of like Jerry Lewis is to
    France.
79.1348SMURF::WALTERSTue Aug 08 1995 12:412
    Spain was once ruled by the Arabs.  There may still be some fakirs
    around.
79.1349NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 08 1995 12:4716
WhiteBoard News for August 07, 1995 [excerpts]

Beijing, China:

Twenty herdsman in Inner Mongolia spent almost three
hours attempting to save 530 sheep and goats that tried
to commit suicide by jumping into a lake.

Xinhua news agency said 281 sheep were saved, but the
rest of the sheep and goats drowned.

The news agency said the suicidal sheep began spinning
in the water as they began to sink.  Others were pulled
to shore but tried to jump back into the water.

Chinese scientists are investigating the strange case.
79.1350DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Tue Aug 08 1995 13:368
    
    > Spain was once ruled by the Arabs.  There may still be some fakirs
    > around.
    
    Spain shmain, we've got plenty of FAKERS right here in da 'box...
    
    :-)
    Dan
79.1351DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Tue Aug 08 1995 13:399
    
> Twenty herdsman in Inner Mongolia spent almost three
> hours attempting to save 530 sheep and goats that tried
> to commit suicide by jumping into a lake.

    Maybe that guy from (NH?), who had the restraining order against him for
    molesting the goat, was seen in the area...

    Dan
79.1352Naughty, naughty!!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Wed Aug 09 1995 12:5617
    
    Boston Globe 8/8/95 pg. 38
    
    AG sues 4 youths in racial incident
    
    Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger has sued four
    Worcester area teen-agers for allegedly harassing an inter-racial
    couple in Whitinsville.
    
    Harshbarger said the youths, ages 13 to 16, put up signs in the front
    of the couples' home last April that included racial slurs and threats.
    Harshbarger did not provide the names of the couple or the youths.
    
    The attorney general's civil rights division is seeking a court order
    banning the youths, one of whom says he is a skinhead, from committing
    further acts of intimidation.
    
79.1353SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Wed Aug 09 1995 13:083
    Gotta use that word "skinhead"...
    
    Sounds like bias against bald people to me.
79.1354POWDML::LAUERLittleChamberPrepositionalPunishmentWed Aug 09 1995 16:014
    
    God only made a very few perfect heads.  The rest He covered with hair.
    
    
79.1355SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Wed Aug 09 1995 16:047
    Or, as John Glenn put it:
    
    "I believe the good Lord gave all of us men a certain number of
    hormones. If other people want to use theirs to grow hair on top of
    their heads, that's fine with me."
    
    (Not an exact quote, but you get the idea.)
79.1356POWDML::CKELLYThe Proverbial Bad PennyWed Aug 09 1995 16:056
    re; .1355
    
    no, dear, i don't.
    
    please explain in more detail
    {innocently batting eyelashes)
79.1357SPSEG::COVINGTONWhen the going gets weird...Wed Aug 09 1995 16:0913
    .1356
    
    See, John Glenn is bald, which means that hair that's supposed to be
    on his head is scattered elsewhere on his body. The places nature
    generally tends to put such excess hair is in the nose and ears.
    Now, hormones are these chemicals (there's that word again!) that make
    people do funny things, like marry gold-digging 27-year old "buxom
    blondes" when they're about to croak at age 90.
    So John Glenn is basically saying that he's just about ready to find
    himself one of them buxom blondes, seeing as how he's got no hair on
    his head.
    
    Does that help? :)
79.1358NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 10 1995 14:449
In Dublin, Va., Judge Colin Gibb declared that Marshall Lineberry was
entitled to unemployment benefits even though he had been suspended from
his job for fighting.  The Volvo plant that employed Lineberry had a tradition
in which a man dressed as a rooster would playfully hassle any employee
reporting to work late for a shift.  When the rooster approached Linberry and
cock-a-doodle-do'ed, Lineberry leaped at the 'rooster' and began choking him,
the act for which he was suspended.  Judge Gibb found that employees so hated
the tradition, that someone else would soon have attacked the rooster if
Lineberry hadn't.
79.1359TROOA::COLLINSCareful! That sponge has corners!Thu Aug 10 1995 14:468
    
    
>Judge Gibb found that employees so hated
>the tradition, that someone else would soon have attacked the rooster if
>Lineberry hadn't.
    
    I know *I* would have.  :^)
              
79.1360he choked the chicken?HBAHBA::HAASbuggedThu Aug 10 1995 14:560
79.1361NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 10 1995 15:043
re .1360:

I got the WNB from alt.humor.puns.  The poster made the same observation.
79.1362MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryThu Aug 10 1995 15:075
    
    maybe we can get paul reubens to do a documentary on chicken
    choking in the work place...
    
    -b
79.1363GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 10 1995 15:164
    
    
    I think it's pretty funny to have the rooster hassling those who are
    late. :')
79.1364MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryThu Aug 10 1995 15:197
    >I think it's pretty funny to have the rooster hassling those who are
    >late. :')
    
    remember jack smith? so some company had a rooster; digital
    had a tur... oh nevermind. :-) :-)
    
    -b
79.1365Re: .1363:TROOA::COLLINSCareful! That sponge has corners!Thu Aug 10 1995 15:204
    
    You might not think so if you had been late due to a flat, or a traffic
    accident, or some other equally valid and aggravating reason.
    
79.1366GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 10 1995 15:223
    
    
    Yeah I would think it's funny.  I wouldn't take it personally.
79.1367DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Thu Aug 10 1995 15:487
    
    Mike, ya gotta admit though that hassling someone who's late 'cuz he's
    hung over is a VERY dangerous thing to do.  When I'm hung over the LAST
    THING you want to do, and perhaps the last thing you will do, is hassle
    me.
    
    Dan
79.1369SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 10 1995 17:318
    
    re: .1367
    
    Ooooooooo.. big bad Dan has spoken...
    
    
    Actually, I rather doubt it... If you're hung over, your reaction time
    and control are still just a bit, shall we say, hindered?
79.1370GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 10 1995 17:4810
    
    
    RE: Dan,
    
    
    Actually it would give me a great deal of pleasure to get in your face
    when you're hung over, Dan.  I'd be laughing like hell at your self
    induced misery. :')
    
    Mike
79.1371DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Thu Aug 10 1995 18:1411
    
    Mike, I forgot to mention that I used to work for the US Postal
    Service...

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...<BLAM><BLAM><BLAM><BLAM><BLAM>

    As for being impaired, wit a scatter gun, being impaired is not a big
    deal !

    :-)
    Dan
79.1372;')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 10 1995 18:244
    
    
    
    Sokay Dan, I'll be quicker on the draw.....
79.1374MPGS::MARKEYThe bottom end of Liquid SanctuaryThu Aug 10 1995 18:466
    >   Hey, Daneroo, don't you have to go out now and, like, check out some
    >   stereo stuff or cars that the babes'd go for?
    
    there ya go again, confusing killoran and kalikow... :-)
    
    -b
79.1375NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 10 1995 18:531
You mean Killoranikow?
79.1377SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 10 1995 19:078
    
    re: Killer Kowalski?
    
    Spit on his head when I was a kid whilst he was walking towards the
    ring to fight.. he came after me into the stands...
    
      Talk about pissing in my pants!!
    
79.1379GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 10 1995 19:233
    
    
    Definitely a good example of oneupsmanship......
79.1380What an annoying concept.SCAS01::GUINEO::MOOREOutta my way. IT'S ME !Thu Aug 10 1995 22:504
    
    I think if someone stuck a pecker in my face because I was late to
    work, well, words don't describe...
    
79.1381{cough}POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of BoingfestsFri Aug 11 1995 02:312
    
    
79.1382BIGQ::SILVADiabloFri Aug 11 1995 10:267
| <<< Note 79.1380 by SCAS01::GUINEO::MOORE "Outta my way. IT'S ME !" >>>


| I think if someone stuck a pecker in my face because I was late to
| work, well, words don't describe...

	What does the pecker look like???? ;-)
79.1383GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberFri Aug 11 1995 11:493
    
    
    Was the pecker's name Woody?
79.1385re .1374DRDAN::KALIKOWW3: Surf-it 2 Surfeit!Fri Aug 11 1995 13:542
    Wow, you're a sharp one, Brian -- I had that thought, too... :-)
    
79.1386SCAS01::GUINEO::MOOREOutta my way. IT'S ME !Fri Aug 11 1995 16:461
    That pecker's name is Harry.
79.1387NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Aug 11 1995 20:0918
Well it's about time I put something (else) light in here...

We've got two pet lizards escaped in the MA. area.

One is a 5'+ Iguana (?) lizard loose somewhere along the Charles River.

The other is a 6' monitor lizard that escaped somewhere around Medway I think.
(and they're illegal as pets in this state I unnerstand).

Police have cautioned not to approach the monitor...it may attack if it feels
cornered.

(Good song on Matty in the a.m. today...to the tune of "Oh Donna":
	"Oh Iguana
		Oh Iguana

	...He doesn't have fingerprints
		But here's his teeth marks on my ass") 
79.1388Yikes!!!DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri Aug 11 1995 20:206
    Um Brandon, watch out for ANYTHING sunning itself on your front
    porch :-)
    
    Guess you could hope for an early winter and freeze.
    
    
79.1389NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Aug 11 1995 20:376
Thanks Karen.

I think by now I can tell the difference between a monitor lizard (or something
lizard-like over 6") and some other sunning-being.

At least on sight any way.
79.1390NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Aug 11 1995 20:392
I'm curious though as to what the possible impact on the environment will
be...maybe they'll breed with the rabid raccoons.
79.1391PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Aug 11 1995 20:393
	if you see a Newt, do us all a favor and smash it, will you?

79.1393DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri Aug 11 1995 20:448
    Brandon,
    
    I know I was being facetious, but I keep remembering that TV
    commercial for carpeting (can't remember the brand); but it
    showed this lizard (or would it have to be a cameleon) blending
    into the mauve rug :-)
    
    
79.1394NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Aug 11 1995 20:477
re:.1391

Whoa!

re:.1392

I'm sure all Asians reading that got a kick out of it.
79.1395NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Aug 11 1995 20:483
re:1393

Any thing greater than a foot -- hey there ain't that much blending in the world!
79.1396NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 14 1995 14:293
Gov. George Allen of Virginia has been passing out Virginia cigarettes,
saying that people should smoke them rather than cigarettes from other
states.  Allen doesn't smoke.  He dips snuff made in Tennessee.
79.1397NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 14 1995 14:30133
WEIRDNUZ.389 (News of the Weird, July 21, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* During May and June, the following animals were spotted out
and about in public:  four pigs, roaming through the New York
City boroughs of Queens and Staten Island; a five-month old
kangaroo (a circus escapee) running loose in Minneapolis; a deer,
which sauntered through the terminal at the Kansas City airport;
a monkey meandering through a Hollidaysburg, Pa.,
neighborhood; two elephants that walked out of their cage in the
Toledo (Ohio) Zoo and took a stroll around the grounds; and a
goose that snatched a golfer's 8-iron at Pebble Creek Golf Course
in Cincinnati and fled. [N. Y. Times, 6-16-95; San Jose
Mercury-News-Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jun95; San Francisco
Examiner-AP, 6-2-95; Columbus Dispatch-AP, Jun95; Cincinnati
Enquirer, 5-19-95]

COURTROOM ANTICS

* In May in Kansas City, Mo., Leon Taylor was sentenced for
murdering a man during a 1994 robbery.  Judge William F.
Mauer gave Taylor the death penalty, plus life in prison, plus an
additional 315 years. [Portland Press Herald, 5-6-95] 

* In an April interview with the Vancouver Sun, lawyer Russ
Stanton complained about getting only $53,000 in damages for a
recent client whose ovary was removed by surgical error.  He
cited a case in which a man received $80,000 for a testicle
removed by surgical error.  Said Stanton, "In my view, one
ovary has got to be worth one testicle." [Sault Star-Vancouver
Sun, 4-21-95] 

* In April, a judge in Montreal, Quebec, acquitted Henri
Daviault of charges that, while drunk in 1989, he raped a 65-
year-old wheelchair-bound woman.  Daviault had been convicted,
but a new trial was ordered in 1993 when the Supreme Court of
Canada ruled that drunkenness could be used as a defense to the
rape charge.  (Parliament is expected soon to take up legislation
that would limit the high court's decision.) [Independence
Examiner, 4-28-95] 

* In January, a District of Columbia judge awarded James
Breiner, 54, $400,000 in damages in his age-discrimination
lawsuit against his former employer, a firm that operates
cafeterias.  According to Breiner, his supervisor had continually
made references to his age, including addressing him as an "old
fart." [Washington Post, 1-31-95] 

* During his lawyer's opening statement in his trial for first-
degree murder in Castle Rock, Colo., in December, defendant
Michael Monahan, 36, stood to denounce the prosecutor's theory
of the case but also denounced his own lawyer's theory.  Said
Monahan:  "[The jury] needs to know that [my lawyer's]
rendition is just as much bullshit as [the prosecutor's]." [Denver
Post, 12-10-94] 

* In a February court hearing in Norristown, Pa., attorney
Charles Peruto, Jr., was in the process of arguing that his client, 
accused of selling drugs, was entitled to a low bail because he
was not likely to flee before his trial.  At that moment, however,
the client, Howard "Wing Ding" Jones, bolted from the
courtroom and led deputies on a one-hour chase before he was
recaptured. [Arizona Daily Wildcat-AP, 2-16-95] 

* In Dublin, Va., in April, Judge Colin Gibb declared that
Marshall Lineberry was entitled to unemployment benefits even
though he had been suspended from his job for fighting.  The
Volvo plant that employed Lineberry had a tradition in which a
man dressed as a rooster would playfully hassle any employee
reporting to work late for a shift.  When the rooster approached
Lineberry and cock-a-doodle-do'ed, Lineberry leaped at the
"rooster" and began choking him, the act for which he was
suspended.  Judge Gibb found that employees so hated the
tradition that someone would soon have attacked the rooster if
Lineberry hadn't. [Carthage Press-AP, 4-8-95] 

* In February, the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct
reprimanded a Houston judge, J. R. Musslewhite, for various
indiscretions including drinking on duty and fondling female
lawyers.  The Commission found that in early 1993, Musslewhite
consumed liquor in his office that had been admitted into
evidence in a DUI case, telling the prosecutor, "I'm glad you lost
so I don't have to preserve the evidence." [Houston Post, 2-9-95] 

* The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in March that a kitten is not
a "domesticated animal" under state law.  One man had shot a
dog that was menacing two kittens and said he was entitled to do
that by a state law that permits shooting animals that attack
"domesticated animals," but the court ruled against him.
[Northwest Arkansas Times-AP, 3-13-95] 

SCHEMES

* In January, police in Lower Makefield Township, Pa., filed
several charges against self-employed plumber Michael Lasch for
using the phone company "call forwarding" service to have calls
to his competitors automatically rung through to him.  One rival
plumber said he probably lost "thousands" of dollars in business
to Lasch in the month-long practice. [St. Petersburg Times-AP,
1-29-95] 

* According to a news report in the March issue of Spin
magazine, artist H. R. Giger, who is suing the band Danzig for
unauthorized use of Giger's artwork on their T-shirts, needed to
serve the complaint papers to band leader Glenn Danzig in
person.  Giger hired a process-server, who bodysurfed through
the "mosh pit" in front of the band during a New York City
concert to get the job done. [Spin, March 1995] 

* In February, a spokesman for the taxi drivers in Prague, Czech
Republic, admitted that some of the drivers had installed
electrical wires in the back seat, activated by a button in the
dashboard, to permit drivers to administer shocks to passengers
who refused to pay the cab drivers' notoriously high fares.
[Baltimore Sun-Reuters, 2-17-95] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* In June, George Washington University, which was vying to
sign up New York City high school basketball star Richie Phillips
for its team even though Phillips had pleaded guilty to sexual
assault of a classmate, announced that it would award a four-
year, $100,000 scholarship to the girl Phillips assaulted, even
though she had not applied for it and is only a high school
sophomore.  However, GWU official Bob Chernak told reporters
that the scholarship "is in no way related to" the Phillips
situation. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6-18-95] 
                           
Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1398This happened in OHIO.SCAS01::EDITEX::MOOREHEY! All you mimes be quiet!Thu Aug 17 1995 04:3813
    Brooklyn Heights, OHIO
    
    	A man was arrested with a boa constrictor in his boxer shorts (in
    OHIO).
    
    	Brian Dawson (probably a Microsoft employee) of Garfield Heights,
    OHIO, was picked up Saturday on charges including speeding & driving
    with a false license. When changing into a jail uniform, his 1-1/2
    foot pet snake popped out of his shorts (ed. note : ladies, no
    gushing). Tuesday, Dawson posted a $100 bond & was released. He
    said he had being trying to keep the snake warm.
    
    Commercial Appeal, 4/12/95
79.1399DRDAN::KALIKOWW3: Surf-it 2 Surfeit!Thu Aug 17 1995 09:5712
    I kin jes' picsha it.  
    
    Guy gets pulled over, Statie (dressed in waaaahdbrim hat & obligatory
    shinyshades) swaggers up to driver's side window.  Looks inside, has
    seen it all & done it all, so never NEVER does a doubletake no matter
    WHUT goes on inside a Citizen's car...
    
    
    "Youah inna HEAP o'trubble, boa!"
    
    |-{:-)
    
79.1400CSLALL::HENDERSONLearning to leanThu Aug 17 1995 12:035



 Wacky snarf brief
79.1401exRUSURE::GOODWINThu Aug 17 1995 12:429
    The Merrimack, NH school board just voted 3-2 to disallow any mention
    of homosexuality in the school system.  The ban is so extensive that a
    teacher can't even refer a child with questions to the childs own
    pastor, minister, rabbi, etc., if the child's religion in any way
    condones homosexuality.
    
    The board chairman, who authored the new rule, which is virtually
    identical to one proposed by Jesse Jackson, claims that it reflects
    "community values".
79.1402what do these people fear so much?SMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 17 1995 12:502
    
    I hear that left-handed children are next.
79.1403SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 17 1995 13:116
    
    
    Lawsuits....
    
    NNTTM...
    
79.1404What does every parent want for their child ???BRITE::FYFEThu Aug 17 1995 14:044
>what do these people fear so much?

That their children will grow up with values and beliefs different from their
own.
79.1405exRUSURE::GOODWINThu Aug 17 1995 14:313
    They want to install a steeple on every school and other public
    building in America.  I've seen their plan -- they keep it in the 3rd
    drawer on the right hand side way in the back.
79.1406Right next to the broad brush...SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 17 1995 14:321
    
79.1407SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 17 1995 19:309
    
    This has to take the cake...
    
    Page 24 of the Boston Globe shows an Iraqi (in traditional head-dress)
    holding a picture of Saddam Hussein. The caption beneath reads:
    
    IRAQ PROTEST - Demonstrators holding a picture of Saddam Hussein in
    Baghdad yesterday protest the recent defection of Lt. Gen. Hussein
    Kamel.
79.1408SMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 17 1995 19:367
    

    Read that as:
    
    ..defecation of Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamel.
    
    Must take more time.
79.1409SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 17 1995 19:419
    
    <-----
    
    Nope.. the word is definitely "defection"...
    
    He might have tried the other as a sign of protest against his B-I-L,
    but I suppose if he did that, he'd be leaving the country in a more
    horizontal position...
    
79.1411EVMS::MORONEYThe gene pool needs chlorine....Fri Aug 18 1995 00:194
A man in Italy who had resorted to purse snatching to support his
drug habit rode his motorcycle past a woman and snatched her purse
and realized too late the woman was his mother.  She reported him
to the police who later arrested him.
79.1412MARKO::MCKENZIECSS - because ComputerS SuckFri Aug 18 1995 11:1279
Copied without permission ...
Magazine: Reason
Issue: August/September 1994
Title: Brickbats
Author: Charles Oliver


Workers in Yakima, Washington, forgot just one thing when finishing a
building last year. They forgot to connect the building's sewer lines to the
main sewage pipe. For almost a year, the pipes filled with raw sewage until
they couldn't hold anymore, and the building's toilets basically exploded. The
building housed the city's public works administration.

No one will ever accuse Fresno, California's Women International Network of
holding a grudge. The women's group selected as speakers at a charity dinner
convicted rapist Mike Tyson and Benjamin Chavis, who was ousted as head of
the NAACP following a financial scandal that arose after a former aide
accused him of sexual harassment.

In Moscow, the entire 10th precinct of the city's police force has been
suspended for pandering. Reportedly, officers even drove hookers to their
clients in police cars.

A former assistant stage director has filed suit against New York City's
Metropolitan Opera. She claims that she was fired because she is not a
homosexual man.

Police had an easy time finding the man who robbed a restaurant in Pittsburgh.
He had left his real name, address, and Social Security number on a job
application he filled out just before knocking off the place.

Two white officers in New York's Grand Central Terminal grabbed
businessman Earl Graves Jr. and frisked him. They had been alerted to look
out for an armed 5-foot-10 black man with a mustache. Graves is 6 feet 4
inches and clean shaven. But he is black.

A senior official of the Mormon Church warned followers against patronizing
groups that purport to enhance one's self-esteem. Instead, he urged Mormons
to live their lives according to biblical teaching. So the church has now been
sued for $189 million by the owners of Life Management International, a self-
esteem company. Although their company was not mentioned by name, the
owners claim injurious falsehood, defamation, and intentional infliction of
emotional distress.

Our Hypocrites of the Month Award goes to CBS Sports and announcer Pat
O'Brien. The network ran a hatchet-job piece on the Ultimate Fighting  
Championship, a no-holds-barred martial arts contest. The piece, which
decried the alleged brutality of the pay-per-view event, highlighted some of the
tournament's bloodiest moments over the air on a Sunday afternoon. Then
O'Brien urged viewers to stay tuned for an upcoming boxing match. This
as boxer Jimmy Garcia lay dying in a hospital from injuries suffered in a
nationally televised boxing match.

Three inmates have sued the Mini-Cassia Jail in Idaho, charging that jailers'
refusal to give them a midnight snack was cruel and unusual punishment.

The manager of a Carvel's ice cream store in Southington, Connecticut, has
been suspended. He refused to write "Happy Birthday" in Spanish on a cake,
telling the customer, "This is America."

School officials in Wheeling, West Virginia, know just how to deal with
students caught smoking or chewing tobacco on school grounds. They take
them to court. School officials there now file complaints against those who
violate school policies against tobacco. The maximum fine is $5.00 plus court
costs.

The National Rifle Association is all for the Second Amendment. But it seems
to be squeamish about the rest of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment
seems to give them particular problems. James Warner, assistant general
counsel to the NRA, was set to testify, as a private citizen, against a
constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. Then Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-
N.Y.), a sponsor of the amendment, got on the phone to the NRA to
complain, and Warner cancelled his testimony at the last minute.

In Camden, New Jersey, the family of an alleged killer who fell to his death
while trying to escape jail has filed suit against the facility. They charge
officials with failing to maintain a reasonably safe facility.

Contributing Editor Charles Oliver writes for Investor's Business Daily.
79.1413DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Fri Aug 18 1995 12:335
    
    re: .1398
    
    Now THERE is a pair of Wacky (news) Briefs !
    
79.1414GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberFri Aug 18 1995 13:073
    
    Man arrested for swimming in the ocean on the east coast.  Evidently
    it's illegal to swim when a storm is brewing....
79.1415RUSURE::GOODWINFri Aug 18 1995 13:131
    Everything is illegal.  They just ignore most crimes.  Saves paperwork.
79.1416It's a hoax, folksCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Aug 18 1995 14:0388
    UFO meeting to see 'aliens' film; is it a hoax?


    (c) 1995 Copyright the News & Observer Publishing Co.

    (c) 1995 Reuter Information Service

    LONDON (Aug 17, 1995 - 11:24 EDT) - A film which may prove that
    extraterrestrial creatures crash-landed a spacecraft on Earth will be
    shown in public for the first time on Saturday at a British UFO
    conference.

    One question will float over the gathering like a spectre -- is the
    footage purportedly showing a female alien with lizard-like eyes
    genuine or just an ingenious, elaborate hoax?

    Its owner claims the film was shot by a military cameraman in the
    aftermath of a flying saucer crash in New Mexico in 1947.

    Rumours of a mysterious crash in the New Mexico desert near Roswell
    have circulated for decades. UFO investigators have always claimed that
    an alien spacecraft fell from the sky and this momentous event was
    covered up by U.S. authorities.

    The UFO conference in Sheffield is attracting UFO experts and
    enthusiasts from all around world.

    The announcement that British film-maker Ray Santilli had stumbled upon
    military footage of the event, showing dead alien creatures, astonished
    scientists and UFO experts.

    Santilli says he bought the film from an octogenarian military
    cameraman who had shot top-secret footage of alien corpses after the
    crash. The man kept quiet about the film for years before selling it to
    finance his granddaughter's wedding.

    The footage has been shown privately to scientists, politicians and UFO
    investigators. It reportedly shows surgeons in white radiation suits
    examining a female alien.

    She is humanoid with a huge hairless head and lizard-like eyes. She has
    six fingers on each hand, and similar feet.

    Surgeons cut through her chest, which appears to bleed, and remove
    strange-looking internal organs. They saw off the top of her head to
    expose her brain, and remove her eyeballs.

    According to Santilli, experts at Kodak in New York say the film's
    stock number suggests it was made in 1927, 1947 or 1967. He has claimed
    that President Harry Truman is visible on one piece of footage,
    watching the bizarre spectacle.

    But experts who have seen the film are extremely sceptical.

    "I think this film is completely extraneous to the question of a
    crashed saucer, government cover-up, extraterrestrial visitors or
    anything like that," said Stanton Friedman, an American nuclear
    physicist who has spent decades investigating the Roswell incident.

    "There was certainly none of the excitement I as a physicist would
    expect from doctors having a unique opportunity to autopsy an alien
    being," he told Reuters Television.

    British anatomist Dr Fred Spoors told Reuters the alien looked
    suspiciously human -- suggesting that the film had shown a human with a
    genetic abnormality. He said the chances of aliens evolving to look so
    human were extremely remote.

    Special effects experts who investigated the film have also been
    unconvinced.

    "There are certain giveaways in the footage that suggest the alien is
    just a dummy," said Rod Dickinson, who creates sophisticated props for
    films. "It's a good hoax, but not astoundingly good."

    But Santilli insists the film is genuine. "It would be utter madness to
    attempt a world-wide "hoax' on this level by attempting such an easily
    discovered forgery," he said in a letter to a Sunday newspaper. He
    declined to be interviewed.

    And even some of those who doubt the film's authenticity remain certain
    that something mysterious did happen at Roswell.

    "I am absolutely convinced a saucer did crash outside Roswell,"
    Friedman said. "We're dealing with the biggest story of the millenium
    -- visits to planet earth by aliens, and the successful cover-up of the
    best data, the bodies and the wreckage for 48 years."
     
79.1417See the space alien, only $45DECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamFri Aug 18 1995 14:273
    So, when does the Alien Autopsy come out on Pay-Per-View?
    
    Chris
79.1418CSC32::J_OPPELTWanna see my scar?Fri Aug 18 1995 16:5117
    	Yet another Disney animated movie comes under fire for subliminal
    	messages.
    
    	In the movie Aladdin, when he flies up on his magic carpet to
    	Princess Jasmine's balcony to woo her, he is confronted by her
    	pet tiger who menaces him.  The scene shifts to the Genie and
    	the magic carpet discussing his success, and you can hear Aladdin
    	off-screen trying to deal with the tiger.  At one point his
    	words seem to say, "Good teenagers (pause) take off their clothes."
    
    	------------
    
    	I listened to it myself.  The argument could be made that this
    	is what he says, though you really have to be listening for it,
    	and it sounds that way only if you are imagining that's what it
    	says.  A Disney spokesman says that the script says, "Good kitty.  
    	Get up and go."
79.1419PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Aug 18 1995 17:082
   .1418  aagagag!  oh, my achin' back.
79.1420Who's whacky here?EST::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQFri Aug 18 1995 18:3110
Huh???
I've read it 4 or 5 times, and I still don't get it.

> The National Rifle Association is all for the Second Amendment. But it seems
> to be squeamish about the rest of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment
> seems to give them particular problems. James Warner, assistant general
> counsel to the NRA, was set to testify, as a private citizen, against a
> constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. Then Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-
> N.Y.), a sponsor of the amendment, got on the phone to the NRA to
> complain, and Warner cancelled his testimony at the last minute.
79.1421SUBPAC::SADINWe the people?Fri Aug 18 1995 18:3510
    
    	re: .1420
    
    	Easy. Someone needed to find SOMETHING to bash the NRA about, so
    they picked up the first thing they could lay their hands on,
    desperately hoping no one would figure out that it doesn't mean
    anything.
    
    
    jim
79.1422SCAS01::SHOOKmetroplexedSat Aug 19 1995 05:235
    
      > So, when does the Alien Autopsy come out on Pay-Per-View?
    
    it's gonna be on Fox later this month, or at least parts of it.
    either the 26th or 28th. also, it'll show on channel 4 across the pond.
79.1423Not so wacky, actuallyRUSURE::GOODWINMon Aug 21 1995 12:1943
    From the Portland (Maine) Press Herald, Saturday, August 19, 1995:
    
    				FIFTH HEMPSTOCK KICKS OFF
    
    	STARKS -- The annual "Hempstock" rally organized by advocates of
    legalized marijuana opened for a fifth year Friday, as hundreds of
    early arriving celebrants gathered to listen to music and vendors set
    up shop peddling T-shirts, snacks and smoking accessories.
    
    	Pungent aromas wafted through the fields and recreation vehicles
    rumbled in for the weekend.
    
    	There were several arrests and dozens of citation issued as police
    kept a strong presence outside the event.
    
    	Earlier, the event's organizer, Donald Cristen, whose request for a
    permit was turned down, said the rally would proceed without the
    blessing of local or state officials.
    
    	Last year, crowds estimated at up to 15,000 people attended. 
    Subsequently, Starks voters enacted an ordinance designed to curb the
    event this year.  It bars gatherings of more than 2,000 people for more
    than 12 hours.
    
    	This week, the pro-marijuana Maine Vocals, who refer to the event
    as their "annual political assembly," issued a three-page outline of
    the steps the group plans to take to maintain order and sanitary
    conditions, which could ensure that the meeting does not violate the
    local ordinance.
    
    	"Participans can be assured that their health and safety will be
    protected, and that Maine Vocals will do everything possible to respect
    the property rights of the citizens of Starks," the group declared.
    
    [Either Starks or another small town in the area voted to legalize MJ a
     couple of years ago.  It was a symbolic vote, since state and federal
     laws prevail over local laws.  But there is now a petition circulating
     in Maine to get a referendum question on the ballot this fall to
     legalize MJ, free anyone in jail on a MJ offense of any kind, and 
     compensate anyone who has suffered any loss whatever at the hands of
     law enforcement as a result of MJ law violations.  Independent
     Governor Angus King has cancelled the regularly scheduled helicoptor
     overflights by the DEA to search for MJ growing in Maine.]
79.1424MAIL2::CRANEMon Aug 21 1995 12:282
    .1423
    yea but was Gerry Garcia spotted?
79.1425N2DEEP::SHALLOWSubtract L, invert WMon Aug 21 1995 16:003
    >>yea but was Gerry Garcia spotted?
    
    No, he was striped. ;-)
79.1426NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 22 1995 14:37117
WhiteBoard News for August 21, 1995 [excerpts]


Edmonton, Alberta:

A man driving three family members passed out behind
the wheel of their car, collided with another car,
careened out of control and struck a utility pole.  No
one was seriously hurt.

According to police, the father had become woozy from
listening to his 22-year-old son describing the bloody
extraction of his wisdom teeth earlier in the day.
==========

Aurora, Colorado:

Friendly Candy Company, the makers of Pond Scum, has
introduced a new foaming treat, Toxic Waste, packaged
in little drums.
==========

New York, New York:

A New York doctor has invented a hairpiece so easy to
wear, it's a snap.

The hairpiece snaps into tiny metal pegs that are
surgically imbedded into the wearer's skull, said Dr.
Anthony Pignataro, a cosmetic surgeon who designed and
wears the hairpiece.  So far, the doctor and two others
wear the snap-on wig, but Pignataro said he believes
3,000 men will be wearing them in 1997.

The metal nuts are imbedded into the skull 3 to 4
millimeters deep, and it takes about three months for
the skin and bone to grow back before the hairpiece can
be snapped on.
==========

Tucson, Arizona:

Scientists have discovered that the gunk lodged between
the toes of black-tailed deer kills the bacteria that
cause acne and the fungus that causes athlete's foot.

The deer, which frolic in the mountains along the
Pacific coast, secrete a greasy substance from the
groove between their toes.  This toe jam, researchers
at Humboldt State University conclude, contains a
compound that's potent against the bacterium
Propionibacterium acnes and also kills the fungus
Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

In hopes that hoof jam proves effective in fighting
zits, a Tucson firm, Research Corporation Technologies,
is commercializing synthetic versions of the chemical.

Which may be a lot easier than catching deer and
flossing between their toes.
==========

Lamu Archipelago, Kenya:

Residents of coastal Kenya were panicked by a maritime
invasion of swimming elephants, an animal that has a
reputation in the country for being far deadlier than
lions or crocodiles.

The latest clash between humans and the elephants
occurred when the animals plunged into the Indian Ocean
and headed for an island in the Lamu Archipelago, a
little more than a mile offshore.

The daily Standard newspaper reported that "they sank
beneath the surface and raised their trunks above the
water to breathe as they swam across the channel to
Mada Island."

Once there, they uprooted coconut palms and mango
orchards, as well as other crops grown on the island.

Officials tried to calm the farmers, saying that this
has been a regular migration route for the pachyderms
for centuries.
==========

Gresham, Oregon:

Stupid is as stupid drives.

A Northwest Portland man who allegedly drove a stolen
van to court to appear on a charge of auto theft wins
last week's boldness award.

About 3 PM Monday, Gresham police officer James Seymour
spotted a 1985 Toyota van parked, with motor running
near the courthouse.

He ran a check on the license plate and discovered the
van had been stolen July 18.

Portland Police Detective Lloyd Higgens took over and
waited in a nearby unmarked car.

Twenty minutes later, Kristopher Jae Hyslop, 30, jumped
into the van and drove away.  More police arrived and
arrested Hyslop, who had just appeared in a Multnomah
County courtroom on charges of unauthorized use of a
motor vehicle.

Hyslop had been released without bail after agreeing to
several conditions -- including the promise not to
commit any more crimes.

This time, Hyslop was booked into jail and held on
$12,500 bail.
79.1427She should have got Neg. driving at leastSNOFS2::ROBERTSONwhere there's smoke there's toastTue Aug 22 1995 22:129
    In Victoria, Oz.
    
    A woman drove her car into the side of a police station.
    
    She apparently reversed into the car behind her, panicked, put the car
    in forward gear and hit the accelerator, mounted the gutter drove up
    two steps and rammed the station
    She was tacken to hospital with chest and head injuries. no charges are
    to be laid.
79.1428RUSURE::GOODWINWed Aug 23 1995 12:453
    If she'd had a beer first they would throw the book at her, but since
    she apparently didn't, then it's OK.  What a crock.  A bad driver can
    still kill someone just as dead, whether or not they ate a beer first.
79.1429ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150kts is TOO slow!Wed Aug 23 1995 12:503
    Or at least a public lewdness charge for mounting the gutter.
    
    Bob
79.1430DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Wed Aug 23 1995 13:205
    
    > ....whether or not they ate a beer first.
                              ^^^
    Pretty aaahhhh ROBUST beer they have down there, eh
    
79.1431DRDAN::KALIKOWDIGITAL=DEC: ReClaim TheName&amp;Glory!Wed Aug 23 1995 13:242
    Why shou'n't she mount the gutter?  That's where most of us learnt!??!
    
79.1432POLAR::RICHARDSONFirsthand Bla Bla BlaWed Aug 23 1995 13:411
    Ditch the puns guys.
79.1433RUSURE::GOODWINWed Aug 23 1995 14:123
    "ate a beer"  
    
    Dinja ever have a hydraulic sandwich for lunch?  :-)
79.1434I'll take Pun Alternatives for $400, AlexDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamWed Aug 23 1995 16:275
    >> no charges are to be laid.
    
    Sounds like an potentially explosive situation was avoided, then.
    
    Chris
79.1435Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnThu Aug 24 1995 02:202
    Ohh wow a revelation !! You can eat beer now !!  I never knew ! send me
    some....pleeeeease.
79.1436TROOA::COLLINSKnow your rights...all 3 of them.Thu Aug 24 1995 02:223
    
    Sure...just pour it on your cereal in the morning instead of milk.
    
79.1437POLAR::RICHARDSONBooze ain't foodThu Aug 24 1995 02:371
    Bluuuuurgh!
79.1438Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnThu Aug 24 1995 02:411
    I already do that !!! Well i did it once :*)
79.1439POWDML::HANGGELIPetite Chambre des MauditesThu Aug 24 1995 03:375
    
    There's this rather nice beer at the Westford Regency that tastes like
    espresso.  Very chewable.
    
    
79.1440Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnThu Aug 24 1995 04:152
    I can make a beer taste like chocolate.... 3 pints of that and you are
    well on the way to a coma !
79.1441GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 24 1995 19:0910
    
    
    
    1100+ live chickens are still being rounded up after a tractor 
    trailer tipped over this morning on the beltway here around our 
    nations capital.  
    
    This just in, an organization for chickens rights has issued a
    statement that they are disturbed at all the fun being had at the
    expense of the chickens......
79.1442suicide or murder??GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed Lady...Thu Aug 24 1995 19:3555
(((( got this from a dist.list...don't know where it came from...))))
    
<forwards removed>

 1994's MOST BIZARRE SUICIDE

 At the 1994 annual awards dinner given by the American Association for
 Forensic Science, AAFS President Don Harper Mills astounded his audience in
 San Diego with the legal complications of a bizarre death.  Here is the story.

 "On 23 March 1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and
 concluded that he died from a shotgun wound of the head.  The decedent had
 jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide (he
 left a note indicating his despondency).  As he fell past the ninth floor,
 his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through a window, which killed
 him instantly.  Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware that a safety
 net had been erected at the eighth floor level to protect some window
 washers and that Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide
 anyway because of this."

 "Ordinarily," Dr. Mills continued, "a person who sets out to commit suicide
 ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he
 intended.  That Opus was shot on the way to certain death nine stories below
 probably would not have changed his mode of death from suicide to homicide.
 But the fact that his suicidal intent would not have been successful caused
 the medical examiner to feel that he had homicide on his hands.  "The room
 on the ninth floor whence the shotgun blast emanated was occupied by an
 elderly man and his wife.  They were arguing and he was threatening her with
 the shotgun.  He was so upset that, when he pulled the trigger, he
 completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the a window
 striking Opus.

 "When one intends to kill subject A but kills subject B in the attempt, one
 is guilty of the murder of subject B.  When confronted with this charge, the
 old man and his wife were both adamant that neither knew that the shotgun
 was loaded. The old man said it was his long-standing habit to threaten his
 wife with the unloaded shotgun.  He had no intention to murder her -
 therefore, the killing of Opus appeared to be an accident.  That is, the gun
 had been accidentally loaded.

 "The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's
 son loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal incident.
 It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and
 the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun
 threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would
 shoot his mother.  The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son
 for the death of Ronald Opus.

 There was an exquisite twist.  "Further investigation revealed that the son
 [Ronald Opus] had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his
 attempt to engineer his mother's murder.  This led him to jump off the
 ten-story building on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun blast through
 a ninth story window.

 "The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide."
79.1444SMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 24 1995 19:522
    
    Almost inseine
79.1445COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Aug 24 1995 20:1625
* Bonn women deputies want law to make men do chores

BONN -- German Social Democrat women politicians want a new law to achieve
what decades of feminism have failed to do -- get men to do their share of
the washing and ironing.

"It's not fair that women do 35 hours of work a week in the household, but
men only 19.5 hours," SPD sex equality spokeswoman Ulla Schmidt told
Thursday's edition of the daily mass-circulation paper Bild.

"That's why the law on families needs to make it clearer that men have to
do their share of the cleaning, ironing, washing-up and taking care of the
children."

SPD deputy Jella Teuchner said she would help to try to change the law. "It
should be automatic in a good partnership that a man and a woman share the
housework, but unfortunately the reality isn't usually like that."

Schmidt suggested that a formulation could be taken over from East German
law -- almost entirely discarded in German unification -- which said "Both
spouses do their share in caring for and educating the children and in
running the household."

But she did not go on to say if East German men had been any more
cooperative about helping their wives than men in the west.
79.1446MPGS::MARKEYLook at the BONES!Fri Aug 25 1995 00:018
   > suicide or murder??
    
    you forgot what it really was:
    
    a great big bucket of bull feces. if you believe that story,
    well, there's this bridge, see...
    
    -b
79.1447But Bill-The-Cat avenged with a furball.SCAS01::GUINEO::MOOREHEY! All you mimes be quiet!Fri Aug 25 1995 05:333
    
    ...besides, Opus was murdered by Burke Breathed, not some old man.
    
79.1448WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Aug 25 1995 10:181
    .1441 any body count? :-)
79.1449GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed Lady...Fri Aug 25 1995 12:286
    
    
    yo brian, get off that high horse of yours...i just reprinted what was
    sent to me.  i had no opinion in this.
    
    
79.1450DEVLPR::DKILLORANIt ain't easy, bein' sleezy!Fri Aug 25 1995 12:408
    
    re:.1446

    Brian, get life.  Just because you may have seen that posting before is
    no reason to belittle raq about it.  It would have shown you in a
    better light if you had merely said that it's been posted before.  But
    maybe I'm giving you more credit than you deserve.

79.1451MPGS::MARKEYLook at the BONES!Fri Aug 25 1995 14:4518
    
    >Brian, get life.  Just because you may have seen that posting before is
    >no reason to belittle raq about it.  It would have shown you in a
    >better light if you had merely said that it's been posted before.  But
    >maybe I'm giving you more credit than you deserve.
    
    free hint, ye of gonads on stun: i didn't say anything about it
    being posted before. i expressed an opinion on the content of
    the post itself. i also said _nothing_ about raq...
    
    however, i should have been careful to point out that when i
    said the part about "if you believe this", it was in reference
    to the collective "you" and not to raq, and so to _raq_ i apologize
    for not making this clear.
    
    now kirby: STFU, you annoy me.
    
    -b
79.1452"you" brian, that isPENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Aug 25 1995 14:598
>>            <<< Note 79.1451 by MPGS::MARKEY "Look at the BONES!" >>>
    
>>    ..when i
>>    said the part about "if you believe this", it was in reference
>>    to the collective "you" ...

	that's what i thought you meant.

79.1453GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed Lady...Fri Aug 25 1995 15:066
    
    so, i am a bit sensitive...so what...i thought he was specifically
    referring to me.  he said he wasn't and apologized.  fine.  we're happy
    again,...'kay???
    
    
79.1454SPSEG::COVINGTONThere is chaos under the heavens...Fri Aug 25 1995 15:129
    NO! We're NOT happy! We must find the miscreant responsible for these
    vile, harsh words. We must verbally shread him until he bleeds from the
    ears! Then we'll actually hunt him down, find him, rip his limbs off,
    tie him to an anthill, drown him, set him on fire, tar and feather him,
    until his guts are all hanging out so we can stomp on them in the dust
    we make as we ride him out of town on a rail in four directions of
    course, since he's been drawn and quartered, and....{smaq}....what?
    huh? oh, nevermind. I feel much better now. Yes, the voices are going
    away, thank you...
79.1455PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Aug 25 1995 15:136
  .1453  i wasn't faulting you for your interpretation, raq, just
	 letting brian know that not everyone took it that way.
	 he was rather savagely attacked there, after all. ;>

	 'kay??
79.1456Re: .1454TROOA::COLLINSKnow your rights...all 3 of them.Fri Aug 25 1995 15:133
    
    <---- hose that man down!!
    
79.1457NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 25 1995 15:141
Wacky News Briefs, people, Wacky News Briefs!
79.1458POBOX::BATTISGR8D8B8Fri Aug 25 1995 15:572
    
    Gerald wears wacky underwear??? Who would have thought!
79.1459GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed Lady...Fri Aug 25 1995 17:044
    
    'kay, di... ;>  ;>
    
    
79.1460CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Aug 25 1995 17:213
    re: .1454
    
    shred, rhymes with bread but it's different.  
79.1461SPSEG::COVINGTONThere is chaos under the heavens...Fri Aug 25 1995 17:263
    .1460
    
    Since you didn't add the nnttm, I'll thank ya.
79.1462CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Aug 25 1995 17:282
    yer wellcome, reely
    
79.1463TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Fri Aug 25 1995 17:495
    
    Two South African women whose baby boys were accidentally switched at
    birth six years ago are suing authorities for thousands of dollars in
    damages, but want to keep their non-biological sons.
    
79.1464NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 29 1995 15:1597
WhiteBoard News for August 28, 1995 [excerpts]

Anaheim, California:

The third time Katrina Laurent was stopped for driving
too fast, she lost her Disneyland pass.  Estimated
speed: 4.5 MPH.

Laurent, a 35-year-old who uses a wheelchair because of
cerebral palsy, admitted she drove the battery-powered
chair faster than usual Saturday.

She had an excuse: She wanted to get across
Disneyland's Main Street to the Pocahontas show before
the Lion King parade blocked her way.

Another customer complained about being bumped by her
wheelchair.  Laurent denied bumping anyone, but
Disneyland revoked her $199 annual pass for at least a
month.

"I'm extremely sad about it," said Laurent, who visits
the park almost every day.  For the past four years,
Laurent said, she has saved up for a yearly pass out of
her $500 monthly Social Security payments.

It was the third time Laurent had been cited for
speeding.

"The only time I've ever hit someone is if they jump
suddenly in front of me," said Laurent.  "But I always
stop and apologize and make sure they're OK."
==========

New York, New York:

Barton Benes, the Greenwich Village artist who's
getting Larry Hagman's gallstones, said he'll use one
of them to replace a lost diamond from his mother's
ring.

"I'm thrilled to be getting it," said Benes, adding
that he's been friends with the actor for 30 years.

The gallstones were rounded up by surgeons during
Hagman's liver transplant this week.  Benes, whose
speciality is making art of odd objects, notes that
Hagman is a collector of his work and both share "the
same sense of humor -- black humor...Once (Hagman)
mailed me a dead mouse he had found in the pocket of
his pants.  It came Federal Express."

Benes said Hagman also had his mother-in-law give the
artist her gallstones, and he made a necklace of them.
==========

Chicago, Illinois:

Two tourists videotaping friends saying good-bye at
O'Hare International Airport happened to film the theft
of $700,000 worth of diamonds.

An Israeli diamond merchant was checking his baggage
August 6 when a man grabbed a bag containing 800
diamonds and $10,000 in cash.  He tossed the bag to a
second person, who threw it into an open window of a
car which drove away, police said.

Police recognized two suspected Colombian jewel thieves
after reviewing the Kentucky couple's tape, a police
spokesman said.

Jose Lopez, 43, and Anna Guarin, 29, were arrested at
their homes Tuesday.  Police were searching for two
other couples.

At Lopez's apartment, police found $24,500 and a bag
and gem packets like those stolen at the airport.  A
bank safe deposit box also contained $20,000 and 549
gems, including 55 diamonds.
==========

Beijing, China:

Residents of several highly polluted Chinese cities are
stumbling to trendy new bars set up to give them a
breath of pure oxygen to combat increasingly foul air.

The official Xinhua news agency reported that the
oxygen bars are especially popular among young Chinese
who have become increasingly aware that the country has
one of the highest levels of air pollution and the
greatest number of heavily polluted cities.

Some bars offer traffic-police officers one free ten-
minute dose each week because they are exposed to more
pollution than ordinary citizens.
79.1465Horrors!!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Tue Aug 29 1995 15:199
    
    Labor violations cited at N.H. camp
    
    NORTHWOOD, N.H. - The state has fined a Boy Scout camp $72,000 for
    alleged child labor law violations. The state Department of Labor said
    Wah-tut-ca Reservation committed 144 violations this summer, including
    allowing youths under 16 to work more than 8 hours a day and to work
    before 7 a.m. Tom Markham, president of the council that runs the camp,
    denied the violations. (AP)
79.1466SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, ISVETS Palo AltoTue Aug 29 1995 17:414
    hmph!  When I was a fifteen year old scout camp counselor we worked a
    helluva lot more than 8 hours a day.
    
    DougO
79.1467SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Tue Aug 29 1995 17:538
    
    Exactly!!
    
    At 16, I woulda jumped at the chance to make as much money as I
    possibly could!!
    
     Gotta protect them scouts!! Whether they like it or not!!
    
79.1468SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, ISVETS Palo AltoTue Aug 29 1995 19:059
    >Exactly!!
    >
    >    At 16, I woulda jumped at the chance to make as much money as I
    >    possibly could!!
    
    um, we weren't on hourly wages.  I was paid $75 for the whole summer.
    It worked out to less than $1.20/day.
    
    DougO
79.1469NETCAD::WOODFORDOhNO! Not the LAN Mr. Bill!Tue Aug 29 1995 19:087
    
    
    DougO,
    
    If you're looking for sympathy, it comes between s#!t and syphilis
    in the dictionary....  :*)
    
79.1470SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, ISVETS Palo AltoTue Aug 29 1995 19:094
    no, just correcting the mistaken impression of the preceding note.  One
    doesn't work as a scout camp counselor for the money.
    
    Dougo
79.1471NETCAD::WOODFORDOhNO! Not the LAN Mr. Bill!Tue Aug 29 1995 19:094
    
    
    I know...I was just kidding.  Did I forget my smiley?? :*)
    
79.1472SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Tue Aug 29 1995 19:1010
    
    re: .1468
    
    Ummm... Sorry to hear that... I woulda told them to stuff it....
    
    But then again, if you're as old as they say you are, then $1.20/day
    was an awful lot of money back then!!!
    
     :) :) :) :) :) :)
    
79.1473PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Aug 29 1995 19:103
 .1470  we all know it's for the fame.

79.1474NETCAD::WOODFORDOhNO! Not the LAN Mr. Bill!Tue Aug 29 1995 19:1214
    
    
    HEY!  You been talking to my kid lately???
    
    Last week, fossil hunting on vacation, we found one that
    was 300 million years old.  My lovely child turns to me and
    says, "Hey Mom!  This one's even older than YOU!"
    
    
    Such a sweet child.{Picture me ringing his neck!}
    
    :*)
    Terrie
    
79.1475unless his neck is a bell...WAHOO::LEVESQUEthe heat is onTue Aug 29 1995 19:121
    wringing. /hth
79.1476TROOA::COLLINSNothing wrong $100 wouldn't fix.Tue Aug 29 1995 19:123
    
    Save The Trilobites!!
    
79.1477SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Tue Aug 29 1995 19:146
    
    
    Well DougO... not everyone wanted/expected to be a counselor. I had a
    lot more fun and half the aggravation... and more than a few of them
    wished they could trade places with me...
    
79.1478:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberTue Aug 29 1995 19:145
    
    79.1474
    
    Quiet down Granny and eat yer strained peas......it's almost time for
    your nap.
79.1479NETCAD::WOODFORDOhNO! Not the LAN Mr. Bill!Tue Aug 29 1995 19:1624
    
    
    No trilobites....
    
    
    Everything we found was from the carboniferous era.
    We found the following...
    
    bone
    fish scale
    plant pieces
    outlines of leaves and branches
    crushed shells embedded in sandstone
    burned petrified wood
    petrified wood that had crystals growing on it
    calcite formations
    
    Then, on the beach of Parsboro, I found pieces of amethyst.
    
    I have it all at work with me today....shall I bring it
    to the bash tonight?
    
    Terrie
    
79.1480NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 30 1995 12:53135
WEIRDNUZ.390 (News of the Weird, July 28, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In May, the immigration office at Pearson International Airport
in Toronto announced that one of its employees had been
disciplined because of complaints that, under the pretense of
official policy, he had ordered people entering Canada to remove
their shoes and socks so that he could photograph their feet. 
According to officials, the man had already been counseled four
times about his habit. [Sault Star-CP, 5-3-95] 

COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* In December, the Air Force Times reported that Army soldier
Joseph Cannon had recently ended his six-year career having not
received a single military paycheck after boot camp.  Officials
said Cannon's records were lost at his first duty station, but that
he had never complained, though he missed 144 paychecks
totaling over $103,000.  Apparently, Cannon lived in the
barracks, ate only in the mess halls, and borrowed money from
relatives whenever he had special needs. [Air Force Times, 12-5-
94] 

* According to records released in March of the November 1994
autopsy of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, officials kept Dahmer's
body shackled at the feet during the entire procedure, "such was
the fear of this man," according to pathologist Robert
Huntington. [Milwaukee Journal-AP, 3-17-95] 

* In February, a fishing boat sank in rough, cold waters off
Vancouver Island, leaving two men in a life raft that was tied to
the sinking boat by a nylon rope.  Neither had a knife to cut the
rope, and had the ship sunk, it would have pulled the boat and
the men down with it.  For an hour, the two men alternated
chewing the rope, with one man losing a tooth in the process,
and, minutes before the ship sank, the men finally chewed
through the rope and survived. [Vancouver Sun, 2-13-95] 

* According to two colleagues, the pilot of the American Eagle
airlines plane that crashed near Morrisville, N. C., in December
told them and others that he was not qualified to pilot that
particular aircraft and that he accepted a captain's assignment
only when American Eagle told him to accept it or resign.  The
pilot, who had been forced out of his previous job because of
poor skill performance and who had had difficulty during
American Eagle's training, was said by colleagues interviewed by
the Associated Press to have poor emergency decision-making
ability and not to be "captain material." [Greensboro News-
Record-AP, Apr95] 

* According to a New York Times story in May, as many as 20
Orthodox Jewish fathers in New York City who are involved in
bitter divorce fights may be improving their leverage by resorting
to an obscure passage in the Torah.  A father is permitted to
arrange his daughter's marriage while she is still a minor (under
age 13); the daughter can then marry no one else without the
father's permission.  Because a mother so fears for  her
daughter's well-being, she may relent to divorce demands of the
husband if he will drop the arrangement. The Times interviewed
rabbis who called the practice disgusting and abhorrent, but
valid. [N. Y. Times, 5-27-95] 

* In July, a judge in Denver, Colo., ruled that a mother and her
current boyfriend could have temporary custody of her 8-month-
old twin girls, even though DNA tests revealed that the boyfriend
and the woman's estranged husband each fathered one, but not
both, of the girls.  The woman must have ovulated twice during a
single cycle and had intercourse with both men during that cycle.
[Albuquerque Journal-AP, 5-18-95] 

* According to a May story by Reuters columnist Sherwood
Ross, psychic advisors Phyllis Schwartz and Hy Kaplan of
Cherry Hill, N. J., have been retained by nearly 100 firms,
including several of the Fortune 500, to "read" the vibes of
applicants for employment.  According to Kaplan, they need to
know nothing more than name and position applied for, but they
also note age, gender, and residence so they won't "read" the
wrong person of the same name. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4-17-
95] 

* In April in Los Angeles, Ruth Walston filed for divorce from
her husband, actor Ray Walston.  She's 79, he's 80, they've been
married 51 years, and she charged "irreconcilable differences."
[People, 5-8-95] 

NAMES IN THE NEWS

* Names that showed up recently on police blotters:  Pleading
guilty to rape in Denver, William Freelove; sentenced for assault
in St. Joseph, Mo., Jesse James; cited for speeding in Parma,
Ohio, Amelia A. Earhart; charged with assault and burglary in
Moorhead, Minn., was a man who would not give his name and
is thus listed on the rolls as Mr. Fnu Mnu Lnu (derived from
"first name unknown," etc.); and jailed in Des Moines, Iowa,
was Shannon Cooper, who police said went out bar-hopping,
temporarily abandoning her children, Champaigne, 2,
Chardonay, 1, and Chablea, 3 months. [Rocky Mountain News,
4-22-95] [Franklin County Watchman-AP, 2-20-95] [Columbus
Dispatch-AP, Dec94] [Fargo Forum, Dec94] [Des Moines
Register, 11-18-94] 

* Notable announcements in the news recently included the hiring
by a medical clinic in Koloa, Hawaii, of Dr. Michael Cholera;
the success of a new tooth decay preventive by Dutch professor
Taco Pilot; the appointment as county coroner in Spokane,
Wash., of Pat Mummey; and the revelation of fraud uncovered in
a United Nations office in Kenya, as announced by office
spokeswoman, Shamp Poo. [The Garden Island, May95]
[Nashville Tennessean-AP, 4-8-94] [Spokane Spokesman-
Review, 10-22-94] [New York Times-Reuters, 3-3-95]

* California Names:  In Newport Beach, Miss Truly Gold
recently married Cary S. Boring.  The Los Angeles Times
reported that 16 people named Jesus Christ have California
drivers licenses.  The chair of the Polish American Congress,
Anti-Defamation Committee of California, Inc., as of last year
was Teodor Polak. [Albuquerque Journal-AP, 10-10-94] [Los
Angeles Times, 5-2-95] [Los Angeles Times, 1-9-94] 

LEAST COMPETENT PERSON

* In May, police in Halifax, Mass., charged Robert Brinson, 28,
with assembling an Oklahoma City-style fertilizer bomb to blow
up his ex-girlfriend and her family.  Police said one bomb was
found in the woman's bathroom and another in a doghouse
outside, both consisting of turpentine and nails in cans with a
battery and timer.  However, police said the bombs were not
explosive--since Brinson had mistakenly used potting soil instead
of fertilizer. [Boston Herald, 5-23-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released only for entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1481WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Aug 30 1995 16:281
    potting soil in the potty? how appropriate.
79.1482?HANNAH::MODICAJourneyman NoterThu Aug 31 1995 12:3224
    
	Received this in the mail. Wan't sure where to put it.
    	
        
    
    
- ------- Forwarded Message
  The FAA has a device for testing the strength of windshields on airplanes.
  They point this thing at the windshield of the aircraft and shoot a dead
  chicken at about the speed the aircraft normally flies at it.  If the
  windshield doesn't break, it's likely to survive a real collision with a
  bird during flight.

  The British had recently built a new locomotive that could pull a train
  faster than any before it.  They were not sure that its windshield was
  strong enough so they borrowed the testing device from the FAA, reset it
  to approximate the maximum speed of the locomotive, loaded in the dead
  chicken, and fired.  The bird went through the windshield, broke the
  engineer's chair, and made a major dent in the back wall of the engine cab.

  They were quite surprised with this result, so they asked the FAA to check
  the test to see if everything was done correctly.  The FAA checked
  everything and suggested that they might want to repeat the test using a
  thawed chicken.
79.1483SMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 31 1995 12:481
    <--  Brill.  Thanks for the early morning larf.
79.1484:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberThu Aug 31 1995 13:183
    
    
    Yup, good one Hank.
79.1485DEVLPR::DKILLORANDanimalThu Aug 31 1995 13:348
    
    At GE Aircraft Engines there was just such a device.  It was called the
    ice ball/chicken ingestion gun unless I'm very much mistaken.  It was a
    very interesting device.  Watching the video footage of one o' dem
    birds being shot into the engine was always good or a laugh.... :-)
    It was kinda like watching a combination LaMachine/deep fat fryer in
    action....

79.1486GOOEY::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Thu Aug 31 1995 14:554
    
    
    	That is positively hysterical.
    
79.1487DEVLPR::DKILLORANDanimalThu Aug 31 1995 15:053
    
    You had to see it....
    
79.1488The dogs lawyer???? Good grief!HANNAH::MODICAJourneyman NoterThu Aug 31 1995 15:1623
    
    From the Rush Summary notes in alt.fan.rush-limbaugh..
    Show dated 8/24/95  
    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    There's been a new development in an international murder case -
    as Rush reported earlier this week, Lucy, a three-year-old Bull
    Terrier belonging to Lisa O'Brien of Kent, England, was placed
    under arrest for killing a cat. Scotland Yard confirmed that the
    dog had been arrested for being "dangerous and out of control"
    under England's Dangerous Dog Act because she had spotted a cat,
    chased it, caught it, and killed it.
    
    The dog's lawyer said this was a ridiculous case because "dogs
    chase cats. That's what they do, except in this case, the dog
    caught the cat, which was unusual." Rush marvels at this lawyer's
    legal acumen, but there have been new developments in the case.
    
    The woman who is the only eyewitness to the murder of the cat,
    which occurred in her garden, is now calling for Lucy to be
    released. This woman said she didn't want to see the dog
    destroyed because "it still has a life to live," and her call for
    clemency is being echoed by dog lovers worldwide.
79.1489SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Thu Aug 31 1995 15:206
    
    <-------
    
    Before anything else is done, I would check to see whether the
    arresting officer is a racist...
    
79.1490DEVLPR::DKILLORANDanimalThu Aug 31 1995 16:045
    
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA.......<sniff>,<sniff>

    TOOOOOO FUNNY!

79.1491Where's Southaven, Massachusetts?NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 31 1995 16:2382
WhiteBoard News for August 30, 1995 [excerpts]

Santa Fe, New Mexico:

A lawyer in town to lecture on sexual harassment said a
man sneaked up while she was shopping, pointed an
instant camera up her skirt and took a picture.

When the same "creep" did it to her again about 10
minutes later on Friday, three to five young men chased
him down and pinned him in the parking lot, she said,
and the police were called.

"I'd say it's slightly more than ironic to be there
discussing sexual harassment and the workplace and to
have this happen," said 43-year-old Diana Scott of Los
Angeles.

Richard Marquez, 38, was arrested on charges of
creating a public nuisance and disorderly conduct.

Scott, who said she has "very good legs" and was
wearing a very short skirt, was browsing in a shop when
she heard a whirring click.

She said she turned and realized a man had taken a
picture up her skirt.  She said the man ran out, but
when she heard the click again, she got angry.

"It was stupid, but here we were running through the
store," she said.  "I was yelling, 'Stop that guy!'"
Bystanders joined in the chase and quickly pinned the
man to the ground.
==========

Seattle, Washington:

For a mix of no-nonsense and whimsy, it's hard to beat
the name chosen by a group opposed to the proposed new
baseball stadium:  The Committee for More Important
Things.
==========

Southaven, Massachusetts:

By many accounts, including his own, Patrick Michael
Mitchell was the country's best bank robber.

His finely tuned "Stopwatch Gang" snatched millions
from banks across the United States and Canada.  He
estimates he took part in more than 100 heists from
1980 to 1994.

He takes pride in the precision with which gang members
carried out each crime in less than two minutes.

Neither he nor prosecutors would estimate how much he
stole over the years, but agreed the tally was several
million dollars.

The money went fast.

"When you're on the run...You pay $3,000 or $4,000 a
month for an apartment.  You eat in restaurants.  You
buy two or three cars a year because you're always
leaving cars behind," Mitchell said.

But the man once on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list now
faces more than a half-century behind bars.

His cycle of rob, party, capture and escape abruptly
ended February 22, 1994, because of an alert police
chief in Southaven.

Mitchell telephoned police and threatened to blow up
City Hall, certain this would divert attention while he
robbed the bank.  The ploy had worked before, but not
this time.

"There's only nine banks in the whole town and the
police chief sent a police car to every one of them,"
Mitchell said.
79.1492For that person who has everything...EVMS::MORONEYDANGER Do Not Walk on CeilingThu Aug 31 1995 16:315
An airline seat used by the Pope on a flight to Switzerland
(forgot the "from") in 1984 was auctioned off for $18,000.
The seat apparently wasn't used by the pontiff much, he spent
quite a bit of time in the cockpit chatting with the pilot
on that particular flight.
79.1493Was God their copilot?XELENT::MUTHI drank WHAT? - SocratesThu Aug 31 1995 16:471
79.1494Mr bill, talk to meHANNAH::MODICAJourneyman NoterTue Sep 05 1995 12:5111
                                             
    From todays Globe...
    
    London - An anti-depressant drug is giving seom patients an uplifting
    bonus: when they yawn, they have an orgasm.
    
    [text deleted]
    
    The finding could herald a new era in relationships...
    People who experience it would presumably actively seek out the most
    boring person they could find at parties.
79.1495NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 05 1995 13:222
The Wonderbra is being marketed in Russia with the slogan "Say goodbye
to your feet."
79.1496WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Sep 05 1995 16:261
    .1494 so this anti-drepressent, does it coem in six packs?
79.1497WHO DOES THIS WORK ON?PENUTS::COMEAUTue Sep 05 1995 17:1614
    
    
    	Does this work on men and women or just one sex?
    
    	I can imagine this being a real problem for men.
    
    
    	Especially at diner and other formal type functions....
    
    
    
    			DAMC
    
    
79.1498DEVLPR::DKILLORANDanimalTue Sep 05 1995 17:405
    
    > I can imagine this being a real problem for men.
    
    aaahhhhhh...problem is not the word I would have used.... :-)
    
79.1499Book your Florida fishing charters now !!!!!MARKO::MCKENZIECSS - because ComputerS SuckWed Sep 06 1995 13:0340
Prosecutors hook drugs on fishing outing


(c) 1995 Copyright The News and Observer Publishing Co.
(c) 1995 Reuter Information Service

MIAMI (Sep 5, 1995 - 19:12 EDT) - Prosecutors in south
Florida like to brag about reeling in drug dealers, but for the
first time a trio of prosecutors actually hooked the drugs.

Three assistant federal prosecutors landed a 22-pound (10 kg)
package of marijuana as they headed back to Fort Lauderdale
after a holiday fishing trip in Bimini last weekend.

The fishing wasn't very good during the weekend but the trio
had better luck while trawling from their 20-foot (six meter)
boat, the "Intrepid," on the way home.

The boat's owner and skipper, Terrance Thompson, had just
landed a 27-pound (12-kg) tuna when all three prosecutors
spotted a curious item bobbing in the ocean about 20 miles (32
km) east of Fort Lauderdale.

They and colleague Mark Lester -- who goes after the assets
of drug dealers during his work week -- suspected the
package contained drugs but could not be sure until opening the
well-wrapped box.

"The stuff reeked," Boma told Reuters, referring to marijuana's
characteristic odour.

The fishermen later turned the package over to U.S. Coast
Guard officials who met them at sea. The package lacked any
obvious markings to trace its source, Boma said.

"The bad guys are probably still looking for the one that got
away," he said.



79.1500Wacky SNARF!CSOA1::LEECHDia do bheatha.Wed Sep 06 1995 13:441
    
79.1501NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Sep 06 1995 13:445
Follow up to .1076:

Felix Urioste pleaded guilty to one count of communications fraud and one
count of forgery.  He faces up to five years in prison and a $5000 fine on
each charge.  He's free on bail.
79.1502GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberTue Sep 12 1995 14:086
    
    
    Woman has 130 lb ovarian tumor removed, it measured 3' wide.  She went
    from weighing 290 lbs to 150 lbs.
    
      
79.1503just kiddin' of course.....kinda...GAVEL::JANDROWGreen-Eyed Lady...Tue Sep 12 1995 14:135
    
    is that all it takes?!?
    
    
    
79.150410 pound condom.MILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetTue Sep 12 1995 14:533
79.1505GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA memberTue Sep 12 1995 14:562
    
    Maybe they did a bit of lipo while they were at it.  
79.1506Seen in the papers...GAAS::BRAUCHERFrustrated IncorporatedTue Sep 12 1995 16:357
    
      I have read a newsclip that a Kalifornia denizen has been arrested
     for sprinkling his cereal, and also snorting, crematory ashes, in
     hopes of eternal life.  Apparently, eating ashes of deceased humans
     violates Kal.  laws ?
    
      bb
79.1507DEVLPR::DKILLORANDanimalTue Sep 12 1995 17:127
    
    > I have read a newsclip that a Kalifornia denizen has been arrested
    > for sprinkling his cereal, and also snorting, crematory ashes, in
    > hopes of eternal life.
    
    Only in California! 
    
79.1508POLAR::RICHARDSONDarwinian TrilateralismTue Sep 12 1995 17:131
    I don't know what's wrong with sprinkling cereal.
79.1509Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnWed Sep 13 1995 02:082
    Exactly how does someone not manage to notice a 130lb tumor ? I am not
    wise in the ways of such science.
79.1510MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Wed Sep 13 1995 02:166
Not to accuse anyone of recycling Wacky News Briefs (Hi, Mike :^),
but haven't we heard the story about the #100+ ovarian/uterine
tumor enough times to attribute it to either urban legend or a
bad hiccough in the typesetting software at the Weekly World News?


79.1511:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERNRA fighting for our RIGHTSWed Sep 13 1995 11:413
    
    No Jack, that was the 600 lb tumor named Robert.  This is a 130 lb
    tumor named Roberto.
79.1512Millennium Madness, maybe?RUSURE::GOODWINWe upped our standards, now up yours!Wed Sep 13 1995 13:3217
    	   GROUP OFFICIAL ADMITS 'SEX' IN 'LION KING' IS OBSCURE
    
    	A Virginia-based anti-abortion organization complained that the
    word "sex" appeared spelled out in a cloud during the Disney animated
    film "The Lion King."  But an American Life League spokesman said
    Friday that the word was so difficult to detect that it might not be
    construed as a word at all.
    
    	"It's kind of iffy," said Rodney Miller.  "Some people see a cloud,
    kind of wavy lines.  It's hard to see even if you slow it down."
    
    	Thursday the league called for Disney to remove the videocassette
    of the film from stores.
    
    					- From news service reports
    
           
79.1513SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Wed Sep 13 1995 13:4710
    
    <--------
    
    > A Virginia-based anti-abortion organization
    
     Probably some whacko group with 3-5 members in it...
    
    But that should never stop the media from exposing these vile
    individuals!!! 
    
79.1514SPSEG::COVINGTONThere is chaos under the heavens...Wed Sep 13 1995 14:073
    What izzit with Va.?
    
    Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and now this...
79.1515BUSY::SLABOUNTYHoly rusted metal, Batman!Wed Sep 13 1995 14:174
    
    	Must be all the tobacco fumes from NC that's clouding people's
    	minds.
    
79.1516SPSEG::COVINGTONThere is chaos under the heavens...Wed Sep 13 1995 14:222
    Actually, both Phillip Morris and RJR are based in Va. as well. There
    ya go, that explains it.
79.1517Shoulda left that one on the vine a bit longer, JedDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamWed Sep 13 1995 14:225
    re: 130-pound tumor
    
    Formidable, but not even close to the record; see 79.927.
    
    Chris
79.1518Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnThu Sep 14 1995 02:1212
    re .1512
    
    WHO CARES. I wish these people would get thrown in the loony bin. At
    least we wouldn't have to put up with their bs all the time. I mean
    who really cares if you can see the word 'sex' written in the clouds?
    When I was looking up at the clouds the other day I saw some things
    that could possibly be described as completely obscene ! What I would
    really like to know is how many kiddies spotted it and said "mummy what
    does sex mean ?"
    
    These are the kind of people that could turn me into a homicidal
    maniac !!
79.1519POLAR::RICHARDSONKiss my GAKThu Sep 14 1995 02:151
    Not only that, they could make you want to kill a lot of people too!
79.1520Talk HardSNOFS1::DAVISMHappy Harry Hard OnThu Sep 14 1995 02:501
    indeed!!
79.1521If I don't notice it, it doesn't affect meDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamThu Sep 14 1995 13:428
    This reminds me of the nutcase who put out (<-- ooo, subliminal
    message!) a couple of books describing how he saw "SEX" and various
    sexual images in all kinds of magazine ads and TV commercials.
    Usually they were in the reflections from ice cubes in drinks,
    and that kind of thing.  Why would someone sit around and look
    for stuff like this?
    
    Chris
79.1522DEVLPR::DKILLORANDanimalThu Sep 14 1995 14:117
    
    > These are the kind of people that could turn me into a homicidal
    > maniac !!

    This seems to be happening to you a lot recently....hhhhmmmm...
    tell me about your childhood....

79.1523CSC32::M_EVANSnothing's going to bring him backThu Sep 14 1995 14:226
    Aren't these the same people who said one of the men in the wedding
    party of either "The Little Mermaid" or "Beauty and the Beast" looked
    "obviously aroused?"
    
    If this is what repressing sexual feelings in favor of abstinence does,
    I think I will remain hedonistic.
79.1524BUSY::SLABOUNTYHoly rusted metal, Batman!Thu Sep 14 1995 14:3019
    
    	And I think the cover of "The Little Mermaid" features some sort
    	of castle tower that looks strangely similar to a large penis.
    
    	Or some movie like that.  I think that was the one.
    
    
    	In general, people have too much time on their hands.  I can't
    	relate to that, because I receive a weekly check via a full-time
    	job, as compared to all these non-working mothers or unemployment
    	collectors *who have nothing better to do than sit around and look
    	for things to complain about* ... and worse than that, they comp-
    	lain about things that no one else, under "normal" circumstances,	
    	would even notice.
    
    	* - oops, I forgot ... they do more than "nothing", since they
    	also find the time to organize protests and march around comp-
    	laining about things where lots of people can see them.
    
79.1525POWDML::HANGGELIPetite Chambre des MauditesThu Sep 14 1995 14:416
    
    >>non-working mothers
    
    Oxymoron.
    
    
79.1526SPSEG::COVINGTONThere is chaos under the heavens...Thu Sep 14 1995 14:427
    .1524
    
    It wasn't the cover, it was the promotional poster distributed to
    theaters and video stores. The tower in the rear center is OBVIOUSLY a
    penis and looks NOTHING like the others. Not subtle at all, once you've
    seen it. I have, and there's no doubt about it - someone was having a
    bad (or good?) day at Disney.
79.1527WAHOO::LEVESQUEsunlight held together by waterThu Sep 14 1995 14:432
    I'm sure he meant non-externally employed mothers. Everybody knows
    mothering is a lot of work.
79.1528BUSY::SLABOUNTYHoly rusted metal, Batman!Thu Sep 14 1995 14:475
    
    	Yes, thank you.  I would never say that being a mother is easy.
    	I have one, and I don't know why she never killed me before I
    	reached 16.  8^)
    
79.1529GOOEY::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Thu Sep 14 1995 14:4810
    
    
    	Gee....kinda like the guy that used to work for whichever
    	company it is that makes Renuzit air freshener.  He got fired.
    	As revenge, just before he left, he put a drawing of a penis
    	in amongst the flowers pictured on the can.  No one noticed.
    	After a consumer noticed and called, they had to recall all
    	of that scent Renuzit.  WAAF had a field day when they heard
    	about that one!
    
79.1530It really stands outDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamThu Sep 14 1995 14:4813
    >> It wasn't the cover, it was the promotional poster distributed to
    >> theaters and video stores. The tower in the rear center is OBVIOUSLY a
    >> penis and looks NOTHING like the others. Not subtle at all, once you've
    >> seen it. I have, and there's no doubt about it - someone was having a
    >> bad (or good?) day at Disney.
    
    It's definitely on the video case cover that I've seen (I believe it
    was, er, pulled from distribution and a new one's there now).  This
    is one case where it's not one of those subliminal, wacko things;
    it's unmistakably a penis, and while it doesn't jump out at you,
    you can't help but notice it once it's pointed out to you.
    
    Chris
79.1531MAIL2::CRANEThu Sep 14 1995 14:493
    .1528
    My family told me that the cost of bullets were to expensive to waiste.
    :')
79.1532SX4GTO::OLSONDoug Olson, ISVETS Palo AltoThu Sep 14 1995 16:1710
    > Aren't these the same people who said one of the men in the wedding
    > party of either "The Little Mermaid" or "Beauty and the Beast"
    > looked "obviously aroused?"
    
    Yes, they're the same people.  In that case, the suspect was the
    clergyman (Ariel's wedding) and Disney said the supposed errection was
    his knee.  Economist last week had an article about these people- they
    sound like nutters to me.
    
    DougO
79.1533CHEFS::COOKSHalf Man,Half BiscuitThu Sep 14 1995 16:305
    I thought the BBC had a great sense of humour in the kids cartoon
    Captain Pugwash,with 2nd in command "Master Bates" and "Seaman Stains".
    
    ho!ho!
    
79.1534CSC32::J_OPPELTWanna see my scar?Fri Sep 15 1995 19:28136
WEIRDNUZ.391 (News of the Weird, August 4, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In "News of the Weird" in January 1991, the plight of Merhan
"Alfred" Nasseri, 49, was celebrated.  He was well into his third
year as a full-time resident of the lounges of Charles de Gaulle
Airport in Paris because he was unable to enter or leave France. 
(He arrived in 1988 on a two-day trip but without a passport or
visa.  He said his Iranian passport had been confiscated when he
took part in an anti-Shah demonstration in 1975.)  Airport
employees were bringing him food and newspapers, and he
passed the time writing in his diary and studying the history of
economic analysis.  Well, according to a Los Angeles Times
story in May 1995, he's still stuck there, and his diary is now
6,000 pages long. [Seattle Times-L. A. Times, 5-20-95]

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION

* In April, New York Newsday reported that the owners of the
Exxon Valdez, which was banned from its profitable Alaska
route following the 1989 oil spill, has applied to the Maritime
Administration for a federal subsidy, which the owners say is
necessary to make any other uses of the ship profitable. [New
York Newsday, 4-2-95] 

* The Xinhua news agency in China reported in June that six men
had just been executed for producing bogus "paid-up" tax
invoices.  And also in China in June, Zhang Guangming was
sentenced to life in prison in Shaanxi province for killing a
panda. [Toronto Star, 6-16-95; Boston Herald-Reuter, 6-27-95] 

* In June, what was described as the "Annual Death-Row
Banquet" at Eddyville prison in Kentucky was canceled after
word of it was widely reported for perhaps the first time ever. 
The banquet would have brought together the 28 death-row
inmates plus 125 guests that included inmates' family and
friends, inmates' lawyers, and death-penalty opponents.  Victims'
rights organizations said they were shocked to learn of the
banquet. [Louisville Courier-Journal, 6-30-95] 

* In 1992, an advisor to Russian President Boris Yeltsen
proposed that emergency relief food and supplies could be placed
in the nuclear warhead housing of an SS-18 intercontinental
ballistic missile and fired into remote areas of the world as
humanitarian aid.  That suggestion was not accepted, but the
ITAR-Tass news agency reported in June that an SS-18 launched
from a nuclear submarine near Murmansk, across nine time
zones, delivered 1,270 pieces of mail to Kamchatka. [Chicago
Sun-Times, Jun95] 

* Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported in
February that a new fuel would soon be used in U. S. war
missiles, including Hellfires, TOWs, and Sidewinders.  Among
the fuel's benefits were higher performance and less heat--and the
fact that it gave off less air pollution on the way to the target.
[Aviation Week & Space Technology, 2-27-95] 

* In April, trustees of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Louisville, Ky., endorsed their president's position that new
faculty hires must adhere to the belief that the Bible prohibits
female pastors.  One week later, to the trustees' chagrin, in the
Seminary's annual Francisco Preaching Awards competition, the
top three finishers were Ms. Kimberly Baker, Ms. Mary Beth
McCloy, and Ms. Dixie Petrey. [Christian Century, 6-7-95] 

* In January, the maternity unit of Rockyview Hospital in
Calgary, Alberta, which requires mothers to complete the
provincial registration records of their births with a black pen,
stopped lending the pens and began charging 25 cents each for
them. [Sault Star-CP, 1-12-95] 

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* In Kennewick, Wash., in June, while on location for a story on
beekeepers, TV reporter Mychal Limric, 24, was stung on the
head about 30 times by bees apparently attracted to his hair gel. 
The subject of the piece, beekeeper Irv Pfeiffer, tried to help
Limric by covering him immediately with a protective hood, but
did not realize that there were many bees inside the hood, as
well. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6-21-95] 

* In February, Hong Kong legislator Eric Li proposed a law to
strengthen the family by limiting extramarital affairs.  Li would
ban affairs that involve financial support to the mistress or which
produce children; however, affairs that involved neither of those
conditions and which had not reached their second anniversary
would be legal. [New Haven Register, 2-18-95] 

* In June, Barbara Ricci was voted by fellow contestants as Mrs.
Congeniality in the Mrs. New York State pageant, receiving 22
of the 28 votes.  However, in January, she had gone to trial in
Mount Vernon, N. Y., on charges that she tried to drive over the
11-year-old daughter of a neighbor with whom she had been
feuding, but a hung jury resulted, and a second trial was pending
at press time.  And in an unrelated incident in 1993, she pleaded
guilty to harassment of a police officer, who had said Mrs. Ricci
had punched and kicked him at a school board meeting. [N. Y.
Times, 6-7-95] 

* In April, a South African Airways plane headed home had to
return to the London airport when fire alarms sounded.  The
alarms were triggered by the heat, and flatulence, produced by 72
prize stud pigs in the cargo hold. [Chicago Tribune-Reuters, 4-7-
95] 

* In February, in Edmonton, Alberta, a man driving three family
members passed out briefly behind the wheel of their car and
collided with another car, careened out of control, and struck a
utility pole.  None was seriously hurt.  According to police, the
father had become woozy from listening to his 22-year-old son
describe for the family the bloody extraction of his wisdom teeth
earlier in the day. [Sault Star-CP, 2-25-95] 

* In perhaps the first reported case of gay male "Bobbittry" since
John and Lorena Bobbitt came to national attention in 1993,
Mark Aaron Krebs, 35, was charged with slashing his lover's
scrotum in Bristol, Tenn., in June, in a fit of jealousy.
[[Kingsport Daily News, Jun95]] 

LEAST COMPETENT PERSON

* Steven Kemble, 21, was arrested in St. George, Utah, in
March when he attempted to flee the Tom Tom CD's & Tapes
store after allegedly shoplifting a CD.  After being detained
briefly by a clerk, he then broke free, dashed out the door, and
ran smack into a pillar in front of the store, knocking himself
briefly unconscious. [St. George Spectrum, 3-30-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released only for entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.


79.1535CSC32::J_OPPELTWanna see my scar?Fri Sep 15 1995 19:4033
      <<< Note 79.1532 by SX4GTO::OLSON "Doug Olson, ISVETS Palo Alto" >>>

>    Yes, they're the same people.  In that case, the suspect was the
>    clergyman (Ariel's wedding) and Disney said the supposed errection was
>    his knee.  Economist last week had an article about these people- they
>    sound like nutters to me.
    
    	The group has identified at least three Disney subliminals.  The
    	erection occurs in Little Mermaid when Eric is marrying Ursula
    	(under her spell).  You have to run it in slo-mo to really see it,
    	for it lasts only three frames or so but it is certainly not a 
    	knee.  Actually what you see is his tunic spring out from between
    	the flaps of his outer stole.  It's pretty distinct -- in slo-mo.
    	And the phallus in the castle is clear and distinct on the cover
    	of the original-issue video.  I suppose this group isn't concerned
    	about it because the image has been touched up in subsequent
    	shippings.  (I wonder if the original cases are worth something...)
    
    	The s-e-x that's supposed to appear in the Lion King when the
    	young-adult Simba flops into the dust could not be seen by these
    	eyes -- even in slo-mo.  I'm surprised that this group hasn't
    	zeroed in on the supposed homosexual overtones of the Scar
    	character.
    
    	And in Aladdin, when Aladdin rides his magic carpet to Jasmine's 
    	balcony to woo her, he is confronted by her protective tiger.  
    	While the genie and the carpet are discussing Aladdin's progress, 
    	you can hear Aladdin offscreen trying to talk down the threatening 
    	beast.  At one point he says something like "Good kitty.  Get up 
    	and go away" or something like that.  It's muffled and mumbled.  
    	But if you are listening for it, you can hear those same words 
    	appear to say, "Good teenagers take off their clothes."  Don't 
    	try listening to this part in slo-mo.  Or in reverse.  :^)
79.1536BUSY::SLABOUNTYHoly rusted metal, Batman!Fri Sep 15 1995 19:443
    
    	That guy has been living in an airport in France for 7 years?
    
79.1537:)SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Fri Sep 15 1995 19:457
    
    
    What is it real-estate people tout??
    
    
    
    Location... location... location!!!!!
79.1538Leave the nice panda alone, kidsDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamFri Sep 15 1995 20:0414
>> And also in China in June, Zhang Guangming was
>> sentenced to life in prison in Shaanxi province for killing a
>> panda. [Toronto Star, 6-16-95; Boston Herald-Reuter, 6-27-95] 
    
    Then he got off easy... theoretically (at least according to
    the sources I'd read while helping one of the kids with a school
    report last year), he could have been executed in China for
    killing a panda.
    
    Most estimates say that there are less than 1,000 pandas left
    in the world.  The Chinese have become extremely protective
    of them.
    
    Chris
79.1539'specially that big cloudy one on the horizonDECWIN::RALTOStay in bed, float upstreamFri Sep 15 1995 20:0710
>> * In 1992, an advisor to Russian President Boris Yeltsen
>> proposed that emergency relief food and supplies could be placed
>> in the nuclear warhead housing of an SS-18 intercontinental
>> ballistic missile and fired into remote areas of the world as
>> humanitarian aid.
    
    <set voice/tone=Paul_Lynde>
    
    Yes, just don't eat the mushrooms.
    
79.1540GOOEY::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Sep 15 1995 20:438
    
    
    	
    
    	ditto .1538
    
    	I would have done worse to him.
    
79.1541Study : The more hens play, the more they lay.GAAS::BRAUCHERFrustrated IncorporatedFri Sep 22 1995 14:1711
    Jerusalem (AP) - An Israeli scientist says farmers who have already wired
  their chicken coops for classical music should go one step further to
  boost their hens' egg outlay : Give them toys to play with.
    According to a study released yesterday, colorful plastic toys in hens'
  cages soothe the birds' nerves and help them lay more eggs.  "The calmer
  atmosphere particularly increases the chances of the weaker chickens in
  the social order to survive and to produce better laying results," the
  Hebrew University of Jerusalem said of the study conducted by Dr. Gadi
  Gvaryahu  of the agricultural faculty.

79.1542PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Sep 22 1995 14:183
	L'eggos?

79.1543BUSY::SLABOUNTYI'll kiss the dirt and walk awayFri Sep 22 1995 14:323
    
    	One 'g', Lady Di.
    
79.1544PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Sep 22 1995 14:428
    
>>    	One 'g', Lady Di.

    er, no... that was the whole point, shawn dear.
    it was a joke, see.  but i'm still not giving up
    my day job, don't worry.
    

79.1545BUSY::SLABOUNTYI'll kiss the dirt and walk awayFri Sep 22 1995 15:335
    
    	OK, I missed it.
    
    	Now it's funny.  8^)
    
79.1546CNTROL::JENNISONRevive us, Oh LordMon Sep 25 1995 12:107
	If houses full of colored plastic toys were nerve
	soothing, we'd have a lot fewer mothers on Prozac.

	
	

79.1547NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 06 1995 15:53135
WEIRDNUZ.392 (News of the Weird, August 11, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Russell Herman died of cancer at the V. A. hospital in Marion,
Ill., in August 1994 and left a will bequeathing "trillions" of
dollars to various institutions and people who are now demanding
to be paid.  Herman believed that he was a "deep cover" CIA
agent involved in drug-smuggling and that his estate was
therefore due trillions of dollars in government compensation,
and his wife and other claimants and potential claimants (many of
them right-wing and militia types) have filed papers in Gallatin
County, Ill., where the will was processed, charging a
government coverup.  Among the beneficiary causes are a
municipal rehabilitation in Cave-in-Rock, Ill. ($2.4 billion) and
the fight for "states' rights" ($189 trillion).  Also, Mrs. Herman
has an 1875 Peruvian gold certificate that she says would be
worth trillions if only the government would let her cash it in.
[Chicago Tribune, 6-13-95] 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

* The Washington Post reported in May that a religious campaign
on women's wigs is being waged in Jerusalem, with "ultra-
Orthodox" Jews declaring that the wig is an insufficient covering
for the head of a married woman and that a woman wearing a
wig is "preparing herself for hell," in the words of one public
slogan.  Another wall message announces, "When the Messiah
comes, the first thing he will do is eliminate the wig."
[Washington Post, 5-28-95] 

* A Tokyo fabrics worker, Keiko Yoshida, 32, announced in
April that she had invented women's underwear that will
automatically shred itself in extremely hot water.  She believes it
will be a big seller because the government recently required
garbage to be packaged in transparent bags, making traditionally
modest Japanese women wary of actually throwing out their old
underwear. [Barrie Examiner-AP, 4-18-95] 

* According to a New York Times report, one of the hottest
selling Christmas gifts last season in Japan was a child's version
of the electronic organizer--because it contained not only
calendars and phone directories, as the adult models contain, but
also a "virtual pet" computer program so that Japanese kids can
"play with" dogs and cats in the many apartment buildings that
ban pets. [New York Times, 12-21-94] 

* Wild Blue, an indoor beach park in Yokohama, Japan,
reviewed by the Baltimore Sun in a June story, is host on a
typical weekend day to 4,000 people who pay about $46 to get
in, plus steep rental prices for beach chairs and bodyboards. 
Among the "perfect" features:  90-degree "weather," 86-degree
artificial waves, 86-degree artificial sand on a rubberized floor,
and time-controlled sunlight to simulate peak tanning as well as
sunsets.  Said visitor Akihito Nakayama, "It's artificial.  That's
why we like it." [Baltimore Sun, 6-14-95] 

* The visitors' policy at Providence St. Vincent hospital in
Portland, Ore., is similar to many:  no more than 2 at a time in a
patient's room, 2 waiting outside, 4 waiting in the lobby.  In
March, the hospital ejected 60 Gypsies who had come to help
heal a 55-year-old woman.  Her nephew said he thought the
Gypsies were exercising restraint by not bringing along all 200
family members. [The Oregonian, 3-7-95] 

* In March, Pakistani stock brokers led ten goats through the
Karachi Stock Exchange out to the parking lot, where they were
slaughtered in a sacrifice intended to end the recent slide of the
Exchange.  At the next morning's opening, the Exchange's index
continued to fall--12.57 points to a 16-month low of 1,683.
[Chicago Sun-Times, 3-21-95] 

JUST CAN'T STOP MYSELF

* Jerome Sly, 51, was arrested in Findlay, Ohio, in April and
charged with stalking a woman he had met only once, in 1964. 
He had recently sent her roses and a stack of letters he had
written after tracking her down from an obituary of her mother. 
Though he had not seen her for 31 years, he had certainly been
thinking about her:  In Sly's house, police found 62 gifts for her
(Christmas, birthday each year), champagne and toasting glasses,
and a pair of wedding rings. [Washington Post, 4-9-95] 

* Eric P. Wilson, 40, was convicted of burglarizing a home in
Roanoke, Va., in March.  He was done in by his obsession with
shining his shoes, which he does several times a day with the
polish and personalized cloth he carries with him.  Wilson had
paused during the burglary to polish his shoes and accidentally
left the rag and fingerprinted can of polish behind. [Roanoke
Times & World-News, Mar95] 

* In April, convicted pedophile Norman Bernick, 77, was back in
jail while a Newport News, Va., judge deliberated his
punishment for violating probation.  Bernick had been convicted
in 1994 of having sex with an inflatable doll in front of children.
[Newport News Daily Press, Apr95] 

* Steven R. Shenk, 38, was arrested on drug possession charges
in Tewksbury, N. J., in May after a neighbor complained of his
odd behavior.  Allegedly, Shenk crawled around his yard on all
fours, ate grass and leaves, approached a small cart the neighbor
uses in working on his lawn, hugged it, and undulated against it
as if having sex. [Bridgewater Courier-News, May95] 

* The district attorney of Rockland County, N. Y., resigned in
May after a former mistress revealed secrets about their three-
year affair.  According to the woman, Ken Gribetz made a
"contract" to be her sex slave, referred to himself on her
answering machine tape as a "bad girl," and stored his cross-
dressing wardrobe (including a gold lame miniskirt) in her home. 
[New York Daily News, 5-4-95] 

* In August in Leonia, N. J., Kevin Simpkin, 27, was arrested
and charged with stealing a Snapple beverage delivery truck
while dressed in a Snapple driver's uniform and Snapple T-shirt. 
He had recently been fired from his job at a Snapple office
because he was allegedly stealing the merchandise.  After
interviewing him, police Lt. Arthur Greiner said that Simpkin
"just has an uncontrollable appetite for Snapple beverages."
[Edmonton Journal, 4-19-95; Arlington Heights Daily Herald, 4-
19-95] 

MISCELLANEOUS ELOQUENCE

* According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune's June roundup
of wisdom from the just-completed session of the Louisiana
legislature, Rep. John Travis of Jackson, La., said (when
opposing an apparently-popular measure):  "I can't believe that
we are going to let a majority of the people decide what's best for
this state." [Times-Picayune, 6-21-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material, or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1548NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 06 1995 15:57126
WEIRDNUZ.393 (News of the Weird, August 18, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In July, U. S. Rep. Jack Metcalf of Washington revealed that
the U. S. Forest Service and a state agency had planned to spend
$18,000 to dye rocks gray and brown along a scenic highway in
the Cascade Mountains--because the rocks otherwise would not
look sufficiently natural for tourists.  According to Metcalf,
colorization projects have been undertaken in the past because
rocks, newly-exposed after construction, do not achieve a
weathered look rapidly enough.  (Later in the month, the project
was postponed.) [Montgomery Advertiser-AP, 7-28-95] 

WEIRD SCIENCE

* The Wall Street Journal reported in May that Dutch farmers
can now purchase machines to allow cows self-service milking. 
A cow desiring to be milked approaches the milking machine's
robot, which is activated by a computer chip in the cow's collar. 
A typical farmer saves about four hours a day, and, said one,
"The cows tend to like it." [San Jose Mercury News-Wall Street
Journal, 5-9-95] 

* In an April column in Toronto's Globe & Mail, Dr. Shafiq
Qaadri selected memorable gastrointestinal patients from his
practice and celebrated their "award-winning" problems in detail: 
Greatest Number of Parasites taken from a patient, Most Obscure
Parasite, Best Vomit, and Best Stool.  The latter two awards were
won by African men whose excretions had yielded worms, each
about six inches long, with the stool worm being pregnant
carrying 10 babies. [Globe & Mail, 4-22-95] 

* In March, Gannett News Service reported that among the
maladies being studied as part of returning soldiers' "Gulf war
syndrome" were complaints by "scores" of wives that their
husbands' sperm painfully "burns" them on discharge.  Among
the symptoms were blisters, rashes, itching, and vaginal swelling.
[Chicago Sun-Times-Gannett, 3-5-95] 

* At a March conference, a University of Pennsylvania
radiologist told colleagues he had successfully sterilized all 17
rabbits in his experiment by squirting a substance similar to Super
Glue into their fallopian tubes and said he would seek FDA
approval to test his procedure on women.  And in May, Pacer
Technologies announced it was seeking FDA and Department of
Agriculture approval for using a variant of its Super Glue to
prevent salmonella contamination by sealing the rectums of
chickens and turkeys.  The product would be known as Rectite.
[New Haven Register-AP, 3-29-95] [Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
(Ontario, Calif.), 5-16-95] 

* In a March issue of New England Journal of Medicine, a 45-
year-old Houston, Tex., plastic surgeon described how, when
feeling dizzy after receiving an electrical shock, he hooked
himself up to the office defibrillator and gave himself two
massive jolts to slow down his heart, thus saving his life. [New
Haven Register-AP, 3-2-95] 

OOPS!

* In June, Troy Harding, 19, was released from a Portland, Ore.,
hospital three weeks after he turned around abruptly when talking
to friends and walked into the radio antenna of his car.  The
antenna went up his nose almost four inches, pierced his sinus,
and entered his brain, coming to rest in his pituitary gland.
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6-8-95] 

* In May, Edmond Scrivens, 48, an inspector at the "solid waste
transfer station" near Rockville, Md., was buried under a
truckload of hospital refuse dumped by a driver who did not see
him.  Unable to move except to operate his radio, he called out,
gave instructions as to his location, and waited about 20 minutes
until rescue workers dug him out. [Washington Post, 5-18-95] 

* In June, police in Clearwater, Fla., were called to the
apartment shared by Kenneth Anderson, 23, and Lisa Moses,
who were having a domestic quarrel.  As one of the officers
counseled Moses in a bedroom, he happened to see three duffel
bags on the bed at about the same time that he began to smell
marijuana.  Three thick plastic bags of $20 and $50 bills were
also on the bed.  Inside the duffel bags, officers found about
$23,000 worth of marijuana. [St. Petersburg Times, 6-2-95] 

* Missouri coroner William Gum told reporters in May that
Emmitt Foster, who had just been executed by lethal injection,
had remained alive for 30 minutes because the leather straps
binding him to the table actually prevented the flow of drugs
through his veins.  After officials noticed the straps' tightness and
loosened them, Foster died quickly. [Greenville (S. C.) News, 5-
6-95] 

* The 9-foot-tall, 800-pound statue of Babe Ruth unveiled at the
entrance to the Baltimore Orioles' stadium in May is a model of
the artist Susan Luery's lavish attention to detail, down to the
size of the Babe's belt loops.  However, the Babe is shown
holding a glove to be worn on the left hand, when actually he
was a lifelong left-handed thrower. [Columbia Tribune-AP, 6-12-
95] 

* In June, a couple in their 30s revealed to newspapers in the
Netherlands their partially successful 1993 in-vitro fertilization
experience in one of the country's most prestigious clinics.  The
process was successful in that the mother had twins; however,
due apparently to a test-tube cleaning error, the University
Hospital at Utrecht admitted that the mother's eggs had been
fertilized not only with her husband's sperm but also with that of
another man.  The couple is white, the other man is black, and
the resulting twins are one of each color. [N. Y. Times, 6-28-95] 

* Near Kansas City, Mo., in June, 30,000 pounds of Jif peanut
butter glopped onto I-70 from an 18-wheeler that overturned after
hitting another truck. [Kansas City Star, 6-29-95] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In May in the Bronx, N. Y., former Boy Scout leader David
Weiser, 31, was charged with assault in connection with a private
club he ran whose induction ceremony seemed to be the severe
paddling of boys' buttocks.  About 40 boys and young men were
members, and police seized photographs and wooden paddles
from the club, as well as club records and copies of its by-laws. 
Unexplained in news reports was why Weiser called the club the
"CB Mafia" and what the club did, other than recruit new
members. [New York Times, 5-18-95] 
79.1549WAHOO::LEVESQUEsunlight held together by waterFri Oct 06 1995 16:009
79.1550NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 06 1995 16:05131
WEIRDNUZ.394 (News of the Weird, August 25, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In June in Van Nuys, Calif., Raphael Dale Rodriguez, 24, was
charged with beating his girlfriend (maximum fine in California,
$1,000) and strangling her pet rabbit (maximum fine, $20,000).  
In December, two Oklahoma police officers faced charges--one
of beating his girlfriend so badly she suffered a ruptured eardrum
(maximum jail time in Oklahoma, 90 days), and the other of
kicking a cat at the Oklahoma City airport (maximum prison
time, 5 years).  And in Tallahassee, Fla., in May, sheriff's
deputies charged Aaron Moore with bludgeoning his mother to
death and were set to charge his friend, David Baity, with having
sex with her corpse when they discovered that there is no law in
Florida against having sex with a corpse. [Los Angeles Times, 6-
28-95] [Columbia Tribune-AP, 12-26-94] [St. Petersburg Times-
AP, 7-11-95] 

POLICE BLOTTER

* In May, state police in Tennessee arrested Jack Allan Iles and
charged him with telephone harassment after he called in a bomb
threat to the office of the state attorney general in Nashville. 
According to the employee who received the call, Iles threatened
to deliver an Oklahoma City-style bomb but then asked for the
address of the office. [The Tennessean, 5-4-95] 

* A man escaped after robbing a First National Bank branch in
Farmington, N. Mex., in March and brandishing a road flare that
he called a bomb.  Police later discovered that his getaway car
was a white Dodge Caravan that he had just taken out for a test
drive from a local dealer and which he returned immediately after
pulling off the robbery. [Albuquerque Journal, 3-28-95] 

* In March, in Bristol, Ind., someone burglarized an apartment
and stole a Sega video game.  The only lead police had was that
the burglar used the toilet during the crime but did not flush. 
The victim's daughter solved the crime by pointing out a 13-year-
old neighbor boy who was well known around the apartment
complex for not flushing. [Elkhart Truth, 3-9-95] 

* In July, Jeffrey F. Mull, 32, reported to the police in
Mifflinburg, Pa., that someone had broken into his trailer home
while he was sleeping and stolen the dentures out of his mouth. 
Said police Sgt. George Fausnaught, when questioned by
reporters, "It could be any number of things." [Bloomsburg Press
Enterprise, 7-19-95] 

* In Boston in July, veteran criminal Nick George Montos, 78,
who was the first person ever to make the FBI's Ten Most
Wanted list twice, was arrested in an unsuccessful antique store
robbery.  Owner Sonia Paine, 73, grabbed an aluminum bat and
smacked Montos three times, knocking him to his knees. When
police arrived a short time later, Paine slugged him again to
knock a gun out of his hand. [Austin American-Statesman-AP,
Jul95] 

* Ricky Rose, 34, was charged with armed robbery in Raleigh,
N. C., in May after taking a man's wallet at a gas station by
threatening him with a stapler in his ribs.  Questioned by a
Raleigh News & Observer reporter, police said they did not know
whether the stapler was loaded. [Raleigh News & Observer, 5-
26-95] 

* Jay Stanton Liebenow, 37, was arrested in Bethesda, Md., in
July and charged with robbing a CVS pharmacy.  According to
police, Liebenow successfully robbed the store of drugs, but was
caught when he returned a few minutes later because he had
forgotten to steal syringes. [Montgomery Gazette, 7-19-95] 

PEOPLE UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

* Grocery store owner John A. Tavlian was placed under
citizen's arrest in March after a confrontation with a Frito Lay
delivery man, who had removed non-Frito Lay products that
Tavlian had displayed on a Frito-Lay rack.  Allegedly, Tavlian
threatened to kill the man by pummeling him, over and over,
with packages of potato chips. [Foothill Leader (Glendale,
Calif.), 3-8-95] 

* In May, a New Jersey judge sentenced Karen Dobrzelecki, 20,
to 13 years in prison for strangling her newborn baby. 
According to the judge, the woman had earlier refused to abort
the fetus because of her Catholic beliefs. [Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, 5-13-95] 

* In May, a woman telephoned police in Durham, N. C., to file
a missing persons report on her son, Darryl Wayne Byrd, 38.   
The woman described him as 6-feet tall and 180 lbs., last
residing in the 500 block of Holloway Street.  She said she last
heard from him in May 1977. [Durham Herald-Sun, 5-3-95] 

* In February, on the day after New York Gov. George Pataki
proposed that convicted rapists be forced to take an AIDS test (to
let victims know if they are at risk), Brooklyn Assemblyman
Joseph Lentol was critical.  He accused Pataki of trying to
"demean" sex criminals. [N. Y. Post, 2-2-95] 

* Eleven days after the Oklahoma City bombing, promoters the
Suncoast Gun Show in Tampa, Fla., told dealers not to display
military manuals and books that contain recipes for napalm and
Molotov cocktails.  Said one dealer, to the St. Petersburg Times: 
"We're totally surrounded by guns, but they don't want me to
sell a book?" [St. Petersburg Times, 4-30-95] 

* An April Gannett News Service story described how some TV
stations have assured the Federal Communications Commission in
official documents that they have met their legal obligation to
serve "children's educational and informational needs."  Among
the controversial assurances was the one of WLWT in Cincinnati,
which listed two "Donahue" shows, "Teenage Strippers and Their
Moms" and "Parents Who Allow Teenagers to Have Sex at
Home." [Burlington Free Press, Apr95] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* In Waukesha, Wis., in May, James Oswald, 50, was convicted
of murdering a police officer and kidnaping hostages during an
escape from a bank robbery and sentenced to two life terms in
prison plus 625 years.  Oswald, who acted as his own attorney,
suggested to the judge the alternative sentence of an ancient-
Roman-style "trial by combat," in which he and one of the
officer's sons would be given guns and would fight it out, with
the more divinely-blessed person prevailing. [AP wirecopy, 5-31-
95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1551NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 06 1995 16:10126
WEIRDNUZ.395 (News of the Weird, September 1, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In March, police in New York City charged salesman Joel
Levy, 32, with assault.  According to police, Levy's live-in
girlfriend arrived home unexpectedly after Levy had just put in
an order for a call girl to come over.  Levy improvised a plan to
intercept "Brandy" in his building's lobby, have a liaison, and
then to dash back upstairs before his girlfriend got suspicious. 
When he saw a good-looking woman in the lobby, Levy assumed
it was Brandy, nudged her into an elevator, and, according to
police, pawed and fondled her while waving a $50 bill, saying,
"You know you want it.  You know you'll do anything for it." 
The woman was not Brandy but rather an assistant district
attorney from Brooklyn. [N. Y. Post, 3-10-95] 

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

* Until July, when the state passed a law to correct the problem,
hospitals in Alabama were allowed to charge rape victims for the
forensic exams from which evidence, such as sperm and blood
samples, were gathered against the perpetrators.  In other
Alabama crimes such as burglary, the forensic examination for
blood, fingerprints, etc., is paid for by the state. [N. Y. Times,
7-25-95] 

* In July, an official in the office that supervises road
construction crews in Minneapolis issued a directive, in response
to complaints, that workers stop "eyeing," "staring at," or
"ogl[ing]" women while on duty.  In a subsequent clarification,
the official said "sneak[ing] a look" would be okay and said men,
as well, should not be ogled. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7-19-
95, 7-20-95] 

* Elifonso Lopez, 39, was recently granted a new trial after five
years of protesting his innocense of his 1990 rape conviction.  
An investigation into law enforcement records by The
Brownsville (Tex.) Herald revealed that Lopez had an ironclad 
alibi that was ignored at his trial:  He was in prison serving a
sentence for drunken driving when the rape occurred. [Houston
Chronicle-AP, 6-18-95] 

* In July, the U. S. Department of Transportation proposed to
liberalize its procedure for drug-testing employees who have "shy
bladders."  Currently, such employees are given 24 ounces of
fluid within 2 hours to encourage urination.  The Department
proposes 40 ounces over 4 hours, and on July 25 issued a 4,800-
word Federal Register notice explaining its proposal. [Federal
Register, 7-25-95, p. 38200-38203] 

* According to records disclosed in July by an Associated Press
inquiry, Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles, who makes just over
$100,000 a year, has a lower salary than 796 other state
employees, including his own chief of staff. [St. Petersburg
Times-AP, 7-30-95] 

* In March, twelve hours before a massive, extensively-planned
drug raid was to take place in Washington, D. C., the D. C.
Department of Public and Assisted Housing issued a press release
praising its role in the raid.  Officials thus had to call off the
operation, rendering practically useless eight months' planning,
coordination among four law-enforcement agencies, and a large
number of arrest and search warrants obtained by thousands of
hours of investigation, surveillance, and undercover drug buys.
[Washington Post, 3-23-95] 

* In April, the National Endowment for the Humanities
announced a $559,500 grant to the American Association of
Community Colleges to answer the question, "What is an
American?" [Washington Times, 4-13-95] 

* In March, the U. S. Supreme Court let stand a 1988 decision
that Paul E. Spragens, a quadriplegic man who earns money
typing with his toes, be kicked off the Social Security rolls and
ordered to return almost $20,000 he had received over a three-
year period.  During that time, Spragens averaged $350 a month
working as a free-lance book indexer; as soon as his earnings hit
$300 a month, according to law, he was no longer eligible for
benefits. [Rocky Mountain News-AP, 4-7-95] 

* In May, the Washington Times reported that a federal judge
had transfered parole supervision of an assistant to D. C. Mayor
Marion Barry, from the D. C. parole board to a federal board. 
That was because the assistant, Rhozier "Roach" Brown, a
convicted murderer, drug dealer, and thief, had inexplicably been
released early by the D. C. board from his prison sentence and,
due to a "clerical error," freed of his obligation to repay $45,000
to an orphanage he was convicted of swindling. [Washington
Times, 7-9-95] 

* According to records obtained by the New York Post in May,
the New York City Transit Authority's worst bus driver, Leroy
Goodwin, 56, is still driving despite 103 at-fault collisions over
his 22-year career and even received a safe-driving award in 1986
sandwiched between collisions number 68 and 69. [New York
Post, 510-95] 

FAMILY VALUES

* The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in July that Jim
Harnsberger, 40, a Republican party operative who founded the
local Center for Family Values, has been married five times and 
owes almost $20,000 in child support.  According to the
newspaper, a former girlfriend said of Harnsberger, "He said he
would cut me up into little pieces and throw me into the ocean
and no one would ever know." [Sacramento Bee, 7-25-95] 

* In January in Little Rock, Ark., a 41-year-old man clubbed his
32-year-old brother with a handgun, then fired two shots at him,
in a dispute of which of the two would take their mother to her
doctor's appointment. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1-27-95] 

* In August in San Bernardino, Calif., Lisa Nester, 24, and her
husband, 23, pleaded guilty to abandoning their son, Wolfgang,
3, on June 2 at a shopping center in California while they took
off for a Grateful Dead concert in San Francisco and then went
on to Maryland, where they were spotted 24 days later.  Because
of Lisa's previous, uninspired parenting, her mom and dad have
custody of her four children from other relationships.
[Washington Post, 8-2-95, 6-28-95, 6-27-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial may
be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1552NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 06 1995 16:15120
WEIRDNUZ.396 (News of the Weird, September 8, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Terence Cunningham, a Palo Alto, Calif., Unitarian, embarked
earlier this year on what he estimated was a $70 million
fundraising campaign to build a rocket ship and lunar landing
vehicle for the purpose of placing an indestructible copy of the
Holy Bible on the moon for safekeeping.  There, Cunningham
told the newspaper Mountain View Voice, the Bible would be
preserved against tampering or in case civilization is destroyed on
Earth from plagues, wars, or, in his words, "acts of God."
[Mountain View Voice, 7-28-95] 

UH-OH

* Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., hosted the first
International Tuba-Euphonium Conference in June.  One
composition included a crescendo that  required 750 tubas to play
at once. [Chicago Sun Times, 5-10-95]

* In May, over the opposition of state Sen. Joe Neal, the Nevada
Senate passed a bill to prohibit people from carrying guns while
drunk.  Neal argued that the bill would hurt activities of gun
clubs, some of which permit drinking during target-shooting
socials. [USA Today, 5-2-95] 

* In May, researchers at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
proposed to the nuclear weapons plant in nearby Aiken, S. C.,
that certain bantam chickens could be raised in radiation-
contaminated areas without harm to later human consumption--
because the chickens' bodies metabolize out the dangerous levels
of radiation in about ten days.  Said one researcher, "If . . . you
call it radioactively cleaned meat and you put it on the [grocery]
shelf for half price, I bet people in this country would eat it."
[The Observer (Charlotte, N. C.)-AP, 5-6-95] 

* In April, a 54-year-old truck driver filed a $10 million lawsuit
in Gallatin, Tenn., over a defective penile implant that he says
"took all the manhood from me."  The man said he suffered
blisters, bruising, infection, and embarrassment.  According to
his attorney, "He could be just walking down the street, and it
would erect on its own." [Tennessean, 4-2-95] 

* Larry Wayne Harris, a septic-tank inspector in Dublin, Ohio,
and a member of the Aryan Nations white supremacist group,
was charged in May with purchasing vials of freeze-dried
bubonic plague under false pretenses.  He had told American
Type Culture Collection in Rockville, Md., that he owned a lab
and was a serious researcher of bubonic plague. [N. Y. Post, 5-
17-95] 

* Driver David Zaricor, 19, was charged with manslaughter in
July in Jefferson County, Mo., in connection with a November
auto collision that killed a 70-year-old woman in another car.
Highway Patrol records reveal that Zaricor had told a trooper at
the scene that he lost control of his car when his girlfriend bit
him during a sex act. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7-28-95] 

* In July, Reuters news service reported that a Leeds, England,
dentist named Garrett had been fined about $300,000 in damages
for unnecessary and painful dental work designed to boost his
income.  One patient, starting at age 15, over 25 sessions treating
13 teeth, had 18 pins, 10 crowns, and two root canals. [Reuters
wirecopy, 7-26-95] 

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

* Among the budget cuts that Albany, N. Y., mayor Thomas
Whalen III made during his term of office was the closing of a
certain firehouse--to the sharp protests of its neighbors.  In
January, after Whalen left office, his car caught fire near the
former firehouse and burned up. [USA Today, 1-27-95] 

* In January in Baltimore, Md., Michael Wayne Heim, 26,
pleaded guilty to arson.  In June 1994, he had stolen his ex-
wife's car, intending to set it on fire in the street and aim it into
the home of her mother.  However, the flames got out of hand
with Heim still in the car, and the resulting crash and fire left
Heim in a coma for 23 days and caused him to require several
skin grafts. [Baltimore Sun, 1-13-95] 
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST

* Vicente Vinarao, director of the Bureau of Corrections in the
Philippines, complained in July that he was having trouble
carrying out his duties because his Bureau lacks funds.  There are
54 people on death row, sentenced to die in a gas chamber, but
there is no gas chamber.  An emergency bill last year authorizes
that executions be carried out by electrocution until such time as
a gas chamber is built, but the electric chair was destroyed
several years ago by lightning. [San Jose Mercury News-Reuters,
7-24-95] 

* Newspaper editor Glenn Sorlie died on May 2 in Belgrade,
Mont., of a staph infection, but his wife failed to notify anyone
until May 4 so his obituary would be published first in his weekly
newspaper, the High Country Independent Press.  If she had
notified authorities earlier, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle would
have published the story first.  Said Mrs. Sorlie, "[H]e wouldn't
want to get scooped on his own death." [AP wirecopy, 5-8-95] 

* Accused smuggler Morteza Farakesh, 48, was convicted in
May of possession of $2 million worth of morphine during a
1993 layover at Kennedy Airport in New York.  According to the
prosecutor, Farakesh was on his way to California and could
have picked a less Customs-intense airport than JFK but chose to
make his connection there in order to take advantage of an
Alitalia super-saver fare. [New York Daily News, 5-26-95] 

* The Washington Post reported in April that the Defense
Department is testing two anti-vomiting drugs that it hopes will
allow soldiers, for the short-term after a nuclear attack, to
continue to perform their mission before they ultimately die of
nuclear radiation. [Washington Post, 4-27-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1553NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 06 1995 16:21125
WEIRDNUZ.397 (News of the Weird, September 15, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In July, Costa Rica's Supreme Court ruled that the country's
hit-and-run driving law was unconstitutional in that it punished
the driver who caused the accident if he fled.  The Court
reasoned that, because murderers and other criminals cannot be
punished for leaving the scene of a crime--because of their right
not to incriminate themselves--hit-and-run drivers can take off,
too.  A driver involved in an accident but who was not at fault
may still be required to stop. [Tico Times, 7-21-95] 

INEXPLICABLE

* In a 1994 survey by the American Association of University
Professors, Long Island's Nassau Community College was
revealed to have the highest salaries of any two-year college in
the country.  The New York Times reported in June 1995 that
one of the school's arts professors, who taught just two ceramics
classes during the spring semester, has a $107,000 salary. [N. Y.
Times, 6-12-95] 

* After filing a missing persons report in April on his wife,
Leasa, Bruce Jensen, 39, learned that Leasa was really feminine-
looking Felix Urioste, 34, who had convinced Bruce to marry
him in 1991 after a single sexual encounter during which Urioste
remained clothed.  Said the devout Mormon Jensen, to the Ogden
(Utah) Standard-Examiner, "There's no way to describe this
feeling [of learning he was married to a man for almost four
years]." [Salt Lake Tribune-AP, 7-14-95] 

* In February, William J. Stoecker, 37, was named in a 49-count
bank-fraud indictment.  According to prosecutors, Stoecker--a
former welder with only a high-school education--somehow
talked several bankers into lending him $400 million. [Chicago
Sun-Times, 3-3-95; Arizona Republic, 2-24-95] 

FEUDS

* According to a March Wall Street Journal story, the eyeglass
industry in Germany is experiencing a vicious trade war in which
smashing competitors' windows and pulling other pranks are
becoming common.  When optician Siegmund Reiss opened up a
shop in a new building, he discovered that saboteurs had stashed
rotting meat between his walls during construction in order to
drive grand-opening customers away. [Wall Street Journal-AP, 3-
24-95] 

* Woodring Fryer was charged in April with disturbing the peace
in Henderson, Ky., after installing a bullhorn adjacent to the
common wall he shared with neighbor Charles Kissinger and
playing early-morning "reveille" as part of their ongoing feud
about their competing ham-radio signals.  And in April in Crystal
River, Fla., Ron Ripple, 67, who was denied a county permit to
put a mobile home on his property because neighbors said it
would lower property values, turned the tract of land into a
perfectly legal pig farm. [Louisville Courier-Journal, 3-2-95]
[San Francisco Examiner-St. Petersburg Times, 4-10-95] 

* Although accused murderer Lewis Elwood Jordan was feuding
with his lawyer, Jake Waldrop, Waldrop stood before Atlanta,
Ga., federal judge Robert Vining, Jr., in December and argued
for Jordan.  However, during the argument, Jordan, who was
half-dressed as the result of a jailhouse protest, turned and
urinated on Waldrop's leg.  After Judge Vining instructed the
lawyer to resume his argument, Waldrop said, "I have made my
point, judge, in writing.  I guess Mr. Jordan has made his point,
not verbally, by urinating on my leg." [The Recorder, 12-15-94] 

* At the traditional, annual Battle of the Oranges festival in
Ivrea, Italy, in February, first-aid officials reported that they
treated more than 250 people for bruising after they were pelted
too hard with fruit. [Edmonton Journal, 2-27-95] 

EEEH-UUUH, GROSS!

* Theron Dunaway of Richland, Wash., won the wood-class boat
competition at the 7th annual Spittoon Regatta at The Brick
tavern in Roslyn, Wash., in March.  Entrants drop their
miniature vessels (wood, soap, paper, matchbook,
"experimental" classes) into the trickling water in the bar's
spitting trough and race them.  The Regatta is mostly fun,
according to the race administrator, but, he said, "a couple of
years ago, some guys from Boeing brought in a flashy, self-
propelled boat they designed.  It sank." [Yakima Herald-
Republic, Mar95] 

* In May, a toxic spill team from the Washington state
Department of Ecology determined that a mysterious mound of
greenish goo near the town of Toutle--which had baffled,
alarmed, and sickened investigators for three months--was merely
a rotting pile of disposable diapers. [The Oregonian-AP, 5-26-95] 

* In February, according to El Paso, Tex., police, James Patrick
Bradley, 47, murdered his artist wife, Susy, dismembered her
body, spray-painted several of the parts, and left them at quixotic
locations around town and in southern New Mexico.  At first,
police did not know the identity of the murdered woman, but
after releasing a photo of her severed head to local TV stations
for telecast, some of the woman's friends called to identify her.
[Albuquerque Journal, 2-22-95] 

* In July in New York City, John Bryant, 73, conversing with
his son while waiting for attention at the Harlem Hospital Center
after having been shot in the forehead by his girlfriend, began
gently massaging the wound and finally pulled the bullet out with
his fingers. [N. Y. Times, 7-28-95] 

* About 50 people filed a lawsuit in June against Paradise
Memorial Park in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., alleging that bodies
of their loved ones had been moved or crowded out without their
permission.  One man claimed that the double plot he purchased
for his mother and brother was also occupied by nine other
bodies.  And authorities in Vermont revoked the funeral home
license of Larry H. Titemore of St. Johnsbury in April, accusing
him of mishandling almost every burial he supervised in six years
of business, ranging from failure to store bodies properly to
failure to embalm to switching bodies to lower-cost coffins. [San
Francisco Chronicle-AP, 6-28-95] [L. A. Times-AP, 6-18-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1554Possible Darwin Award Winner(s)EVMS::MORONEYDANGER Do Not Walk on CeilingMon Oct 09 1995 15:584
An explosion at a fireworks factory in Britain was apparently caused
by thieves attempting to cut through a steel door with a blowtorch.
The apparent getaway van was thrown 200 yards.  No trace of the thieves
has been found.
79.1555BUSY::SLABOUNTYA swift kick in the butt - $1Mon Oct 09 1995 16:057
    
    	I bet they'll never try THAT again.
    
    	Wonder if the families will sue?  Oh, it happened in BRITAIN, so
    	they're probably not allowed to tie up the courts' time with rid-
    	iculous lawsuits like we have over here in the US.
    
79.1556EVMS::MORONEYDANGER Do Not Walk on CeilingThu Oct 12 1995 20:585
It was an old WW2 bunker the fireworks company was using to
store fireworks and hundeds of pounds of gunpowder.

Police officer's comment:  "They were a sandwich short
of a picnic."
79.1557DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri Oct 13 1995 21:452
    Or, 3 fries short of a Happy Meal :-)
    
79.1558POLAR::RICHARDSONPettin' &amp; Sofa Settin'Sat Oct 14 1995 02:221
    Or, the onions are rolling but the fridge keeps following me around.
79.1559CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend, will you be ready?Sat Oct 14 1995 02:224


 ..the cheese slipped off his cracker
79.1560Congress calls for 'Course Wars' program...43GMC::KEITHDr. DeuceThu Oct 19 1995 10:5619
     (Reprinted from Headquarters INTERCOM, Federal Aviation
     Administration weekly newsletter)

        HIGH HANDICAP.  A Central American golfer -- with a
     high handicap -- recently destroyed his small country's
     entire air force with one sliced drive.

        The misdirected golf ball struck the windshield of a
     fighter jet preparing for takeoff at a military
     airport.  The jet swerved out of control, hitting the
     parked fleet of four aircraft, and caused $126,000,000
     worth of damage.

                ______________________________________

        "He destroyed five planes with one golf ball?  That
     makes him an ace!" -- Kirk Wagner, private pilot.

79.1561Which small country was that again?TROOA::COLLINSCyberian PuppyThu Oct 19 1995 11:024
    
    Oh YEAH?  How would you feel if your mother had been in one of 
    those fighter jets?
    
79.1562WAHOO::LEVESQUEshifting paradigms without a clutchThu Oct 19 1995 11:212
    Either this guy has one helluva drive, or they are a teensy bit more
    lax about security in that country.
79.1563ACISS1::BATTISLife is not a dress rehearsalThu Oct 19 1995 19:262
    
    or lousy pilots.
79.1564My mum's a fighter pilotSNOFS1::DAVISMex-wife testerThu Oct 19 1995 23:174
    re .1561 - 
    
    Now that made me chuckle!  :*)
    
79.1565Sick, but somehow very wacky :-(DECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundFri Oct 20 1995 20:3012
    Man in north Georgia arrested for beating his 8 week old son.  The
    baby is in critical condition; doctors aren't sure he'll make it.
    
    When the authorities asked the father why he beat the child, he
    said it was because the baby would not stop crying.
    
    
    
    
    The father is deaf!!
    
    
79.1566SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Tue Oct 31 1995 18:277
    
    Camel disease leads 5 to suicide
    
    ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Five Ethiopian camel herders have committed
    suicide because of a mysterious camel disease killing up to 300 animals
    every day, a state-owned newspaper said. (Reuters)
    
79.1567NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundTue Oct 31 1995 18:443
<------ Geez.

Couldn't they just walk a mile?
79.1568NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 01 1995 14:10126
WEIRDNUZ.398 (News of the Weird, September 22, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In August the City Union Mission in Kansas City, Mo.,
announced it intended to evict low-income tenants Violet
Williams, 86, a resident for 27 years, and Bob Dodson, 71, from
the apartment building it owns because it needs the building in
order to construct a homeless shelter--a need which it says was
created by a shortage of low-income housing in the area.
[Washington Post, 8-10-95] 

THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

* In June, the owner of the only "adult bookstore" in Clarksville,
Tenn., petitioned a federal court to overturn a recently-passed
city ordinance.  The city council intended to prohibit operators of
such a store from engaging in sex on the premises of the store but
apparently left out the words "on the premises," thus ostensibly
prohibiting the owner and his employees from having sex
anywhere. [Knoxville News-Sentinel, 6-17-95] 

* In trial testimony in July, the former mayor of the 1980s cult-
dominated town of Rajneeshpuram, Ore., said he used various
schemes to keep the non-cult townspeople from voting, including
making them sick by tampering with the food at a restaurant and
by coating courthouse doorknobs with an chemical irritant as
election day approached. [USA Today, 7-7-95] 

* In the June 13 mayoral election in Sutton, W. Va., Ed (for
Edward) Given beat Ed (for Edgar) Given by two votes.  In the
recount, however, Edgar won by six. [Chicago Sun Times, 6-26-
95] 

* In August the city council of apathetic Lierne, Norway, acted
to increase interest in the September elections by making
everyone who actually votes eligible for an expense-paid vacation
to a south Europe resort.  And in May, glamorous model Yelena
Mavrodi, 25, finished third in an election to represent Kolomna
in the Russian Parliament, despite her campaign platform of
giving a free coupon to everyone who voted for her, promising
an unspecified gift.  And The Wall Street Journal reported in
May that Argentina was considering a proposal to pay about
$100,000 to each resident of the Falkland Islands if they would
vote to leave British sovereignty and become Argentine subjects. 
[Edmonton Journal, 8-31-95] [The New York Times, 5-16-95] 
[The Wall Street Journal, 5-30-95] 

* Newly-elected Ontario legislator Dominic Agostino was denied
his seat at his swearing-in ceremony in June because he pledged
allegiance to Canada, which is not part of the official oath.  The
constitutional oath requires legislators to "bear true allegiance"
only to the Queen of England. [Rocky Mountain News-Reuter, 7-
1-95] 

* In April Ms. Naoko Asaki, 27, gave up the seat she won in the
Municipal Assembly in the city of Higashimurayama to Hozumi
Yano, who finished fourth in the balloting.  "Mr. Yano has more
experience than I," she said, "and he's more qualified for the
job." [The Mainichi Daily News, 4-28-95] 

NEW RIGHTS

* In August, Michigan prison inmate Janet Cohen, 42, serving
three-to-five for tax evasion, complained that a rule requiring
female prisoners to wear brassieres is unfair to her because she is
so flat-chested.  Warden Sally Langley said the rule is necessary
for "security." [San Jose Mercury-News, 8-5-95] 

* A Superior Court judge in Danbury, Conn., ruled in July that
middle school teacher Nancy Sekor was wrongfully dismissed. 
She had been found incompetent in two of the three courses she
teaches (English and social studies) but competent in business
courses and thus, said the judge, must be rehired to teach
business. [New York Times-AP, 7-20-95] 

* In July, according to U. S. News & World Report, a federal
agency that helps administer the Americans with Disabilities Act
told a disabled employee who uses a Labrador guide dog that he
could not bring the dog with him to work--because a co-worker
suffers from a fear of dogs. [U. S. News & World Report, 7-31-
95] 

* Among the incidents reported by The Wall Street Journal in a
July story on the Family and Medical Leave Act was the still-
pending case of June Manuel, who was fired in February 1994 by
Westlake Polymers Corp. for excessive absenteeism, including
four days' leave when her cat died and seven weeks following the
removal of an ingrown toenail. [The Wall Street Journal, 7-7-95] 


* In March, a Superior Court judge in Boston, Mass., found John
J. Locke not guilty of assaulting a police officer who was the
Police Commissioner's driver.  Testimony showed that Locke,
who is white, shouted a racial epithet and, with no provocation,
pounded the officer, who is black, leaving him with cuts, a black
eye, and loosened teeth.  However, the judge found that Locke is
a manic-depressive and had let his prescribed doses of lithium
lapse for two months prior to the attack; she let him go on the
promise that he would take his medication. [New York Times-
AP, 3-17-95] 

* Charles Diaz, a former Hells Angel now on death row for the
1986 murders of a Fort Bragg, Calif., family of four, petitioned
a judge in Mendocino County, Calif., recently to provide him a
free laptop computer in his cell in order to help him analyze
documents as part of his appeal.  According to Diaz's lawyer,
"It's 1995.  Computers are part of law practice." [Inland Valley
Daily Bulletin, 8-19-95] 

* The U. S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in July that
the Orange County, Calif., taxpayers had to pay for special
private schooling for a high school student suffering from
"attention deficit disorder," despite his alleged extremely
disruptive behavior.  School officials said the boy peddled
cigarettes on campus, set fires, threatened to kill classmates, and
kicked his pregnant mother in the stomach (sending her to live
outside the family home for several months purely out of fear of
her son).  Said a state education official explaining the court's
ruling, "What really matters is the individual needs of the child."
[San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 7-25-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1569NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 01 1995 14:19130
WEIRDNUZ.399 (News of the Weird, September 29, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In a recent science journal article, researchers from Humboldt
State University in California reported that the toe jam of black-
tailed deer contains chemical compounds that can kill several
common types of bacteria (including one that causes acne) and
fungi (including one that causes athlete's foot).  A Tucson, Ariz.,
firm has begun to manufacture synthetic versions of the
compounds. [Dallas Morning News, 8-7-95] 

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION

* The trade association of legal prostitutes in Canberra,
Australia, announced in August that it would launch a boycott of
French underwear, hosiery, and cosmetics in order to punish
France for resuming nuclear-weapons testing in the South
Pacific, and prostitute groups in Melbourne and Sydney may
soon follow suit.  Also, Australia's largest chain of adult sex
shops and cinemas has taken all French products off its shelves.
[Wall Street Journal, 8-10-95] 

* In July, French president Jacques Chirac awarded the Grand
Officer of the Legion of Honor, the nation's second-highest
military order, to Major General Jean-Claude Lesquer, for
commanding the troops that sank the Greenpeace
environmentalists' protest ship in Auckland, New Zealand,
harbor in 1985. [Montreal Gazette, Jul95] 

* In August, the County Board in Walworth County, Wis.,
attempting to make a policy to cover an upcoming march by the
local Ku Klux Klan but bowing to Lake Geneva Supervisor Frank
Janowak's desire not to call the Klan a "hate group," passed a
resolution encouraging peaceful counteractions to "unhappy
groups" like the Klan. [Independence Examiner-Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, 8-10-95] 

* Chinese dissident Liu Gang, 34, was arrested in September in
Liaoyuan and charged with failing to honor a previous court
order which required him to report to the police periodically and
inform them of his latest thoughts. [The Daily Breeze, 9-3-95] 

* According to Rafael Ruiz Harrell, an official with a Mexican
human rights organization, who spoke with reporters in July,
Mexican law validates confessions made by torture if they are
ratified by one other confession, and the ratifying confession,
too, can be obtained by torture.  "So all you have to do," he said,
"is torture two people." [AP wirecopy, 7-12-95] 

* The Wall Street Journal reported in July that MTV's upcoming
foray into feature film will lead with a romantic comedy, "Joe's
Apartment," chronicling Joe's adventures wooing his girlfriend in
a New York City apartment that has 3,500 roaches. 
Representatives of the ASPCA supervised the roach sequences,
including one in which the three-inch-long "Tiny" appears to
rope an evil house cat and ride him out of the apartment.  Said
the film's executive producer, "Not one cockroach was harmed
during the filming." [Wall Street Journal, 7-10-95] 

* Biker Patrick Woodward was arrested in June in Coldwater,
Mich., and charged with assaulting and kidnaping a 23-year-old
man who Woodward says sexually assaulted his 14-year-old
daughter.  According to the Coldwater Daily Reporter,
Woodward admitted that he had offered the man four choices as
punishment for the sexual assault:  arrest by the police, a facial
scar, a general beating, or a gunshot to each buttock.  The man
chose number four, and, according to the newspaper, Woodward
delivered. [AP wirecopy, 6-26-95] 

AMERICAN VALUES ABROAD

* In Huzhou, China, Lu Jie, age 10, filed a lawsuit against the
local zoo after he was bitten by a panda.  The official Xinhua
news agency said the lawsuit was the first of its kind in China.
[Columbus Dispatch, 7-20-95] 

* In May, Takao Onoda, an official with the Ministry of
Transportation in Japan, responding to U. S. claims that a
Japanese seatbelt manufacturer makes shoddy products, denied
any Japanese responsibility.  Instead, he blamed Americans'
laziness in not caring properly for the belts, including their
spilling soft drinks on them. [Columbus Dispatch-Scripps
Howard, 5-24-95] 

* U. S.-style performance art recently arrived in Russia. 
Alexander Brener was arrested earlier this year in Moscow for
dressing in boxing trunks and gloves in Red Square and
demanding that President Boris Yeltsin come fight him. 
Previously, in the name of art, Brener has attempted to copulate
with his wife at a monument, defecated in front of a Van Gogh
painting at a museum, driven staples into his naked buttocks at an
art house, and masturbated from the top of the diving tower at
Moscow's leading municipal swimming pool. [ARTnews, May
1995] 

WEIRD ANIMALS

* Oscar, the performing hypnotic Labrador dog, ran away from
trainers just before a sell-out show in Edinburgh, Scotland, in
August.  Oscar's owner Hugh Lennon asked the public to be on
the lookout for Oscar, but not to look at him directly in the eyes.
[Daily Express (Ireland), 8-23-95] 

* In September in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a loggerhead turtle fell
from the sky and hit a white Chevy Nova cruising down a
highway.  Speculation was that a sea gull dropped it.  And in
Dawson, Minn., in July, Joe Saboe's roof was hit with what he
termed a wave of hundreds of minnows.  He speculated that a
waterspout from the nearby Minnesota River brought them in.
[St. Petersburg Times-Knight-Ridder, 9-16-95] [Minneapolis Star
Tribune, 7-27-95] 

* In Decatur, Ga., in May, Abbi Taylor had received two $75
tickets for failure to restrain "P. D.," her three-legged mutt that 
had cut loose from her restraints and run through the
neighborhood during a thunderstorm.  Taylor took P. D. to the
Georgia Mental Health Institute for evaluation, and forensic
director Robert J. Storms--who usually evaluates human criminal
sanity--found that P. D.'s being hit by a car two years earlier,
combined with the thunder in May, made P. D. "so overwhelmed
by fear that she was unable to distinguish between right and
wrong.  She should not be held accountable for her actions." 
Judge Robert Snead dismissed the charges. [Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, 6-10-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1570NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 01 1995 14:23127
WEIRDNUZ.400 (News of the Weird, October 6, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In September in Newport, R. I., burglary suspect Jamie
Johnson, 24, fleeing police, scaled an iron picket fence, struggled 
with cops at the top, then fell off and ran briefly before being
arrested.  At the police station, cops noticed Johnson was
bleeding at the crotch.  According to the Associated Press, police
"returned to the [scene] and retrieved Johnson's testicles, which
were still impaled on the fence."  They said Johnson had never
mentioned that he was in pain. [Springfield Union-News-AP, 9-
15-95] 

COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* Rick Quessenberry of Springfield, Mo., was named as one of
the six people on America's World Championship of Hairstyling
team scheduled to compete next summer in Washington, D. C. 
(In all, 200,000 hairstylists will attend the Hair World
convention.)  The teams compete in categories such as "business
hair," "nighttime social hair," "progressive hair," and a technical
hairstyling event.  The hairdressers march in an Olympics-style
opening ceremony, and after each event, the winner's flag is
raised and its national anthem played. [Springfield News-Leader,
7-26-95] 

* A Reuters News Service dispatch from the Netherlands in July
quoted Rotterdam police as lauding a new crime-detection
technique.  A police spokesman said criminals sometimes leave
their earprints on windows and doors.  "Earprinting," he said, "is
going to become almost as common as fingerprinting soon." [The
Chronicle-Herald (Halifax, N. S.)-Reuter, 7-6-95] 

* In June in a 40-minute operation, Russian army surgeons
removed a live, rifle-launched  grenade from the jaw of a soldier
injured in the Chechnyan fighting. [[Reno Gazette-Journal, 6-6-
95]] 

* In April, the 1000-ton riverboat, Showboat Branson Belle,
which was built on the shore of landlocked Table Rock Lake near
Branson, Mo., was launched on 160-foot-long rails connecting
the construction site with the lake.  To lubricate the rails without
using environmentally-unfriendly industrial grease, the
shipbuilders used 40 crates' worth of unpeeled bananas.
[Mechanical Engineering, August 1995] 

* A list of most-popular nursing home and retirement home songs
(published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch), according to St. Louis
disk jockey Michael Laurance, who entertains at about 80 such
places in the area, included "YMCA" (the Village People),
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (Meat Loaf), and "1999"
(Prince). [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8-13-95] 

CHUTZPAH

* During June and July, West Liberty, Ky., prison inmate Lou
Torok, serving time for child-molesting, managed to persuade the
governors of six states to proclaim October 7 as "Love Day."
[USA Today, 7-27-95] 

* In August, Alvin Waff, apparently confusing the brake and gas
pedals, drove his car through the front window of the Hanger
Restaurant & Lounge in Hampton, Va., sped across the floor,
and smashed against the bar, doing about $5,000 in damage. 
According to a Hanger employee, Waff then got out of the car
and calmly asked for a beer.  He was later arrested and charged
with reckless driving. [Newport-News Daily Press, 8-4-95] 

* John Bennett, Jr., the president of a Pennsylvania charitable
foundation, was accused earlier this year by the Securities and
Exchange Commission of converting about $4 million in
foundation money to his own use.  Furthermore in May, the
foundation filed for bankruptcy protection in Philadelphia. 
Shortly afterward, Bennett complained about the judge's decision
to limit him to $5,000 monthly for living expenses--from
foundation funds--during the proceeding, claiming that he needed
almost twice that amount. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch-AP, 6-15-95] 

* Several days after the Oklahoma City bombing in April, Libyan
leader Moammar Gadhafi predicted that "thousands of militias"
would soon wage revolution in America and urged President and
Mrs. Clinton to seek political asylum in Libya, "the only safe
country in the world." [Newark Star-Ledger-AP, 5-1-95] 

SCHEMES

* Army recruiter Sgt. Ernest A. Hubble, 29, was arrested in June
and charged with burglary in La Junta, Colo.  Allegedly, Hubble
was failing to meet his monthly quota and broke into the next-
door Navy recruiting station to steal files of its prospects. [Army
Times, 7-24-95] 

* In Toronto in June, thieves broke into bait dealer John
Karadimas's warehouse and made off with 600,000 dew worms
in foam boxes destined for anglers in the U. S. and Europe.
[Sault Star-CP, 6-29-95] 

* Paragon Cable in New York recently began a new approach to
customers with delinquent accounts.  Instead of cutting off
service altogether, which would create additional expense to
restart when the customer paid up, Paragon merely fills those
customers' entire  77-channel lineup with C-SPAN.  Paragon said
the project has been successful. [U. S. News & World Report, 7-
31-95] 

* In August, the New York Post reported on the thriving market
in the theft of old newspapers at curbside, destined for recycling. 
Thieves' turning the newspapers in before the city gets to sell
them will cost New York City more than $2 million this year. 
The Boston Herald even reported that "mob-connected" garbage
collectors in New York City were stealing and recycling fresh
daily newspapers dropped in bundles at newsstands. [New York
Post, 8-22-95; Boston Herald, 7-23-95] 

THINNING THE HERD

* Mr. Joe Buddy Caine, 35, passed away in Anniston, Ala., in
September, of rattlesnake bites.  He was bitten while tossing the
snake around in a game of catch with his friend Junior Bright,
who himself was hospitalized with bites. [Houston Chronicle-
Scripps Howard, 9-9-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1571BUSY::SLABOUNTYExit light ... enter night.Wed Nov 01 1995 14:495
    
    	I'm pretty sure I recently read something about a turtle being
    	dropped onto a car or person ... maybe in Dave Barry's "Bad
    	Habits"?  And that book is almost 10 years old.
    
79.1572CNTROL::JENNISONRevive us, Oh LordWed Nov 01 1995 18:186
    
    	Junior Bright, playing catch with a rattlesnake ?
    
    	I *refuse* to believe that story.
    
    
79.1573PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Nov 01 1995 18:226
    
>>    	Junior Bright, playing catch with a rattlesnake ?

	no, he was playing catch with Joe Buddy Caine.
	see?  this is how rumors get started.

79.1574CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenWed Nov 01 1995 18:232
    Di, as usual, was reading for comprehension.  This is a rare and
    wonderful event in 'boxland.  
79.1575CNTROL::JENNISONRevive us, Oh LordWed Nov 01 1995 18:473
    
    	come over here and say that, Brian
    
79.1576NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 01 1995 19:11446
WhiteBoard News [excerpts from various September issues]

==========

Fort Lauderdale, Florida:

A man whose luggage got on board a flight he missed
claimed there was a bomb in his bags in hopes the plane
would return to the airport.

When it did, no bomb was found and he was arrested.

Ronald Ellis, 24, who was trying to get home to
Philadelphia after a vacation in Florida, was jailed on
a charge of threatening to discharge a destructive
device.

Ellis was angry at missing USAir Flight 804 when he
reported the bomb, said a Broward County Sheriff's
spokesman.

The plane, which had been in the air for 20 minutes,
returned to a remote area of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
International Airport.  All 120 passengers and crew
were escorted from the Boeing 737 jetliner.

==========

Spotsylvania, Virginia:

A man convicted of a traffic offense languished for
five days without food in a courthouse holding cell
after a bailiff forgot about him over the long Labor
Day weekend.

Allen Wilhelm, 25, was found Tuesday at the County
Courthouse after his father asked the sheriff about the
young man's whereabouts.

"My stomach was growling and moving around and I was
cold.  I woke up and said, 'Damn, I'm still here.'  It
was like an icebox in there."

Bailiff Steve Coleman was fired for leaving Wilhelm in
the cell, the sheriff said.  Coleman was supposed to
phone another deputy to pick up the prisoner but forgot
to do so.

Courthouse workers said there is no way to hear someone
in the holding cell from the clerk's office.  An
intercom that would have allowed Wilhelm to buzz
someone in another courthouse office was not working.

==========

Round Lake, Illinois:

A dog is man's...best man?

Dan Anderson decided there was no one better to stand -
- er, sit -- up for him at his wedding to Lori Chapasko
than Samson, a Samoyed mix.

"A best man should be a best friend or family member.
Samson is both," said Anderson, 28.  "He epitomizes
everything that a best man should be."

Chapasko had no objection to having Samson at
Saturday's wedding.  She bought the pooch as a puppy
six years ago.

"He knows how much I love animals and how much I love
dogs.  Samson is the biggest part of our lives," she
said.

Anderson proposed to Chapasko near a pond at the
Society of St. Francis, an animal shelter in nearby
Kenosha, Wisconsin, where they are volunteers, so the
Round Lake couple decided to have the ceremony there.

"I couldn't think of a better place to get married,"
Chapasko said.

Anderson's mother, Betty, even made a tuxedo for
Samson.

Emily Post would be aghast.  The late etiquette expert
said a daytime wedding is not the proper place for
tails.

==========

This item comes by way of John Tholen:

Erlanger, Kentucky:

A mother was handcuffed and hauled off to jail for not
paying the $3 fine on an overdue library book checked
out by her son last year.

Tanya Goetz, 37, said that at the time she had no idea
why she was being arrested and didn't even know her son
had the book.  She was jailed for about eight hours and
released on $100 bond in this Cincinnati suburb.

Goetz was charged with theft by deception and contempt
of court for not returning the book and for an
unrelated bad-check charge from 1992.  She had paid the
check, but the warrant apparently wasn't withdrawn.

While she was locked up, her 14-year-old son, Chaz,
found the book belonging to the Kenton County Public
Library.  His mother later returned it and paid the
fine.  The charges were then dropped.

Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson said that his
office often handles complaints for small amounts of
money.

"Not returning a library book is a form of theft,"
Edmondson said.

==========

Federal Way, Washington:

A King County police officer ran a check on a man he
found sleeping at a Federal Way gas station Saturday
morning and discovered he had six outstanding arrest
warrants.

On the way to jail, the man told the officer he had
given him a phony name and gave the officer a different
name.

Police records listed outstanding warrants on the
second name, too, the officer discovered -- along with
27 other aliases the man had used over the years.

==========

Billerica, Massachusetts:

For six months, Donna Graybeal waited for the phone to
ring, every 90 minutes, day and night, it did - no
fewer than 2,688 times.  She would answer the phone,
hear a sound like rushing air, then a click, then the
dial tone.  Nobody was ever there.

"It drives you absolutely out of your mind," Graybeal
said.  "I thought, talk dirty to me.  Do something.
This silence is driving me crazy.

Police traced the calls to the Potomac, Maryland, home
of Theodore and Elisabeth James.

The prankster was not one of the family, but an old
unused heating-oil tank in the basement equipped years
ago with a device that automatically dialed an oil
company whenever the fuel was running low.

"Poor Donna had been harassed for months by our oil
tank," Elisabeth James said.

Steuart Petroleum in Washington, D.C., installed the
re-dialer device about eight years ago in six homes
participating in a short-term test.  The tank was
dialing an 800 number that Steuart dropped several
years ago when the company sold its residential
division.

Six months ago, Graybeal got an 800 line for the food
service equipment repair company she runs from her
home. It was the old Steuart number.

Nobody is certain what brought the oil tank to life
shortly after the number was re-assigned.  "Something
resurrected this machine from its deep sleep and it
woke up and started dialing," said Bell Atlantic
spokesman Harold Herman.  "It's one of those things
that makes you stop and scratch your head."

==========

Toronto, Canada:

A Canadian mass murderer made it to the semifinals of a
U.S. poetry contest before shocked judges pulled his
entry after learning of his identity.

Clifford Olson, convicted of killing eight girls and
three boys in 1982, wrote a poem called "Success" for a
quarterly contest operated by the Maryland-based
National Library of Poetry.

"We were shocked, it's something that has never
happened before," contest spokesman Eric Mueck said
Friday.

The poem, penned while Olson is serving life in a
Canadian prison, ends as follows: "A life that is
clean, a heart that is true,

"And doing your best...that's success."

==========

Phoenix, Arizona:

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who prides himself
on his tough, no-frills jails, has ordered inmates to
wear pink underwear.

"The taxpayers have been taking it in the shorts," said
Arpaio, claiming inmates smuggle about $40,000 worth of
underwear a year out of jail.  "Those guys were
stealing government underwear.  Sometimes four, maybe
five at a time."

The thefts were mostly committed by work-release
inmates, who leave the jails for their regular jobs
each day and return each evening.  They would put
several pairs of the government-issue boxers over their
personal underwear before leaving for the day,
according to information given to sheriff's
intelligence officers.

The white boxers, which cost the sheriff's office $200
to $300 for 144, would be sold by inmates for $2 or $3
each.

Why would anyone want to buy -- not to mention wear --
an inmate's skivvies?

Apparently the shorts, stamped across the seat with the
bold letters "MSCO," for Maricopa County Sheriff's
Office, have become quite a novelty item on the
outside.

Because jail-issue undies may not be worn outside the
prison, inmates must wear their own shorts while on
work release.  Arpaio said the jailers did not have the
time or staff to check the rear of every inmate's
undergarments every morning.

Now with the new color scheme, all jailers will have to
do is have each inmate pull out his waistband enough to
show its color.  If they're pink, they'll know they've
got a smuggler.

The first 1,000 pairs of underpants were dyed Monday in
the prison laundry.

There probably is a market for pink men's undies,
Arpaio concedes, but he figures the forces of fashion
will keep his dainties behind bars.

"These macho men may not like pink, but that's their
problem," said Arpaio, who in the past has rid his
jails of "Playboy" magazine, coffee and cigarettes.

Jail socks, now white, are next in line for dying.

"Who's going to walk down the street with pink socks?"
asked the sheriff.

And after that, it may be the women's turn.

"We've been having a small problem with brassieres,"
Arpaio said.

==========

Brasilia, Brazil:

The controversial government AIDS-awareness campaign
that angered hundreds of Brazilian men named Braulio
has a solution: Give another name to the sensitive part
in question.

The name of a man's penis -- called "Braulio" in radio
and television spots withdrawn from the air Saturday --
will be substituted in new ads to air this week.

"Bimbo," "Xara" or even the English "Brother" are the
top candidates according to the polling agency hired by
the Health Ministry to track down popular nicknames for
the male sex organ.

"We thought that men named Braulio would be proud their
name was used for the male sexual organ.  We thought
they'd feel like heros," said Lair Guerra de Macedo,
spokesman for the ministry.

But mothers of young boys named Braulio kept the Health
Ministry telephone line busy with complaints once the
television and radio ads started Thursday.  They were
upset that their sons were being kidded and teased.

In the controversial spots, a fully clothed actor
playing a "typical Brazilian macho" has a conversation
with his penis, called "Braulio," about indiscriminate
sex without using a condom.

==========

Copenhagen, Denmark:

A Danish convict who escaped a month ago when a
bulldozer smashed through a prison wall returned
Wednesday -- homesick for jail comforts and begging to
be let back in, police said.

Missing the relative luxury of Danish prison
conditions, fugitive Kim Steven Kyed, 27, rang the main
entry bell at Vridsloeselille state jail in west
Copenhagen at 2 AM.

He asked speechless guards to take him back.

Kyed, serving three years for robbery, apparently
became homesick after the arrest Tuesday of fellow
escapee Jamie Lars Corbett, 24.

Twelve convicts fled August 27 when a bulldozer driven
by an accomplice gashed a 13-yard-wide hole in the
perimeter wall of Vridsloeselille during a prison-yard
barbecue.

Denmark's prisons are among the most humane in the
world, and some inmates finished their steaks rather
than joining the biggest jailbreak in Danish history.

Of the fugitives, eight are now back behind bars.

==========

Fast News Forum:

A conservative running as Jared Garrick withdrew from
the New Jersey state Assembly race after newspapers
reported he is actually Richard Garrick, on parole for
fraud.

A Haysville, Kansas, man shot and killed an African
lion he found pacing in his driveway, police say.  It
apparently had escaped from a pen in a neighbor's yard.

North Carolina Attorney General Mike Easley is warning
citizens about con artists traveling the state offering
bogus home improvement services.  One woman paid
$10,000 to have her attic sprayed for ghosts.

Lawrence Lawton, who was mistakenly held in a Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, jail for 607 days, has filed suit
against Broward County Jail for $1 million.  Lawton,
jailed on a petty theft charge and a nine-year-old
drunken-driving warrant, never saw a judge, never went
to court and didn't have a lawyer.

Claudia Oliver told Shreveport, Louisiana, police that
two men who had kidnapped and robbed her earlier
promised to return her vehicle to the Eastgate Shopping
Center.  They did.  Quintos Wilson, 19, and Layla
Roberts, 18, were arrested.

==========

Tombstone, Arizona:

Yep, it's enough to make ol' Wyatt Earp turn in his
grave.

And probably everyone in Boot Hill cemetery too.

Last week, the manure hit the fan in this Wild West
town of mock gunfights, plank sidewalks and hitching
posts when the City Council tentatively approved a
measure requiring horses to wear diapers or dung bags
when on city streets.

Seems Councilwoman Rose Iachetti, who sponsored the
measure, is more than a little worried that tourists
aren't watching where they're walking and could be
creating a health hazard in Tombstone stores.

But the council action certainly isn't sitting well
with local merchants and Tombstone's Historic Districts
Commission, which says that action is anything but
historically correct.

"This whole thing is a bunch of horse hockey,"
bookstore owner Jack Fiske said.  "We've got this city
councilwoman from New York who has a fecal fixation.
Wonderful."  (Fiske may sound bitter.  He has been
ticketed for riding a horse at night because it didn't
have headlights or tailights.)

Former Mayor Alex Gradillas, however, favors the waste
measure.

"I'm always seeing cars run over those piles,"
Gradillas said.  "With the boom in tourism, there are
more and more of these wagons on the streets.
Something has to be done."

But City Clerk Charolette Gilbert said that if the
ordinance is enacted, it'll disappoint her
grandchildren.

"After they ride the coach, all they talk about is what
comes out of those horses," Gilbert said.

"Of course, they're city kids."

==========

Tacoma, Washington:

Attempted carslaughter?

An irate Tacoma man was jailed Tuesday night for
shooting up his own car -- five times.  The blue Ford
Maverick was listed in serious condition.

Police said the 20-year-old Hilltop resident got upset
when a woman friend asked him to get out of her house,
grabbed a shotgun, went outside and tried to put the
Maverick's horsepower out of its misery.

==========

Seat Pleasant, Maryland:

They came to fight a fire and ended up fighting each
other.

The brawling firefighters, both paid and volunteer,
from the Prince George's County department, were
arguing over who should be the first to carry a hose
into a burning townhouse.  They had to be separated
Monday by county police.

The fire, caused by burning food on the first level of
a two-story townhouse, was extinguished 20 minutes
after the call came in, and the house was not damaged.
79.1577What did Braulio contribute to the conversation?DECWIN::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoWed Nov 01 1995 19:318
>> In the controversial spots, a fully clothed actor
>> playing a "typical Brazilian macho" has a conversation
>> with his penis, called "Braulio," about indiscriminate
>> sex without using a condom.
    
    "Me and Braulio down by the schoolyard"
    
    Chris
79.1578NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 01 1995 20:01448
WhiteBoard News [excerpts from various October issues]

Tacoma, Washington:

Doctor Doo-little, he's not.

Actually Tom Gannon, compost coordinator for Woodland
Park Zoo, is more of a Dr. Doo-lots, especially this
time of year when he's busy coordinating the Fall Fecal
Festival, and preparing for the Holi-Doo Sale, the
zoo's popular programs of selling what Gannon calls the
"well-rounded feces of endangered species."

Each year the zoo sells about 325 tons of manure,
raising $23,000 in revenue and saving $60,000 in
landfill costs.

The compost, made only from herbivore manure and then
batch tested for safety, is considered premium
fertilizer.

"To a plant this stuff is Ben & Jerry's," Gannon said,
adding that the manure comes in three flavors -- smooth
and creamy, chunky and extra chunky.  Cost is $16 per
cubic yard, or $40 for a full-size pick-up.  For the
holiday sales, when the "blessings from Santa's
reindeers" are popular gag gifts, they cost $5 for a
two gallon bag.

Elephants, who each produce 45 tons of manure a year,
are by far the biggest contributors.  They also produce
some of the best quality product.

"When you talk about manure, you have to consider the
plop factor," said Gannon.  "The ploppier it is, the
better it generally is.  Elephant and rabbit poop are
almost identical: rich, dry and bouncy.  They're great.
But pig and cattle manure is less nutritive, because
those animals have more efficient digestive systems.
Birds, however, are an exception to the rule."

When buying the zoo-doo, expect service to be minimal.

"Those who whine about having to shovel will be forced
to use a spoon and those who complain about having to
load manure themselves will be composted to the full
extent of the law," Gannon joked.

Buyers don't seem to mind.  Already the fall fecal
batch is mostly gone, and the elephants are hard at
work replenishing the stockpile.

Gannon, a man who clearly enjoys his work, also uses
some of the following self-bestowed titles:  Emperor of
excrement, Shaka of caca, Grand pooh pooh bah, Pharaoh
of feces, Doody lama, Captain Compost and "Signing off
to go do the Zoo-doo that Dr. Doo do so well."

==========

New York, New York:

A man whose penis was severed has recanted his claim
that he was attacked by an enraged prostitute and now
says he injured himself by accident, police said today.

The missing member was recovered Tuesday in a plastic
food container in the man's kitchen, too late to be
reattached, said police Detective Frank Grecco.

Domingo Morales, 67, told police on Monday he had sex
with a prostitute in his apartment and that she
attacked him after he told her he had no money.

The retired truck driver later told investigators he
made up the story out of fear that he'd be committed to
a mental institution, Grecco said.

"He stated that he makes guitars in his apartment and
that he had the neck of a guitar between his legs while
he was working on it with a knife. The knife slipped
off the guitar and severed part of his penis," Grecco
said.

"After it happened he got so excited that he doesn't
even remember putting it in the Tupperware."

Morales was hospitalized in stable condition today.
Grecco said police consider the case closed.
==========

Indianapolis, Indiana:

A circus lion bit off a finger of a woman who scaled
three fences and stuck her hand inside the cage to pet
the animal.

Lisa Fox, 31, told police she put her hand into the
lion's cage at a staging area used by the Ringling
Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The index finger on Fox's right hand was severed early
Saturday.  "According to the police report, it was
recovered and taken to the hospital," a police
spokeswoman said.

Fox was treated at Wishard Memorial Hospital.

==========

Stockholm, Sweden:

The Stockholm County Council has approved a plan to
fuel its buses with red wine.

An ethanol shortage has made fuel expensive for the
environmentally correct buses -- so The European Union
has approved the shipment of 5,000 tons of surplus red
wine to Sweden, where it will be processed and turned
into ethanol.

Claes Anstrand, Stockholm's chief of transportation,
said that ethanol from wine will actually be cheaper
than the usual source: sticks and branches that are
waste products of the forest industry.

==========

Beijing, China:

Two universities in China have refused to admit a
student who won high marks in national entrance
examinations, saying he was too ugly, the Beijing Youth
Daily said.

"How does a school choose students, by marks or by
appearance?" Yang Hongwei, 20, from Central Henan
province, was quoted as asking.  Yang, whose marks were
among the highest in the province this year, has been
turned down to study physics and computers by Lanzhou
University and by Zhengzhou University.

Yang was born with a misshapen face and couldn't afford
plastic surgery, the paper said.

Lanzhou refused to admit Yang, saying he was disabled
and could not study normally.

A vice president of Zhengzhou University, explaining
why Yang was turned down, was quoted as saying: "Our
school is an open university with many external
activities.  If we expect this kind of student, I'm
afraid it could influence the studies of other
students."

Yang still hopes to win a university place in a second
round of enrollment to be completed by October 2.

==========

Fast News Forum:

Johnny Lee Nichols, 25, was charged with going door-to-
door trying to trade dynamite for sex or drugs in
Rogers, Arkansas.  5 1/2 sticks of Dyno-Omnimax
explosives were found in his car.

Connie and Gerald Ostermann, "hosed" awake by their son
Joel last August while Minneapolis, Minnesota, radio
station KEGE-FM broadcast their screams, are suing the
station.  They want $50,000 for emotional and mental
duress.

The Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Rhode Island says
that the Crazy Burger Cafe is insensitive to the
mentally ill.  Menu items include the Neurotic Burger,
Loco Burger and Just Plain Nuts Burger.

==========

Norristown, Pennsylvania:

A woman who returned from prison to find her boyfriend
had strayed sat on the man until he promised to take
her back, police said.

Juanita Winston -- who at 170 pounds outweighs William
Narr by more than 40 pounds -- was charged with
assault, reckless endangerment and stalking.

Police said Winston, 27, cornered Narr, 37, last
weekend in the storeroom of the liquor store he
managed, picked him up and forced him into a chair.

Then she sat on him, police said.

"He finally gave in and told (Winston) that he would
like to renew their old relationship," according to
court papers.

Winston had been jailed three months ago for nonsupport
of her children and probation violations.  After she
got out last week, she discovered Narr had resumed an
old relationship.

==========

Denver, Colorado:

A 12-year-old boy allowed himself to be doused with
lighter fluid and set afire by three other boys who had
offered him a soda and a quarter for doing it.

Jack "Ben" Wiley Jr. was in serious condition Thursday
with second-degree burns over a fifth of his body.  He
was on a respirator because he breathed the searing
flames.

Wiley and the three other boys apparently had stolen
the lighter fluid during a shoplifting spree Wednesday.

==========

London, England:

A newspaper obituary:

Anita Harding died of cancer at the age of 42 just
before she was to take up the Chair in Clinical
Neurology at the Institute of Neurology in Queen
Square, London.  She was the most outstanding British
neurological clinician of her generation and a world
authority on inherited neurological diseases.  She was
also enormous fun.

In her final weeks, when she knew she was going to die,
her main concerns were for those she would leave
behind, particularly her colleagues and students, whose
affairs and projects she set straight from her hospital
bed.

Never able to resist impish quips, accompanied by a
grin and a characteristic darting of the tongue, she
was even able to muse on the potential compensations as
well as the tragedy of her early death: "At least I
won't have to buy Windows '95!"

==========

Seoul, Korea:

A 36-year-old man who walked into a tree while talking
on his mobile phone on October 9th, died later of head
injuries, news reports said.

The Korean Times said that a passerby found Koh ll Dong
unconscious on the pavement and rushed him to the
hospital.  He underwent brain surgery but died five
days later.

==========

Roanoke, Virginia:

Warren E. Smith has filed a $3 million lawsuit against
palm reader Lola Rose Miller because she sold him bad
numbers to play in the state lottery.

He's suing for the amount of that week's grand prize,
which he says he should have won.

==========

Pensacola, Florida:

A jury in Pensacola awarded nearly $600,000 to Pedro
Duran, 56, in his lawsuit against the train company
CSX.

Duran lost his left arm and suffered a broken back and
leg when a CSX train hit him as he lay on the tracks,
passed out from drinking.

An engineer spotted what he thought was a "lump of
trash" on the tracks and blew the train whistle for 54
seconds, but the lump -- Duran -- didn't move.

==========

Fast News Forum:

Lucas Sifuentes, 18, was caught a day after he walked
out of the Pettis County (Missouri) Jail's front door.
A sign now reads, "Keep this door closed and locked at
all times.  Not an inmate exit."

Robert "Wolfman" Shockey, 47, will serve two years
probation in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, for promoting
prostitution at a "House of Pain," where police said
sadomasochistic sex was performed in rooms decorated as
dungeons and doctors' offices.

Chicago undercover police say they watched as tow-truck
driver Michael Williams, 28, hooked a legally parked
car, then dragged it to an illegal spot, photographed
the auto illegally parked, re-hooked it and towed it
away.  He was charged with possession of a stolen
vehicle.

==========

New York, New York:

An executive of a big investment bank is charged with
inflight behavior that was anything but first class.

Gerard Finneran, 58, was charged with assaulting and
intimidating flight attendants and defecating in the
first-class cabin during a United Airlines flight from
Buenos Aires to New York.

Finneran is president of TCW Americas, which invests
about $500 million in Latin American stocks and bonds.

The complaint says Finneran served himself alcoholic
drinks during the flight until attendants cut him off.
Finneran allegedly threatened one flight attendant,
shoved another and interfered with a third.

Then, the complaint says, an attendant saw him, pants
down, defecating on a service cart in the first-class
cabin.  He allegedly "tracked feces throughout the
aircraft."

Food service was suspended for the rest of the flight
and United Airlines apologized in a letter to other
passengers on the flight.

A bank spokesman said Finneran's bosses haven't
discussed the incident with him yet.

And the future may not be clear for the bank either.
President Mario Soares of Portugal was also a passenger
on the plane.

==========

Dan O'Connor, a Notre Dame fan from Lodi, New Jersey,
is suing the Tattoo Shoppe in Carlstadt, New Jersey for
damages for misspelling the words "Fighting Irish"
under a drawing of the university's leprechaun mascot
he received.

The inscription reads: "Fighing Irish"

Marc Chase, O'Connor's lawyer, said they are suing for
the cost of a laser procedure to remove the tattoo
which runs about $700.

O'Conner, 22, is also seeking money for pain and
suffering.  "I just can't live with this," he said.
==========

Belfast, Northern Ireland:

Whipped potatoes, OK.  Whipped diners, no way.

A Belfast judge has rejected plans for a new restaurant
featuring waitresses dressed as English schoolgirls --
albeit wearing short skirts and black-lace stockings,
toting whips.

Judge John Higgins ruled Wednesday that restaurateur
Tommy Alexander's plans to open School Dinners eatery
in downtown Belfast, would violate the lease by
providing entertainment.

The entertainment: waitresses whipping patrons' rears
in mock punishment if they don't clean their plates.

"I'm sure the decent people of Belfast will be glad.
We don't want immoral things in our city," said the
Reverend Eric Smyth, a Free Presbyterian minister who
is Lord Mayor of Belfast.

"This is not fun; this is filth."

"Our lord mayor's a fuddy-duddy," said city councilman
Sandy Blair.  "He may well have a dirty mind, too, but
he ought to get a sense of humor to go with it."

==========

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Petrus Ratu Doren, a 40-year-old laborer, was recently
arrested in east Malaysia with 200 followers for
leading an illegal cult.

His supporters said Petrus has the power to heal the
sick, feed the poor and "walk among police officers
without fear."

True believers weren't tough to spot.  Following his
advice, they wore their underwear on their heads so
they would be safe.

==========

Tokyo, Japan:

Kashima University has expelled four medical students
for pelting other students with human brains.

School officials say the three men and one woman were
dissecting cadavers in the science laboratory when one
of the males removed part of a cerebral cortex from a
corpse's skull and threw it at one of the other medical
students.

Within minutes a "brain fight" had broken out.

The students then reportedly opened the windows of the
second-floor lab and began throwing the brains down on
unwitting passersby on the street below. One girl was
hit in the face and required treatment at the
university's emergency room.

School security officers say they're fairly certain
that more people were involved in the brain-throwing
but only four were witnessed.

The expelled students said they didn't plan the brain
fight. One of them said, "It just sort of happened." He
blamed the odd behavior on the pressure of constant
study and lack of sleep.

"We just had to let off some steam," admitted Ayako
Hanyu, 19. "I guess things got a little out of hand."

But Dean Shiuro Tatsuno refuses to budge on his
decision to expel the students.

"We realize that our medical students are under
pressure," said Dean Tatsuno.

"But we expect our future doctors and nurses to conduct
themselves like ladies and gentlemen at all times."
79.1579DEVLPR::DKILLORANNo Compromise on FreedomWed Nov 01 1995 20:419
    
> The expelled students said they didn't plan the brain
> fight. One of them said, "It just sort of happened." He
> blamed the odd behavior on the pressure of constant
> study and lack of sleep.
    
    Go easy on them, they just lost their heads....
    ;-)
    
79.1580CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenThu Nov 02 1995 11:471
    That?
79.1581NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 02 1995 12:0653
WhiteBoard News for November 01, 1995 [excerpt]

Riverside, Ohio:

What's a little murder plot between man and wife?

Stephen and Kim Kay Perisie are trying to patch up
their 22-year marriage as she awaits sentencing for
trying to have him killed for his millions in lottery
winnings.

Friends call them crazy.  They don't disagree.  "Love
is a state of insanity anyway," Stephen said.

Kim Kay faces up to 25 years in prison when she's
sentenced November 17 for offering to pay someone, who
turned out to be an undercover cop, $500 to kill her
husband.

Stephen hit the Ohio Lottery twice, winning $3 million
in 1990 and $100,000 in 1992.  Authorities said his
wife was having an affair and wanted the $107,000 a
year her husband will be collecting.

In spite of it all, both insist they remain in love.
With each other.

Stephen believes that his wife, aside from the affair
and murder plot -- has been a good mother to their two
sons.

"Our oldest boy has had a lot of problems," Stephen
said.  "We lost a couple of children together (during
pregnancies).  You don't wash 22 years under the
bridge."

Stephen said police in Riverside, a Dayton suburb,
warned him of the plot.  His wife's murderous
intentions came to light May 8 when the couple's 21-
year-old son Joseph overheard her on the telephone
talking to someone about "getting rid" of her husband.

Police Chief Curtis Middleton said that led to Kim Kay
offering one of his undercover detectives $500 to have
her husband killed.

Kim Kay, 40, has said it was a serious proposal.  She
pleaded guilty October 20.

Stephen has said he was offended by his wife's price on
his head.

"She tried to be very cheap about this," Stephen said.
79.1582NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 02 1995 13:452
An 8th grade teacher in Florida had her students write hate letters to
a neighbor she was having a dispute with.
79.1583EVMS::MORONEYDANGER Do Not Walk on CeilingSat Nov 04 1995 00:285
In Iran, a man made a bet that he could get away with dressing up as a
woman and riding in the back of a segregated bus, reserved for women only.
Women on the bus noticed he was a man and beat him.

An Iranian court later sentenced him to 20 lashes. 
79.1584NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 06 1995 13:1431
WhiteBoard News for November 03, 1995 [excerpts]

New York City police broke down a woman's door, looking
for a decomposing corpse, after neighbors reported a
telltale smell coming from her apartment.  She had left
overcooked collard greens on her kitchen stove.

Raoul Payette, 59, a computer systems manager for the
Navy in Newport, Rhode Island, admitted he shot co-
worker Mary Ann Corriveau in the neck after his screen
flashed "Eliminate barriers to quality."  Corriveau
survived.

A federal judge in Burlington, Vermont, has rejected
former Lt. Governor Brian Burns' request for a new
fraud trial.  Burns, 56, said he should get a new trial
because a prosecutor gave a sarcastic standing ovation
to his weeping defense lawyer.

Evelyn Daniels, 27, was re-arrested in June in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, where she'd been under house
arrest on drug charges.  According to police, her
latest crime occurred when she was short on cash: She
sold the monitoring device the court had installed to
keep tabs on her for $5, to a pawnshop.

Inmate William Warren is suing for the right to wear
women's nylon bikini briefs.  Oklahoma State Prison
officials are submitting him to cruel and unusual
punishment by forcing him to wear "white cotton, thick
and absorbent" underwear, he says.
79.1585NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 06 1995 13:14129
WEIRDNUZ.401 (News of the Weird, October 13, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In an August story on improvements to the Seattle, Wash.,
waste treatment plant, the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce
reported on the Vancouver firm that manufactures the hard-shell
diving suits used by the "pilots" who jump into the tanks and
monitor effluent flow.  The suits provide air for up to 48 hours,
contain voice and video connections to the surface, and have
thrusters for propulsion throughout the sewage.  The longstanding
brand name of the diving suit is The Newtsuit.  (Republicans
should relax; the suit is named after the firm's founder, Phil
Nuytten.) [Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 4-29-95] 

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

* Warren E. Smith filed a $3 million lawsuit in Roanoke, Va., in
April against palm reader Lola Rose Miller because she sold him
bad numbers to play in the state lottery.  He is suing for the
amount of that week's grand prize, which he says he should have
won. [Washington Times, 4-5-95] 

* In May, Jose and Maria Tercero filed a lawsuit against the
Santa Fe, New Mexico, School Board and various officials for
unspecified injuries suffered by their son, Jesse, from the act of
carving a jack-o'-lantern last October.  The Terceros said forcing
Jesse to carve the pumpkin violated his religious freedom because
he does not celebrate Halloween. [Albuquerque Journal, 5-22-95] 

* The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in February that the
King of Clubs Bar in Minneapolis could be sued by a wife whose
husband assaulted her on the way home after the couple had
stopped by the bar for a few drinks. [St. Paul Pioneer Press, 2-
21-95] 

* In June, a jury in Pensacola, Fla., awarded nearly $600,000 to
Pedro Duran, 56, in his lawsuit against the CSX company. 
Duran lost his left arm and suffered a broken back and leg when
a CSX train hit him as he lay on the tracks, passed out from a
round of drinking.  According to trial testimony, an engineer
spotted what he thought was a lump of trash on the tracks and
sounded the whistle as a precaution for 54 seconds before the
collision.  However, the "lump of trash"--Duran--didn't move.
[Orlando Sentinel-AP, 7-1-95] 

* In July, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld a $40,000
verdict against the Fort Kent Golf Club.  Jeannine Pelletier had
sued because, on the 1st fairway almost ten years ago, she hit a
golf ball that struck a railroad track that cuts across the fairway,
and the ball bounded back and hit her in the face. [Boston Globe,
7-20-95] 

* In May, Laura Carlton, 23, accepted an out-of-court settlement
by the City of Victoria, British Columbia, in her lawsuit for
injuries she suffered when a police officer inadvertently shot her
during a raid.  She had sued for around $200,000--$50,000 of
which was for her loss of earnings as a prostitute, which she
regarded as a stepping stone to a future as an exotic dancer.
[Edmonton Journal, 5-28-95] 

* In August, Carolyn J. Christian and her minister-husband filed
a $160,000 lawsuit against a school that trains guide dogs after a
blind man, learning to use one of the school's graduates in a
Bradenton, Fla., shopping mall, stepped on the woman's toe,
possibly breaking it.  (A few days later, the Christians withdrew
the lawsuit, citing public outrage.) [St. Petersburg Times, 8-9-
95] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* Martin George Clever, 32, arrested in Lakewood, Colo., for
burglary in July, told police that he entered the home in the early
evening because he saw two naked dolls in the yard pointing to a
sliding-glass door.  He said he thought they were inviting him
inside. [Denver Post, 7-18-95] 

* Charles McFarling, 39, cited by police in Indianapolis in June
in a traffic collision that killed a woman in another car, said he
ran the red light because he was thinking too intensely about
material he had learned the day before in a defensive-driving
course. [Indianapolis Star, 6-7-95]

* In court testimony in August in the New York City terrorist
bombing trial, since-convicted Fadil Abdelghani testified that,
although he was caught on videotape stirring the bomb's oil and
fertilizer, he had no knowledge that he was making a bomb. 
Asked a prosecutor, "Something came over you and you had an
urge to start stirring?"  Said Abdelghani, "I had nothing to do,
and I wanted to help [my cousin's friends]." [New York Times,
8-23-95] 

* Police in Collinsville, Ill., arrested Earl Templeton, 38, and
charged him with passing three counterfeit $100 bills.  According
to police, Templeton said he was not trying to enrich himself but
rather to stimulate the economy. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6-17-
95] 

* In May, Dorothy Diane Rose, who is in a halfway house in
Tampa, Fla., the result of a 1990 trial in which she was found
not guilty by reason of insanity for strangling her two toddlers, 
petitioned her judge in Tampa, Fla., to be released because she
has a job lined up.  According to a counselor, a local couple
wants to hire her as a babysitter. [Tampa Tribune, May95] 

* In Sonora, Calif., in August, former U. S. Forest Service
employee Gary Gunderson, 43, was convicted of theft of what
prosecutors said were "truckloads" of items of government
property.  Gunderson said he might have borrowed a few things
but that because he suffers from Usher's syndrome, which he said
causes visual impairment, he wasn't able to see well enough to
realize that he had a lot more stuff than he thought. [Sacramento
Bee-AP, 8-31-95] 

RECENT PASSINGS

* In March, in Rich Hill, Mo., Mr. Edgar Allen Poe, age 75; in
April, in Charlestown, R. I., Mrs. Eleanor Rigby, age 80; in
May, of a fall just after he reached the summit of Mount
McKinley, Mr. Brian McKinley, age 37; and in Anchorage,
Alaska, in September, Mr. Phillip Morris, of lung cancer at age
45. [Kansas City Star, 3-23-95] [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 4-
12-95] [New York Times-AP, 5-8-95] [Anchorage Daily News,
9-19-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1586NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 06 1995 15:273
Remember Jacoby and Meyers, TV-advertised lawyers?  Jacoby has filed
suit against Meyers and another partner, contending he was squeezed out,
causing him severe emotional distress, headaches, and stomach problems.
79.1587BUSY::SLABOUNTYGood Heavens,Cmndr,what DID you doMon Nov 06 1995 15:327
    
    	Thank you.
    
    	"Distress" reads much better than "distree".
    
    	Distree, dattree ... seen one, seen 'em all.
    
79.1588VMSNET::M_MACIOLEKFour54 Camaro/Only way to flyMon Nov 06 1995 16:583
    re: Note 79.1583 by EVMS::MORONEY
    
    I *hate* when this happens.
79.1589COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Nov 07 1995 14:2910
    RTw  11/06 1414  Reuters World News Highlights

    AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France - A man who hurled a cream pie at France's
    culture minister, but missed, told a court it was a Belgian tradition
    dating back to the Middle Ages. "For many people it is an honour to
    have pies thrown at them," Belgian film director Jan Bucquoy told an
    appeals court. The prosecution has appealed against his acquittal
    because the pie missed.

    REUTER
79.1590Who was it ?GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseTue Nov 07 1995 14:304
    
      Milton Berle ?
    
      bb
79.1591POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerTue Nov 07 1995 14:391
    Those Belgians and their neat ideas.
79.1592DECWIN::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoTue Nov 07 1995 14:483
79.1593Spam, Spa'am?COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Nov 08 1995 13:2441
Hormel vs. Muppets

On September 19, 1995, the forces of silliness overcame the spectre of
corporate humorlessness, and we can all rest a little easier. A federal
judge ruled that the Muppets will be allowed to feature a large wild pig in
their next movie, Muppet Treasure Island.  And why on earth was federal
judge Kimba Woods ruling on such a thing?  Seems that Hormel Foods
Corporation had brought suit against Jim Henson Productions because the
wild pig's name, Spa'am, sounded a tad too much like their popular luncheon
meat product thingy. 

In Muppet Treasure Island, which opens in theaters in February, Spa'am is
the high priest of the wild boars who worship Miss Piggy as their Queen
Boom Sha-Ka-La-Ka-La. 

For most people, the difference between a puppet and a tin of meat would
seem to be significant. Hormel thought differently, however, and they
huffed and puffed their way into federal court during the week of September
19th. 

Expert witnesses called by Hormel claimed that Spa'am would ruin their
image.  They claimed Spa'am was unhygienic and when pressed for details,
pointed to his big headdress.  Big hair was a problem? asked the judge who
went on to observe "If you look at Farah Fawcett Majors, you might say
that's big hair".

Jim Henson Productions lawyer Glenn Mitchell pointed out that Spam has been
the butt of good-natured ribbing for years and asked Alan Krejci, the
public relations chief for Hormel, "Isn't it true that Hormel feels that,
if such third party jokes are done in good taste and are not disparaging to
the product itself, that that is positive for the SPAM brand?" Krejci
answered "If it's positive and done in good taste, yes we do".

Judge Woods, in passing down the ruling in favor of Jim Henson Productions,
noted that while Hormel had called children an unsophisticated group of
consumers, "... the court has found that children who enjoy the Muppets are
unlikely to believe that the Muppets are sponsored by the myriad products
and celebrities who are the subject of their jokes". 

So, it looks like Muppet fans will be able to see what the fuss is all
about February 17, 1996 when the new movie premiers.
79.1594NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 08 1995 13:381
I think I'll send that out to all the usenet groups.
79.1595POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerWed Nov 08 1995 14:261
    <--- Oh, not all those CPU cycles at once!
79.1596SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIBeen complimented by a toady lately?Wed Nov 08 1995 15:353
    
    Did someone mention SPAM???
    
79.1597It's that pesky Circle of Life thing againDECWIN::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoWed Nov 08 1995 16:2011
>> And why on earth was federal
>> judge Kimba Woods ruling on such a thing?
         ^^^^^
    
    Why, because in a bizarre synergy, "Kimba" was the name of the cartoon
    lion that Disney ripped o--aaahhh, "borrowed" to be the main character
    of "The Lion King"  So of course a judge whose name became a big
    success in children's films would be predisposed to allow Spam to
    become Spa'am, or vice versa.
    
    Chris
79.1598NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 08 1995 16:232
Isn't Kimba that babe who was passed over for the Supremes because she was
named as "the other woman" in a prominent divorce case?
79.1599POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerWed Nov 08 1995 16:301
    No doubt she is now living in an abusive relationship.
79.1600POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Tootsie PopsWed Nov 08 1995 16:329
    
    Or was she one of the myriad who didn't pay social security tax on
    their household help?
    
    Or was she the one who wrote "racist" papers?
    
    Or was she the one who...
    
    
79.1601DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Wed Nov 08 1995 16:335
    
    	re: Chris...
    
    	Sorry dude, that was Simba.......  
    
79.1602MKOTS3::JMARTINI press on toward the goalWed Nov 08 1995 16:389
    Z    Why, because in a bizarre synergy, "Kimba" was the name of the cartoon
   Z     lion that Disney ripped o--aaahhh, "borrowed" to be the main character
   Z     of "The Lion King"  So of course a judge whose name became a big
   Z     success in children's films would be predisposed to allow Spam to
   Z     become Spa'am, or vice versa.
    
    Fourteen quatloos to anyone who can translate this into English.
    
    Pretty clever of me huh?  Referencing a Star Trek episode and all!
79.1603Not one of my better efforts, standing upDECWIN::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoWed Nov 08 1995 17:1825
    >> Fourteen quatloos to anyone who can translate this into English.
    
    Whoops, I forgot to put a period after "The Lion King".  Even then,
    I admit it's a tough parse... :-)
    
    
    re: Kimba/Simba, JJ
    
    Yeah, I didn't explain that very well, either, did I?  Must be this
    bad back today, distracting me...
    
    There was once a humble little Japanese cartoon series on TV
    called "Kimba".  Most of the important characters, environment,
    storyline, situations, etc., in "Kimba" were more than a little
    similar to what most of us came to know in "The Lion King".  But
    Disney never acknowledged the Japanese company as having provided
    so much as an inspiration, never mind huge chunks of stuff taken
    intact.
    
    Someone in here once posted a neat letter from one of the animators
    involved in the Japanese "Kimba" cartoon, giving a blow-by-blow
    account of the similarities, and so on.  Disney owes someone a big
    apology and lots of money, and I'm sure that neither is in the mail. :-)
    
    Chris
79.1604Still here, in the atticDECWIN::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoWed Nov 08 1995 17:213
    Aha!... see 215.36
    
    Chris
79.1605MPGS::MARKEYFluffy nutterWed Nov 08 1995 17:229
    
    Let me add, in what is perhaps a complete non sequitur,
    that Disney recently signed a huge deal with Miss Oprah
    "I Perpretrated The Biggest Televised Anti-Gun Lie In
    History" Winfrey, and as a result, in at least one
    household, Disney is more than welcome to go fornicate
    themselves.
    
    -b
79.1606She's available and ready for actionDECWIN::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoWed Nov 08 1995 17:266
    re: fourteen quatloos
    
    Jack, if you're not married, I hear that Chekov's babe drill thrall
    is looking for someone to train!  :-)
    
    Chris
79.1607SMURF::BINDEREis qui nos doment uescimur.Wed Nov 08 1995 17:381
    If I were Jack, I'd hold out for Kirk's drill thrall.
79.1608MKOTS3::JMARTINI press on toward the goalWed Nov 08 1995 17:477
    ZZ    Jack, if you're not married, I hear that Chekov's babe drill thrall
    ZZ    is looking for someone to train!  :-)
    
    Oh gross...the one with the bass voice!!!!! :-0   As Dick said, I'd
    rather have Shana.
    
    
79.1609POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerWed Nov 08 1995 19:141
    Cheek oooovf! That's a nice name.
79.1611DRDAN::KALIKOWDIGITAL=DEC; Reclaim the Name&amp;Glory!Thu Nov 09 1995 11:184
    Ya get figners from excessive fisting p'raps?
    
    Just trying to be helpful
    
79.1612TROOA::COLLINSMe, fail English? Unpossible!Thu Nov 09 1995 11:223
    
    Proceeds from the sales of "Homeless Barbie" will go towards...?
    
79.1610WAHOO::LEVESQUEbut I can't make you thinkThu Nov 09 1995 11:255
    The Barbie Museum in Palo Alto is being kicked out of its digs by the
    new landlord. Accordingly, Mattel will capitalize on this turn of
    events by issuing "Homeless barbie" complete with shopping cart and
    cardboard shelter (and three coats and fingerless gloves.)
    
79.1613NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 09 1995 13:1228
WhiteBoard News for November 08, 1995 [excerpts]

Memphis, Tennessee:

A man was arrested when he entered an office building
after robbing a nearby bank.

Unknown to the thief, the building housed Memphis'
police department.

Police had watched from an upper floor as the man fled
the bank, hid the money in an alley and innocently
approached the front door of their building as a
phalanx of officers gathered to wait for him.

The man opened the door, froze, and asked: "This isn't
the police department, is it?"

==========

Lexington, North Carolina:

Police arrested three men in their 20s and charged them
with robbing a pedestrian and a clerk at a gas station.

The men were caught after their getaway car swerved off
the road and flipped over -- caused by the driver's
attempt to speed away while counting the robbery money.
79.1614Warning: Sleazy talk-show-level gossip approachingNORX::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoThu Nov 09 1995 14:4811
>> As Dick said, I'd rather have Shana.
    
    Understandable... Shatner apparently did "have" Shana, and many
    of the other Trek female guest stars during the original series,
    according to the unauthorized biography of Shatner "Captain Quirk".
    Joan Collins said that her budding affair with Shatner did a fast
    fade when she walked into his dressing room unannounced one day
    and got a good look at him without his hairpiece, which apparently
    diminished her desire for him.
    
    Chris
79.1615NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundThu Nov 09 1995 17:434
>Shatner apparently did "have" Shana, and many of the other Trek female guest
>stars during the original series,

He boldly went where no man had gone before, eh? 
79.1616We said "*Seek* out new life", Shatner, not *create* it!NORX::RALTOClinto Berata NiktoThu Nov 09 1995 17:554
    Well, he went boldly, but I can't vouch for "where no man had gone
    before", especially regarding Joan Collins... :-)
    
    Chris
79.1617BUSY::SLABOUNTYGreat baby! Delicious!!Thu Nov 09 1995 18:066
    
    >Well, he went boldly, but I can't vouch for "where no man had gone
    >before", especially regarding !Joan Collins... :-)
    
    	Ouch ... are you going to take this abuse, Joan??
    
79.1618TROOA::COLLINSMe, fail English? Unpossible!Thu Nov 09 1995 18:073
    
    I'll have nothing to do with *this* sordid mess...
    
79.1619I'll take that kinda job!!!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIif u cn rd ths, u nd to gt a lyfThu Nov 09 1995 20:1711
    
    Rostenkowski aide is convicted
    
    In the first trial stemming from an investigation of former Rep. Dan
    Rostenkowski's finances, a man who received $90,000 for cleaning his
    office was convicted yesterday of lying to a federal grand jury. A US
    District Court jury found the cleaner, Robert Russo, guilty of lying
    when he said that he worked for 12 years at the Rostenkowski job five
    days a week, every other week, and that he knew of no one else who did
    the work. (AP)
    
79.1620I'd be the first in line to admit it... honest!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIif u cn rd ths, u nd to gt a lyfThu Nov 09 1995 20:2611
    Shoppers warned on outside buys
    
    PROVIDENCE - Seeking to boost sagging revenues, the state has sent
    15,000 letters to taxpayers warning that if they shop out of state,
    they might owe money to Rhode Island and could be punished for not
    paying. The letters explain "use tax", which is a 7 percent levy on
    goods bought in other states. Residents only must pay the difference
    between that percentage and the sales tax rate in the state where the
    goods were bought. The same goods subject to the Rhode Island sales tax
    are taxable under the use tax. Food and clothing are exempt, but
    mail-order goods are taxable.
79.1621COMICS::MCSKEANEtinga tingaFri Nov 10 1995 08:3513
    
    last few...
    
    >>Joan Collins said that her budding affair with Shatner did a fast
    >>fade when she walked into his dressing room unannounced one day
    >>and got a good look at him without his hairpiece, which apparently
    >>diminished her desire for him.
    
    >He boldly went where no man had gone before, eh?
    
    Shouldn't that be 'he baldly went where no man had gone before, eh?'
    
    POL
79.1622WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Nov 10 1995 09:051
    and RI is a nazi state now?
79.1623POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesFri Nov 10 1995 11:526
    
    .1621
    
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!  8^)
    
    
79.1624DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Nov 10 1995 13:185
    
    
    	What are they gonna do?  Have stops as they
    	have on the American/Canadian borders?  Eesh........
    
79.1625O wot the heck, it's FridayNASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Nov 10 1995 20:169
   >He boldly went where no man had gone before, eh?
    
    <<Shouldn't that be 'he baldly went where no man had gone before, eh?'

	Most likely.

	But then, once he got there, he probably tried on what was available.
	(OO-er).
  
79.1626EVMS::MORONEYOperation Foot BulletSat Nov 11 1995 01:346
While a woman was holding up a donut shop late one night, a cop (of course)
pulls up to the drive-through and orders a coffee, with cream.
The robber pretended to be a worker and took his order, but only filled the
cup half-way, with black coffee.  Cop got suspicious and watched the place
from a distance, and called for backup when he saw the woman forcing an
employee to open the cash register.
79.1627NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 13 1995 12:43120
WEIRDNUZ.402 (News of the Weird, October 20, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* According to an August story in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-
Sentinel, Kevin Moore, 45, has been hounded for at least eight
months by legal actions instituted by Anne Victoria Moore, who
claims--incorrectly, according to police--that he is the Kevin
Moore who was once married to her.  She perseveres even
though various government agencies have informed her that the
man she is harassing is 11 years older than, six inches shorter
than, and facially dissimilar to, her ex-husband.  First, she placed
a claim on the wrong Moore's house, then one on his bank
account, and, in the latest action, she filed charges against him
for failure to pay child support. [Roanoke Times-Ft. Lauderdale
Sun-Sentinel, 8-31-95] 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* A July dispatch by the German news service Deutsche Presse
Agentur reported on Beijing's trendy "oxygen bars," where
young professionals can unwind at the end of a hard day in an
increasingly polluted city by inhaling fresh air at about $6 an
hour.  Special herbs and spices, some of which have medicinal
qualities, can be mixed in at a higher price. [Chicago Tribune-
Deutsche Presse Agentur, 7-2-95] 

* According to its recent press release, the Beverly Hills, Calif.,
firm Kevis Rejuvenation Programs, Inc., is marketing a hair
restoring shampoo that contains a cloned version of hyaluronic
acid--the acid found in human sperm.  The acid adds body to the
hair, but since sperm sells for $5,000 a kilogram, Kevis says it
must charge $25 a bottle for its shampoo. [San Francisco
Chronicle, 7-27-95] 

* Evelyn Daniels, 27, was rearrested in June in Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla., where she had been under house arrest on several drug
charges.  According to police, her latest crime occurred when she
was short on cash:  She sold the monitoring device the court had
installed to keep tabs on her while she was under restriction--for
$5, to a pawnshop. [Miami Herald, 6-17-95] 

* According to a September Los Angeles Times article, the Park
Bench Cafe in Huntington Beach, Calif., recently became
perhaps the first restaurant in America to offer its diners a menu
for their dogs.  Items for the couple dozen dogs that might
accompany their owners to dine on a good day range from a plate
of five dog biscuits (50 cents) to a ground turkey patty (called a
Wrangler Roundup, priced at $2.25).  Dogs are leashed, sit on
the floor, and eat from disposable plates. [Los Angeles Times, 9-
10-95] 

* A September Wall Street Journal story about emerging roadside
attractions in China featured Mr. Qian's Flying Dragon World
Fun City, a reptile showplace whose finale is a woman lying
buried up to her neck in writhing snakes, "everything aslither
except her frozen smile."  After the show, a female worker told
the reporter (as she sipped a glass of snake-juice wine), "You
have Disney, but we have snakes." [Wall Street Journal, 9-6-95] 

* In July, Margie Ostrower of Scarsdale, N. Y., formed Time of
the Month, Inc., and introduced her own blend of chocolate and
"salty-crunchy things" that she plans to market to women as a
menstrual snack, PMS Crunch. [Dayton Daily News-Cox News
Service, 8-9-95] 

* In May, the New York Times Magazine featured a line of
fashions created, modeled, and sold by inmates of the Oregon
prison system.  The jeans, shirts, and jackets of the Prison Blues
label are carried in about 400 stores in the U. S., and almost all
income goes to the prisoner-workers (with deductions for taxes,
room, board, and victim compensation). [N. Y. Times Magazine,
5-14-95] 

WELL-PUT

* Accused Wausau, Wis., poacher John Sadogierski, allegedly to
police investigators who confronted him for killing and eating a
trumpeter swan and a sandhill crane and who was asked what the
crane tasted like:  "Bald eagle." [St. Paul Pioneer Press-AP, 8-3-
95] 

* Houston, Tex., Judge Eugene Chambers, expressing his
increasing displeasure on August 16 (according to the Houston
Chronicle) at guards who required him to display his photo badge
before entering the courts building:  "Up your [deleted] with a
bucket of red paint." [Houston Chronicle, 9-2-95] 

* "Wild" Bill Goodwin, 71, denying to police investigators in
May that he was conducting orgies at his Costa Mesa, Calif.,
home:  "We're not just taking off our clothes and having sex. 
We've also got karaoke." [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 5-6-95] 

* Tampa, Fla., sheriff's officer David Parrish, admiring the
failed escape attempt of inmate Ralph Johnson, who had a can of
pepper spray concealed in his rectum:  "Some people are more
talented than others." [St. Petersburg Times, 5-22-95] 

* Heidi Ansell, trying to get local police to oust drunken revelers
who were urinating into her yard from the fence of an adjacent
motel, which sits on a border between the California towns of
Torrance and Lomita, but finding both jurisdictions passing off
responsibility to the other:  "Well, I guess if [the revelers]'re
standing on the fence urinating, then their butts are in Torrance
and their penises are in Lomita." [[The Daily Breeze, Jul95]] 

THINNING THE HERD

* In September, Mr. Robert Kevin Brown, 31, passed away after
his truck plunged into a ravine alongside I-95 in Price William
County, Va.  According to Virginia State Police, Brown had
been dissatisfied that traffic, at 55 mph, was moving too slowly
for his taste and so leaned out his window to make a gesture to
another driver, which caused him to lose control of his vehicle.
[Washington Post, 9-21-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or the name News of the Weird.
79.1628POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesMon Nov 13 1995 13:1712
>* According to its recent press release, the Beverly Hills, Calif.,
>firm Kevis Rejuvenation Programs, Inc., is marketing a hair
>restoring shampoo that contains a cloned version of hyaluronic
>acid--the acid found in human sperm.  The acid adds body to the
>hair, but since sperm sells for $5,000 a kilogram, Kevis says it
>must charge $25 a bottle for its shampoo. [San Francisco
>Chronicle, 7-27-95] 
    
    I won't say it.
    
    
79.1629DRDAN::KALIKOWDIGITAL=DEC; Reclaim the Name&amp;Glory!Mon Nov 13 1995 13:182
    Ve haff vayz of makink you talgkk...
    
79.1630POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerMon Nov 13 1995 13:222
    I'm gonna wash that MAN right outta my hair!
    I'm gonna wash that MAN right outta my hair!
79.1631BUSY::SLABOUNTYConsume feces and expire.Mon Nov 13 1995 13:4012
    
>* A July dispatch by the German news service Deutsche Presse
>Agentur reported on Beijing's trendy "oxygen bars," where
>young professionals can unwind at the end of a hard day in an
>increasingly polluted city by inhaling fresh air at about $6 an
>hour.  Special herbs and spices, some of which have medicinal
>qualities, can be mixed in at a higher price. [Chicago Tribune-
>Deutsche Presse Agentur, 7-2-95] 
    
    
    	I wonder if they have a separate smoking section.
    
79.1632BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Nov 13 1995 13:439


	Glenn....you're too funny! 

	If they can get 5k/k of sperm, what do they pay you at the sperm banks?


Glen
79.1633MPGS::MARKEYFluffy nutterMon Nov 13 1995 13:4415
>* According to its recent press release, the Beverly Hills, Calif.,
>firm Kevis Rejuvenation Programs, Inc., is marketing a hair
>restoring shampoo that contains a cloned version of hyaluronic
>acid--the acid found in human sperm.  The acid adds body to the
>hair, but since sperm sells for $5,000 a kilogram, Kevis says it
>must charge $25 a bottle for its shampoo. [San Francisco
>Chronicle, 7-27-95] 
    
    MEMO: New Business Idea
    
    Absorbant mats for taxicabs...
    
    $5,000 a kilogram!!!!!!
    
    -b
79.1634DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Mon Nov 13 1995 14:084
    
    
    	eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!
    
79.1635SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Nov 13 1995 14:114
    
    	gak!
    
    
79.1636POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesMon Nov 13 1995 14:169
    
    I wonder if the sperm donors for this particular product have to meet
    the same requirements as sperm donors in most sperm banks.
    
    Some place in Cambridge was advertising for donors.  The only thing I
    remember in the list of requirements was that the donor had to be 5'9
    or over.
    
    
79.1637POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerMon Nov 13 1995 14:171
    Their motto is "Visit Us And Come"
79.1638COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Nov 13 1995 14:212
Well, I suppose they could waive that requirement for shampoo for people
with short hair.
79.1639NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 13 1995 14:282
Note that the shampoo contains "cloned" hydro-something acid.  Methinks it's
a lot of hype.
79.1640BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Nov 13 1995 14:328

	Beavis and Butthead visited a sperm bank once. I thought I was gonna
die laughing when they knocked over a cart filled with viles of sperm. Sperm
was all over the floor!


Glen
79.1641DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Mon Nov 13 1995 14:385
    
    
    	That was one of the funniest episodes.  I don't watch
    	B&B that much but I'm glad I caught that one......
    
79.1642BUSY::SLABOUNTYCrackerMon Nov 13 1995 14:393
    
    	Wasn't that the episode with KISS' "Lick It Up" video?
    
79.1643vials, nnttmPOWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesMon Nov 13 1995 14:492
    
    
79.1644BUSY::SLABOUNTYCrackerMon Nov 13 1995 14:513
    
    	OK, wasn't that the episode with KISS' "Lick It Up" vials?
    
79.1645POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerMon Nov 13 1995 14:521
    Well, they were vile vials.
79.1646SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIif u cn rd ths, u nd to gt a lyfMon Nov 13 1995 14:544
    
    
    You folks want to take it to the "Gak" topic???
    
79.1647BUSY::SLABOUNTYCrackerMon Nov 13 1995 14:553
    
    	Is that a rhetorical question?
    
79.1648EVMS::MORONEYOperation Foot BulletTue Nov 14 1995 00:554
A company with the salvage rights to the Titanic plans to sell genuine coal
from the Titanic, with each golfball-sized lump mounted on a plaque for sale
for about $15.  The coal is the only artifact from the Titanic to be offered to
the general public.
79.1649ACISS1::BATTISA few cards short of a full deckTue Nov 14 1995 11:502
    
    I'm sure it will make a great stocking stuffer, for your loved ones.
79.1650ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 kts. is TOO slow!Tue Nov 14 1995 11:525
    re: .1649
    
    That's great, Mark!
    
    Bob
79.1651And, it has low pH!NORX::RALTOClinto Barada NiktoTue Nov 14 1995 19:4133
    >> ...hyaluronic acid--the acid found in human sperm.
    
    Sounds like it would make a good paint remover!
    
    Conjures up a 90's kinda Three Stooges episode where someone in the
    drug store puts a can of this stuff on the counter next to the paint
    can that Shemp is using to touch up the trim.  Then, of course, he picks
    up the wrong can (as seen in an outrageously obvious closeup of the two
    cans, respectively labelled "PAINT" and "HYALURONIC ACID - SPERM").
    
    Takes the paint right off the trim.  "Whoa!  Moe!"  Moe replies to Shemp:
    "Ya knucklehead, g'wan and paint the rest of it the same way so no one
    notices, g'wan..."
    
    
    >> The acid adds body to the hair...
    
    And vice versa, perhaps?  Look out Sy Sperling...
    
    
    >> ...sperm sells for $5,000 a kilogram
    
    Hey, anyone who can, pardon the expression, come up with a kilogram
    deserves at least 5K.
    
    
    >> ...her own blend of chocolate and
    >> "salty-crunchy things" that she plans to market to women as a
    >> menstrual snack, PMS Crunch.
    
    Oh-oh.  Do the "salty-crunchy things" contain hyaluronic acid?
    
    Chris
79.1652MPGS::MARKEYFluffy nutterTue Nov 14 1995 19:449
    
    Hey, if they're putting it in your hair via shampoo, imagine
    what y'all are getting when you take your protein suplements!
    Not to mention my suspicians about the Big Mac's so-called
    "Special Sauce". I always wondered if there's some little
    pimple-headed adolecsent sitting in the back with a Penthouse
    magazine whippin' up scads o' "Special Sauce".
    
    -b
79.1653POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesTue Nov 14 1995 19:455
    
    Oh, Bri!  That's disgusting!
    
    I think I just wee'd myself laughing.
    
79.1654SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Nov 14 1995 19:487
    
    don't laugh to long. I know personally of a gentlemen that was fired
    for putting something besides "blue cheese" dressing on the
    salads...:*P
    
    
    
79.1655POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesTue Nov 14 1995 19:564
    
    Oh dear, I had Lite Ranch on my salad at lunch!
    
    
79.1656POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerTue Nov 14 1995 20:011
    It might have been Lite Raunch
79.1657POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesTue Nov 14 1995 20:044
    
    <-- shaddap YOU!
    
    
79.1658CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend, will you be ready?Tue Nov 14 1995 20:0512



 an employee of a well known donut chain store in Derry NH was fired for his
 contributions to the dough used in the donuts.





 Jim
79.1659POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesTue Nov 14 1995 20:066
    
    I wonder if I can plant a garden indoors this winter 8^p.
    
    I may never eat out again!
    
    
79.1660BUSY::SLABOUNTYGot into a war with reality ...Tue Nov 14 1995 20:075
    
    	This stuff reeks of "urban legend".
    
    	I just read about similar tales in the "The Choking Doberman".
    
79.1661POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerTue Nov 14 1995 20:102
    I don't know what the big deal is, people eat (processed) wieners all the 
    time, if you saw how they were made.....  bluuuuuuuuuurgh!
79.1662MPGS::MARKEYFluffy nutterTue Nov 14 1995 20:128
    RE: 1661
    
    Yabbut,
    
    Beevis and Butthead are not actively contributing THEIR wieners,
    if you know what I mean...
    
    -b
79.1663It WAS funny, thoughDECLNE::REESEToreDown,I'mAlmostLevelW/theGroundTue Nov 14 1995 20:344
    Just as Psycho took the fun out of showers, Markey has forever turned
    me off to Quarter Pounders ;-}
    
    
79.1664EVMS::MORONEYOperation Foot BulletThu Nov 16 1995 00:5712
In Denmark there is a young kitten that's


GREEN.  Literally.  Green fur.

Supposedly a metabolism defect of some sort, supposedly the entire hair
follicles are green.

(Personally, to me, the green was a bit too green to be natural.  But if it
is a hoax, they fooled the wire services and some TV news stations....not that
this would be anything new, how many times has the "exploding toilet/bug spray"
story been printed?)
79.1665MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Nov 16 1995 01:374
Is that the one that was on the news last night?

It looked gray/grey.

79.1666SCASS1::EDITEX::MOOREPerhapsTheDreamIsDreamingUsThu Nov 16 1995 01:392
    
    Musta been Vulcan or sumptin'.
79.1667BIGQ::SILVADiabloThu Nov 16 1995 11:518

	Green Kitty....saw it on the news yesterday morning. I wonder if the
color will go away when it gets older? Like when kids with blonde hair often
times lose it when they get older.


Glen
79.1668POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Wet RaspberriesThu Nov 16 1995 11:594
    
    That's called 'baldness', Glen 8^).
    
    
79.1669BIGQ::SILVADiabloThu Nov 16 1995 12:023

	<grin>......
79.1670EVMS::MORONEYOperation Foot BulletFri Nov 17 1995 00:128
re .1665:

It was on a couple nights ago, but almost certainly the same cat.  What I saw
was definitely green-hued, but wasn't totally green, it was grayish and
it appeared to me what one might see if one dunked a gray cat in green
hair coloring.  In other words the underlying tabby stripes were there,
modified by the green, whether it was natural or not.  They focused in on
the cat's tummy which was rather greener than the rest of the cat.
79.1671VMSNET::M_MACIOLEKFour54 Camaro/Only way to flyFri Nov 17 1995 12:201
    Ain't it amazing what a can of green spray paint can do?
79.1672GOOEY::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Nov 17 1995 13:496
    
    
    	From what I heard, they washed the kitten, trying to get
    	whatever it was, off.  It didn't work.  The coloring is
    	*in* the fur.
    
79.1673NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Nov 17 1995 14:3616
The following is paraphrased from the Los Angeles Times, October20, 1995.

_________________________

A woman apparently frustrated by slow traffic on Santiago Canyon Road [in
Orange County, California], took out a baseball bat and began swinging at
a truck Thursday when she couldn't pass, authorities said.

Then she hurled an aerosol can at the driver's door.

The California Highway Patrol officer who chased the driver, 26-year-old
Lisa Lind of Lake Forest, noticed that her personalized license plate read
"PEACE 95" and asked her about it.

"She told me she got it because she thought there was so much violence
going on in today's society," Officer Peros Doumas said.
79.1674NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Nov 17 1995 15:2824
Selectman sees sorcery in Conn.

OXFORD, Conn. -- The town's first selectman is accusing the recreation director
he wants to fire of being a witch.

First Selectman Edward F. Oczkowski said Wednesday that Lila Ferrillo admitted
she was practicing witchcraft.

Ferrillo said Oczkowski, whose last day in office in Monday, overheard a
telephone conversation in which she talked about a stress management technique
consisting of writing a person's name on a piece of paper and then flushing it
down the toilet.

When Oczkowski confronted her several months ago, Ferrillo said she jokingly
confirmed his suspicion, adding she was in fact a "good" witch.

Ferrillo had been fired in April by Oczkowski, who accused her of
insubordination after she announced her intention to run for selectwoman.
She was reinstated in July through legal settlement.

She said this latest accusation is ridiculous.

"Of course I'm not a witch," Ferrillo said.  "I'm a practicing Catholic.
If I were a witch, Ed would have been a frog or something by now." (AP)
79.1675CSC32::M_EVANSruns with scissorsFri Nov 17 1995 15:597
    And since when is one's religion a reason to fire someone?
    
    She couldn't turn him into a frog anyway, from the sounds of it.  Why
    be redundant?
    
    meg
    
79.1676SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIif u cn rd ths, u nd to gt a lyfFri Nov 17 1995 16:066
    
    
    >She couldn't turn him into a frog anyway, from the sounds of it.
    
    From the sound of it... Oczkowski ain't a French Canadian...
    
79.1677CONSLT::MCBRIDEReformatted to fit your screenFri Nov 17 1995 16:084
    Most likely Irish.  It was probably changed when their ancestors got
    off the boat.  Most likely O'Czkowski from county Corkski.
    
    Brian
79.1678NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Nov 17 1995 16:193
>    And since when is one's religion a reason to fire someone?

Reading comprehension isn't your forte.
79.1679NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 20 1995 18:32134
WEIRDNUZ.403 (News of the Weird, October 27, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In September, Barry A. Briskman, 59, was sentenced to 20
years in prison in North Hollywood, Calif., for his inexplicably
successful seduction of two 13-year-old girls.  According to the
prosecutor, Briskman had convinced the girls that he was a space
alien from the planet Cablell, sent to Earth to recruit a team of
beautiful, super-intelligent girls for a female-dominated utopia
headed by Queen Hiternia, who was temporarily based atop the
Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas.  For their trip through space,
Briskman told the girls he would have to immunize them
vaginally until their "IRF" counts reached 100, and following
each sex session, he telephoned the "Andrak 4000" computer to
report the latest infusion and to get a readout on how many more
IRFs each girl needed.  Briskman is presently in prison in
Nevada for demonstrating similar persuasive skills on a 12-year-
old girl. [Los Angeles Times, 9-16-95] 

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS

* A man, unidentified in newspaper accounts, was arrested in
Memphis, Tenn., when he tried to enter an office building after
robbing a nearby bank.  Unknown to the man, the building
housed Memphis's police department.  Police had heard of the
robbery on the radio and watched from an upper floor as the man
fled the bank, ducked into an alley, hid the money, and
innocently approached the front door of their building as a
phalanx of officers gathered and waited for him.  The man
opened the door, froze, and asked, "This isn't the police
department, is it?" [Memphis Commercial-Appeal, 6-19-95] 

* In May, two boys, ages 15 and 16, were arrested outside a
Santa Clarita, Calif., bank and booked on suspicion of attempted
robbery.  The boys had stood at the bank's front door at 8:55
a.m. (five minutes before opening time), put on their ski masks,
and tried to open the door.  When they couldn't get it open, they
walked back to their getaway car to decide what to do next, and
alert bank employees called police. [Los Angeles Times, 5-24-
95] 

* Oliver McCall, who lost his heavyweight boxing championship
in England on September 2, arrived home in St. Louis three
weeks later with his payoff check for $1.4 million, which he was
carrying in his sock.  He was soon robbed by three men, but
McCall ran into them on the street a few minutes later.  The men
began angrily to chase McCall (with whose boxing career they
were unfamiliar), demanding an explanation why he was carrying
so large a check.  The chase drew the attention of police, who
caught the men. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9-22-95] 

* Police in Lexington, N. C., arrested three men in their 20s in
August and charged them with robbing a pedestrian and a clerk at
a gas station.  The men were caught after their getaway car
swerved off the road and flipped over--caused by the driver's
attempting to drive fast while simultaneously counting the
robbery money. [Greensboro News & Record, Aug95] 

* Jerry Wilson, 19, was arrested in Charleston, W. Va., in
August and charged with burglary after police found him lying,
bleeding badly, on the floor of the apartment he had broken into. 
They had been sent by rescue personnel after Wilson called 911
because he had cut himself so badly breaking through the
window. [Jefferson City Capital News-AP, 8-9-95] 

* In Des Moines, Iowa, in May, Ruth Bradshaw, 93, awoke to
find her house being burglarized and decided to pretend that she
knew the perpetrator not as a burglar but as a friend of her truck-
driving grandson.  She welcomed him "back" into the home,
served him breakfast, and insisted that he lie down and relax a
spell, at which point she called police.  Bradshaw attributes her
smarts to her career as a bootlegger and a pastor. [Des Moines
Register, 5-6-95] 

LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES

* In May, some teenagers discovered the body of traveling
salesman DeWitt Finley, 56, in a truck on a back road in the
Klamath Mountains in Oregon.  He had starved to death over a
nine-week period in which he was stranded in heavy snow,
despite the fact that the road was clear several hundred yards
beyond the truck.  Diary entries indicated that Finley had failed
to venture out of his truck because he was certain God would
provide for his rescue. [Daily News Journal (Murfreesboro,
Tenn.)-AP, 6-3-95] 

* In July, the pig wrestling event at the annual St. Patrick
Catholic Church Roundup in Stephensville, Wis., was canceled
because of complaints that the pigs squealed too much.  Said a
Church spokesperson, "Some city folks come out here and . .
don't understand." [Independence Examiner-AP, 7-1-95] 

* An Associated Press story in September reported on the
popularity of Jesus Malverde as the adopted patron saint of drug
dealers in Culiacan, Mexico.  Local farmers regularly credit him
for their success at growing and smuggling drugs and worship
icons of him in local buildings. [Albuquerque Journal-AP, 9-4-
95] 

* Nathan Frederick Klimosko, 21, was sentenced to two years'
probation in Kelowna, British Columbia, for hitting and choking
his girlfriend into unconsciousness.  The fight started in a car
when the two disagreed over his interpretation of a certain
passage from the Bible, and he reached over and smacked her in
the face, blackening her eye. [Barrie Examiner-CP, 5-20-95] 

* In March, Michael Beaudin, 36, was sentenced to 18 months in
prison in Montreal for negligently causing the death of his 5-
year-old son Jonathan.  Beaudin, a member of the Rose and the
Cross religious sect, had said the son needed to be "purified" and
had given him enemas with over 400 times the recommended
dosage of water. [Montreal Gazette, 3-11-95] 

* Stephen J. Miller, 16, was nabbed by the Virgin Mary after he
trespassed at the Sacred Heart School in Groton, Conn., in May. 
According to police, Miller tried to scale the roof of the school
building, lost his footing and fell, knocked over a 400-pound
statue of Mary on the way down, and hit the ground just before
the statue fell on his legs, pinning him.  He was trapped for two
hours before help, and the authorities, arrived. [Hartford
Courant, 5-16-95] 

THINNING THE HERD

* In Dubach, La., Mr. David Hanna, 38, fooling around with his
friend Billy Barham, was accidentally killed when Barham missed
while trying to shoot a can off Hanna's head. [USA Today, 8-30-
95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1680BUSY::SLABOUNTYAct like you own the companyMon Nov 20 1995 19:4923
    
    >According to the
>prosecutor, Briskman had convinced the girls that he was a space
>alien from the planet Cablell, sent to Earth to recruit a team of
>beautiful, super-intelligent girls for a female-dominated utopia
>headed by Queen Hiternia, who was temporarily based atop the
>Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas.  For their trip through space,
>Briskman told the girls he would have to immunize them
>vaginally until their "IRF" counts reached 100, and following
>each sex session, he telephoned the "Andrak 4000" computer to
>report the latest infusion and to get a readout on how many more
>IRFs each girl needed.
    
    	Hmmm, this could be quite the pick-up line.
    
    
>The fight started in a car
>when the two disagreed over his interpretation of a certain
>passage from the Bible, and he reached over and smacked her in
>the face, blackening her eye.
    
    	Is this where "religious fanatic" comes from?
    
79.1681NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 20 1995 20:011
Shawn, I didn't know you were interesting in picking up 13-year-olds.
79.1682BUSY::SLABOUNTYAct like you own the companyMon Nov 20 1995 20:024
    
    	Hey, hey, I strategically removed those references.  I think the
    	same lines would work on ditzy 25-30-year olds.
    
79.1683BIGQ::SILVADiabloMon Nov 20 1995 20:091
<---shawn, i thought you were older than that???? :-)
79.1684I can hear it nowGRANPA::MWANNEMACHERRIP Amos, you will be missedTue Nov 21 1995 09:263
    
    
    Time for my erec.......er, your ejection my darling.....
79.1685NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 27 1995 12:09133
WEIRDNUZ.404 (News of the Weird, November 3, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* According to an October Wall Street Journal article, the
number of bellybutton reconstructions in Japan went up 375% in
the last year, in part because many Japanese have come to
believe, as author Hogen Fukunaga writes, "The navel is the core
of everything about the person."  Said a Tokyo hospital
president, "People want navels that aren't assertive."  The perfect
navel, surmised the Journal reporter, is "vertical, very narrow,
and absolutely symmetrical."  The navel is a popular theme in the
Japanese language; for instance, a favorite kids' insult is, "Your
mother has an outie." [Wall Street Journal, 10-4-95] 

QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS

* Earlier this year, Michael Eugene Price was granted retrials in
two armed robbery cases after an Oklahoma appeals court ruled
that trial judges had been erring in telling juries that defendants
are "presumed not guilty" instead of "presumed innocent."  He
had been serving 32 and 35 years, respectively, but in his first
retrial in March, he was again found guilty and sentenced to 60
years, and in his second retrial, in October, he was again found
guilty and sentenced to 65 years. [Dallas Morning News-AP, 10-
6-95] 

* In September, police in Meadville, Pa., announced that the
summer drought in the area was responsible for their success in
finding marijuana farmers.  Said a police spokesman, almost all
of the vegetation is brown because of the drought, but the
marijuana stays green because the owners take such good care of
the plants. [USA Today, 9-12-95] 

* A San Diego, Calif., couple, both 35, suffered only minor
injuries in September when their car went off of I-10 at 75 mph. 
The couple, who police said were nude when they arrived on the
scene, were having sex in the front seat, and the driver lost
control.  And in San Antonio, Tex., five days earlier,
motorcyclist Liem Ngo, 38, was killed when he collided with
another cyclist, probably, according to police, because the other
cyclist's passenger, a 38-year-old woman, had just bared her
breasts at Ngo, distracting him. [Detroit Free Press, 9-17-95; San
Antonio Express-News, 9-12-95] 


* In July, a 25-year-old female sixth-grade science teacher in
Muroran, Japan, exasperated at the rowdiness of her students,
slashed one of her wrists in front of them in an attempt to scare
them into being quiet.  She had to be rushed to the hospital. [The
Daily Mainichi, 7-12-95] 

* When a band called On the Edge played the largest prison in
Maryland, outside Hagerstown, in August, three female band
members engaged in risky behavior.  According to a corrections
officer, they were "straddl[ing] the stage poles" and lying down
on the stage "in every provocative position and imitat[ing] sex
acts."  The women "were yelling suggestive things to the
inmates, who were responding in a sexual frenzy, climbing the
fences." (The fences were sturdy; no inmate-band contact
occurred.) [Washington Times-AP, 8-18-95] 

* In August, hotel owner Robert W. Vermillion, 52, died in
Williamsburg, Va., from smoke inhalation.  He had rushed into
his flame-filled garage to attempt to save his Porsche but was
overcome before he could get it out.  And in August, six people
on a farm near Nazlat Imara, Egypt, drowned after diving one at
a time into a well trying to capture a chicken that had fallen in. 
The chicken survived. [Washington Post, 8-2-95; Toronto Sun-
AP, 8-4-95] 

* In September, police in Gadsden, Ala., were able to arrest
Bobby Joe Dedeaux and Anitra Freeman and charge them with
bank robbery because the two had relaxed their getaway by
stopping at a nearby strip mall for a haircut and a little shopping.  

[Tuscaloosa News-AP, Sep95; USA Today, 9-14-95] 

* A 43-year-old man was hospitalized in Edmonton, Alberta, in
July after he fell out of the upper deck at a stadium during a
Canadian Football League game.  He was attempting to grab a
toy football thrown into the stands but went over the rail, landing
on a pregnant woman, who was not seriously hurt. [The
Tennessean, 7-19-95] 

* In August, Rozlan Othman, 25, had just been sentenced to
three months in prison in Singapore for assaulting a police
officer.  However, he persuaded Judge Yong Pung How that
what he really needed in order to be a better citizen and to get his
life together was to spend even more time than that in a
Singapore prison.  How gave him 12 months. [Globe and Mail-
Reuters, 8-31-95] 

CLICHES COME TO LIFE

* A July international men's conference in Ottawa was attended
by nearly 150 men (who paid $350 each), which was a vast
improvement over the previous year's attendance of five.  One
difference was that this year, the conference was not organized
in-house but was contracted out to two women. [Barrie
Examiner-CP, 7-3-95] 

* A March Gallup Organization survey for CNN and U. S. News
& World Report found that 80% of men considered themselves
above-average drivers. [Columbus Dispatch, 3-19-95] 

* Poland's leading "playwright of the absurd," Stanislaw Ignacy
Witkiewicz, was buried in Soviet territory when he committed
suicide in 1939, but his casket was sent to his beloved Polish
mountains for reburial in 1988.  In May 1995, a special
commission celebrating Witkiewicz's work discovered that,
somehow, Witkiewicz's casket contained the body of a woman.
[Edmonton Journal, 5-6-95] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* A 64-year-old Dade City, Fla., man accused by authorities in
March of fathering at least one, and perhaps all nine, of his 44-
year-old sister's children recently had his trial postponed until
early 1996.  The man, identified only as William, warned
authorities that prosecuting him will doom society because he
needs six more months to finish up his work on "the prism" (a
wooden table with a hole in the middle in which William stands),
which he promised would enable him harness all the world's
energy to control the weather, end the fighting in Bosnia, and
make the state's child welfare office obsolete.  Said William, the
prism is "the only way humanity will get out of limbo." [Tampa
Tribune, 10-19-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1686POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerMon Nov 27 1995 15:2713
	Toilet spy on probation
	-----------------------

	PETERBUROUGH (CP) - A man who crawled into the holding 
	tank beneath an outhouse toilet to spy on women was 
	sentenced Friday to three years probation.
	  Darren Laite, 26, of Richmond Hill, was reeking of 
	excrement when police arrested him last summer at the 
	Warsaw Caves conservation area in central Ontario.
	  Two women told police they saw Laite peering at them 
	through the toilet seat.
	  Laite had pleaded guilty to two counts of mischief.

79.1687Who says Nov. is too cold for water fun?DYPSS1::COGHILLSteve Coghill, Luke 14:28Tue Nov 28 1995 16:0221
   Police in Moraine, Ohio drove past an office building this weekend
   and noticed that the glass in the front door was knocked out.  Upon
   investigating they saw water flowing from the broken door as well as
   other openings in the building.  They also noticed a car idling in
   the parking lot.
   
   Being the bright lot they are, the concluded that the miscreant was
   still in the building.  They entered the building and were astounded
   to see all the fire hoses and other water outlets turned on full
   blast.  Several walls had been knocked down by fire host blasts. 
   Water was seeping through the ceilings on several floors.  Pools of
   water in many places.
   
   BUT!!!!  The most interesting thing they found was the perp asleep at
   one of the desks.
   
   He hasn't given his story yet, but I hope it's a doozy.
   
   Building damage is currently set at $100K.  No word on contents.  The
   Dayton Internet Connectivity company is (was) located in the
   building.  Word is that all their equipment is now a pile of junk.
79.1688Another "copycat crime", ban moviesDECWIN::RALTOClinto Barada NiktoTue Nov 28 1995 16:086
   >> They entered the building and were astounded
   >> to see all the fire hoses and other water outlets turned on full blast.
    
    Hmmm... wasn't "Home Alone" on TV recently?  :-)
    
    Chris
79.1689NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 04 1995 13:09127
WEIRDNUZ.405 (News of the Weird, November 10, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* The Houston Chronicle reported in September on the growing
support among American Muslims for once-accused child
molester Sadri Krasniqi of Plano, Tex.  Krasniqi, an Albanian-
American, was arrested in 1989 after witnesses reported him
fondling his four-year-old daughter under her dress, and state
authorities removed the girl, and her brother, to a Christian
family.  In 1994, after many delays, charges were dropped
against Krasniqi when prosecutors became convinced that because
parent-child sex is so unimaginable in Albania, parental
fondling--even genital fondling--is accepted.  (Muslim critics said
such fondling is correctly forbidden among Americans because
pedophilia is so common here.)  However, even though no longer
facing charges, Krasniqi and his wife have so far been denied the
return of their children. [Houston Chronicle, 9-17-95] 

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* Earlier this year, in a study of the psychological well-being of
91 Canadian customs officers, researchers from the Kingston
(Ontario) Sexual Behavior Clinic concluded that the officers
whose work consists of looking at pornography all day showed
no ill effects.  (Canada generally has stricter laws against
pornography than most U. S. states because authorities more
readily accept the belief that viewing pornography is dangerous.)
[Geist-Utne Reader, December 1994-January 1995] 

* In May, the Raleigh (N. C.) City Council was set to approve a
rezoning of land on behalf of Schlotzsky's Deli because none of
Schlotzsky's neighbors objected--none, that is, except, at the last
minute, the trade association for the state's restaurants, whose
office is next door.  Said the Association's executive vice
president, "Yes, this does mean the N. C. Restaurant Association
is opposed to putting a restaurant beside the [Restaurant
Association] building," citing parking and other problems.
[Raleigh News & Observer, 6-1-95] 

* According to a Texas District Attorney, more than 100
prosecutions for drug possession are in jeopardy because
defendants had the good sense after their arrests to pay the state
"drug tax."  The legislature enacted the tax in 1989 to help law
enforcement, but a court ruled recently that to both collect the tax
and prosecute the defendant would be unconstitutional "double
jeopardy."  The latest case was the August dismissal of charges
against San Marcos college professor Harvey Ginsburg, who had
paid a $2,450 tax on 11 ounces of marijuana. [Dallas Morning
News-AP, 8-5-95] 

* In September, the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Kalmar,
Sweden, applied for a permit to hook up the crematorium in its
memorial park with its other buildings.  The Church wants to use
the heat from the crematorium to warm the other buildings
inexpensively. [Reuters wirecopy, 9-6-95] 

* In October, Juanita Winston, 27, fresh out of jail on probation
and child-support violations, looked up her old boyfriend,
William Narr, in the Norristown, Pa., liquor store where he
worked and tried to persuade him to resume the relationship. 
According to police, Winston--who outweighs Narr by 40
pounds--threw him onto a truck ramp in the back of the store,
broke 23 liquor bottles, wrapped him in an apron, and sat on him
for over two hours until he agreed to reconcile. [Philadelphia
Inquirer, Oct95] 

* The Minnesota Gambling Control board voted in July to okay
for public use the latest gambling machine from Scientific Games
of Atlanta, Ga.  The game, played with pull-off tabs that reveal
as winners three red lips, is called Kiss My Butt.  And in Lapeer,
Mich., in July, a judge turned down the name-change petition
from disaffected, 55-year-old John Jakubowski, who wanted the
legal name Kiss My Ass. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7-18-95;
Detroit Free Press, 7-26-95] 

GROWN-UPS

* Two career firefighters and six volunteers were suspended in
Seat Pleasant, Md., in September after they brawled over who
should get to carry the big hose into a burning house.
[Washington Times, Sept95] 

* In August, principal Al Williams of Hotchkiss (Colo.) High
School resigned after his alleged conduct at a student assembly
came under criticism.  According to news reports, Williams
demonstrated for students the concept of "maturity" by having
two girls, one flat-chested and the other not, stand in profile and
touch their elbows behind them. [Tampa Tribune-AP, 8-31-95] 

* In October, a jury in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., awarded $277,000
to former high school soccer player Gary Beharrie, who was
severely kicked by an opponent in a 1992 game.  The jury found
that the kick was administered on orders from the opposing
coach, Phil Drosdick, who told a player near Beharrie to "Waste
him!" because his team was losing. [St. Petersburg Times, 10-12-
95] 

GEOGRAPHIC CENTERS OF WEIRD

* Peterborough, Ontario:  In October, Robert McKellar, 36,
pleaded guilty to spying on female co-workers through a two-way
mirror in the employee changing room at a local Kentucky Fried
Chicken.  And in July, police said Darren Laite, 26, was
discovered lurking in the tank of a women's outhouse just east of
town. [Sault Star-CP, 10-20-95; Toronto Star-CP, 8-23-95] 

* Union, S. Car.:  In the town of killer-Mom Susan Smith, Doris
Murphy, 41, pleaded guilty in October to beating her partially-
paralyzed elderly aunt, stomping her prescription bottles, and
tossing her walker into a tree. [USA Today, 10-6-95] 

* Dover, N. H.:  Jeremy Brown, 21, was arrested for beating up
his girlfriend in October in a dispute over whether the O. J.
Simpson jury had reached the proper verdict.  And in August,
David Cobb, 59, of Dover, was charged with assault and 594
counts of child pornography.  Cobb is a former Phillips Academy
teacher who reportedly took kids into the woods, left them briefly
while he changed clothes and reappeared in pumpkin mask and
underwear and asked the kids to fondle him, then went back into
the brush and reappeared clothed as David Cobb. [Newark Star-
Ledger, 10-5-95; Burlington Free Press-AP, Oct95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or the name News of the Weird.
79.1691CSLALL::HENDERSONFriend, will you be ready?Wed Dec 06 1995 15:3210


 Chances are Johnny will beat the rap, and I bet he'll be misty at the 
 prospect.




 Jim
79.1692MKOTS3::JMARTINI press on toward the goalWed Dec 06 1995 15:381
    That would be just wonderful wonderful!
79.1693WAHOO::LEVESQUEsmooth, fast, bright and playfulWed Dec 06 1995 15:491
    He should beat the rap. What a waste of taxpayer money.
79.1694BUSY::SLABOUNTYDancin' on CoalsWed Dec 06 1995 15:546
    
    	It sounds like the dog started it, doesn't it?
    
    	Can he take the dog to court for assault with a dangerous
    	weapon [bark]?
    
79.1690NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 06 1995 15:557
Portland, Maine (AP) -- A Bath man accused of barking at a German shepherd
that was inside a parked police cruiser has been ordered to appear in court
on a charge of taunting a police dog.  Johnny Mathis, 20, said he didn't
mean to cause trouble when the dog, Zedo, began barking and he responded 
by barking back.  "I had stopped barking, and the police still arrested me,"
Mathis said Monday.  Police said Mathis initiated the incident at 1:15 a.m.
Saturday.
79.1695MPGS::MARKEYNo thanks, I already don't have oneWed Dec 06 1995 15:587
    
    This is the very reason that some people (including myself)
    feel that there's little to distinguish cops from other forms
    of sub-moronic street criminals, other than the amount of
    donoughts they eat.
    
    -b
79.1696PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Dec 06 1995 16:008
  speaking of wasting taxpayer money - court tv was covering the 
  (albeit) brief case of a man charged with cruelty to animals for
  beating a rat to death with a broom handle.  it had been eating his
  tomatoes, and he trapped it and then killed it.  it wasn't the
  fact that he killed it, rather the way he killed it that had 
  people up in arms.  cripes.

79.1697PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Dec 06 1995 16:012
   .1695  he didn't mean it, dad.
79.1698WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Dec 06 1995 16:052
    check the phases... if there was full moon that night he's free and
    clear!
79.1699NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 06 1995 16:073
>    donoughts they eat.

A very clever misspelling, that.
79.1700It's not all for noughtDECWIN::RALTOClinto Barada NiktoWed Dec 06 1995 16:094
    Indeed... it brings to mind a charity food drive for underprivileged
    cops on details, Donuts for Donoughts.
    
    Chris
79.1701MPGS::MARKEYNo thanks, I already don't have oneWed Dec 06 1995 16:468
    
    > A very clever misspelling, that.
    
    Yes, indeed. When I uck fup, I go the "hole hawg". :-)
    
    (Yes, I know it's supposed to be "whole hog"...)
    
    -b
79.1702SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIRhubarb... celery gone bloodshot.Wed Dec 06 1995 18:4010
    N.H. faculty rules on teacher's firing
    
    PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Plymouth State College president Donald Wharton acted
    improperly in firing a professor charged with sexual harassment, but
    the teacher should not be allowed back on the staff, a faculty appeal
    committee says. Leroy Young was fired in March 1994 after accusations
    from students. The committee recommended he be reinstated with back pay
    but fired again because he likely was "guilty of deliberate and
    flagrant neglect of duty and moral delinquency." (AP)
    
79.1703BUSY::SLABOUNTYDo you wanna bang heads with me?Wed Dec 06 1995 20:2111
    
    	Interesting.
    
    	So does this mean they will reconsider, reinstate him with back
    	pay, and fire him again?
    
    	And then reconsider, reinstate him with back pay, and fire him
    	again?
    
    	And ...
    
79.1704How do I get a non-job like that?HIGHD::FLATMANGive2TheMegan&amp;KennethCollegeFundWed Dec 06 1995 20:230
79.1705tenureSOLVIT::KRAWIECKIRhubarb... celery gone bloodshot.Wed Dec 06 1995 20:491
    
79.1706NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 07 1995 12:204
Ali Burke, 25, was recently arrested and charged with
disorderly conduct at a McDonald's in Somerset,
Pennsylvania, after he squirted ketchup on the nose of
the Hamburglar and licked it off.
79.1707TROOA::COLLINSDreaming on our dimes...Thu Dec 07 1995 12:213
    
    Another example of the rampant moral decay in our society.
    
79.1708CRONIC::BOURGOINEThu Dec 07 1995 13:237
>>Pennsylvania, after he squirted ketchup on the nose of
>>the Hamburglar and licked it off.


	Did they mentiion if the Hamburglar was a statue or a person
	wearing the outfit???   It might matter! - well....maybe not

79.1709DEVLPR::DKILLORANNo Compromise on FreedomThu Dec 07 1995 13:3011
    
    > This is the very reason that some people (including myself)
    > feel that there's little to distinguish cops from other forms
    > of sub-moronic street criminals, other than the amount of
    > donoughts they eat.
    
    The other being that they can beat the snot outta ya, and get away with
    it...
    
    :-P
    
79.1710DASHER::RALSTONscrewiti'mgoinhome..Thu Dec 07 1995 15:101
    It probably tasted better then on the burger!
79.1711POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Tummy TimeThu Dec 07 1995 16:004
    
    than!  than!
    
    Geesh.
79.1712BUSY::SLABOUNTYForget the doctor - get me a nurse!Thu Dec 07 1995 16:345
    
    	"Then" is correct, actually.
    
    	Especially if it tastes better now on the cookie.
    
79.1713POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerThu Dec 07 1995 16:352
    Perhaps he was referring to the past: then it tasted better on a burger,
    now it doesn't taste so good on a burger.
79.1714BUSY::SLABOUNTYForget the doctor - get me a nurse!Thu Dec 07 1995 16:415
    
    	Is there an echo in here?
    
    	Is there an echo in here?
    
79.1715extra points for finding the misspellingNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Dec 08 1995 16:07125
WEIRDNUZ.406 (News of the Weird, November 17, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* German romanticism professor Jukka Ammondt, 45, of the
University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, closed out a two-week
American singing tour in October with a performance at the
Embassy of Finland in Washington, D. C., doing Elvis Presley
songs in Latin.  According to a Washington Post report,
Ammondt sang Latin versions of, among others, "It's Now or
Never" ("Nunc hic aut numquam") and "Love Me Tender"
("Tenere me, suaviter"). [Washington Post, 10-21-95] 

GREAT ART

* A May New York City sculpture show featured Chinese artist
Wenda Gu's large tray-like device filled with hair from people of
many nationalities, glued together, symbolizing the American
melting pot.  Gu's future plans are to collect enough human hair
from around the world to build a 2,000-brick wall and carpet a
McDonald's in Barcelona, Spain. [Hartford Courant-AP, 5-8-95] 

* Maryland's National Library of Poetry named Clifford Olson a
semifinalist in its 1995 North American Open Poetry Contest, but
then disqualified him after it was learned that he is a serial killer
of children.  Olson, who was convicted of eleven murders in
1982 in Canada, wrote "Success," which ends, "A life that is
clean, a heart that is true, And doing your best, that's success."
[Globe and Mail-CP, 9-16-95] 

* Shown at London's Serpentine Gallery during September was
"The Maybe," an exhibit by Tilda Swinton, consisting only of
her lying on a mattress on a shelf in the center of the room and
sleeping for eight hours a day. [New York Times-Agence France-
Presse, 9-10-95] 

* Newsweek reported in June that a group of French artists tried
to bring shame to people's habitual failure to curb their dogs in
Paris by decorating about 200 assorted piles of dog poop on the
street.  The artists drew chalk lines of plates around the
droppings, then placed real flatware and glasses next to the plates
and real food, such as spaghetti, on the plates next to the poop.
[Newsweek, 6-5-95] 

* Sotheby's New York City auction house reported in June that
"Drains," a sculpture of a sink stopper by Robert Gober (who
specializes in making household items into "art") sold for over
$55,000.  Gober said the sink stopper represented "a window
onto another world." [Edmonton Journal, 7-1-95] 

* [CAUTION: BAD WORD AHEAD] Earlier this year, at an
Ace Contemporary Exhibitions show in Los Angeles, painter
Keith Boadwee offered 50 pieces that he created over a seven-
month period by giving himself enemas of egg tempura paints
and capturing the expulsions on canvas.  Above the paintings in
the gallery were TV monitors showing videotapes of Boadwee's
production process, including his squatting nude over canvases. 
Said Boadwee, "I wanted to prove that I can make just as good a
painting as [the "abstract expressionists"] can, with my butthole."
[Buzz, August 1995; Art in America, October 1995] 

* The four finalists for the 1995 prestigious Turner Prize,
awarded this month in London, include Damien Hirst, who has
exhibited dead, skinned cattle in copulating positions in
formaldehyde [News of the Weird, November 25, 1994], and
Mona Hatoum, who has created a video of microphotography of
the insides of her mouth and other body openings. [The
Economist, 9-30-95] 

* Actor Larry Hagman said in August just after his liver
transplant that he would donate the gallstones removed by
surgeon Leonard Makowka to New York artist Barton Benes for
use in a sculpture.  Makowka said Hagman has been collecting
Benes's work for over 30 years. [Los Angeles Times, 8-24-95] 

* In New York City in August, French director Veronique
Guillaud staged, as performance art, a "peeping Tom" exhibition
near Lincoln Center, with several hundred art patrons on the
street looking through binoculars at a variety of Guillaud-staged
scenes into 40 windows of the Radisson Empire Hotel. Said one
peeper, "You say, 'What will they think of next?' and then they
come up with [this].'" [New York Times, 8-6-95] 

WEIRD SCIENCE

* The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine reported in a recent issue
that observation of ten patients whose wounds would not heal via
antibiotics showed a weekly 20% improvement when ordinary
maggots were placed on the wound.  Maggots ate the dead skin
tissue and the bacteria around the cut.   And leech farmer Roy
Sawyer announced he would open a leech museum in Charleston,
S. C., next year to herald leeches' medical uses, such as to
restore circulation in weak or clotted veins by sucking blood to
create a flow. [New York Post, 7-12-95; People, 7-10-95] 

* Researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario reported in
August that pigs fed a diet of up to 30% chocolate "waste"
appeared to be no worse off than pigs fed traditional corn foods,
which cost much more.  (Pigs are usually slaughtered long before
they would suffer the consequences of chocolate's fat.) [Sault
Star-CP, 8-3-95] 

* A forensic entomologist at Simon Fraser University in British
Columbia made a public appeal in May for discarded underwear
for her experiment on how bugs feast on homicide victim
corpses.  For accuracy, researcher Gail Anderson said the corpses
should be wearing clothes, as most homicide victims are. [Sault
Star-The Province, 5-23-95] 

GEOGRAPHIC CENTERS OF WEIRD

* Gallup, New Mexico:  Former Gallup school principal Fred
David Johnson, 64, was sentenced in October to 28 years in
prison for kidnaping an 11-year-old boy and sucking his toes. 
Another former Gallup school principal, Charles Edwin Johnson,
54, has been charged with child-sex crimes.  The two Johnsons
are not related--except that police said a homemade computer-
disk "manual" on how to seduce kids, written by Fred David
Johnson, was found in the home of Charles Edwin Johnson when
he was arrested. [Albuquerque Journal, 10-16-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1716MPGS::MARKEYNo thanks, I already don't have oneFri Dec 08 1995 16:106
   >                                                       carpet a
   >McDonald's in Barcelona, Spain. [Hartford Courant-AP, 5-8-95] 
    
    Bringing new meaning to the phrase "rug"...
    
    -b
79.1717SMURF::WALTERSFri Dec 08 1995 16:142
    Waiter, there's a soup in my hair.
    
79.1718OHH! OOOOOOHHHHHH!SCASS1::EDITEX::MOOREPerhapsTheDreamIsDreamingUsFri Dec 08 1995 18:458
    
    .1715
    
    > Said Boadwee, "I wanted to prove that I can make just as good a
    > painting as [the "abstract expressionists"] can, with my butthole."
    > [Buzz, August 1995; Art in America, October 1995] 
    
    "Wanna come up and see my paintings ?"
79.1719NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 11 1995 12:216
A guy in West Virginia was playing Russian roulette with two friends



while driving.  The gun went off while pointed at the driver's head.
The car crashed into a wall.  All were injured, driver critically.
79.1720WAHOO::LEVESQUEsmooth, fast, bright and playfulMon Dec 11 1995 12:231
    real time Darwinism
79.1721BUSY::SLABOUNTYCatch you later!!Mon Dec 11 1995 20:155
    
    	The guy gets shot point-blank and lives?
    
    	The shooter isn't a very good shot, is he?
    
79.1722SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Dec 11 1995 21:1918
    
    	could've been a low-powered round. I remember reading an incident
    in which Jim Cirillo (NYPD cop) fired 6 .38spl LRN bullets into the
    head of a perp. The bullets entered the skin and skimmed around the
    outside of the skull, exiting in back of the head (i.e. - the bullets
    never pierced the skull, just traveled under the skin). Said perp sat
    down and waited for the ambulance to arrive. When it got there he
    walked into it on his own! Jim Cirillo then went on to design his own
    bullet to prevent that from happening again. :)
    
    	Also, I had a friend take her life with a .44mag revolver. She
    placed it under her chin and fired....the bullet never exited the
    skull. 
    
    	Bullet design is critical...
    
    
    jim
79.1723NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 13 1995 12:07134
WEIRDNUZ.407 (News of the Weird, November 24, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In November in Tampa, Fla., Paul Covani, 18, filed a lawsuit
against his father, retired military physician Ricardo Covani,
alleging years of abuse and humiliation.  According to the
lawsuit, Dr. Covani not only verbally abused his son but until
recently systematically measured his son's body parts, took nude
photographs of him to chronicle his growth, brushed his teeth at
night, bathed him, and inspected his stools. [St. Petersburg
Times, 11-4-95] 

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS

* China's official Xinhua News Agency reported in July that Yu
Qian, a dentist in Heilongjiang province, has built an eight-foot-
high tower, consisting of 28,000 diseased teeth he collected over
the years, to help raise awareness of dental hygiene.
[Montgomery Advertiser-AP, 7-25-95] 

* A researcher writing in the July issue of the European Journal
of Physics concluded that the torque of an average piece of
buttered toast, falling off of a table of average height, causes "an
inevitable butter-down final state [hitting the floor]." [Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, 7-5-95] 

* A July Associated Press story described the work of Ellie
Jenkins, a counter for the Mosquito Control Commission in
Savannah, Ga.  Jenkins drives around to 38 specified locations,
stands with her arms and legs spread, and ascertains whether she
receives five bites a minute--which is the threshold to summon
county spraying trucks.  And a June Toledo Blade story reported
on the work of Mike Pixley, who tests La-Z-Boy chairs at the
company plant in Monroe, Mich.  Pixley rocks about 2,800 times
a day, at $6 an hour.  Said his supervisor Judy Fay, praising
Pixley, "I want someone who's self-motivated, who sets their
own personal goals." [Halifax (N.S.) Chronicle-Herald-AP, 7-6-
95] [Willimantic (Conn.) Chronicle-AP, 7-24-95] 

* Recent contests in the news:  In June, contestants hurled 45-lb.
toilets through the air at the Blue Tip Festival in Wadsworth,
Ohio, with the winning toss receiving a complimentary toilet
from the Kohler Company.  And the 16th annual World Worm-
Charming Championship was held in England in June, with a
variety of methods being used, including one contestant's
drawing worms out of the ground by playing "Raindrops Keep
Fallin' on My Head." [Duluth News-Tribune-AP, 6-22-95] 
[Sports Illustrated, 7-17-95] 

* In June, the Iowa State Historical Society finally opened long-
embargoed boxes of self-published, highly-detailed,
autobiographical journals donated by a not-particularly-prominent
architect named Charles Remey, who died in 1979 and who was
apparently obsessed with making sure the public was not denied
his life story.  In describing the collection, a Des Moines
Register writer wrote that one of the volumes, "The Wardrobe of
Gertrude Heim Remey," Charles's wife, was "quite likely the
best book ever written about his wife's clothes." [Des Moines
Register, 6-7-95] 

* According to current and former members of Japan's Aum
Shinri Kyo cult (accused of the subway gas attacks) quoted by
Reuters News Service in September, leader Shoko Asahara
collected a souvenir pubic hair from each of the 30 to 40 female
followers with whom he had slept.  Asahara reportedly placed the
strands of hair in small plastic bags inside bottles, each labeled
with the woman's name. [Reuter wirecopy, 9-13-95] 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

* A municipal official in Tehran announced in August that
seating and standing room on its minibuses would be gender-
segregated, as on Iran's other buses.  He reasoned that "if 10
men brush against [the 370,000 female daily riders], 3.7 million
accountable sins are committed every day."  And in May, 3,300
couples were married in a mass ceremony in Tehran designed to
discourage bachelorhood and its attendant masturbation.  Said
Ayatollah Mohammed Yazdi, "[The masturbator's] eyes, his
nerves, many of his body organs will be so affected that medical
science cannot cure him." [Orlando Sentinel, 8-29-95] [New
York Daily News-Reuter, 5-20-95] 

* After a two-day trial in April, a judge in London, Ontario,
found David Peterson of Warrenville, Ill., not guilty of
"excessive" spanking of his five-year-old daughter.  Peterson had
hit the girl on her bare bottom with his hand after she had
slammed a car door on her two-year-old brother's fingers, but 
police filed charges that alleged that the spanking was illegal in
Canada because it was carried out in anger. [Globe and Mail, 4-
25-95] 

* A September Associated Press dispatch from Sri Lanka
reported that a 30-year-old man had been sentenced to prison on
two charges:  for having sex with a cow, three months, and for
raping a female human two weeks earlier, another three months. 
However, the judge apparently thought the two sentences were
excessive and thus suspended the first one. [The Japan Times-
AP, 9-23-95] 

* In July, preacher Abdul Talib Harun, 35, was sentenced to two
years in prison in Kuala Lampur for having 10 wives, which is
six more than permitted under Muslim law.  All ten, with whom
he has 17 children, strongly supported Harun during his yearlong
trial.  The four lawful wives were also sent to jail for a month for
permitting the illegal cohabitation. [Chicago Tribune-AP, 7-13-
95] 

* According to a May Wall Street Journal article, Palestinians
intent on improving their personal religious standing now suffer
from "martyr inflation"--terming any relative who passes away to
be a martyr.  Muslims believe that a martyr goes straight to
paradise, sits with God, is absolved of all sins, and enjoys 70
virgin brides.  According to a Palestinian journalist, "It's not
easy to come to a family and say, 'Your relative is not a
martyr.  He's just dead.'" [Wall Street Journal, 5-15-95] 

CREME DE LA WEIRD

* Officials in South Hams District in England filed charges in
October against farmer Trevor Sedgbeer for defying an order to
dismantle his two-bedroom bungalow because it was built without
a permit.  Instead of dismantling it, Sedgbeer removed the roof,
filled the house with dirt to a height covering the walls, and
planted grass and bushes on it.  When he thought police were
satisfied that the house had been torn down, Sedgbeer removed
all the dirt and reattached the roof, but authorities came by again
and saw that the house had reappeared. [The Daily Telegraph,
10-20-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1724MKOTS3::JMARTINI press on toward the goalWed Dec 13 1995 13:026
ZZ    recently systematically measured his son's body parts, took nude
ZZ    photographs of him to chronicle his growth, brushed his teeth at
ZZ    night, bathed him, and inspected his stools. [St. Petersburg
ZZ    Times, 11-4-95]
    
    Hey, he just wanted to be a well informed parent is all!
79.1725DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Wed Dec 13 1995 21:277
> * A researcher writing in the July issue of the European Journal
> of Physics concluded that the torque of an average piece of
> buttered toast, falling off of a table of average height, causes "an
> inevitable butter-down final state [hitting the floor]." [Atlanta

Saw this study recently, in excruciating detail, in Scientific American.
Did someone get a grant to do this? Did we pay for it ??
79.1726BARSTR::JANDROWGreen-Eyed Lady...Thu Dec 14 1995 11:4214
    
    i heard this this morning on the radio, and it is a bit wacky...
    
    down in florida (pensacola, i believe), a neighborhood was getting fed
    up with the dope dealer that lived there.  they repeated complained to
    the cops, but, without proof, they wouldn't do anything.  so, one guy
    decided to get proof.  he went and bought a small bag (i don't know the
    actual amount or the hip term for a 'small bag') and brougt it to the
    police and said here's your proof.  the cops then arrested the man for
    possession of pot.  
    
    i think they said the charges were dropped, but i don't think the
    station knew for sure whether or not they were dropped or if the guy is
    going to have to have a hearing to get out of this. 
79.1727Nobel prize material ?GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseThu Dec 14 1995 12:4511
    
      Well, if you have poor wine or whiskey, the Japanese are studying
     a new technological solution : Nuke it !  That's right, researchers
     in Japan have discovered that they can create the complex "taste"
     hydrocarbons in alcoholic beverages which lack them, by submitting
     the libations to low-level nuclear radiation near a reactor.
    
      Further research is required, but there could be hope for Canadian
     wine.  Don't try this at home, folks.
    
      bb
79.1728NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 14 1995 13:025
79.1729See, there is a use for those old nuke plants.TRLIAN::MIRAB1::REITHThu Dec 14 1995 16:138
    
    .1727 Nuking the Wine>
    
    I heard that the amount required to produce the fine aged taste was
    about 250 times lethal amounts of radiation.  Not what I would call
    low-level.
    
    	Skip
79.1730NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 18 1995 14:17129
WEIRDNUZ.408 (News of the Weird, December 1, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* The family of Santo Alba filed a lawsuit in Boston against the
late Mr. Alba's employer, Raytheon.  Alba's workload had
increased, causing him (said the family) to commit suicide by
sticking his head into the sheet-metal cutting machine at his shop
at work.  And in Newport, R. I., also-stressed Navy computer
systems manager Raoul Payette blamed his supervisor and shot
her in the neck with a derringer.  According to police, Payette
had fixed upon the Navy's workplace admonition to "Identify and
Eliminate Barriers to Quality"; "She was the barrier," he said.  
Someone with a worse job than either man was the researcher on
a study reported in a November journal article on condom usage
by Nevada prostitutes; that person's job was to examine used
condoms for breakage. [Inland Valley Daily Bulletin-AP, 11-6-
95] [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 10-31-95][American Journal of
Public Health, November 1995] 

COURTROOM ANTICS

* In May, Hawaii's Intermediate Court of Appeals set aside the
firearms conviction of James G. Kahoonei because his bedroom
was illegally searched.  The search was conducted by Kahoonei's
mother, but the court ruled that she was searching not as a
mother but as an "agent" of the government in looking for
weapons. [Columbus Dispatch, May95] 

* In March, Robert Licciardi, 36, who was freshly convicted of
killing his disabled father in order to get his hands on the family
fortune and who had acted as his own attorney during his trial,
claimed in a letter to the Stockton (Calif.) Record that he had
incompetent counsel, that the judge was "unfair," "prejudiced,"
and "unreasonable" for allowing Licciardi to represent himself.
[Stockton Record, 3-8-95] 

* An Albany, N. Y., Bobbittization case against a woman hung
on the parties' comparative credibility, and one of the issues
currently being considered by the New York Court of Appeals is
who was telling the truth about where the slashed victim removed
his undershorts.  He said in the bedroom, but she said in the
kitchen (where he was about to rape her) and testified that the
undershorts therefore reeked of spices.  Her lawyer now says the
trial judge made a crucial error:  To verify the woman's version,
the judge should have sniffed the unlaundered shorts himself
during the trial or passed them over to the jury for sniffing.
[Albany Times Union, 9-21-95] 

* In April, a federal court refused to review the Novato, Calif.,
small claims court decision in favor of Phillip Schlenker for $65
from the local cable TV company.  Schlenker won the judgment
for a breach of contract in that he was unable to enjoy "Monday
Night Football" during 1993 and 1994 because the cable
company was feuding with the local ABC-TV station in San
Francisco. [San Francisco Examiner, Apr95] 

* In July in Chicago, a county circuit judge, James G. Smith,
was transfered to a lower-profile job because of his remarks
during a medical malpractice trial involving an Hispanic victim. 
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, when defense attorneys
pointed out that there had once been a shooting in the malpractice
victim's family (which could have led to the victim's subsequent
learning disabilities), Judge Smith said, "Of course, [shooting
guns] is a common practice among Hispanics. . . . Every New
Year's, I had to dismiss cases because it was common for them to
step out and shoot at anything that was out there." [Chicago Sun-
Times, 7-15-95] 

FETISHES ON PARADE

* Stewart R. Flaharty, 64, a 22-year veteran morgue worker at 
York (Pa.) Hospital, was fired in August and charged with abuse
of a corpse after he was caught by a co-worker making personal
photographs of the nude body of a woman in her early 20s who
had just died in an automobile crash. [York Daily Record, 8-4-
95] 

* Stephen N. Porco, 28, was sentenced to six years in prison for
a series of auto burglaries attributed in part to his lust for
women's purses, from which he has suffered for at least ten
years.  An authority close to the case estimated Porco had stolen
over 500 purses and often used them for sexual gratification.
[Knoxville News-Sentinel, 5-23-95] 

* In Somerset, Pa., in July, Mr. Ali Burke, 25, was arrested and
charged with disorderly conduct at a McDonald's after he
squirted ketchup on the nose of the Hamburgler and licked it off.
[York Dispatch, 7-21-95] 

GEOGRAPHIC CENTERS OF WEIRD

* Japan:  Among the thriving new businesses in Tokyo is a
"convenience agency" that, among other things, supplies guests at
funerals and weddings so that the families will not lose face by
sparse attendance.  And an account in Japan Times in July
reported that "thousands" of Japanese have paid to take three-day
excursions to Rio de Janeiro to visit the gravesite, childhood
home, and museum of the late Formula 1 racer Ayrton Senna. 
And Tokyo's first "nap hotel" opened earlier this year, featuring
tents in a large room, where weary salesmen can crash for a half-
hour at a time for rates of $3 to $6. [St. Petersburg Times-
Washington Post, 9-9-95; Japan Times Weekly, 7-24-95;
Newsweek 4-17-95] 

* Finland:   Harri Pellonpaa, 17, won a weekend at a Lapland
resort for finishing first in the so-called World Championship of
Mosquito Killing in Finland in July.  Also that month, Ilpo
Ronkko won Finland's annual Wife-Carrying Championship, in
which men tote women over a 780-foot course that includes two
fences and a waist-high pool of water. [Eugene Register-Guard-
AP, 7-11-95] [Chicago Sun-Times, 7-6-95] 

IF IT DOESN'T FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT 

* In October, in Brantford, Ontario, Robert Douglas, 35, was
convicted of sexual assault despite his testifying that his penis is
too small (two inches) to have committed the crime and that,
besides, he is impotent.  And in June, George Johnson, 36, was
found not guilty on one rape count and earned a mistrial on a
second in Princeton, Ky., after he unzipped and demonstrated to
the jury that his penis did not have freckles and a mole as
testified to by the alleged victim. [Kentucky New Era
(Hopkinsville, Ky.), 6-19-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1731NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 18 1995 14:21167
WhiteBoard News for December 15, 1995 [excerpts]

Columbia, South Carolina:

A judge ordered a 15-year-old girl with a history of
delinquency to remain chained to her mother -- 24 hours
a day, seven days a week -- for a month.

Family Court Judge Wayne Creech, who handed out the
punishment December 7, refused to comment on the case,
citing ethical reasons.

Tonya Kline said she had a history of truancy and
shoplifting and recently spent two months in a state
juvenile detention center for breaking into a house.

She said that prompted the judge to order her to spend
the month chained to her mother, Deborah Harter.  If
Tonya is caught unshackled, her 38-year-old mother
faces 30 days in jail.

Tonya was ordered to wear a traditional prisoner's belt
with wrist and ankle shackles.  The shackles are
hanging loose, but her mother is required to hold a
metal ring attached to the belt by a short chain.

"I lead her around like a puppy," Harter said.

Tonya can use the windowless bathroom alone at home.
But her mother sits with her in class and sleeps next
to her.
==========

San Francisco, California:

After years of unsuccessfully seeking a kidney, Robert
Whybrew found his perfect match: his wife of 49 years.

Robert, 77, and Victoria, 78, walked out of the
hospital Tuesday one week after the surgery.

"They're amazing," Kim Whybrew said of her parents, who
are the oldest kidney donor and recipient on record
with the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Robert had a low priority for receiving an organ
because of his age.  Then his wife read about a recent
study that found a high rate of success among spouses
and even good friends who donate kidneys.  Doctors say
the emotional connection seems to help.

"It's a relationship that you'd go overboard for," said
Dr. William Amend Jr., one of the Whybrew's doctors.
"In Victoria's case, it was Robert.  He's her soul
mate."

Victoria agreed.  "I'd rather lose a kidney than a
husband."

In return for the kidney, Robert said, "I told Vicki
I'd give her anything I have two of."
==========

London, England:

Harrods, the luxury department store, said Wednesday
police had arrested two men who had threatened to
release mice into its fabled food halls unless they
were paid $7.7 million.

Harrods' tiled food halls are famed for their
delicacies and are packed in December with overseas
tourists stocking up for Christmas.
==========

New York, New York:

"Does pink make you puke?"  That's the headline in the
advertisements promoting Urban Decay cosmetics -- makeup
that lets you "be one with the rusting fire escapes and
smog within our cities."

Urban Decay's lip colors include: Asphyxia, Frostbite,
Oil Slick, Plague and Smog.

Their nail polishes come in hues like: Uzi, Mildew,
Roach and Bruise (reddish purple with a green sheen).

"These colors are very flattering, yet rebellious,"
says an Urban Decay press release.  "Imagine going home
for Christmas with Frostbite on your lips.  Imagine
wearing a business suit with Uzi fingernails; you can
conform and have your little tantrum at the same time."
==========

Stockton, California:

Tracy McIntyre will breathe more comfortably this
holiday season now that the one-inch sprig of fir tree
is gone from her lungs.

And the 16-year-old won't inhale too deeply around the
Christmas tree.  Her family thinks she ingested the bit
of Yule cheer as a toddler.

"I'm probably going to stay pretty far away from it,"
Tracy said.  "Don't want to take any chances."

Not only did the sprig remain in Tracy's lung for 15
years, said her surgeon, Dr. Isam Felahy, it also
stayed green.

Since Christmas 1980, when the 18-month-old Tracy
suffered a choking fit near the tree, she's had
shortness of breath, coughing fits and bad breath --
"Since I was 2 years old, I've been called Dragon
Breath."

Felahy thought Tracy had a birth defect until Monday's
operation, when he removed damaged tissue and found a
cavity.  Inside was the sprig, green as ever.
==========

Fort Worth, Texas:

The robber's first mistake may have been holding up a
bank next door to the West Division of the Fort Worth
Police Department.  The second one was wearing a ski
mask over his face as he stood in line behind another
customer.

"It's not peculiar to wear a ski mask during a robbery,
but it is a bit peculiar to wear a ski mask and stand
in line to rob some place," a police spokesman said.

No one -- not even the security guards -- really paid
any attention, officials said, until the customer moved
to another line and noticed the masked man sling a bag
onto a teller's counter.

When the robber told the customer to mind his own
business, the customer decided to mosey over to the
police department and tell officers about a robbery in
progress at the bank next door.

The man had a strong odor of alcohol about him and told
the teller to "have a nice day" after she filled up his
bag with money.  He walked out of the bank and was
immediately surrounded and arrested.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Helena, Montana, police are trying to determine who
impaled a 55 MPH speed limit sign on the sword of a
statue in front of the Capitol.  They'd also like to
know why.

Forrest Fuller, 29, of Mount Holly, New Jersey, pleaded
guilty to stabbing and strangling his girlfriend Jodie
Myers, 20, then trying to drive her body to California
in order to marry the corpse.

Dana Johnson, 27, of Rochester, New York, will serve up
to five years in prison for collecting welfare while
working as a clerk in the Monroe County welfare agency.
Her caseworker was in a different building.
79.1732SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIRhubarb... celery gone bloodshot.Tue Dec 19 1995 19:0914
    
    Inmate gets stuck outside of prison
    
    GREENVILLE, Miss. - Keith Young got himself locked out of jail and had
    to telephone to get back in. Young, an inmate who would have been
    eligible for parole next year, slipped out a door open to kitchen
    workers Saturday to visit his girlfriend, authorities said. He stuffed
    the lock with paper so the door would not latch behind him. However,
    deputies found the paper and removed it. Young finally telephoned on
    Sunday night and asked deputies to come get him at a house in
    Greenville. He was apparently so desperate to get back that he forgot
    the front door was open. Young had served 2 1/2 years of a 10-year
    sentence for robbery and assault. He could get an additional five years
    for escape. (AP)
79.1733NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 20 1995 15:4934
British MP loses suit over report he is gay

London (Reuters) -- A Conservative member of Parliament lost a libel suit over
a newspaper's report that he was a homosexual and a hypocrite.

The parliamentarian, David Ashby, burst into tears after the verdict.  He
pushed away his estranged wife, Silvana, who had provided much of the evidence
to back assertions by The Sunday Times that he was a homosexual, a liar and
a hypocrite.

The 55-year-old legislator sued the paper over a January 1994 story that said
he had shared a bed with a male friend on vacation.  The paper also said he
was having an affair with a male doctor.  Ashby denied he was a homosexual.

Ashby admitted he had shared a bed with other male MPs more than once but
said he had done so only to save money.

The Sunday Times said Ashby -- a member of Parliament for 12 years -- was
a hypocrite for circulating a leaflet in the run-up to the 1992 election
saying he understood the needs of families.

Ashby said his wife was obsessed by the idea he might be homosexual, once
shouting "poofters, poofters" through the letter box of an apartment when
he and a friend were inside.

"I want to make it clear that I am not 'obsessively jealous' and have never
shown 'extreme hatred or violence' toward David or anyone else," Silvana, 52,
told reporters outside court.

At one point during the proceedings Ashby donned a grotesque mask with a
hosepipe attached, which he said he usually wore to help him get to sleep.

He claimed the unwieldiness of the contraption ruled out any homosexual acts
while sharing a bed with other men.
79.1734MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Wed Dec 20 1995 16:022
And we think some of our legislators are odd . . . . 

79.1735SMURF::WALTERSWed Dec 20 1995 16:042
    That's not odd behaviour for an MP.  Except the part where he denied
    it.
79.1736DRDAN::KALIKOWDIGITAL=DEC; Reclaim the Name&amp;Glory!Thu Dec 21 1995 01:303
    Lost a bet on that 'un.  I woulda bet a fiver that Covertski woulda
    been the one to type it in.
    
79.1737SMURF::BINDEREis qui nos doment vescimur.Thu Dec 21 1995 12:137
    Heard on Oldies 103 this morning:
    
    Robbers decide to take advantage of the fact that a bar (name and city
    given but quickly forgotten) is closed for a private party.  They enter
    and hoodwink the bartender into going to the back door for a fake
    delivery; then they barge, guns drawn, into the function room.  Inside
    they find over 100 cops, all armed, attending a retirement party.
79.1738NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 21 1995 12:423
re .1737:

Chicago.  Z's Sports Tap.
79.1739NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 21 1995 12:4453
WhiteBoard News for December 20, 1995 [excerpts]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada:

The Eaton Centre was thrown into udder chaos recently
when what should have been a moo-ving experience bombed
out.

A talking milk carton containing two wires was mistaken
for an explosive device.  That forced thousands of
people to evacuate the giant downtown mall for three
hours until Metro police bomb squad officers blew up
the bomb -- er, milk carton.

Cause of the fuss was a contest in which consumers can
win prizes such as cars, holidays and snowboards if the
milk carton "moos."

Winning cartons contain a device to make the sound.

"I think the milk marketing board should know what kind
of manpower and aggravation they've caused," said a
police spokesman.

Hours later, Detective John Tinkler examined the
remains of the milk carton inside a soggy plastic
evidence bag and joked: "I don't know if it said
anything, but since I got it, it hasn't talked at all."

The moo-mentous incident began when an employee of
Cultures, a third-floor restaurant, went to check the
condiments counter and spotted something suspicious
about a 1-litre carton of milk.

"The employee noticed two wires going down into a
plastic bag inside and called Eaton's security,"
Tinkler said.

Bomb squad officers called to the scene confirmed it
was a suspicious device and ordered the complete
evacuation of the south end of the mall.

An X-ray showed a sophisticated device complete with
tiny battery, circuits and a microchip.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Charles Sher's wife was worried that he was late
getting home, so she asked Shelton, Connecticut, police
to check on the sandwich shop where he works.  They
caught him trying to steal copper piping from his boss,
police say.
79.1740CONSLT::MCBRIDEpack light, keep low, move fast, reload oftenThu Dec 21 1995 12:531
    Steve? --------->
79.1741POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerThu Dec 21 1995 14:134
    I heard on CBC radio last night that 1 in 10 Star Trek fans are
    maladjusted individuals who are obsessed with the show.

    DOH!
79.1742LANDO::OLIVER_Bwith no direction home...Thu Dec 21 1995 14:151
    just a bunch of star trek klingons.
79.1743BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Thu Dec 21 1995 14:151
and it fills up their meaningless lives, too!
79.1744TROOA::COLLINSSparky DoobsterThu Dec 21 1995 14:255
    
    .1741
    
    Any of the folx who study Klingonee fall into that category.
    
79.1745POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerThu Dec 21 1995 14:291
    Only a varool would make such a statement.
79.1746SMURF::BINDEREis qui nos doment vescimur.Thu Dec 21 1995 14:399
    .1744
    
    > Any of the folx who study Klingonee [sic]
    
    Dragon Systems, of Newton, Massachusetts, is soliciting Klingon
    speakers; Milton Bradley or Random House (I forget which) wants Klingon
    speech recognition for a forthcoming CD-ROM, and Dragon, whose Dragon
    Dictate system dominates in the PC world, has contracted to provide the
    product.
79.1747TROOA::COLLINSSparky DoobsterThu Dec 21 1995 14:426
    
    .1746
    
    [sic] yourself, Dick!!   Watch `The Trouble With Tribbles'.
    
    
79.1748Trelane made for a lousy Klingon anyway...AMN1::RALTOClinto Barada NiktoThu Dec 21 1995 18:1514
    >> [sic] yourself, Dick!!   Watch `The Trouble With Tribbles'.
    
    Hmmm, my (probably dim) memory of that line involves the
    word "Klingonese", but it's possible that I mentally added
    the "s" because that's what I wanted to hear.
    
    It's funny, I had the same reaction to the original (.1741?)
    note, the 1 out of 10 nutters are the Klingon fanatics.  It says
    something about today's society (exactly what, I don't know) that
    the Trek looner fringe during the 1960's and 1970's were the peaceful
    Vulcan fans, while the Trek looner fringe during the 1980's and
    1990's are the warring Klingon types.  Faaaaaascinating.
    
    Chris
79.1749POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerThu Dec 21 1995 18:201
    He wasn't so bad on DS9. Captain Koloth.
79.1750TROOA::COLLINSSparky DoobsterThu Dec 21 1995 18:334
    
    <--- Not the same guy.  Koloth was William Campbell; the line in
    question was uttered by his First Officer, whose name escapes me.
    
79.1751POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerThu Dec 21 1995 18:362
    I'm not talking about the bar fight scene, I'm talking about the guy
    who played Trelane as well a Captain Koloth.
79.1752TROOA::COLLINSSparky DoobsterThu Dec 21 1995 18:383
    
    Ahhh.
    
79.1753"That's why the entire quadrant is learning to speak..."AMN1::RALTOClinto Barada NiktoThu Dec 21 1995 18:4013
    Right, I didn't mean to connect Koloth with that line, it was just
    another one of my throwaway titles... :-)
    
    It was the first officer in the lounge/bar, and I can't remember
    his name either, but he was one of my three favorite Klingons,
    the other two being John Colicos and Michael Ansara.  These are
    from TOS, of course; I have no idea about TNG, which I pretty much
    stopped watching after early second season.
    
    Worst TOS Klingons for me were the aforementioned Campbell and
    (shudder) Tige "Mod Squad" Andrews.
    
    Chris
79.1754NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 21 1995 18:451
Wacky News Briefs, people, Wacky News Briefs!
79.1755TROOA::COLLINSSparky DoobsterThu Dec 21 1995 18:463
    
    Quiet!!  Maladjusted, obsessed Trek geeks at play, here!
    
79.1756with no guns...SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIRhubarb... celery gone bloodshot.Thu Dec 21 1995 18:581
    
79.1757TROOA::COLLINSSparky DoobsterThu Dec 21 1995 18:593
    
    ...but nasty big pointy Klingon knives!
    
79.1758POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerFri Dec 22 1995 02:223
    They were selling those at the Eaton Center!
    
    Kuplah!
79.1759CRONIC::BOURGOINEFri Dec 22 1995 11:5817


	Heard on the radio this morning:

	Toronto Canada (eh!):

	At a tupperware party - 2 woman started to argue about the
	best way to wash a Tupperwear Deviled Egg container.  One said
	on the top rack of the dishwasher the other said it was fine to 
	wash it on the bottom rack.  Soon the entire party started
	to take sides.  When it was all said and done there was an
	estimated $30,000 of damage to the house, 3 woman were taken to the
	hospital with head wounds and 1 with mulitple stab wounds.


	And my Mother wonders why I don't have any Tupperwear!
79.1760CSLALL::HENDERSONPraise His name I am freeFri Dec 22 1995 12:034


 Hmmm...did somebody spike the punch with testosterone?
79.1761BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Fri Dec 22 1995 12:264

	All that agression! And for Tupperware? Wow! Imagine if it was for
something good!
79.1762USAT05::SANDERRFri Dec 22 1995 12:315
    in Egypt, scientists ardoing microsurgery on mummies taking tissues
    samples to determine cultural, birth and death data from these ancient
    ones...
    even after ur fiscally dead n gone, someone's gonna take a piecof yer
    hide...
79.1763CONSLT::MCBRIDEpack light, keep low, move fast, reload oftenFri Dec 22 1995 13:101
    Ban satanic eggs!
79.1764TROOA::trp669.tro.dec.com::Chrisit's tummy time!Fri Dec 22 1995 13:111
Tupperware is good.... it means you no harm!
79.1765BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Fri Dec 22 1995 13:2112
| <<< Note 79.1764 by TROOA::trp669.tro.dec.com::Chris "it's tummy time!" >>>

| Tupperware is good.... it means you no harm!

	Chris.... do you mean someone took something that was good, and twisted
it into something evil? And the blame is being put on the poor innocent
tupperware, which is the wrong thing to do? That the blame should be put on the
people using it, not the tupperware itself? MY GOD MAN! Tupperware is the
Bible!


Glen
79.1766MPGS::MARKEYI'm feeling ANSI and ISOlatedFri Dec 22 1995 13:519
    
    The image of a fight at a Tupperware party brings to mind
    the Monty Python sketch in which the Lady's Auxiliary
    stages a re-enactment of the Battle of the Bulge.


    AH! OH! AH! OOOOH! UMPH! SCREEECH! THUD! WHUMP! ...

    -b
79.1767NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Dec 22 1995 16:063
The directorate of the zoo in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia has threatened to set
free two tigers if the local administration fails to provide money to feed
them.
79.1768BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Fri Dec 22 1995 16:071
feed the tigers tupperware!
79.1769BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Fri Dec 22 1995 16:071
tupperware snarf!
79.1770EVMS::MORONEYOperation Foot BulletSat Dec 23 1995 01:544
Tower Airlines has apparently painted over the "Tower Airlines" logos on
the plane that ran off the runway at Kennedy Airport, apparently to
reduce the embarassment of a damaged plane sitting there with their
logo.
79.1771Duh, fly us, we're (r.o.)ups.VMSNET::M_MACIOLEKFour54 Camaro/Only way to flySat Dec 23 1995 02:551
    That's common to do when a plane has "problems".
79.1772CSLALL::HENDERSONPraise His name I am freeSat Dec 23 1995 03:128

 As I recall the late Air Florida painted over the logo on the tail of
 their plane that crashed in the Potomac.



 Jim
79.17735 day waiting period for tupperware !!!CSSREG::BROWNCommon Sense Isn'tTue Dec 26 1995 10:353
    Tupperware doesn't kill, people do...
    
    
79.1774BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Tue Dec 26 1995 11:433

	I think it's 3-6 weeks wait for the tupperware. :-)
79.1775NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 26 1995 12:05128
WEIRDNUZ.409 (News of the Weird, December 8, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In 1992, a federal court jury in Montgomery, Ala., found that
the fuel retailers in Dothan, Ala., had conspired to fix prices but
decided that the plaintiffs had been damaged only to the tune of
$1.00 (tripled in antitrust law, to $3.00).  Nonetheless, finishing
up the case in November 1995, Federal Judge Myron Thompson
ordered the losers to pay the 19 victorious lawyers fees totaling
$2,035,658. [Journal of Commerce, 11-9-95] 

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

* The Louisiana legislature this year closed a ten-year-old
loophole in its drinking law.  From 1985 until June 1995, the
legal age for buying or drinking liquor has been 21, but it was
illegal to sell liquor only to those under 18. [New Orleans Times-
Picayune, 8-25-95] 

* According to a recent journal article, Lehigh Valley Legal
Services--a Pennsylvania agency funded by the federal Legal
Services Corporation--earlier this year filed a lawsuit on behalf of
an indigent 16-year-old boy to help him seek custody of the child
he had fathered by rape.  Legal Services helped the boy challenge
the constitutionality of Pennsylvania law, which denies rapists the
chance of custody. [Wall Street Journal-Women's Quarterly, 9-
20-95] 

* Lawrence Lawton, 55, filed a $1 million lawsuit earlier this
year against Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale), Fla., for its
negligence in keeping him in jail.  He was locked up on a petty
theft charge and a nine-year-old drunk driving warrant in August
1991; it only dawned on the authorities in April 1993 that
Lawton had not yet been sent before a judge--a total of 607 days'
incarceration, or four times his likely sentence.  (Eleven days
after his release, he was arrested on a trespassing charge.) [St.
Petersburg Times-Knight-Ridder Newspapers, 9-25-95] 

* For the second time this year, a Board of Veterans Appeals
attorney was convicted of destroying medical records and other
documents involved in current cases and passing along files for
needless review, apparently just because she couldn't keep up
with the caseload.  Jill L. Rygwalski was sentenced 15 months in
prison despite her attempts to blame her procrastination on her
supervisor, her husband, and her domineering father. [Houston
Chronicle-Washington Post, 9-10-95] 

* Saying he had "no choice" in the matter, Secretary of the
Interior Bruce Babbitt in September signed over the title to more
than 100 acres of federal land in Idaho to a Danish firm for $275,
though the mining rights to the land are worth around $1 billion. 
Babbitt said he was required to make the sale under the Mining
Act of 1872, which is still on the books.  In 1994, under the
same law, Babbitt signed over land containing about $10 billion
in gold to a Canadian company for about $10,000. [St.
Petersburg Times-Washington Post, 9-7-95] 

* In May, the Army issued the Bronze Star for "meritorious
achievement" to seven soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry
Regiment firing (mistakenly) on stranded U. S. troops during the
Persian Gulf war.  The Army had originally awarded three of the
men medals "with valor," but revoked that distinction after
criticism by the General Accounting Office.  The medal-winning
soldiers killed one American and wounded another before
realizing their mistake. [St. Petersburg Times-Washington Post,
5-5-95; Greensboro News & Record-AP, 4-16-95] 

* A November New York Times story described the 12-hour
course required in Texas for applicants to get a license to carry a
concealed weapon.  The program developer said he based much
of the curriculum on the 1970s pop-psychology books "Games
People Play" and "I'm O. K.--You're O. K.," in which a person
is encouraged to understand his inner child.  Said one instructor,
while suggesting to students that they not react violently to a
stranger who cusses them out in a traffic confrontation:  "[Y]ou
might say, 'Sir, we are both in the same unfortunate situation
here.  Let's see what we can do to solve this conflict together.'"
[New York Times, 11-8-95] 

OOPS!

* In August, police in Bari, Italy, arrested a man and charged
him with theft.  He was turned in by his own mother, who
identified him as a purse-snatcher only after he inadvertently
swiped her handbag during a downtown heist. [San Jose Mercury
News, 8-11-95] 

* Among recent highway truck spills:  20 tons of lettuce near
Fickle, Ind., in November, and 18 tons more along the Ventura
Freeway in Sherman Oaks, Calif., two days later; 3,000 live
chickens on the Washington, D. C., Beltway in August and 20
tons of turkey drumsticks near Muncie, Ind., the week before
Thanksgiving; seven tons of lobsters on a road near Island Falls,
Maine, in August; and several barrels of cow hides, intestines,
and excrement near Rockport, Maine, in October. [L. A. Times,
11-4-95; Tampa Tribune-AP, 11-2-95] [Washington Times, 8-25-
95] [Columbus Dispatch, 11-15-95] [AP wirecopy, 8-3-95]
[[Kennebec Journal, Oct95]] 

* In a one-week period in November, pro basketball teammates
Tyrone Hill, Antonio Lang, and Donny Marshall of the
Cleveland Cavaliers were injured in separate auto accidents while
driving to either games or practices. [St. Petersburg Times, 11-
13-95] 

* In September, China's Economic Daily newspaper reported that
more than 2,000 manhole covers were stolen in Beijing in 1994,
most by the homeless, who could sell them for around $12 each. 
As a result of the thefts, more than 200 people were injured that
year falling down open manholes. [Edmonton Journal-Economic
Daily, 9-14-95] 

UNDIGNIFIED DEATHS

* On November 8, an inebriated Polish seaman on the deck of
the Russian trawler Stanolenie in Anchorage, Alaska, harbor,
leaned too far over a rail while urinating and fell to his death.  A 
week earlier, a 46-year-old woman got out of her car along Route
68 near Velarde, N. Mex., so she could urinate on the side of the
road but lost her balance and fell down a steep incline to her
death. [Anchorage Daily News, 11-9-95; The New Mexican,
Nov95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1776NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 26 1995 12:0773
WhiteBoard News for December 22, 1995 [excerpts]

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Malaysia has banned the popular children's program
"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" in a controversy over
its title, a programming official at state-run Radio
Television Malaysia said.

The official said he received instructions to stop
airing the program immediately.  The station began
running the series in November 1994, and 55 episodes
have been telecast.

Deputy Home Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob said the
words "Mighty Morphin" should be removed from the
show's marquee and advertisements.  He said children
could associate the word "morphin" with the drug
morphine, leading them to believe that "the drug could
make them strong like the characters in the show," the
daily New Straits Times quoted Megat as saying.

"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," an American-made
adventure series, has taken Malaysia's youth by storm.
It features six teen-agers "morphing" into sleek comic-
book-style costumes and fighting evildoers.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Cleveland, Ohio, Judge Michael Gallagher, 39, who
favors legalizing drugs but says only a fool would use
them, was convicted of distributing less than an ounce
of cocaine.

Domestic violence activists say they were appalled when
Tampa, Florida, Judge Peter J. T. Taylor denied a
woman's request for protection from her husband, then
jailed her for a day for fleeing the courtroom when he
ordered her to stay.

Three convicted felons will become sheriff's in
Mississippi in January, thanks to a quirk in state law
that allows people convicted of federal and certain
state crimes before November 1992 to run for office.
"This makes us look kind of dumb," said Public Safety
Commissioner Jim Ingram.

A burglar called 911 when he couldn't get out of the
medical building where he tried to steal medical
equipment and drugs, police say.  Ronald Haegle, 32,
claimed a guard had buzzed him in to let him use the
bathroom, then forgot about him, but the building has
no buzzer, police say.

Kristen Weida, 14, wrote a letter, put it into a bottle
and tossed it into the ocean off Portsmouth, Rhode
Island, six years ago.  This month she got a reply --
from Bogota, Colombia.  Esteban Sandoval wrote that he
found the message.  He tossed the bottle back into the
sea.

The profits from the sale of 1,032 cat carcasses from
the Anderson, South Carolina, animal shelter's
euthanasia unit have gone to build exercise runs for
puppies.

A Los Angeles boutique aptly named "You've Got Bad
Taste" is selling a two-sided cassette of the Unabomber
manifesto sung by punk-rock poet Exene Cervenka,
accompanied by John Roecker on guitar and "cheesy ice-
skating organ music" in the background.  The original
35,000-word manuscript has been abridged for the tape.
79.1777NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 26 1995 12:0915
>Kristen Weida, 14, wrote a letter, put it into a bottle
>and tossed it into the ocean off Portsmouth, Rhode
>Island, six years ago.  This month she got a reply --
>from Bogota, Colombia.  Esteban Sandoval wrote that he
>found the message.  He tossed the bottle back into the
>sea.

This is even more remarkable if you look at Bogota's location.

>The profits from the sale of 1,032 cat carcasses from
>the Anderson, South Carolina, animal shelter's
>euthanasia unit have gone to build exercise runs for
>puppies.

Who buys cat carcasses?
79.1778CSLALL::HENDERSONPraise His name I am freeTue Dec 26 1995 12:1610


 I read an article yesterday that a woman who was hit in the face by
 an errant throw by a little leaguer, is suing said youngster (age 9)
 for $15K.



 Jim
79.1779BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Tue Dec 26 1995 12:217

	Jim, maybe the kid has a baseball card collection and she heard about
it. :-)


Glen
79.1780CONSLT::MCBRIDEpack light, keep low, move fast, reload oftenTue Dec 26 1995 12:321
    Cat carcasses are bought for science classes.  
79.1781BIGQ::SILVAEAT, Pappa, EAT!Tue Dec 26 1995 12:333

	Wow... I could have sold my cat...... ;-)
79.1782NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 26 1995 12:453
The little leaguer's mother says the woman who was hit refused medical
treatment at the time of the incident.  If the jury believes the mom,
the plaintiff doesn't have a chance.
79.1783;^)SCASS1::GUINEO::MOOREPerhapsTheDreamIsDreamingUsTue Dec 26 1995 16:239
    
    .1770
    
    > Tower Airlines has apparently painted over the "Tower Airlines" logos
    > on the plane that ran off the runway at Kennedy Airport, apparently
    > to reduce the embarassment of a damaged plane sitting there with
    > their logo.
    
    What did they paint over it? "Braniff" ?
79.1784NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 02 1996 14:05128
WEIRDNUZ.410 (News of the Weird, December 15, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* A 62-year-old woman pleaded guilty in Roanoke, Va., in
November to stealing about 500 pieces of mail from her
neighbors' mailboxes--her third such offense in five years.  She
had been found sane and competent for trial but nonetheless
diagnosed as having an "irresistible impulse" to steal other
people's mail.  The judge had kept her confined to her home
since her arrest, allowing her full freedom only on Sundays,
when there is no mail delivery. [Roanoke Times, 11-21-95] 

POLICE BLOTTER

* Police in New York City arrested Paul Keller, 30, in October
and accused him of being the Snacking Bandit who had been
breaking into homes in Queens, stealing cash and valuables and
inevitably raiding the refrigerator before he left.  Detectives
following the 11 Snacking Bandit cases between April and June
note that the Bandit had been described by a witness in April as
weighing 170 pounds; by a witness in May, 175 pounds; and by
a witness in June, 180 pounds. [New York Times, 10-7-95] 

* In September, according to police in New Canaan, Conn.,
someone removed the tires from a car parked at a commuter train
station, stole the brakes, and put the tires back on.  And in Mt.
Juliet, Tenn., in May, Shirley and Rick Wheeler reported their
driveway missing; thieves had removed all the gravel and plowed
the ground beneath it. [Hartford Courant-AP, 9-19-95] [Mt.
Juliet News, 5-25-95] 

* Police in Rutland, Vt., in October, and Piscataway, N. J., in
August, charged men with assault in domestic fights, specifically,
the act of head-butting the woman.  The latter case involved the
president of the local school board, who police said got involved
in a fight over what kind of bread should be used in a sandwich.
[Rutland Herald, Oct95] [Newark Star-Ledger, 8-11-95] 

* John W. Tay was arrested for burglary in El Cajon, Calif., in
November and told police that he felt so bad about having had to
break the victims' window that he had left the residents a $50 bill
on the floor by the window to pay for it.  Police returned to the
scene and confirmed Tay's story. [San Diego Union-Tribune, 11-
6-95] 

* Houston, Tex., police officer Santos Nari, 28, was indicted in
October for sexual assault.  While on duty, according to the
indictment, he had encountered two amorous couples in Mason
Park and told them that he would have to examine the females'
sex organs to determine for sure whether they had been having
sex. [Houston Chronicle, 10-7-95] 

* Among recent crime targets:  A small amount of cash was
taken during a June break-in at the local Crime Stoppers civic
group's office in St. John's, Newfoundland.  And in May, one of
the accountants employed by the Scotland Yard detective
organization in London was accused of embezzling about $8
million over an eight-year period from an undercover operations
fund. [Globe & Mail-CP, 6-20-95] [Edmonton Journal-AP, 5-20-
95] 

FAMILY VALUES

* The mother and stepfather of an 11-year-old girl in Dallas,
Tex., were arrested in August and charged with crimes against
the girl.  The man was charged with several counts of sexual
assault, and the mother was charged with failure to report child
abuse.  According to police, the mother declined to confront her
husband over his three-year sexual relationship with the girl,
choosing instead to arrange for the girl to receive a Norplant
contraceptive implant so that at least she would not get pregnant.
[New York Daily News, 8-18-95] 

* In August, Joy Glassman, 60, was charged in Mount Shasta,
Calif., with arson in connection with five fires dating back to
June 1994.  According to police, Glassman set the fires to help
the career of her son, Jason Robertson, who was a Mount Shasta
firefighter at the time. [AP wirecopy, 8-4-95] 

* A 28-year-old man in Renton, Wash., was arraigned in
September for unlawfully imprisoning his two sons, ages 8 and 7,
inside their expensively-furnished, immaculate apartment while
he was at work.  According to a witness, everything in the home
was meticulously kept up, "like a showroom"; all cabinets and
the canisters inside them were labeled as to contents and the
cabinets padlocked; and the kids were subject to a beating if the
father found anything amiss.  (When a police officer who rescued
the boys tracked tiny pieces of leaves into the apartment, the boys
immediately got on the floor, picked up each speck, and
smoothed out the carpet.) [Seattle Times, Sept95] 

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

* Parole board transcripts released in August of the attempt at
freedom by convicted killer Winston Moseley, 61, reveal his
appeal for sympathy:  The suffering of his three victims was only
"a one-minute affair," he said, "but for the person who's caught,
it's forever." [USA Today, 8-7-95] 

* From a March letter to the editor of the Kingsport (Tenn.)
Times-News, exposing local jail conditions, written by inmate
Travis Nelms, 22, who had been locked up for the ninth time
since 1992:  "We the inmates here at the Sullivan County Jail
[are] concerned that here we all [are] treated as criminals."
[Kingsport Times-News, 3-30-95] 

* Charles Mahuka, who ran an anger-counseling seminar in
Honolulu, was charged in October in connection with the death
of one of his counselees, Miguel Gonzalez, who had showed up
late and inebriated for a session.  The two argued and Mahuka
punched Mr. Gonazlez, who lapsed into a coma and died.
[Hartford Courant, 10-12-95]

* In October, apparently angry that a truck was moving too
slowly in traffic for her taste, Lisa Lind, 26, pulled up alongside
it in her car, held an aluminum baseball bat out the window, and
took several futile swipes at the truck as both were moving down
the highway.  Police in Tustin, Calif., arrested her and noticed
her personalized license plate, "PEACE 95."  Said an officer,
"She told me she got it because she thought there was so much
violence going on in today's society." [Inland Valley Daily
Bulletin-AP, 10-21-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1785DASHER::RALSTONscrewiti'mgoinhome..Tue Jan 02 1996 14:3626
    Associated Press
    
    CALCUTTA, India -- A tiger killed one man and mauled another at the
    Calcutta zoo Monday when they tried to put a
    marigold garland around its neck in a New Year's greeting.
    Prakesh Tiwari, the dead man, and Suresh Rai had been drinking before
    they bought the floral garlands and crossed the
    moat around the tiger's enclosure, authorities said.
    "I was shocked to see the two young men weaving about in front of a
    tiger with garlands in their hands," said Rakesh
    Banerjee, who witnessed the attack that triggered panic and a near
    stampede in the zoo. The men, both in their 20s, were trying to put the 
    garland on a 13-year-old male Royal Bengal tiger named "Shiva" after
    the Hindu god of destruction. When Rai threw the garland around Shiva's 
    neck, the tiger attacked him. His friend Tiwari intervened, kicking the 
    tiger in the face. The tiger released Rai, and attacked and killed Tiwari.
    "I saw it all, the tiger turned and jumped on the other young man and
    put its head on the man's neck and within moments the man was apparently 
    dead, his head dangling," Banerjee said. About 1,000 people, alerted by 
    the commotion, witnessed the attack. They threw stones at the tiger who 
    left Tiwari's body and returned to an iron enclosure. A zookeeper locked 
    him inside. Rai was in stable condition in a hospital with cuts and torn 
    muscles. Garlands are a traditional Indian greeting, used on many occasions
    from weddings to welcoming travelers home from abroad.
    Calcutta is close to the Sunderbans delta, the natural habitat of the
    endangered Royal Bengal tiger.
79.1786BUSY::SLABOUNTYTearin' it up in the daytime ...Tue Jan 02 1996 14:423
    
    	I guess he'll never try THAT again.
    
79.1787DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Tue Jan 02 1996 14:456
    
    
    	They must have been drinking an awful lot to make them
    	think they could get that close to a tiger without the
    	tiger reacting.
    
79.1788We need judges like that here.TRLIAN::MIRAB1::REITHTue Jan 02 1996 15:3313
    
    I heard a story on the radio today.  It seems that this child climbed
    into the cage of a Panda bear in China (I guess they are just oh so
    cute (the panda, not the kid)).  The Panda, not entirely pleased with
    the visitor, gave the kid a few swipes and injured him.
    
    Taking their cue from the USA, the parents sued the zoo for not having
    proper warnings about the danger of the bear.  The judge agreed, and
    awarded about $4,500 to the child for the damage.  The judge then did
    something that is much needed in this country.  He fined the parents
    for being stupid enough to let their kid get into the Panda cage.
    
    	Skip
79.1789BUSY::SLABOUNTYHello good L-O-O-K-I-N-GTue Jan 02 1996 15:463
    
    	Hopefully he fined the parents at least $4501.
    
79.1790NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 04 1996 13:0898
WhiteBoard News for January 03, 1996 [excerpts]

==========

The Republic of Seychelles:

A tiny Indian Ocean island nation has attracted the
attention of law enforcement officials in the United
States and Europe after passing a law guaranteeing to
protect from extradition anyone willing to pay a $10
million citizenship fee.

The Republic of Seychelles, with a population of
73,000, enacted the law in November as "part of a
package of investment incentives proposed to enhance
... serious private investment in Seychelles,"
according to a memorandum of the law published by the
government.

The legislation stipulates that in exchange for the $10
million investment, the donor is granted "immunity from
prosecution for all criminal proceedings whatsoever" --
meaning they could not be extradited to any foreign
country for trial there.

The only exception to this kind of protection,
according to the bill, involves crimes of "violence and
drug trafficking in Seychelles."

In addition, any Seychelles official who helps bring in
a $10 million investor is also granted immunity from
prosecution for any sort of crime anywhere in the
world.
==========

Gateshead, England:

A composer in Britain has released a cassette entitled
"Music for Pussycats," which he claims will encourage
felines to purr affectionately.

Steve McVicar of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, first
noticed the effect tunes had on his tabby, Ralph, when
he began composing for film and television five years
ago.  Ralph would react to the compositions either by
leaving in disgust or sitting on the piano and purring.

"Tango and ragtime tunes are more likely to appeal to
them than heavy rock," McVicar said.

McVicar has sold 300 copies of the tunes, said to be
based on cats' mating sounds, in local pet shops.
==========

Kennewick, Washington:

You can take away their television, their exercise time
or throw them into solitary, but the best way Benton
County Jail officials have found to control unruly
inmates is Nutria Loaf.

Fear of subsisting on nothing but the pasty-tasting
concoction of bread, imitation cheese, beans and
carrots three times a day has miscreants shaping up,
jailers say.

"The fact of the matter is that it's their choice that
they end up eating Nutria Loaf," Sheriff Jim Kennedy
said.

Nutria Loaf was spawned in Clark County and is becoming
popular with other jails.  Although it is highly
nutritious, inmates have filed lawsuits against the
food, saying eating it three times a day constitutes
cruel and unusual punishment.  The lawsuits failed.

While other inmates are dining on macaroni-and-cheese,
salad with ranch dressing and chocolate-chip cookies,
those being punished get one Nutria Loaf at each meal.

The dense one-pound loaves contain about 1,000 calories
each.  It is made from whole wheat bread, imitation
cheese, spinach, carrots, raisins, Great Northern
beans, vegetable oil, tomato paste, non-fat dry milk
and dehydrated potatoes.  Mix the ingredients in a
bowl, pour batter into three loaf pans and bake at 325
degrees for 40 minutes.

"I don't recall anybody asking for seconds," said jail
food service manager Ardie Jones.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Three Port Arthur, Texas, men injured after going
inside a burning house to rescue a wheelchair-bound
neighbor later learned the neighbor had died more than
a year ago, officials said.
79.1791POLAR::RICHARDSONCPU CyclerThu Jan 04 1996 14:073
    If you can't eat the loaf, then don't do the crime.
    
    
79.1792NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 04 1996 14:113
This guy from Gateshead composes music that sounds like cats in heat.
He then creates a gimmick to make this seem desirable.  He's no musical
genius, but he's certainly a marketing genius.
79.1793NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 09 1996 12:5899
WhiteBoard News for January 08, 1996 [excerpts]

Seoul, South Korea:

A man who fell into a manhole after a year-end drinking
binge was rescued early Saturday after eight days of
wandering through dark sewage ducts.

"It was pitch-dark down there.  I scrambled for the way
out and yelled repeatedly for help, but nobody came,"
Cho Sung-chul, 51, told police.

Police believe Cho -- heavily intoxicated -- lost
consciousness after he fell into the manhole on
December 28.  When he came to, they said, he lost his
way in the dark labyrinth of the sewage system.

Cho told police he drank sewage water and wrapped his
body in plastic bags to fend off the cold.

Police rescued him after a man heard a feeble cry for
help near his home in southern Seoul.

Cho was in stable condition at a hospital.
==========

Terrebonne, Oregon:

A Redmond, Oregon, man who tried to rappel down a 365-
foot cliff with only 250 feet of rope dangled in the
predawn darkness of the Crooked River Gorge for seven
hours until he was rescued.

Mitchell Lewis, 32, had just been released from the
Deschutes County Jail after serving four months and
told sheriff's deputies from Jefferson County he likes
to rappel under a bright moon.

Lewis, on probation for forgery, burglary and other
charges, said it was his first chance to give it a try
since he was released Wednesday.

A Jefferson County Sheriff's deputy spotted him hanging
on the cliffside Thursday morning and summoned county
rescue teams.

Lewis now faces charges of disorderly conduct and
probation violations involving his rescue.
==========

San Francisco, California:

Jurors hearing the case of a glitzy robbery trial have
found themselves in the midst of their own mystery.

Who stole the evidence -- thousands of dollars worth of
diamonds, rubies and gold-encrusted jewelry -- from a
jury room at the Hall of Justice?

The theft was confirmed last week by anonymous sources
who suggested one of the Superior Court jurors might be
the culprit.

Court officials reportedly learned of the theft several
days after the jury took a break from deliberations in
mid-December.

When the trial began, the jewels were said to be worth
$250,000.  However, it is not known how much of the
jewelry was being used as evidence.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Jerome County (Idaho) commissioners are exempting
themselves and other elected county officials from the
county's new policy of random drug and alcohol testing.
They say it's a waste of money because even if results
were positive elected officials can't be fired.

MacArthur Wheeler, 46, who rubbed lemon juice on his
face thinking it would prevent surveillance cameras
from taking a clear picture of him, has been sentenced
to 24 years in a Pennsylvania prison for bank robbery.

A hiker who lost his way in California's Big Sur for
eight days sued Montery County for bungling the rescue
effort.

Undercover detectives thought they were closing in on
an elusive murder suspect when Antioch, California,
police spotted the expired registration on the
detective's unmarked car and pulled their colleagues
over.

Hemet, California, police said a resident had the sense
not to drive after drinking.  But, they said, making
his 12-year-old son the designated driver wasn't the
answer, so they arrested him.
79.1794NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 09 1996 13:03135
WEIRDNUZ.411 (News of the Weird, December 22, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In October, the Miami (Ohio) University Student Senate voted
official recognition to the Miami U. Masturbation Society, thus
permitting MUMS to use University facilities for its meetings. 
According to its constitution, MUMS hopes to promote "the
safest sex possible," as well as to "challenge social prejudice"
and stereotypes, and "to strive toward manual dexterity" and
"hand-eye coordination." [The Miami Student, 10-27-95] 

COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* In November, LaVerne Pavlinac was released from prison in 
Salem, Ore., after a man confessed to the murder she originally
said she and her boyfriend had committed.  A jury believed her
confession in 1990 that she and then-boyfriend John Sosnovske
killed a woman; both were sentenced to life in prison.  It turns
out that Pavlinac confessed because it was the only way she could
think of to get out of her relationship with the allegedly abusive
Sosnovske.  Said Pavlinac, "These things don't happen except in
the movies." [San Jose Mercury News-AP, 10-28-95] 

* In a first-person account in London's The Independent in
September, Jenny Gathorne-Hardy reported that she drilled a hole
in her skull (with pain relief only by local anesthetic) to test the
theory that adults' brains would function better if blood were
allowed to circulate to the topmost part, which is made difficult
because of natural fusing at around age 18 to 21.  Reported
Gathorne-Hardy, "I feel calmer, and that particular mental
exhaustion I became so used to has gone." [Globe and Mail-The
Independent, 9-22-95] 

* Bronx, N. Y., deputy police inspector Anthony Kissik
established guidelines in October to help limit paperwork from
rising crime in the 50th Precinct:  Henceforth, no assault charges
will be filed if the victim suffers merely bleeding, bruises, a fat
lip, or a black eye.  Only broken bones or wounds requiring
stitches will qualify. [New York Daily News, 10-11-95] 

* According to a Knight-Ridder News Service report from Hanoi
in September, one of the country's most popular TV programs is
"Ba Nu Tham Tu" ("Charlie's Angels").  According to an official
for the company that distributes the show, it is very popular
among "intellectuals."  "The [actresses] are very intelligent," he
said, "and the acting is good." [The Oregonian-Knight-Ridder, 9-
24-95] 

* Bernard Eaton, 36, was freed by a jury in September in
Washington, D. C., even though he had admitted strangling his
roommate.  A judge had ruled in March that Eaton is mentally
retarded and therefore cannot be prosecuted because D. C. law
says such a person is not "competent" to stand trial.  The
September jury decision held that Eaton is not mentally "ill" and
therefore cannot be hospitalized against his will. [Washington
Post, 9-29-95] 

* In 1991 Linda Mathews drove through a stop sign and hit
another car--which resulted in catastrophic injuries to the couple
in that car.  In September 1995, the Minneapolis Star Tribune
reported that Mathews had cut a deal with her insurance company
that paid her $50,000 while the victims of the crash, who require
expensive caretaking, have so far been paid nothing.  Mathews
took an early settlement on her policy (made possible by the
company's need to protect itself on a legal issue), bought a house
with it, and then declared bankruptcy to shield herself from the
expected huge judgment coming against her personally when the
victims' claims exceeded the amount of her policy. [Star Tribune,
9-18-95] 

* In August Kim Sun Myung, 70, thought to be the longest-
serving prisoner of war in the world, was freed in South Korea,
where he had been held--mostly in solitary confinement--since the
outbreak of the Korean War in 1951.  Officials said he would
have been released years ago had he only publicly renounced his
support for North Korea. [Columbus Dispatch-N. Y. Times, 8-
20-95] 

* Kim Perisie was sentenced to five years in prison in Riverside,
Ohio, in November for hiring a hit man to try to kill her husband
in order to get his $3.1 million in lottery winnings.  Nonetheless,
Stephen Perisie wants the couple to stay together. "You don't
wash 22 years under the bridge," he said.  "Love is a state of
insanity anyway." (Stephen said his main complaint was that Kim
had offered only $500 to the hit man.) [Times-Picayune-AP, 10-
31-95; Columbus Dispatch, 11-18-95] 

* In September, the Brazil Health Ministry cancelled a TV AIDS-
education ad campaign because of complaints from at least 18
men named Braulio.  In the ads, an unnamed man is conversing
with his penis, whose name is Braulio, about the pros and cons of
indiscriminate, condomless sex.  In preparing the campaign, the
Health Ministry had commissioned a poll which revealed that
Braulio was one of men's top five names for penises. [Arizona
Daily Star-AP, 9-17-95] 

NEW RIGHTS

* Hong Kong High Court judge Raymond Sears ruled in
November, on a petition from a drug trafficker, that a prison's
practice of removing the horse-racing results from daily
newspapers before distributing them to inmates violates prisoners'
human rights. [Edmonton Journal, 11-4-95] 

* William Townsend, Jr., was awarded $20,000 by a jury in
Louisville, Ky., in November because he was excessively
punished while an inmate at River City Corrections Center.  A
guard had found contraband (two cans of Vienna sausages) in
Townsend's underwear and had squeezed his testicles three times,
causing a contusion and leaving him with pain long after his
release from jail.  According to Townsend, the guard told him at
the time, "That'll teach you to bring Vienna sausages up here."
[Louisville Courier-Journal, Nov95] 

* According to an October Washington Post story, the Federal
Labor Relations Authority recently ruled in a longstanding
dispute that the Federal Aviation Administration might have to
tear out the interiors of the offices in the radar tower at Denver
International Airport.  FLRA had found that FAA had installed
the tiles, wallpapering, and carpeting without consulting the air
traffic controllers' union, and that the union didn't like the color
scheme. [Washington Post, 10-27-95] 

* In March, a mother and her two adult sons and two adult
daughters pleaded not guilty to incest in Nova Scotia, claiming
such acts between consenting adults are protected by Canada's
Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  (In August, the Nova Scotia
Supreme Court rejected the claim.) [Globe and Mail-CP, 8-17-
95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1795NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 11 1996 13:52166
WhiteBoard News for January 10, 1996 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of Doug L. Timpe:

Copenhagen, Denmark:

What's in a name? Not two "ph's", if the Danish
government has its way.

A Danish court Wednesday ordered a woman to pay a fine
of $91 each week for refusing to change the spelling of
her son's first name -- "Christophpher."

The mother, who was not identified, has been paying
weekly fines of $18 since 1989, when a court first
ruled that spelling the name with "phph" is illegal.

Under Danish law, only names listed by the Ministry of
Ecclesiastical Affairs can be given to children.
Christophpher has not been accepted. It should be
"Christopher" or the Danish "Christoffer," according to
the ministry.

Her refusal to change the name so far has cost her
about $4,545 in fines, but she insists her eight-year-
old son should have a personal name.

The court in Grenaa, northwestern Denmark, gave the
woman until March 1 to change her son's name, or start
paying the higher fines.
==========

Phoenix, Arizona:

A snake owner was trying to teach a friend how to hold
his pet snake.

But the friend didn't have a good grip on the viper's
head.  So when the owner stuck out his tongue to
imitate the snake, his pet lurched forward and bit him.

"The snake sunk its fangs way back into the guy's
tongue," said Steven Curry, associate medical director
of the Samaritan Regional Poison Control Center.  "To
make matters worse, the friend tried to yank the snake
out of the victim's mouth, which ensured that a maximum
amount of venom would be injected."

Fifteen minutes later the victim was nearly dead.  His
throat swelled shut, and by the time he was airlifted
to Desert Samaritan Medical Center the anesthesiologist
was hardpressed to find an airway.

He survived.  But his pet rattlesnake wasn't as
fortunate.

After the event, the friend tossed the snake in the
freezer.  Later, when a physician wanted to look at the
head of the snake to determine whether it was a Western
diamondback or Mojave, he expected to be sent the
entire snake.  But someone cut the snake's head off,
then stopped by a microwave to thaw it.

The head blew up.
==========

Modesto, California:

A 65-year-old cab driver was kidnapped at gunpoint,
wired to a "bomb" and forced to rob a bank Monday in
what authorities called one of the most sophisticated
holdups in the history of the city.

Fred "Harvey" McCloud was not hurt during the three-
hour ordeal, and the device strapped to his stomach
turned out to be phony.

But McCloud, police officers and the Stanislaus County
Sheriff's Department bomb squad didn't know that for
sure until finally cutting the black box off McCloud at
about 5:00 PM -- two hours after the Glendale Federal
Bank was robbed.

According to police, the well-planned heist began when
a man called the cab company and asked to be picked up.

McCloud, who has been driving for the company for about
eight years, took the call and picked up the man, who
was wearing a turban, sunglasses and had a full black
beard streaked with gray.

McCloud radioed in his destination, but then the fare
changed his mind and told McCloud to take him to
another address.

On the way there, according to police, the man pulled
out a revolver and forced McCloud to stop and get out
of the cab.  He chained a square, 6-inch, black metal
box to McCloud's waist, wrapped duct tape over the
chain, and looped a cord coming from the box up around
McCloud's neck and back down to the device.

The robber told McCloud that the bomb could be
detonated remotely, and from that moment on he would be
under constant surveillance.  The robber told McCloud
to drive to Glendale Federal Bank, gave him a
typewritten note to hand to tellers, and a worn, black
briefcase to haul away the money.

"It was pretty specific," Detective Sgt. Mike Harden
said of the note.
==========

Washington, District of Columbia:

The Supreme Court Monday refused to revive a lawsuit by
six former employees of a Washington state box-making
plant who were fired for possessing or being under the
influence of drugs at work.

The court, without comment, turned down the former
employees' argument that the federal American's With
Disabilities Act barred the company from firing them
because they suffered a drug-addiction disability.

The Longview Fiber Company had conducted an undercover
investigation of drug-related misconduct in their
Yakima, Washington, plant.  Five of the 6 employees
arrested admitted to drug use.  The sixth pleaded
guilty at a later trial.
==========

Tallahassee, Florida:

A bill that would outlaw sex with corpses and make it a
felony for men over 21 to impregnate girls under 16 was
unanimously OK'd by the state Senate's Criminal Justice
Committee.
==========

Portland, Oregon:

The immortal words of Nancy Reagan may have given a
Portland bank teller an idea how to deal with an
attempted bank robbery.

Just say no.

That's what the teller told David A. Lasene last July
when he walked into a Key Bank of Oregon branch.  He
handed a note to a teller saying he had a gun and
telling her to give him her money.

When the teller refused, Lasene walked out.  Police
arrested him nearby.

On Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred N. Weinhouse
said Lasene was intoxicated when he entered the bank.
But no, intoxication is not a defense to bank robbery.

Lasene's attorney, Susan Elisabeth Reese, asked the
judge to give Lasene, 38, a reduced sentence because he
didn't complete the attempted robbery.

Again, the answer was no.  Lasene was smacked with a
five-year, three-month prison sentence.
79.1796BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Thu Jan 11 1996 14:035
    
	>A bill that would outlaw sex with corpses and make it a
    
    	But then only outlaws will have sex with corpses!!
    
79.1797SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIRhubarb... celery gone bloodshot.Fri Jan 12 1996 18:4515
    
    Conn. town hounds man for cycle tax
    
    SOUTHINGTON, Conn. - State and town authorities say the owner of a
    poodle registered a 1977 Honda motorcycle in his dog's name so he could
    avoid paying taxes.
    
     Police said Alphonse Cusano used the name of the dog, Susy L. Cusano,
    because he was delinquent on taxes on other vehicles and could not
    register the motorcycle in his own name.
    
     Cusano, 41, was arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree forgery.
    He was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bristol
    Superior Court on Jan.22.
    (AP)
79.1798Hmmm, no existing law ... well, how about forgery??BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Fri Jan 12 1996 19:385
    
    	Arrested for FORGERY??
    
    	Now I've heard of everything.
    
79.1799USAT05::SANDERRSat Jan 13 1996 10:356
    In Kentucky, this man was not used to the amount of ice which he had on
    his windows in his car.  He got his wife's super 1800 blo dryer and a
    'regular' extension cord and started melting the ice off his
    windshield...he was *shocked* when he started receiving these
    intermittent electrical jolts.  Was treated for 2nd degree electrical
    burns.
79.1800BIGQ::SILVABenevolent 'pedagogues' of humanitySun Jan 14 1996 18:521
a whacky kind of snarf!
79.1801WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon Jan 15 1996 09:542
    at least he had the sense not to be standing in a tub of water at
    the same time :-)
79.1802NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 15 1996 12:528
This sounds like an urban legend, but here goes:

Konakovo, Russia (AP) -- According to the ITAR-Tass news agency, a man and
some friends were ice-fishing on a reservoir about 60 miles from Moscow when
he caught a 28-inch pike.  Showing off, he raised the fish high and kissed it
on the mouth.  The pike clamped down hard on the fisherman's nose.  The pike's
jaws remained locked on the man's nose even after his companions beheaded it.
Doctors at a local hospital set the man free.
79.1803NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 16 1996 12:07133
WEIRDNUZ.412 (News of the Weird, December 29, 1995)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* On December 7, in Denver, Colo., postal clerk John Pitney,
50, having arrived at work wearing a dress and exhibiting "some
bizarre behavior," according to a co-worker, was put on
administrative leave and ordered out of the building.  However,
he attempted to come back in two more times--having augmented
his wardrobe with a gorilla mask and a strap-on sexual device--
and was arrested.  Police found several guns in his truck. [AP
wirecopy, 12-12-95] 

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION

* Laina Baumann, 17, was crowned the 60th queen of the
Charles County Fair in LaPlata, Md., in September.  Because the
county historically has been a leading tobacco producer, the
pageant winner has long been referred to officially as Queen
Nicotina. [Washington Post, 9-17-95] 

* Early in 1995, billionaire foam-cup manufacturer Kenneth Dart
moved from Michigan to the country of Belize, reportedly for the
purpose of avoiding U. S. income taxes, and moved his wife and
kids, and his company (which he still runs), to Sarasota, Fla. 
Belize then inquired of the U. S. State Department whether it
would be permitted to establish a consulate in Sarasota, Fla.,
probably run by Dart, who would thus be permitted to live with
his family without paying U. S. taxes.  (In September, the
Washington Post reported that the State Department would
probably turn Belize down.) [Washington Post, 9-11-95; 9-15-95] 

* The Beijing Youth Daily newspaper reported in October that a
20-year-old student who had received among the highest grades
of anyone in his province had been turned down by two
universities solely because he was born with a misshapen face. 
One university official said the man's ugliness "could influence
the studies of other students." [Reuters wirecopy, 10-4-95] 

* In 1983, a Denver, Colo., trucking company, American
Shippers, was hired to transport nine cartons of smoke detector
parts--which contain tiny amounts of radioactive americium 241--
to Los Angeles.  After the trucks were loaded, the sale was
canceled, and the seller went bankrupt.  Because of Colorado and
federal nuclear regulations, American Shippers could not get a
permit to dispose of the parts.  The company has been negotiating
with state and federal agencies for twelve years now while the
truck stays parked.  In November, a state agency said it would
cost the company at least $40,000 to unload the truck.
[Albuquerque Journal-AP, 11-24-95] 

* For schemes reminiscent of the plot of the movie "Ace Ventura
2: When Nature Calls," three men pleaded guilty in New York
City in September and five others were indicted in separate
swindles of the Republic of Nauru, an affluent island of 7,000
people north of Australia.  The schemes involved the island's
incredibly-rich deposits of high-grade phosphate made from bird
droppings. [San Jose Mercury-News, 12-10-95; Seattle Post-
Intelligencer, Sept95] 

* South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in September that men and
women who have the same last name can henceforth marry each
other provided they marry first outside the country.  The ban on
same-name marriages had severely limited marital choice; for
example, 43% of the population are named either Kim, Lee, or
Park. [New York Times-AP, 9-28-95] 

* In September, while war raged in the adjacent former
Yugoslavia, three mediums lured 1,500 people to an airfield near
Sofia, Bulgaria, in a welcoming party to greet eight spaceships
that were to land and help the country pay its foreign debt (about
$13 billion).  A half-hour after the scheduled landing, the
mediums announced that warplanes in the area had scared the
spaceships off. [Globe and Mail-AP, 9-12-95] 

THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

* In September, the Sunnyvale, Calif., city council barred one of
its own, council member Frances Rowe, from City Hall at all
times except when attending council meetings.  She had been
fired by the council in 1994 from her post as Mayor because of
allegedly abusive behavior toward city employees and, according
to the council, still wouldn't stop.  She was also barred from
calling city employees on the phone. [San Jose Mercury News,
10-28-95] 

* Among the unsuccessful candidates for mayor of Augusta, Ga.,
in November were a man who claimed the coating on utility poles
causes brain cancer in children; a man who spent a total of $5 on
the campaign but blasted the Coca-Cola Co., which he said had
promised him a $50,000 grant; and a man who said he used to be
in the broadcasting business until he was shot in the head and fell
into a coma for three months. [Augusta Chronicle, 11-6-95] 

* The $300,000 north Florida home of former state Rep. James
Kerrigan was sold at auction in January 1995 for $100 because
Kerrigan had refused to pay $2,500 of a $4,000 bill for carpeting
that had a small blemish.  Two months ago, Kerrigan said the
problem was the bad legal advice he got from lawyer Joe
Scarborough, who is now a member of the U. S. House of
Representatives.  (The highlight of Kerrigan's one term in the
Florida House was his opposing a gun-control ban--a position
commanded during a "visit" from the late John Wayne in a
dream.) [Orlando Sentinel-AP, 10-27-95] 

GEOGRAPHIC CENTERS OF WEIRD

* Russia:  In October, the Russian Space Agency announced that
the three men aboard the space station Mir, scheduled to return to
Earth January 13, would not come home until February 21,
reportedly because Russia lacks money to finish building the
rocket to replace them.  The month before, the Moscow
electricity company cut off power for four hours to the central
command for the country's strategic nuclear missile forces
because of overdue bills.  And among the unsuccessful parties in
the December elections was the Subtropical Russia Movement,
whose platform included demands for a yearround temperature of
20 degrees C and a plan to import heat from central Asia. [New
York Times-AP, 10-13-95] [Washington Post, 9-22-95][Globe
and Mail, 10-24-95] 

THINNING THE HERD

* Mr. Thebese Rankin, 29, was shot to death in October in
Providence, R. I., allegedly by Alfred C. Amoury.  According to
a witness, Amoury and Mr. Rankin had an argument about "more
or less, who was a punk and who wasn't." [Providence Journal-
Bulletin, 10-31-95] 

Copyright 1995, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1804BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Tue Jan 16 1996 13:336
    
    	"opposing a gun-control ban"
    
    	There must have been a better way of phrasing this, to keep my
    	head from spinning so fast during parsing.
    
79.1805DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Tue Jan 16 1996 16:275
    
    
    	Hey, if Russia can "import heat" from Asia, can
    	we import some from, say, the Caribbean?!
    
79.1806NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 16 1996 16:281
Sure.  Jamaican jerk sauce.
79.1807Is there a Clueless News Briefs note somewhere?SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras.. doomed to extinctionThu Jan 18 1996 14:3022
    2 N.H. runaways found in Seattle
    
    NORTHFIELD, N.H. - Parents of two 14-year-old girls who ran away to
    Seattle to visit rock singer Kurt Cobain's grave are relieved their
    daughters are all right.
    
     Rose Sokol of Northfield and Lisa Hughes of Sanborton had been missing
    since last week. They left letters for their parents, saying they were 
    "bored with school" and were taking "a little vacation."
    
     They did not specify their destination but said their parents should
    not worry and that they would return as soon as their money ran out.
    
     "We're not really running away," the notes said.
    
     One of the girls' friends provided clues to their whereabouts, telling
    Sokol's father, Gary, that Rose often said if she ever had enough
    money, she would go to Seattle because of her strong feelings about
    Cobain amd his band, Nirvana. Vobain killed himself in 1994.
    
     The families made plans Tuesday to fly to Seattle to bring the girls
    home. (AP)
79.1808CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Thu Jan 18 1996 14:4010


 Kids do the darndest things, don't they?  I hope their hometown will
 have a welcome home parade for them.




 Jim
79.1809NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 18 1996 14:425
>    NORTHFIELD, N.H. - Parents of two 14-year-old girls who ran away to
>    Seattle to visit rock singer Kurt Cobain's grave are relieved their
>    daughters are all right.

They have a different definition of "all right" than I do.
79.1810SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIZebras.. doomed to extinctionThu Jan 18 1996 14:446
    
    I typed in the article verbatim.. Maybe "AP" has a different definition
    than you??
    
    :)
    
79.1811:')GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERbe nice, be happyThu Jan 18 1996 14:503
    
    
    RE: .1809  Gerald, you old farts just don't understand youth......
79.1812POWDML::AJOHNSTONbeannachdThu Jan 18 1996 16:526
    I suppose then that "relieved ... all right" should read "relieved that
    their daughters were found alive and well rather than in a series of
    Yello Bags in dumpsters scattered throughout the Puget Sound area or
    sold into prositution in Algiers."
    
      Annie
79.1813NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 25 1996 14:2157
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, January 24, 1996 [excerpts]

Coos Bay, Oregon:

A man protesting the lack of dental coverage under the
Oregon Health Plan made a public display of pulling his
own tooth with dental pliers bought at a garage sale.

Cliff Latta said he and others could find no dentists
in the area willing to treat patients covered by the
state's insurance plan.

"The people at the top of the bureaucracy are well off
and have full medical and dental care, but here in Coos
Bay no dentists are on the Oregon Health Plan," he
said.

Latta held his demonstration on the front steps of the
First Presbyterian Church following a community
meeting.

After tugging for a few moments on the pliers, Latta
chipped out a portion of his broken tooth.

"Let me say at this point that nobody should be forced
to do this," he said.  "This isn't fair."

A handful of friends and supporters clapped when Latta
proclaimed there was no portion of the tooth left.
==========

Yakima, Washington:

What's the definition of dumb?  How about a guy who
tries to rob an ice cream store during a snowstorm?

Heavy snow was falling in Yakima when Baskin-Robbins
franchise owner Andy Weed decided to close early.

And then in walked a guy wearing a ski mask.  The man
asked for a scoop of the flavor of the month, and Weed
obliged.

Still wearing the mask, the man fumbled for money to
pay the tab.  He found enough coins, which he plopped
on the counter.

He started toward the door but pulled out a small knife
and turned back toward the counter.  Weed said he
jumped back from the cash register as the man started
pounding on it to force it open.  "He was cursing and
banging on it," Weed said.

The would-be robber was hampered further by his refusal
to drop his cone.  Eventually, he gave up trying to
open the cash drawer and fled, Swiss Chocolate cone in
hand.
79.1814HIGHD::FLATMANGive2TheMegan&amp;KennethCollegeFundThu Jan 25 1996 16:009
    Heard on NPR this morning:

    Seems that a man in Kentucky was out hunting birds with his dog Rusty. 
    He shot a bird and Rusty dutifully fetched the kill.  The man put his
    shotgun down to retrieve the bird from Rusty's mouth.  Rusty accidently
    stepped on the trigger, firing the shotgun into the man's legs.  At
    this time, no charges have been filed against Rusty.

    -- Dave
79.1815BIGQ::SILVABenevolent 'pedagogues' of humanityThu Jan 25 1996 16:103

	Did Rusty have a permit?
79.1816WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Jan 25 1996 16:581
    wait'll Sarah Brady hears about this!
79.1817Ban Dogs!!!SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIToo many politicians, not enough warriors.Thu Jan 25 1996 16:591
    
79.1818BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Thu Jan 25 1996 17:023
    
    	If you do that, only ugly outlaws will marry them.
    
79.1819EST::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQFri Jan 26 1996 18:552
Y'all don't want us to go into all the gun/hunting rules he broke, do you?
Didn't think so.
79.1820ACISS1::BATTISpool shooting son of a gunMon Jan 29 1996 19:242
    
    that could have been one "killer" dog.
79.1821NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 31 1996 11:5950
WhiteBoard News for Saturday, January 27, 1996 [excerpts]

Harleyville, South Carolina:

Its maker contends the device can ferret out drugs and
explosives or even find missing golf balls with the
simple point of an antenna.

Federal prosecutors say it's an empty black box on
which hundreds of schools, consumers and
law-enforcement agencies wasted more than $1 million.

The Quadro Corporation has been temporarily blocked
from selling the Positive Molecular Locator, aka Quadro
Tracker.

"The only thing this accurately detects is your
checkbook," said Ronald Kelly, an FBI agent.

Quadro lawyer Timothy Kulp said buyers were offered a
money-back guarantee and that many were pleased with
the device.

But tests at the FBI Laboratory and the Energy
Department's Sandia National Laboratories showed it is
nothing more than a hollow plastic box with a
transistor-radio antenna.

A "chip" inside was really two pieces of plastic
surrounding a piece of black photocopied paper. 
Sandia's report said the antenna was driven by "the
Ouija board influence." 

It sold from $395 to $8,000.
==========

Bahia Honda Key, Florida:

You're a tourist splashing in the surf, and you see a
shark.  You: (a) Run screaming. (b) Stand frozen in
fear.  Or: (c) Grab it by the tail.

Christopher Riley picked (c).

"He grabbed it by the tail and didn't let go," said Bob
Bodner, assistant manager at Bahia Honda State Park. 
"And it turned around and bit him on the leg."  

Riley, 33, of Kansas City, Missouri, was treated at a
hospital and released.
79.1822NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 31 1996 12:00122
WhiteBoard News for [sic] [excerpts]

Moscow, Russia:

A hypnotist and psychic who lost his seat in parliament is threatening to 
use his powers to render impotent anyone who tries to evict him from his 
government apartment.

The ITAR-Tass news agency said Friday that Anatoly Kashpirovsky was 
determined to hold onto the Moscow apartment, one of the most desirable 
perks of office, at all costs.

It said he made the threat in a newspaper story in the Volga River city of 
Togliatti.

Kashpirovsky was elected to the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, in 
1993.  He was a member of Vladimer Zhirinovky's ultranationalist party, but 
quit shortly thereafter.  He ran for re-election in December but was 
defeated.

In the waning days of the Soviet Union, Kashpirovsky had a popular 
television program and was widely regarded as a faith-healer.
==========

Rochester, New York:

The Secret Service found some time to visit a computer artist who gets a 
rush out of making celebrities' heads "explode."

Daniel Burford, 22, selects photographs of famous people he dislikes -- Bob 
Dole, Boris Yeltsin, Bill Gates and Tom Hanks -- and blows them up on his 
World Wide Web page in comic-book fashion.

Not everyone gets the joke.

Two Secret Service agents showed up at Burford's workplace, Virtual Visions 
Incorporated, and asked him to come to headquarters for a little chat.

"They asked him if I'd ever owned a gun, how I felt about Bob Dole, if I'd 
ever been in a mental hospital," Burford said.  "I guess they decided I 
wasn't a security threat."
==========

Connell, Washington:

Police toppled an anatomically correct, if gender-confused, snowman, after 
the creation was deemed obscene and a public nuisance.

Several citizens complained after the 6-foot-tall snowman -- with features 
more often seen in a locker room -- showed up in the front yard of a vacant 
house last week.

"We take this kind of thing seriously," Police Officer Joe Escalera said 
Friday.  "It's too bad that normal, decent people had to view this."

The frozen sculpture wore a hat, sunglasses and a mocking grin.

Two sticks for arms extended from each of the snowman's sides.  All but one 
finger of his gloves was tucked closed.

This Frosty's extra extremity was topped off with a baby bottle nipple.

Curiously, two Styrofoam cups were stuffed into the snowy chest, perhaps 
signaling that Frosty was not a snowman after all.

Escalera photographed the snowman, then tore him down, reducing the public 
nuisance to a pile of slush.

He also located a 14-year-old boy who admitted creating the snowman as a 
joke.  The boy was warned, and his parents notified.

"I think of it as a moral low," Escalera said.  "A lot of people who saw it 
were very upset."
==========

Hollywood, Florida:

Wallace Magnani lived so frugally he refused to fix the plumbing in his 
majestic 70-year-old home and wore tattered, grubby clothes.

But he was magnanimous in death, leaving $500,000 -- the bulk of his estate 
-- to help reduce the federal debt.

"He felt the federal government saved his life during the Depression when he 
was in need," said Robert J. Owen, Magnani's executor.  "He wanted to give 
something back."

With the national debt already around $4.9 trillion, Magnani's gift won't go 
far.  But it's nice anyway, said Pete Hollenbach, spokesman for the federal 
Bureau of Public Debt.

"It isn't the size of the gift that matters," he said.
==========

Bogota, Colombia:

If politics is a den of lions, why shouldn't a politician get married in the 
midst of seven huge, ferocious carnivores?

A most unconventional politician did.

Bogota's philosopher-mayor and his betrothed tied the knot with seven Bengal 
tigers perched around them in the middle of a circus tent.

For a country politically paralyzed by President Ernesto Samper's refusal to 
resign despite mounting evidence he financed his candidacy with drug money, 
Saturday night's wedding was a welcome diversion.

Antanas Mockus and Adrianan Cordoba began with a pachydermic entrance, 
riding into the big top on an elephant, their matrimonial garb made of the 
same burlap Colombians use to ship their coffee.

She carried a simple bouquet, he a Punch-style jester's head on a stick.

Cordoba, a graduate student in urban planning, exuded joy in her 
floor-length burlap gown, a while silk scarf tied across her forehead and 
flowing down her back.

The bearded Mockus, as always, looked like a square-jawed Abraham Lincoln.

Guests to the big-top party paid $40 into a fund the newlyweds created for 
abused children.
79.1823NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 31 1996 12:00130
WEIRDNUZ.414 (News of the Weird, January 12, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In December, Independence, Mo., veterinarian R. D. Holder
performed the first testicle implant on a dog when he inserted 
FDA-approved Neuticles into a 110-pound Rottweiler.  Holder
and Gregg Miller had invented the implants so that male dogs
that have been neutered could still walk around with testicles
after the surgery.  (Miller said he got the idea when he saw how
"frightened" his own dog looked when he returned from being
neutered.) [Independence Examiner, 12-14-95] 

INEXPLICABLE

* Security worker Steven Radford, 49, of Long Beach, Calif., 
disclosed to TV's Geraldo Rivera in August that he has spent
around $20,000 on plastic surgery to make himself look like
actor Tom Arnold.  He said he figures another $10,000 might
complete the job. [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 8-5-95] 

* A woman in Pearl River, La., reported to police in October
that someone broke into her house and took nothing, but put her
kitchen garbage out on the porch and cleaned all of her ashtrays. 
And in Woodbridge, N. J., in July, a resident reported that
someone broke into her house and took nothing, but moved a TV
set into the den and a camera from one table to another. [Times-
Picayune, 10-18-95] [Woodbridge News Tribune, 7-25-95] 

* In an October interview with the Raleigh (N. C.) News and
Observer, U. S. Rep. Frederick K. Heineman said his combined
Congressional salary and pension income of $183,000 a year
makes him merely "lower-middle class."  Said Heineman, "When
I see someone who is making anywhere from $300,000 to
$750,000 a year, that's middle class." [Washington Post, 10-25-
95] 

* During an October robbery at Super Jim's grocery in Chicago,
employee Vincente Arriaga was shot by the robber at a distance
of 20 feet.  According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the
bullet barely broke Arriaga's skin because it was slowed as it
passed through the 8-oz. box of Tuna Helper he was holding.
[Chicago Sun-Times, Oct95] 

* In April Reginald Currie, 36, and Dwight Lewter, 37, were
sentenced to prison for robbing the Hudson City Savings Bank in
Newark, N. J., of $1,500 in 1994.  According to federal
prosecutors, Currie pulled off the robbery by himself but was
captured within 24 hours because he had accidentally left a
picture ID card in a bag at the bank.  Later, prosecutors
discovered that Currie had promised Lewter a cut of the proceeds
if he would compose a holdup note for Currie to use. [Newark
Star-Ledger, 4-12-95] 

* Carlos Trujillo was discovered at Kennedy Airport in New
York in September with 189 $100 bills rolled up in condoms
inside his stomach.  However, officials were not certain why
Trujillo had gone to that trouble, since he was also carrying about
$60,000 more in his pockets and carry-on items. [AP wirecopy,
9-20-95] 

CHUTZPAH

* In August, Sophie Rodier was accosted on the street in
Montreal, along with her husband Real Plouffe and their two-
year-old daughter, by a woman whom the couple at first thought
was merely asking directions.  Said Plouffe, "She asked my wife
how much she wanted for our baby.  Then the woman handed her
a blank check and told her to write in whatever amount of money
she wanted."  Plouffe said the family fled. [Sault Star, 8-11-95] 

* At a September hearing for Charles Hocq, accused of battery in
Springfield, Ill., Judge Roger Holmes asked Hocq the standard 
questions to determine how much his bail should be (e.g., do you
have any family in the community?).  Hocq said he didn't
understand the question.  Holmes then asked the direct question: 
If I made the bail amount lower, would you flee the area and not
come back for trial?  According to the Springfield Journal, Hocq
replied, "I would."  (Holmes then doubled the proposed bail, to
$250,000.) [Springfield Journal, 9-22-95] 

* In December, a jury in Washington, D. C., awarded $175,000
to Mary Jo Smith, who said she fell off a parking garage ramp at
a hotel while rushing to a luncheon featuring Hillary Rodham
Clinton.  Only $7,500 was for medical expenses.  Smith is the
wife of Republican U. S. Sen. Robert Smith of New Hampshire,
who recently voted for legal reform legislation that would reduce
such large payouts that go beyond actual expenses. [Washington
Post, 12-8-95] 

* From an October letter to the editor from Bruce C. Brenizer,
convicted murderer, to the Wisconsin State Journal, the daily
newspaper in Madison, which had published a news story on
him:  "I am frankly disgusted with the sloppy and sensationalistic
reporting that appears in your paper. . . . You are correct in
suggesting that I . . . was responsible for the death of my father,
his live-in girlfriend, and her three children.  But I was never
charged with the murder of my half-brother as you reported. 
That is the trouble with you tabloid journalists, the facts are just
not important to you."  (The Journal replied:  "Mr. Brenizer is
correct.  The five people he murdered included his half-sister, not
his half-brother.") [Wisconsin State Journal, 10-15-95] 

* According to a story in the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard in
July, convicted con man Anthony Fiederer started the local
Alzheimer's Foundation in 1993 and raised $36,000, of which
$200 went toward Alzheimer's research and $14,000 was
allegedly embezzled by Fiederer.  The newspaper also reported
that Fiederer initially used his involvement with his Foundation
to satisfy a "community service" sentence on a previous
conviction for swindling and that he used Foundation funds to
make court-ordered restitution to victims in that case. [Eugene
Register-Guard, 7-18-95] 
 
LEAST JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDES

* Constance Agnes Miller, 60, was charged with beating her
mother to death in Erie, Pa., in September, allegedly because her
mother wouldn't stop calling her "Agnes." [Athens Messenger-
AP, Oct95] 

* In September, Mark E. Mire was convicted in Baton Rouge,
La., for shooting to death a man in a bar in 1994 because the
man had said Mire's dog was ugly. [Dallas Morning News-AP,
Sept95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1824RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Wed Jan 31 1996 12:2714
    Re .1822:
    
    > A hypnotist and psychic who lost his seat in parliament is
    > threatening to  use his powers to render impotent anyone who tries to
    > evict him from his  government apartment.
    
    So send in policewomen to evict him.  Problem solved.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.1825NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 31 1996 13:282
It's not clear to me that it means impotent in the sexual sense.  It may have
lost something in the translation.
79.1826NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 31 1996 14:30106
From:	US2RMC::"Donald_Topaz/CAM/Lotus.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com" "Donald Topaz/CAM/Lotus" 31-JAN-1996 11:15:59.65
To:	sacks <notime::sacks>
CC:	
Subj:	In case you missed any of these...

                                                                
Police drive over handcuffed teenager

Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram 

BALTIMORE - Police officers handcuffed and ordered a teen to lie face down on 
the ground.  The teen was suspected of joyriding.  An officer, who didn't 
realize he was still there, ran him over with his vehicle. The officer stopped 
when he heard a scream and felt something under the wheel.  The front right 
tire was on top of the boy's buttocks and thigh.  Several officers lifted the 
vehicle and pulled the teen from underneath it. The teen-ager was not seriously 
hurt.  The officers remains on active duty pending an internal affairs 
investigation.

                                                                
                                                     
Human head found during marijuana raid

by Raoul V.  Mowatt, Mercury News Staff Writer 
from the San Jose Mercury News

For a Berkeley man, those novelty shrunken heads just aren't enough.  He made a 
real human head the life of many a party, police said.

During a marijuana raid at the man's house, officers said, they found a 
mummified in a box marked "Eight-Piece Party Kit."  Wrapped in a white lab 
smock, the head--which belonged to a woman and has been the subject of an 
authopsy-- often came out during good times, police said.

Officers confiscated a stack of about 20 photos with people in all sorts of 
poses with the head, Lt.  Michael de Latour said.  Sitting with the head.  
Eating dinner with the head on the table.

"It was just a curiosity piece, it looks like to me," de Latour said.  "They 
obviously enjoyed posing with the head, judging from yhe pictures they took."

(The head's) blond hair and eyebrows are still visible, but its brain has been 
removed.  The owner, 51-year-old Donald R.  Donahue, told the officers that it 
was 20 years old and that he got it from a student at a now-defunct medical 
school in Lawrence, Kan.




Executive accused of assault and defecation during flight

NEW YORK - Gerard Finneran, 58, of Greenwhich, was first arrested, then 
released on bond, then banned by a court judge from flying without permission 
pending an alcohol abuse evaluation.  He is an insurance executive, president 
of TCW Americas Development, Inc. Finneran, was upset when a flight-attendant 
refused to serve him another drink.  He became violent and pushed the flight 
attendant unto a seat.  

Later, he was spotted in the first-class section, defecating (releasing 
himself) on a service cart used by the flight crew.  He used the linen napkins 
as toilet paper.  "He wiped his hands on various counters and service 
implements used by the crew.  He also tracked feces throughout the aircraft." 
The flight captain reacted by suspending all food and beverage services, 
fearing the risk of infection. The incident took place on a United Airlines 
flight, from Buenos Aires to New York.




Motorist killed while attempting to aid rabbit.

Source: Reuters 

LELYSTAD, Netherlands -- A 72-year-old Dutch motorist hit and injured a rabbit 
who ran across the A6 highway.  The man pulled over and rushed to give first 
aid to the rabbit.  While walking towards the rabbit the man was run over and 
killed by a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. 




If they give me a real woman, I wouldn't need a sex doll.

Source: Reuter

JERUSALEM -- An Israeli prisoner has sued the Prison Service over his right to 
have an inflatable sex doll in his cell.  The Israel's Supreme Court denied his 
request, and sided with prison authorities.  The Prison Service has argued that 
having a sex doll, inmate Amir Hazan, 35, could fool warders in an escape 
attempt, hide drugs inside the doll, or even cause inmates to fight over the 
doll. "I've been in jail since the age of 14.  If they let me be with a woman, 
I would give up on getting a doll," said Hazan.  He is serving a 10 year 
sentence for acts of violence.



                                                     
Bizarre Coincidence.

Source: Reuter

SHANGHAI, China - One day after he robbed a house, a man stopped at a bus stop 
to ask a lady for directions.  The lady immediately recognized the clothes he 
was wearing as her husband's.  Apparently the robber approached one of the 
victims. The lady, helped by a few bystanders, grabbed the thief and handed him 
over to police.
79.1827BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Jan 31 1996 15:135
    
    	Giving first aid to a rabbit?
    
    	Strange people.
    
79.1828SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiWed Jan 31 1996 15:173
    .1827
    
    Well, Shawn, if it saves even one life...
79.1829BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Jan 31 1996 15:223
    
    	Well, it kind of cancelled out in this instance.
    
79.1830SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiWed Jan 31 1996 15:241
    Cancelled out?  You mean the rabbit survived?
79.1831SMURF::WALTERSWed Jan 31 1996 15:251
    Yes, and it was delicious.
79.1832SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiWed Jan 31 1996 15:261
    But, Colin, it wasn't a Welsh rabbit!
79.1833SMURF::WALTERSWed Jan 31 1996 15:281
    Then I misjugged it.
79.1834BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Jan 31 1996 15:284
    
    	Hmmm, now I'm not sure.  The story didn't reveal the fate of the
    	rabbit.
    
79.1835BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Jan 31 1996 15:305
    
    	Geez, I started .1834 about 5 minutes ago and someone came in and
    	bugged me [work-related question ... some people!!], so I forgot
    	to enter it until just now.
    
79.1836more weird CSSREG::BROWNCommon Sense Isn'tThu Feb 01 1996 10:1357
just got this in mail, dunno the original source...
    
-------------------- ******   "news of the weird"    ******-------------------

Kentucky: Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine by running a
chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of
pulling the front panel off the machine, though, they pulled the bumper off
their truck. Scared, they left the scene and drove home. With the chain
still attached to the machine. With their bumper still attached to the
chain. With their vehicle's license plate still attached to the bumper.

South Carolina: A man walked into a local police station, dropped a bag of
cocaine on the counter, informed the desk sergeant that it was substandard
cut, and asked that the person who sold it to him be arrested immediately.

England: A German "tourist," supposedly on a golf holiday, shows up at
customs with his golf bag. While making idle chatter about golf, the
customs official realizes that the tourist does not know what a "handicap"
is. The customs official asks the tourist to demonstrate his swing, which
he does--backward! A substantial amount of narcotics was found in the golf
bag.

Arizona: A company called "Guns For Hire" stages gunfights for Western
movies, etc. One day, they received a call from a 47-year- old woman, who
wanted to have her husband killed. She got 4-1/2 years in jail.

Texas: A man convicted of robbery worked out a deal to pay $9600 in damages
rather than serve a prison sentence. For payment, he provided the court a
check--a *forged* check. He got 10 years.

(Location Unknown): A man went into a drug store, pulled a gun, announced a
robbery, and pulled a Hefty-bag face mask over his head--and realized that
he'd forgotten to cut eyeholes in the mask.

(Location Unknown):  A man successfully broke into a bank's basement
through a street-level window, cutting himself up pretty badly in the
process. He then realized that......... (1) he could not get to the money
from where he was, (2) he could not climb back out the window through which
he had entered, and (3) he was bleeding pretty badly. So he located a phone
and dialed "911" for help ...

Virginia: Two men in a pickup truck went to a new-home site to steal a
refrigerator. Banging up walls, floors, etc., they snatched a refrigerator
from one of the houses, and loaded it onto the pickup. The truck promptly
got stuck in the mud, so they decided that the refrigerator was too heavy.
Banging up *more* walls, floors, etc., they put the refrigerator BACK into
the house, and returned to the pickup truck, only to realize that they
locked the keys in the truck--so they abandoned it.

(Location Unknown): A man walked into a Circle-K (a convenience store
similar to a 7-11), put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change.
When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for
all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man
took the cash from the clerk and fled-- leaving the $20 bill on the
counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.


79.1837NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 01 1996 13:0468
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, January 31, 1996 [excerpts]


Novato, California:

Homeless and hunkered down on a mattress rescued from a
trash bin, Neal Berry found his true refuge in his
laptop computer.

Despite being homeless, by high-tech standards, he was
wired -- cellular phone, modem, voice mail and pager
service, high-definition video monitor and laptop with
eight megabytes of RAM -- all purchased through his
$8-an-hour job as a shipping and inventory clerk.

This is until Friday, when the 22-year-old man's
primitive encampment off Highway 101 was discovered by
transportation workers.  Along with Berry's belongings,
the workers found several heavy-equipment batteries
stolen from the state transportation agency.

Berry, who was using the batteries to power his
hardware, was arrested.

Berry, who moved to Marin County in 1994, chose to live
by the highway after failing to find an affordable
apartment.

"If I were to have an apartment, I wouldn't have any
furniture," he said.  "I'd just barely be able to eat. 
It would suck up all my income."

Instead of shelter, he invested his income in high-tech
goods.  Last summer, he bought a cellular phone, and
later added a modem and laptop.

Each month, he spent $35 for an account with a local
computer bulletin board; $60 on his cellular phone
bill; $50 for a gym membership where he took his
showers; $42 for a storage shed for clothes and other
possessions he was afraid to keep in the tent, and $12
for a mailbox.

He took his computer everywhere, strapped inside his
backpack, as he wheeled around Marin on an 18-speed
mountain bike.

And with his email account, he found he could avoid the
isolation of being homeless.

"I made more friends in a month (electronically) than I
had all year in Novato," he said.  "I'm pretty shy; I'm
a loner.  But when I get to know you, I can be a good
friend."

Now in jail, he's trying to remain upbeat.

"I've never been in jail before," he said.  "But there
is a bright side: three hots and a cot at taxpayer
expense."
==========

Fast News Forum:

A ban on smoking at the Caroline County (Maryland)
Detention Center has inmates turning to bananas.  They
take a peel, put it on a radiator until it's hard, then
crush it up.  They wrap it in toilet paper and smoke it.
79.1838no personal experience, but I've read thisWAHOO::LEVESQUEmemory canyonThu Feb 01 1996 13:101
    banana peels are purported to have psychoative properties
79.1839Electrical bananaNOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 01 1996 13:111
That was back in the '60s.  It was a hoax.
79.1840CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Thu Feb 01 1996 13:233

 They call it mellow yellow...
79.1841TRLIAN::MIRAB1::REITHIf it's worth doing, it's worth overdoingThu Feb 01 1996 16:192
    
    ....that's right slick
79.1842WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 01 1996 16:221
    is this Donovan a ballplayer or sumthin'?
79.1843MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu Feb 01 1996 16:2864
1994's MOST BIZARRE SUICIDE

At the 1994 annual awards dinner given by the American Association
for Forensic Science, AAFS President Don Harper Mills astounded his
audience in San Diego with the legal complications of a bizarre death.  Here
is the story.

"On 23 March 1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald
Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound of the head.  The
decedent had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit
suicide (he left a note indicating his despondency).  As he fell past the
ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through a window,
which killed him instantly.  Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware
that a safety net had been erected at the eighth floor level to protect some
window washers and that Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide
anyway because of this."

"Ordinarily," Dr. Mills continued, "a person who sets out to commit suicide
ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended.
 That Opus was shot on the way to certain death nine stories below probably
would not have changed his mode of death
from suicide to  homicide. But the fact that his suicidal intent would not
have been successful  caused the medical examiner to feel that he
had homicide on his hands.  "The room on the ninth floor whence the
shotgun blast emanated was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were
arguing and he was threatening her with the shotgun.  He was so upset that,
when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife and the pellets
went through the a window striking Opus.

"When one intends to kill subject A but kills subject B in the attempt,
one is guilty of the murder of subject B.  When confronted with this charge,
the old man and his wife were both adamant that neither knew that the shotgun
was loaded.  The old man said it was his long-standing habit to threaten his
wife with the unloaded shotgun.  He had no intention to murder her -
therefore, the killing of Opus appeared to be an accident.  That is, the gun
had been accidentally loaded.

"The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's
son loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal incident. 
It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support  and
the son, knowing the propensity of his father to
use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that
his father would shoot his mother.  The case now becomes one of murder on the
part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

There was an exquisite twist.  "Further investigation revealed that the
son [Ronald Opus] had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his
attempt to engineer his mother's murder.  This led him to jump off the
ten-story building on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun blast through
a ninth story window.
 
"The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide."

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79.1844PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Feb 01 1996 16:332
   .1843  that story's been circulating for what seems like eons.
79.1845GAVEL::JANDROWPartly To Mostly BlondeThu Feb 01 1996 16:344
    
    why was the guy in .1837 arrested????
    
    
79.1846POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Tear-Off BottomsThu Feb 01 1996 16:3911
>This is until Friday, when the 22-year-old man's
>primitive encampment off Highway 101 was discovered by
>transportation workers.  Along with Berry's belongings,
>the workers found several heavy-equipment batteries
>stolen from the state transportation agency.

>Berry, who was using the batteries to power his
>hardware, was arrested.

    
79.1847MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu Feb 01 1996 16:473
  ZZZ     .1843  that story's been circulating for what seems like eons.
    
    Ohhh...go do a body dance!!!!!!
79.1848HIGHD::FLATMANGive2TheMegan&amp;KennethCollegeFundThu Feb 01 1996 16:548
    RE: smoking bananas

    In order to keep the spiders under control, bananas are sprayed with
    large amounts of pesticides.  Usually this isn't a problem since nearly
    nobody eats the peal.  I don't know what health effects smoking the
    pesticide would have.  It might be as bad as smoking tobacco.

    -- Dave
79.1849SMURF::WALTERSThu Feb 01 1996 17:362
    Notice: Any inmates caught smoking bananas will have their apeels denied.
    
79.1850CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Thu Feb 01 1996 17:403

 You're really slipping now.
79.1851SMURF::WALTERSThu Feb 01 1996 17:431
    <- I always was bananal
79.1852POLAR::RICHARDSONCaptain DunselThu Feb 01 1996 17:501
    I'm sure there's a bunch more where that came from.
79.1853MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu Feb 01 1996 17:511
    I wish you people would stop doling out these puns.
79.1854SMURF::WALTERSThu Feb 01 1996 18:252
    Watching a chiquita banana would make the average prisoner's skin
    smoke. 
79.1855PSDV02::SURRETTETheCluePhoneIsRinging,AndIt'sForYOU.Thu Feb 01 1996 18:344
    
    
    That'll be the dayo when I join this pun fest.
    
79.1856CNTROL::JENNISONJeremiah 33:3Thu Feb 01 1996 18:446
    
    	I doubt all this monkeying around will be fruitful.
    
    	In fact, I'd say we're on the slippery slope.
    
    
79.1857MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu Feb 01 1996 18:491
    You people are driving me bananas!
79.1858POLAR::RICHARDSONCaptain DunselThu Feb 01 1996 18:501
    So why don't you split?
79.1859SHRCTR::PJOHNSONaut disce, aut discedeFri Feb 02 1996 12:543
                     <---- 'cause he's yeller!

79.1860NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 02 1996 14:3422
   BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) -- Stefan Sigmond wants to get in the Guinness Book
of Records in the worst way -- and choosing the worst ways to get there.
   In his latest attempt, the 29-year-old from Cluj brought 800 cigarettes into
a square in the capital on Tuesday, put them in a bundle-like contraption, lit
them and smoked them through a tube, said the newspaper Libertatea.
   He plans to contact the Guinness Book about his feat, but the book no longer
recognizes people who risk killing themselves to earn immortality.
   "We do discourage that sort of thing," said Guinness spokeswoman Carol Jones,
speaking from London on Wednesday.
   That means the book also won't consider another of Sigmond's claims to fame
-- eating 29 hard-boiled eggs in four minutes. The book stopped listing gluttony
records in 1990.
   Sigmond also plans to tell the Guinness Book about the time he jumped into a
lake from a 135-foot-high cliff. Jones said the book would consider that feat if
he took Guinness-approved precautions.
   But whether it would earn him a listing is another question: the book's
record for diving from a fixed point is 176 feet 10 inches.
   Is there hope for Sigmond?
   "There is a record for collecting cigarettes," Jones said. "It's held by the
late Robert E. Kaufman of New York, who had collected 8,390 different cigarettes
from 173 countries and territories."
   That's whole cigarettes -- not stubs.
79.1861BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Fri Feb 02 1996 14:374
    
    	I think the previous record for smoking cigarettes is just over
    	100 [101?] at once, but these all fit in the guy's mouth.
    
79.1862NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 02 1996 16:20134
WEIRDNUZ.415 (News of the Weird, January 19, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* From the Riley County police blotter in the Kansas State
University newspaper, Sept. 2: 1:33 p.m., disturbance involving
Marcus Miles; 2:14 p.m. (at a different address), "unwanted
subject" (police jargon for acquaintance who wouldn't leave) in
the home, Marcus Miles told to leave; 4:08 p.m. (different
address), Marcus Miles accused of harassment; 6:10 p.m.,
"unwanted subject" call against Marcus Miles.  Nov. 14: 6:47
p.m., "unwanted subject" in the home, Marcus Miles told by
officers to leave; 7:36 p.m. (different address), "unwanted
subject" call against Marcus Miles.  Nov. 20: 2:05 a.m.
(different address), "unwanted subject" charge filed against
Marcus Miles; 2:55 a.m. (different address), disturbance
involving Marcus Miles; 3:07 a.m. (different address),
"unwanted subject" charge filed against Marcus Miles; 4:11 a.m.
(different address), "unwanted subject" report made against
Marcus Miles. [K State Collegian, 9-7-95; 11-14-95, 11-20-95] 

NAMES IN THE NEWS

* Matrimony News:  In a Kissimmee, Fla., wedding in August,
Ronald Legendre married his girlfriend Hope.  Best man was
another guy, unrelated, named Ronald Legendre.  Judge was yet
another unrelated Ronald Legendre.  And applying for a marriage
license in Allen County, Ky., in October were Brandy Joy
Lambert, 18, and Bee Jay Bigmeat, 21.[USA Today, 8-14-95]
[Scottsville (Ky.) Citizen-Times, 10-12-95] 

* In August, Russell Lawrence Lee, 64, an African-American
man who said he wanted to defuse the racial tension permeating
America at the time of Det. Mark Fuhrmann's trial testimony,
filed papers in Ventura County, Calif., to change his name to
Mister Radical Aidid Supernigger. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution-
San Francisco Examiner, 9-7-95] 

* In September, the Montana Supreme Court accepted for
consideration the appeal of a convicted murderer to be taken off
death row and given a life sentence--an American Indian named
Lester Kills on Top.  And in Minneapolis, arrested for a
carjacking murder in December was 18-year-old Sherman
Killsplenty. [USA Today, 9-16-95][St. Paul Pioneer Press, 12-
28-95] 

* In August, noted British scientist Colin Leakey lamented to
Reuters news service that he had not been able to get sufficient
funding for his continuing studies on the causes of flatulence.
[Edmonton Journal-Reuters, 8-3-95] 

* In November, Providence College freshman basketball player
Shammgod Wells announced that he had changed his name to
God Shammgod. [Los Angeles Times, 11-15-95] 

SPORTS NEWS

* Belgian cardiologist Pedro Brugada won an amateur golf
tournament in Brussels in June despite suffering a heart attack
during the final round.  He was revived on the course by an
opponent-physician, rushed to the hospital, and released after
about 90 minutes to go back to the course. [Toronto Star-Reuters,
6-13-95] 

* Ashes in the news:  An official of the Seville, Spain, soccer
club Real Betis said in November that a deceased fan's season
ticket had been renewed by the man's son, who said he intended
to place a carton with his father's ashes on the seat at every home
game.  And in May, the Chicago Cubs acknowledged that an
unidentified fan leaned over a railing and scattered his late
father's ashes into center field during the 7th inning of a game
against Houston.  And Ohio State University football hero Fred
Crow, 80, died in November.  In 1935, Crow blocked a Notre
Dame extra point to preserve OSU's 13-12 victory.  If he hadn't
lived long enough to see the September rematch with Notre
Dame, his instructions were to cremate his left arm (the one that
blocked the kick) and spread the ashes in the south end zone
(near where he made the block). [Houston Chronicle, 11-16-95]
[Chicago Sun-Times, 5-4-95] [Ohio State Alumni Magazine,
December 1995] 
  
* In an August medical journal article, researchers reported that
retirement-community golfers were exceptionally prone to
contracting tick-borne infections if they were bad golfers. 
Researchers believe that golfers who kept the ball in the fairway
and out of the rough have a small likelihood of becoming
infected.  They recommend that bad golfers use new balls rather
than retrieve old ones from the rough. [New England Journal of
Medicine, 8-17-95] 

* Sue Olsen, 38, finished the Grandma's Marathon (26 miles) in
Duluth, Minn., on June 16, then ran 100 kilometers in an
ultramarathon in Minneapolis on June 17 and 18, and followed
that up late on June 19 by going into labor and producing 7-
pound, 3-ounce John Miles Olsen on June 20. [St. Paul Pioneer
Press, 6-28-95] 

* Britain's Guardian Weekly reported in November that, even
though Iranian dress codes prohibit the country's fielding women's
Olympic teams for swimming, track and field, and basketball, they
will have a women's kayaking team.  However, the coach
acknowledged that the team members' robes and veils add up to 10
seconds to their time over a 550-yard course. [Guardian Weekly,
11-12-95] 

* In the last regular-season game for the University of Virginia's
football team, with the score tied, a Virginia Tech player
intercepted a pass and ran down the sideline to the end zone to
give Tech a 36-29 win.  As the player ran past the Virginia
bench, the team trainer, Joe Gieck, a member of the trainers' hall
of fame, stuck his leg out onto the field but failed to make
contact.  Gieck said he only meant to "distract" the player, not
trip him. [Washington Post, 11-21-95] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* Concerned about the death of a patient in 1994, the Tennessee
Dept. of Health began hearings in October (continuing this
month) to determine the fitness of dentist Stephen Cobble to
continue his Knoxville practice.  Former patients have testified
that Cobble:  diagnosed their dental problems by having his
assistant rub their backs, stomachs, and arms; injected patients'
pubic and umbilical areas to sedate them; transferred C-section
scar tissue to treat a jaw disorder; had a patient stand with one
foot on a stack of magazines and try to swing the other foot
(which led to a diagnosis of a short leg and a long arm); and 
prescribed a diet of beef, salt, and at least two eggs and a quarter
pound of butter daily. [Knoxville News-Sentinel, 10-24 through
10-29-95, 12-3-95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1863SMURF::WALTERSFri Feb 02 1996 16:211
    Miles to go before I sleep.
79.1864inside line, maybe?HBAHBA::HAASslightly relatedFri Feb 02 1996 16:237
>* In November, Providence College freshman basketball player
>Shammgod Wells announced that he had changed his name to
>God Shammgod. [Los Angeles Times, 11-15-95] 

And he helped the Friars beat BC lasted night.

TTom
79.1865NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 06 1996 12:0321
WhiteBoard News for Monday, February 05, 1996 [excerpts]

Jasper, Florida:

A 99-year-old church deacon rode his bicycle to the
sheriff's house to confess that he killed his wife because
he suspected her of being unfaithful.
    
The sheriff didn't believe him and let him pedal off.
    
A short time later, John Patton was arrested at a drug store
paying a utility bill. He was charged with murder and
jailed.
    
"I didn't think he was in the right frame of mind when he
was telling me this," Sheriff Harrell Reid said. "But  I did
go over (to his home) with one of my other officers.  That's
when I found her." 

Lillie Bell Patton, 67, had been shot in the head with a
.22-caliber rifle.
79.1866NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 08 1996 12:3976
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, February 07, 1996 [excerpts]

Chicago, Illinois:

Not even the threat of jail has persuaded Galatea
Kapsimalis, 15, to visit the father she says deserted
her in a bitter divorce.

The threat came from the same court that in July
ordered a 12-year-old girl jailed for refusing to visit
her father.  That girl was released a day later pending
an appeal.

Judge Robert Lorz in Joliet will await the
appeals-court ruling before deciding whether to send
Galatea and her 14-year-old brother, Peter, to jail.

As for her father, Galatea, a straight-A student, said,
"If it comes down to seeing him or going to jail, we'll
go to jail."

Kostas Kapsimalis said that since filing for divorce in
1994, he has seen his children just twice outside of
court, despite orders granting him regular visits. 
Even then, he said, they wore headphones and ignored
him.  He thinks his wife has "brainwashed" them.
==========

Olympia, Washington:

While discussing a proposal to allow police to impound
the vehicle of a person arrested for hiring a
prostitute, state Senator Bob Morton offered an
amendment to let authorities impound beds as well.

That's where much "illicit activity" occurs, Morton
noted.

The Senate overwhelmingly rejected his amendment, which
one senator called "absurd."
==========

Bogota, Colombia:

John Murphy remembers the first time his friend and
business partner, Miguel Caballero, shot him in the
stomach.

"The bruise was like this," said Murphy, making a
circle with his fingers the size of a coffee cup.  "I
couldn't walk for three days.  And that's when we
decided that we had to improve our product."

Murphy and Caballero, both 28, make and sell
made-to-order bulletproof clothing, ranging from
leather trench coats and bomber jackets to blue blazers
that would be at home in any restaurant.

If confronted with a skeptical client, Caballero will
pull out a .38-caliber revolver and shoot his buddy in
the stomach at point-blank range.

"I think he's shot a gun about 20 times in his life,"
Murphy groaned, "and 12 of them have been at me."

Caballero said there is a good reason why he's always
the shooter: "Murphy's the one who makes the armor."

In the country with the world's highest murder rate
security has become a big business.

And for a bulletproof garment, a "Made in Colombia"
label is like a seal of approval, Caballero said.

The jackets cost from $490 to $790, depending on the
garment's style and level of protection.
79.1867NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 08 1996 12:4431
from rec.humor.funny (of all places):

Retold from a report read in the S.F. Chronicle, Jan 24:

On the morning of Jan. 23rd, a woman paid a friend $10 to drive her
to Oakland and wait in the car while she cashed a check at the bank
around the corner.

A few minutes later, pursued by armed security guards, the woman
ran back to the car and jumped in.  As they pulled away, the woman
told her friend that she had just robbed the bank.

The friend, displaying the most presence of mind of anyone in this
whole sordid saga, stopped the car and ordered the woman out.

With wads of cash still in her hands, the woman ran down the street,
trying to flag down and steal a passing car.  One of the drivers she
flagged must have seen what she was carrying, because he leaped out
of his car, punched her, and grabbed most of the money.

As the two wrestled in the middle of the street, police arrived and
arrested both of them.  The woman was charged with bank robbery and
attempted auto theft, and the man she tried to flag down was charged
with robbing *her*.

Police said this was the first robbery suspect they could recall who
got robbed during commission of the crime.  And on top of that, the
robber *paid* to earn this dubious distinction.

On the bright side, she's got a really good shot at getting on The
Late Show for the next installment of Stupid People Tricks ...
79.1868Meals Ready to ExplodeEVMS::MORONEYNever underestimate the power of human stupidityThu Feb 08 1996 15:444
Bored soldiers in Bosnia have discovered that they can make an explosive
from a chemical pack included in their MREs (Meals Ready to Eat field
rations) intended to boil water, and entertain themselves by making and
setting off little bombs.
79.1869LANDO::OLIVER_Bmz morality sez...Thu Feb 08 1996 15:491
    now there's a real diversion!
79.1870CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Thu Feb 08 1996 15:594


 "It's a healthy meal, *and* a bomb!"
79.1871POLAR::RICHARDSONI sawer thatThu Feb 08 1996 16:101
    That food must really blow!
79.1872BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Thu Feb 08 1996 16:103
    
    	"It's a bomb that eats like a meal."
    
79.1873SMURF::WALTERSThu Feb 08 1996 16:171
    Eat MRE and they'll call you thunderbuns.
79.1874CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Thu Feb 08 1996 16:214


 "MRE's...blow lunch in today's army"
79.1875BIGQ::SILVABenevolent 'pedagogues' of humanityThu Feb 08 1996 16:256
| <<< Note 79.1874 by CSLALL::HENDERSON "We shall behold Him!" >>>


| "MRE's...blow lunch in today's army"

	I thought we had a don't ask, don't tell policy?
79.1876ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Thu Feb 08 1996 16:321
    "Get a bang out of your next meal"
79.1877COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Feb 09 1996 22:59221
US News & World Reports

	 ON SOCIETY:

         BY JOHN LEO

         PC crimes and misdemeanors

         By bringing us together in communal mirth, political correctness
         has truly made us a stronger nation. But much of PC's entertainment
         value is fading. As PC-minded folk get grimmer, explosive folly has
         yielded to quiet coercion and indoctrination. So the problem is
         larger, but the supply of funny stories, alas, is smaller. Still .
         . .

         COMING NEXT TO YOUR

         MUSEUM: A DEAD POODLE

         IN A NIXON MASK

         The split carcasses of a cow and its calf floating in formaldehyde
         won the $30,000 Turner Prize, Britain's award for hip new art. The
         artist, Damien Hirst, edged out another strong contender whose art
         consisted of a 12-minute videotape exploring her various body
         orifices. A second Hirst work, a rotting sculpture of a dead bull
         and a dead cow copulating, was banned from a gallery in New York
         City for fear it would cause vomiting or fell art lovers with its
         artistic stench.

         THIS HURTS ME MORE

         THAN IT HURTS ME

         Robert Lee Brock, a Virginia inmate, decided it was his own fault
         that he got drunk enough to commit a series of crimes. So while
         serving time in a Virginia jail, he sued himself for $5 million for
         violating his own religious beliefs against drinking. He asked the
         state to pay the $5 million for him, but the suit was dismissed.

         OH, THEN IT'S NOT SEGREGATION

         Can an all-white student group at the University of Pennsylvania
         keep black students out? Oh, yes. A black woman was barred from a
         meeting of White Women Against Racism because the presence of a
         black woman would make whites uncomfortable as they examined their
         racist ways.

         THE WORLD ACCORDING

         TO MICKEY

         Disney used Russell Means, the Indian activist, as one of the
         voices in Pocahontas. Presumably this was done to insulate the
         company against Indian protests. But why did Means cooperate with
         the palefaces? Because, he said, the movie "makes the stunning
         admission that the British came over here to kill Indians and rape
         and pillage the land." Oh, that's it.

         DON'T YOU DARE GO

         TO THE POTTY EITHER

         Incoming Yale student Heather Larson was surprised by her
         university's weeklong Freshman Outdoor Orientation Trip in the
         Berkshires. Leaders confiscated her leg razor, criticized her for
         combing her hair daily and discouraged the use of soap. ("If we all
         smell bad, we won't notice each other," one said.) Out of respect
         for the environment, the freshman hikers were warned not to spit
         out toothpaste or throw apple cores into the woods. After the group
         ate some corn donated by a nearby farmer, a crisis developed over
         whether the cobs should be packed up and brought back to Yale.
         Lacking the true environmental spirit, the farmer "looked at us as
         if we were crazy and told us simply, `Throw 'em in the field.' "

         TIRED OF EDUCATION? TRY GENDER COURSES

         Working to replace useful college courses with dubious ones on
         gender, PC folk produced the following: "The Invention of
         Heterosexuality and How to Have Promiscuity in an Epidemic"
         (Dartmouth), "The Politics of Dance Performance" (Swarthmore),
         "Gender and the Politics of Resistance: Feminism, Capitalism and
         the Third World" (Yale), "The Feminist Critique of Christianity"
         (Penn), "Christianity, Violence and Victimization" (Brown) and "Sex
         Work: the Labor of Pornography" (University of California at Santa
         Cruz).

         WHAT ABOUT "CHALLENGER EXPLOSION DAY"?

         "Dates to Remember" listed on the California Teachers Association
         1995-1996 Calendar: Massacre of the Sioux at Wounded Knee Day
         (December 29), Internment of Japanese-Americans Day (February 19),
         Diwali (October 23), the Birthday of Mahavira, the founder of
         Jainism (April 30), National Coming Out Day (October 11) and
         Stonewall Rebellion Anniversary (June 27-28).

         WHAT ABOUT A HOSTILE LOCUST ENVIRONMENT?

         The traditional Passover recital of the Ten Plagues underwent
         feminist revision at the Williams College Jewish Center and emerged
         as "The Ten Plagues that Men Have Brought Against Women." The new
         plagues included "Gender Wage Gaps and the Feminization of Poverty"
         and "The Lack of Acceptance of Lesbianism."

         DEPRAVITIES, BUT NO CAVITIES

         A man awaiting trial for shooting his girlfriend six times is suing
         a San Diego prison for $2,000 because he was denied dental floss
         while jailed.

         FIRST BAMBI'S MOTHER, NOW THIS

         A former Mouseketeer, Billie Jean Matay, 52, is suing Disneyland
         after being robbed in the parking lot and held for hours by
         security officers. And she's asking damages because her three
         grandchildren were traumatized when they saw famous Disney
         characters disrobing and were shocked to see they were simply human
         beings in disguise.

         FIVE GENDERS IN SPACE

         A course description from the Vassar catalog: 365a. The Geography
         of Gender. This seminar explores the geographic expressions of
         gender relations--not just between men and women--but in sexually
         based differences among people that are embedded in issues of
         space, location at local and global levels, and the environment.

         oH, sHUt uP!

         Members of EAT ME, a group of student food cranks at Williams
         College, gagged themselves with duct tape and spent hours locked
         inside a college display case to demonstrate that women are
         "silenced objects of display" in patriarchal society. The group
         also decried "supposedly correct punctuation and supposedly correct
         capitalization" as ways of "trying to control women that lead
         directly to their subjugation." Besides, they say, capitalizing the
         first letter of a written sentence unfairly prioritizes that letter
         at the expense of the other underprivileged letters that follow.

         AT 10 DEGREES, LET'S CALL IT THAWED

         These are some new euphemisms from the chicken people in the
         Department of Agriculture: A "fresh" chicken or turkey is one
         that's either fresh or frozen between 26 and 32 degrees. A "hard
         chilled" bird is one frozen between zero and 26 degrees. The word
         "frozen" can now be applied only to birds frozen below zero.

         SEND US YOUR RICH, YOUR TEEMING BUT DIGNIFIED . . .

         Years ago, a printed version of a famous Christmas song omitted the
         line "don we now our gay apparel" on grounds that it might remind
         people of cross-dressers or homosexual revelry. Now, an offending
         line has been cut from Emma Lazarus's poem that reads "Give me your
         tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
         "The wretched refuse of your teeming shores" was dropped from a
         granite plaque at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, apparently
         because some tender-minded censor did not wish to refer to
         immigrants as "wretched."

         READ THIS IN EIGHT SECONDS--OR ELSE

         When a female pedestrian complained about being ogled by a
         Minneapolis street-paving crew, public-works official Carl Markus
         issued a stern anti-ogling memo warning workers against "visual
         harassment." One worker lightheartedly announced to the media that
         ogling for nine seconds was OK, but 10 seconds or more truly
         constituted harassment. A columnist in Kentucky agreed: "Ten
         seconds was definitely too long to look at another person, and
         eight . . . well, that just wasn't enough."

         TAKE THAT, OZZIE. YOU, TOO, HARRIET

         Language from the House welfare-reform bill--"marriage is the
         foundation of a successful society"--seemed harmless enough, but
         aides of departed Sen. Bob Packwood thought it might hurt the
         feelings of divorced and single people, so they changed it to
         "marriage is a foundation of a successful society."

         NOT BLACK ENOUGH

         To keep Keith Hylton, a highly regarded black professor,
         Northwestern Law School gave him tenure and offered a one-year job
         to his wife. But Maria O'Brien Hylton, the daughter of an
         African-Cuban mother and an Irish-Australian father, ran afoul of
         campus race-and-gender politicians. She wasn't Hispanic enough for
         the Hispanics or black enough for the blacks. Blackness is "more
         culture than color," sniffed the one black professor on the
         faculty. Both Hyltons now teach at Boston University.

         WANTED: LETHARGIC NEW TEACHER

         Is "dynamic" a code word for white males? Two female professors at
         California State University at Chico apparently think so. They said
         a university help-wanted ad seeking "a dynamic classroom teacher"
         was unfair because many women, Asians and Hispanics operate in a
         subdued and nondynamic manner. The white-male-oriented word
         "dynamic" was changed to the multiculturally nonthreatening word
         "excellent."

         GOD, THE FAMOUS LEFTHANDED BISEXUAL

         The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version (Oxford
         University Press) was the PC biblical makeover of the year. Note
         these changes: The Lord's Prayer now begins, "Our Father-Mother in
         Heaven." The 63rd Psalm's "Thy right hand upholds me" made
         lefthanders feel bad and is now "your strong hand upholds me."
         "Kingdom," an overly male word, is now "dominion." And the word
         "darkness" when referring to evil or ignorance has been removed out
         of deference to dark-skinned peoples.

         READ THIS--BUT JUST ONCE

         At New York University, when Jeff Barea tried to register the
         Alternative as a conservative student organization, he was turned
         down on grounds that it would duplicate an existing group--a campus
         Republican club--and no duplicate clubs are permitted. Barea notes
         that the university has had six Korean student organizations, three
         Asian clubs, six black-affiliated organizations, three Latin clubs,
         two black and Latino clubs and four apparently nonduplicating
         socialist clubs. After much wheedling, the university backed down
         and accepted his group.
79.1878NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 12 1996 13:10129
WEIRDNUZ.416 (News of the Weird, January 26, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Latest Nicotine Urges:  Connecticut inmate Frank W. Banks,
assigned to a no-smoking prison, was convicted in December of
mailing harassing letters to a judge; Banks said he thought threats
via the U. S. mail would cause him to be sent to a federal prison,
where he could smoke.  And in November, three stranded Alaska
hunters radioing for help claimed they had been without food for
three days so the rescue would be treated as an emergency;
actually, they had a week's worth of food with them but panicked
because they had run out of cigarettes. [Hartford Courant, 12-8-
95; Anchorage Daily News, 11-24-95] 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* The owners of a new Chevron gas station in Oakhurst, Calif.,
received an official blessing by their neighbor, Catholic Cardinal
Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles, which included the pumps, a
snack area, and an advertisement for Marlboros.  And earlier in
the month, Father Matvei of the Russian Orthodox Church
blessed the $30 million expansion of the Coca-Cola plant in
Moscow. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch-AP, 12-29-95] [Dallas
Morning News-AP, 12-2-95] 

* The New York Times reported in December that a patent had
recently been granted to Jeffrey Holden of Humble, Tex., for a
decoy to ward off burglars.  The device is simply a face mask of
a person holding open a shutter or blind and peering out.  (The
face appears to have limited utility because, unlike time-
controlled house lights, the face never moves until the owner
takes it down.) [New York Times, 12-18-95] 

* In December, magazine salesman Samuel A. Erby, 20, was
charged in Euless, Tex., with assault after he attacked an 88-
year-old woman, reportedly because she had just declined to buy
a subscription from him.  And in June in Fort Collins, Colo., a
22-year-old man working in his yard suffered a similar fate when
he declined to buy a subscription from a Denver salesman.
[Albuquerque Journal, 12-10-95] [Fort Collins Coloradoan,
Jun95] 

* In October, the Alexandria (La.) Daily Town Talk reported that
Sheriff Bill Belt and Judge Michael Johnson own telephone
businesses that give each a cut every time prisoners in several
local jails make calls from pay phones.  According to the
newspaper, the judge made $85,000 from Avoyelles Parish jail
calls last year, and the sheriff has similar contracts with the jails
in seven parishes. [Dallas Morning News-AP, 10-31-95] 

* Among products recently brought to market:  Sandals,
handbags, and accessories under the A Bomb label, from
Tokyo's Mode et Jacomo (whose public relations director said
she thought "A Bomb," in English, signified "cute"); the Peace
Missile golf club and companion putter, made from melted-down
Soviet Union nuclear missiles, in San Rafael, Calif.; China's Soft
soap (and its competitor, Seaweed Defat Soap), which according
to the "Preventive Medicine Society," removes body fat in 76%
of cases; and from the Spencer and Fleetwood firm in Great
Britain, slowly available in the U. S., provocatively-shaped
noodles called Pasta Boobs and Penis Pasta. [Daily Yomiuri, 9-6-
95] [The Tennessean-AP, 8-15-95] [Globe & Mail-Reuters, 10-
20-95; The Economist, 9-16-95] [Time Out New York, 12-6-95] 

* Among tourist-attraction theme parks recently proposed:  one
modeled after the Berlin Wall (armed guards, re-enacted escape
attempts) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; an amusement park at the $5
billion, never-used Kalkar, Germany, nuclear power plant (with
the cooling towers holding up the roller coaster); the Navy Glory
Center tribute to the Cold War in Vladivostok, Russia (charging
visitors $700 to fire a Soviet missile); and the Billie Sol Estes
Museum in Granbury, Tex., featuring papers and artifacts of the
notorious fertilizer-tank swindler of the 1960s. [Sun Times of
Canada, Dec95; Albuquerque Journal, 11-4-95; [Globe & Mail,
12-19-95] [Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Sept95] 

* In October, a judge in Belfast, Northern Ireland, rejected plans
for a proposed restaurant called School Dinners that would
feature meals served by young women in short skirts wielding
whips against patrons who did not clean their plates.  Though
opponents called the restaurant immoral, the judge said merely
that the mock spankings would constitute "entertainment," which
is forbidden by the lease.  Said one disappointed supporter, "We
have had 25 years [of oppression].  Now is the time for the fun to
come flooding back." [Columbus Dispatch-AP, 10-26-95] 

* Fortune magazine reported in October on the foresightedness of 
Procter & Gamble in registering names for potential exclusive
Internet addresses.  It won the right to use, among other names:
toiletpaper.com, pimples.com, germs.com, bacteria.com,
dandruff.com, underarm.com, badbreath.com, and diarrhea.com.
[Fortune, 10-16-95; Louisville Courier-Journal, 10-9-95] 

* Elle magazine reported recently on the services of Eleni
Santoro, a New York City "psychic house cleaner" who
rehabilitates hard-to-unload real estate by neutralizing the evil
auras and "balancing the energy" in the house--at $300 to $2,500
a job.  She specializes in homes in which there had been a death
or in which the inhabitants fought a lot. [San Francisco
Chronicle-Elle, Dec95] 

OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS

* A full page of letters from readers in a September issue of New
Scientist magazine reported sightings by London, England,
subway riders who say they saw pigeons board, and disembark
from, subway cars in "purposeful" ways that suggest they have
figured out where they are going. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 10-1-
95] 

* In September, Terri Hudson, 39, was jailed in Naperville, Ill.,
for failing to hand over the family cat, Seymour, to ex-husband
Jeff Sucec, who won custody of it, along with the couple's 3-
year-old son. [Chicago Sun-Times, 9-22-95] 

* A July article in The Wall Street Journal reported on the latest
monthly show of the National Fancy Rat Society in Surbiton,
England, featuring white rats with talcum-powdered coats,
shampooed tails, and clipped paw nails.  Among the 13 awards
given was for Best Stud Buck, with criteria of "a nice shape, an
arch to the back, not too pointed a face," according to a judge. 
Rat owners also have a bimonthly magazine, Pro-Rat-A. [Wall
Street Journal, 7-11-95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1879NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 12 1996 13:17141
WhiteBoard News for Friday, February 09, 1996 [excerpts]

==========

San Diego, California:

As anyone who has ever tried to keep a cat from
sleeping on the couch or messing with the flower garden
can attest, cats roam wherever they want.  And that
extends to the guarded San Onofre nuclear power plant
with its barbed-wire fences, metal detectors and guards
with automatic weapons.

Which brings up the mother cat which slipped under the
security fence and gave birth to four black kittens. 
The 3-week-old kittens were found last week and
employees tried to carry them off the grounds.  But the
bells and whistles that indicate radiation contamination
went off when the cats were being taken through what are
called the "portal contamination monitors."

Tests showed the kittens had high levels of cesium and
cobalt, both radioactive elements.  Washing helped
reduce the levels but not enough, so the kittens -- by
this time named Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Neutron -- were
taken to a special area run by the health physics
specialists who deal with contamination cases.  The
kittens are being fed by an eyedropper and reportedly
are mewing with contentment.  As for Mom, her
whereabouts are unknown.
==========

Tallahassee, Florida:

The way Robert Phillips saw it, the armed carjackers were
going to kill him anyway, so he had to try something.

He crashed his sports car into a parked truck.  The
car's only air bag saved him.  One of the teenage
abductors died.

"I honestly feel very strange about that," said
Phillips.  "But I have a hard time hurting for him."

Authorities said Phillips will not be charged.

Two teenagers on Saturday took Phillips' wallet at
gunpoint outside a restaurant, ordered him into his car
and told him to drive to his bank.

Phillips said they planned to use his bank card to make
a withdrawal, and he feared, "They were intent on
removing me from the equation."

In what he called a "knee-jerk" decision, Phillips
swerved into a parked semi.  His air bag inflated, and
he fled unharmed.  The teens were pinned inside;
rescuers had to cut them out.

Aviance Mitchell, 16, died Monday.  Abraham Washington,
also 16, was not seriously hurt and was charged with
kidnapping and carjacking.
==========

New York, New York:

Just in case the food on the plane was so delicious you
want to take it home, American Airlines is offering
recipes so passengers can recreate the "subtle flavors
and tantalizing aromas" in their own kitchens.

The 18-page cookbook, "A Taste of Something Special,"
promises "layers of welcome surprises for the palate."

"Because some of our customers frequently request
recipes so they can prepare their in-flight favorites
at home, we asked our executive chefs to adapt a few of
these new recipes" for smaller portions, the book says.

Although a few courses verge on the complicated --
"Peanut Crusted Chicken with Roasted Banana Honey
Sauce" -- others, such as "Ice Cream Sundae," require
little culinary expertise.
==========

Los Angeles, California:

One of the nation's busiest practitioners of penis
enlargement surgery has agreed to stop doing the
operations pending a hearing on whether he may keep his
doctor's license.

Dr. Melvyn Rosenstein was accused by the Medical Board
of California of being "an immediate danger to the
public health, safety and welfare."

The urologist has been named in more than 30
malpractice suits.

Without admitting fault, the doctor agreed to suspend
the surgeries, though the agreement left him free to
continue practicing medicine.

The doctor said in 1994 that he did 150 penile
enlargement surgeries a month.  The $6,000 operation
involves fat injections and the cutting of a ligament.

The petition includes case histories of three men who
said their operations left them with intense pain,
scars and loss of feeling.
==========

Fast News Forum:

A Nevada panel designated the Las Vegas Strip a scenic
byway, saying the glitzy neon lights and erupting
volcanoes, sinking pirate ship, pyramid, castle and
other casino attractions are culturally enriching. 
"The Strip is unique," said Scenic Byways Committee
Chairman Larry Friedman.  It's "America's first
nighttime scenic byway."

Three Tennessee death row inmates are suing Governor
Sundquist for the return of their satellite dish.  They
want to watch HBO and Cinemax.  Sundquist had the dish
removed in 1995.

Murder suspect Thomas Huskey has multiple personalities
and a Tennessee court should appoint counsel for each one,
his lawyer, Herb Moncier, says.  Two of the personalities
have confessed to several crimes, Moncier says.

The Iowa state Senate passed a bill that would make sex
with a corpse a crime.  The family of a woman who died
in 1994 requested the action because a man seen
fondling her body at the funeral could not be charged.

Lynda Rollins, 40, was charged with driving under the
influence after her car collided with the vehicle in
front of her -- a Waterville, Maine, police cruiser
whose officer was on patrol for drunken drivers.
79.1880burning up the road...EVMS::MORONEYNever underestimate the power of human stupidityTue Feb 13 1996 15:166
A road in rural Washington State is closed, since it caught on fire.
A portion of the road was built over a small ravine, which was filled
using an experimental mix of gravel and old shredded tires.  Apparently
high water has caused steel-belted radials to rust, releasing heat
which caused the tires to start smouldering.  First there was steam,
then smoke, now occasional flames 18" high.
79.1881POLAR::RICHARDSONI sawer thatTue Feb 13 1996 15:181
    cool.
79.1882BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Tue Feb 13 1996 15:203
    
    	"Come to Washington and smoke your tires for miles!!"
    
79.1883SCASS1::BARBER_ANo swordsTue Feb 13 1996 15:211
    Hey, that's my line!
79.1884BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Tue Feb 13 1996 15:213
    
    	Oops, sorry ... didn't realize it was such a popular slogan.
    
79.1885SCASS1::BARBER_ANo swordsTue Feb 13 1996 15:223
    8)
    
    No, the "cool" was my line.
79.1886EVMS::MORONEYNever underestimate the power of human stupidityTue Feb 13 1996 15:233
>    cool.

I seriously doubt it.
79.18878^)POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of PerditionTue Feb 13 1996 15:242
    
    
79.1888ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 kts. is TOO slow!Tue Feb 13 1996 16:443
    How can rusting steel cause rubber to burn????
    
    Bob
79.1889CONSLT::MCBRIDEpack light, keep low, move fast, reload oftenTue Feb 13 1996 16:463
    The oxidation process generates heat.  Rubber does not conduct heat
    well so the heat has nowhere to escape to.  Rubber burns well though so
    it becomes a fuel source.  
79.1890ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 kts. is TOO slow!Tue Feb 13 1996 16:5410
    re: .1889
    
    What's the ignition point of rubber???
    
    There are some roads here in Texas that are resurfaced with a mixture
    of asphalt and ground up rubber tires.  I guess the amount of rubber
    tires is small enough not to cause problems in our 110+ summer
    temperatures.
    
    Bob
79.1891Wacky? Scary? Sad.....SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIHe's no lackey!! He's a toady!!Tue Feb 13 1996 16:5830
    
    Story in yesterday's Boston Globe pg. 11
    
    Farrakhan calls Iran model of a religious democracy
    
    ASSOCIATED PRESS
    
    TEHRAN - The Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan. attended a rally
    marking the 17th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution yesterday,
    and told the crowd that their country had become a model religious
    democracy.
    
    (Rest of story follows...)
    
    ---------------------------------
    
    On the very next page of the Boston Globe 
    
    Iran reported punishing Bahai
    
    PARIS - An Islamic revolutionary court in Iran has sentenced to death a
    49-year-old Bahai for apostacy, returning to his original faith after
    converting to Islam, the French branch of the Bahai faith said
    yesterday. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, an Agricultural Department employee in
    Yazd province, will also have all his possessions confiscated according
    to the court's ruling handed down in the past few days, a Bahai
    spokeswoman said. Mahrami, born a Bahai, was accused of converting to
    Islam in 1981 to avoid being fired from his government job but returned
    to the Bahai faith seven years later, according to translations of
    court documents provided by the Frebch Bahais (Reuters)
79.1892BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Tue Feb 13 1996 17:044
    
    	The guy can't even count to a million, and people actually care
    	what he thinks about world religious issues?
    
79.1893WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Feb 13 1996 17:121
    where the heck did they still find rubber tires?
79.1894BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Tue Feb 13 1996 17:173
    
    	That's a trick question, right?
    
79.1895WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Feb 13 1996 17:201
    ummmm, ya.
79.1896MAIL1::CRANETue Feb 13 1996 17:332
    Fire is a quick oxidation of material...it must have been the steel in
    the belts to oxidize and create the fire.
79.1897it's all chemcialsHBAHBA::HAASExtra low prices and hepatitis too!~Tue Feb 13 1996 17:430
79.1898You've obviously not seen me on a blind date...BSS::PROCTOR_RKeybored...Tue Feb 13 1996 17:495
    >> <<< Note 79.1888 by ROWLET::AINSLEY "Less than 150 kts. is TOO slow!" >>>
    
    >> How can rusting steel cause rubber to burn????
    
    
79.1899CSC32::M_EVANScuddly as a cactusWed Feb 14 1996 12:017
    I do agree with partially Mr. Farrakan.  I agree that Iran is a model
    of religious government, as are other theocracies.  Democracy?  Well if
    you go with the "pure" majority rules and the hell with the rest of the
    humans who don't believe what the majority does, yep it is a model
    there too.
    
    meg
79.1900ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Wed Feb 14 1996 13:0610
		 -------|------|------------
                        ++    ++
                        ||---M||
                        ||     |
                       /\-------\
                      (00)       \
                      (  )        *
                    /
               Wacky-cow snarf!
    
79.1901SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIHe's no lackey!! He's a toady!!Wed Feb 14 1996 13:2612
    
    Barber ordered to stop free cuts
    
    NORTH SMITHFEILD, R.I. - Barber Normand Demers thought he was doing
    something nice by driving once a month to the town's elderly projects
    to give free haircuts. But the town has ordered a stop to the charity
    work, saying Demers was cutting into another barber's business and
    exposing the town to litigation should a haircut go awry. Town
    Administrator Kenneth Bianchi said the concerns arose last week when a
    barber Bianchi declined to name called to complain about Demers'
    monthly trips. (AP)
    
79.1903SOLVIT::KRAWIECKIHe's no lackey!! He's a toady!!Wed Feb 14 1996 13:2911
    
    ACLU may sue over snow plows
    
    BARRINGTON, R.I. - The American Civil Liberties Union may go to court
    to stop Barrington's tradition of using town trucks to plow the parking
    lots of religious institutions, state chapter executive director Steven
    Brown said yesterday. The ACLU notified the Town Council that it
    believes the policy violates the Constitution's separation of church
    and state provision. Town Solicitor Andrew Teitz agreed, but at a
    meeting Monday the council upheld the 50-year-old policy anyway. (AP)
    
79.1904CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Wed Feb 14 1996 13:343

 unreal.
79.1905CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesWed Feb 14 1996 13:516
    Yes, since when is it wrong to offer your skills up for charity?  As
    for the plowing thing, it's not right.  They do not pay taxes, they
    should not benefit from the services.  It is private property.  If
    someone wanted to donate their time and equipment and write it off, no
    sweat.  I don't necessarily see this as a separation of C&S thing
    though.  
79.1906COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Feb 14 1996 13:533
The people pay taxes.

/john
79.1907WAHOO::LEVESQUEmemory canyonWed Feb 14 1996 14:005
    The people get their roads cleared for them.
    
    re: the barber
    
     Ludicrous decision, as per usual.
79.1908CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesWed Feb 14 1996 14:141
    The church does not pay taxes however and it is their property, no?
79.1909GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERCONFUSIONWed Feb 14 1996 14:167
    
    The church is made up of the people who are members, and yes, they do
    pay taxes.
    
    
    hth,
    
79.1910Wrong, on at least some of theseCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Feb 14 1996 14:186
	Maybe the churches should just stop feeding the homeless,
	and stop providing shelter for the townspeople when the
	power and heat goes out, and stop letting the police sit
	in their parking lots with radar guns, and...

79.1911SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiWed Feb 14 1996 14:196
    .1909
    
    > The church is made up of the people who are members, and yes, they do
    > pay taxes.
    
    So, the city should come and plow out their home driveways, too?
79.1912BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Feb 14 1996 14:206
    
    	Yes, the church is made up of people who pay taxes, but so does
    	the clientele of any business you can name, like Burger King.
    
    	Should the town plow the snow in the Burger King parking lot?
    
79.1913GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERCONFUSIONWed Feb 14 1996 14:203
    
    
    Nice leap, Dick.  
79.1914GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERCONFUSIONWed Feb 14 1996 14:224
    
    
    Also, see .1910
    
79.1915CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesWed Feb 14 1996 14:3215
    Doesn't help Mike.  The same should apply for businesses then.  They
    and their patrons pay taxes.  The businesses do not enjoy having their
    lots plowed courtesy of the public.  I see no reason why a <insert
    religious institution of choice> should have special priveleges.  
    
    >>Maybe the churches should just stop feeding the homeless,
    >>and stop providing shelter for the townspeople when the
    >>power and heat goes out, and stop letting the police sit
    >>in their parking lots with radar guns, and...
    
    Sounds unchristian to me but that is up to the institution.  As for 
    not letting the police sit in the lots, absolutely.  This should be
    done on principle alone.  Abbetting the money grab most localitlies
    engage in by fleecing their own, is just plain wrong. 
    
79.1916GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERCONFUSIONWed Feb 14 1996 15:094
    
    
    I understand, I just don't think it's that big of a deal.  Seems the
    ACLU has too much time on their hands.
79.1917WAHOO::LEVESQUEmemory canyonWed Feb 14 1996 15:104
    Seems to me that if the people of the town think it's ok, then it
    oughtta be ok. I don't see why the ACLU should be sticking their nose
    into things. That said, I would probably vote against expending public
    money for such things.
79.1918CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesWed Feb 14 1996 15:221
    <----- bingo.  
79.1919COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Feb 14 1996 15:241
One man, one vote.
79.1920POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of ValentinesWed Feb 14 1996 15:253
    
    One hand, one heart.
    
79.1921POLAR::RICHARDSONI sawer thatWed Feb 14 1996 15:261
    One anus, one fart.
79.1922COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Feb 14 1996 15:264
re .1921

Lucky for all of us.

79.1923GRANPA::MWANNEMACHERCONFUSIONWed Feb 14 1996 15:552
    
    one snow, one plow.
79.1924CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Wed Feb 14 1996 15:573

 one moo, one cow
79.1925Did I get that right? Does it follow the thread correctly?BSS::PROCTOR_RKeybored...Wed Feb 14 1996 16:001
    one foot, six toes.
79.1926BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Feb 14 1996 16:426
    
    	Equally as well as anything else you might have said.
    
    
    	One boink, he goes.
    
79.1927NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 14 1996 19:0910
ZHIRINOVSKY PROPOSES ROMANIA AS BATTLEFIELD FOR CHECHENS, FRENCH BLACKS.
Speaking to journalists after marrying his lawful wife in a religious
ceremony in Moscow, the ultranationalist Russian politician Vladimir
Zhirinovsky said that if the countries of Eastern Europe join NATO and
thus "provoke a third world war," he will not "cross swords" with Jean
Marie Le Pen, the leader of the French National Front, who attended the
wedding. Rather, Zhirinovsky said, he and Le Pen will send the Chechens
and France's black population to "confront each other on Romania's
territory," Radio Bucharest and international agencies reported on 10
February. -- Michael Shafir
79.1928NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 15 1996 13:14137
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, February 14, 1996 [excerpts]


Tokyo, Japan:

One Saturday in late January, 18 Japanese business men
and women met in a dressing room in Tokyo's Imperial
Hotel to plan an illegal activity.  They anted up $100
each to fund the plan.  A leader was chosen; duties
were assigned.

Then they did the deed.  They formed an investment club
like the 19,000 clubs in the United States that pool
money to buy stocks -- like the Beardstown Ladies, the
famous group of 16 older Illinois women who meet in
living rooms to pick stocks and trade recipes.

The Japanese can read recent translations of "The
Beardstown Ladies' Common-Sense Investment Guide," but
they can't legally follow the ladies' example.  It is
unlawful in Japan to pool funds for stock-buying
without a mutual-fund license.  Such a license costs
about $10 million.

So investment clubs have operated clandestinely --
until now.  The 18 Imperial Hotel plotters have formed
the first out-of-the-closet club, openly defying
Japan's powerful Ministry of Finance.  The club says
its goal is to turn a profit while fighting the
ministry on behalf of smaller investors.

And no ordinary investors are these.  The members are
mainly wealthy business owners and noted economists.

The name of this little investment group?  Nihon Toushi
Kurabu Kira Kira, or the Japan Twinkle Twinkle
Investment Club.
==========

Kirkland, Washington:

A Kirkland man called police with a complaint of a
prowler and was arrested for investigation of theft.

While looking into the 32-year-old man's complaint at
his home, officers Sunday spotted a rental truck,
reported stolen; two forklifts; a generator; and
aluminum bars on the property.  The aluminum also had
been reported stolen from a window manufacturer earlier
this month.
==========

Miami, Florida:

When Kmart Corporation failed to pay up immediately on
a $2 million court order, United States Marshals, along
with local police, declared their own blue light
special at two stores.

About six agents dressed in raid jackets emptied the
cash registers of $45,000 Monday night at stores in
Hollywood and Davie, Florida.  A court clerk gave the
go-ahead for attorneys to collect after Kmart failed to
post the required bond in an age-discrimination
lawsuit.

"Jesse James held up a train and counts his money in
the woods.  These guys count it on the counter in front
of everybody," said Louis Eso, a shopper in Hollywood.

Company officials were outraged.

"I would have to think our federal marshals would have
other activities they could be attending to," said
Kmart spokeswoman Shawn Kahle.

In August, a federal jury awarded three former Kmart
pharmacists $2.17 million in back pay and damages. 
U.S. District Judge C. Clyde Atkins lowered the verdict
to $932,000 plus fees and agreed to defer payment while
the case is under appeal.  But Atkins also stipulated
that Kmart post a $2 million bond in case it loses, and
that bond wasn't posted by Monday.

A third raid at a Miami store was called off Tuesday
after Kmart posted the $2 million bond. 
==========

Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Rex and Teresa LeGalley know what to expect from love
and marriage -- it's all there in the fine print.

Their 16-page prenuptial agreement spells out the rules
of their life together in excruciating detail,
including how often they will have sex (three to five
times a week), which gasoline to buy (Chevron supreme
unleaded) and who does the laundry (Teresa).

"When you look at why people get divorced, the biggest
reasons are money, sex, children and some pet peeve the
other one just can't stand," Rex said.  "We went into
this knowing it's a leap of faith when you get married. 
This gives us a list we can live with."

The LeGalleys say their past marriages -- and their
love of details -- made their prenuptial agreement a
natural.  Rex, 39, a communications specialist at
Sandia National Laboratories, is on his third marriage. 
Teresa, 31, a civilian computer engineer for the Air
Force, is on her second.

A few months after she and Rex met while dancing at a
bar two years ago, they started making lists, and
realized just how compatible they were.

"We were on a trip and we were hitting a lull in the
conversation," Rex said.  "So, I said, 'Let's try to
create an ideal budget.'  We came up with this
incredible, livable budget that we both agreed on."

As they grew closer, they took the lists beyond mere
finances.  Eventually, they put together their
prenuptial agreement, with the final 4 1/2 pages of
single-spaced type covering just about everything.

-- "We will engage in healthy sex three to five times a
week." (No trouble complying with that one, they say.)

-- "Nothing will be left on the floor overnight --
unless packing for a trip."

-- "Lights out by 11:30 PM  Wake up 6:30 AM, Monday
through Friday."

-- "We will buy supreme unleaded fuel (Chevron) and
won't let the fuel gauge get lower than half a tank."
79.1929SMURF::MSCANLONa ferret on the barco-loungerThu Feb 15 1996 14:086
    re: .1928
    
    I hope they go back and talk to them after they have
    their first child....... :-) ;-)
    
    
79.1930hot top lotsCSSREG::BROWNCommon Sense Isn'tThu Feb 15 1996 16:025
    Well, then, make the pahking lots at churches and burger kings
    out of the shredded tire and gravel mixture, and no plowing 
    will be required. 
    
    
79.1931NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 15 1996 16:5015
A doll with a missing arm has embarrassed a Connecticut coroner who mistook it
for the real thing and sent it off for an autopsy.

A passerby spotted the 11-inch silicon doll, partially covered with sand and
gravel, in a roadside storm grate and called police, who summoned Dr. Henry
Minot, an assistant medical examiner, according to an Associated Press account.

Minot, a retired chest surgeon, thought the doll was an aborted fetus that
had been mangled by a snowplow, buried in snow and frozen.  The light was
poor, he explained yesterday.  Besides, the thing wasn't just any toy; it
was an anatomically correct fetus doll used to instruct medical students
about pregnancy.

This is the second time the Connecticut medical examiner's office has had
a doll sent for a postmortem.
79.1932What was his name ?HELIX::SONTAKKEThu Feb 15 1996 19:174
    Didn't CT send one of its finest coroner as an expert witness in the OJ
    trial?
    
    - Vikas
79.1933EST::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQFri Feb 16 1996 14:105
> About six agents dressed in raid jackets emptied the
> cash registers of $45,000 Monday night at stores in

I suppose Kmart is going to get its $45k back?
Yah, sure they will.
79.1934NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Feb 16 1996 15:58133
WEIRDNUZ.417 (News of the Weird, February 2, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* A pre-trial hearing will take place this month in Lamar, Mo.,
on Joyce Lehr's lawsuit against the county for injuries suffered in
a 1993 fall in the icy, unplowed parking lot of the local high
school.  The Carthage Press reported that Lehr claimed damage
to nearly everything in her body.  According to her petition: 
"All the bones, organs, muscles, tendons, tissues, nerves, veins,
arteries, ligaments . . . discs, cartilages, and the joints of her
body were fractured, broken, ruptured, punctured, compressed,
dislocated, separated, bruised, contused, narrowed, abrased,
lacerated, burned, cut, torn, wrenched, swollen, strained,
sprained, inflamed, and infected." [Carthage Press, 1-9-96] 

SCHEMES

* Johnny Lee Nichols, 25, was arrested in Rogers, Ark., in
October and accused of knocking on doors of several homes
around 3 a.m. and asking if anyone was interested in exchanging
drugs or sex for some dynamite he had in his car. [Northwest
Arkansas Times-AP, 10-8-95] 

* A Russian parliament committee announced in November that
the country could not yet comply with the world's ozone-
protecting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) ban treaty (which took
effect in January 1996).  Russian scientists proposed an
alternative, however:  a 10-year, $100 billion program in which a
system of 30 to 50 satellites would bombard the atmosphere with
lasers in order to stimulate production of ozone and thus
compensate for the Russian CFCs. [Reuters wirecopy, 11-15-95] 

* A bomb threat that forced a Royal Jordanian Airlines plane to
land in Iceland in November en route to Chicago was discovered
to have been made by a Chicago woman who was merely trying
to prevent her mother-in-law, a passenger on the plane, from
visiting her.  And a former USAir flight attendant was sentenced
to eight months in prison in May for making a bomb threat to
force a landing so she could rest her ailing knee. [Washington
Times-Reuters, 11-11-95; Greensboro News Record, May95] 

* In August, Salinas, Calif., doughnut shop owner Harjeet Singh
pleaded guilty to insurance fraud.  After an employee was shot
during a holdup, Singh dragged the wounded man's body out to
the sidewalk to make it appear he was a customer, and not an
employee, because Singh did not have worker compensation
coverage. [San Jose Mercury News, 8-26-95] 

* Artist Charles Flagg, under pressure from the town of Darien,
N. Y., because he was keeping an unregistered car on his
property in violation of a zoning law, dug a hole in his back yard
in July, buried half the car, front-end down, and called it a
sculpture. [Sikeston Standard-Democrat-AP, 8-2-95]

* In Little Rock, Ark., in August, Donterio Beasley, 19, called a
police station to say that he was stranded and needed a ride
downtown, but the dispatcher told him that was against policy. 
A few minutes later, Beasley called back to report a suspicious
person loitering around a phone booth and gave a description of
himself, believing that police would come, give him a ride
downtown for questioning, then release him.  He was charged
with making a false alarm. [Dallas Morning News-AP, 8-7-95] 

* Therisa Frasure, 22, and a 16-year-old accomplice were
indicted in July for the murder of an elderly woman in
Cincinnati, Ohio.  According to a sheriff's detective, the two
women needed to rob the woman to buy bus tickets to Nashville,
Tenn., where they intended to commandeer the Grand Ole Opry
hall and take hostages so that they could demand a personal
meeting with singer Reba McEntire.  (According to a McEntire
representative, the women had never requested a meeting in the
conventional way.) [Cincinnati Enquirer, 7-22-95] 

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS

* Police in Ft. Worth, Tex., arrested a man in December just
after he robbed a NationsBank branch.  Cops were waiting
because a bank customer had walked next door to police
headquarters to summon them after becoming suspicious that a
man was waiting in a bank line wearing a ski mask. [St.
Petersburg Times, 12-14-95] 

* Juan Morales, 18, and Juan Mendoza, 18, were arrested as they
robbed a Coastal Mart convenience store in Weslaco, Tex., in
November.  Police had been tipped off to the crime because the
cashier on duty the day before reported that the two men had
threatened to "come back and rob you" the next day. [Valley
Morning Star, 11-30-95] 

* Mark Mays, 30, was arrested and charged with attempted
robbery of Chet's Restaurant in Toledo, Ohio, in July.  He had
walked in at 12:40 a.m., armed with a Rambo-style knife, and
demanded money from the cashier.  Mays was subdued by the
only three customers in Chet's at the time--on-duty police officers
(who were in plain clothes but whose service radios--blaring out
police calls throughout the episode--should have deterred any
robber). [Toledo Blade, 7-3-95] 

* In January in Fremont, Calif., a carjacker described as 5-foot-
8, about 170 lbs., yanked Cecilia Laus, 54, out of her car and
drove off, leaving the woman shaken and also bewildered, since
the car was a 1976 AMC Pacer. [San Jose Mercury News, 1-13-
96] 

OVERREACTIONS

* In October, Richard S. King, 36, pleaded guilty to making
threatening and obscene phone calls to two boys who were his
son's Little League teammates in Blue Springs, Mo., to get them
to reconsider plans to quit the team.  According to prosecutors, 
King called the boys several times during a business trip to
China, threatened to kill one kid and his parents and to commit
sodomy on the whole family. [Independence Examiner, 10-26-
95] 

* In October, Gerald Finneran, described as one of the world's
leading authorities on Latin American debt, was arrested at JFK
Airport in New York as he disembarked from a United Airlines
flight from Buenos Aires.  According to passengers and crew, he
had lost his temper when flight attendants refused to serve him
more liquor, assaulted them, defecated on a serving cart, cleaned
himself with the airline's first-class linens, and thus left an odor
that remained in the cabin for the remaining four hours of the 
flight. (The flight could not be routinely rerouted to land sooner
because one of Finneran's seat neighbors was the president of
Portugal, and flights containing heads of state are harder to
divert.) [New York Post, 10-31-95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1935NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 19 1996 13:2561
WhiteBoard News for Sunday, February 18, 1996 [excerpts]


Spotsylvania, Virginia:

Police believe three men charged with robbing a liquor
store hid the evidence in a 4-foot pet Burmese python.

The snake is in custody while it digests what X-rays
show could be the $1,000 that was stolen.

Police say suspect Richard Briggs bundled the cash
tightly and coated it with food for the snake to
swallow.
==========

Dade City, Florida:

A judge threw out incest charges Tuesday against a
brother and sister suspected of having nine children
together, ruling there was no evidence the two had sex
in his county.

The couple, whose children range in age from 18 months
to 22 years, had been charged with incest in the case
of their youngest child.  The statute of limitations
had run out on the other children.

Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb agreed with the defense that
there was no evidence the child was conceived in Pasco
County.  He dismissed the case without sending it to
the jury.

"That's the judge's decision and we respect his
decision," Prosecutor Manny Garcia said.

Testimony showed the brother and sister were living in
Pasco County as of December 6, 1993.  The youngest
child was born August 22, 1994.

The two -- he is 66 and she is 44 -- were arrested
March 22 after DNA tests showed the girl was theirs. 
==========

Fast News Forum:

Felix Urioste, of Farmington, Utah, was ordered to pay
$10,000 to Bruce Jensen, who claimed he believed
Urioste was a woman during their three-year marriage. 
The money reimburses Jensen for charges Urioste made on
Jensen's credit card.

Being addicted to health food, convicted murderer
George Arce can sue the state of New York for not
letting him eat sesame seeds in prison, state Supreme
Court Justice Joseph Harris has ruled.

Peter David admits he erred when he called 911 in
Frederick, Maryland, to report a shed holding his
marijuana plants was on fire.  Now he's serving a
60-day term for marijuana possession.
79.1936NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 20 1996 12:48143
WhiteBoard News for Monday, February 19, 1996 [excerpts]

San Rafael, California:

A man who legally changed his name to Ubiquitous
Perpetuity God began serving a nine-month sentence for
indecent exposure last week.

The 68-year-old man has been convicted 18 times for
similar offenses since 1978.

His latest arrest came October 26, 1995, when he
exposed himself to a woman waiting in line at a coffee
shop.

He said he acted so women "could have some type of
awareness of God," according to police reports.

Superior Court Judge Lynn O'Malley Taylor addressed the
defendant as "Mr. God" at a hearing last week and
sentenced him to nine months in Marin County Jail.  He
will be released to a residential mental health
facility if one agrees to admit him, she said.

He was born Enrique Silberg in Cuba and immigrated to
the United States.  A court-appointed  psychiatrist,
Dr. Dianne McEwen, said he suffers from a "severe
psychotic delusional disorder."
==========

Canberra, Australia:

Scientists at the Australian National University in
Canberra have designed a silent, self-fueling and
environmentally friendly lawn mower powered by rabbits.

Visiting fellow Dr. Nigel Wace built a rolling rabbit
run from recycled bicycle wheels, large gauge wire,
netting and buckets.  Powered by Flotsam and Jetsam,
two large male rabbits, the device is rolled to new
pastures after the rabbits have nibbled the lawn
beneath them, fertilizing as they go.  Water and feed
supplements are also given to the animals.

Earlier trials involving a male and female rabbit were
abandoned because the animals kept having sex.
==========

Pasco, Washington:

A nude sculpture has been removed from City Hall after
numerous complaints.

The bronze sculpture -- titled "To the Democrats,
Republicans and Bipartisans" -- depicts a woman mooning
her audience.

The sculpture was removed Thursday despite the artist's
claim of censorship.

Artist Sharon Rupp of Kennewick demanded officials put
a bag over the piece with a sign reading "Censored by
City Hall."

But city officials refused.

Instead, they removed all three of Rupp's sculptures
and will leave the display case empty for now.

"It's a city hall, not a gallery," said Kurt Luhrs,
assistant to City Manager Gary Crutchfield.

"It's not city's intent to create controversy or create
a what's-behind-the-bag interest.

Rupp said she was upset about the sculpture's removal
because she didn't ask to display it in the first
place.

The Mid-Columbia Arts Council asked her to participate
in the rotating exhibit it oversees at City Hall, she
said.

The city pays the arts council $2,000 a year for the
exhibit, which changes every three months.
==========

Muskegon, Michigan:

Brent Perrier, an employee of Brunswick Bowling and
Billiards, hopes to put a new spin on recreational
bowling with his recently patented glow-in-the-dark
bowling lanes.

Perrier's invention is essentially a polymer film
containing a dye that is sensitive to ultraviolet
light.  

"You might think of it as a big roll of scotch tape
that you lay down on top of the bowling lane," he said. 
"It glows like a son of a gun and it gives a whole
different look to the bowling center."
==========

Pasadena, California:

Brain Wash sounds like that drippy thing that happens
to Miata drivers who pull into the carwash with their
tops down.

But Brain Wash is actually something far, far yuckier.

It is a bluish, herbal soft drink blended with
ingredients from such fine food groups as jalapeno
peppers, ginkgo leaves and Mad Dog weed.  It is
guaranteed to stain your mouth a sort of neon sapphire
for 24 hours after ingesting.  And its label features
an eerie skull and crossbones with a VERY exposed
brain.

All this, for just $2.50.  Per bottle.  Really.

Made under the brand name Skeleteens, Brain Wash was
concocted in a backyard bathtub two years ago by two
Pasadena entrepreneurs who once played guitar in rival
garage bands.  

This is not your father's soft drink.  Brain Wash may
actually be the Skeleteens label with the tamest name. 
There's also Love Potion No. 69, DOA, and the cult-like
popular, ginger and ginseng-laden Fukola Cola.

But bigger things are in store for Skeleteens and it's
parent company Skeleteens/Eat Me Foods.  Next up is Rat
Bastard Root Beer and black cornflakes (name not chosen
yet.)

And not all upcoming ideas are strictly in-house. 
Coming soon, in a co-production with one of
California's biggest dairies, an ice cream-like dessert
which they plan to call Scream.  Their first flavor is
chocolate-like and certain to raise eyebrows with
it's name: Icecrement.
79.1937hmph. no sense of humour around the planet these days!BSS::PROCTOR_RI moussed my weasel!Tue Feb 20 1996 14:0938
>>   <<< Note 79.1936 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

    Bob's comments on UPG:
    .
    .
    .
    >> A man who legally changed his name to Ubiquitous
                                             -
>>  Perpetuity God began serving a nine-month sentence for
    -          -
>> indecent exposure last week.

    So I changed mine to 'Mr. Spell-it-right'. This is a problem?

>> His latest arrest came October 26, 1995, when he
>> exposed himself to a woman waiting in line at a coffee
>> shop.

    I expose myself daily, I just happen to be tightly swaddled in socially
    acceptable garb. Nobody complains about MY exposure (other than an
    extreme lack of color coordination (mz_deb? help here?).
>> He said he acted so women "could have some type of
>> awareness of God," according to police reports.

    I believe that's a mispronunciation; it should be 'an awareness of
    'Bob''.
    
>> Superior Court Judge Lynn O'Malley Taylor addressed the
>> defendant as "Mr. God" at a hearing last week and
>> sentenced him to nine months in Marin County Jail.  He
>> will be released to a residential mental health
>> facility if one agrees to admit him, she said.
    
    That's Mr. Bob!
    
    My 'residential mental health facility' turned out to be a Digital
    career.
    
79.1938NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 22 1996 11:5194
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, February 21, 1996 [excerpts]

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina:

Living up to the Genesis verse "naked and not ashamed,"
Christian nudists are planning a weekend retreat of
hot-tubbing, karaoke and reading Bibles in the buff.

"We believe you can be a nudist and religious too,"
said Jerry Love, a Methodist who has already booked 60
reservations from around the country for the getaway at
his Whispering Pines family nudist resort.

His wife, Carol, a Baptist, added: "Christians can help
to make nudism wholesome, family-oriented fun."

Christian nudists say their practice is rooted in
biblical teaching.  They note that Adam and Eve put on
fig leaves only after they ate the forbidden fruit.

The Loves plan to make the gathering an annual event. 
Two Baptist ministers, whom the Loves refused to name,
will lead seminars on how Christians can be positive
influences in the nudist movement.

Clothing is optional for all events, except the pool
and hot tub, which are nude-only areas.  Children are
allowed to wear clothes at all times.

"We're not going to allow any open sex, drugs or
parties," Jerry Love said.  "We're a very conservative
group of Christians who just don't like to wear
clothes."
==========

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:

A Canadian Airlines flight from Hong Kong was diverted
to Tokyo this weekend after a stowaway rat jumped out
of a food container.

Airline officials suspect the rat may have been
smuggled onto the flight to Vancouver to mark the
Chinese New Year -- The Year of the Rat.

The rat made its appearance early in Saturday's flight
when a flight attendant opened the container.  With the
rat scurrying among the passengers, the pilot diverted
the DC-10 to Tokyo, where the 256 passengers were
transferred to another flight to Vancouver, arriving a
few hours later than scheduled.

In Tokyo, the crew set traps to catch the rat and the
plane then flew on to Vancouver with only the crew and
the rat on board.

The rat was found dead the next day in one of the
traps.
==========

Waco, Texas:

After years of studies, surveys and soul-searching,
Baylor University, the nation's largest Baptist
institution, is planning to allow its students a
freedom they haven't known in 151 years.

This spring, they can dance.

It's not that students at this school, long affiliated
with one of the nation's more conservative
denominations, have never danced.  They've held what
are known as "foot functions" off-campus for decades.

But beginning with an outdoor gathering tentatively set
for April 19, this prestigious school of 12,000 will be
allowed to dance on campus -- legally.

The dancing issue has been studied by various
committees for years.  Robert Sloan, who became Baylor
president last year, says he assured the school's board
of regents that no "lewd gyrations" would be allowed.

But the Reverend Miles Seaborn, president of the
conservative Southern Baptists of Texas, says that
"there are things that go on at dances that bring out
the natural desires of the person, their appetites and
their flesh."  And besides, he says, "Who's going to be
the lewd-gyration inspector?"

For Sloan, who also is a Baptist minister, the dance
will be his first in 23 years.  For his debut, he says,
he and his wife will dance a minuet, without a hint of
lewd gyration.
79.1939acmePCBUOA::LPIERCEDo the watermelon crawlThu Feb 22 1996 12:349
    
    On the news today;
    
    A coyote got hit and killed on Rt3 in Billricca, MA today.  This caused
    a traffice problem.  The coyote was hit by and 'ACME' truck! :-)
    
    but, I think the roadrunner had something to do with it.
    
    lkp
79.1940NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 26 1996 13:51128
WEIRDNUZ.418 (News of the Weird, February 9, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In October, a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice
ordered a 30-day suspension for attorney Donald T. Hachey of
Athol.  A female former divorce client had angered Hachey by
testifying in court that he had sexually assaulted her 21-year-old
daughter.  Immediately after being acquitted of that charge,
Hachey returned the client's divorce files, severely urine-stained. 
Hachey said space constraints forced him to keep the files beside
the urinal in his office and that they might have gotten splattered
once or twice, but a bar association committee, which had sent
the papers to the state police lab for testing, said the "linear
patterns of the stains" resulted from a "direct hit." [Boston
Herald, 10-4-95] 

COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS

* Five teenage boys housed at the Silverdale Workhouse
correctional facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., were charged with
attempted escape in November after they were discovered by
guards in an attic.  However, the boys said they were not there to
escape, pointing to the loose floorboards that, when removed,
afforded a clear overhead view of the showers in the women's
wing of the Workhouse. [The Tennessean-AP, 11-18-95] 

* Mark Spotz, denying at his Clearfield County, Pa., trial in
September that he killed his brother (the first of four spree
killings with which he was charged):  "He didn't die until he got
to the hospital.  In my mind, killing someone is taking a life
willfully.  I didn't do that.  I shot my brother and he died.  I
didn't kill him." [York Daily Record, 10-1-95] 

* A photo in the third issue of the new magazine Oneworld had
black bars over the breasts of the model Julianne while a photo of
the Asian model Zhing topless appeared without bars.  According
to a magazine spokesperson in December, the decision was
dictated by Oneworld's printer, who said Zhing's breasts weren't
big enough to be offensive. [New York Post, 12-7-95] 

* Montgomery County (Md.) assistant county attorney Robert A.
Jacques, who admitted in September to having purchased sexual
favors from a courthouse prostitute but disputed the price:  "I
paid her $60 a visit.  I wouldn't have paid $100 to her for
anything.  In a contest between lust and frugality, frugality
always won with me." [Washington Post, 9-21-95] 

* Questioned by local journalists in October about France's
resumption of south Pacific nuclear testing, the French
ambassador to New Zealand, Jacques Le Blanc, said a 110-
kiloton bomb was technically not a bomb because it was exploded
underground and did not produce a mushroom cloud.  Rather, Le
Blanc said, "It is a device which is exploding." [Edmonton Sun,
10-11-95] 

* Gary Wigle, 48, in court in North Bay, Ontario, in July to
answer a year-old charge that he left the scene of an accident,
acknowledged that he didn't stop and in fact admitted that he kept
on driving for three miles.  However, he said the only reason he
didn't stop was that the car he hit began to chase him, and he was
three miles down the road before he felt safe enough to stop.
[North Bay Nuggett, 7-19-95] 

* In September, Baltimore, Md., police concluded that Saladin
Ishmael Taylor, 34, had murdered the woman whose body was
found in a row house with a one-inch piece of her attacker's
tongue nearby, apparently having been bitten off by the victim in
their struggle.  Taylor, a tenant in the house, denied any
knowledge of the murder despite the fact that a one-inch portion
of his own tongue was missing.  He said he recently had a
tongue-related accident on the street but had no idea how the
tongue had been transported inside the house. [Baltimore Sun, 9-
27-95] 

* In October, Ray Mitchell 3d was suspended from 12th grade at
Bucks County (Pa.) Technical School after he reported to his
carpentry class with his hair arranged into seven-inch-long
spikes.  According to the school's director, Lamar Snyder, the
hairstyle is dangerous to Mitchell's classmates:  "If a student . . .
saw Mitchell walk into the room, they would say, 'Oh, my God,'
look up from the tools, and possibly hurt themselves.'"
[Philadelphia Inquirer, 10-11-95] 

* At his December trial for shooting at the husband of a West
Brookfield, Mass., tax collector, Roderick "Rhoda" Williams,
63, a heavyset, transvestite man, was accused of sending the
woman a threatening letter after his requests for tax abatement
were denied.  He had first requested that property tax on his
station wagon be reduced because he is disabled and then
requested that he get other, unspecified tax breaks because he is a
hermaphrodite and, he pointed out, has the papers to prove it.
[Springfield Union News, 12-19-95]

UH-OH

* A study published in a 1995 issue of the Journal of Urology
estimated that 600,000 men in the U. S. are impotent from
injuries to their crotches, about 40% of them from too-vigorous
bicycling.  And in July, the Food and Drug Administration
appproved the first prescription drug to treat impotence,
Caverject, which is injected directly into the penis before
intercourse.  An FDA warning issued with the approval advised
patients to contact their doctors immediately if the erection had
not subsided within six hours.  [Boston Globe, 10-16-95] [New
York Times, 7-8-95] 

* The London Independent reported in October that a Sony
Corporation division, Extra-Sensory Perception Excitation
Research, claims it has proved the existence of ESP and has
developed a working diagnostic machine based on use of the
Oriental spiritual energy "ki" to identify health problems by
measuring the pulse.  So far, 400 leading businessmen and
politicians in Japan have been hooked up to the machine, and
Sony claims a 20-30% success rate in diagnosing serious diseases
such as liver cancer. [San Francisco Examiner-London
Independent, 10-12-95] 

* In January, Phoenix, Ariz., radio personality Carla Foxx was
ordered to stand trial for a November hit-and-run death.  At a
probable cause hearing, an investigator testified that he found
parts of two human fingers in the grill of Foxx's car. [USA
Today, 1-5-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1941NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 26 1996 13:52110
WhiteBoard News for Friday, February 23, 1996 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of John DeVere:

Tampa, Florida:

A woman who couldn't fit behind the steering wheel of her
car thought she was hopelessly fat until doctors discovered
she was carrying a 91-pound fluid-filled ovarian cyst. 

"They say you get a brand new body in heaven. Well, I got
mine sooner," said the woman, who left the hospital
Wednesday. 

Doctors drained eight gallons of blood from the benign cyst,
which had displaced organs in the woman's abdomen, during
surgery Friday at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital. 

Afterwards, the surgical team hoisted the sac away on a
large towel. 

The 27-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, is
5-foot-4 and has been heavy since age 12. Two years ago she
weighed 370 pounds. She dropped 60 pounds in a year, but
noticed no change in her midsection. 

The woman suffered from a medical condition that commonly
afflicts women, though seldom to such a degree. A cyst
arises from the lining of the ovary and grows in secret,
distorting reproductive organs. 

The surgeon, Hora Praphat, said perhaps one in five ovarian
cysts are the type that may become large. Four years ago,
surgeons in Stanford, California, removed a 303-pound
ovarian cyst. 

The Tampa woman had been reticent about going out in public,
fearing she would invite stares. Not any more. 

"I feel like a brand-new me," she said. 
==========

Leesburg, Florida:

A battle in Leesburg over a woman who couldn't decide
between the Army or the Navy landed three recruiters in
jail and one in the hospital, police say.

Three Army sergeants tried to trash the Navy recruiting
office next door and got into a fracas with two
Marines, who heard the ruckus from their nearby office. 
One Marine was treated after he was struck on the head
with a crowbar.

The woman chose the Navy, said the Navy's James
Hutchins: "She said she wasn't impressed with the
Army."
==========

Oslo, Norway:

When a Norwegian fisherman found himself floating out
to sea on a chunk of ice Tuesday, he kept his cool and
let his fingers do the walking -- to safety.

The 55-year-old man, whose name was not released, was
ice fishing when he noticed his patch of ice had broken
adrift.  He couldn't reach land across the rapidly
widening expanse of frigid ocean water.

So he whipped out his cellular telephone and punched in
the number of the fire department in nearby
Fredrikstad, a town in southern Norway, to report his
involuntary voyage.

The fire department called the police, who called the
Royal Air Force, which sent a rescue helicopter that
picked him up within 30 minutes of his call, police
said.

"They even rescued his sled," said Johan Skjulhaug of
Fredrikstad police.

Skjulhaug said the fisherman probably owes his life to
his phone.

To say nothing of those limber fingers.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Singer Pat Boone says he wants to make a CD covering
ditties by Metallica, Megadeth, Van Halen and Guns N'
Roses.  "It started as a joke," said Boone, 61.  "But
then I started thinking maybe there was something to
it. ... My wife thinks I'm crazy."

Citing safety concerns, Ohio Senator Anthony Latell Jr.
introduced a bill that would permit construction of
highway lanes for Amish buggies.

The Kentucky state Supreme Court rejected Karu White's
argument that his death sentence be lifted because he's
spent 16 years on Death Row without being executed. 
It's his own appeals that is holding things up, the
justices ruled.

Herbert Steed was sentenced to 15 years for fraud.  He
collected welfare while living in New York's Trump
Tower.
79.1942NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 26 1996 13:552
In the village of Bruntingthorpe (somewhere in the UK), they're creating
a data base of dog poop so they can identify unscooped poop.
79.1943just a little to drinkHBAHBA::HAASExtra low prices and hepatitis too!~Wed Feb 28 1996 15:5517
from today's Charlotte Observer:

NATIONAL BRIEFS
---------------

Woman aims shotgun at callus on foot, fires

Menisci, Ind. - A woman used a shotgun to try to remove a callus from her 
foot after a bout of heavy drinking.
	Bony Booth, 38, was listed in good condition Tuesday, a day 
after firing a .410-gauge shotgun in her back yard. She was taken to a 
hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
	"She told investigators she drank a gallon of vodka and two or 
three beers and tried to shot the callus off her foot," police Capt. 
Baird Davis said. "She told officers she had already tried to cut off the 
callus with a razor and it didn't work. She was afraid it was getting 
infected because it hurt real bad.
79.1944LANDO::OLIVER_Btools are our friendsWed Feb 28 1996 15:581
    now would you try that after a doober?
79.1945bummer.BSS::PROCTOR_RResident Desk PotatoWed Feb 28 1996 16:008
    > Woman aims shotgun at callus on foot, fires
    
    Well, the anti-gunners'll have a field day with this one.
    
    sigh. 
    
    I would have thought that the People's Republic of Massachusetts would
    have had the day off...
79.1946SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed Feb 28 1996 16:025
    
    
    	So the question remains, did she hit the callous? :)
    
    
79.1947LANDO::OLIVER_Btools are our friendsWed Feb 28 1996 16:114
    |I would have thought that the People's Republic of Massachusetts would
    |have had the day off.
    
    what the hell are you talking about?
79.1948that's what..BSS::PROCTOR_RResident Desk PotatoWed Feb 28 1996 16:167
    > what the hell are you talking about?
    
    check other notes lying hereabouts; the 'politicians' in Mass. just
    passed a restrictive weapons ban. 
    
    to 'protect us from ourselves', don't you see.
    
79.1949NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 28 1996 16:181
A gallon of vodka?  Wouldn't that kill her?
79.1950LANDO::OLIVER_Btools are our friendsWed Feb 28 1996 16:201
    well then go live free in cow hampster.
79.1951loadedHBAHBA::HAASExtra low prices and hepatitis too!~Wed Feb 28 1996 16:208
Someone who read another account of it said she had a .42 B.A.C.

I think you can perform surgery without anesthesia on a person with that
kinda buzz.

Hail, if'n I survived a .42, I'd prolly shoot something.

TTom
79.1952NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 28 1996 16:239
Brazil wife cages husband 13 years

Brasilia (Reuters) -- A Brazilian farmer caged like a rabid dog for 13 years
by his wife and her lover was finally freed in a rescue mission by his cousins,
the Correio Braziliense newspaper reported Tuesday.  The newspaper said Mariano
Jose da Silva [any relation, Glen?] had been locked up in a windowless room,
chained to the wall and with only a hammock for a bed, for over a decade after
he caught his wife Antonia Marie in bed with the other man.  "At first I cried
a lot.  But then I got used to it."
79.1953PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Feb 28 1996 16:253
  gallon of vodka sounds like an exaggeration, fershur.
  
79.1954POLAR::RICHARDSONHindskits VelvetWed Feb 28 1996 16:251
    But, how did he feel about being chained up?
79.1955BIGQ::SILVABenevolent 'pedagogues' of humanityWed Feb 28 1996 16:287

	I'm not sure if Gerald was wondering if the person was related to me
because of his last name, or the chains????


Glen
79.1956with a very big bumpHBAHBA::HAASExtra low prices and hepatitis too!~Wed Feb 28 1996 16:313
>  gallon of vodka sounds like an exaggeration, fershur.

Especially with the couple of beers.
79.1957and near-beerCSC32::J_OPPELTBack from meeting ElvisWed Feb 28 1996 17:101
    	Perhaps it was "Cutters" vodka?
79.1958ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Wed Feb 28 1996 17:184
    .42 is a wee bit past the danger level of alcohol absorbtion.  She must
    have drank quite a bit very quickly in order to still be conscious at
    this level of intoxication (which I imagine is clinically alcohol
    poisoning).
79.1959PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Feb 28 1996 17:192
  "must have drank"?  eee yi yi.
79.1960you blow a .42 and try to talkHBAHBA::HAASExtra low prices and hepatitis too!~Wed Feb 28 1996 17:200
79.1961POLAR::RICHARDSONHindskits VelvetWed Feb 28 1996 17:213
    drinkeded.
    
    hth
79.1962MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Wed Feb 28 1996 17:382
    Glenn, you missed a Mary Michael/Jack Martin/Glen Silva Birthday suit
    snarf!!!!
79.1963SNARF!POLAR::RICHARDSONHindskits VelvetWed Feb 28 1996 17:431
    I didn't miss mine though.
79.1964ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Wed Feb 28 1996 18:193
    .1959
    
    drank, drunk...what's the difference   8^)
79.1965Someone needs geography lessons...DOCTP::KELLERThink=conscience and vote=libertarianThu Feb 29 1996 11:5613
    Heard on WBZ Radio AM1030 this morning:
    
    A man from New Mexico called the Olympic ticket office in Atlanta to try
    procure tickets for the olympic vollyball matches.  After being put on
    hold for several minutes the operator came back and said that they
    couldn't sell tickets to people outside the United States and that he
    should contact his country's olympic committee office to get tickets. 
    He tried to explain that New Mexico has been a state for over 100
    years.  The operator refused to believe him and when her superior
    became was called he said "New Mexico, Old Mexico, it's all the same to
    me contact your country's olympic committee office."
    
    
79.1966NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 29 1996 12:273
That's why NM license plates say "New Mexico, USA."  There are apparently
lotsa idjits who think NM's _not_ in the USA.  I wonder where they think
Baja California is.
79.1967DOCTP::KELLERThink=conscience and vote=libertarianThu Feb 29 1996 13:485
    RE: .1966 -- I wonder where they think Baja California is.
    
    
    That's the first thing I thought of when I heard the report.
                              
79.1968DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Thu Feb 29 1996 13:554
    
    
    	Good Lord........ that's pretty sad.
    
79.1969BIGQ::SILVABenevolent 'pedagogues' of humanityThu Feb 29 1996 14:371
wacky 69 snarf!
79.1970NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 01 1996 15:58128
WEIRDNUZ.419 (News of the Weird, February 16, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In January, The Wall Street Journal reported on the growing
fetish surrounding the act of smoking.  As examples:  (1) An
erotic smoking video from an Oklahoma City firm,
CoherentLight:  "The scene opens with a young blonde [Paula],
dressed in a shimmering strapless gown and a veiled black hat,
lighting her cigarette from a nearby candle," the Journal wrote. 
"She takes numerous long drags."  (2) A smokers' newsletter,
with film reviews:  Of the above video, it wrote, "[Paula] is a
fabulous smoker."  Another review, of the Hollywood movie
"Mad Love":  "Drew Barrymore smokes throughout; there are
many deep inhales, although the exhales aren't great."  (3) The
fetish magazine Leg Show has begun to include pictorials of
women smoking. [Wall Street Journal, 1-31-96] 

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

* Lawsuits were filed in December and January in New Mexico
after lawyers realized that a 140-year-old state law allowed
unlucky gamblers to sue and almost automatically recover their
losses.  Plaintiffs' lawyers are seeking class-action status for
bettors against the banks, credit-card companies, and ATM
networks that facilitate gambling at the state's legal, Indian-
owned casinos. [Albuquerque Journal, 1-3-96; USA Today 12-
29-95] 

* In October, Jesse A. Williams, a veteran of alcohol-treatment
programs, filed a lawsuit against his former employer, Anheuser-
Busch, in Tampa, Fla., over his 1994 firing.  The company says
it fired Williams for disparaging company products in public, but
Williams claims the company supplied him the regular employee
allotment of four free cases of beer a month and then fired him
for his alcoholism. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch-Bloomberg Business
News, 10-3-95] 

* In November, Christopher Conley, 14, received a $50,000
settlement from Lifetime Products, the manufacturer of a
basketball-goal net.  Conley, of Nashua, N. H., had sued because
his teeth had gotten caught in the net as he went up for a dunk
shot, resulting in the need for massive dental work. [USA Today,
11-3-95] 

* A judge in Durham, N. C., dismissed Sheila Bush's complaint 
against her husband, Hobert Bush, in January.  The Bushes live
together as a couple on Hobert's $70,000 salary in a $200,000
house, but Sheila claimed Hobert failed to give her sufficient
support in that he makes all the consumer purchases himself.  For
example, she said, he buys only cold cereal, and she wants more
waffles and bacon. [Durham Herald-Sun, 1-4-96] 

* In January, the Supreme Court of Israel rejected the appeal of
inmate Amir Hazan, 35, that he be allowed to keep an inflatable 
doll in his cell.  Prison officials had turned him down, claiming
the doll might be used to aid an escape attempt or to conceal
drugs--and also that inmates might fight over it. [Reuters
wirecopy, 1-23-96] 

* Rosaline A. Kelly lost her lawsuit against the former Spring
Street Tavern in Chippewa Falls, Wis., in December.  She had
had consensual, exhibitionistic sex with two men in the bar three
years ago and sued because the bartender and manager failed to
prevent her from acting irresponsibly. [St. Paul Pioneer-Press,
12-17-95; Duluth News-Tribune-AP, 12-15-95] 

* A jury in Roanoke, Va., ruled for Ruby Campagna in
November in her lawsuit against her apartment house manager
Judy Woody.  Campagna had grown fond of wrens that had built
a nest on her patio, but Woody destroyed the nest per apartment
house policy, stomping the birds while having "a malevolent
scowl on her face," according to Campagna.  The jury awarded
her $135,000 for post-traumatic stress disorder.  [Washington
Post, 12-1-95] 

* Heidi Beltzman, 29, filed a lawsuit in October against Davis
Supermarket in a Pittsburgh, Pa., suburb for injuries she suffered
while shopping.  Beltzman was in a checkout line when a clerk in
an adjacent lane attempted to put a 4-lb. frozen chicken into a
bag, but the fryer rolled off the counter and hit Beltzman on the
foot, causing a bruise and swelling on the foot, which was still
bandaged from surgery three months before. [Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette, 10-26-95] 

* In Albuquerque, N. Mex., in December, George Thomas
Diesel and his wife filed a lawsuit against Foley's department
store and the Levi Strauss Company over a defective pair of 501
jeans.  According to Diesel, a rivet in one of the fly buttons was
not completely fused, causing a piece of metal to protrude, which
severely lacerated his penis the first time he put the jeans on. 
Diesel's wife wants money for the loss of her husband's services.
[Albuquerque Journal, 12-22-95] 

* A court in Ontario ruled in favor of Carleton University
football punt returner Rob Dunn in September in his lawsuit
against University of Ottawa linebacker Mike Lussler for a tackle
that resulted in Dunn's broken jaw and concussion.  The judge
found that Lussler, in a 1992 game, intended to tackle Dunn with
a "complete disregard" for Dunn's safety. [Barrie Examiner-CP,
9-30-95] 

WELL-PUT

* Bill Becker, 62, whose criminal career spans 30 years (and
counting, after a federal judge in Baltimore turned down his latest
bid, in August, to overturn a conviction for theft):  "I robbed
from the rich, kind of like Robin Hood, except I kept it."
[Baltimore Sun, 8-6-95] 

* Morristown, N. J., Town Council candidate Donald Cresitello,
lamenting in October his tight race with George E. Burke, despite
the fact that Burke had just died:  "Now he's liable to get the
sympathy vote." [New York Times, 10-13-95] 

* An October decision of the U. S. Court of Appeals said the
trial court was right to dismiss a slander lawsuit against the
Franklin County (Ohio) Board of Elections chairman Terry
Casey.  Casey had called Federal Elections Commission official
Gary Greenhalgh a "lying asshole," but the Court said that phrase
is merely rhetorical hyperbole.  Casey could not have meant, said
the Court, that someone's "anus was making an untruthful
statement." [National Law Journal, 10-30-95]

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.1971SOLVIT::KRAWIECKILord of the Turnip TruckFri Mar 01 1996 16:233
    
    Maybe that punt-returner up in Canada-eh? woulda got more if'n he
    coulda proved the tackle was a hate-crime... eh?
79.1972POLAR::RICHARDSONRoger?Fri Mar 01 1996 16:353
    Could be, but it wasn't, so he didn't.
    
    hth
79.1973LANDO::OLIVER_Btools are our friendsFri Mar 01 1996 19:376
    Guatemala City -
    Kidnappers tortured a Guatemalan journalist and then
    freed him yesterday to convey the message to other
    journalists to stop reporting on a kidnapping epidemic,
    his radio station said.
    
79.1974NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 04 1996 12:157
The first World Conference on Auto-Urine Therapy was held in Goa, India, 
for 600 delegates from 17 nations exploring the medical benefits of
drinking your own urine.  "It gives me and my wife tremendous energy and
stamina," claims the former chief of India's navy.  G.K. Thakkar, president
of the event's host, the Water of Life Foundation, said drinking urine cured
him of dysentery and eczema, and made him a "bold orator". Also, he says,
urine is a good cure for tooth and eye problems. (Reuter)
79.1975NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 04 1996 12:1777
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 01, 1996 [excerpts]


Baytown, Texas:

Herlinda Estrada signed her husband's death certificate
and joined other grieving family members in a hospital
waiting room.  Then her husband walked in.

Jose Estrada didn't exactly wake from the dead, but his
return seemed just as miraculous after a series of
coincidences lead Herlinda Estrada to mistakenly
believe that her husband had died of a heart attack
along a jogging trail.

Since he turned up safe and sound, the couple's 29-year
marriage has never seemed sweeter.

"You begin to understand just how important the people
in your life really are and how much you would miss
them if they were gone," Jose Estrada said.

"I kept thinking about the Jimmy Stewart movie, 'It's a
Wonderful Life.'  I kept thinking it really is a
wonderful life."

The mix-up began on February 11 when Jose Estrada, 48,
decided to go for a run on a jogging trail near his
home.  He was recently diagnosed as a diabetic and was
following his doctor's orders to loose a few pounds.

Estrada parked his pickup in a lot near the trail and
started on his run.

What he didn't know was that paramedics had just left
the area with a heart attack victim about his age who
had collapsed and died along the same trail.  The dead
man carried no identification, leaving only a set of
General Motors keys as a clue to his identity.

A sheriff's deputy called to the scene decided to see if
the man's keys fit any of the GM vehicles in the parking
lot.  Against all odds, they fit Estrada's truck.

The deputy contacted Herlinda Estrada and broke the news,
asking her to identify the body at a hospital in Houston.

"They took me into the room to identify Jose, and all I
could see was this swollen, pale body under a sheet on
the bed," Herlinda Estrada said.  "There was a tube in
the man's mouth and tape over his mouth and eyes, so I
couldn't really see his face."

She held the dead man's hand and it felt like Estrada's. 
Then she saw that the clothes the man was wearing looked
like her husband's.

"I thought, 'This must be Jose,'" she said.  "You're in such
a state of shock, anyway, you're not thinking straight."

Jose Estrada, meanwhile, finished his jog and picked up
some groceries on the way home.  While putting away the
groceries, his wife's boss called.

"She said, 'Jose!  You're not dead.  Someone called and
said you'd had a heart attack and died!  But you're not
dead!'" Estrada recalled.

Estrada raced to the hospital for a happy reunion with
about 15 family members, friends and neighbors.

Relatives said the scare gave them a new appreciation
for one another.

"After I stopped hugging him and laughing, I started
crying," Herlinda Estrada said.  "And I told him, 'If
you ever die on me again, I'll kill you myself.'"
79.1976ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Mon Mar 04 1996 12:353
    .1974
    
    Excuse me while I go spew breakfast...
79.1977Not so funny really.KAOFS::D_STREETMon Mar 04 1996 14:1111
    SOLVIT::KRAWIECKI
    
     The Canadian rules for football require a 5 yard exclusion zone to
    allow the reciever to catch the ball. (There is no fair catch) This
    reciever was creamed while still looking up for the ball. The action
    was a penalty, and the judge decided the penalty showed a disregard
    for the safety of the reciever. 
    
     If you knew the rules, and saw the hit, it would not seem so strange.
    
    							Derek. 
79.1978EVMS::MORONEYIn the beginning there was nothing, which exploded...Mon Mar 04 1996 15:564
Two robbers shot each other while trying to rob a convenience store in
Miami.  While reaching across the counter to the cash register, one robber
accidentally fired his gun, shooting the other in the leg.  Reacting in pain,
the second robber fired his gun shooting the first.
79.1979TRLIAN::MIRAB1::REITHIf it's worth doing, it's worth overdoingMon Mar 04 1996 16:294
    
    .1978 - What a bummer.  That's even more amusing then the macho robber
    who forgets to take his finger off of the trigger as he shoves his
    'piece' into his wasteband.
79.1980WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon Mar 04 1996 17:071
    the anti's will use this to support the dangers of firearms.
79.1981USAT05::HALLRGod loves even you!Mon Mar 04 1996 17:142
    waistband
    although ater what he did, it was prolly a wasteland
79.1982SOLVIT::KRAWIECKILord of the Turnip TruckTue Mar 05 1996 19:5449
Falmouth woman, 68, sues cousin over alleged sex abuse at age 11

By Judy Rakowsky
GLOBE STAFF

 The abuse allegedly happened when she was a girl, but Ann Shahzade, 68, claims 
that she had repressed the memories of being raped by her cousin, now 75, 
until after she entered therapy in 199

 Now, more than 50 years after the alleged abuse, she has filed a damage suit 
in US District Court against her cousin. The suit alleges the Falmouth woman 
was abused over a five-year period starting when she was 11 years old.

 The cousin, George Gregory, a California podiatrist, admitted in a deposition
 to having sexual contact with his cousin but said it was consensual. He 
insists that Shahzade could not have repressed the memory of those deeds for 
50 years.

 At issue at a hearing yesterday before US District Judge Edward Harrington 
was the validity of the theory of repressed memories.

 If the court rejects the validity of her memories, Shahzade would be unable 
to maintain a suit because the statute of limitations expired three years 
after any abuse occurred.

 But a Massachusetts law says that Shahzade's suit is viable if filed within 
three years of her recognizing that the childhood trauma cause her adult 
suffering.

 The US Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in Boston has not decided whether 
evidence of repressed memory is admissible at a jury trial, as some other 
federal appellate courts have.

 Paul Mitchell, Shahzade's lawyer, said the passage of time has not diminished 
the harm, and that Shahzade has suffered problems throughout life as a result 
of childhood sexual abuse. She has suffered from an eating disorder and 
problems with sleep and with relationships.

 Shahzade says she began to reclaim the memories of the abuse in the early 
1990s, after her affluent cousin refused to lend her $30,000. As she recovered 
the memories, she said she called her cousin again and asked him to pay for 
her therapy.

 Shahzade said she decided to sue her cousin in 1992 after he threatened to 
sue her if she revealed the abuse to anyone.

 Yesterday, a psychiatrist testifying for Gregory, John A. Bodkin, discounted 
the scientific validity of repressed memories.
 
79.1983NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 06 1996 13:2856
WhiteBoard News for Monday, March 04, 1996 [excerpt]

San Francisco, California:

If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to avoid the
potholes...and the speeding buses...and the cable cars.

But whatever you do, don't miss the rest stops at the local
bars.  That's the motto for participants in this year's
Urban Iditarod, the second annual, only-in-San-Francisco
take-off on Alaska's famous dog-sled race. =20

"I've been to Alaska, and they've got some mighty fine
dogs up there, but I'd like to see them try to outrun a
public bus or dodge a cable car," says found "Tundra"
Tommy Marsh.  "This race ain't no walk in the park!"

In Alaska, hundreds of well-trained dogs will begin
pulling 60 mushers on what is likely to be a 10-day
race across 1,150 miles of nature's harshest terrain.

Meanwhile, more than 20 "dog-sled" teams -- consisting
of people in canine costumes harnessed to shopping
carts -- are expected to mush their way through
San Francisco's urban environment.

The 3.5-mile course is scheduled to start at a
gentlemanly 11 AM in the city's Financial District, where
the wind blows hard through the tight rows of high-rises.

The sled teams will wind their way through the traffic
around Union Square, up and down the killer hills of
Chinatown and North Beach and, finally, will find their
way through the tourist mecca of Fisherman's Wharf
before the race comes to an end in the gentle flats of
the Marina District.

Following the lead of the Alaska original, there will
be several mandatory rest stops -- all at local bars.

Last winner finished in two hours and 15 minutes.

The runner-up says he and his team are hungry for victory.

"The field is pretty tough, but many of their barks are
worse then their bites," musher Roy "Big Dog" Vella
said.

Susan "Fifi" Kramer commented, "Each team has its own
style.  Some play to run, some run to play, and some
just run around sniffing each other.  It's
San Francisco, after all."

Participants use whatever shopping carts they can find
on the streets, then return them to the appropriate
stores at the end of the day.
79.1984COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Mar 08 1996 02:2430
* 9-year-old boy accused of stalking classmate

HASTINGS, Mich.  -- Puppy love or a crime?  A 9-year-old boy who left a 
phone message for a 10-year-old girl, telling her "I want to be your 
lover," has been accused of violating Michigan's anti-stalking law, his 
lawyer said Thursday.

The girl's parents told authorities that the boy has called their home 200 
times over several months.  The final straw apparently was the recording 
left a few days before Valentine's Day.

"Any sexual interpretation is the problem of the listener," attorney 
Charles Rominger said.  "He wanted her to be his valentine.  ...  It's a 
childhood crush.  What else could it be?"

Prosecutor Dale Crowley wouldn't discuss the case, but he summoned the boy 
and his mother to Juvenile Court on March 27.  The girl's parents could not 
be reached; their phone number is unlisted.

The families once lived across the street from each other.  Both children 
attend the same elementary school, but they are not in the same classroom, 
Rominger said.

"Over the years both of these children called each other's homes numerous 
times to speak to one another and see if they could play," he said.  He 
disputes the parents' claim that the boy called 200 times over several 
months.

If the boy is found guilty, the Juvenile Court has flexibility in ordering 
a punishment, ranging from probation to assignment to a foster home.
79.1985SCASS1::EDITEX::MOOREGetOuttaMyChairFri Mar 08 1996 04:444
    <--- Actually, it's probably a case of mistaken identity.  
    
    	 The Artist Formerly Known as Knave probably shaved off his
    	 beard and is now looking for a new album cover queen.
79.1986USAT05::HALLRGod loves even you!Fri Mar 08 1996 05:433
    Maybe a canning would be in order...if the boy had parents who let him
    call a girl over 200 times, then something is definitely wrong in that
    household.
79.1987WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Mar 08 1996 09:291
    -1 definitely! where's the PC in this household anyway!!!!!
79.1988GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheFri Mar 08 1996 12:297
    >>The girl's parents could not be reached; their phone number is unlisted.
    
    
    why didn't they just ask the little boy for it...
    
    
    
79.1989COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Mar 08 1996 12:573
The 200 calls was over several months.  Maybe he called two or three times
a day for three months, and she called him every other day.

79.1990watch that sandboxHBAHBA::HAASfloor,chair,couch,bedFri Mar 08 1996 13:279
re: .1984

Supposedly, in a similar situation, two 3-year olds are going to court
over how they're supposed to play together in sandbox.

In a_AP story, the mother of one of 'em is in court in Boston to ban the
other one from being allowed on the playground at the same time.

TTom
79.1991PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Mar 08 1996 13:576
>           <<< Note 79.1986 by USAT05::HALLR "God loves even you!" >>>

>    Maybe a canning would be in order...

	Canning would have a jarring effect on the whole community.

79.1992BSS::PROCTOR_RWallet full of eelskinsFri Mar 08 1996 14:011
    put a lid on it!
79.1993CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesFri Mar 08 1996 14:071
    We're having a Ball now.
79.1994SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiFri Mar 08 1996 14:101
    This is putting the pressure on.
79.1995POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Fri Mar 08 1996 14:121
    I can think of a few more, for openers.
79.1996POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of The Counter KingFri Mar 08 1996 14:133
    
    I can't - I'm in a jam 8^(.
    
79.1997CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesFri Mar 08 1996 14:141
    I think it's more like you are in a pickle.
79.1998A sticky situation...BSS::PROCTOR_RWallet full of eelskinsFri Mar 08 1996 14:147
    >     I can't - I'm in a jam 8^(.
    
    
    room for two in there?
    
    
    
79.1999SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiFri Mar 08 1996 14:141
    Will this batch of replies get better if we let things jell?
79.2000CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesFri Mar 08 1996 14:151
    Gel.  NNTTM
79.2001a guy of the nineties!BSS::PROCTOR_RWallet full of eelskinsFri Mar 08 1996 14:164
    I used to Gel my hair. 
    
    Now I mousse.
    
79.2002POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Fri Mar 08 1996 14:162
    There's something that bothers me. Why is it when people do their own
    canning, they always use mason jars? Eh? Why eh? Why?
79.2003SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiFri Mar 08 1996 14:1719
79.2004SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiFri Mar 08 1996 14:185
    .2002
    
    Mason jar n. A wide-mouthed glass jar with a screw top, used for
    canning and preserving food. [After John L. Mason (1832-1902), American
    inventor.]
79.2005POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Fri Mar 08 1996 14:211
    Yes, but a jar is not a can anymore than a door is not a jar.
79.2006POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of The Counter KingFri Mar 08 1996 14:329
    
    Lots of things are cans, not just cans.
    
    A bathrooms is a can.
    A backside is a can.
    Getting fired is a can.
    So why can't a jar be a can?
    
    
79.2007put a can on itHBAHBA::HAASfloor,chair,couch,bedFri Mar 08 1996 14:332
If'n fire figthers fight fires and crime fighters fight crime, what the
hail are freedom fighters doing?
79.2008SMURF::BINDERManus Celer DeiFri Mar 08 1996 14:4610
79.2009POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Fri Mar 08 1996 14:511
    Please pass that can of jam.
79.2010POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of The Counter KingFri Mar 08 1996 14:563
    
    "Woudja please pass the jelly?!"
    
79.2011WAHOO::LEVESQUEthe dangerous typeFri Mar 08 1996 15:001
    Eeeeek!
79.2012*smash*POWDML::BUCKLEYFri Mar 08 1996 15:121
    
79.2013USAT05::HALLRGod loves even you!Fri Mar 08 1996 15:421
    watchout or Deb will smucker yOu!
79.2014CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesFri Mar 08 1996 16:041
    I concord with that assessment.  
79.2015POWDML::BUCKLEYFri Mar 08 1996 16:083
    -1
    
    Oh yeah?  I lexington with that assessment, myself!
79.2016exGAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheFri Mar 08 1996 16:094
    
    shirley u wouldn't hurt bri...
    
    
79.2017COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Mar 08 1996 20:0268
     3-year-old slapped with court order

     Play nice, judge says

     March 7, 1996. CNN.
     Web posted at: 7:45 p.m. EST

     BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Three-year-old Jonathan had better
     not make little Stacy cry anymore.

     Drawing a line in the sandbox, a judge has issued a court order to
     make the little boy play nice.

     "Maybe it's a little emotional, maybe it's overprotective, but you
     do what you can," said Stacy's mother, Antonina Pevnev, who filed
     for the restraining order, claiming Jonathan had kicked her
     daughter in the head.

     The incident took place while the 3-year-olds were playing in the
     Charles River Park playground on the Charles River. Jonathan had
     bullied Stacy before, Pevnev said.

     Pevnev went to court, asking that Jonathan and his mother,
     Margareth Inge, not even be allowed in the playground while her
     daughter was there.

     "I fear that both these people are violent, and she applauds and
     encourages Jonathan to be violent, to fight and kick and to behave
     in a manner not becoming a responsible child," Pevnev wrote in her
     complaint.

     On Monday, Superior Court Judge Charles Spurlock decided that the
     mothers must keep the children supervised and separated while at
     the playground.

     Violators can be held in contempt, fined or even jailed -- in
     theory, at least. But since it would be tough to prove a
     3-year-old knowingly violated a court order, chances are that only
     the grown-ups would be punished.

     Howard Speicher, the boy's lawyer, called the whole thing
     ludicrous and said it should never have left the playground.

     He added: "Maybe it's a sign, and this is coming from a lawyer, of
     how people are starting to rely too much on the courts to solve
     problems that just don't belong there."

     Inge did not return a telephone message seeking comment.

     Where did Pevnev get the idea of the restraining order?

     "The police," she said. "They said their hands were tied."

     Pevnev has followed up the restraining order with an assault and
     battery complaint against Jonathan. Why? Again an officer
     suggested it, saying it would be a good idea to have something on
     file in case of future trouble.

     Pevnev said she would have dropped legal action -- which has cost
     her more than $800 -- if Jonathan and his mother had apologized or
     maybe if Inge had just told her son not to pick on Stacy anymore.

     Instead, she said, Inge shouted at her after she scolded the boy.

     "My daughter was bawling. ... (Inge was) screaming and yelling,
     'How dare you talk to my child like that,'" Pevnev said. "I'm not
     a vindictive person. I'm not a vengeful person. ... This was the
     only way you could send this woman a message."
79.2018NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 11 1996 12:4071
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 08, 1996 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of Mike Senske:

Manila, Philippines:

The Philippines' brightest hope in women's track is a man.

The Philippines Sports Commission ruled Thursday that
Nancy Navalta, a national sprint champion, is genetically
a male and from now on is banned from women's sports.

"I hope Nancy will understand this decision and go on
quietly with his life," commissioner Monico Puentabella
said.

Navalta claims to be a woman and attributes a muscular
build to a spartan training program that includes
running on a sandy beach while carrying a sack of rocks.

Navalta's parents raised him as a girl and his birth
certificate identifies him as a female.  He is believed
to have an underdeveloped penis, which an untrained rural
midwife apparently mistook for a woman's sex organ.

Navalta was an obscure runner from the northern
province of La Union before winning the women's
100-meter and 200-meter sprints in the 1993 and 1994
national student games.

Navalta was lionized after the wins, which came after
the retirement of the country's former sprint queen,
Lydia de Vega.

The feats would have entitled Navalta to join the
national training program, which readies athletes for
international competitions.  But competitors raised
questions, citing Navalta's muscled physique and wispy
mustache.  As a result, the runner was disqualified in
last year's games.

After not competing for a year, Navalta competed as a
male in a provincial race last month and lost.  The next
week, he entered as a woman and won five gold medals.

The Philippine Center for Sport Medicine has tested
Navalta but refused to divulge its findings, citing
medical ethics.

The group passed on the results to the International Amateur
Athletic Foundation, which decided Navalta is male.

"I hope this will end it all so that we can tackle
bigger problems in sports," Puentabella said.
==============

Rossville, Georgia:

Master Sergeant Mateo Sabog, 73, is back on active duty
while the Army tries to figure out how he disappeared
for 26 years.

He surfaced in Rossville, Georgia, last month when he
applied for Social Security.

Sabog disappeared in 1970 while returning from Vietnam.
Three years ago his name was added to the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.

An Army spokesman said he doesn't know what, if
anything, Sabog has said about his past 26 years.
79.2019NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 11 1996 12:40123
WEIRDNUZ.420 (News of the Weird, February 23, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* A February Reuters news service report profiled New York
City dental hygienist Carol Meyer, who charges $125 for a
"breath makeover," specializing in people who have developed
halitosis phobias that might discourage employment or promotion
opportunities or clicking with that special someone.  She uses two
tools, the "computerized gum thermometer" and the "gas sensor"
that detects sulphur compounds.  Her most important
recommended regimen:  swabbing the tongue with disinfectant.
[Providence Journal-Bulletin-Reuters, 2-4-96] 

QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS

* An unidentified, 31-year-old man was sentenced to 20 lashes in
Tehran in October after a prank backfired.  He had bet his father
about $30 that he could dress in robe and veils and ride unnoticed
in the women's section of a segregated municipal bus, but he was
detected because he failed to wear women's shoes underneath the
robe.  A court ruled the prank was "obscene." [St. Louis Post
Dispatch-AP, 10-30-95] 

* In November in Quantico, Va., Christopher P. Emond, 18,
pleaded guilty to making a false police report.  He had hired two
men to shoot him simply to impress his friends that he was
privvy to military secrets.  Emond was wounded but not 
seriously. [Washington Times, 11-4-95] 

* Thomas Springer, 46, was arrested in October and charged
with bank robbery in Vienna, Va.  He might have escaped had he
not decided to stop during his getaway to urinate along the side of
the road.  A disgusted neighbor called 911 and wrote down
Springer's tag number. [USA Today, 10-20-95] 

* One of the finalists in a Los Angeles radio station's crazy-stunt
Super Bowl promotion in January was Mike Garcia, 25, who
planned to swallow his glass eye, regurgitate it, and reinsert it. 
Despite a large pre-stunt breakfast of steak, eggs, and a six-pack
of beer, which made him vomit for 15 minutes, the glass eye did
not come back up by the end of the contest.  Reported the
Torrance Daily Breeze, "So Garcia left with an empty left eye
socket, a strong buzz, soiled clothing--and the prospect of
shelling out $1,500 for a new eye." [Daily Breeze, 1-27-96] 

* In September, a 13-year-old girl identified only as Charlotte
was in New York City with her mother to appear on a "Sally
Jessy Raphael" show with the theme of adolescent girls who dress
like sluts.  Charlotte's mother gave her permission to leave their
hotel room for a few minutes, and during that time, Charlotte
was picked up by a 22-year-old man, had sex with him, and later
was allegedly imprisoned by him against her will for days before
being found by police. [New York Post, 9-29-95] 

* In an out-of-court settlement in September, Henry Heepe, who
killed his mother in Akron, Ohio, in 1994 and mutilated her body
thinking she was a vampire, inherited part of her $500,000
estate.  (Ohio law prohibits only those found guilty of murder
from inheriting the deceased's estate, but Heepe was found "not
guilty by reason of insanity."  However, his victory was short-
lived because Heepe committed suicide in December while in
custody.)   [Akron Beacon-Journal, 9-2-95, 12-7-95] 

* MacArthur Wheeler, 46, was sentenced to 24 years in prison in
Pittsburgh, Pa., in January, a conviction made possible by clear
photography from the bank's surveillance camera.  Wheeler and
his partner did not wear masks, and in fact were not concerned
about the camera at all, because they had rubbed lemon juice
over their faces beforehand in the belief that the substance would
blur their on-camera images. [USA Today, 1-8-96] 

EH-UUUH, GROSS!

* In October, authorities in Tbilisi in the former Soviet republic
of Georgia closed down an illegal bakery whose specialty was
khachapuri, the traditional Georgian cheese pies.  It was illegal
because the pies were being baked at an unauthorized location:  a
room at the Tbilisi morgue. [AP wirecopy, 10-25-95] 

* Hominy, Okla., inmate Bernard Crawford escaped in
December by diving into the back of the truck of a farmer who
had come to the prison to collect food scraps for pig slop.  He
covered himself in the wet garbage and rode undetected for about
a half-hour, when the combination of the smell and the cold
temperature got to him, forcing him to jump out, where he was
spotted by a motorist, who notified police. [The Sedalia
Democrat-AP, 12-5-95] 

* The Wall Street Journal reported in October that among the
trendy foods in restaurants in Scotland was the "Mars bar
supper"--a Mars bar dipped in fish batter, fried in vegetable oil,
and served with a side order of chips. [Wall Street Journal, 10-
16-95] 

* In November, a 12-year-old boy in Jensen Beach, Fla., was
suspended from school-bus privileges for two days because of a
continuing flatulence problem that school authorities said was 
willful.  Said the boy's mother, however, "[The suspension]'s an
infraction against his civil rights." [Northwest Florida News-AP,
11-18-95]

LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES

* Italy's most famous fertility doctor, Severino Antinori, told
reporters in October that among his patients is a 37-year-old
sterile parish priest from Tuscany who wanted Dr. Antinori to
bypass the man's blocked sperm duct and extract sperm directly
from the testicles so that he could father a child with his 34-year-
old lover.  A Vatican spokesman called the priest "mad."
[Reuters wirecopy, 10-31-95] 

* Loresa Goodly filed a lawsuit in Lafayette Parish, La., in
November for injuries she incurred just after she had received the
Holy Spirit at a tent revival meeting and passed out on the floor. 
Moments later, another woman received the Holy Spirit and fell
on top of Goodly before ushers could catch her, breaking three of
Goodly's ribs. [Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, 11-18-95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2020NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 11 1996 12:427
A 55-year-old man in Burbank, Calif., put an ad in a sex magazine catering to
sadomasochists, and was happy when a woman responded to his offer of a blind
date. When she arrived at his home, he allowed her to strip him, handcuff him,
and strap him to a proctology table he had in his "playroom". Then she put a
hood over his head and REALLY went to work: she and an accomplice robbed the
house. The man wasn't found until the next day, when the mailman heard him
calling for help. (Burbank Leader)
79.2021POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Mon Mar 11 1996 14:161
    The glass eye guy, too funny. He obviously wasn't a very good pupil.
79.2022POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of French HeatersMon Mar 11 1996 14:173
    
    Iris you hadn't said that.
    
79.2023POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Mon Mar 11 1996 14:381
    Don't lash out at me. It wasn't my eye dear.
79.2024SMURF::WALTERSMon Mar 11 1996 14:591
    cornea and cornea.
79.2025PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Mar 11 1996 15:063
 .2024  oh man, it was agonizing waiting for _that_ particular
	shoe to drop.  thanks.
79.2026SMURF::WALTERSMon Mar 11 1996 15:141
    This must be what shooting down feels like.
79.2027POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of French HeatersMon Mar 11 1996 15:173
    
    Oh, I see.  It's much sclera now, thank you.
    
79.2028PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Mar 11 1996 15:183
 .2026  8^>

79.2029SMURF::WALTERSMon Mar 11 1996 15:201
    next, the aqueous humor no doubt.
79.2030PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Mar 11 1996 15:322
 .2029  it's myopia muses us thusly anon.
79.2031CNTROL::JENNISONJoin me in glad adorationMon Mar 11 1996 16:173
    
    	Not really a topic that lens itself to many puns, is it ?
    
79.2032ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Mon Mar 11 1996 16:401
    Things aren't looking up for our wacky news-brief hero, are they? 
79.2033POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Mon Mar 11 1996 16:521
    He may have succeeded if somebody had punched him hard retina stomach.
79.2034CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesMon Mar 11 1996 16:562
    Optically, that reply struck a nerve.  We should focus on the subject
    at hand.
79.2035SMURF::WALTERSMon Mar 11 1996 17:075
    >We should focus on the subject at hand.
    
    Fovea of getting sidetracked?
    
    
79.2036NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 11 1996 18:513
A veteran received a penile implant at a VA hospital at taxpayers' expense.
This was 10 months after he got out of jail after serving time for molesting
two girls.
79.2037NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 15 1996 16:44127
WEIRDNUZ.421 (News of the Weird, March 1, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Postal worker Douglas C. Yee, 50, was indicted in February in
San Mateo, Calif., for pulling off bulk-mail scams totaling
$800,000.  Found in Yee's garbage were notes he had written to
God expressing gratitude for his continued help in evading police
detection.  Read one, "Lord, I am having a difficult time myself
seeing you as a God who hides crime, yet your Word says that
it's your privilege (or glory) to do just that." [San Jose Mercury
News, 2-9-96] 

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* In September, the founders of the Norway Losers Rights Union
met with King Harald to explain the organization's agenda of
offering support for those Norwegians who feel doomed to
failure.  Since its inception in 1993, the Union has attracted 728
active members and another 7,000 sympathizer-losers (out of a
population of 4.3 million). [Edmonton Sun, 9-19-95] 

* Restaurant Grease in the News:  In January, after an $85,000
study, officials in Corpus Christi, Tex., attributed a lingering,
foul, downtown odor to years of accumulations of grease from 35
nearby restaurants.  And in December, thieves stole 8,000
pounds of grease from eight Jonesboro, Ark., restaurants,
probably for resale in pet food and livestock feed. [Dallas
Morning News-AP, 1-22-96; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Jan96] 

* In November, workers at China's Bayanghe coalfield in
Xinjiang region extinguished a fire that had been burning over a
five-square-kilometer area for an estimated 100 years.  About
300,000 tons of coal a year was consumed by the fire, and
authorities estimate 55 million tons remain. [China Daily-Xinhua,
11-14-95] 

* In a December medical journal, University of New Hampshire
researchers found that one adolescent boy in ten has been kicked
in the testicles by another kid, 40% of the time by girls.  Boys
who wear glasses or have other physical limitations are three
times more likely to be kicked, and a year after the kicking, one-
fourth of the victims still suffered depression from the incident.
[USA Today-Journal of the American Medical Association, 12-6-
95] 

* An investigative piece in the weekly Moscow News in
November listed then-current rates paid to hit men in the growing
contract-murder industry in Russia.  An average citizen without a
bodyguard could be killed for about $7,000, while celebrities and
politicians could get prices ranging up to the $180,000 for
President Yeltsen.  The leading killers guarantee about a 96 per
cent probability of success. [Daily Oklahoman-Reuters, 11-24-
95] 

* Following the November defeat of President Lech Walesa, the
Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning predicted
many of the organization's supporters would end their "sex
strike."  Some women had been refusing to have sex for years to
protest the combination of Walesa's strict anti-abortion stand and
the unavailability of contraceptives. [St. Petersburg Times-Globe
and Mail, 12-6-95] 

* The Associated Press reported in September that the most
popular publishing genre of the moment in Japan--so huge that
whole sections of bookstores were being given over to it--was
World War II novels in which Japan wins.  In one of the most
popular, war-crime tribunals against U. S. officers and politicians
must be held on the commandeered Queen Elizabeth ocean liner
because no large buildings remained standing in Japan. [Taunton
Daily Gazette-AP, 9-8-95] 

* Last year a Wood County, Wis., court ruled that the state's
parental responsibility law required that the parents of a 15-year-
old boy would have to pay only the statutory maximum, $2,500,
to a 10-year-old girl with whom the boy had consensual, but
illegal, sexual intercourse.  However, in December, an appeals
court ruled that the law requires the parents to pay $2,500 for
each of the 20 encounters the two kids had. [St. Paul Pioneer
Press, 12-15-95] 

* In June in the county jail in Iola, Kan., Richard Barber, 51,
tried unsuccessfully to kill himself by wrapping hoarded dental
floss around his neck and jumping off a ledge, but that left him
only with a deep cut on his neck.  Barber had just pleaded guilty
to killing a dentist. [Topeka Capital Journal, 6-28-95] 

* In October, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette profiled a low-key 
technical-service manager at the University of Arkansas at Little
Rock, Mr. Dale Miller, who routinely wears stylish women's
clothes to work.  He said he's partial to silk blouses but often
wear's men's shirt, tie, and jacket with a coordinated skirt and
pumps.  He said he has no desire to appear feminine, but rather
just likes women's clothes. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10-17-
95] 

* The Malaysian government announced a crackdown in
November against restaurants that substitute toilet paper for table
napkins, promising fines of up to $80 plus jail sentences for
repeat offenders. [York Dispatch, 11-17-95] 

* Police in Newton, Mass., were searching in February for a
man about 5 feet 9, in his 20s, who allegedly propositioned a
teen-aged male as he was leaving a Marshall's department store. 
According to the teen, the man offered him $20 to let him smell
the teen's socks. [Newton Graphic, 2-1-96] 

* In an affidavit in November, Coldwater, Mich., Undersheriff
Gary Abbott revealed that he had been forced to make five trips,
in an undercover sting, to the Coldwater Health Spa to be
solicited for prostitution.  According to Sheriff Ted Gordon,
multiple visits were necessary because the department's recording
equipment is old:  "You couldn't hear the women make the
proposition." [Ludington Daily News-AP, 11-16-95] 

* In November, Sam Walker, member of the board of education
for Currituck County, N. C., explained to the Elizabeth City
Daily Advance newspaper the reason he owes nearly $10,000 in
back taxes to the state:  "I'm an elected official.  I didn't know
you had to pay taxes."  Asked if he were joking, Walker said,
"Hell, no.  They owe me for serving." [Durham Herald-Sun-AP,
11-20-95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2038POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Full Body FrisksFri Mar 15 1996 16:4811
    
    >He said he's partial to silk blouses but often
    >wear's men's shirt, tie, and jacket with a coordinated skirt and
    >pumps.
    
    FWIW, I've had men tell me that this is an extremely sexy look, at
    least on a woman.
    
    Opinions?
    
    
79.2039ACISS2::LEECHDia do bheatha.Fri Mar 15 1996 17:071
    <--- Depends on the woman, I'd imagine.
79.2040SMURF::WALTERSFri Mar 15 1996 17:2913
         I like the tie,            
         but I'm not crazy
	 about the pumps  (___)    +------+   +-------+
                          (o o)    |      |   |       |
                        +--\_/--+--|      |\  |       |\
                       //\  #  /---|      | | |       | |
                       \\ | V |    |super | | |regular| |
                        ~/_____\   |      | | |       | |
                          |___|    |      |/  |       |/
                          || \\    |      |   |       |
                          || ||    |      |   |       |
                    ------~~-~~----+      +---+       +----------
    
79.2041GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Fri Mar 15 1996 17:341
And as long as she is wearing black stockings.   :o
79.2042CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesFri Mar 15 1996 17:481
    <---- with a seam up the back too. 
79.2043POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Fri Mar 15 1996 18:303
    re: <<< Note 79.2040 by SMURF::WALTERS >>>
    
    AGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAAAAAAA!
79.2044NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 18 1996 13:0540
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 15, 1996 [excerpts]


Tampa, Florida:

David Dean was making a sandwich when he spotted it --
part of a finger lying among the slices of deli ham.

"We've had some sleepless nights," Katie Dean said. 
"Nightmares.  I probably will never purchase deli meat
again."

The Deans filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Publix
Supermarkets, claiming they have suffered from the fear
of contracting hepatitis or AIDS from the female
employee who lost her fingertip while slicing ham.

The employee has tested negative for those diseases,
Katie Dean said.  The Deans said they have not been
tested.  The suit seeks $15,000.

The Deans said they ate the ham during four days before
making their discovery.

Katie Dean said they took the fingertip to the supermarket
manager, who apologized, refunded her money and offered a
$25 gift certificate.

==========
Fast News Forum:

Fremont, California, paramedics Paul Schmidt and Todd
Quilci were suspended for their plans to market trading
cards, picturing mangled corpses, with messages about
how deaths can be avoided.

A Tennessee state bill requiring constables to be able
to read and wrote died when state Senator Steve Cohen
jokingly proposed they also be able to smoke, chew,
spit and drool.
79.2045MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Mar 18 1996 13:262
When was Wafflefartz last in Tampa?

79.2046USAT05::HALLRGod loves even you!Mon Mar 18 1996 15:451
    last week  :-)
79.2047MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Mon Mar 18 1996 19:3563
Subject: FW: Do not read this before or after eating!
This may be tough reading, really tough, but it is a true story.

=============================================================================
My little sister is an E.R. nurse, and she sent me this item (typed in by
me verbatim). The glossarial
terms in [brackets] suggested by her.

From the "Unusual Case" column of _Aspects of Human Sexuality_, July 1991,
by William A
Morton, Jr, MD. Reprinted without permission.

"Scrotum Self-Repair"

One morning I was called to the emergency room by the head ER nurse. She
directed me to a patient who had refused to describe his problem other than
to say that he "needed a doctor who took care of men's problems." The
patient, about 40, was pale, febrile [feverish], and obviously
uncomfortable,
and had little to say as he gingerly opened his trousers to expose a bit of
angry red and black-and-blue scrotal skin.

After I asked the nurse to leave us, the patient permitted me to remove his
trousers, shorts, and two or three yards of foul-smelling stained gauze
wrapped about his scrotum, which was swollen to twice the size of a
grapefruit and extremely tender. A jagged zig-zag laceration, oozing pus
and blood, extended down the left scrotum.

Amid the matted hair, edematous [swollen] skin, and various exudates, I saw
some half-buried dark linear objects and asked the patient what they were.
Several days earlier, he replied, he had injured himself in the machine
shop where he worked, and had closed the laceration himself with a
heavy-duty stapling gun. The dark objects were one-inch staples of the type
used in putting up
wallboard.

We X-rayed the patient's scrotum to locate the staples; admitted him to the
hospital; and gave him tetanus antitoxin, broad- spectrum antibacterial
therapy, and hexachlorophene sitz baths prior to surgery the next morning.
The procedure consisted of exploration and debridement [removal of dead
skin] of the left side of the scrotal pouch. Eight rusty staples were
retrieved, and the skin
edges were trimmed and freshened. The left testis had been avulsed [ripped
or torn out] and was missing. The stump of the spermatic cord was recovered
at the inguinal canal, debrided, and the vessels ligated [tied off]
properly, though not much of a hematoma [pocket of blood] was present.
Through-and- through Penrose drains [?] were sutured loosely in site, and
the skin was loosely
closed.

Convalescence was uneventful, and before his release from the hospital less
than a week later, the patient confided the rest of his story to me. An
unmarried loner, he usually didn't leave the machine shop at lunchtime with
his co-workers. Finding himself alone, he had begun the regular practice of
masturbating by holding his penis against the canvas drive-belt of a large
floor-based piece of running machinery. One day, as he approached orgasm,
he lost his concentration and leaned too close to the belt. When his
scrotum suddenly became caught between the pulley-wheel and the drive-belt,
he was thrown into the air and landed a few feet away. Unaware that he had
lost his left testis, and perhaps too stunned to feel much pain, he stapled
the wound closed and resumed work.

I can only assume he abandoned this method of self-gratification.
79.2048CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Mon Mar 18 1996 19:3715
>Subject: FW: Do not read this before or after eating!


 If you shouldn't read it before or after reading, should one read it
 while eating?  I mean we are always in one of those 3 states!









79.2049MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Mon Mar 18 1996 19:381
    Well....Give it an hour or so!!!!!!! :-[
79.2050GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheMon Mar 18 1996 20:064
    
    oh man....even *i* hurt while reading that...
    
    
79.2051TROOA::BUTKOVICHwhatever it takesMon Mar 18 1996 20:181
    I wonder about the person who retrieved the left one...
79.2052SMURF::WALTERSTue Mar 19 1996 11:423
    Interesting,  I first saw that one on the net about 10 years ago.  It
    was doing the rounds with another story about a deer tongue that turned
    up in an unususal place.
79.2053BSS::PROCTOR_RWallet full of eelskinsTue Mar 19 1996 12:325
    >    <<< Note 79.2047 by MKOTS3::JMARTIN "Madison...5'2'' 95 lbs." >>>
    
    boy am I glad I quit staying IN at lunch with my PC and Netscape..
    
    good thing the PC doesn't have many moving parts..
79.2054NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 19 1996 12:50182
WhiteBoard News for Monday, March 18, 1996 [excerpts]

Fresno, California:

Rocky, a powerful 100-pound Rottweiler male, will
undergo neutering surgery Monday in Fresno and emerge
-- if all goes well -- looking none the less, thanks to
a substitute pair of "Neuticles."

Rocky is fortunate, if he cares, to be what Neuticles
inventor Greg Miller says is the first Neuticles
patient in California.

Neuticles are cosmetic canine genitals designed to make
dog owners, and maybe even Rocky, feel better about
this life change.

Polypropylene, a material that coats some human
implants and surgical equipment, is a key ingredient of
Neuticles, says a news release from the Canine
Testicular Implant program, run by CTI Corporation, of
Buckner, Missouri.

The information runs under the heading: "Neuticles,
Looking and Feeling the Same."

The normal neutering operation runs $42 to $125,
varying with the dog.  For this operation CTI supplied
a set of Neuticles -- which cost $30 a unit -- for
free.  CTI sent several extra sets.

Rocky belongs to concrete mason Greg Samel, who won
access to Neuticles for Rocky through a radio contest
show.  Rocky submitted three ghost-written paragraphs
on why he wanted Neuticles.  The essay was fairly low
humor along the lines of "missing the boys."

Samel said the Neuticles movement was "probably a male
thing," meaning a concern among men, not women.  He
didn't think his wife, Karen, cared one way or the
other.
==========

Spokane, Washington:

Conformation is important.  And good breeding is
paramount.

But size still counts at the Cowman's Classic All Breed
Bull Sale.

And not just body weight.

"Thirty-six-point-five, that's good-sized for a
yearling," said one rancher, reading the stats on a
black Angus bull that fetched $9,000 -- a record --
during last month's auction at the Spokane
International Fairgrounds.

That's 36.5 centimeters in circumference -- slightly
larger than a softball.  The scrotal measurement was
listed alongside each bull's weight and lot number on
the auction program.

Ranchers study the numbers the same way sports fans
memorize heights, weights and batting averages.

"Just because they're big doesn't mean they're
fertile," cautioned Dr. Randy Scott, a large-animal
veterinarian who works at the annual sale.

"But bulls with bigger testicles tend to service more
cows and they pass that size on to their calves."

In fact, bulls that don't measure up are barred from
the sale, which is known for its quality breeding
stock.  The minimum is 31 centimeters.

That measurement is only one indication of a good bull. 
Buyers also look at muscle conformation, and the length
and thickness of the animal, as well as its weight when
it was born, when it was a year old, and at maturity.

There's no evidence the bulls gave thought to their
malehood or appearance before entering the auction
ring.
==========

Chicago, Illinois:

Eric Thompson opened the urgent looking Overnight
Express letter in front of his wife.  

The letter inside, from an adoption agency, was a shock
to both.

"Dear Mr. Eric Thompson," it read.  "You have been
named as the father of an unborn baby due to be born on
January 16.  (The mother) is planning to consent to the
child's adoption and the law requires that the agency
make diligent efforts to locate and notify the child's
father."

His wife demanded an explanation, while the 34-year-old
electrical engineer stammered that there must be a
mistake.

There was -- and he and three other Chicago-area Eric
Thompsons discovered.  The South Side Thompson and his
wife got an answer the next day when they phoned the
agency.

As part of its "diligent efforts" to assist in the
adoption, the Children's Home & Aid Society of Chicago
sent the form letter to all four Eric Thompsons in the
Chicago and suburban phone books.

"My wife, being an intelligent woman, thankfully
understood.  But they could mess up households like
that," Thompson said.

The adoption agency is rethinking its strategy.  Mary
DeBose, the agency's vice president, acknowledged that,
in a different case, as many as 60 letters went out for
one man with a very common name.

"We got a call from a 95-year-old individual who said,
'I find it very doubtful I am the father,'" she said.

The 19-year-old Eric Thompson the letter was intended
for?  He has not been found.
==========

Los Angeles, California:

When comparing big rigs to bovines as causes for
pollution, cows come up smelling like roses.

Tests show cows may stink up the air, but they don't
pollute it much.

The news comes as a big relief to dairy farmers.  "It's
not the cows; it's the people," said Wendy Vander
Dussen of the Milk Producers Council.

Researchers found that each cow emits 20 pounds of
ammonia into the air each year, 73 percent less than
previously estimated.

The 312,000 or so cows in the area east of Los Angeles
emit 8.5 tons per day.  Compare that to heavy-duty
trucks, spewing out 239 tons daily of nitrogen oxides
and particulates, or ships, which add 35 tons, and
trains, which contribute 34 tons, according to the
state Air Resources Board.
==========

New York, New York:

Tired of reading travel guides?  "Don't Go Europe," a
parody of the Harvard Student Agencies' "Let's Go
Europe," can provide comic relief.

Regarding food, author Chris Harris says: "Unless you
count 'squishy,' British food cannot be easily summed
up in a single word like that of Italy ('pasta'),
France ('slugs'), or Poland ('no').

A handy tip for tourists in Germany: "...the (Berlin)
wall's sections are either gone or certified art now,
and you can't walk up and throw a sledgehammer at it
now any more than you would knock a souvenir big toe
off the statue of David in Florence, which we wouldn't
dare recommend, since there's only one left, and
anyway, it'd be easier to snag one of his five
fingers."

And there are "Be Bold!  Be Stupid!  Be American!"
tips: "If you ever run into a French person giving
commands to her dog, walk up to her with a look of
shock on your face and say, 'Wow!  I can't believe that
your dog can understand French!"
79.2055LANDO::OLIVER_Btools are our friendsTue Mar 19 1996 12:566
    |Rocky, a powerful 100-pound Rottweiler male, will
    |undergo neutering surgery Monday in Fresno and emerge
    |-- if all goes well -- looking none the less, thanks to
    |a substitute pair of "Neuticles."
    
    will they give the dog a bone?
79.2056CONSLT::MCBRIDEKeep hands &amp; feet inside ride at all timesTue Mar 19 1996 12:571
    AGAGAGAGagagagagagagGAGAGAGAG!  
79.2057TROOA::BUTKOVICHwhatever it takesTue Mar 19 1996 13:491
    Rocky!  Stop licking your neuticles!
79.2058NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 19 1996 13:571
Newticles --  frozen Gingrich on a stick.
79.2059LANDO::OLIVER_BTue Mar 19 1996 14:041
    gingy!  get your cuticles outta your newticles!
79.2060NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundTue Mar 19 1996 14:068
re:.2054 (Eric Thompson/daddy letter from adoption agency)

>"My wife, being an intelligent woman, thankfully
>understood.  But they could mess up households like
>that," Thompson said.


Hey what's a houshold or two when ya got a job t' do!
79.2061NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 19 1996 14:206
Speaking of messing up households, a couple of years ago I picked up a
message on my answering machine that I assume was a sorority prank.
Woman in breathless sexy voice sez something like, "Gerald, last night
was great.  I hope Elaine doesn't find out."  Of course, our phonebook
listing has both of our names.  I told Elaine about the message, and we
mused how reckless a prank it could be, even leading to domestic violence.
79.2062NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundTue Mar 19 1996 14:535
re:-.1

There y'go.

Work for everybody.
79.2063NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 20 1996 16:4823
Rockland, Maine (AP) -- The trial of Deane Brown was put on hold for half
a day while authorities searched for civilian clothing to cover up the
estimated 70 pounds the alleged gang leader gained while feasting on
jailhouse cuisine.

After Brown combined XXXL sweat pants with a skin-tight checked dress shirt,
he was escorted to Knox County Superior Court where his trial on 33 counts
of robbery, burglary and theft got under way Monday afternoon with jury
selection.

The charges against Brown, 31, of Rockland, include beating a 76-year-old
Waldoboro man, who was robbed of nearly $20,000.

At the Piscataquis County Jail, where Brown has been held awaiting trial,
jail-issue jumpsuits expanded with Brown's growing bulk but the court was
compelled to provide him with non-prejudicial attire for the trial.

During a recess, Brown patted his new tummy and said the cooking "didn't
do me any harm.  I wasn't even 250 when I went in; I know I'm over 310 now."

"Everything's prepared just right," said Brown.  "If you have a suggestion,
they listen to you.  It's all good, but if I had to pick one thing, I'd say
the manicotti is the best."
79.2064BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Mar 20 1996 16:524
    
    	Its good to hear he's eating well.  I hope he's getting a good
    	education also.
    
79.2065NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 20 1996 16:542
If he thinks gaining 70 pounds didn't do him any harm, he certainly needs
some education.
79.2066MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Wed Mar 20 1996 20:3229
    Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.
Both were concerned with civil rights.
Both their wives lost their children while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.  
Both were shot in the head.
Both were shot in the presence of their wives.
The secretary of each President warned them not to go to the theater
and to Dallas, respectively.
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy, Kennedy's secretary was named
Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners.
Both successors were named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names comprise fifteen letters.
Booth ran from the theater and was captured in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from the warehouse and was captured in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.


Mystery or statistical coincidence?
79.2067TROOA::BUTKOVICHChrisbert IncWed Mar 20 1996 20:354
    that is some wild and wacky stuff!
    
    
    
79.2068BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Wed Mar 20 1996 20:353
    
    	Wow, that's kind of strange, isn't it?
    
79.2069MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Wed Mar 20 1996 20:372
    It is awfully coincidental.  I heard of it when I was younger but saw
    it on the Internet.
79.2070and on and onHBAHBA::HAASfloor,chair,couch,bedWed Mar 20 1996 20:396
Lincoln died before they started making Lincolns.
Kennedy died before they started making Kennedys.

Lincoln used transportation that couldn't float
Ooops, wrong Kennedy
79.2071GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Wed Mar 20 1996 22:251
    Maybe we should take this to the comspiracy note!!   :)
79.2072NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 22 1996 16:0079
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, March 20, 1996 [excerpts]


Hartford, Connecticut:

Rubber ducky, you're the one. You make charity events
lots of fun. But state regulators want to keep an eye
on you.

Nine paragraphs of new state regulations in Connecticut
aim to ensure charity rubber duck races are fair and
environmentally sound. 

In the races, players pay a fee for rubber ducks that
are dumped into a river. Players win prizes if their
duck is the first to cross the finish line. 

Under the new rules, groups that want to put on a duck
race must obtain a permit. They must ensure that the
finishing point of the race will only allow the passage
of one artificial duck at a time, and that all ducks
are identical. 

Each duck must be inspected, and the inspector must
also ensure no counterfeit ducks enter the race. 
==========

Troy, Michigan:

All they had to do was ask, and two-sixth graders got
150 free Detroit Piston tickets.

Shaun Boening and Kelly Billings had to fulfill a class
assignment to write a letter with an "outrageous
request."  So the Smith Middle School students wrote to
a vice president of the NBA team seeking tickets for
their classmates.

"Kids have been making fun of us behind our backs,
saying that getting a ticket for every kid in our group
is not possible," the two wrote.  "Is this something
the Pistons organization can do?"

The letter impressed Pistons Vice President Lou Korpas,
who provided tickets to the April 10 game.

"It was well written, and it was a challenge for both
of us," he said Monday.

Teacher Patrick Koneval assigned students to write to
anyone they wanted to and ask for a response.  That was
so exciting that he had them write another letter
asking for something outrageous.

Students are still waiting to see whether Microsoft
mogul Bill Gates will send the school a computer or
two.
==========

Federal Way, Washington:

You call that a knife?  That's not a knife.  THIS is a
knife.

That's the kind of dialogue you might hear in an
action-adventure movie -- or a Federal Way grocery
store.

It seems a ski-masked robber stopped at a small grocery
store Saturday night, armed with what the clerk
described as a knife with a 2-inch blade.

"Give me the money or I'll kill you," the robber told
the night clerk.

Sizing up the situation -- and the knife -- the clerk
pulled out his own knife, which had a 3.5-inch blade.  

"OK.  Let's go," he told the robber, who promptly fled.
79.2073NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 25 1996 11:4058
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 22, 1996 [excerpts]

Melbourne, Florida:

Fifth-graders David Cruz and Ashley Burdick admit it.

They kissed.

Not once, but twice, in a hallway at Atlantis
Elementary School last week.

Principal Vicki Mace took a dim view of their smooches,
suspending the two 11-year-olds for a day.

Now their parents are furious -- and contemplating
legal action.  They notified the American Civil
Liberties Union, which has filed a formal complaint
with the school.

"They have ruined my daughter's reputation," said Debra
Burdick, Ashley's mother.  "It was an innocent kiss of
love that they absolutely blew out of proportion."

The school learned about the kissing Monday when
classmates gossiped about a rendezvous the ill-fated
pair planned for later that day.

The encounter never occurred but, during a 45-minute
grilling by administrators, the youngsters confessed to
their earlier secret smooch sessions while the students
were on restroom breaks.

The school handbook, stating "public affection is in
poor taste," says violators will first be warned and,
if a second offense occurs, suspended.

Ashley and David said they were never warned.

Mace said the students weren't given a second chance
because they violated a second handbook taboo, "willful
disobedience."

Asked what constituted willful disobedience, she said
the youths should have been more knowledgeable about
the school handbook.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Services were held Wednesday in China Grove, North
Carolina, for Harry Morrison, 73, and of his son, Jerry
Lee, 54.  The elder Morrison had a heart attack while
performing CPR on his son, who also had a heart attack.

Bobby Northington is suing ex-employer Nashville-based
Hambleton-Hill Publishing and ex-supervisor, Bonnie
Hobbs, saying she chained his leg to a desk to get more
work out of him.
79.2074NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 25 1996 11:423
An Italian marchioness who supports animal rights causes has posed nude for
a billboard for the Italian International Animal Welfare Fund.  The caption
next to her pubic hair says "The only fur I'm not ashamed to wear."
79.2075PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Mar 25 1996 12:082
  how nice.
79.2076BUSY::SLABOUNTYShe never told me she was a mimeMon Mar 25 1996 13:563
    
    	You've gotta admit, at least it's original.
    
79.2077PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Mar 25 1996 14:036
>    	You've gotta admit, at least it's original.

    yeah, yeah.  a lot of tasteless crapola is original.
    

79.2078LANDO::OLIVER_BMon Mar 25 1996 14:271
    what's a marchioness?
79.2079POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Full Body FrisksMon Mar 25 1996 14:304
    
    Wife of a marquis.
    
    
79.2080NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 25 1996 14:361
De sade thing is she wasn't even embarrassed.
79.2081ACISS1::BATTISA few cards short of a full deckMon Mar 25 1996 14:502
    
    <--- agagagagagag
79.2082BSS::PROCTOR_RKeyBoredMon Mar 25 1996 15:181
    well, call me ignorant, but what's a pubic?
79.2083LANDO::OLIVER_BMon Mar 25 1996 15:201
    oh dear.
79.2084MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Mon Mar 25 1996 15:206
???

OK.

How's it going, "Ignorant"?

79.2085NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 25 1996 15:3310
   BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- An 80-year-old woman bent into a sauerkraut barrel
to scoop out a portion, fell in and drowned, a Hungarian daily reported Tuesday.
   The woman was identified as Julianna Farkas, an ethnic Hungarian from Oradea,
Romania, visiting relations in Ebes, a village 100 miles east of Budapest.
   Neighbors discovered the accident, which happened Sunday, when they heard the
woman's 3-year-old great-grandson crying in the yard with no one attending to
him, the daily Nepszabadsag said.
   The reporters at the daily said police assumed the woman became dizzy as she
leaned over the barrel, which was in a shed, and was overcome by the pungent
fumes. Police said the liquid in the barrel was 12 inches deep.
79.2086SOLVIT::KRAWIECKItumble to remove burrsMon Mar 25 1996 18:417
    
    re: .2074
    
    >"The only fur I'm not ashamed to wear."
    
    Being Italian, I guess she is ashamed of the fur under her arm-pits...
    
79.2087ACISS1::BATTISA few cards short of a full deckMon Mar 25 1996 19:362
    
    what a way to go, smelling like sauerkraut. 
79.2088MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Mon Mar 25 1996 19:58107
                                  Sex Laws

In Oblong, Illinois, it's punishable by law to make love while hunting or
fishing on your wedding day. 

No man is allowed to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, onions,
or
sardines on his breath in Alexandria, Minnesota. If his wife so requests, law
mandates that he must brush his teeth. 

Warn your hubby that after lovemaking in Ames, Iowa, he isn't allowed to take
more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with you -- or holding
you in his arms. 

Bozeman, Montana, has a law that bans all sexual activity between members of
the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown -- if they're
nude.
(Apparently, if you wear socks, you're safe from the law!) 

In hotels in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, every room is required to have
twin beds.  And the beds must always be a minimum of two feet apart when a
couple rents a room for only one night. And it's illegal to make love on
the floor between the
beds! 

The owner of every hotel in Hastings, Nebraska, is required to provide each
guest with a clean and pressed nightshirt. No couple, even if they are
married,
may sleep together in the nude. Nor may they have sex unless they are wearing
one of these clean, white cotton nightshirts. 

An ordinance in Newcastle, Wyoming, specifically bans couples from having sex
while standing inside a store's walk-in meat freezer! 

A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master,
not
mister, when addressed by their female counterparts. 

In Norfolk, Virginia, a woman can't go out without wearing a corset. (There
was
a civil-service job -- for men only -- called a corset inspector.) 

However, in Merryville, Missouri, women are prohibited from wearing corsets
because "the privilege of admiring the curvaceous, unencumbered body of a
young woman should not be denied to the normal, red-blooded American male." 

It's safe to make love while parked in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Police officers
aren't allowed to walk up and knock on the window. Any suspicious officer who
thinks that sex is taking place must drive up from behind, honk his horn
three
times and wait approximately two minutes before getting out of his car to
investigate. 

Another law in Helena, Montana, mandates that a woman can't dance on a table
in a saloon or bar unless she has on at least three pounds, two ounces of
clothing. 

Lovers in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, should avoid satisfying their
lustful urges in a parked car. If the horn accidentally sounds while they
are frolicking behind the wheel, the couple can face a jail term. 

In Carlsbad, New Mexico, it's legal for couples to have sex in a parked
vehicle
during their lunch break from work, as long as the car or van has drawn
curtains to stop strangers from peeking in. 

A Florida sex law: If you're a single, divorced, or widowed woman, you can't
parachute on Sunday afternoons. 

Women aren't allowed to wear patent-leather shoes in Cleveland, Ohio -- a man
might see the reflection of something "he oughtn't!" 

No woman may have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance within the
boundaries of Tremonton, Utah. If caught, the woman can be charged with a
sexual misdemeanor and "her name is to be published in the local newspaper."
The man isn't charged nor is his name revealed.

%%% overflow headers %%%
To: "ALEXIS BAKER" <ALEXIS_BAKER@fci.COM>, hburns@mkots3.ENET.dec.com,
        "Martin, Jack" <jmartin@mkots3.ENET.dec.com>,
        "Meagan Cahoon" <M.Cahoon@m.cc.utah.edu>,
        "Sproul, Nedra" <nedra@adm.schs.wash.k12.ut.us>,
        "maria barnhill" <maria_barnhill.wro%AlisaMail@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Haugh, Bob" <haugh#m#_bob@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Johnson, Gary" <Johnson#m#_Gary@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Louie, Wayland" <Louie#m#_Wayland@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Madrid, Vicki" <madrid#m#_vicki@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Opalk,Jeri" <opalk#m#jeri@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Parker, Bob" <parker#m#_bob@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Plummer, Steve" <plummer#m#_steve@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Rehse, Sue" <Rehse#m#_Sue@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Robinson, Patty" <Robinson#m#_Patty@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
        "Veazey Ed" <veazey_ed@mmac.is.lmsc.lockheed.com>
%%% end overflow headers %%%

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79.2089CBHVAX::CBHMr. CreosoteMon Mar 25 1996 20:033
Is there really a town called `Oblong'?  The mind boggles...

Chris.
79.2090BUSY::SLABOUNTYStand back,I dunno how big it gets!Mon Mar 25 1996 20:176
>A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master,
>not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts. 

    	I guess Chicago isn't all that bad after all.
    
79.2091MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Mon Mar 25 1996 20:272
    And it's predominantly a liberal state right?  Therefore, using Stacy
    logic, all liberals are sexist swines!!!
79.2092BUSY::SLABOUNTYStand back,I dunno how big it gets!Mon Mar 25 1996 20:363
    
    	You say that like it's a bad thing.
    
79.2093MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue Mar 26 1996 00:524
re: .2086

That reminds me, Andy - you were going to supply me with the lawyer's number.

79.2094SOLVIT::KRAWIECKItumble to remove burrsTue Mar 26 1996 12:0226
                         oooo$$$$$$$$$$$$oooo
                      oo$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$o
                   oo$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$o         o$   $$ o$
   o $ oo        o$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$o       $$ $$ $$o$
oo $ $ "$      o$$$$$$$$$    $$$$$$$$$$$$$    $$$$$$$$$o       $$$o$$o$
"$$$$$$o$     o$$$$$$$$$      $$$$$$$$$$$      $$$$$$$$$$o    $$$$$$$$
  $$$$$$$    $$$$$$$$$$$      $$$$$$$$$$$      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$    $$$$$$$$$$$$$    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$  """$$$
   "$$$""""$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$     "$$$
    $$$   o$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$     "$$$o
   o$$"   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$       $$$o
   $$$    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$" "$$$$$$ooooo$$$$o
  o$$$oooo$$$$$  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$   o$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
  $$$$$$$$"$$$$   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$     $$$$""""""""
 """"       $$$$    "$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$"      o$$$
            "$$$o     """$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$"$$"         $$$
              $$$o          "$$""$$$$$$""""           o$$$
               $$$$o                 oo             o$$$"
                "$$$$o      o$$$$$$o"$$$$o        o$$$$
                  "$$$$$oo     ""$$$$o$$$$$o   o$$$$""
                     ""$$$$$oooo  "$$$o$$$$$$$$$"""
                        ""$$$$$$$oo $$$$$$$$$$
                                """"$$$$$$$$$$$
                                    $$$$$$$$$$$$
                                     $$$$$$$$$$"
                                       "$$$""""
79.2095BUSY::SLABOUNTYStomp your hands, clap your feetTue Mar 26 1996 13:203
    
    	Looks like a foreign number to me.
    
79.2096NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 26 1996 14:2816
BUCHAREST,  March  22 (Reuter) - An eccentric  Transylvanian
mayor  has come up with an idea to stop city workers leaning
on  their shovels instead of working, by making the  handles
too short.

"The  handles should be shortened so that they can no longer
be  used  as a leaning point by those who meditate while  at
work,"  Gheorghe Funar wrote in a letter to the Cluj council
works  department, the independent newspaper Romania  Libera
said on Friday.

Funar,  a  nationalist better known for  baiting  the  local
Hungarian  minority  than  for productivity  tips,  said  he
wanted  to end the "present working system (where)  one  man
works  while another 10 colleagues and bosses watch, comment
and advise."
79.2097Leaning on a rented barrel!MILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetWed Mar 27 1996 13:594
79.2098COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertSat Mar 30 1996 02:4431
* Man who claimed extraterrestrials made him kill gets death sentence

TUCSON, Ariz.  -- A man who claimed space aliens forced him to murder two 
women got what he wanted for his birthday Friday: a death sentence.

Robert Joe Moody said he wanted to be executed so that the aliens, or 
"extrasensory biological entities," would resurrect him and prove their 
existence.

"We have finally come to the point where I get my birthday wish," Moody, 
who turned 37 on Friday, told Judge Howard Hantman.  "I hope you grant the 
appropriate sentence to allow me to complete my mission."

The one-time financial planner and real estate agent showed no reaction to 
the sentence and spent much of the hearing smiling at the packed courtroom.

Moody was convicted in October of murdering Michelle Malone, 33, and 
Patricia Magda, 56, in separate attacks in 1993.  Malone was shot to death; 
Magda was bludgeoned.

Acting as his own lawyer, Moody argued that extraterrestrials forced him to 
kill because they wanted to prove their existence by getting the public's 
attention.

Prosecutors maintained he killed to support a drug habit.  The women's 
stolen checks and bank cards were found in his car.

At a hearing last week, a psychologist testified that Moody suffers from 
multiple personality disorder, a diagnosis that was not brought out during 
the trial.

79.2099CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Sat Mar 30 1996 20:015



 (insert sound of coocoo clock here)
79.2100CSLALL::HENDERSONWe shall behold Him!Sat Mar 30 1996 20:013

 insert snarf here
79.2101NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 01 1996 13:46135
WEIRDNUZ.422 (News of the Weird, March 8, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Among recent passings of note:  In January, in Columbus,
Ohio, Mr. M. S. Tooill; and in Arlington, Va., Mr. W. M.
Croker; and in December in Oklahoma City, Mr. William Death. 
In February, a 44-year-old man was killed on the shoulder of I-
95 in Rhode Island, after being hit by a truck while standing
between two other trucks--one hauling granite slabs for
tombstones and the other belonging to the Yates Casket
Company.  And three weeks earlier, a 23-year-old man was
killed in Fallston, Md., when his car smashed into a truck
carrying burial vaults. [Columbus Dispatch, 1-14-96; Washington
Post, 1-28-95; Daily Oklahoman, Dec95] [Gannett Suburban
Newspapers (White Plains, N. Y.), 2-2-96] [Baltimore Sun, 1-5-
96] 

WEIRD SCIENCE

* Two Danish scientists, writing in the journal Nature in
December, reported finding a previously unknown, 0.01-inch-
long organism whose habitat is the lips of Norwegian lobsters. 
Among the characteristics of the Symbion pandora:  It can
reproduce either sexually or asexually, and though it is born with
a brain, the brain completely disappears during adolescence and
reappears at the onset of adulthood. [Chicago Tribune-Reuters,
12-14-95] 

* In December, surgeon Isam Felahy removed an inch-long tree
sprig from the right lung of 16-year-old Tracy McIntyre in
Stockton, Calif.  Tracy had apparently inhaled it in 1980 from
the family Christmas tree.  The sprig, which was still green, was
apparently also the source of Tracy's notoriously bad breath.
[Albuquerque Journal-AP, 12-16-95] 

* In December, scientists at the Japan Atomic Power Company in
Takasaki reported that bombarding cheap wine and whiskey with
a deadly (for humans) dose of gamma rays actually improved the
taste.  According to researcher Hiroshi Watanabe, irradiation
supplies a blending that poorly-made wine and whiskey lack, and
in fact, he predicts that irradiation will be used by the year 2000
to improve the taste of many common foods.  (However,
Watanabe admits that irradiating good wine and whiskey makes
them taste worse.) [AP wirecopy, 12-13-95] 

* In December, United Nations health organizations announced
stepped-up campaigns against several African maladies, including
Guinea worm disease.  The disease manifests itself within a year
of a person's ingesting water fleas infected with the larvae, at
which point string-like worms up to three feet long emerge from
painful blisters. [New York Times, 12-6-95] 

* An October Houston Chronicle report on University of Texas
biochemist Barrie Kitto revealed that currently the only way
government inspectors can detect microscopic feces in cereal
grain (to ascertain whether the allowable two rat pellets per
kilogram of grain has been exceeded) is through visual
inspection.  Dr. Kitto has developed a substance sensitive to the
feces that will turn a sample green to make inspection easier.
[Houston Chronicle, 10-30-95] 

* A New York City physician, writing in the August issue of the
journal Consultant, described a case of "megacolon," a condition
in which feces are retained in the colon for an abnormally long
time.  In the case reported, a 27-year-old man had 12 pounds of
feces surgically removed. [Consultant, August 1995] 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

* The municipal council of Kota Bahru in northeastern Malaysia,
a city controlled by an Islamic party, announced in January that it
would require citizens who deal with the government, such as
those who line up to make license and utility payments, to be
segregated by gender, to prohibit excessive mingling. [Las Vegas
Review-Journal-AP, 1-8-96] 

* The city of Bacolod in the Philippines endured a rash of
cemetery thefts during the summer, as a gang of thieves dug up
graves to steal corpses' kneecaps, which are thought by some
Filipinos to have magical properties.  The kneecaps were ground
into powder and burned outside homes in order to put residents to
sleep so they would be easy targets for the gang's burglaries.
[The Independent, 8-7-95] 

* A court in Grenaa, Denmark, announced it would soon impose
a higher fine on a woman because she refuses to change the
spelling of the name of her son, "Christophpher," which is
unapproved by the ministry that regulates names.  She has paid
about $18 a week since 1989, and the fine will go up to about
$91 in March.  Chris is now eight years old, and so far his name
has cost the woman almost $5,000 in fines, but she insisted the
uniqueness was worth it. [AP wirecopy, 12-13-95] 

* According to a September report from Madagascar in Financial
Times, the Randrianaivo family's "famadihana" celebration was a
success.  In famadihana, every five years or so, a respected
family member is disinterred and communed with, supposedly to
help the soul's transition into being a spirit for the living family
members.  Bones are wrapped in white shrouds, caressed, and
danced with. [World Press Review-Financial Times, December
1995] 

* In November, Knight-Ridder News Service reported that the
government in Nanning, China, was levying fines of about $1.50
for anyone who orders more food in restaurants than he can eat.
[Rock Island Argus-Knight-Ridder, 11-10-95] 

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS

* A study of 12,000 people by University of North Carolina
researchers, released in December, revealed that people who
drink lots of beer have large bellies but most people who drink
lots of wine don't. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 12-11-95] 

* In December, the Arizona Republic profiled animal
psychologist Krista Cantrell, who says her success is because she
can communicate telepathically with dogs and therefore get to the
bottom of most master-dog relationship problems.  Several
satisfied clients sang praises for Cantrell's work, including even
the owner of a horse that was on the verge of being put to sleep
but was able to tell Cantrell that he was simply overmedicated. 
(Five weeks later, the horse won a race.) [Washington Times-
Arizona Republic, 12-12-95] 

* A mental health facility in Kansas City, Mo., set up a "Chiefs
Grief Hotline" for distraught fans trying to deal with the football
team's loss to the Indianapolis Colts in January to end its Super
Bowl hopes. [Sports Illustrated, 1-22-96; St. Louis Post-
Dispatch, 1-14-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2102NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 01 1996 13:474
A 21-year-old man claiming to be armed with a bomb took a radio station
manager hostage in Wanganui, New Zealand, and demanded that the station
play "The Rainbow Connection", a song performed by the Muppets, for 12
hours to "tell people how he felt."
79.2103NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 01 1996 13:4885
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 29, 1996 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of John DeVere:

Plainfield, Wisconsin:

Police used a marked roll of toilet paper to put the
squeeze on a principal suspected of filching bathroom
tissue from his high school. 

Dennis Ferriter, 57, was suspended from Tri-County High
on Wednesday after a search of his car and office
turned up the marked toilet paper and two marked $1
bills that had been placed in a vending machine,
Superintendent James Erdman said. The markings could be
seen only under ultraviolet light. 

No immediate charges were filed. The district attorney
is investigating the extent of the thefts. 

Authorities suggested Ferriter may have taken the
toilet paper for a bed and breakfast he owns. The
principal refused to comment Friday. 

A janitor first raised suspicions about Ferriter in
February after noting that a roll of toilet paper was
routinely missing from a supply room after Ferriter ate
lunch there. 

On February 26, school officials and police began daily
counts of the toilet paper. None was missing on days
Ferriter was absent from school, police said. 

Investigators also reported discrepancies between
nightly audits of cash in the school's vending machines
and Ferriter's deposits from them.
==========

London, England:

A penniless British bridegroom who robbed the same gas
station twice in two days to pay for his wedding and
honeymoon was jailed for five years on Thursday.

Police arrested 47-year-old Derek Lovett as he waited,
dressed in a suit with a carnation in his lapel, for
his wedding ceremony to begin.

He was charged with stealing $480.

His bride-to-be, Norma Miller, burst into tears as he
was dragged off in handcuffs.
==========

Wellington, New Zealand:

Officials at the Wellington City Art Gallery denied
entry to a 9-day-old baby when his mother tried to buy
a ticket.

Director Paula Savage said the gallery's policy of
excluding minors during the exhibit of controversial
photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe would be strictly
enforced.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Angered by an animal-welfare group's attempt to
prosecute a man for bashing a rat to death in his
garden, the New Jersey Senate unanimously voted to
exclude rats and mice from protection under the state's
animal-cruelty laws.

Lacking note paper, Florida prison inmate Robert
Attwood used toilet paper to file his 95th complaint
challenging his jailing.  He was released before a
judge could hear it.

Since videotaping isn't illegal, it took Oakland,
California, police three months to figure out what
charges to file against Howard Baltazar, 42, who they
say secretly taped other men showering at an exercise
club.  They settled for eavesdropping because the tape
has audio.
79.2104NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 01 1996 16:393
According to the mayor of Bogor, West Java, the figure of 77 deaths from a
mall fire in that town is incorrect.  There were 10 deaths.  The rest were
apparently mannequins.
79.2105POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Mon Apr 01 1996 17:321
    Did they find the dummy who started the fire?
79.2106BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Mon Apr 01 1996 20:4910
    
    	RE: .2103
    
>Police used a marked roll of toilet paper to put the
>squeeze on a principal suspected of filching bathroom
>tissue from his high school. 
    
    	Could be worse ... he could have been caught felching bathroom
    	tissue.
    
79.2107NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 08 1996 14:39164
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 03, 1996 [excerpts]

Pawtucket, Rhode Island:

A man punctured his mother-in-law's esophagus when he
jammed two crucifixes down her throat during an
exorcism, police said. 

Mario Garcia was screaming, "The devil is inside her!"
when police arrived to find the woman on the front
porch, blood pouring from her mouth. 

The woman, whose name was not released, was in critical
condition Tuesday. 

Garcia, 31, was charged with assault with a dangerous
weapon, although police do not believe he intended to
harm the woman, Capt. John Haberle said. Garcia was
ordered held for psychiatric observation. 

Garcia's wife, father-in-law, brother-in-law and three
children under 10 had gathered around and prayed while
he attempted to chase a demon from his 47-year-old
mother-in-law with 8-inch steel crosses, police said. 

"I've seen suspects who thought they had psychic
powers, but never one that had a family who believed
it, too," Haberle said. "This was a bizarre one." 

The family told police that Garcia's mother-in-law had
been released Sunday from a hospital, where they had
taken her because she was behaving strangely. The
hospital recommended psychiatric care. 

After she returned to her home, Garcia performed an
exorcism on her son, who was depressed about his
mother, Haberle said. 

"The family said the devil flew out of the son and into
the mother," Haberle said. "Then she began talking
strangely." 

Late Sunday, Garcia took the woman to his Pawtucket
apartment and had her lie on a bed. He told police that
she struggled and began screaming when he put the
crucifixes into her mouth, and that she was
accidentally hurt. 

"There was blood everywhere, on floors and walls in the
bedroom, kitchen and hallway," Haberle said. 
==========

Pierson, Florida:

A bumbling robber had to withdraw Monday when he
discovered the bank he was trying to stick up wasn't a
bank at all.

It was City Hall.

The robber-wannabe intended to hold up Tomoka State
Bank, but he walked up to the wrong counter and
demanded money from a clerk who works for the City of
Pierson.

City Hall and the bank share a building in this rural
town.

After stalking into the lobby, the robber headed right
when he should have headed left.

At the city's counter, he was greeted by clerk Carmie
Burnsed, who assumed he was paying his water bill.  The
crook gave Burnsed a note demanding money.

She told him she worked for the city and didn't have
any.  Burnsed even opened her empty cash drawer to
prove it, and the thwarted thief walked away.
==========

"The English have 11 million mad cows, and Cambodia has
roughly the same number of equally mad land mines. 
Surely the solution to Cambodia's mine problem is here
before our very eyes."

The Cambodia Daily on the importation of British cows. 
The plan is to let the cows wander setting off land
mines left from years of bitter fighting.
==========

New Delhi, India:

A Hindu group in India offered Tuesday to shelter
British cows threatened with slaughter because of mad
cow disease, but denied it planned to ship 12 million
of them to sanctuary in India.

A spokesman for the World Hindu Council, said the group
had told representatives in London to build a shelter
for "homeless cows" and sick cows.

"We have given directions to our unit in London that
they should administer medical aid to the cows that
have gone mad and to homeless cows, and build a
shelter for them," the spokesman said.  He did not say
how many cows it might shelter.

The group denied a report in a newspaper called The
Asian Age that it had offered to look after the cattle
in India if the British Government shouldered their
$1.5 billion shipping cost.

Hindus, who make up over four-fifths of India's 920
million people, worship cows.  Cow slaughter is banned
in 9 of India's 26 states.
==========

Los Angeles, California:

A former Playboy Mansion animal keeper convicted of
helping run a $1 million bird smuggling ring was
sentenced Monday to 37 months in prison.

Theodora Swanson, 36, was convicted in July of helping
a group of high school buddies steal rare cockatoo eggs
from the birds' nest in the isolated Australian
outback.  The thieves then sneaked the eggs under their
shirts into this country.

Hatched in Los Angeles by bird sellers masquerading as
breeders, the parrot-like birds fetched prices of more
than $10,000 from collectors.

But details of how bungling birdnappers struggled to
fill "egg vest" underwear -- and then sweated it out
when chirping cockatoos hatched in front of puzzled
customs agents -- left a federal court jury agog.

The eight-year operation, masterminded by Swanson's
boyfriend, came to an end when Australian national park
rangers noticed several young cockatoo hunters whacking
sticks against eucalyptus tree trunks during an
egg-snatching expedition.

One inept smuggler was even wearing his vest backward
when he was caught, meaning his loot would have been
crushed if he sat down, according to testimony.

The egg thefts are galling to Australians, who consider
wild cockatoos an endangered species and prohibit their
removal from the country for commercial purposes.  An
international treaty also limits their importation to
other countries.

During Swanson's trial, several other bird smugglers in
Wegner's ring sang like canaries, opening an unusual
door to the world of animal thievery.

They testified that Wegner recruited a group of former
New Paltz, New York, high school friends to work for
him as tree-climbing nest robbers and egg couriers. 
Eventually, so many people from the town wanted to get
in on the lucrative business that competing smuggling
groups were organized.
79.2108NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 08 1996 14:4171
WhiteBoard News for Friday, April 05, 1996

Beijing, China:

China plans to build a theme park that would enable
visitors to experience the "adventure" of an earthquake,
Xinhua news agency said.

The northern city of Tangshan, where this century's
most devastating earthquake killed 240,000 people 20
years ago, has been proposed as the site of the theme
park.

Ruins from the earthquake have become a major tourist
attraction.
==========

Dedham, Massachusetts:

A woman who advertised on the Internet that she had a
cure for HIV and urged callers to dial a 900 number,
was ordered by a judge to take the advertisement off
the World Wide Web.

Marjorie Phillips of Brockton, offered the cure in a
book for $24, or by phone at $1.99 a minute.

Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, seeking to warn
"other cyber-snakeoil salesmen," obtained a temporary
restraining order knocking the ad off the Internet.

The book recommends using a compound of wormwood,
cloves and black-walnut hulls, said George Weber, a
state attorney.
==========

Wenatchee, Washington:

The City of Wenatchee has a month to find another name
or face fines of $10,000 a day, warns the man who
recently acquired the corporate name "The City of
Wenatchee Inc." from the secretary of state's office.

Ron Kurpuis paid $175 and took the name for a
for-profit corporation, he said Tuesday, "because it
was available, very recognizable and...it's already on
the maps."

The corporation aims to educate people about the U.S.
Constitution and to create a local "township" governed
by common law, Kurpuis said.

"They can pooh-pooh this, but...the name is mine, and
I've given them notice to quit using it," he said.

The city officials of Wenatchee, incorporated in 1892,
are considering legal options.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Marine Cpl. Jebediah Morris, 21, won't be prosecuted
for trying to scale the White House fence Sunday.  He
was so drunk he thought he was climbing the fence at
his base, the U.S. Attorney says.  The Marines will
handle discipline.

A 22-year-old Orange, Texas, man who fell asleep on the
railroad track was unharmed when a 75-car train rumbled
over him Sunday.  The unidentified man passed out
between the rails.
79.2109NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 08 1996 14:41126
WEIRDNUZ.423 (News of the Weird, March 15, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Houston, Tex., police arrested a 46-year-old man in February
and charged him with molesting his 12-year-old granddaughter. 
Police officers and social workers suspect that the man is not only
the father of the girl's mother but of the girl, too, and, noting
that the granddaughter is five months' pregnant, also suspect he
is the father of what would be his own great-granddaughter. 
(The suspect denied all accusations.) [AP wirecopy, 2-14-96] 

POLICE BLOTTER

* Hitman Chanh Thong Vo, 24, was killed in what was most
likely a contract murder in Toronto in December.  Vo was known
in the community for favoring the front waistband of his jeans to
hold his .45-calibre handgun, and because of an earlier accident
in holstering his gun, he was known as No Wang Vo. [Globe and
Mail, 12-21-95] 

* Police in Mineola, N. Y., filed child endangerment charges
against school bus driver Robert Horton, 22, and his friend in
September.  Their only offense was telling scary stories to their
the 5- and 6-year-old passengers. [Washington Times, 9-25-95] 

* A judge in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, jailed Frank Edward
Gould, 48, in November for 45 days on a DUI charge.  A police
officer spotted Gould's truck weaving on the highway, and as
Gould pulled into a gas station, the officer drove in behind him. 
According to the officer, Gould got out, became disoriented,
walked back to the patrol car, leaned in, and told the officer,
"Fill 'er up." [Welland Tribune-CP, Nov95] 

* From the Police Report, Wauwatosa (Wis.) News-Times,
October 26, 1995:  "A man who was found in a women's
restroom at Mayfair Mall was issued a citation for disorderly
conduct Oct. 17.  The man admitted to police that he had entered
the restroom because he thought it would be a good place to meet
women." [Wauwatosa News-Times, 10-26-95] 

* Two men and a woman were arrested in Bentonville, Ark., in
December and charged with kidnapping Jason Stanley for a
ransom from his stepfather of either $200,000 or 50 pounds of
marijuana.  During his four days of captivity, Stanley, 6-feet and
155 pounds, was bound in plastic tape and stored completely
within a soft-sided, zippered suitcase which the three toted
around with them in their car.  He finally convinced the
kidnappers he would help them commit crimes if only they would
unpack him; once free, he broke away and notified police.
[Tampa Tribune-AP, 12-21-95] 

* In Peterborough, Ontario, Gerald Dixon, 26, was sentenced to
six years in prison in February for robbing a Bank of Montreal
branch.  He was arrested a few hours after the robbery as he
attempted to deposit his loot into his account at the same bank.
[Toronto Star-CP, 2-9-96] 

* According to Albuquerque, N. Mex., police officer Gene
Marquez, one of the local credit-card fraud arrestees he had just
picked up in October expressed excitement when told that a unit
from the TV show "Cops" was in town and might be along in a
few minutes.  According to Marquez, the man said, "My mama
always told me someday I'd be on Cops."  He wanted to know
when his arrest would be on so he wouldn't miss it. (The
Albuquerque segments aired in February.) [Albuquerque Journal,
2-3-96] 

* Nashville, Tenn., police were called to a laundromat in January
after a customer reported that a man had come in from the rain,
soaking wet, put a few coins in a dryer, climbed in, and was
getting tumble-dried. [The Tennessean, 1-19-96] 

* In October, a Redondo Beach, Calif., police officer arrested a
driver after a short chase and charged him with drunk driving. 
Officer Joseph Fonteno's suspicions were aroused when he saw
the white Mazda MX-7 rolling down Pacific Coast Highway with
half of a traffic-light pole, including the lights, lying across its
hood.  The driver had hit the pole on a median strip and simply
kept driving.  According to Fonteno, when the driver was asked
about the pole, he said, "It came with the car when I bought it."
[Torrance Daily Breeze, 10-24-95] 

* Police in Philadelphia in October said a 14-year-old boy was
stabbed in the cheek by a 15-year-old near Northeast High
School.  Police said the younger boy was in the process of
stealing a bicycle when the older boy approached and informed
him that he was going to steal the bicycle, himself.  The two then
fought; the younger boy got in a shot with his bolt cutters before
the older boy stabbed him. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 10-25-95] 

* Recent distracted burglars:  In Canton, Mass., "Soft Foot," a
burglar who committed several jobs in 1995 (during some of
which he cooked a meal in the kitchen without waking the
residents) remained on the lam.  And in Sacramento, Calif., in
December, accused burglar Brett Woolley, 25, allegedly had
lined up the owner's stereo and other items by the front door
ready to go but then decided to draw a bubble bath; he fell asleep
in the tub, the owner returned, and police were called to awaken
Woolley. [USA Today, 12-18-95] [Sacramento Bee, 12-15-95] 

* Among recent drug and booze arrests:  Ms. Collie Brown, 86,
in Grayson County, Tex., in December, for bootlegging; Hazel
Helen Gessler, 70, in Ashland, Ore., in August for growing and
selling marijuana; and Laurie Wilder Maschek, 32, St. Tammany
Parish (La.) teacher of the year in 1992, in October for growing
marijuana. [Athens Messenger-AP, 12-1-95; USA Today, 8-14-
95; The Oregonian, 10-13-95] 

* Donuts in the News:  The Los Angeles International Airport
police department opened an investigation over a January incident
in which one of its officers allegedly passed a fatal freeway
accident scene, at which no officer was yet present, in order to
continue on his way to the Dough Boy donut shop for a cup of
coffee.  And in December, the police chief of Quebec City,
Quebec, ordered his officers to stay away from donut shops
during their breaks so as to improve the department's image. 
Such was the outcry in protest that he rescinded the order the first
week in January and apologized to the Dunkin' Donuts chain for
using its name generically for "donut shop." [Torrance Daily
Breeze, Feb96] [Globe and Mail, 1-6-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2110NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 08 1996 14:428
"Well, you got your Whopper's worth," a murder suspect told
Miami police. He had just confessed to the killing between bites of
the police-bought hamburger. But he left out the ending -- "I'm
really hungry. Buy me a cheese steak," he urged. When detectives
complied, he finished his confession -- adding an admission that he
also committed a couple of robberies. Suspects so much prefer fast
food to jailhouse fare that "we should open an account at Burger
King," said Miami homicide detective Kent Hart. (AP)
79.2111NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 08 1996 14:4410
Brett Donohoe found a stray dog at an Uhrichsville, Ohio, shopping center,
and decided to take it home.  He put it in his pickup truck, then stepped
away to do an errand.  But when he got back, the truck was gone.  Meanwhile,
patrolman James Myers spotted the pickup as it pulled out of the shopping
center parking lot, noticing it weaving around as it went down the road.
Thinking the driver was drunk, Myers chased after it.  The truck drove
through a yard and two fields before crashing.  No people were inside;
the stray dog Donohoe had found was behind the wheel.  Donohoe was
charged with leaving his vehicle unattended with the engine running.
The dog was apparently not charged. (AP)
79.2112WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Apr 09 1996 10:181
    -1 then the dog had its license?
79.2113NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 09 1996 17:2112
WhiteBoard News for Monday, April 08, 1996 [excerpt]

Zurich, Switzerland:

Human placentas from births at two Zurich hospitals
have been used for the past two decades to make animal
feed, officials said Friday.

Regula Vogel, chief veterinarian of Zurich canton,
ordered the practice stopped.  She said it violated
internal guidelines, which call for human wastes to be
burned but did not break laws.
79.2114CSC32::M_EVANSIt's the foodchain, stupidTue Apr 09 1996 17:233
    Gee,
    
    Here they just use placentas for shampoo
79.2115NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 09 1996 17:252
What makes you think those are human placentas in shampoo?  I suspect they're
animal placentas.
79.21164470::POLAR::RICHARDSONAlrighty, bye bye then.Tue Apr 09 1996 17:312
    If I plant placentas in my garden, will I be able to get a lovely row
    of collagens in the spring?
79.2117CSC32::M_EVANSIt's the foodchain, stupidTue Apr 09 1996 17:466
    No,
    
    But you can get great tomatoes or fruit trees, or at least we have.
    
    there is a market for placentas from hospitals.  However, the price of
    a placenta is not something you will get rich off of. 
79.2118DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Tue Apr 09 1996 17:5910
    
    
    	ya know..... that's just not fair.  I've heard recently
    	that over in Europe, sperm is being used in facial creams
    	for women (something about the protein). But that is costs
    	a small fortune for the product.
    
    	Why is sperm more expensive than placenta?
    
    	
79.2119EDITEX::MOOREGetOuttaMyChairTue Apr 09 1996 18:012
    
    Simple.  There's more manual labor involved.
79.2120BIGQ::SILVAMr. LogoTue Apr 09 1996 18:034

	Yeah, but one is hard labor, and the other one is...oh....hard labor.
Hmmm....JJ has a point!
79.2121POWDML::HANGGELIHigh Maintenance HoneyTue Apr 09 1996 18:045
    
    No, it's because women are worthless sacks of dogpoop and men are 
    important and necessary.  hth.
    
    
79.2122EDITEX::MOOREGetOuttaMyChairTue Apr 09 1996 18:062
    
    Hmmm...still got that headache ?
79.2123LANDO::OLIVER_Bapril is the coolest monthTue Apr 09 1996 18:161
    poop factories, one and all.
79.2124BIGQ::SILVAMr. LogoTue Apr 09 1996 22:103
RE:    poop factories

	You're right about this. Because men fart, women poop. :-)
79.2125WAHOO::LEVESQUEbut mama, that's where the fun isWed Apr 10 1996 11:365
>What makes you think those are human placentas in shampoo?  I suspect they're
>animal placentas.
    
     If so, shampoos, etc with "human placental extract" are guilty of
    false advertising.
79.2126SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed Apr 10 1996 11:376
    
    
    	Now that's enough to make someone hurl....:*P
    
    
    
79.2127MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Wed Apr 10 1996 15:031
    No...women fluff!
79.2128ooopss....GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheWed Apr 10 1996 16:066
    >>Donohoe was charged with leaving his vehicle unattended with the 
    >>engine running
    
    that's against the law???
    
    
79.2129BUSY::SLABOUNTYCatch you later!!Wed Apr 10 1996 18:507
    
    	My mother did that with her '76 Duster, and somehow it shifted
    	itself to "D" and plowed into the side of a nice Buick.
    
    	[Or maybe she never put it in "P" and didn't realize it.  I
    	wasn't there, so I'm not sure.]
    
79.2130NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 12 1996 13:5245
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 10, 1996 [excerpts]


Los Angeles, California:

Doctors at a California emergency department report
they successfully treated a 37-year-old woman who had
crushed a black widow spider, mixed it with distilled
water and injected it to get high.

"One hour later she (complained) of severe
cramping...headache and anxiety," say Drs. Sean Bush,
John Naftel and David Farstad in the April "Annals of
Emergency Medicine." 

She had an extremely fast heart rate and trouble
breathing, but three days of hospital treatment
returned her to normal.

The heart and lung problems could have been from an
allergy to the spider protein or a direct result of the
spider venom.

The woman was referred to a psychiatrist.
==========

Eugene, Oregon:

A convenience-store clerk who survived a vicious
beating during a 1994 robbery has filed an $11 million
lawsuit alleging that so-called "death metal" music
drove her assailants to violence.

Donna Ream is suing the bands Deicide and Cannibal
Corpse; the bands' record and distribution companies,
including EMI, Virgin Songs Incorporated and Sony Music
Distribution.  Ream's lawsuit also names Record Garden,
a Eugene shop where some of the music was purchased.

The lyrics of death metal graphically describe acts of
murder, mutilation and torture.  The lawsuit claims the
men who killed Francis Wall and assaulted Ream listened
to the music just before entering the store.

One man is on death row for the murder conviction.
79.2131EVMS::MORONEYwhile (!asleep) sheep++;Fri Apr 12 1996 14:4420
         STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuter) - By the age of five, most
children know how to spell their first name. A certain
five-year-old Swede deserves to be the exception to that rule.
         For although his name is pronounced Albin, his parents have
decided his first name is written:
         Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.
         The odd saga began in Halmstad, southern Sweden, when a
district court fined Albin's parents $680 for not giving their
son a first name, the Swedish news agency TT reported.
         The court had rejected the parents' name for the
five-year-old, despite their plea that the name was ``a
pregnant, expressionistic development that we see as an artistic
creation.''
         The parents said they would appeal against the court's
verdict, saying it was not up to a court to make rulings about
art.
         Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 -- the meaning
of which is not clear -- was not immediately available for
comment.

79.2132SMURF::WALTERSFri Apr 12 1996 14:471
    Looks ok to me. At least there are none of those pesky vowels.
79.2133BUSY::SLABOUNTYGTI 16V - dust thy neighbor!!Fri Apr 12 1996 15:083
    
    	Some parents are so clever that they appear to be jerks.
    
79.2134CSLALL::SECURITYLUNCHBOXFri Apr 12 1996 21:4012
    Too bad you can't use proper names for scrabble. Anyway, that
    convenience store clerk suing the Death Metal bands is scary. Can the
    victims of the Manson murders and their kin sue the Beatles for
    creating the White Album? I've heard of people being able to sue the
    stars of x-rated films if a rapist is inspired by the films and does
    his thing. This too, is dangerous. If somebody is that far on the
    fringe, anything can set them off. Robert Englund in court because some
    nutter sympathizes with Freddy Krueger? Enough is enough, but too much
    is way too much, as my mother would say.
    
    
    lunchbox
79.2135PEAKS::OAKEYThe difference? About 8000 milesFri Apr 12 1996 23:1918
Subj:	Snorkeling: more dangerous than it looks (fwd) -Forwarded           -Forwarded


"Response to a wildfire on the south of France's Cote d'Azur was
billed as a marvel of modern of modern fire-fighting technology. Two
specially-built flying boats zoomed in, skimmed the waters of the
Mediterranean, scooping vast amounts of water into their belly tanks,
and then dropped the water on the hillside fire. All was jolly and the
wine flowed freely until a body was found in the ashes.

The coroner found that the gentleman had apparently fallen from a
great height, suffering serious injuries before being burned to death.
The report further noted that the victim was wearing a bathing suit,
snorkel, and swim fins."


----- End Included Message -----
79.2136BUSY::SLABOUNTYA Parting Shot in the DarkFri Apr 12 1996 23:3410
    
    	Weird.  He must have been hiding at the top of a tall tree,
    	for some reason, when he fell.
    
    	I can't explain the snorkeling gear, unless it's part of some
    	perverted sex act.  That is to say, ummm, I still couldn't ex-
    	plain it, but at least it'd give me an idea.  Wait a minute,
    	not that kind of idea, but I mean ... hoo boy, this is really
    	tricky.
    
79.2137everybody does itCSLALL::SECURITYLUNCHBOXSat Apr 13 1996 00:502
    Like you've never dressed in a wetsuit and played "dive up the tree",
    Shawn. This type of thing happens everyday. Geez, what's the big deal?
79.2138SMURF::WALTERSMon Apr 15 1996 13:021
    I've read flipper comments
79.2139NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 15 1996 13:1660
WhiteBoard News for Friday, April 12, 1996 [excerpts]

Morrisville, Pennsylvania:

The question was: Are restaurant knives as sharp as the
"Ginsu" knives advertised on television?  Michelle
Rosati says the way to answer it was definitely NOT to
chop off her 2-foot ponytail.

Rosati, 28, said she had been growing her hair for six
years before Richard "Lefty" Clunn settled a restaurant
argument in December of 1995.

Now the waitress wants $1,000 an inch in damages, plus
an unspecified amount for emotional pain and suffering.

Clunn's lawyer said he was debating with his brother,
spotted Rosati's long hair, grabbed a knife -- and
there was the severed proof that the knife was very
sharp.

"The poor girl was shocked.  Lefty himself was so
shocked that he did it, he dropped the knife on the
floor, and the hair fell on the table," attorney Walter
Campbell said.
==========

Cincinnati, Ohio:

Either way you say it, it's not too appetizing.

The government wants potato chips and other products
containing Procter & Gamble's new fat substitute to
carry a label warning that olestra may cause "abdominal
cramping and loose stools."

No need to get so graphic, P&G says.  Less explicit
words, such as "intestinal discomfort and a laxative
effect," will suffice.

Sydney McHugh, a P&G spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the
consumer products giant asked the Food and Drug
Administration on April 1 to rewrite the label.  The
agency will require it on all products containing the
substitute.
==========

Fast News Forum:

A woman, 60, foiled a rape by offering her attacker a
cup of tea after they had struggled for an hour,
Albany, New York, police say.  She fled when he
accepted and went to the bathroom.

Charles Willard, 60, was sentenced to 50 years in
prison and ordered to pay $4 million in restitution for
burning down All Saints Catholic Church in Guthrie
River, Iowa.  Willard blamed the church for not having
a security system that would stop someone like him from
torching the place.
79.2140NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 15 1996 13:177
Two sculptors in Manchester, England, feel sorry for farmers who may have to
destroy their cattle in the "mad cow" crisis sweeping the country.  "We're
worried that it's going to leave the countryside looking desolate," says Chris
Gilmore, so he and partner Paul Meedham plan to provide farmers life-sized
cardboard cows to set in their fields "to fill the gaps."  The cardboard
bovines are blank so Gilmore and Meedham can "paint on demand" to mimic
any breed.  Gilmore's prototype is for sale for 250 pounds. (UPI)
79.2141EVMS::MORONEYwhile (!asleep) sheep++;Mon Apr 15 1996 14:597
A Hindu group in India has pleaded the government in Britain to provide homes
for mad cows and "homeless" cattle rather than slaughtering them.  They have
also offered to take them in in India.  They have not offered any suggestions
regarding transportation to India.

A doctor in India has stated that "mad cow disease" could be cured by forcing
the cows to drink their own urine.
79.2142NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 15 1996 15:204
>A doctor in India has stated that "mad cow disease" could be cured by forcing
>the cows to drink their own urine.

It should be a simple matter to reconfigure the milking machines.
79.2143SOLVIT::KRAWIECKItumble to remove burrsTue Apr 16 1996 20:0713
    
    Libya seeks to try US pilots for raids
    
    CAIRO - Libya is demanding the surrender for trial of American pilots
    and officials at the Pentagon and White House who were behind air raids
    on its cities 10 years ago. The report yesterday by Libya's official
    JANA news agency mirrors US demands for Libya to turn over to American
    or British courts two men wanted for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight
    103 over Lockerbie, Scotland which killed 270 people. The
    prosecutor-general's office announced its plans during official
    ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the April 14-15 raids on the
    Libyan capital, Tripoli, and on Benghazi, the news agency said. (AP)
    
79.2144SMURF::BINDERUva uvam vivendo variatTue Apr 16 1996 20:226
    They're claiming that this is a tit-for-tat exchange for the Lockerbie
    bombers?  Oh goodie!  Let us take note that the pilots in question were
    acting under explicit orders from their superiors and, ultimately, the
    United States government.  This request, seen in that light, is an open
    admission that the Lockerbie bombers were acting under orders that came
    down from the Libyan government, by which is meant Ghadafi.
79.2145NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 19 1996 15:227
THIEVES MAKE OFF WITH RAILROAD TRACK. A group of thieves dismantled half
a kilometer of railroad track at a station in Primorsk Krai [Russia] and
smuggled it across the border into China using false papers, NTV reported
on 18 April. A total of 94 rails were stolen from a siding at the Talovoe
station near the border and sold to buyers in China before the theft was
discovered. Transport police have now detained six suspects, who were
allegedly paid $200 each to carry out the operation. -- Penny Morvant
79.2146CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowFri Apr 19 1996 15:248

 So, the transport police were on the right track, eh?  They must have
 had good training.



 Jim
79.2147NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 19 1996 15:372
Timothy Leary, who's dying of prostate cancer, is "actively exploring" the
idea of committing suicide on the Internet.
79.2149PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Apr 19 1996 15:393
  .2147  committing suicide on the Internet?  sort of a virtual
	 suicide?
79.2150The source is the "DRUDGE REPORT"PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftFri Apr 19 1996 15:548
    
    These are tough questions.
    
    If you kill youself in vrml mud, are you really dead?
    What if you kill yourself while CUSEEME-ing?
    If you send your suicide live over m-bone?
    
    								-mr. bill
79.215143GMC::KEITHDr. DeuceFri Apr 19 1996 15:578
    The rails are 80#/ft and 100#/ft as I recall, all of it #1 (the best
    type of scrap) steel
    
    Many pieces of heavy equipment wind up in foreign countries. 
    
    It use to be big business in the '70's
    
    Steve
79.2152EVMS::MORONEYwhile (!asleep) sheep++;Fri Apr 19 1996 15:594
79.2153Interesting comment on the InternetDECWIN::RALTOBananas in Pajamas??Fri Apr 19 1996 15:599
    The Boston Herald's front-page headline (really, did this warrant
    a front-page headline?) said, "Tune in, turn on, drop dead."
    
    The accompanying article said that Ken Kesey thinks this Internet
    suicide thing is an intriguing idea because, in his opinion, most
    uses of the Internet to date are reminiscent of kids with their
    tin-can-and-string telephones.
    
    Chris
79.2154CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowFri Apr 19 1996 16:034


 (insert sound of cuckoo clock)
79.2155NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 19 1996 16:204
>    The Boston Herald's front-page headline (really, did this warrant
>    a front-page headline?) said, "Tune in, turn on, drop dead."

That's word play worthy of the front page, IMO.
79.2156E::EVANSFri Apr 19 1996 16:447
I've heard that O'Leary is considering leaving this world under the 
influence of a massive dose of LSD shown with live video on the internet.
Don't try this at home kids.

Jim

79.2157BUSY::SLABOUNTYAudiophiles do it 'til it hertz!Fri Apr 19 1996 16:477
    
    	I see ... so he actually might "commit suicide on the internet",
    	as the original entry reported?
    
    	I didn't think that's what it actually meant, but now I'm think-
    	ing .AUI and .WAV usage.
    
79.2158Truly Kaput.SMURF::WALTERSFri Apr 19 1996 17:041
    That's not death, it's typing.
79.2159BUSY::SLABOUNTYAudiophiles do it 'til it hertz!Fri Apr 19 1996 17:074
    
    	I don't know ... isn't it possible to instantly transfer video
    	footage to "web code" for immediate viewing?
    
79.2160SMURF::WALTERSFri Apr 19 1996 17:181
    He mpegged out.
79.2161Problem is, hoaxing the Internet isn't a challenge....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftFri Apr 19 1996 17:244
    
    Maybe QuitTime-VR?
    
    								-mr. bill
79.2162PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Apr 19 1996 18:066
>                               -< Truly Kaput. >-

  aagagag.

  we don't Kerouac's this nutty these days.

79.2163NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 19 1996 18:082
Speaking of Jack, the idea of moving his remains from Lowell to NH makes
me nashuaous.
79.2164SMURF::WALTERSFri Apr 19 1996 18:141
    Are they going on the road?
79.2165CSLALL::SECURITYLUNCHBOXFri Apr 19 1996 20:037
    re. prostate cancer
    
    
    Leary said when he was diagnosed that the reason men get prostate
    cancer is that they don't have enough orgasms, similar to colon cancer
    being caused by feces staying in the body too long. Sounds like a good
    excuse to me.
79.2166SMURF::WALTERSFri Apr 19 1996 20:073
    I'll wager this is another of those things that only works for real
    men.
    
79.2167NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 19 1996 20:101
I'm leery of his explanation.
79.2168SMURF::WALTERSFri Apr 19 1996 20:121
    Come again?
79.2169DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Apr 19 1996 20:185
    
    
    
    	<------  hahahahahahahaa!
    
79.2170DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Apr 19 1996 20:186
    
    
    	Oh goodness...... and I even got a 69 snarf on that too.
    
    	giggle.
    
79.2171BUSY::SLABOUNTYBeing weird isn't enoughFri Apr 19 1996 20:2210
    
>    Leary said when he was diagnosed that the reason men get prostate
>    cancer is that they don't have enough orgasms, similar to colon cancer
>    being caused by feces staying in the body too long. Sounds like a good
>    excuse to me.
    
    
    	So are you suggesting that we all go and take a really big dump
    	really soon?  And/or often?
    
79.2172MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Fri Apr 19 1996 20:221
    The important thing is you squelched our arch enemy...Glen.
79.2173CSLALL::SECURITYLUNCHBOXFri Apr 19 1996 20:251
    Dump em if ya got em, shawn.
79.2174EDITEX::MOOREGetOuttaMyChairFri Apr 19 1996 20:505
    .2158
    
    AGAGAGAGAGAG !!!!!!!!!  Wonder how many heads that went over ?
    
    
79.2175PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Apr 19 1996 21:066
>             <<< Note 79.2174 by EDITEX::MOORE "GetOuttaMyChair" >>>
    
>    AGAGAGAGAGAG !!!!!!!!!  Wonder how many heads that went over ?

    not the head of anyone who's been paying attention for the
    past coupla months.
79.2176BIGQ::SILVAMr. LogoFri Apr 19 1996 21:305
| <<< Note 79.2172 by MKOTS3::JMARTIN "Madison...5'2'' 95 lbs." >>>

| The important thing is you squelched our arch enemy...Glen.

	I was out taking a dump and having a few orgasms. I want to live!
79.2177BUSY::SLABOUNTYBuzzword BingoFri Apr 19 1996 21:465
    
    	Taking a dump and having a few orgasms?
    
    	Doesn't take much to get you off, does it?
    
79.2178PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Apr 19 1996 21:515
 re: Glen, Shawn

	how nice, gentlemen.

79.2179BUSY::SLABOUNTYBuzzword BingoFri Apr 19 1996 21:525
    
    	She called me a gentleman.
    
    	There's still hope.
    
79.2180Hiya Shawn!SPECXN::CONLONFri Apr 19 1996 21:562
    
    She was being kind.  Very kind.  :/
79.2181USAT05::HALLRGod loves even you!Fri Apr 19 1996 22:341
    charitable, i'd say, indeed!
79.2182BIGQ::SILVAMr. LogoSat Apr 20 1996 12:114

	Shawn, how much did you pay her to call you a gentleman? I know it cost
me $2k! :-)
79.2183SMURF::WALTERSMon Apr 22 1996 12:352
    I guess he will have a .come internet address, instead of colon
    colon Leary.
79.2184GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Mon Apr 22 1996 23:0824
     MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A 73-year-old woman who claims she began having
     spontaneous orgasms after an electronic bingo board fell on her
     won't get her day in court.

     Circuit Judge Patrick J. Madden threw out Mary Verdev's lawsuit
     Thursday against St. Florian Catholic Church because she failed
     repeatedly to undergo the psychological exam he ordered.

     Verdev said she suffered nearly $90,000 in injuries when a
     300-pound board fell off the stage at a bingo night in 1990. She
     also claimed that she found herself sexually attracted to women
     and experienced spontaneous orgasms, sometimes in clusters.

     James C. Green, a lawyer for the church, characterized Verdev as
     dishonest and psychologically unbalanced. "It is unexplained in
     modern medicine how a bump on the head can alter sexual
     orientation or cause recurring orgasms," Green said in court
     papers.

     The lawyer also said that the board was light enough that anyone
     could lift it and that Verdev suffered no more than a bruise on
     her arm and a bump on the head.

     Her lawsuit sought unspecified damages.
79.2185Now I know..BSS::PROCTOR_RSmarmy THIS!!!Mon Apr 22 1996 23:3910
    re .-1
    
    >  MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A 73-year-old woman who claims she began having
    > spontaneous orgasms after an electronic bingo board fell on her...
    
    
    I used to wonder why my mom would suddenly stand at dinner and scream 
    
    "BINGO!!!".
    
79.2186POLAR::RICHARDSONA one shake manTue Apr 23 1996 00:252
    It's kind of appropriate that a circuit judge presided over an
    electronic bingo board case.
79.2187BUSY::SLABOUNTYDuster :== idiot driver magnetTue Apr 23 1996 13:393
    
    	So it sounds like it's not an entirely bad thing to B73.
    
79.2188WAHOO::LEVESQUEHudson chainsaw swingset massacreTue Apr 23 1996 13:421
    That would be O73. /hth
79.2189BUSY::SLABOUNTYDuster :== idiot driver magnetTue Apr 23 1996 13:493
    
    	B = "be"
    
79.2190WAHOO::LEVESQUEHudson chainsaw swingset massacreTue Apr 23 1996 13:521
    No kidding, Shawn.
79.2191BUSY::SLABOUNTYDuster :== idiot driver magnetTue Apr 23 1996 14:143
    
    	Nope, none at all.
    
79.2192POWDML::HANGGELIHigh Maintenance HoneyTue Apr 23 1996 16:0238
    
    * Authorities warn of woman who breast-feeds strangers' babies
    
    BACK TO TOP
    
    EUREKA, Calif. -- Police were warning residents about a woman who has been 
    grabbing babies from strangers and breast-feeding them, reportedly telling 
    the latest shocked mother: "Every child needs lactate nourishment."
    
    So far no infants have been harmed, but authorities are worried the
    situation could escalate.
    
    "Our main concern is the public safety -- what are this person's 
    intentions?" Sgt. Len Johnson said Monday. "Do they need some mental 
    assistance, or do they have something else in mind, like permanently 
    taking the child?"
    
    The most recent attack occurred Thursday at a waterfront library in this 
    northern California city.  A woman wearing spandex clothes and wraparound 
    sunglasses walked up to a mother pushing a stroller and struck up a 
    conversation.
    
    When the mother turned, the woman pulled the infant out of the stroller
    and brought the child to her breast. She then put the baby down and left 
    when the mother protested.
    
    A similar incident occurred about three weeks ago at a recreation
    center on the waterfront, police said.
    
    "It's strange. It ranks up there," Johnson said.
    
    Police said they want to know if there are more victims. They said they
    are concerned that the incidents could lead to a kidnapping, or that the 
    suspect's milk could transmit diseases or drugs to the infant.
    
    "There's always the possibility of HIV with fluids," Johnson said.
    
                                                       
79.2193PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Apr 23 1996 16:212
   .2192  wow.  a public teat, of sorts.
79.2194SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Apr 23 1996 16:555
    
    
    	guffaw.
    
    
79.2195NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 23 1996 17:467
>    "Our main concern is the public safety -- what are this person's 
>    intentions?" Sgt. Len Johnson said Monday. "Do they need some mental 
>    assistance, or do they have something else in mind, like permanently 
>    taking the child?"

I wonder if Sgt. Johnson learned grammar at edp's knee.  What's wrong
with "she?"
79.2196hmph. maybe guys wanna get in the act?BSS::PROCTOR_RSmarmy THIS!!!Tue Apr 23 1996 17:516
    > I wonder if Sgt. Johnson learned grammar at edp's knee.  What's wrong
    > with "she?"
    
    didjoo ever think that maybe it's a HE? HUH? HUH? Didja? 
    
    
79.2197BUSY::SLABOUNTYExit light ... enter night.Tue Apr 23 1996 18:206
    
    	Bob, the article says "a woman".
    
    	You almost have to take the word of eyewitnesses in a situation
    	like this.
    
79.2198appearances can be deceiving..BSS::PROCTOR_RSmarmy THIS!!!Tue Apr 23 1996 18:253
    beauty is in the eyewitness of the beholder...
    
    could be a dude in dragge ya know.
79.2199BUSY::SLABOUNTYExit light ... enter night.Tue Apr 23 1996 18:294
    
    	Hmmm, I'm trying to picture a man breast-feeding a baby and
    	it's not an attractive mental image.
    
79.2200BSS::DEVEREAUXTue Apr 23 1996 18:403
>>    didjoo ever think that maybe it's a HE? HUH? HUH? Didja? 
    
    It would be kinda tough for a "HE" to breast feed doncha know...
79.2201WAHOO::LEVESQUEHudson chainsaw swingset massacreTue Apr 23 1996 18:581
    But not impossible.
79.2202BUSY::SLABOUNTYFUBARTue Apr 23 1996 18:585
    
    	Do tell.
    
    	On 2nd thought, I don't think I want to hear this story.
    
79.2203NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 23 1996 19:32128
WEIRDNUZ.425 (News of the Weird, March 29, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Two notorious prisoners have been productive behind bars
recently.  The film "Child, This Is Just a Test by God" opened
successfully in the Philippines starring the popular Robin "Bad
Boy" Padilla.  The movie was shot on location in prison because
Padilla couldn't get work-release from his 21-year sentence on
weapons charges; producers got cooperation by handing out on-
camera roles to prison administrators and guards.  And rap singer
X Raided, who has been in jail for four years awaiting trial for
murder, released a new album "Xorcist," which he recorded over
a Sacramento, Calif., county jail pay phone while listening to
music tracks on an adjacent pay phone. [Sacramento Bee-AP, 1-
13-96] [Option, March-April 1996] 

LATEST SURGES OF TESTOSTERONE

* Francis J. Pezzuto, 29, was arrested in February in Sayville,
N. Y., on sexual abuse charges.  According to police, Pezzuto
showed pictures of himself nude to several adolescent boys and
paid some $20 to $30 to write their initials on his buttocks with a
felt marker and take Polaroid snapshots of their work. [Columbus
Dispatch-AP, 2-21-96] 

* Police in Urbandale, Iowa, arrested one of their own in
January:  Cop, part-time anti-drug crusader, and part-time girls'
basketball coach James R. Trimble, 43, was charged with
trafficking in marijuana and methamphetamine.  According to the
Des Moines Register, Trimble was driving around with "scores"
of sex videotapes in his car and had a "sexual device inserted into
his body"--a device that "was connected to a battery pack."  (No
other details were revealed.) [Des Moines Register, 1-3-96] 

* Acting on the complaint of a 59-year-old female motorist in
Bloomington, Minn., in January, police stopped a driver whom
she said had pulled alongside her on the highway and pressed a
nude photograph of himself against his window so she would see
it. [Bloomington Sun-Current, 1-17-96] 

* In Redondo Beach, Calif., hairdresser Joseph R. "Jay" Middleton,
56, was sentenced to 60 days' community service in February on a
charge that he masturbated while doing a female customer's hair. 
Middleton had removed his pants and worked on her hair with his
free hand, completing the job because the customer was too
frightened to object.  Middleton apparently talked to himself during
the episode, saying, "This is so bad, I can't believe I'm doing this"
and "Bad Jay, bad Jay," while slapping himself on the wrist as
punishment. [The Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.), 3-5-96] 

* In Burbank, Calif., in February, a 55-year-old man who had
placed an ad in a local bondage and discipline magazine arranged a
liaison in his home with another man.  When the man answered his
door, the date forced him to crawl through his house to his bondage
room, where the man was tied, nude, to a "proctologist table." 
According to police, the date and his accomplice, waiting outside,
then stole the man's sofa, leather chair, TV set, and other items.
[Burbank Leader, 2-25-96] 

* Southbury, Conn., pharmacist Robert Trocki, 59, was arrested in
October and charged with several counts of illegal sale of
prescription drugs , including what police said were two instances
of giving women birth control pills and pain relievers in exchange
for their letting him kiss their feet and sneakers. [New Haven
Register-AP, 1-19-96] 

COURTROOM ANTICS

* James Mascetta, 40, was charged with dispensing a narcotic in
December in Nashua, N. H.  Bailiffs caught Mascetta handing a
packet of heroin to a woman sitting at the defendants' table in a
courtroom while she was awaiting arraignment on another drug
charge. [Keene Sentinel, Dec95] 

* Kevin C. Maben, 28, filed a $2 million lawsuit in February
against Ripley, Tenn., county judge Billy Wayne Williams, who
is a retired highway patrolman without legal training, elected to
the bench in 1990.  Maben said Judge Williams summarily jailed
him for missing car payments despite Tennessee law that clearly
gives Maben the right to a jury trial.  Said Judge Williams, "No,
I do not pull [out] the [statute] book on every case that comes up. 
I'd be sitting over there [in the law library] 24 hours a day." [The
Tennessean-AP, 2-23-96] 

* In January Judge Joel Gehrke found Stewart Marshall guilty in
Stanton, Mich., of throwing his wife to the floor in a domestic
quarrel.  As punishment, Gehrke ordered Marshall to hold out his
arm, and Gehrke slapped him on the wrist, saying, "Don't do
that."  (Judge Gehrke thought the punishment was appropriate
because the fight was in response to Mrs. Marshall's having had
an affair with Marshall's brother and having borne their son.)
[Tampa Tribune-AP, 1-18-96] 

* Valdamair Morelos, 35, confessed to murder in 1994 in San
Jose, Calif., and told the judge he wanted the death penalty, but
he was forced to trial because California law requires one in
capital cases.  Consequently, at the trial in January, Morelos
occasionally tried to help the prosecution.  For instance, after the
prosecutor described the killing to the judge, Morelos added, "I
blindfolded him, too." [San Francisco Examiner-AP, Jan96] 

* The U. S. Supreme Court in January rejected the appeal of a
convicted drug possessor in Arizona who had claimed he did not
receive a fair trial because there were no fat people on the jury.
[Mesa Tribune-AP, 1-9-96] 

* In March, the U. S. Court of Appeals in New York upheld an
order for a new trial for Dale Tippins, who was convicted on
drug charges in 1986 and sentenced to 18 years in prison, but
who has been complaining since then that his lawyer napped
during the trial.  (One juror said he heard the lawyer, Louis
Tirelli, snoring several times, and another said Tirelli slept
through "65%" of the testimony of a key prosecution witness.)
The court granted the new trial but was also somewhat skeptical: 
"There are states of drowsiness that come over everyone from
time to time during [a trial]." [Tampa Tribune-AP, 3-9-96] 

* In Albuquerque, N. Mex., county judge Joann Birge dismissed
DUI charges against Joseph Chiado in February even though he
had tested at more than double the permissible alcohol level--
because two officers were in on the arrest when guidelines call
for only one on misdemeanors. [Albuquerque Journal, 2-10-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2204EVMS::MORONEYMontana: At least the cows are sane.Tue Apr 23 1996 19:404
re .2203, first part:

Charles Manson recently came out with a recording of some sort.
Supposedly recorded in the attic of the prison chapel or something.
79.2205The boy can play some hot whacks...BSS::PROCTOR_RSmarmy THIS!!!Tue Apr 23 1996 20:355
    > Charles Manson recently came out with a recording of some sort.
    > Supposedly recorded in the attic of the prison chapel or something.
    
    No doubt he played his favorite instrument: Lead Bowie. (that's LEED.
    Not LED.)
79.2206NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 24 1996 14:408
Taipei (AP) --  First they drove a car off a cliff.  Then they tried to hang
themselves.  Finally, the two lovers held hands and jumped from the 12th floor
of their hotel.  All three times, they survived.  Huang Pin-jen, 27, and
Chang Shu-mei, 26, landed on the roof of an adjacent five-story restaurant
Sunday night and were in the hospital yesterday with bone fractures, police
in the city of Kaohsiung said.  Kaohsiung police officer Chang Fang said the
couple's parents disapproved of their relationship for unspecified reasons
but "they agreed to settle their dispute."
79.2207LANDO::OLIVER_Bapril is the coolest monthWed Apr 24 1996 14:441
    romeo and juliet they ain't.
79.2208NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 25 1996 13:5710
This was reported by the AP as printed in The Daily Yomiuri (Japan), April
17, 1996.

Two Hong Kong men imprisoned in the Philippines for nearly five years on drug
smuggling charges were freed when their convictions were overturned on
appeal.  When they attempted to leave Manila, they were fined by the
Immigration Bureau 50,000 pesos ($1925) for remaining in the Philippines
after their visas had expired.  After the British Embassy pointed out that
the men stayed because they were in prison, the bureau reduced the fine to
28,500 pesons ($1095), claiming it was the fee for clearing up the paperwork.
79.2209NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 25 1996 13:5851
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 24, 1996 [excerpts]

Washington, District of Columbia:

A South Carolina woman who says she suffered a nervous
breakdown after her recipe for a rice dish was printed
in a cookbook without her permission lost a Supreme
Court appeal Monday.

The court, without comment, turned down Bobbie June
Griggs' argument that she should be allowed to sue the
South Carolina utility that sponsored the cookbook.

"I'm not surprised.  Everything's political," Griggs
said after the court's action.

Griggs, a resident of Charleston, entered her rice-dish
recipe in the Third Annual Rice Cookoff sponsored in
1989 by South Carolina Electric & Gas Company.

She wasn't chosen as a finalist, but her recipe was
printed along with all the others.  Griggs demanded
that the recipe be removed from the event cookbook.

Griggs was told it would be removed and later was sent
a cookbook that did not contain the recipe.  But she
said she later found that cookbooks with the recipe
were distributed.

She said she could not submit "June's Creation" to
other contests that prohibit previously published
entries.  She said she suffered a nervous breakdown as
a result.
==========

Bihar, India:

A leading Indian political party has outraged its
competition by capturing parrots and teaching the birds
to recite political slogans.

The regional Jarkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party has
demanded that the Indian Social Democratic Janata Dal
organization release all of the parrots it has
collected in the eastern state of Bihar for this
unusual scheme.

JMM alleges that the Dal activists have captured scores
of parrots and clipped their wings to prevent them from
escaping.  The party said the birds were forced to
learn the slogans.
79.2210ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsThu Apr 25 1996 16:494
    
    .2206
    
    sounds like they need the services of Dr. Jack
79.2211NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 26 1996 19:04134
WEIRDNUZ.426 (News of the Weird, April 5, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In February, the British Columbia Supreme Court acquitted a
26-year-old man with a sleep disorder of sexually assaulting a 4-
year-old girl because the assault occurred while he was allegedly
asleep.  In 1995, a man in Calgary was acquitted of sexual
assault using the same defense, and in 1987, an Ontario man who
stabbed his mother-in-law to death after having driven 20
kilometers on a busy highway to get to her house also proved he
had a sleep disorder and was acquitted on the same ground. 
[Sault Star-CP, 2-3-96] Kirchmeir

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION 

* A Houston Chronicle investigation published in February
revealed that only rarely does a complaint to the state Board of
Examiners of Psychologists result in suspension or revocation of
a license.  One Temple, Tex., psychologist admitted pointing a
gun to his head in a suicide threat, shooting a gun inside his
home, seducing a patient, and carving a pentagram into his arm
with a knife; he's still practicing.  While the Board is not quick
to pull licenses, it often requires that troubled psychologists get
psychological counseling. [Dallas Morning News-Houston
Chronicle, 2-5-96] 

* The Washington Post reported in March that the Department of
Agriculture required Iowa's Oink-Oink, Inc., last year to begin
dying green its best-selling dog treat, Pork Tenderloin (which is
made from the penises of hogs).  Oink-Oink thought the green
dye would make the product unappealing and took a $100,000
loss killing the product and enraging dog owners who loved the
treat.  The Department's only reason for requiring the dye was so
the treats would be more obviously identified as not for human
consumption. [Washington Post, 3-1-96] 

* In October, Pennsylvania Rep. Alan Butkovitz introduced
legislation to end a disparity in state law.  Under the
unsatisfactory law, a drunk driver who causes an accident and
fails his blood-alcohol test is subject to a felony charge, but one
who manages to flee the scene before the cops get there, sober
up, and turn himself in later is subject only to a misdemeanor.
[Philadelphia Inquirer, 10-3-95] 

* Former Orange County (Calif.) Treasurer Robert L. Citron,
who is awaiting sentencing for fraud in mishandling the county's
finances, said in December that the reason his investment
decisions plunged the county into the biggest local- government
bankruptcy in history in 1994 was the bad advice he had received
on interest rates from a mail-order psychic.  The good news for
Citron, according to Anaheim, Calif., channeler Barbara Connor,
is that Citron told her that he learned during two trances last year
that he would receive community service but no jail time for his
conviction. [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3-13-96] 

* Program analysts hired by the CIA to evaluate its $20 million
project to use psychics to gather intelligence concluded in
November that the psychics were accurate about 15% of the time. 
Among the psychics' tasks were to track down Moammar
Gadhafi so that he could be hit in the 1986 bombing of Libya and
to locate the plutonium squirreled away in North Korea. 
According to columnist Jack Anderson, the Pentagon adopted the
program in the early 1970s because the Soviet Union was making
extensive use of psychics. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch-AP, 11-30-
95] Washington Post, Oct95] 

* In December, less than three months after he had sold federal
land worth $1 billion in mining rights to a Danish company for
$275, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt was forced to sell
another $2.9 billion piece of land in Arizona for $1,745.  Babbitt
is required to make these sales under an 1872 federal law, which
Western Senators refuse to change. [Tampa Tribune-AP, 12-2-
95] 

OOPS! 

* Recent Highway Truck Spills:  two dozen bags of coins from
an armored truck, and kegs and bottles from a beer truck, in
Washington, D. C., in November; a half-ton of cat litter, in
Stafford County, Va., in March; dozens of boxes of socks in
Decatur, Ala., in January; and animal blood, which dripped out
of a tanker and stained a highway for 20 miles near Syracuse,
Kan., in February. [Washington Post, 11-8-95] [Fairfax Journal,
11-10-95] [Washington Post, 3-14-96] [Decatur Daily, 1-10-96]
[Northwest Florida Daily News, 2-9-96] 

* In December, Eric Dulkin, 19, failed his driver's test in
Chicago when he inadvertently accelerated as he was leaving the
parking lot, causing his car to fishtail and smash through a
window in the licensing-office building.  In Greenville, S. C., in
November, a 15-year-old boy driving a stolen car saw his
grandmother driving toward him in traffic, ducked down to avoid
her seeing him, and inadvertently hit the gas pedal, causing his
car to smash into hers. (Injuries were minor.) [Chicago Sun-
Times, 12-14-95] [Columbus Dispatch, Nov95] 

* In February in Winona, Minn., firefighters had to be called to
rescue Mary Tyler, 39, after her hand got stuck in her toilet as
she tried to retrieve a deodorant container that had fallen in.
[Winona Post, 2-11-96] 

* Lowell Altvater, 80, was charged with negligent assault in
Sandusky, Ohio, in November after he thought he saw a rat in his
barn and fired his shotgun at it.  It turned out to be his wife's
hat, which she was wearing.  Mrs. Altvater begged police not to
file charges, but they did, in part because Lowell had shot
himself in the leg in 1992 in the same barn after thinking then,
too, that he had spotted a rat. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-
Toledo Blade, 12-20-95; Columbus Dispatch, Nov95] 

* In January near Branford, Conn., Mark Sullivan, 41, was about
to bite into a Big Mac while driving on an icy road when his car
spun into a concrete divider.  The first rescuer on the scene found
"McDonald's wrappers and french fries all over the place" and
Sullivan turning blue, the sandwich having been thrust down his
throat by the impact.  (He's fine now.) [Hartford Courant, 1-5-
96] 

* Reading, Pa., county controller Judith Kraines complained at a
commissioners' meeting in January about having to type letters
and do other business on a typewriter because her computer was
old and no one had been able to get it to work for two years.  "If
we had a computer," she said, "letters would go out faster." 
Three days later, she announced that the computer she was
complaining about in fact had not been plugged in to any
electrical outlet and that when the plug was inserted and the
computer was turned on, it worked fine. [Reading Eagle-Times,
1-21-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2212BUSY::SLABOUNTYDogbert's New Ruling Class: 100KFri Apr 26 1996 19:358
>* In February in Winona, Minn., firefighters had to be called to
>rescue Mary Tyler, 39, after her hand got stuck in her toilet as
>she tried to retrieve a deodorant container that had fallen in.
>[Winona Post, 2-11-96] 

    	I bet she won't try that any Moore.
    
79.2213BUSY::SLABOUNTYDogbert's New Ruling Class: 100KFri Apr 26 1996 19:3615
>* Reading, Pa., county controller Judith Kraines complained at a
>commissioners' meeting in January about having to type letters
>and do other business on a typewriter because her computer was
>old and no one had been able to get it to work for two years.  "If
>we had a computer," she said, "letters would go out faster." 
>Three days later, she announced that the computer she was
>complaining about in fact had not been plugged in to any
>electrical outlet and that when the plug was inserted and the
>computer was turned on, it worked fine. [Reading Eagle-Times,
>1-21-96] 
    
    	I had a supervisor who, if this happened to him, it wouldn't
    	surprise me a bit.
    
79.2214I'll take misplaced modifiers for $400, AlexWAHOO::LEVESQUEa legend begins at its endMon Apr 29 1996 11:225
    >Oink-Oink thought the green dye would make the product unappealing and
    >took a $100,000 loss killing the product and enraging dog owners who
    >loved the treat.
    
     I guess I'm glad I don't own a dog...
79.2215NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 29 1996 13:4351
WhiteBoard News for Friday, April 26, 1996 [excerpts]

Neillsville, Wisconsin:

Inmate Alan Heath, who was supposed to be selling
vacuum cleaners while on work release last May, was
instead winning $53,000 playing slot machines across
the state line in Red Wing, Michigan, officials said.

Heath, who was serving 60 days for fraud, will be
sentenced for lying about his trips and for being 15
minutes late getting back from one of them, despite
chartering an airplane for the return home.
==========

Washington, District of Columbia:

The Supreme Court Monday rejected a challenge to a
Florida county's ban on nude dancing, turning away
arguments that the ordinance violates erotic dancers'
freedom of artistic expression.

Lawyers for owners of Cafe Erotica had argued that St.
Johns County had forced dancers into bikinis, "and the
message inherent in their erotic performances has been
significantly diluted, if not effectively stifled."
==========

Fast News Forum:

A Leesburg, Virginia, judge refused J.C. Bryan's
request for a public defender, noting Bryan owns a
$435,000 home and gets $25,000 annually from a trust
fund.  Bryan is appealing his conviction for
impersonating a police officer.

Joseph Murphy Jr., 35, was charged in Kalispell,
Montana, with worker's compensation fraud after he was
reportedly seen water-skiing barefoot.  Murphy had been
collecting the funds for an injured toe.

Operators of a bowling alley in Greenfield, Wisconsin,
didn't expect anyone to take them up on their "bowl
naked, bowl free" offer, but police were summoned when
a 20-year-old man stripped to shoes and hat for a
half-hour.

The Nevada state Board of Examiners will pay $14,058 to
the retirement fund of prison psychologist Mace Knapp,
fired in 1991 when he began to solicit funds to open a
brothel theme park.
79.2216NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 29 1996 13:453
A guy in Hawaii swore at the judge who sentenced him to $9000 restitution,
60 days in jail and 5 years' probation for auto theft.  So the judge sentenced
him to write "I will not swear at the court" 10,000 times.
79.2217SUBSYS::NEUMYERYour memory still hangin roundMon Apr 29 1996 13:475
    re .2216
    
    His name wasn't Bart, was it?
    
    ed
79.2218NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 29 1996 13:484
A surveillance video tape at a convenience store in Buffalo showed burglars
stealing cigarettes and lottery tickets.  It also showed the three police
officers who responded to the alarm stealing junk food.  The officers were
suspended.
79.2219Hmmmm .... Never thought of it as a sleep disorder ....BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Mon Apr 29 1996 14:3624
>* In February, the British Columbia Supreme Court acquitted a
>26-year-old man with a sleep disorder of sexually assaulting a 4-
>year-old girl because the assault occurred while he was allegedly
>asleep.  In 1995, a man in Calgary was acquitted of sexual
>assault using the same defense, and in 1987, an Ontario man who
>stabbed his mother-in-law to death after having driven 20
>kilometers on a busy highway to get to her house also proved he
>had a sleep disorder and was acquitted on the same ground. 
>[Sault Star-CP, 2-3-96] Kirchmeir


I may regret posting this but ...

There are many instances where I have displayed behavior while sleeping 
that some folks might seem 'wacky'. On one occasion, I drove from 
N. Reading to N. Andover (MA) in my sleep.  I woke up just after turning 
off of rt 114.  (And yes, I have witnesses ...)

Other instances include cooking breakfast at 2:30AM, lots of sleepwalking
(and subsequently locking myself out on very cold nights ..., making 
phone calls,  ect ...


Doug.
79.2220BUSY::SLABOUNTYErin go braghlessMon Apr 29 1996 14:433
    
    	Did you see "The X-Files" Friday night?
    
79.2221SMURF::WALTERSMon Apr 29 1996 14:462
    Nah, that sounds like perfectly normal alien abduction.
    Nothing to worry about.
79.2222Can't say that I did ...BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Mon Apr 29 1996 14:593
 >   	Did you see "The X-Files" Friday night?
 
 
79.2223BUSY::SLABOUNTYErotic NightmaresMon Apr 29 1996 15:015
    
    	Well, you could, but I guess you'd be lying.  8^)
    
    	It was loosely centered around sleep disorder.
    
79.2224Sleep watching ....BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Mon Apr 29 1996 19:146
    
    I wouldn't be lying necessarily, as I fell asleep in front 
    of the television that night and may have watched it 
    in my sleep :-)
    
    
79.2225BUSY::SLABOUNTYForget the doctor - get me a nurse!Mon Apr 29 1996 19:183
    
    	I think my brain is starting to hurt.
    
79.2226ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsTue Apr 30 1996 13:152
    
    <----- you have to have one first.
79.2227NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 30 1996 13:2183
WhiteBoard News for Monday, April 29, 1996 [excerpts]

Jacksonville, Florida:

A plan hatched by a jail guard to scare two touring
juveniles by staging a fight among three inmates
backfired when the show was canceled and nobody told
the prisoners.

When the fake fight broke out, guards at the Duvall
County Jail subdued one of the inmates with pepper
spray and put him in a restraining chair.

The officer who came up with the idea, Sergeant Joseph
Wallitz, was ordered suspended for 20 days.  Another
guard was reprimanded, and a third resigned.
==========

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:

After decades of unorganized Elvis worship, the
Prophets of Presley want fans of The King to join their
church.

The tenets of Presleyterianism are simple: eat six
meals a day (with frequent snacking), face Las Vegas
once a day, make a pilgrimage to Graceland and fight
against the evil anti-Elvis, Michael Jackson.

About 200 people have joined the First Presleyterian
Church of Elvis the Divine, which holds weekly services
in cyberspace.

Mort Farndu and Karl Edwards founded the church as a
joke and marketing ploy in 1988.  It is aligned with
Lehigh University.

Lehigh has sponsored Elvis events all week thanks to
religion professor Norman Giradot, who teaches a class
titled "Jesus, Buddha, Confucius and Elvis."  Students
can learn about pop culture icons and early religions
by studying the Presley phenomena, Giradot said.

The 31 Commandments -- items Presley always kept around
the house -- were on a table in the front of the
church: hot dogs, bacon, over-the-counter cold
medicine, ground round, cheap cigars, Little Debbie
fudge brownies, laxative gum, peanut butter and
bananas.

"Other religions try to tell you what not to eat," said
Edwards, stroking his potbelly.  "We tell you to eat
anything except pets and roadkill.  Let your body swell
and bloat with the spirit of Elvis."
==========

Toronto, Canada:

A Toronto couple who were invited to dinner at the home
of a former neighbor thought some of the decorations
looked familiar.  

They were right.  A valuable prayer rug and Chinese
plate were theirs -- stolen in a burglary two years
before.

Martin Swinton, 33, was sentenced Friday to 10 months
in jail for art theft.

Goods found in his home included paintings worth more
than $100,000 stolen from the University of Toronto,
said prosecutor Michael Leshner.

Police also found a $5,000 Ming dynasty statue stolen
from the Royal Ontario Museum, where Swinton had a
contract to look after the plants.

Swinton pleaded guilty to breaking and entering and
theft, possession of stolen property and theft.

He admitted breaking into his former neighbors' home
while they were on vacation.  His lawyer, Peter Wilkie,
said Swinton feels remorseful.
79.2228DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Tue Apr 30 1996 14:077
    
    
    	Now that's stupid!  Steal from a former neighbor and
    	then invite them over for dinner?!
    
    	DUH!
    
79.2229BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Tue Apr 30 1996 15:113
	>Now that's stupid!

	Yes, 10 months for multiple counts of grand theft IS stupid!
79.2230SMURF::BINDERUva uvam vivendo variatTue Apr 30 1996 17:235
    .2228
    
    My next-door neighbor, a kiddie porn producer, put his pet cat burglar
    up to doing our house while we were on vacation in 1976, then tried to
    sell my tools to the neighbor on the other side of his house.
79.2232POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of NightmaresTue Apr 30 1996 17:286
    
    >My next-door neighbor, a kiddie porn producer
    
    Ah, works for the government, eh?
    
    
79.2233PHXSS1::HEISERwatchman on the wallTue Apr 30 1996 17:331
    sounds like a nice neighborhood
79.2231NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Apr 30 1996 17:368
>    My next-door neighbor, a kiddie porn producer, put his pet cat burglar
>    up to doing our house while we were on vacation in 1976, then tried to
>    sell my tools to the neighbor on the other side of his house.

Help!  My parsometer is out of whack!  Did your next door neighbor have
somebody steal your cat to use in one of his pornographic works?  If so,
shouldn't that be "kitty porn?"

79.2234SMURF::BINDERUva uvam vivendo variatTue Apr 30 1996 17:3824
    .2231
    
    The neighbor, formerly a resident of New Jersey, moved into our
    neighborhood in Deerfield Beach, Florida.  Named Valentino De George,
    he wore a lot of gold and drove an expensive car.  (Which all put him a
    little out of place in a low-income neighborhood populated mostly by
    people who were getting payment assistance from the federal Section
    221D-2 program.)
    
    He put up blankets or something over the windows of the bedrooms facing
    our house.  He had frequent late-evening visitors, with each of whom he
    would go to the trunk of his car and exchange a white-paper-wrapped
    packet therefrom for cash.  We were warned by the cops to keep our kids
    away from him.  We assumed he was dealing drugs, possibly for the
    Organization.
    
    His burglary of our house, which act was actually performed by another
    neighbor who we later learned was a frequent employee of his, was
    unrelated to the white packets but not a unique occurrence.  After the
    cops staked out a house in Fort Lauderdale and caught the two of them
    in the act of B&E, and after my neighbor had been assigned to an
    extended stay in Florida's Raiford high-security prison, the cops told
    us that the white packets were kiddie porn films the guy had made in
    his house next door to us.
79.2235POLAR::RICHARDSONA message by wormTue Apr 30 1996 17:483
    ugh.
    
    How awful.
79.2236SMURF::BINDERUva uvam vivendo variatTue Apr 30 1996 17:535
    Glenn, I would cheerfully have torn his liver out and fed it to the
    cats had such an opportunity arisen.  He got my stereo - replaceable -
    and my tools - replaceable - and my black-powder guns - replaceable -
    and a family-heirloom pocket watch.  That watch was the only personal
    effect I had that had been my grandfather's.
79.2237POLAR::RICHARDSONA message by wormTue Apr 30 1996 17:561
    Then, you would have lost your temper and nailed his head to the floor.
79.2238;-) good onePHXSS1::HEISERwatchman on the wallTue Apr 30 1996 19:541
    
79.2239Suspicious looking electronic deviceROWLET::AINSLEYDCU Board of Directors CandidateWed May 01 1996 14:348
    Marina heard this one the radio this morning....
    
    In some suburb of Sacramento, California, a suspecious looking
    electronic device was found and most of a neighborhood was evacuated as
    a precaution.  The suspecious looking device was then discovered to be
    a vibrator.
    
    Bob
79.2240VICTUM::AJOHNSTONbeannachdWed May 01 1996 14:436
    which begs the question of the shape/make/model of this "suspicious
    looking" power tool ...
    
    or is Sacremento so backward that folks haven't seen those smarmy ads
    [in "family magazines" since _at_least_ the early 60s] with dreamy-eyed
    ladies in high-necked blouses holding them up to their cheeks?
79.2241CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed May 01 1996 14:452
    Smarmy ads?  Family magazines?  I've never seen these either but I bet
    it would be worth a chuckle or two.  
79.2242WAHOO::LEVESQUEa legend begins at its endWed May 01 1996 15:014
    >with dreamy-eyed ladies in high-necked blouses holding them up to 
    >their cheeks?
    
     Or against a calf.
79.2243BUSY::SLABOUNTYBasket CaseWed May 01 1996 15:045
    
    	Against a calf?
    
    	Do vibrators make cows moo louder?
    
79.2244BUSY::SLABOUNTYBasket CaseWed May 01 1996 15:0410
	 	  (__)
	          (oo)
	 *    -----\/  (__)
	  \  /   _||   (oo)
           \/   /-------\/ 
	    | _/o|     || \ 
	    ||   ||W---|| IS THAT A VIBRATOR OR ARE YOU JUST HAPPY TO SEE ME?
	    ~~   ~~    ~~  

79.2245See, Glenn, I complain about others, too.WAHOO::LEVESQUEa legend begins at its endWed May 01 1996 15:152
    Ok, Shawn. Grow out of it. Now we're beating marginally amusing line
    graphics to death. Sheesh!
79.2246You're just jealous that I thought of it 1st.BUSY::SLABOUNTYBe gone - you have no powers hereWed May 01 1996 15:411
    
79.2247POLAR::RICHARDSONA message by wormWed May 01 1996 15:421
    Bumblebee Tuna!
79.2248TROOA::BUTKOVICHI am NOT a wind stealer!Wed May 01 1996 16:291
    Beverly?
79.2249CNTROL::JENNISONCrown Him with many crownsWed May 01 1996 20:455
    
    	Not to mention that it violates policy as set forth by
    	Ron Glover...
    
    
79.2250NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 02 1996 13:2863
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, May 01, 1996 [excerpts]

Port Washington, Wisconsin:

Sixteen-year-old Jacob Kallas was arrested, cuffed and
jailed overnight because he didn't have the paperwork
for his measles, mumps and rubella shots.

Jacob's mother, Janet Kallas, admits she ignored two
court orders to provide her son's new school with proof
of immunizations, which he did receive.

But she couldn't believe authorities would throw her
child in jail over a missing piece of paper.

Officials said Kallas had plenty of warning in the
seven months since Jacob changed high schools.

"We're not looking to jail kids," Ozaukee County
counsel Dennis Keneally said Friday.  "We've issued
warrants before and the parents come right in."

Jacob was stopped around midnight Wednesday as he was
driving home from his restaurant job because his
mother's van had expired license plates.  A routine
check showed he was wanted on a juvenile warrant from
Ozaukee County, but it didn't say for what.

"They cuffed me," Jacob said.

Taken to court in shackles Thursday, he was released to
his mother, who was told to confirm Jacob had received
his shots or sign a waiver that she didn't want him to
get them.

Many state judges have issued immunization-related
bench warrants, but most parents move quickly to get
shots or resolve a possible error in record keeping,
said Dan Hopfensperger of the Bureau of Public Health.

"I'm pretty sure that no one was ever jailed before,"
he said.
==========

Monza, Italy:

Gabriella Villa was last seen alive when she drifted
away from her family seven years ago:  she was reported
missing.

When her husband and 26-year-old daughter obtained a
court's permission to inspect her apartment Monday for
possible sale, they found Villa's remains in her bed.  

A doctor's report indicated the 47-year-old woman died
of natural causes -- nearly seven years ago.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Toronto police and firefighters roused a naked man from
a Laundromat dryer where he had fallen asleep. 
Ambulance drivers gave him a clean bill of health.
79.2251SOLVIT::KRAWIECKItumble to remove jerksFri May 03 1996 15:584
    
    re: 16 yr. old in jail..
    
    This country has gone stark, raving mad....
79.2252MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Fri May 03 1996 16:001
    SHOW ME ZEEE PAPERS!!!!
79.2253NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 06 1996 13:3049
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 03, 1996 [excerpts]

Bamford, England:

A Vicar continued praying when a ferret disappeared up
his cassock during a communion service.

The Reverend Stephen Grey, of St. Michael's Church,
Bamford, near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was alerted
to the interloper when a woman worshipper screamed and
jumped upon a pew.

"I looked up and there it was, staring at me," he said
yesterday. "It went three times around my cassock and
then stuck its head underneath."

Eventually, the ferret -- believed to be a pet -- was
ejected from the church after biting a parishioner's
thumb.

"I was trained to carry on regardless, but I must admit
the prayers speeded up a bit towards the end," Mr. Grey
said.
==========

London, England:

U.S. Customs tried to ban the work of a British artist
who cuts dead cows in half, fearing it might violate a
ban on British beef imposed because of fears concerning
mad cow disease.

The work by award-winning artist Damien Hirst, called
"Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of Inherent
Lives in Everything," consists of 12 cut-up parts of
two dead cows floating in tanks of formaldehyde.

After initially trying to ban the exhibit, customs
officials decided it could be considered a work of art
and was thus exempt from the British beef export ban.
==========

Fast News Forum:

The family of murder victim David Shipley says the
Oskaloosa, Kansas, police were wrong to leave his body
in a pond for 14 months without telling them.  Police
say it was crucial to the case, which has netted
suspect Michael Wilkins.
79.2254NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 06 1996 13:317
Spaniard Alberto Porta has declared himself a country. Porta, who now goes by
the name Zush, says he got the idea from a schizophrenic he met in a mental
hospital in 1968. "Evrugo Mental State" consists of one inhabitant -- himself --
and he has issued himself a passport so he can move around. Zush has grudgingly
adopted a state flag. "I don't need flags and hymns," he says, "but the only way
people accept that you have your own state is by using symbols of state. It's
purely for diplomatic reasons." (Reuter)
79.2255NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 06 1996 13:31131
WEIRDNUZ.427 (News of the Weird, April 12, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Nudity in the news in February:  Richmond, Tex., police
charged two teenagers with aggravated robbery; as a ruse to keep
from being identified, they had removed their clothes and walked
around the neighborhood pretending to be carjacking victims who
had been robbed and stripped.  And Virginia legislator Robert E.
Nelms was arrested for indecent exposure in a Richmond park;
he explained only that "the rushing river had its effect on my
bladder."  And 40 people attended the first Christian Nudist
Conference in Longwood, N. C., where both robed and unrobed
ministers distributed communion and naked karaoke was the
featured distraction. [Houston Chronicle, 2-27-96] [Washington
Post & .208, 2-23-96] [L. A. Times-AP, 3-3-96] 

THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS 

* In the middle of a cabinet meeting in Accra in December, the
president of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, 49, brawled with vice
president Nkensen Arkaah, 68.  According to Arkaah, Rawlings
punched him to the floor and then repeatedly kicked him in the
"groin" in a policy dispute. [Globe and Mail-Reuters, 12-30-95] 

* The U. S. Justice Department recently conducted a sting
operation against some Chicago officials who were suspected of
taking payments for facilitating illegal dumping.  As the identity
of the sting agent became known, state Sen. Ricky Hendon, who
was formerly a Chicago alderman and who had in the past been
suspected of corruption, told reporters proudly that he personally
had resisted the pressure by the sting agent.  The Chicago Sun-
Times reported that Hendon said, "I hope I get some points for
not being corrupt this one time." [Chicago Sun-Times, 1-9-96] 

* Noted championship eater Mort Hurst, who once ate 16 double-
deck Moon Pies in 10 minutes and 38 eggs in 29 seconds (which
resulted in a stroke, in 1991), announced in January that he
would run for secretary of state of North Carolina, against race-
car legend Richard Petty.  Asked if he was intimidated by Petty's
name, Hurst said no:  "I been on Paul Harvey's [radio] show; I
don't think Petty has." [Durham Herald-Sun-AP, 1-21-96] 

* The candidates for Oregon Senate, district 8, include Thomas
Wilde, a Democrat who, if he wins the primary in May, will face
his wife, Republican Melinda Wilde, in the general election. 
(Thomas started out as Melinda's campaign manager but
discovered that the two hardly agreed on anything.)  And running
for the Missouri senate seat from Concordia are husband Al
(Democrat) and wife Janette Hanson (Republican), who both face
challengers in the August primary. [Eugene Register-Guard, 1-
25-96] [Independence Examiner-AP, 3-4-96] 

* The Oklahoma Senate passed a bill in February that would end
the emerging bar sport of bear-wrestling, in which men fight
small, declawed bears.  The maximum penalty for illegal bear-
wrestling would be $5,000.  Sen. Penny Williams successfully
introduced an unrelated amendment to the bill raising the fine for
abusing a former or current spouse, but she could only get
agreement to raise the fine for that to $2,000. [San Jose Mercury
News-AP, 2-29-96] 

* Not a single person voted in the 25th Precinct in Tulsa, Okla.,
in the city council primary in February.  The county believes no
one has lived in the precinct for 20 years but operates the polling
place for 12 hours every election day because if someone does
want to vote and can't, the entire election could be negated.
[Daily Oklahoman-AP, 2-7-96] 

* Florida state Rep. Marvin Couch (R Oviedo) resigned in
February, a week after he was arrested on three misdemeanor sex
charges.  He was caught by police in his car in a shopping center
parking lot at noontime receiving oral sex from a prostitute. 
Rep. Couch was a member of a legislators' prayer-meeting group
that called itself the God Squad. [AP wirecopy, 3-1-96] 

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION 

* Less noticed than his highly-touted intervention in Bosnia was
Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke's help in
February in defusing an imminent war between Greece and
Turkey.  The two nations had amassed troops and warships for
full-scale battle over the isle of Imia, a 10-acre rock in the
Aegean Sea, completely uninhabitable except for a few goats.
[Rocky Mountain News-AP, 1-31-96; Greensboro News &
Record-AP, 1-31-96] 

* In January, 600 blind "anmasa" (special masseurs and
masseuses) came from all over South Korea to protest a
scheduled TV program that suggested they were prostitutes.
(The anmasa profession is limited to blind people, to give them
an enhanced opportunity to work.)  About 100 of the men lined
up along a wall of TV station Channel 11 in mid-day and
urinated on it in protest. [Gulf Times [Qatar], 1-24-96] 

* In sociologist Reginald Bibby's 1995 poll of a cross-section of
Canadians, 76% of those asked to name Canada's greatest living
person either responded "no one comes to mind" or declined to
answer.  More recently, Toronto's Maclean's magazine
concluded that Canada's most famous person is Pamela Anderson
of "Baywatch." [Globe and Mail, 1-31-96] [World Press Review,
February 1996] 

* The village council of Bruntingthorpe, England, began
consideration in February of an elaborate plan to reduce the
amount of dog poop in the town of 200 people (and 30 dogs):  
The village would DNA-test the dogs and keep the results on file
for the purpose of matching the DNA to that on any unscooped
dog poop lying around the village, so as to punish scofflaws.
[The Barrie Examiner-CP, 2-26-96] 

* Included in the holy matrimonial vows in February by Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his bride, lawyer Mildred
Trouillot:  "When you [Mildred] see this ring, think of me and
remember that you are the attorney of the Haitian people." 
Mildred responded that Aristide should think of his wedding ring
as a symbol of her love and also a reminder that it was better to
fail by the side of his countrymen than to succeed alone. [The
Nation-Reuters [Bangkok], 2-6-96] 

* Dr. Rolando Sanchez, the Tampa, Fla., surgeon with 15
minutes of fame last year for amputating the wrong foot of a
diabetic patient, filed a claim against the city in March over a
recent jogging accident, in which he fell into a hole cut away for
a sprinkler system and broke his arm. [St. Petersburg Times, 3-
13-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
Released for the entertainment of readers.  No commercial use
may be made of the material or of the name News of the Weird.
79.2256Your FortuneNQOS01::s_coghill.dyo.dec.com::S_CoghillLuke 14:28Mon May 06 1996 19:1719
BEIJING (Reuter) - Young Chinese buyers expected a mouthful but got an eyeful when 
they found sexually explicit toys hidden in their cookies, prompting parental 
outrage and police action.

Police closed down Wanda food company and detained three people, including the 
company's production manager and legal representative, police said. Company 
officials told police they bought a huge batch of 300 kinds of toys to put in the 
cookies as a gimmick but were unaware that some of the playthings were 
pornographic.

The wrapping on the "Pudding Crisp" brand read: "A total of 300 different toys 
that children love, don't you want to collect them all?" the Shaanxi Daily said.

But parents were shocked to find some of the toys were sexually explicit models, 
the newspaper said. One such surprise was a hinged, working model of a naked 
couple engaged in sexual intercourse, while another was a mini-sculpture of a nude 
woman, it said.


79.2257Even dogs have constitutional rights!NQOS01::s_coghill.dyo.dec.com::S_CoghillLuke 14:28Mon May 06 1996 19:1943
LOS ANGELES (Reuter) - The saying goes that every dog will have his day, but one 
lawyer believes his peeved poodle deserves more -- his own day in court.

So attorney Harold Marsh has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of his 3-year-old 
black miniature poodle, Devil Mec Marsh, who was ejected from the patio dining 
area of a trendy restaurant that became famous during the O.J. Simpson double 
murder trial.

The lawsuit claims the dog's constitutional rights were violated when it was 
ejected from the Mezzaluna Cafe.

"The lawsuit was filed in my little dog's name and my name, so he is a joint 
plaintiff," Marsh said.

He said the lawsuit, which names the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Richard Riordan, 
the city Health Department and the restaurant as defendants, was filed "to make a 
serious point."

The restaurant gained national attention during Simpson's 1995 trial, in which he 
was found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald 
Goldman, a waiter at the Mezzaluna where Nicole Brown Simpson ate her last meal.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, claims the ban on dogs 
violates the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution because pigeons and other 
birds, which the lawsuit refers to as "those dirty birds" are not banned from the 
patio.

The lawsuit claims that a Mezzaluna employee, in ordering Devil Mec out, said the 
city's Health Department had threatened to issue the restaurant a citation if it 
did not exclude dogs from its patio.

The dog, according to the lawsuit, had been on the patio many times.

The legal action, which seeks an injunction barring the restaurant from banning 
canines, blames "those idiot tourists" who come to the upscale Brentwood 
neighborhood of Los Angeles "looking for O.J.'s house, the murder scene and the 
restaurant where the murdered man worked."

The tourists "...and other persons similarly insane," had complained to the Health 
Department about dogs on the patio after dining there.

Spokespersons for Mezzaluna and the city were not immediately available for 
comment.
79.2258of course, the whole idea is stupid anyway...ACISS2::LEECHextremistMon May 06 1996 19:351
    Bad premise...dogs have no Constitutional rights.
79.2259ROWLET::AINSLEYDCU Board of Directors CandidateMon May 06 1996 19:406
    Where else but California:-(
    
    Any bets that the judge doesn't sanction the lawyer for filing a
    frivilous suit?
    
    Bob
79.2260EDITEX::MOOREGetOuttaMyChairMon May 06 1996 20:315
    
    > Any bets that the judge doesn't sanction the lawyer for filing a
    > frivilous suit?
    
    Maybe they could have the dog lick his face in punishment.
79.2261Maybe I got correct this time...ROWLET::AINSLEYDCU Board of Directors CandidateMon May 06 1996 20:417
    re: .2260
    
    Whooops.  I see I wasn't clear in my earlier reply.  I'll be very, very
    surprised if the judge sanctions the lawyer for filing a frivilous
    suit.  These must be lawyers with way too much time on their hands.
    
    Bob
79.2262Stupid, not WackyGENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Wed May 08 1996 16:3252
Turtle owner charged with animal cruelty

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Associated Press

DENVER -- Michaelangelo had a swollen head and needed surgery, but Yvonne
Montoya couldn't afford the $150 operation for her box turtle.

After wavering almost two weeks on what to do, animal control officials
showed up at her door, seized the turtle and slapped her with an animal
cruelty charge punishable with a $999 fine and up to a year in jail.

On Tuesday, the case was thrown out on a technicality by the judge, but
Montoya said she was flabbergasted by the charge.

"Cruelty to animals is a serious charge, and I am the biggest animal lover,
but I have four kids to think about," she said. "What's more important, my
kids or that turtle? They're both important, but my kids will come first."

Montoya said she hated to see Michaelangelo suffer, but she couldn't afford
the surgery prescribed by Dr. Kris Ahlgrim.

Ahlgrim said Tuesday she was disappointed the case was thrown out, but not
sorry that she filed the complaint after calling Montoya repeatedly about
getting the turtle treated.

"The turtle was suffering. The turtle is doing well now, and I'm happy,"
said Ahlgrim, who operated on the turtle after it was seized. "If we can
educate more people out there about taking care of our pets more
responsibly, I can live with it."

Montoya took Michaelangelo, one of two family turtles, to Ahlgrim on Feb. 3
after noticing his swollen head. The veterinarian said the turtle needed an
operation to drain the fluid buildup, which prevented her from retracting
her head into her shell.

Montoya said after she left, Ahlgrim kept calling her about Michaelangelo
and finally offered three options -- euthanasia, relinquish Michaelangelo
for surgery and adoption by another family, or pay for the operation.

On Feb. 16, the animal control officers decided for her.

Montoya said it was a waste of tax dollars to charge her with cruelty to
animals over a turtle. The veterinarian disagreed.

"They don't have the same expression or the same behaviors as dogs and cats
so we tend to ignore their pain, and their needs," Ahlgrim said.

After Montoya retrieved the turtle from the vet Tuesday, Ahlgrim said she
would miss Michaelangelo. "Michaelangelo was very personable. We became
very attached to her."
79.2263SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed May 08 1996 16:404
    
    	some of these folks go a *bit* too far eh?
    
    
79.2264DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Wed May 08 1996 17:526
    
    
    	EEsh.  I love animals but I think that's a major stretch
    	for cruelty.  Thank God I know my vet would never pull that
    	on me regarding my cat that's got kidney failure.
    
79.2265BUSY::SLABOUNTYGood Heavens,Cmndr,what DID you doWed May 08 1996 17:547
    
    	In concrete you'd rather your feet not set?
    	Make sure you take care of that pet.
    
    	Swingin' in the wind is not your style?
    	Schedule that operation for your reptile.
    
79.2266appetizing...GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseWed May 08 1996 18:0012
    
      I've eaten real turtle in restaraunts in New Orleans, and once
     in Japan.  Properly spiced, it's a good start to a 2-hour
     plantation breakfast at Brennan's.
    
      I wonder if box turtles are edible.  I'm sorry to say I've never
     known which species I was eating, but the Japanese one was served
     on the half shell, and seemed about box-turtle size.  Of course,
     the meat had been ground, spiced, sauced, and stewed, then returned
     to the top shell half to be presented, with a porcelain soup spoon.
    
      bb
79.2267BUSY::SLABOUNTYGot into a war with reality ...Wed May 08 1996 18:056
    
    	Oh, that's gross.
    
    	I thought "clams on the half shell" sounded bad enough, now I
    	have to read about "turtles on the half shell"??
    
79.2268SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed May 08 1996 18:064
    
    	{slurp} yummy. I think I prefer oysters tho'. 
    
    
79.2269I'll have a large turtle hero, everything on itDECWIN::RALTOBananas in Pajamas??Wed May 08 1996 18:094
    The theme song to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" described the
    title characters as "Heroes in a Half Shell".
    
    Chris
79.2270BUSY::SLABOUNTYGot into a war with reality ...Wed May 08 1996 18:175
    
    	I knew that sounded familiar, but couldn't remember the word-
    	ing.  I never was a big TMNT fan ... OK, actually I've never
    	even seen an episode/movie with them in it.
    
79.2271NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 14:013
>    	Oh, that's gross.

Take a look at the "terrapin" recipe in the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.
79.2272NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 14:4663
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, May 08, 1996 [excerpts]

Mansura, Egypt:

An Egyptian thief sank his teeth into a German shepherd
dog he had stolen in a vain attempt to stop it barking,
the Al-Ahrar newspaper reported Monday.

Ahmed Said, 22, intended to sell the guard dog, which he
had stolen from the house of a lawyer in Mansura, 80
miles north of Cairo. After pacifying the dog by feeding
it biscuits laced with drugs, Said and two accomplices
put a muzzle on it and took it back to his house.

But when the dog woke up it started to bark, sending his
kidnapper into a rage, which led him to bite the dog's
ears. The three villains were arrested and the dog was
returned to its owner with its ears in bandages. 
==========

Escondido, California:

In just a few seconds yesterday, a wrecking ball and
connecting cable that had come loose from a huge mobile
crane fell from a freeway overpass and entangled a
Volkswagen van moving on the roadway below.  The cable
was suddenly pulled taut. It spun the van around, then
hurled it straight up and into the bottom of the
concrete bridge.

The driver of the van, who turned 87 yesterday, could
have had no idea what was coming.  He was in critical
condition in a hospital.

The freakish accident happened about 9:45 AM as the
crane was moving on a connecting ramp from westbound
state Route 78 to southbound Interstate 15.  The
crane's wrecking ball somehow became loose and fell
onto the ramp. The cable attached to the ball continued
to unravel behind the crane as the crane kept heading
south on the overpass above 78. CHP Officer Ted Prola
said the ball and cable then fell 30 feet onto the
highway below and the ball ended up in the center
divider.

As the crane continued to head south with the cable
still unraveling behind it, the steel cord stretched
across the eastbound lanes of Route 78.  At that
moment, Ralph Carl Merten of San Marcos, the driver of
the van, was heading east on 78.  He drove onto the
cable, and the cable wrapped itself around the
undercarriage of his van. Meanwhile, on the overpass
above, the cable snapped free of the crane.  But the
cable became entangled with a large truck behind the
crane.  The cable wrapped around the moving truck's
axle, which reeled the line in until it became taut. 
The cable instantly lifted Merten's van off the freeway
and slammed it into the bottom of the I-15 overpass.

"It spun the Volkswagen like a top, hurling it straight
up," Prola said.  "The force must have been
incredible."  Merten was trapped in his van for at
least 10 minutes, then taken to a hospital.
79.2273NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 14:4610
COMMUNIST NOSTALGICS PLACE CROSS ON CEAUSESCU'S GRAVE. The Romanian
Workers' Party (PMR), an extraparliamentary group composed of "communist
nostalgics," have erected a cross on the presumed grave of former
dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in a Bucharest cemetery, Evenimentul zilei
reported on 8 May. The day marked the 75th anniversary of the
establishment of the Romanian Communist Party. Although Ceausescu
himself was an atheist, his grave is now marked by a cross inscribed
with his name and dates of birth and death. The PMR also placed a cross
on the grave of Ceausescu's predecessor, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, whose
body was moved from a pantheon to a regular cemetery. -- Michael Shafir
79.2274NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 14:496
CANNIBAL KILLS AGAIN. A Russian prisoner on death row murdered a fellow
inmate in a jail in Barnaul in Altai Krai and tried to make soup out of
his liver, Reuters reported on 8 May, citing Interfax. Last July, the
cannibal, Aleksandr Maslich, murdered another fellow prisoner and ate
some of his internal organs. Maslich was convicted on triple murder
charges in 1993 and sentenced to death last year. -- Penny Morvant
79.2275WAHOO::LEVESQUEwhiskey. line 'em upThu May 09 1996 14:506
>In just a few seconds yesterday, a wrecking ball and
>connecting cable that had come loose from a huge mobile
>crane fell from a freeway overpass and entangled a
>Volkswagen van moving on the roadway below. [...]
    
     What incredibly bad luck!
79.2276USAT02::HALLRGod loves even you!Thu May 09 1996 15:075
    ole Nikolai is well-hated in Romania...my brother-in-law is a missionary
    there and the common people still celebrate his death as a
    holiday...unfortunately, there is, as in some other former communist block
    countries, growing pangs under a free-market society which makes the
    former communist ways look nostaligic!  
79.2277NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 15:162
Nicolae.  The current Romanian government is pretty far to the left.
The economy is a mess.
79.2278BUSY::SLABOUNTYAfterbirth of a NationThu May 09 1996 15:177
    
    	RE: .2272
    
    	That's what they usually refer to as a "spectacular accident".
    
    	[No pun here, just in case you're looking for 1.]
    
79.2279NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 15:5212
Buenos Aires -- The Roman Catholic charity Caritas accused the government
yesterday of ignoring the poor and unemployed, after television showed
slum-dwellers in the city of Rosario eating cats.

But the shanty families reduced to cooking their pet cats were called
"barbarians" by the ADDA animal rights group.  "Their is no justification
for killing and eating animals not raised for consumption," the group said

Channel 13's footage of adults and children in Argentina's third biggest
city stroking cats -- then skinning, cooking and eating them -- caused
outrage in a country where top-quality beef is a daily staple food and
cereals are a major export.
79.2280NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 15:598
State officials yesterday suspended the license of a Burlington chiropractor
who was accused by 14 female patients of massaging their breasts and pubic
areas and making sexually suggestive comments.

A Middlesex Superior Court judge earlier dismissed criminal charges of
indecent assault and rape filed against [Ronald A.] Goldstein, who has
maintained his "uterine lift" and "chest spread" techniques were legitimate
and benefited his clients.
79.2281BUSY::SLABOUNTYAlways a Best Man, never a groomThu May 09 1996 16:095
    
    	All in a day's work.
    
    	It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.
    
79.2282TROOA::BUTKOVICHtragically unhipThu May 09 1996 16:225
    I always wondered about the women that lie there and take it while their
    Doctor's touch them in an inappropriate manner.  And some of them
    report that it happened on more than one check-up. I just don't get how
    somebody lets themselves be fondled and doesn't do something about it
    right away.
79.2283LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 09 1996 16:361
    taken off guard, perhaps?
79.2284TROOA::BUTKOVICHtragically unhipThu May 09 1996 16:402
    o.k. - maybe the first time.  But would you go back to the same Doctor
    and allow him/her a second chance to do the same?
79.2285LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 09 1996 16:443
    me?  i'd punch his lights out the _first_ time
    and never look back.
    
79.2286BUSY::SLABOUNTYAlways a Best Man, never a groomThu May 09 1996 16:523
    
    	Or maybe they go back to allow him a chance NOT to do it again.
    
79.2287LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 09 1996 16:541
    oh, the benefit of the doubt kinda thingy?
79.2288TROOA::BUTKOVICHtragically unhipThu May 09 1996 16:581
    (in my best Ross voice)  "well, that's just crazy"
79.2289PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu May 09 1996 16:593
  that Oph, she is one tough cookie, oh yes.

79.2290BUSY::SLABOUNTYAlways a Best Man, never a groomThu May 09 1996 17:008
    
    	Yes.
    
    	As a non-female, this is purely a guess on my part, of course.
    	But maybe they think they might've imagined it the 1st time
    	and will definitely pay closer attention this time ... THEN
    	make a stink about it if it happens "again".
    
79.2291LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 09 1996 17:021
    happened to a friend of mine.
79.2292TROOA::BUTKOVICHtragically unhipThu May 09 1996 17:242
    fondle me once, shame on me
    fondle me twice, shame on you?
79.2293MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu May 09 1996 17:252
    As a guy, I have a hard time understanding how a woman can even feel
    comfortable going to a male obstetrician!
79.2294LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 09 1996 17:3711
    it was more than a fondle.  it was a vaginal exam
    in his office, next to his desk.  not in an exam room.
    no third person present.  twice.
    
    first, i wanted to punch her lights out.  then the 
    "doctor's".  she told me she returned a second time
    because she thought maybe that was the way doctors
    conducted exams in New England.  She had recently re-
    located from Montana.  Oi.
    
    
79.2295BUSY::SLABOUNTYAntisocialThu May 09 1996 17:395
    
    	Reminds me of the "Friends" episode with Joey's tailor.
    
    	8^)
    
79.2296DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Thu May 09 1996 18:0510
    
    
    	re:  Jack
    
    	I don't.  My primary care doctor is a female.  
    
    	re: Shawn
    
    	One of the classic episodes......  =)
    
79.2297USAT02::HALLRGod loves even you!Thu May 09 1996 18:078
    I was having physical therapy years back with my first car accident
    ('87) and the female4 PT was doing massage on my lower lumbar.  Well,
    at one point, I felt she went a little too low.  I didn't say anything
    at the time although I discussed it with my then fiance who proceeded
    to call them up, complain and get me another PT.  
    
    Should've learned to keep my pick mouth shut, especially when the next
    PT was different gender. 
79.2298POWDML::HANGGELILe beau est aussi utile que l'utileThu May 09 1996 18:073
    
    So Ronnie, she was fondling your butt?
    
79.2299BUSY::SLABOUNTYAntisocialThu May 09 1996 18:086
    
    	See?  Men are more inclined to "lay back and enjoy it", while
    	women are more inclined to file charges.
    
    	You women really need to lighten up.
    
79.2300NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 18:091
The real question is what did the second PT do?
79.2301USAT02::HALLRGod loves even you!Thu May 09 1996 18:137
    Deb:
    
    Yes...
    
    Gerald...
    
    unfortunately the same thing at which time I decided to quit the PT. 
79.2302Thin skin me thinks ...BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Thu May 09 1996 19:056
	I wonder if I should feel violated when my PT is working on
	my sacrum, or the trigger points in the same area, or when I drop my 
	shorts so she can use electricity to zap the stuburn muscles ...

	BTW:  Best PT I've ever gone to ... (and I've been to a few)
79.2303POWDML::AJOHNSTONbeannachdThu May 09 1996 19:0817
    re.2293
    
    having babies is not a dignified act. by the time a woman gets to
    well into the pushing part she probably wouldn't care if the individual
    doing the catching was a five-eyed, three-headed, extra-terrestrial so
    long as he/she/it was competent and compassionate
    
    but, more to the point of your question I think ... up until the time I
    was 20 I only saw 3 female doctors. Most of the doctors available to me
    were male. When your memory of undressing and being probed and examined
    by someone of the opposite sex goes back farther that your memory, your
    comfort level with same can be pretty good. It was kind of rough seeing
    a male gynecologist while I was in my early teens [I didn't need an
    obstetrician until last year], but once I got past that it didn't much
    matter.
    
      Annie
79.2304:-)USAT02::HALLRGod loves even you!Thu May 09 1996 19:093
    When i had my accident in 94, I went to a PT once; it brought back some
    uncomfortable memories...My wife and I have gone together to see a
    masseuse on occasion....must be my vows...
79.2305never beenGAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseThu May 09 1996 19:124
    
      And here I thought massage and physical therapy were euphemisms...
    
      bb
79.2306BUSY::SLABOUNTYAs you wishThu May 09 1996 19:139
    
    	RE: .2303
    
    	"E.R." touched on that, when Carter was "assisting" a child
    	birth ... he was almost close enough to shake hands with the
    	kid, and the actual delivery hadn't even started yet.  I for-
    	got what the woman said, but it was a riot. [She had a "who
    	cares" attitude.]
    
79.2307NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 09 1996 19:163
I used to go with a masseuse, but she rubbed me the wrong way.

	- Groucho (I think)
79.2308CSC32::M_EVANSI'd rather be gardeningFri May 10 1996 05:1823
    Obstetricians, midwives, and any others who deliver babies have to get
    pretty close to intimate parts of a body.  Sometimes I wonder if the
    high C-section and episiotomy rate in this country isn't from Drs who
    are uncomfortable with touching another person's genitals except in a
    sexual context.
    
    The last OB I went to didn't even like to feel for position on the
    outside of my abdomen.  She only did when Atlehi wouldn't cooperate and
    she couldn't find a heartbeat.  At the same time the kid was shoving
    elbows and knees all over my stomach while she was trying to get the
    doppler to registerm and obviously quite healthy.    I am glad I had a
    midwife and friend involved in the actual delivery. Somehow I couldn't
    see this Dr getting face to face with a bulging pudenda.
    
    Pelvic and breast exams require being pretty forthright if you are
    really checking for lumps or abnormalities.  However, I certainly
    wouldn't consider a really thourough exam fonding in an erogenous
    matter, any more than being asked to "turn your head and cough" would
    be.
    
    meg
    
    meg
79.2309NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 10 1996 15:583
Alabama State Senator Charles Davidson, who is running for Congress, says
that slavery in the South was beneficial to blacks.  The Republican party
is distancing him from them.
79.2310MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Fri May 10 1996 16:116
    I would like to understand the context of his comments.  Obviously
    slavery was wrong, however I'm wondering if he meant that slavery as an
    institution, while it was oppressive, allowed blacks at that time to
    have a roof over their heads...or something in that vein.
    
    -Jack
79.2311MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Fri May 10 1996 16:127
>			I'm wondering if he meant that slavery as an
>    institution, while it was oppressive, allowed blacks at that time to
>    have a roof over their heads...or something in that vein.

This would make some sort of difference to you, I take it?


79.2312LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthFri May 10 1996 16:121
    agagagagagag.
79.2313POWDML::HANGGELIComing apart at the seamsFri May 10 1996 16:1925
    
    >SANBORNTON, N.H. (AP) - The judge deciding the fate of Thomas Dean only
    >knows that he held his family at gunpoint for six hours. 
    
    >Dean's sister hopes to convince the judge that her brother really is a 
    >good person, and she has taken out an ad to find others who can do the 
    >same. 
    
    ...
    
    >Dean will be sentenced on eight counts resulting from a six-hour
    >armed standoff with police at his Sanbornton home last November. Dean's 
    >wife, Debbie, said their two children hid in an upstairs closet before 
    >escaping down a ladder propped outside a window by police. 
    
    >``He and his wife had a very bad night,'' Coughlin [Dean's sister] said. 
    >``It was a marital thing. It's been blown all out of proportion into a 
    >criminal thing.'' 
    
    ...
    
    Holding your wife and kids hostage at gunpoint for six hours is a
    'marital thing'?
    
    
79.2314BUSY::SLABOUNTYBeing weird isn't enoughFri May 10 1996 16:243
    
    	Hey, he probably said he was sorry.
    
79.2315POWDML::HANGGELIComing apart at the seamsFri May 10 1996 16:263
    
    Yeah, he's sorry all right.
    
79.2316LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthFri May 10 1996 16:411
    well, he gave her a roof over her head.
79.2317WAHOO::LEVESQUEexterminatorFri May 10 1996 16:451
    Now that's a horse of a different color!
79.2318POLAR::RICHARDSONSpank you very much!Fri May 10 1996 17:061
    I never met her, but some horsemen knew her.
79.2319DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri May 10 1996 17:398
    
    
    	re: Jack  .2310
    
    	I'm sure they liked the roof they had over their heads back
    	home in Africa just fine..... before the stupid white men
    	dragged them here.
    
79.2320CSLALL::SECURITYFri May 10 1996 18:003
    They probably also liked the God they had worshipped for centuries, and
    the names they had chosen, before white men branded a new God and new
    names on them.
79.2321GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Fri May 10 1996 18:242
    We did them a favor then right. How else would they have come to know
    the "true" god??   :-)
79.2322USAT02::HALLRGod loves even you!Fri May 10 1996 18:261
    The day u do God a favor Tom, the world would prolly quake....   :-)
79.2323GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Fri May 10 1996 18:281
    we will never know.  :)
79.2324NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 13 1996 13:13156
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 10, 1996 [excerpts]

Las Vegas, Nevada:

The parents of a 2-year-old girl who was accidentally
struck and killed by her father's truck got married at
the child's funeral in front of her open casket.

Mark Macdonald, 40, said he wanted his daughter to be
at the wedding Thursday.

Macdonald and Ann Scarpelli had been living together
for nearly six years but never married.

Their daughter, Cherish Justine, was killed last
Sunday.  Macdonald told police he did not realize she
had wandered behind his truck.  No charges were filed.

Scarpelli said she was glad to have shared the wedding
with her child.

"You know what they say: For every wedding there's a
death.  For ever death a wedding," she said.
==========

Bellevue, Washington:

A new father who brought his wife's recently delivered
placenta into his child's classroom during a
health-education course has angered a Lake Hills
Elementary School parent.

The parent is the only one complaining, and placentas
have been brought into classrooms before, said Ann
Oxrieder, spokeswoman for the Bellevue School District.

"In other schools, it's not uncommon for nurses to
bring placentas in during health education," she said. 
"The father thought the kids would learn something."

One child in the class of fourth- and fifth-graders was
disturbed, and told a parent, who has complained to the
school.

Anyone bringing such items in the future will have to
clear them with the principal, Oxrieder said.
==========

Seattle, Washington:

Sean Crites is a big man, and it took a big plane to
fly him from Alaska to Seattle to repair his broken
leg.

The 21-year-old, who weighs 617 pounds, was flown south
from his home in Juneau aboard the largest plane in the
Coast Guard fleet, a C-130.  He was rolled on to the
rear of the aircraft Wednesday afternoon in a wheelchair
and spent the three-hour flight on a mattress bolted to
the floor.

"This was a special operation," said Juneau Coast Guard
Petty Officer Jeff Krump.  "It was a humanitarian
mission and that's what the Coast Guard does."

Krump said Crites' girth precluded him from flying on a
commercial airliner.

"He was in pain, but in good spirits when we put him
on" the C-130, Krump said.  "He was very cooperative
and very appreciative."

When Crites arrived at Seattle's Boeing Field, it took
a half-dozen firefighters to cart him off the plane. 
He was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where
doctors are working on his twice-broken leg.

Crites works as a computer technician in Juneau.

Crites first broke his leg in December 1993 when he
accidentally shot himself with his shotgun.  He was
treated at Harborview where a nail and rod were
inserted to repair the injured limb.

Crites declined to say how he got to Seattle for
medical treatment then.

"I rebroke the leg (Monday) getting into my truck,"
Crites said.  "I felt something tear."  He added that
the nail and rod will have to be replaced. 
==========

Fast News Forum:

A retired Argentine hematologist will auction off three
drops of Evita's blood -- from the real one, not
Madonna -- to ease his financial situation.  Gonzalo
Perez Roldon, 79, who said his pension isn't enough,
withdrew the blood from Eva Peron just months before
her 1951 death.

New York Governor Pataki blasted the New York city
school board for spending $187,000 on a metal sculpture
on the roof of Public School 279 while the school's
elevator hasn't worked in two years.  Nearly $11.3
million has been spent on art work for schools with
leaky roofs and outdated textbooks, he said.

Alaska state legislature House members sang "My Way"
and said goodbye to those not running for re-election
as they wrapped up the session late Monday.

En route to court to face charges of driving without
wearing his glasses, Antonio Valdez Jr. crashed into a
car because he wasn't wearing his glasses, Tampa,
Florida, police said.

Beverly Wagonner, 56, says the problem is that she
likes to save things, but a Rochester, Indiana, judge
has ordered her to spend one day a week in jail each
week that her house remains filthy.  Officials have
been trying to get her to clean house since 1993.

A journalist in Ecuador turned to stealing cars for a
living after conducting a jailhouse interview with the
head of a car-theft ring who told all his trade
secrets.

Wise County, Texas, jail inmates Randy Carter and
Michael Roberts, assigned to move the sheriff's Grand
Cherokee Jeep from a jail repair shop to the parking
lot, used it to escape.  Sergeant Jo Higgins said when
they are caught they won't be in the trusty program
anymore.

Wheelchair-bound William Satterfield Jr., 58, is
accused of stealing a security vehicle from a detox
center and leading police on a 25-mile chase.  Benton,
Arkansas, officials said Satterfield tried to ram them. 
A roadblock stopped him. 

Controversy has benched Kim Schlink, 17, a pregnant
high school softball pitcher.  An opposing team
forfeited a game against Schlink, who had received
medical clearance from her doctors in Waterford,
Connecticut.

Danyale Andersen, 18, who has spent over 100 hours
preaching sexual abstinence to students, says her
beliefs remain unshaken, even though she recently gave
birth out of wedlock in Redmond, Oregon.

Katie Baxter, 6, was in critical condition in
Midlothian, Texas, after being mauled by an escaped
tiger, then injured again, along with her mother, in a
car accident on the way to the hospital.
79.2325NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 13 1996 13:13135
WEIRDNUZ.428 (News of the Weird, April 19, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Recent uses of video cameras for surreptitious taping by alleged
perverts:  According to a lawsuit filed by a 20-year-old woman, a
Reno, Nev., optometrist set up one in his ladies' room (for
"security" purposes, he said in October); Mineola, N. Y.,
landlord Mark Pearlman was accused in February of having a
video camera behind a see-through mirror in a female tenant's
bedroom (to enforce his no-smoking policy, he said); and IRS
employee Howard Baltazar was arrested in March after carrying a
running video camera in a gym bag through an Oakland, Calif.,
men's shower room. (Police determined that Baltazar committed
no crime except eavesdropping via the audio portion of the tape.)
[Reno Gazette-Journal, Oct95]  [N. Y. Times, 2-13-96] [San
Francisco Chronicle, 3-6-96] 

JUST CAN'T STOP MYSELF

* In February, Philippe Delandtscheer, 60, was jailed in Lille,
France, for stealing a bottle of a certain anise-flavored aperitif. 
Authorities believe it is the 51st time that he has been arrested for
stealing that same product.  (As with Otis Campbell in Andy
Griffith's Mayberry jail, a special cell in Lille's jail is reserved
for him.) [Edmonton Journal, 2-15-96] 

* Christopher Norling, 28, was jailed in Milwaukee, Wis., in
February on a charge of fraud after running up a big bill at the
Pfister Hotel by pretending to be a National Football League
official.  He has a long record of similar charges.  In a 1990
jailhouse interview, Norling said, "The only thing I know how to
do is con people.  To be honest with you, it's probably going to
happen again." [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2-17-96] 

* James Hogue, 36, was arrested in February as he tried again to
pass himself off as a Princeton University student, less than five
months after his release from prison on a charge of passing
himself off as a different Princeton student.  (In 1990, he studied
and ran on the track team as Alexi Indris-Santana until he was
exposed by a former high-school classmate.)  [New York Times-
AP, 2-25-96] 

* In February, Diane Currey, 45, was sentenced to nine years in
prison after pleading guilty to more than 200 counts of grand
theft in Largo, Fla.  She had embezzled $350,000 from a
doctors' office over a seven-year period, then retired to Missouri,
where she might have escaped detection forever.  However, her
replacement in Florida died a year later, and doctors asked
Currey to return.  She agreed and immediately began embezzling
again, but was soon caught. [St. Petersburg Times, 2-21-96] 

INEXPLICABLE

* In November, the U. S. Supreme Court let stand a Florida
appeals court ruling that, while a local police department could
purchase an allegedly obscene film and use it as evidence in filing
criminal charges, it could not use as evidence a film it had rented
and copied.  The Florida court had ruled that the police had
violated federal copyright law as described in the "FBI Warning"
that appears on rented tapes. [Washington Times, 11-28-95] 

* In Toronto, Ontario, in January, Robert Franklin Devoe, 33,
was arrested and charged with bank robbery after arousing the
suspicion of shopkeeper Zak Khan.  According to police, Devoe
had stopped by during his getaway to inquire about purchasing an
electronic scale.  Zhan showed him one, and Devoe proceeded to
weigh two bundles of $100 bills.  That behavior, plus the gun
Devoe had in his waistband, led Zhan to notify police, and Devoe
was captured after a brief chase. [Toronto Star, 1-23-96] 

* For the second straight year, a Canadian Football League team
wasted a valuable draft pick on a defensive end who,
unbeknownst to the team, had died in the off-season.  The
Montreal Alouettes' James Eggink had passed away from cancer;
last year, the Ottawa Rough Riders' Derrell Robertson had been
killed in a car crash. [Washington Post, 3-15-96] 

* In January, the Los Angeles Times reported that an unidentified
man asked Alberto Ramirez for directions in a Chatsworth,
Calif., 7-Eleven, and after Ramirez complied, the man began
yelling racial epithets and throwing products from the shelves at
Ramirez.  The man followed Ramirez outside and threw a knife
at him, missing.  Then, apparently out of items to toss, he began
throwing the money that was in his pocket.  After the man drove
off in his truck, Ramirez and other bystanders eventually turned
over $2,333 to the police. [L. A. Times, 1-13-96]

* A court in Rochester, N. H., overturned the rape conviction of
Antonio Marti, 54, who had been convicted of three counts
against a teenage girl.  There was evidence that Marti had
assaulted the girl "hundreds" of times beginning at age 10, but
since he was charged with only three counts, the court thought
that prosecutors' mentioning the other episodes might have
prejudiced the jury. [Boston Globe, 3-11-96] 

KIDS

* Timothy Becton, 10, was charged as an adult with armed
kidnapping and assault on a sheriff's deputy in Lakeland, Fla., in
February.  He aimed a shotgun at the deputy from a distance of
10 feet while using his 3-year-old niece as a shield and remained
in a standoff for about seven minutes.  Sheriff's deputies had
gone to the boy's home to inquire about his truancies when he
pulled the gun and said, "I'd sooner shoot you than go to
school." [Tampa Tribune, 2-21-96] 

* On February 27 near San Diego, Calif., an 11-year-old boy
who became ill at school was sent home for the day, but when he
got home, he shaved off all of his hair, put on a ski mask and a
brown, monk's-type robe, assembled his father's .22-caliber
rifle, left home, and began randomly trying to rob people he
encountered.  He was captured by a security guard who was shot
in the hand as he wrested the rifle from the boy. [San Diego
Union-Tribune, 2-28-96] 

* Police in Coventry, England, said that Russell Brown, 4, woke
up one night in February while burglars were in his home and 
mistook them for family friends.  He showed them where his
mother hid her purse and where his father's power tools were
stored and held open the front door while the thieves carried out
video equipment and other items. [Edmonton Journal-Reuters, 2-
6-96] 

* Texas state Sen. Jerry Patterson, a proponent of guns for
protection who said in January he might test the Houston
Metropolitan Transit Authority's gun ban by carrying a concealed
weapon on a bus:  "Then I'll go to Metro and say, 'Nah, nah,
nah, nah!  Rode your bus, rode your bus!'" [Houston Chronicle,
1-3-96]

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2326NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 13 1996 13:157
Angel Rivera, 33, of Topeka, Kan., allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death
in the front seat of his car, then drove from Topeka to New York City with
her body still in the front seat.  Relatives convinced him to turn himself in.
"He drove to the precinct, he said what he did, then he showed them the body
in the car," said a New York Police detective.  "She was in the car for two
days, dead."  Rivera has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal
possession of a weapon. (UPI)
79.2327Snake bites man. Man bites back!EVMS::MORONEYyour innocence is no defenseMon May 13 1996 16:184
A man was bitten by a poisonous coral snake on his hand.  He and his friend
caught the snake, bit the snake's head off, skinned it and used its skin as a
tourniquet, thus saving the victim's life.  They plan to keep the snake's head
as a souvenir. 
79.2328CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowMon May 13 1996 16:319


 Man, that snake had a bad day, eh?




 Jim
79.2329POWDML::HANGGELILittle Chamber of Belgian BurgersMon May 13 1996 20:1440
     Man Who Severed `Possessed' Hand Sues Hospital for Not Reattaching It

     By Associated Press, 05/13/96

     NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A man who cut off his right hand because he
     thought it was possessed by the devil, then refused to let surgeons
     reattach it, is suing the hospital and the doctors over the loss of
     the hand.

     Thomas W. Passmore claims doctors at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
     should have contacted his parents or his sister to overrule his
     decision.

     According to the lawsuit, Passmore, a 32-year-old working on a
     construction job, thought he saw the number ``666'' on his hand and
     believed it was a demonic sign. Obeying the Biblical instruction ``If
     thy right hand offend thee, cut it off,'' Passmore sliced off his hand
     with a circular saw.

     At the hospital, the lawsuit said, Passmore told doctors he had a
     history of psychiatric disorders, including manic-depression, and had
     had little sleep, little food and racing thoughts for the past week.

     He refused to consent to surgery, saying he thought he would go to
     hell if the hand were reattached. The hospital contacted a judge, who
     advised that it heed Passmore's wishes, the lawsuit said.

     According to the suit, the surgeon and the hospital did not tell the
     judge that Passmore was incompetent.

     The lawsuit, which asks for $3.35 million, was filed April 22.

     Debbie Meyers, spokeswoman for the hospital, said she could not
     comment because hospital officials had not seen the lawsuit.

     Under state law, a doctor or hospital cannot be held liable for
     withholding treatment if a judge approves that action and the patient
     is capable of an informed decision.

79.2330CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowMon May 13 1996 20:289

 Mr Passmore should be sued for being a nincompoop.





 Jim
79.2331ACISS2::LEECHMon May 13 1996 20:541
    My thoughts exactly.
79.2332WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue May 14 1996 11:131
a left handed nincompoop, no less.
79.2333WAHOO::LEVESQUEexterminatorTue May 14 1996 11:201
    Mr Passmore needs to be sprayed with RoundUp.
79.2334NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 14 1996 13:13111
WhiteBoard News for Monday, May 13, 1996 [excerpts]


Birmingham, United Kingdom:

A man had himself posted inside a cramped wooden box to
a parcel delivery firm in a plot to burgle the company,
a court was told yesterday. But the plot backfired and
instead of being sent overnight from a Birmingham depot
to Stoke-on-Trent, the box was left at the depot, with
John Whalley inside it, for delivery on Monday.

After spending a night in the box Whalley finally had
to pry the box open in the afternoon and get out to
exercise himself and was apprehended by a security
guard. 

Whalley was standing next to the box with a screwdriver
in his hand and told the guard he had smuggled himself
in to the City Link warehouse for a 250 pound bet.

But the prosecutor, David Pearson, told the Birmingham
Crown Court jury that the box contained a red carpet
roll, a bottle of milk, a bottle for relieving himself,
chocolate and lavatory paper. Police also recovered
rubber gloves, a knife and parcel tape from the box.

Whalley, 53, a former City Link worker, and his
unemployed son, Steven Whalley, 22, both of Stoke, deny
charges of burglary and conspiracy to burgle at the
warehouse in Duddeston Mill Trading Estate, Saltley,
Birmingham, in December 1994.

Pearson told the jury: "There are few things in life
that are new - just variations of old ideas. As this
case develops, you will see a similarity to a Trojan
Horse."

The court heard that Whalley senior worked for City
Link between 1992 and 1993 and so had intimate
knowledge of how the firm's depots worked. 

Pearson said Whalley junior, who made the box, drove
his father from Stoke to Birmingham, paid a 60 pound
delivery charge at City Link, saying he wanted it sent
to Stoke overnight. But a manager decided to hold the
parcel at the warehouse.

The items police found in the box, such as the knife,
"were there to assist with a dishonest enterprise,"
said Pearson.
==========

Hartford, Connecticut:

A paralyzed woman incapable of speech used tears and
eyeblinks to tell her family that she was being
repeatedly molested by a hospital worker as she lay
helpless in bed, authorities said.

Police charged James Duke, 39, with two counts of
second-degree sexual assault after the woman
painstakingly blinked out the man's identification.

Court records said the woman, whose name was not made
public, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease
(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS) six months ago
and became so ill she was admitted to the Hospital for
Special Care in New Britain in early May.

She can only move her head a few inches and must use a
ventilator to breathe.

The woman's husband was disturbed by the sight of his
wife crying when he visited her and asked for help from
hospital staff to try to determine what was wrong.

With the help of an alphabet board the woman was able
to piece together her story.

The woman would blink "yes" whenever someone moving a
finger along the board hit a letter she wanted to use
to spell out her message.

Eventually, police were called and they showed the
woman photographs of hospital workers.  She was able to
pick out the therapist who had been scheduled to be
with the woman every morning.

Duke has pleaded not guilty and is being held in lieu
of $55,000 bail.
==========

Federal Way, Washington:

A job center created by church volunteers and
subsidized by the City of Federal Way has been
inadvertently referring clients to a hiring office for
strip clubs.

Job-seekers turning to the Federal Way Job Center have
been routinely given a resource list of 17 employment
agencies.  Most of them are well-known temporary
services.

But the list also includes the telephone number and
address for Talents West, a Seattle company run by
strip-club operator Frank Colacurcio Jr.

A spokesman for Talents West said they hire for strip
clubs around the Puget Sound.
79.2335EVMS::MORONEYyour innocence is no defenseTue May 14 1996 15:172
If someone draws "666" on Mr. Passmore's forehead one night, will he do the
right thing when he looks in a mirror?
79.2336is it 666 or ddd ?CSSREG::BROWNCommon Sense Isn'tTue May 14 1996 17:351
    only if the "666" is written backwards...
79.2337NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 16 1996 16:13220
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, May 15, 1996

This item comes by way of Greg Malinski:

Bedford, Virginia:

What started out as a news conference and simulated
drug bust by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office became
the real thing Thursday in an almost unbelievable
coincidence. 

For the benefit of local media, Sheriff Mike Brown
staged a fake traffic stop on Virginia 122 Thursday
morning to demonstrate his major crime detection and
traffic safety unit -- a new unit being trained in
methods of spotting vehicles that could be carrying
drugs. 

But before Brown could bring the news conference to a
close, two men in a blue pickup truck drove by, yelling
something unintelligible at the deputies parked on the
side of the road. 

The deputies noticed the car had a burned-out
tail-light and other possible violations, including
dark tinting on the truck's windows.  Lt. Kent Robey,
who heads the unit, called the county dispatch center
and learned the truck's owner had a suspended license. 

Robey and a Wythe County deputy, who is helping train
the Bedford officers, jumped into a customized Ford
Mustang and gave chase. 

A few minutes later, Robey pulled the truck over; after
gaining the driver's consent, a Wythe County officer
searched the car and found in the truck's ashtray a
smoking pipe, a razor blade, and a small bag containing
what appeared to be marijuana and some partially smoked
marijuana cigarettes, or "roaches."

"Whatcha doing with drugs in there?" Robey asked the
driver. 

"What drugs?" the man replied. 

"They found drugs in your truck there," Robey said,
pointing. 

"Maybe a roach, that's all I know about," the man said. 

The Wythe County deputies brought out a drug-sniffing
dog and a box of tools and started removing bolts and
looking under the truck's stereo speakers. Another
officer examined the underside of the truck bed. Within
a couple of minutes, they found another clear plastic
bag containing a green leafy substance hidden down by
the engine block. 

The driver, John M. Kirby, 26, of Bedford, was charged
with possession of marijuana and driving with a
suspended license, misdemeanors punishable by a maximum
of 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500. 

"Can you believe it? What can I say?" Brown said
afterward. "We didn't stage this one. They're not on our
payroll. ... Can you imagine? Driving by five police
cars and shouting something, when you know you have a
suspended operator's license and drugs in the car?" 
==========

Silver City, New Mexico:

A 7-year-old girl bitten on the finger by a black bear
cub is getting seven rabies shots -- each with a
five-inch needle -- to save the animal's life.

"I just didn't want that cute baby bear to die," said
Juliette Harris.  "He's so small."

Juliette came across the cub she's named "Stubby" on
May 5 while walking in the woods.  She was lugging the
8-pound cub home for a pet when it bit her finger.  She
bled but did not need stitches.

Juliette led state health officials to the cub, and
they said it would have to be killed and examined for
rabies.  That's when Juliette -- a lifelong animal
lover -- began to bargain.  She agreed to take the
rabies shots so the bear could be saved.

"Those needles hurt -- but not that bad," said
Juliette, who also likes to pick up snakes.

Her parents are footing the bill, which will total more
than $1,500.

"Although it looks nice and cute and cuddly, people
forget that this is a wild animal that will bite to
protect itself," said Western New Mexico University
biology professor Dennis Miller, a wildlife
rehabilitator who is caring for the bear."
==========

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

It was Maria da Conceicao Dos Reis who gave her son a
Mother's Day present Sunday, not the other way around.

The 66-year-old mother of Toni Reis, who is gay, agreed
to marry his British lover to prevent that man's
extradition from Brazil.

Toni Reis, 31, and David Harrad, 38, have maintained a
relationship for four years in Brazil.

Harrad does not have a visa for an extended stay in
Brazil, and the government finally took action.  Harrad
had been leaving the country every six months to renew
his tourist visa.

When Harrad was ordered to leave Brazil by May 15 or
face extradition, Toni Reis petitioned the Justice
Ministry and even the president to allow the two to
marry.  Authorities denied his request, since
homosexual marriages are not recognized by law in
Brazil.

Brazilian law, however, says that a foreigner married
to a Brazilian cannot be extradited.

"It was the least I could do for my son's happiness,"
Maria Dos Reis said.

"I sent him to a psychiatrist when he was 14 and I
found out he was gay," she said.  "Now I'm paying him
back for that embarrassment."

Harrad was busy Tuesday preparing for his wedding. 
"Nobody can talk badly about mothers or mothers-in-law
around me.  That's for sure," he said.

He and Toni Reis plan to challenge Brazilian law one
more time by adopting a child, he said.
==========

Everett, Washington:

In a case of mistaken identity, a beating victim's
parents waited all day Sunday at a hospital as the man
they thought was their son underwent surgery for head
injuries.

But they didn't find out, until 11 hours into the
ordeal, that the critically injured man was someone
else.

Their son, who was found Tuesday after being beaten in
a case that may be related, was hospitalized briefly
and released.

It all began Sunday at 9:00 AM when a woman called 911,
saying she had returned home and found her ex-boyfriend
in her apartment, badly beaten.

That man, 32, was taken to the hospital and the
ex-boyfriend's parents were called.

But for some reason police still don't know, the man
wasn't the woman's ex-boyfriend and those weren't his
parents waiting for him.

"There was a tattoo, it was supposed to be on his arm,"
a police spokesman said.  "When (the couple) were
allowed to go in and take a look, they discovered this
tattoo was not there."

Police were able to identify the man through
fingerprints and are now notifying the correct family
members.
==========

Madras, India:

More than prayers are wafting over the walls of St.
Anne's convent these days.  There's also the
full-throated grunt of physical combat and the thwack
of toughened hands smashing brick tiles.

The Roman Catholic convent in this southern Indian city
is teaching nuns karate -- introduced for neophyte
sisters a year ago after several nuns were threatened
or harassed doing social work in nearby villages.

The instructor, Shihan Husaini, said he was surprised
by how good the nuns are, even in comparison to the
soldiers he has trained.

The sisters' ability to concentrate and their intense
self-discipline make them "much better than any normal
strong person, even a commando," he said.

Training is rigorous.  The nuns learn to counter
knife-wielding assailants and to throw jabs at an
attacker's throat or groin.  Lined up prone on the
ground, they allow a jeep to roll over their
outstretched hands to toughen them.

"At the end of it, I'm sure no hooligan in a lonely
street will be able to harass them," Husaini said.

Woman traveling alone in India often feel vulnerable. 
But nuns have an additional worry because of suspicions
about Christian missionaries harbored by many people in
this Hindu-dominated country, where only about 2
percent of the 920 million people are Christians.

"We will forgive, and we are not violent.  But these
days, if I am attacked, I cannot turn the other cheek,"
said Sister Yanmitho.  "I am ready to defend myself,
although I will still pray for my attackers."
79.2338LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 16 1996 16:391
    someone found a 9 1/2 lb ruby in burma.
79.2339BUSY::SLABOUNTYA Parting Shot in the DarkThu May 16 1996 16:437
    
    	That sounds like a very large ruby.
    
    	But since I know very little about rubies, that could just as
    	easily be the smallest ruby ever found and I wouldn't even know
    	it.
    
79.2340LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 16 1996 16:521
    it's the largest ruby ever found.
79.2341PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu May 16 1996 17:003
  what's wacky about it?  was it in a box of cheerios or something?

79.2342LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 16 1996 17:099
    (AP)
    Rangoon, Burma
    
    A flawless ruby weighing 9 1/2 pounds and said to be the
    world's largest has been discovered in northern Burma...
    the 21,450-carat stone, measuring about 5 inches by 7
    inches, was found in the gem mining region of Mogok.
    
    it just seems so big.  the mother of all rubies.
79.2343WAHOO::LEVESQUEexterminatorThu May 16 1996 17:101
    I wonder if they found any crabs in Rangoon.
79.2344NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 16 1996 17:1711
FSB: LYSENKO BLEW UP HIS OWN OFFICE. Former Duma deputy Nikolai Lysenko
was arrested on 13 May on charges of staging an attack on his own
office, ITAR-TASS reported. Lysenko's Duma office suffered more than 100
million rubles' ($20,800) worth of damage on 5 December last year when a
home-made bomb went off in a briefcase (see OMRI Daily Digest, 6 and 7
December 1995). The Federal Security Service, which investigated the
incident, said that Lysenko, leader of the extremist National Republican
Party of Russia, and an aide, Mikhail Rogozin, had planned the attack.
At the time, Lysenko blamed it on the "Caucasian mafia." Rogozin was
arrested on 18 April. Lysenko is known for his extreme views and
scandalous behavior. -- Penny Morvant
79.2345WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu May 16 1996 17:231
hey, that ruby is mine. it fell outa my pocket.
79.2346POLAR::RICHARDSONI'm here but I'm really goneThu May 16 1996 17:351
    What would be its estimated value?
79.2347LANDO::OLIVER_Bmay, the comeliest monthThu May 16 1996 17:383
    no estimate of the stone's value was given.
    
    no wait, maybe chip knows.
79.2348WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu May 16 1996 17:421
its value is purely intrinsic, no, really :-).
79.2349NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 16 1996 18:1723
FORMER LDPR MEMBER EXPOSES PARTY. Duma Deputy Aleksandr Vengerovskii
claimed in an interview with Izvestiya on 13 May that half of the Duma
deputies representing Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party of
Russia (LDPR) bought their places on the party list for an average of $1
million. Vengerovskii was number two on the LDPR list for the December
parliamentary election. He quit the party in March due to "circumstances
known to the LDPR chairman" but did not further elaborate. He told
Izvestiya that the Duma faction's readiness to sell spots on the party
list and lobby for the interests of those who could pay had led to
strong connections between the LDPR and criminal groups from Moscow, St.
Petersburg, and Lipetsk. According to Vengerovskii, the LDPR only
developed a central and regional structure after its strong showing in
the 1993 parliamentary election. Winning representation in the Duma
entitled the party to state financing for its apparatus. Moreover,
Vengerovskii questioned the truthfulness of the income declaration that
Zhirinovsky recently submitted to the Central Electoral Commission along
with other registration documents. According to the declaration,
Zhirinovsky's income in 1996 was 29 million rubles (about $5,800), but
Vengerovskii claimed that Zhirinovsky owned all LDPR property.
Zhirinovsky described the interview as a provocation, telling Ekho
Moskvy on 13 May that Vengerovskii had been drugged and was completely
motionless, deaf, and blind during the interview. Vengerovskii has stood
by his comments. -- Anna Paretskaya
79.2350CSC32::M_EVANSI'd rather be gardeningFri May 17 1996 12:538
    The value of the 9 lb ruby will depend on the number of flaws,
    inclusins, clarity, depth of color, and a batch of other stuff to
    esoteric for me to understand.  If it is "flawless" and can be cut into
    one huge item, I would imagine the price would be quite high.  If it is
    cracked and barely usable, its value would come from being a curiosity,
    nothing more.
    
    meg
79.2351%^>GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheFri May 17 1996 13:014
    
    there's nothing wrong with being flawed...
    
    
79.2352moved...NUBOAT::HEBERTCaptain BlighFri May 17 1996 13:1956
The following is from the British Sunday Express giving Gongs (medals) for
dubious distinctions in 1992.

Tortoise Trophy

British Rail, which ingeniously solved the problem of lateness in the
InterCity express train service by redefining "on time" to include trains
arriving within one hour of schedule.

Rubber Cushion

John Bloor who mistook a tube of superglue for his haemorrhoid cream and
glued his buttocks together

Crimewatch Cup

Gold star: Henry Smith, arrested moments after returning home with a
stolen stereo. His error was having tattooed on his forehead in large
capitals letters the words "Henry Smith". His lawyer told the court: "My
client is not a very bright young man".

Silver star: Michael Robinson, who rang police to deliver a bomb hoax,
but became so agitated about the mounting cost of the call that he began
screaming "Call me back" and left his phone number.

Bronze star: Paul Monkton, who used as his getaway vehicle a van with his
name and phone number painted in foot-high letters on the side.

British Cup

To passengers on a jam-packed train from Margate to Victoria who averted
their eyes while John Henderson and Zoe D'Arcy engaged in oral sex and
then moved onto intercourse, but complained when they lit up post-coitus
cigarettes in a non-smoking compartment.

Flying Cross

To Percy the Pigeon, who flopped down exhausted in a Sheffield loft
having beaten 1,000 rivals in a 500 mile race and was immediately eaten
by a cat.  The 90 minute delay in finding his remains and handing his
identification tag to the judges relegated percy from first to third
place.

Lazarus Laurel

To Julia Carson who as her tearful family gathered round her coffin in a
New York funeral parlour, sat bolt upright and asked what the hell was
going on.  Celebrations were short lived since Mrs. Carlson's daughter,
Julie, immediately dropped dead from shock.

Silver Bullet

To poacher Marino Malerba who shot dead a stag standing above him on an
overhanging rock, and was killed instantly when it fell on him.


79.2353NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 17 1996 13:2512
Wanted man now a woman

Los Angeles (Reuters) -- Police acting on a tip about a fatal shooting 17
years ago in South Carolina arrested the suspect -- only to find the man
was now a woman.  Lt. Larry Koch of the Burbank police said yesterday that
police arrested Valerie Nicole Taylor last week and fingerprints identified
her as Freddy Lee Turner, a man wanted in the shooting death of Billy
Marshall Posey in Gaffney, S.C. in 1979.  A warrant for Turner's arrest
was issued a week after the killing.  But Turner, then a transvestite who
was seen with the victim dressed as woman, disappeared.  Two months ago
Burbank police received a tip that a woman, Valerie Taylor, had admitted
once killing someone in Gaffney, police said.
79.2354BULEAN::BANKSMon May 20 1996 14:233
(This is Banks, temporarily back from the dead)

I would hardly consider the arrest of a murderer to be "Wacky News."
79.2355WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon May 20 1996 14:352
well Banks, you see , the person was a man when the crime was
committed and now, after all these years...awww, forget it.
79.2356WAHOO::LEVESQUEPerson 4Mon May 20 1996 14:362
    Gee, Dawn. You should go back to =wn= and finish the discussion you
    started. :-)
79.2357BIGQ::SILVAMr. LogoMon May 20 1996 14:463

	Hi Dawn! Nice to see ya back!
79.2358BULEAN::BANKSMon May 20 1996 14:493
.2356:

Naw.  I feel more comfortable in the 'box.
79.2359NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 21 1996 14:16135
WEIRDNUZ.429 (News of the Weird, April 26, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* Chinese inventor Pu Danming recently claimed he had sold
50,000 of the "healthy cigarettes" that he introduced in Beijing in
November.  The product is a cigarillo-sized tube containing
Chinese herbs plus a small battery and microchip and a dozen
other components, but no tobacco.  The cigarette is not lighted;
rather, when the "smoker" takes a puff, a light flashes on the end
to imitate a burning ash.  Also, the cigarette plays a patriotic
song when puffed on, and, said Pu, "The mixture [of herbs] is
also good against cancer." [Atlanta Journal-Constitution-Deutsche
Presse Agentur, 11-23-95] 

COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS 

* U. S. Rep. David Funderburk (R-N.C.) pleaded no contest to a
minor traffic charge in Dunn, N. C., in October, despite the fact
that he continued to deny that he was the one driving when his
car crossed the center line and caused an oncoming van to veer
off and overturn.  Witnesses said Funderburk was driving, but
when the Funderburk car returned to the scene several minutes
later, Funderburk was in the passenger seat, and his wife was
driving.  (One witness said she actually saw the Funderburks
change seats).  Furthermore, in a slip-up at a subsequent news
conference, Mrs. Funderburk described damage to the car as only
to "her" side, the "passenger" side (but she quickly "corrected"
herself). [Winston-Salem Journal-AP, 10-31-95] [Charlotte
Observer, 1-19-96] 

* Republican Virginia state Del. Roger J. McClure, who won re-
election in November on a downsize-government platform even
after news surfaced that he owed $126,000 in back taxes:  "I
have personally experienced the awesome power of the tax
collector and the heavy burden of taxation on businesses and
families.  [I] will continue to fight against excessive government
power and high taxes . . .." [Washington Post, 10-13-95, 11-8-
95] 

* In November, the Arkansas Supreme Court rejected the
argument of Erwin Davis (who once ran for governor of the
state) that he was not the father of a boy born in 1990.  A
paternity test showed a 99.65% likelihood Davis was the father,
but Davis accused the boy's mother of breaking into his house,
stealing a used condom, and inseminating herself. [Memphis
Commercial-Appeal-AP, 11-7-95] 

* A restaurant owner in Edinburgh, Scotland, was unsuccessful
in his judicial appeal of Karen McInulty's judgment against him. 
McInulty, 29, had won about $7700 in damages after eating
salmonella-infected chicken curry at the restaurant; the
restauranteur had argued that McInulty was overweight at the
time and thus that the 21 pounds she lost after being hospitalized
actually helped her. [Edmonton Sun-Reuters, 1-7-96] 

* Patrick Williams, 17, a player for the Kilgore (Tex.) High
School football team, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in
January for robbing a disabled man.  Williams said he spent
$2,200 of the $4,500 taken.  According to police, Williams said
he didn't know the victim was disabled until the crime was
underway and later "felt bad about it.  That's why I spent [the
money] so fast.  If it had been good money, I would have kept
it." [Tyler Morning Telegraph, 1-6-96] 

* In January, Lori Collison, 30, charged with robbing three
stores in Toronto, Ontario, in 1994, was found not criminally
responsible because of mental disorder.  According to psychiatrist
Hy Bloom, Collison thought she was making a screen test at the
time and was playing the role of a person robbing the three
stores. [Toronto Star, 1-26-96] 

* In February in Madison, Wis., during a routine search of
Leonard Hodge, 22, who had been arrested for failure to carry a
driver's license, police found cocaine in his underwear. 
According to a police spokesman, Hodge attempted to exculpate
himself by saying the undershorts he was wearing were not his.
[Wisconsin State Journal, 2-3-96]

* During the summer of 1995, Philip Morris ran newspaper ads
promising to crack down on retailers that sell cigarettes to kids. 
In October, responding to a helpful list of such retailers in
Minnesota sent to the company by the state attorney general,
Philip Morris declined to act on it.  The company still intended to
crack down, said vice president Ellen Merlo, but "We didn't say
starting today." [Chicago Sun-Times, 10-25-95] 

* According to a report in the Portland Oregonian, Republican
U. S. Rep. Wes Cooley now says that biographical information
he submitted in the 1994 official state Voters' Pamphlet might
not have been exactly right.  The line Army "Special Forces,
Korea" does not exactly mean that he served a tour in Korea, but
only that the Korean conflict was going on at the same time he
was in the Army.  (Cooley had previously said, via a staff
member, that since Special Forces performed secret missions, he
was not at liberty to comment.  Furthermore, military historians
mentioned by The Oregonian doubted that Special Forces units
were operating during the Korean conflict, and Cooley said his
own Army records were destroyed in a 1973 fire.)  Also in the
1992 Pamphlet, he listed himself as "Phi Beta Kappa," but now
says he was confused about the difference between that honor and
being a member of his community college's honor society. [The
Oregonian, 3-22-96, 4-3-96] 

FIRST THINGS FIRST

* The Washington Post reported in January that, in their
preparation of the outdoor gallows for the first death-row hanging
in 50 years (for convicted murderer Billy Bailey), workers at the
Delaware Correctional Center affixed non-skid safety strips to
each of the 23 steps up. [Washington Post, 1-26-96] 

* In February, a government agency in Modesto, Calif.,
announced it would take action against the Imperial Wizard of the
California [Ku Klux] Klan, Bill Albers, for a February 10 cross-
burning.  The agency is the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District, which plans a civil lawsuit because the diesel-
soaked cross-burning violates local air pollution laws. [San
Francisco Chronicle, Feb96] 

* Novato, Calif., homeless man Neal Berry, 22, was arrested in
January and accused of stealing industrial batteries.  Berry said he
just found them and started to use them to power his Toshiba
laptop computer.  Berry believes he is rationally using his
$8/hour earnings as a shipping clerk by sleeping on the side of a
highway but spending $200 a month for a storage locker, a gym
membership (so he can shower), a cellular phone, a mailbox, and
an e-mail account.  Said Berry, "In Novato, you can't even find a
single room that costs less than $500 a month." [AP-San
Francisco Examiner, 1-29-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2360GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Tue May 21 1996 19:3627
    "Darwin award" Nominee
    
    Do any of you know about the Darwin award? It's an annual honor
    given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service
    by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way.
    
    Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke (tm)
    machine, which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to steal
    a soda. 
    
    And the nominee is:
    
    An Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal
    imbedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road, at the
    apex of a curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, 
    but it was a car. The type of car was not identifiable at the scene.
    The boys in the lab finally figured out what it was, and what had
    happened. It seems that the dead guy in the car had somehow gotten hold 
    of a JATO unit,(Jet Assisted Take Off, actually a solid-fuel rocket) that 
    is used to give heavy military transport planes an extra `push' for taking 
    off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the 
    desert, and found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached 
    the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up some speed, and
    fired off the JATO!! Best as they could determine, this guy was doing 
    somewhere between 250 and 300 mph (350-420kph) when he came to the curve.
    The brakes were completely burned away, apparently from trying to slow
    the car.      
79.2361EVMS::MORONEYyour innocence is no defenseTue May 21 1996 19:426
>    An Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal

Urban Legend Alert!

(this particular one has been around so often I knew the rest of the story
from the context and this one line)
79.2362SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue May 21 1996 19:467
    
    
    	re: .2360
    
    	Oooollllddd.....
    
    
79.2363CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowTue May 21 1996 20:3410


 Well, it was a new one for me..





 Jim
79.2364PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue May 21 1996 20:363
  .2363  where have you been?  first there was the hail thing and now
	 this.  sheesh. ;>
79.2365CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowTue May 21 1996 20:394


 I've been busy trying to reconcile a real mess and my brain is mush
79.2366ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsWed May 22 1996 12:472
    
    <-----  and why is today any different than any other day?
79.2367GENRAL::RALSTONOnly half of us are above average!Wed May 22 1996 13:573
    Well, it was new to me. That's why I added it.
    
    Of course, I don't get out much.   :)
79.2368NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 22 1996 14:0522
Wellington, New Zealand (Reuters) -- Two 79-year-old twin sisters survived
an attack by an enraged bull by clinging to the animal's head as it tried
to gore them.

The Evening Post reported today that Pearl Mills and Florrie Ward were
attacked by the bull after it blocked their path across a field in the
North Island town of Raumati, near Wellington.

"Pearl isn't afraid of anything and patted him on the nose," Ward said.
"Next thing I was being pushed along the track.  His horns were digging
into my legs."

The pair grabbed the bull's horns and held on while it tossed them around
and tried to gore them.  Mills eventually broke free and ran for help,
leaving her sister hanging on to the bull's head.

Mills found Neil Johnstone, 21, who used a broom to distract the bull
and let the women escape.  "We owe our lives to him," she said.

The women were treated at a nearby hospital for broken arms and multiple
bruises from the incident last Saturday.  Ward also suffered broken bones
in her eye socket.
79.2369NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 22 1996 14:1218
Springfield, Mass. (AP) -- A man critically injured in a natural gas blast
may have set it off accidentally when he tried to steal gas piping from
a vacant home, a police commander said yesterday.

Sgt. Kenneth Gustafson, the arson squad commander, said the suspect had
not yet been charged.  Melvin Green, 37, of Springfield, was being treated
at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston for burns over most of his body.

The explosion Monday afternoon blew out two sides of the three-story home,
touched off small fires inside, and damaged several vehicles on the street.
Green came running out screaming, his clothes on fire.

The home had been vacant since February 1995.

Investigators traced the explosion to a severed natural gas pipe that
allowed gas to leak into the dining room.  Gustafson said Green may
have cut the pipe himself to sell it for recycling and then lit a match
or caused a spark.  He said there was evidence of a forced break-in Monday.
79.2370ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsThu May 23 1996 13:052
    
    <---- idjit got what he deserved
79.2371NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 23 1996 14:09116
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, May 22, 1996 [excerpts]


Angles Camp, California:

The name of Calaveras County's newest celebrated frog
says it all: Three Legs Are Better Than None.

The frog, which is missing a front leg, defeated 49
other frogs to take the $750 first prize on Sunday at
the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee.  

The winning jump, the total of three hops, was 20 feet
11 inches.  

Brian Cummings found the frog in a canal last week.  He
theorized that having only three legs had helped the
frog develop stronger hind legs.

This was the 17th time that Cummings has entered a frog
in the contest.

"He's a pretty beat-up frog.  He's going to have some
flies for dinner tonight."
==========

Dry Ridge, Kentucky:

Kentucky State Police using an experimental
tire-puncturing device to capture a fleeing theft
suspect Monday punctured about 20 tires of motorists on
I-75 near this town.

When officers put The Stinger -- a 16-foot-long,
snake-like device studded with 110 spikes -- across the
highway, it caused eight flats to one couple hauling a
trailer.  Another driver had three special sport tires
punctured.

But as cars ran over The Stinger, it curled, allowing
the suspect and pursuing police vehicles to whiz past,
avoiding the spikes.

Robin Leslie Hee, 41, of Miami stopped and surrendered
a short time later.
==========

Paris, France:

The French government reportedly is studying a proposal
to install small fans across Paris to blow away car
exhaust fumes.

A study recommends that some 70,000 fans, each with a
power of less than 22 watts and a diameter of less than
2 inches, be placed at street level and on windowsills
to shift exhaust fumes.

Estimated cost: probably under 400 million francs
(about $80 million).
==========

Providence, Rhode Island:

Double-murderer Gene Travis hid in a trash bin and
survived two compactions in a garbage truck to escape
April 29 from the state prison, a report said.

Travis was recaptured hours later.
==========

Bristol, Virginia:

A Virginia man who disappeared on the day his parents
thought they would see him graduate is back at their
home.

Brad Wagner, 21, received tuition and rent money from
his parents for four years and told them he would
graduate May 11 from Virginia Tech.  But when they
arrived in Blacksburg for the graduation, he was
nowhere to be found.

They learned he had not been enrolled since 1993.

They reported him missing to police May 13.

Wagner walked into a Williamson, West Virginia, police
station Saturday night and told officers he wanted to
let his parents know he was all right.  His father then
went to West Virginia to pick him up.

Wagner's mother said he has not spoken much since
returning early Sunday.  She said he has not discussed
why he disappeared or what he did during those seven
days.

"He said 'Hi Mom,' and I said, 'Welcome home, I'm glad
you're here,'" Sandra Wagner said.  "He hasn't said
much else.  But then, Brad's always been kind of
quiet."

Virginia Tech officials said Wagner entered the
university in the fall of 1992 as an engineering major
and was enrolled through fall 1993.  He did not enroll
the following spring.

Wagner's parents continued to give him money to cover
tuition and living expenses.

He had textbooks and would leave his house, saying he
was going to class, friends said.  He even told them he
had an engineering job lined up in Charlotte after
graduation, and he had Charlotte-area apartment guides
around the four-bedroom house he shared with two
roommates in downtown Blacksburg.
79.2372ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsThu May 23 1996 14:142
    
    boy, what a tight squeeze.
79.2373EVMS::MORONEYyour innocence is no defenseFri May 24 1996 19:325
In Romania two thieves tried to steal a pig from someone's farm.  When they
couldn't catch it they gave it brandy until it was so drunk it couldn't stand. 
They then cut off one of its legs, at which time the owner heard the squeals
and called the police.  When caught the thieves admitted their guilt but asked
for leniency since they didn't take the whole pig. 
79.2374ACISS2::LEECHFri May 24 1996 20:411
    That reminds me of the 3-legged pig joke.
79.2375BSS::PROCTOR_RLarge Dogwood: bough WOW!Fri May 24 1996 20:433
    > That reminds me of the 3-legged pig joke.
    
    lessee here, Sabin, Battis, bobbo, the list is endless...
79.2376SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Sun May 26 1996 23:063
    
    
    	<attaches the bayonet to his M1 and prepares to skewer Mr. Proctor>
79.2377Bob's first off (way!) off Broadway playBSS::PROCTOR_RLittle Chamber FroggieMon May 27 1996 22:477
    {bobo lies on the floor bleeding... he looks up at Jim S. and gasps
     "I'll see you in Hell, where you will be eternally damned to note in
    the 'box forever!...}
    
    {wheeze, pant, gag, cough cough... fade to black}
    
    (c) bobbo, 1996.
79.2378SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue May 28 1996 13:113
    
    
    	there are worse ways to go....;*)
79.2379SPASout at the Digital corralBSS::PROCTOR_RLittle Chamber FroggieTue May 28 1996 13:5212
    > 79.2378 by SUBPAC::SADIN
    
    > there are worse ways to go....;*)
    
    yeah; I forgot to add that I whipped out my SPAS and riddled yer
    carcass with flechette rounds.
    
    BOOM! {snick-snick} BOOM! {snick-snick} BOOM!
    
    "take that, ya varmit!"
    
    
79.2380SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue May 28 1996 14:534
    
    	ya missed.
    
    
79.2381NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 29 1996 14:5997
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 24, 1996 [excerpts]

Sydney, Australia:

A grisly mystery was solved when a Sydney man was
reunited with two fingers he had not seen for over
25 years.

Police say workers demolishing a garage in Rose Street,
Sydenham, in southern Sydney, found the two fingers in
a pile of old wallpaper earlier this month.

Police were called and the fingers taken to Sydney
Morgue where forensic pathologists said the fingers -
severed at least ten years ago - may have been
souvenirs from an embalmed corpse.

Detectives investigating the case eventually located a
59-year-old, eight-fingered Earlwood man who had lived
at the house between 1969 and 1988.

The man says he lost the fingers in an accident with a
circular saw in 1971 and -- despite a search at the
time -- never found the fingers.

Police plan to hand the fingers back to their original
owner.
==========

San Jose, California:

A San Jose man who mistook Tuesday's earthquake for the
thumpings of a burglar grabbed his gun and shot himself
in the foot, hospital officials say.

"Apparently he was startled, thought someone was
breaking into the house and when he got his gun, he
accidentally shot himself," said Daniel Ross, nursing
supervisor at an area hospital where Edvardo Meneses,
21, was taken.

Meneses told officers that he thought someone was
breaking into his home, so he seized a loaded handgun,
shoved it into his pocket and ran upstairs to protect
his mother.  The gun went off, wounding Meneses in the
left leg and foot.  

Hospital officials bandaged his wounds and sent him
home on a pair of crutches.
==========

Miami, Florida:

Police theorize that a mangled body found in the middle
of a suburban Miami street Thursday fell from an
airliner, particularly because neighbors heard "a thump."

The victim might have been a stowaway, police said,
because the body was covered with grease stains
indicating someone who may have been hiding in a
plane's wheel well.  Detectives developed no quick
leads.

A teen-ager on the way to school stumbled upon the
body.  Police suspected, then ruled out, a hit-and-run.

The area about 8.5 miles west-southwest of Miami
International Airport isn't under a normal flight path
for small aircraft, leading investigators to suspect
the victim fell from a commercial airliner.
==========

Elmendorf Air Base, Alaska:

At an April court-martial at this northern airbase
found a sergeant guilty of using cocaine.

He denied the charge, which was based on a urine test.

His explanation?  His part-time job as a pizza
deliverer takes him to drug-using neighborhoods
off-base; he has a habit of licking his finger when he
counts out dollar bills for change, and some of his
customers must have used rolled bills to snort cocaine.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Jacob Oelling, who attempted suicide by setting himself
on fire, drowned when he leaped into a pond to quell
the pain from burns, West Plains, Missouri, officials
said.

The Boulder, Colorado, City Council has agreed to
review suggested amendments to the city's smoking ban
to let actors in a dinner theater production of "Grand
Hotel" light up on stage without breaking the law.
79.2382NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 29 1996 15:056
When two customers accidentally knocked a bottle of beer to the floor,
a clerk in a San Francisco supermarket told them to clean it up.  When
they refused, she grabbed a piece of broken bottle and ended up stabbing
the customers in the face with the broken glass.  The clerk was charged
with assault with a deadly weapon.  A spokesperson for the supermarket
chain said, "This is not typical of our stores."
79.2383NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 29 1996 15:11129
WEIRDNUZ.430 (News of the Weird, May 3, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

* In March an 18-year-old dockworker at Roadway Express in
Dallas, Tex., was arrested at a local Western Union and charged
with forgery after improperly trying to cash a check made out to
his employer.  The man produced a photo ID that gave his name
as Mr. "Roadway V. Express."  After questioning him, the
Western Union manager said, "Okay, Mr. Express, I'll be right
back [with the money]," but went into another room and called
police. [Houston Chronicle, 3-31-96] 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT 

* The hog-farming Fox family of Mahaska County, Iowa, which
for ten years has been selling vials of boar semen for artificially
inseminating sows, recently expanded its operation to include a
drive-through window for farmers in a hurry.  Said Genette Fox,
of the playfulness of customers, "'[O]rder of semen and fries'--
I've heard that a million times." [Des Moines Register, 1-18-96] 

* Sigma Chemical Company in St. Louis, Mo., gained notoriety
in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing for making the
artificial scents used to train the dogs that helped find dead bodies
amidst the rubble.  According to the March Discover magazine,
the company makes these smells:  Pseudo Corpse I (for a body
less than 30 days old), Pseudo Corpse II (more than 30 days old),
Pseudo Drowned Victim, and Pseudo Distressed Body (for a
person still alive but in shock), with Pseudo Burned Victim in the
works. [Discover, March 1996] 

* According to a Reuters News Service report in February, sales
are booming for such businesses as the Baltimore, Md., firm
Stocks & Bonds Ltd., which makes special furniture for people
who engage in erotic restraint, discipline, sadism, and
masochism.  A primary reason for the upsurge is the influx of
mainstream couples, some of whom even shop while pushing
their kids in strollers.  Said another erotic furniture maker,
"Some people get excited about the fact that they might serve
coffee to their parents on a table they used to tie each other to the
night before." [Reuter wirecopy, 2-14-96; Paper-San Francisco
Chronicle, 4-10-96] 

* Relatives of victims filed a $60 million lawsuit in December
against Quaker Oats Co., which was allegedly a sponsor of 1940s
and 1950s experiments to feed oats with radioactive tracers to
some mentally handicapped schoolchildren.  The children were
told that eating the cereal was part of a science club experiment,
when in reality it helped Quaker in its competition with rival
Cream of Wheat.  The radioactive bits, according to the lawsuit,
allowed researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to
trace the absorption of the oats' calcium and iron into the body.
[Edmonton Journal-AP, 12-7-95] 

* Fremont, Calif., paramedic Paul Schmidt, 29, was fired in
March for running a side business.  He and a partner were
marketing a set of nine photo cards of gruesome accidents and
murders--"Cards of Death" for $8.95. [San Francisco Chronicle,
4-2-96] 

* Late last year, Halle, Germany, tavern owner Bernd Helbig
introduced "beersicles" at about $3.50 each.  (They're just what
you think they are.) [Tampa Tribune-AP, 1-14-96] 

FAMILY VALUES 

* In December, New York City welfare authorities took custody
of three small children who were discovered, filthy and starving,
when the father called police to report that his girlfriend (the
kids' mother) was missing.  Asked by police why he hadn't fed
or cleaned the children himself, father Ahmed Aldaeesheh said,
"I don't do that." [Des Moines Register-AP, 1-1-96] 

* William Harasymow, 25, and his brother James, 22, were
sentenced to 90 days in jail in Edmonton, Alberta, in January for
cultivating marijuana in their home.  According to the brothers,
who had never been in trouble with the law before, the elaborate
setup of plants in their basement had been their father's all-
consuming passion until he died two months before, and the
brothers had not yet decided what to do with them.  Said
William, "You love your dad.  But it sucks.  He didn't leave us
with much." [Edmonton Journal, 1-30-96] 

* In January in Palm Harbor, Fla., a 41-year-old ex-pastor
pleaded guilty to persuading his daughter, then age 6, to touch
him sexually while he videotaped her.  Reflecting on the
community support for the ex-pastor, county Judge Charles Cope
rejected the normal three-year prison term for the man and
instead sentenced him to house arrest--in the same house where
the girl, now 8, continues to live. [Tampa Tribune-AP, 1-15-96] 

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT 

* In the last statement given before his February execution in
California for the 1979 sexual mutilation-murders of 14 teenage
boys, William George Bonin said the death penalty "sends the
wrong message" to America's youth. [Greensboro News Record-
AP, 2-24-96] 

* In February, John Howard opened a Ku Klux Klan museum
and apparel store, called The Redneck Shop, in Laurens, S. Car. 
Asked by a reporter what the reaction was by townspeople,
Howard said, "The only people I've had a problem with, who
took it as an insult and a racial situation, have been blacks.  I
didn't know blacks here were so prejudiced."  (Shortly after it
opened, a man in a pickup truck rammed the storefront, shutting
Howard down.) [Louisville Courier-Journal-AP, 3-7-96] 

* In March, Judge Philip Mangones in Keene, N. H., declared
unconstitutional a drug-producing search of the dormitory rooms
of two Keene State College students.  The students consented to
the search, and more than six ounces of marijuana was found, but
the judge said that the men were too stoned to know what they
were doing when they consented. [Exeter News-Letter, 3-5-96] 

* According to a March Associated Press story, Multimedia
Entertainment, Inc., producer of the "Jerry Springer" show,
recently filed a lawsuit against four Toronto, Ontario, comedians
who had fooled the show's staff and posed as a couple and their
baby-sitter (and her boyfriend) on a show themed around men
who sleep with their children's baby-sitter.  Multimedia says such
hoaxes threaten the integrity of daytime talk shows like
Springer's. [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 4-1-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2384BUSY::SLABOUNTYCandy'O, I need you ...Wed May 29 1996 15:2415
    
>* According to a March Associated Press story, Multimedia
>Entertainment, Inc., producer of the "Jerry Springer" show,
>recently filed a lawsuit against four Toronto, Ontario, comedians
>who had fooled the show's staff and posed as a couple and their
>baby-sitter (and her boyfriend) on a show themed around men
>who sleep with their children's baby-sitter.  Multimedia says such
>hoaxes threaten the integrity of daytime talk shows like
>Springer's. [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 4-1-96] 
    
    
    	Daytime talk shows and integrity??
    
    	Prime candidate for the "Oxymoron" note.
    
79.2385CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowWed May 29 1996 15:276

>chain said, "This is not typical of our stores."


 Phew!
79.2386ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsWed May 29 1996 18:573
    
    tough clerk. Bet those two don't shop there ever again!!! Then again,
    they will probably wind up owing the chain.
79.2387ACISS1::SCHELTERThu May 30 1996 12:585
    <--  How much do ya think they'll owe it???
    
    
    Mike
    
79.2388ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsThu May 30 1996 17:172
    
    <---- own. you know what i meant. 
79.2389Stop, I'm killing me.ACISS1::SCHELTERThu May 30 1996 18:005
    <-- Yup.  Just gave myself a little chuckle.
    
    
    Mike
    
79.2390NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 03 1996 13:13172
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 31, 1996 [excerpts]

Las Vegas, New Mexico:

A New Mexico couple will remarry Saturday because the
wife, who suffered a head injury in a 1993 car crash,
cannot remember their first wedding.

Kim and Krickett Carpenter will renew their vows to cap
off a long period in which they got re-acquainted after
the November 24, 1993, car accident that left her
without any memory of their relationship.

"It'll be like the first wedding because I don't have any
memory of marrying him," said Krickett Carpenter, 26.

The two had been married two months when the accident
happened.  She was in a coma for a month after the
crash and when she woke up she thought Richard Nixon
was president and had no idea who her husband was.

"I was devastated, I was crushed, I was hurt so bad.  I
remember I hit my hand on the wall," Kim Carpenter said.

When Krickett returned to their Las Vegas, New Mexico,
home, things were rocky because they were effectively
two strangers living together.

She thought him pushy and he found her confrontational.  "I
remember asking, 'How did I do the wife thing?'" she said.

"I was thinking, 'Man, I'm living with someone with two
different personalities.'  We went through a period when
she did some pretty inappropriate things," said Kim.

A therapist suggested they start dating to rebuild
their relationship.  "We'd go to Pizza Hut.  We'd go to
Wal-Mart or go bowling," Kim said.

In the end, it worked.  "I got to know my buddy again,"
Krickett said.  She suggested they remarry and he agreed.

She said she has learned to mourn the loss of her old
self and move on.  "I feel that girl was killed in the
car accident," she said.
==========

London, England:

John Wayne Bobbitt stars in a television spot for
Schweppes' new veggie drink.

In the commercial, seen only in Britain, Bobbitt is
rushed to the hospital on a stretcher.  He looks at
himself under the covers and says: "This drink really
holds you together."

Bobbitt became famous when his wife severed his penis
with a knife while he slept.  It was surgically
reattached.
==========

Stockholm, Sweden:

A Swedish court has rejected the appeal of parents who
have been fighting for the right to give their
5-year-old son a 43-character first name that is
nonsense to everyone but them.

The parents in the southern town of Halmstad pronounce
their son's name Albin but wanted to spell it:
"Brfxxccxxmnpccccllllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116."

A local court last month fined them $750 for failing to
register a first name for their child by his fifth
birthday.

Responding to the fine, the parents, who were not
identified, submitted the 43-letter name, saying it was
a "pregnant, expressionistic development that we see as
an artistic creation."  The court rejected the name.

The parents took their case to an appeal court in
Gothenburg, saying their son's name should be seen in a
pataphysical spirit.

Pataphysics was the invention of French absurdist
writer and satirist Alfred Jarry, best known for his
trilogy of Ubu plays.

It was purported to go beyond metaphysics and was the
"science of imaginary solutions" or a logic of the
absurd.  It was analyzed in his book "Gestes et
Opinions du Docteur Faustroll, Pataphysicien."

The Gothenburg court rejected the appeal and ruled the
parents must pay the fine.
==========

Kiev, Ukraine:

Baggage handlers in the Ukrainian city of L'viv opened
the hold of a plane from Amsterdam to find a lot more
purring than the engine.

A jaguar from the Amsterdam zoo had broken out of his
cage during the long flight and was found roaming the
baggage compartment of the Boeing 737 when it landed in
L'viv on Thursday, Ukrainian newspapers reported.

The plane was to have continued on to the southern
Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv, where the zoo had
purchased the jaguar.  But the startled baggage
handlers, unable to coax the 10-year-old jaguar into
the cage, evacuated the passengers and sent the plane
on to Kiev.  There, zoo keepers were waiting.

The cat was greeted by a virtual army of zoo officials,
animal trainers and a police sniper with an automatic
rifle.

After a 20-minute standoff, the jaguar was subdued with
a tranquilizer gun.  It was later taken by truck to
Mykolayiv.
==========

Albany, Oregon:

A California couple's train trip to Missoula, Montana,
to attend a weekend wedding ended unexpectedly when an
episode of cramps believed to be caused by the woman's
anemia resulted in a 5-pound, 12-ounce baby boy.

"My friends aren't going to believe this," said Robert
Herbert, 24, a marine biology major at Foothill College
in Los Altos Hills, California.  "They aren't going to
believe I'm a father."

Herbert's girlfriend, Karen Watson, 20, believed her
periods had stopped because of medical problems with
anemia and hyperthyroidism.  That's what she thought
was causing the cramps that struck her Thursday
evening, about 20 minutes south of Albany.

Herbert asked the Amtrak conductor to call for an
ambulance.

Paramedics met them at the train station.  As they
loaded Watson into the ambulance, a medic looked at
Watson's distended stomach and asked how long she had
been pregnant.

When Herbert replied that Watson was not pregnant, the
medic pulled out a fetal monitor and proclaimed there
was a baby.  Hear the heartbeat, he said.

"I was very shocked," Herbert said Friday.  "This was
definitely big news."

The baby was born at 7:09 PM.

Herbert, who watched the birth, said Friday that it was
like "an out-of-body experience.  It was so unexpected,
and I was so tired."

Watson said none of her doctors even suggested she
could be pregnant.  Now, she wonders if all her anemia
and thyroid problems were caused by her pregnancy.

Doctors estimate that Watson was at least 7.5 to nine
months pregnant when she gave birth, despite gaining
only 7 pounds over her usual weight of 105.
79.2391NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 03 1996 13:163
UK agriculture minister Roger Freeman, responsible for incinerating lots of
potentially mad cows, is investigating the possibility of electric utilities
burning cows to generate electricity.
79.2392BOXORN::HAYSSome things are worth dying forMon Jun 03 1996 13:171
Does this mean that toasters will start to go mad??
79.2393NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 03 1996 13:21134
WEIRDNUZ.431 (News of the Weird, May 10, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* In April, a judge in Milwaukee threw out the lawsuit of Mary
Verdev, 73, who said she incurred about $90,000 in injuries in
1990 when a Catholic Church's large bingo board fell over on
her.  According to Verdev, side effects of the injuries were that,
for the first time, she found herself attracted to women, and that
she subsequently "suffered" spontaneous orgasms.  (Instead of
seeking credit for the side effects, the church denied all
responsibility.) [New Haven Register-AP, 4-20-96] 

* Police in Eureka, Calif., issued a warning in April after two
stroller-pushing mothers complained that a woman had distracted
them momentarily and then breastfed their babies briefly before
fleeing.  Several days later, police backed off on the warning
after one of the mothers said she wasn't sure the intruder had
placed the baby to her breast.  (Police were still pursuing the
other complainant.) [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 4-23-96] 

* In the middle of April's Sotheby's auction of Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis's estate, Milwaukee lawyer Robert Steuer
announced he was searching for an auction house to handle the
Jeffrey Dahmer estate (to benefit the families of Dahmer's 17
victims).  Included were such treasures as Dahmer's refrigerator
and freezer, a 57-gallon drum, an 80-quart kettle, 4 saw blades, a
sledgehammer, and chemical-resistant gloves.  (Sotheby's
declined to handle the auction.) [St. Petersburg Times-Reuters, 4-
26-96] 

LEAST COMPETENT PEOPLE

* In April bailiffs at the Brownsville, Tex., jail mistakenly placed
a government witness in a double murder case in the same
holding cell with Jesus Ledesma Aguilar, 32, the man accused of
the crimes.  Bailiffs then had to rescue the witness, who was
screaming from a beating administered by a third cellmate, who
was allegedly acting on Aguilar's behalf. [Valley Morning Star,
4-13-96] 

* Thieves broke into a commercial meat freezer in Spring Valley,
Calif., in March and are still at large--but are not being pursued
as a high priority.  The freezer is located equidistant behind two
buildings.  The thieves undoubtedly thought the freezer belonged
to a restaurant and that they were stealing frozen steaks for
resale; in reality, it belongs to the restaurant's next-door
neighbor, the Paradise Valley Road Pet Hospital, which reported
nine euthanized dogs missing. [San Francisco Chronicle-AP, 4-1-
96] 

* Wesley Steny, 16, and Jeanis Caty, 18, were arrested for
robbing a Food Spot store in Miami, Fla., in February after they
reported to a hospital with gunshot wounds.  According to police,
Caty had reached over the store's counter for the money and
accidentally discharged his gun, hitting Steny, who then fell
against a third robber, causing his gun to discharge and hit Caty. 
The three then fled.  Said the Food Spot clerk, "I knew there was
a mistake.  They were the only ones bleeding." [St. Petersburg
Times-Knight-Ridder, 3-2-96] 

* Dennis Gene Chester, 31, was arrested for selling crack
cocaine to a uniformed officer in the parking lot of the
Clearwater, Fla., police headquarters in February.  Said Chester,
"I knew I was taking a chance.  I guess I lost." [Tampa Tribune,
2-9-96] 

* Western Kentucky University student Joe Schmidt, asked by the
school newspaper whether Magic Johnson's return to pro
basketball in February would put other players at risk:  "It would
be an honor to get HIV from playing Magic Johnson on an NBA
court.  He's one of the greats." [College Heights Herald, 2-6-96] 

NOT MY FAULT

* Steven Barone, 17, in court papers filed in West Palm Beach,
Fla., in April, said he robbed a gun store only because he was
taken over by another personality, which was an amalgam of
guys from the movies "Pulp Fiction," "Reservoir Dogs," and
"Good Fellas." [Northwest Florida Daily News-AP, 4-26-96] 

* In April, a jury in Minneapolis awarded almost $16 million to
Patricia Koehler, 35, who suffered brain damage during a 1990
suicide attempt.  The jury said her hospital was 50 per cent to
blame for giving her the opportunity to be alone and thus to tie
her shirt around her neck and hang herself.  (Four days later, the
Ludington (Mich.) Daily News reported a financial crisis at its
local jail caused by soaring insurance premiums based on a 1989
payout of $1.17 million to an inmate who filed a failed-to-
prevent-suicide lawsuit.  That inmate, Randy Parsons, survived
and is still serving 15-30 years for murder.) [Minneapolis Star
Tribune, 4-3-96] [Ludington Daily News, 4-6-96] 

* In April, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that truck driver
Elmer O. Dulen was injured "on the job" and thus was due
worker compensation benefits.  In 1993, probably-faulty railroad
equipment caused Dulen's truck to be hit by a train, injuring
Dulen and killing his female co-driver.  However, a witness at
the scene quoted Dulen as saying that he and his co-driver were
having sex at the time of the crash.  (Dulen denied he said that,
but acknowledged that his pants were pulled down a ways and
that the co-driver was wearing only a T-shirt.) [Daily
Oklahoman, 4-3-96] 

WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In April in Muskogee, Okla., religious patriot/prophet Willie
Ray Lampley, 65, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a
scheme to blow up buildings (in his words, "drop four or five
buildings").  Lampley had targeted gay bars, abortion clinics, and
"civil rights centers" for demolition because he was certain of an
imminent foreign invasion and thought the explosions somehow
would forestall it. [Philadelphia Inquirer-AP, 4-26-96] 

NAMES IN THE NEWS

* Announced in the Wall Street Journal in April as a new
managing director of Merrill Lynch's loan syndications group,
Mr. Ed Crook. [Wall Street Journal, 4-22-96] 

* Pleading guilty to a $30 million fraud in New York City in
March was the former owner of two investment companies, Mr.
Chuckles Kohli. [New York Times, 3-7-96] 

* Jailed in San Rafael, Calif., in February, on the latest of his 18 
indecent-exposure convictions, Mr. Ubiquitous Perpetuity God,
68.  (Mr. God says he changed his name years ago so that his
flashed victims would have "some type of awareness of God.")
[New Haven Register-AP, 2-15-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2394SMURF::WALTERSMon Jun 03 1996 13:303
    You have your nutty freemen and we have ours.  Word is that OJ Simpson
    did go to the UK in connection with the mad cow slaughter.  He bought
    up all the udders and now he's never short of leather gloves that fit.
79.2395NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 03 1996 14:213
Waitaminute!  Do British cows have five teats?

FWIW, farmers call cows with only three [working] teats "three titters."
79.2396SMURF::WALTERSMon Jun 03 1996 15:341
    OJ's become a caricature, and they only have four digits.
79.2397BUSY::SLABOUNTYDILLIGAFThu Jun 06 1996 16:5333
	What an idiot ... yes, I guess he "took a chance":

* Dennis Gene Chester, 31, was arrested for selling crack
cocaine to a uniformed officer in the parking lot of the
Clearwater, Fla., police headquarters in February.  Said Chester,
"I knew I was taking a chance.  I guess I lost." [Tampa Tribune,
2-9-96] 


	This would be an honor??:

* Western Kentucky University student Joe Schmidt, asked by the
school newspaper whether Magic Johnson's return to pro
basketball in February would put other players at risk:  "It would
be an honor to get HIV from playing Magic Johnson on an NBA
court.  He's one of the greats." [College Heights Herald, 2-6-96] 


	Yet another obvious flaw in the legal system:

* In April, a jury in Minneapolis awarded almost $16 million to
Patricia Koehler, 35, who suffered brain damage during a 1990
suicide attempt.  The jury said her hospital was 50 per cent to
blame for giving her the opportunity to be alone and thus to tie
her shirt around her neck and hang herself.  (Four days later, the
Ludington (Mich.) Daily News reported a financial crisis at its
local jail caused by soaring insurance premiums based on a 1989
payout of $1.17 million to an inmate who filed a failed-to-
prevent-suicide lawsuit.  That inmate, Randy Parsons, survived
and is still serving 15-30 years for murder.) [Minneapolis Star
Tribune, 4-3-96] [Ludington Daily News, 4-6-96] 

79.2398WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Jun 06 1996 17:173
looks like Patty missed another suit opportunity by
not going after the T shirt manufacturer. Sheesh,
what the hell is going on in this country???
79.2399DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Thu Jun 06 1996 17:304
    
    
    	Where *do* these people come from?!
    
79.2400GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheThu Jun 06 1996 18:034
    
    and didn't we already read about those stories this week?????
    
    
79.2401BUSY::SLABOUNTYDancin' on CoalsThu Jun 06 1996 18:374
    
    	Yes, I was commenting on the ones that really stuck out as
    	amazing.
    
79.2402NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 07 1996 15:18139
WEIRDNUZ.432 (News of the Weird, May 17, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Within a two-week period in April, parents in Westbury,
Conn., and Ogdensburg, N. Y., were arrested for toting their
kids (age 2-1/2 years and 2 months, respectively) around town in
zippered duffel bags. [Columbus Dispatch-AP, 4-7-96;
Tuscaloosa News, 4-19-96] 

* The New York Observer reported in March that business for
therapists who perform colonic irrigations increased dramatically 
following Princess Diana's recent revelation that she favors the
treatment.  Membership in the professionals' International
Association for Colon Hydrotherapy has grown to about 1,000,
and one New Yorker complained she could hardly get an
appointment to have her colon "toned" because of all the
"models" "lined up out the door" of her therapist.  As a former
IACH president said, "It gets tacky in [the colon]."  Get a
colonic, she said:  "There's probably macaroni and cheese in
there from 1978." [New York Observer, 3-25-96] 

* In March, two convicted rapists, Allan Wayne McLaurin and
Darron Bennalford Anderson, were re-sentenced by a jury in
Tulsa, Okla., after an appeals court said the original sentences
totaling 6,475 years were based on faulty jury instructions.  This
time, the jury said the crimes were worth an additional 260
centuries in prison--a total of 21,250 years to McLaurin and
11,250 to Anderson.  (Two weeks later, the same Oklahoma
appeals court upheld a 1994 sentence, for the man who raped a 3-
year-old girl, of 30,000 years.  The only dissenting judge said he
would have ordered the six 5,000-year sentences to be served
concurrently instead of consecutively.) [Daily Oklahoman-AP, 3-
23-96, 4-3-96] 

CRIMINAL DEFENSES

* At an April court martial at Elmendorf (Alaska) Air Force
Base, a sergeant was found guilty of using cocaine.  He had
denied the charge, which was based on a urine test.  His
explanation was that his part-time job as a pizza deliverer takes
him to drug-using neighborhoods; he has a habit of licking his
finger when counting out dollar bills for change; and some of his
customers undoubtedly used rolled bills to snort cocaine.
[Sourdough Sentinel, 4-19-96] 

* San Francisco police officer Francis Hogue was convicted in
April of kidnaping a woman and forcing her to perform oral sex
on him in his patrol car.  He had denied the charges and brought
his ex-wife and a former girlfriend into court to swear that he
disliked receiving oral sex. [San Francisco Chronicle, 4-16-96] 

* Fincastle, Va., inmate Jason Joseph Jones was charged in April
with sending a vulgar letter to sheriff Reed Kelly, threatening to
torture and kill Kelly and all members of Kelly's family, but said
he meant no harm.  Jones said he was only doing research on the
question of whether Kelly opened his own mail. [Roanoke Times,
4-10-96] 

* In Toledo, Ohio, the lawyer for Robert Wheeler, who had
confessed to putting a pipe bomb in his wife's car--a bomb that
exploded, killing her in April--told reporters his client was
innocent:  "People blow up empty cars all the time.  Who knows
[the motive]?  There's been no indication what his intent was."
[Toledo Blade, Apr96; Dayton Daily News, 4-12-96] 

FETISHES ON PARADE

* Hackensack, N. J., high school math teacher Thomas Rizer,
54, was arrested in April after he allegedly solicited male
students to pose for photographs with their navels showing. 
According to police, Rizer had more than 100 such snapshots in
his collection, which police allege was for his sexual pleasure.
[Birmingham News-AP, 4-19-96] 

* Physician Bryant Litchfield went to trial in Edmonton, Alberta,
in April on charges that he improperly fondled nine female
patients during office exams.  One of the women said Litchfield
asked her to sit on him during a 1988 exam.  (The case was
originally brought in 1991 involving seven women.  Litchfield's
lawyer delayed the trial by asking an appeals court for separate
trials for each charge, but the appeals court divided the case only
into two trials:  "above the waist" fondling charges and "below
the waist" fondling charges.  In 1991, Dr. Litchfield was found
not guilty of the "below the waist" charges, but that verdict was
set aside by Canada's Supreme Court, which ordered a new,
combined trial and included two new complainants.) [Edmonton
Journal, 4-10-96, 4-17-96] 

* Shawn George, 20, was arrested in Syracuse, N. Y., in April
for threatening to blow up the business offices of various female
employees he reached by telephone if they refused to talk dirty to
him.  Police said he had called more than 100 women in 30
buildings to ask their responses to a sexually explicit
questionnaire. [Edmonton Journal, 4-21-96] 

THINGS THAT SET PEOPLE OFF

* In March, police in Madison Heights, Mich., said a 22-year-
old employee of Wolpac, Inc., took a Ritz cracker at lunch
belonging to co-worker Raymond Parker, 26.  Parker went home
to get a .38-caliber handgun, returned, and fired two shots
toward the man before he was subdued. [Oakland (Mich.) Press,
3-28-96] 

* In March, Andre J. Twitty pleaded guilty in Minneapolis to
making threatening communications.  He had rented a car from
National Car Rental in June 1995, then was denied his request to
put the charges on his girlfriend's credit card.  According to the
prosecutor, Twitty subsequently telephoned National at least 630
times in a three-month period, demanding an apology and
threatening to kill or injure the National agent who turned down
his request. [St. Paul Pioneer Press, 2-23-96; Minneapolis Star
Tribune, Mar96] 

* In March in Watford City, N. Dak., rancher Robert Mead Jr.,
dissatisfied that two beers he was served at the local American
Legion were warm, left and came back with two rifles, which he
used to take two customers hostage in a nine-hour standoff.  One
police officer was killed. [Hartford Courant, 3-22-96] 

* In November, in Columbus, Ohio, Kathleen Kyanko, 29, was
sentenced to a month in jail for felonious assault.  According to
the prosecutor, Kyanko had been captured on tape offering to
hire a man to break the arms or legs of car dealer Dave Gill
because Gill's dealership had installed a car alarm for her but
would not give a warranty. [AP wirecopy, 11-9-95] 

* In November, Newcastle, England, farmer David Cannon, 66,
was convicted of criminal damage and fined about $3,200.  His
patience exhausted after a still-unresolved, five-year dispute with
the National Westminster Bank, Cannon had sprayed four tons of
cow manure over the Bank building, which required workers two
weeks to clean. [San Francisco Chronicle-Reuters, 11-8-95] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2403more on colonicsHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jun 07 1996 16:5688
                   STUDENTS MAKE PROGRESS ON 'COLONIC ROBOT'
                                       
   News Office
   
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   

4/26/95 Tech Talk

Students make progress on `colonic robot'

By Alice C. Waugh

News Office

While it's not yet ready to explore inner space in a real patient, a
"colon robot" being designed in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
has been getting smaller and more practical in the past year.

Students in MIT's micro-robotics group (part of the AI Lab) have been
working on building a robot that would some day be capable of moving
through a patient's colon to the site of a polyp or other problem and
surgically removing it with help from a tiny camera and other tools. The
robot would be controlled by a surgeon who could perform procedures
without having to cut open the patient or use a long flexible endoscope
(MIT Tech Talk, May 18, 1994).

Arthur Shectman, a senior in mechanical engineering, has advanced the
project from James McLurkin's Cleo, a robot that's small but lacking the
necessary shape and design for colonic navigation, to one that's
approaching the right dimensions. The cylindrical device is about three
and a half inches long and just over an inch in diameter, and its
electronics are sealed against contact with the large intestine's
hostile environment.

The biggest challenge in designing a colon robot is inventing a means of
locomotion that can handle the terrain (which is flexible and offers
little purchase) without injuring the patient. Mr. Shectman experimented
with a tube studded with a series of small "paddlewheels," but he
concluded that this design would damage the intestinal lining.

Around the circumference of his latest prototype are longitudinal
elastic treads powered by 10,000-rpm motors and worm drives, which
reduce the speed but boost the torque. The result: a robot that moves
forward at about two feet a minute.

Still to be solved is the problem of how to mount implements that the
surgeon will control from outside the patient's body: a camera, sources
of light and air (to distend the colon and allow room to work), and
suction for surgical debris. Further downsizing is also necessary;
surgeons with the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is helping to
fund the research, are hoping for a thumb-sized device, said Mr.
Shectman. His faculty advisor for the project is Rodney Brooks,
professor of electrical engineering and computer science and associate
director of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

The elements limiting miniaturization at the moment are the motor and
its accompanying reduction gears, but doctoral student Anita Flynn and
Dean Franck, a senior in mechanical engineering, are working on a new
and much smaller type of motor that could solve this problem. The ring-
shaped ultrasonic piezoelectric motor is just 8 mm in outer diameter and
2 mm thick. A piezoelectric ceramic material in bulk form, lead
zirconate titanate (PZT), is bonded onto a ring of aluminum or steel.
Appropriately applied electrical fields induce a traveling wave of
mechanical bending in the ring, causing surface points on the ring to
move in a retrograde elliptical motion. When a rotor is pressed down
against the ring, it is propelled through friction.

The advantage of piezoelectric ultrasonic motors is that they are
lightweight and compact because they run at low speeds with high
torques, thus eliminating the need for gears. The technology is already
in commercial use on a larger scale, principally in the motors that
operate autofocus camera lenses, Mr. Franck noted. Ms. Flynn's doctoral
research, in a joint project with Lincoln Laboratory and the Penn State
Materials Research Lab, also encompasses scaling down the actuators
using thin-film PZT that can be deposited directly onto silicon for
production of micromotors, which can be much smaller and driven at
significantly lower voltages than the bulk motors.

Mr. Shectman has tested the latest prototype on a surface approximating
that of the colon: a chicken skin stapled into a tubular shape and lying
on a tray of red Jell-O. The robot is years away from testing inside
people, and with Mr. Shectman's impending graduation, its future is
unclear. "It's kind of sad to leave the project when we're finally
starting to make some progress," he said.

79.2404Their smaller prototype is a semicolon robotDECWIN::RALTOI don't brake for videographersFri Jun 07 1996 17:387
> While it's not yet ready to explore inner space in a real patient, a
> "colon robot" being designed in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
> has been getting smaller and more practical in the past year.
    
    To boldly go where no one has gone before...
    
    Chris
79.2405on some kinda rollHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jun 07 1996 17:44278
and I have no idea what all this means



    Leisure Suit Larry VI
   
Shape Up or Slip Out

   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
     * What's the basic idea behind this game? How do I play? Help all
       the babes in the game. Find a babe. Talk to her. Find out what she
       needs, get it for her, and get ready for some gratitude. Not!
       Don't get frustrated. Helping one babe may allow you to eventually
       find the right babe for you.
     * How do I get started? If you're in the front lobby at the
       beginning of the game, try talking to the front desk clerk to get
       your room key. Go up the stairs to your room, unlock your door and
       go inside. Look at the table. Try calling all the phone numbers on
       the cards on the table. Go to the bathroom. Use the sink. Look at
       the brown water. Call maintenance to send a plumber up to fix it.
     * How do I use the elevator or the ice machine next to my room? Some
       things are not useful at the beginning of the game such as the
       elevator and ice machine. We're going to try hard to make you
       forget about certain things that you see early on, so keep your
       eyes peeled and remember to look at things later that you couldn't
       use at the start!
     * What does Gammie want? Gammie wants to use the Cellulite Machine.
       You'll have to fix it.
     * How do I repair the Cellulite machine's piston? Go to the dining
       room. Walk into the kitchen. Put your hand in the garbage to find
       a can of lard. Take the lard and use it to lubricate the large
       piston on the left.
     * How do I repair the Cellulite machine's ripped vacuum hose? Go to
       the Mud Bath and walk one screen to the right to reach the Weight
       Room. There is a wide rubber belt on the BunShaker machine. If the
       BunShaker machine is being used, talk to the body-builder,
       Thunderbird. Leave the room and return. The BunShaker should be
       vacant and you can take the belt. Use the belt on the hole in the
       vacuum hose of the Cellulite Machine.
     * How do I clean the Cellulite machine's filter? Use a wrench on the
       filter tank bolt. Open the filter lid. Take the clogged filter and
       use it on the sink in the Kitchen to clean it. Put the filter back
       in the filter tank. Close the lid and tighten the bolt with the
       wrench.
     * Where can I find a wrench? You can get a wrench from the plumber.
       Go to your bathroom and run the water in the sink. If you see
       brown water, call maintenance at extension 76 to report your
       plumbing problems. If the water is clear, stuff a roll of toilet
       paper down the toilet. You can get some toilet paper from the
       front of the maid's cart that appears every now and then outside
       your room. When the plumber arrives, click the pick-up icon next
       to the plumber to get the wrench. Use the pick-up icon, not the
       hand icon. Take his file too, you might need it.
     * I think the machine works, but I can't seem to tell Gammie. Why?
       Give the machine a test run. Turn it on. Wait for the message that
       everything is okay. Once you see the message, shut the machine
       down and go talk to Gammie.
     * Where can I get an orange? Go to the Dining Room. Click your hand
       on the salad bar to find an orange. Take the orange.
     * I need something to cool Gammie's forehead. What can I do? Get a
       washcloth from the front of the maid's cart that appears every now
       and then outside your room. Click the washcloth on the pool. Go to
       the Kitchen. Open the refrigerator door. Put the wet cloth inside
       and close the fridge door. Leave the Kitchen. Return to the
       Kitchen and open the fridge. Use the take icon to pick up the cool
       cloth.
     * Where can I get some mineral water? If Gammie asks for some
       mineral water, go to the hallway door east of the Blues Bar to
       find a room service tray. Take the mineral water off the tray.
     * After I helped Gammie, she took off! Why did I go through all
       this? Gammie left behind a lot of excess cellulite. This can be
       useful. Go to the beach and click your hand on the sand to find a
       whale oil lamp. Click the lamp on the drainage faucet in the
       center of the Cellulite Drainage room. Get a match in the Blues
       Bar and click your zipper on it to light it. Light the lamp, and
       you'll find you've created a Lamp of Knowledge. Pretty neat, huh?
     * Where is Rose? Walk one screen left of the Front Desk. Open the
       hallway door to enter the Health Spa. Rose is in the High Colonic
       Treatment room through the door on the left.
     * What does Rose want? Look around the High Colonic Treatment room.
       You'll see lots of flowers. Rose loves flowers. You need to get
       some more flowers for Rose. The only flowers you can take are in
       your room. If you don't have your room key, talk to the Front Desk
       girl to get it. Get the flowers from the vase in your room and
       give them to Rose. She'll give you an orchid for all your
       troubles.
     * Where is Burgundy? Burgundy sometimes sings at the bar. If you go
       to the bar and Burgundy isn't on stage, try walking out of the bar
       for a little while and come back later.
     * How can I talk to Burgundy? You need to unplug her microphone so
       she'll stop singing and listen to you. Put your hand on the
       microphone wire to unplug it.
     * Where can I find some beer? The Spa will not serve alcohol, but
       you can find a place that has beer. Go to the Mud Baths and walk
       right. Walk through the Weight Room to enter the Aerobics Room.
       Use the empty spot to dance and end the class. Talk to the
       aerobics instructor and get her employee badge. Go back to the
       hall and walk east until you reach the gate to the employee's
       campground. Use the employee badge to open the gate. Enter the
       tent and take some beer for Burgundy.
     * The beer didn't help. Burgundy is singing again. What now? She
       wants more beer! Go back to the employee's campground and get more
       for her. After she drinks the second six-pack, she'll meet you in
       the sauna.
     * Where can I get a towel to wear in the sauna? You can get a towel
       in two different places. You can take a towel from the maid's cart
       that appears every now and then outside your room. You can also
       get one from Gary the Towel Attendant in the Health Spa. To get
       the towel from Gary, click your hand on the desk to sign in.
     * How do I put the towel on? Go to the men's locker room. Open the
       last locker on the lower right. Click the towel on yourself to
       wear it. To change back into your leisure suit, open the locker
       and click the towel on yourself again.
     * Burgundy and Cav left without me. What do I do? Burgundy left her
       silver bracelet in the sauna. Take it.
     * Where can I find Shablee? Shablee is in the Make-Up Classroom. The
       classroom is two screens left from the Front Desk. Go down the
       ramp. Shablee is the girl in the lower right of the screen.
     * What does Shablee want? Shablee wants an evening gown.
     * Where can I find an evening gown? Burgundy, the Country Western
       Blues singer has a gown. If you've gone to the sauna with her, you
       can find the dress back-stage at the bar. Click your hand on the
       curtain to walk on stage. Walk south of the stage between the
       curtains to find the dress. Take the dress and give it to Shablee.
     * Shablee says she'll meet me later on the beach, but later never
       happens! You need to get a condom. Get your room key from the
       girl at the front desk and go upstairs to your room. Look at the
       cards on the table. Call the Turn Down service at 75 to order a
       surprise. Leave your room and go downstairs. When you return to
       your room, a condom will be left on your bed. Take the condom, and
       you'll meet Shablee on the beach.
     * I've met Shablee on the beach. What do I do now? Put your hand on
       her and talk to her several times. When the moment is right, click
       the condom on her. When you've returned to your room, go back to
       the beach and get the champagne.
     * What does Charlotte want? Charlotte wants some batteries.
     * How do I get batteries? Go to the Blues Bar and get a match from
       the bowl at the left end of the bar. Go to the hallway. Talk to
       Art the Tram Driver to ride the tram east until it stops outside
       the employee's campground. Give the match to Art so he'll go smoke
       a cigar. After Art leaves, click your hand on the tram to open the
       rear hood. Use the wrench on the tram motor to disconnect some
       cables. After you close the hood, Art returns and will open the
       hood. Talk to Art to get his flashlight. Before Art asks you to
       return his flashlight, click your hand on the flashlight to remove
       the batteries.
     * Where can I get a wrench? You can get a wrench from the plumber.
       Go to your bathroom and run the water in the sink. If you see
       brown water, call maintenance at extension 76 to report your
       plumbing problems. If the water is clear, stuff a roll of toilet
       paper down the toilet. You can get some toilet paper from the
       front of the maid's cart that appears every now and then outside
       your room. When the plumber arrives, click the pick-up icon next
       to the plumber to get the wrench. Use the pick-up icon, not the
       hand icon. Take his file too, you might need it.
     * How do I open the Electro-Shock door? Go to the Make-Up Classroom
       and take the unused electrical cord on the floor. Go to the Mud
       Baths. Stand near the Electro-Shock door and click your hand on
       the electrical cord to strip one end bare. Use the cord on the
       electrical outlet to plug it in. Use the electrical cord on the
       electronic lock to open the Electro-Shock door. After Charlotte
       zaps you, return to the Electro-Shock room and get the pearl
       earring that someone dropped.
     * Where is Thunderbird? Thunderbird is working out in the Weight
       Room. Go to the Mud Baths. Walk one more screen to the right.
     * What does Thunderbird want? Thunderbird wants a pair of handcuffs.
     * Where can I find a pair of handcuffs? Go to the Front Lobby. Walk
       one screen south to get an outside view of the Spa. Look at the
       gatehouse to get a close-up of Darryl the Gate Guard. He has a
       spare set of handcuffs on his belt.
     * How can I get the handcuffs? You need to distract Darryl the Gate
       Guard. Go to the Mud Baths. Click your hand on the plants below
       the video camera to move them out of the way. Use a wrench on the
       video camera to aim it through the vent into the women's shower
       room. Go back to the gatehouse. Use the pick-up icon to take the
       handcuffs from Darryl's belt. Give the handcuffs to Thunderbird.
     * Where can I find a wrench? You can get a wrench from the plumber.
       Go to your bathroom and run the water in the sink. If you see
       brown water, call maintenance at extension 76 to report your
       plumbing problems. If the water is clear, stuff a roll of toilet
       paper down the toilet. You can get some toilet paper from the
       front of the maid's cart that appears every now and then outside
       your room. When the plumber arrives, click the pick-up icon next
       to the plumber to get the wrench. Use the pick-up icon, not the
       hand icon. Take his file too, you might need it.
     * Which room is Thunderbird's? Go to the Front Desk and walk three
       screens to the left. Open the middle door to find Thunderbird's
       room. Thunderbird will give you a dog collar. Click your hand icon
       on it to get a diamond.
     * Where can I find Cav? Cav is the Aerobics Instructor in the
       Aerobics Classroom. Go to the Mud Baths. Walk to the right to
       enter the Weight Room. Open the door on the right to enter the
       Aerobics Classroom. You can also reach Aerobics Classroom from a
       door on the right leading from the Pool area.
     * How can I get a chance to talk to Cav? Click your hand on the
       empty step to start dancing and disrupt the class. Cav the
       Aerobics Instructor will dismiss the class. You can now talk to
       her.
     * How can Cav help me? Talk to her a few times, look at the employee
       badge on her shirt. Take the badge. The badge will allow you to
       get into the employee's campground.
     * I need a date so I can meet Cav in the Sauna. Who do I ask? Ask
       Burgundy.
     * Where can I find a towel for the Sauna? You can get a towel in two
       different places. You can take a towel from the maid's cart that
       appears every now and then outside your room. You can also get one
       from Gary the Towel Attendant in the Health Spa. To get the towel
       from Gary, click your hand on the desk to sign in.
     * How do I put the towel on? Go to the men's locker room. Open the
       last locker on the lower right. Click the towel on yourself to
       wear it. To change back into your leisure suit, open the locker
       and click the towel on yourself again.
     * Where is Merrily? Merrily is floating next to the floating bar in
       the pool. You can't talk to her until you get close to her.
     * What does Merrily want? Merrily wants unlimited access to the
       bungee/dive tower.
     * Where can I find a swimsuit for the pool? Take some dental floss
       from the back of the maid's cart that appears every now and then
       outside your room. Go to the pool and wait for the pool bar to
       float near the edge of the pool. Look at the floating bar and take
       the sunglasses' case from the bar. Open the sunglasses' case and
       remove the sunglasses. Click your hand on it again to get the
       cloth. Use the dental floss on the cloth to make a swimsuit.
     * How do I put on my swimsuit? Go to the pool. Click the swimsuit on
       yourself to wear it. You can't wear the swimsuit anywhere else. To
       put your clothes back on, click the swimsuit on yourself again.
     * Where do I get a flotation device? The flotation device is on the
       far side of the pool near the middle of the screen. It is a brown,
       deflated, beaver pool float.
     * How do I inflate my flotation device? Go to the kitchen. Click the
       beaver on the road coach's front tire to inflate it.
     * How do I use the flotation device? Click your hand on the pool to
       swim in it. Click the beaver on yourself to ride it. Float over to
       the bar and talk to Merrily.
     * How do I order a drink at the pool bar? Click your hand on the
       beaver's tail to slap it on the water. This will alert the
       underwater waitress that you want to order a drink.
     * Where can I get ID to order a drink? Show your room key to the
       waitress.
     * How can I get Merrily a tower key? Get some soap from the maid's
       cart that appears every now and then outside your room. Wear your
       swimsuit at the pool. Talk to the life guard to get the tower key.
       Use the tower key to climb the tower. Before you dive, click the
       tower key on the soap to make an impression. Dive into the pool,
       get out, put your clothes on and walk to the front desk. Take a
       room key from the Quicki Checkout bin. Use the file on the new
       room key to make a copy of the tower key. You can get the file
       from the plumber if you have bathroom plumbing problems. Give the
       duplicate tower key to Merrily.
     * Finally, I'm on tower with Merrily. What do I do? Click your hand
       and zipper icon several times on Merrily. Click your hand on
       yourself to remove your clothes, then click the zipper on her.
       You'll get Merrily's Words of Wisdom before you fall.
     * Where is Shamara? You can find Shamara in the Penthouse on the
       balcony.
     * How can I get to the Penthouse? Go through the Dining Room to get
       to the Kitchen. Click your hand on the controls next to the
       dumbwaiter to open and enter the dumbwaiter. Click your hand on
       the lower red push-button outside the dumbwaiter to reach the
       Penthouse. Walk to the balcony and talk to Shamara.
     * What does Shamara want? Shamara wants an orchid, a diamond, a
       pearl, a silver bracelet, a modern sculpture made from your melted
       gold medallion, some Words of Wisdom, a Burning Lamp of Knowledge,
       and some chilled champagne.
     * Where can I find all the stuff Shamara wants? You can get an
       orchid from Rose, a diamond from Thunderbird, a pearl from
       Charlotte, a silver bracelet from Burgundy, Words of Wisdom from
       Merrily, and some champagne from Shablee. The champagne can be
       chilled with ice from the ice machine next to your room. The
       burning Lamp of Knowledge can be found on the beach. To make the
       burning Lamp of Knowledge, fill it with cellulite after you help
       Gammie and light it with a match from the bar. Light the match by
       clicking your zipper on it. The modern sculpture created by your
       melted gold medallion can be found after your encounter with
       Charlotte in the Electro-Shock room.
       
79.2406NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 07 1996 17:549
>Around the circumference of his latest prototype are longitudinal
>elastic treads powered by 10,000-rpm motors and worm drives, which
>reduce the speed but boost the torque.
...
>The advantage of piezoelectric ultrasonic motors is that they are
>lightweight and compact because they run at low speeds with high
>torques, thus eliminating the need for gears.

Heaven knows you don't want worms in the intestines.
79.2407BUSY::SLABOUNTYForeplay? What's that?Fri Jun 07 1996 19:1219
================================================================================
Note 99.1093        Mutterings/DYHIW/DYLIW/party discussions        1093 of 1093
                          -< ANOTHER SICKO-STORY... >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    	Don't know if anyone has heard this,
    
    About 20 minutes from work here in Ottawa, in a town called Carleton
    Place. A woman who denied knowing she was pregnant, has been charged
    with attempted murder. She gave birth to her baby at home in the
    bathroom (it was a boy) and two days later doctors found a pellet,
    from a pellet gun lodged in the baby's brain. She shot the baby
    2 days before it was born (ie inserted the pellet gun and pulled
    the trigger) The baby is in serious but stable condition, after
    having the bullet removed. Charges were laid today, and will be
    up graded to murder, should the baby not survive...
    
    	This is a totally bizarre case, with tidbits of details being
    released...What a psycho-bitch...
    
79.2408CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowFri Jun 07 1996 19:364


  
79.2409RE: .2407HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comFri Jun 07 1996 20:5411
    RE: .1093

>Charges were laid today, and will be
>    up graded to murder, should the baby not survive...

    Why charge her with murder if the kid dies?  The worse that she should
    be charged with is practicing medicine without a license or medical
    malpractice for botching an abortion.  Or has Canada outlawed
    abortions?

    -- Dave
79.2410ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsMon Jun 10 1996 12:512
    
    <--- are you serious Dave??
79.2411NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 10 1996 14:07144
WhiteBoard News for Saturday, June 08, 1996 [excerpts]

Costa Mesa, California:

A vegetarian bus driver has been suspended for, as he
views it, refusing to hurt a cow.

Bruce Anderson, a five-year veteran driver for the
Orange County Transportation Authority, said Wednesday
he was ordered off his bus and put on unpaid suspension
after refusing to hand out coupons to riders for free
hamburgers at Carl's Jr. restaurants.

He didn't expect to become an advertisement for
vegetarianism when he went to work early Wednesday, but
as he was about to leave the depot, a supervisor gave
him a stack of coupons to give passengers, each worth a
free hamburger.

The giveaway, Anderson was told, is part of a promotion
to encourage people to take the bus by offering them
free hamburgers each Wednesday through June.

The 38-year-old Anderson refused to take the coupons.

"I told them that I don't eat dead cows and no one else
needs to either," said Anderson, a strict vegetarian,
or "vegan," whose beliefs also preclude him from eating
dairy products or wearing leather.  "I told him that I
wouldn't support Carl's Jr. in the slaughtering of
cows."

Transportation officials were not amused.

Half an hour later, according to Anderson, transit
authority officials met him at a bus stop with a
replacement driver, ordered him off the bus in front of
his passengers and suspended him indefinitely without
pay for insubordination.  Anderson makes $16.60 an
hour.

Anderson said that as much as he wants to keep his job,
he never will cave in to the hamburger interest. 

"What I did," he said, "probably saved at least half a
cow."
==========

Beijing, China:

In the Beijing of the future, perhaps all toilets will
be as charming as the Toto SW-710 with a ZGHD-1
disposable seat.  A limousine of lavatories, it's a
monument to China's efforts to end centuries of
discomfort.

To highlight what Chinese officials call a "public
toilet revolution," Beijing staged the nation's first
lavatory exhibit Wednesday in, of all venues, the
Museum of the Chinese Revolution on Tiananmen Square.

China needs new public toilets because its people, as
they get richer, want to answer nature's call in
hygienic surroundings, said the exhibition's organizer,
Lou Xiaoqi.

May of Beijing's 12 million residents don't have
toilets at home.  They rely on communal facilities,
usually a hut with a trench, over which people squat
together in a row.

"Many foreigners who come to China leave with a very
deep impression of Chinese toilets," Lou said.  "They
say China doesn't care about toilets -- but it's not
true."

With 1,200 photos, paintings and displays, the exhibit
takes the visitor on a long march through China's 5,000
years of toilet history.  It ends with the Toto SW-710
which slides a disposable plastic film over the seat
after each use -- all the user needs to do is press a
red button on the seat.
==========

Nouakchott, Mauritania:

He wore out seven pairs of shoes, weathered two bouts
of diarrhea and was stopped by blasting sandstorms
along the lonely dunes of the vast Sahara.

And Choi Jong-yul, 38, a South Korean adventurer,
became the first person to walk the Sahara Desert from
west to east.

On November 11, he left Nouakchott, Mauritania, near
the Atlantic Ocean, and covered 4,500 miles of dunes
and hills over seven months.  He arrived in Suakin, a
Sudanese port on the Red Sea, and flew north to Cairo.

In all, he crossed five countries -- Mauritania, Mali,
Niger, Chad and Sudan -- under an unrelenting sun.

In the 1980s, Choi climbed Mount Everest.  He raised
the Korean flag at the North Pole in 1991.  The Sahara
offered a contrast.  "I went to the cold North Pole and
wanted to experience the difference between the
ultimate cold and hot," he said.

Choi woke daily at 4:30 AM and walked for 13 hours,
covering 25 miles at first and working up to 37.

He ate rice, dried beef and pork and took a few
10-minute water breaks.  He stopped his walking at 6 PM.

Choi said he slept sporadically because of the heat and
had malaria and diarrhea.  Sandstorms often made
walking impossible.

Sometimes a reporter, a film producer and a translator
accompanied him.  Kia Motors of South Korea provided
two vehicles for his supply team.

But most of the time, he walked alone.

"I am confused.  I was used to walking every day and
now feel something is missing," said Choi.  "It will
take me at least a month to get used to normal life."

Choi's expedition was sponsored by Kia and South
Korea's Dong-A Ilbo daily newspaper.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Philip Morris Company send Lily Masters a letter asking
her as a smoker to thank her state senator for voting
against a cigarette-tax hike.  Her family received it
seven months after she died of lung cancer.

Providence, Rhode Island, police officer Alfred
Jiminez, 32, was sentenced to six months in prison for
fabricating a story about an assailant shooting at him. 
Prosecutors said he shot through his own shirt and
pants leg in an attempt to look like a hero.
79.2412DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Mon Jun 10 1996 14:154
    
    
    	$16.60/hr   to drive a bus??!!
    
79.2413SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Jun 10 1996 14:198
    
    
    	How about $50K per year to collect tolls on the turnpike? How about
    $100K per year as a state trooper?
    
    	we're in the wrong business to make money. :)
    
    jim
79.2414how 'bout unemployment?HBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Jun 10 1996 14:244
>    	How about $50K per year to collect tolls on the turnpike? How about
>    $100K per year as a state trooper?

First: shore. Second: no thanks.
79.2415POLAR::RICHARDSONFingernails are good, eh?Mon Jun 10 1996 14:247
    |$100K per year as a state trooper?
    
    Quite frankly, I don't have a problem with this.
    
    |How about $50K per year to collect tolls on the turnpike?
    
    THIS I have a problem with.
79.2416SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Jun 10 1996 14:3311
    
    
    
    	$100K per year is a great deal of money for any police officer.
    Grant you, it is a dangerous job. 
    
    	The $50K for collecting tolls information comes from a news report
    I heard on NPR about the Mass turnpike authority. The $100K for state
    troopers comes from a more recent news report (I think on NPR also).
    
    jim
79.2417POLAR::RICHARDSONFingernails are good, eh?Mon Jun 10 1996 14:405
    Well, if you under pay a cop, you're not doing anybody any favours. I
    believe cops still have the highest divorce rate, and the suicide rate
    is pretty high as well. These guys have enough worries, we should try
    and help them not worry about money as much. Also, it lessens
    corruption.
79.2418but it never got weird enoughHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Jun 10 1996 14:4312
[www.usatoday.com]

  PROBLEM EQUIPMENT BARES JEOPARDY! TIME SLOT
   
   CHICAGO - Try to put THIS in the form of a question! Jeopardy! viewers
   in 22 Chicago suburbs on Thursday found themselves suddenly watching
   cavorting, naked women rather than the usual three contestants. About
   10 minutes of the Playboy Channel was inadvertently broadcast during
   the time slot normally reserved for Alex Trebek's show. "Some
   equipment we use to cablecast was having some problems," Continental
   Cablevision spokeswoman Susan Bisno said. The company said it would
   apologize to anyone who compained.
79.2419WAHOO::LEVESQUEsunlight and thunderMon Jun 10 1996 14:454
    re: Glenn
    
     Why can't we just pay them what they're worth? Why overpay some to
    compensate for underpaying others?
79.2420POLAR::RICHARDSONFingernails are good, eh?Mon Jun 10 1996 14:493
    Sure. What's a cop worth to you? I would worry if a cop in my
    neighbourhood was under paid, he/she can affect my life or someone
    elses. Somebody collecting quarters can't.
79.2421SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Jun 10 1996 14:516
    
    	good points Glenn. I know it's the same scoop with
    EMTs...underpaid big time. $7-8 is all an EMT basic will get paid for
    getting exposed to HIV, TB, Hep, etc on a daily basis. 
    
    jim
79.2422BUSY::SLABOUNTYGrandchildren of the DamnedMon Jun 10 1996 14:585
    
    	$100K for a State Trooper?
    
    	That sounds extremely high.  Where'd you get that number?
    
79.2423NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 10 1996 14:597
The police in question are probably beneficiaries of the requirement that
uniformed police rather than flagpersons be at road construction sites.
This is the case in almost all communities in Massachusetts, even when
such sites see little traffic.  The police unions are fighting tooth and
nail to keep this perq, which costs utility ratepayers a pretty penny.
Governor Weld has backed down because he's wooing the police unions in
his race for the Senate.
79.2424SMURF::WALTERSMon Jun 10 1996 14:591
    Whitey Bulger?
79.2425CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Jun 10 1996 15:002
    From overtime and road crew duty.  One Lt. made $170,000, that's right,
    $170K from various construction duties and o.t.  
79.2426BUSY::SLABOUNTYGrandchildren of the DamnedMon Jun 10 1996 15:013
    
    	Doesn't count.  What's the base salary WITHOUT paid details?
    
79.2427CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Jun 10 1996 15:031
    Base Salary is about $35K.  
79.2428BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amMon Jun 10 1996 15:1514
| <<< Note 79.2413 by SUBPAC::SADIN "Freedom isn't free." >>>



| How about $50K per year to collect tolls on the turnpike? How about
| $100K per year as a state trooper?

	I wouldn't want to collect tolls, even if it meant a pay raise. I
couldn't deal with all that exhaust. On hot summer days it must be murder... or
a slow death.... and in the winter, nooooo way....brrr.....



Glen
79.2429WAHOO::LEVESQUEsunlight and thunderMon Jun 10 1996 15:182
    Yeah, Glen, but think of all the hunky guys you'd meet with pink
    triangle stickers...
79.2430BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amMon Jun 10 1996 15:257
| <<< Note 79.2429 by WAHOO::LEVESQUE "sunlight and thunder" >>>

| Yeah, Glen, but think of all the hunky guys you'd meet with pink
| triangle stickers...

	I'd only see them drive away.... no one ever puts them on the front
bumper..... :-)
79.2431BSS::PROCTOR_RLittle Clueless Froggie-SanMon Jun 10 1996 15:295
    >  I'd only see them drive away.... no one ever puts them on the front
    > bumper..... :-)
    
    don't trucks use them when they break down on the freeway? (Victoria's
    Secret trucks?)
79.2432SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Jun 10 1996 16:4612
    
    
    	re: shawn
    
    	My numbers came from a report on the turnpike authority cops. I
    believe the numbers I heard were salaries from $70K to $100K (that's
    salaries with no OT..as reported by NPR). There was a more recent
    report (which I believe Brian is quoting) that deals with regular Mass
    state troopers (not turnpike cops) breaking the $100K barrier with OT
    and such. 
    
    jim
79.2433NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 10 1996 16:548
>	I'd only see them drive away.... no one ever puts them on the front
>bumper..... :-)

Don't toll booths have mirrors so the attendants can see the rear



of the cars?
79.2434BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amMon Jun 10 1996 16:551
:-)
79.2435HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comMon Jun 10 1996 19:4414
    RE: .2410 
>     
>    <--- are you serious Dave?? 
> 

    Why not?  If you were out hiking, broke your leg, had to set it
    yourself, developed gangrene, and had to have it amputated when you
    got back to civilization, you wouldn't want to be charged with
    malicious wounding or some such nonsense would you?  Simply because you
    botched a medical procedure on yourself?

    Why should the woman be changed with anything?

    -- Dave
79.2436PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jun 10 1996 19:504
   .2435  Er, so, if she had done this two days later, after the baby
	  was born, it would have been attempted murder, but as it was,
	  it was just a botched medical procedure?
79.2437HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comMon Jun 10 1996 20:1723
    RE: 2436

>   .2435  Er, so, if she had done this two days later, after the baby
>	  was born, it would have been attempted murder, but as it was,
>	  it was just a botched medical procedure?

    As far as the botched medical procedure, of course.  Why would you
    think differently?  Let's assume that the woman had just gotten
    pregnant and engaged in some activity that resulted in a miscarriage: 
    excessive exercise, exposure to paint fumes, etc.  Would you charge her
    with murder then?  Of course not, not even if she deliberately had the
    miscarriage (RU486).

    So why would you (generic) want to punish the woman for waiting a few
    months?  Paint fumes probably wouldn't terminate the pregnancy 2 days
    before labor begins, and RU486 would no longer be effective.  So why
    punish the woman for using a different method at her disposal?  

    If you want to insist that the woman see a medical doctor for such a
    procedure, fine.  But then charge her with practicing medicine without
    a license, not murder.

    -- Dave
79.2438PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jun 10 1996 20:217
>       <<< Note 79.2437 by HIGHD::FLATMAN "flatman@highd.enet.dec.com" >>>

>    As far as the botched medical procedure, of course.  Why would you
>    think differently?  

	For the simple reason that I don't equate first and third
	trimester abortions.  Apparently, you do.
79.2439HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comMon Jun 10 1996 20:2611
    RE: .2438

>	For the simple reason that I don't equate first and third
>	trimester abortions.  Apparently, you do.

    So where's your artifical dividing line?  If a woman goes in for an
    abortion 3 months after your dividing line, do you want to prevent her
    from having an abortion or bring her up on murder charges?  How about 1
    month after?  1 weak?  1 day?  1 hour?  5 minutes?

    -- Dave
79.2440PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jun 10 1996 20:385
   .2439  I don't think third trimester abortions should be permitted.
	  Why is that dividing line any more or less artificial than
	  yours is (which is apparently the moment of birth)?  It's just
	  a different dividing line.
79.2441HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comMon Jun 10 1996 21:3020
    RE: .2440

>	  Why is that dividing line any more or less artificial than
>	  yours is ...

    I've deliberately avoided creating any artifical dividing line because
    I don't believe any artifical line can be logically defended (although
    I would entertain arguments that a particular artifical line is
    defendable).

>        ... (which is apparently the moment of birth)?

    If it is apparent, then I haven't been clear.  For convience sake, I
    will argue that abortions should be allowed up unto the point of birth
    ... until I get agreement.  Once I get agreement, then I will argue
    that birth is an artifical line and we shouldn't penalize someone
    simply because they were 5 minutes late for their doctor's
    appointment...

    -- Dave
79.2442POLAR::RICHARDSONPerson to person contact laughing.Mon Jun 10 1996 22:425
    The big question is, do you believe life is sacred?
    
    If you think it is, then drawing the line can have various levels of
    complexity. If you think it isn't, then you can draw the line wherever
    you want.
79.2443how about two shots at it ?GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseTue Jun 11 1996 13:196
     
      A more logical approach would be to stop 3rd trimester abortions,
     but legalize teenicide from, say, 15-17.  Much more useful, and you
     would be making informed decisions...
    
      bb
79.2444WAHOO::LEVESQUEsunlight and thunderTue Jun 11 1996 13:283
     The government would never let that happen. Nobody'd make it out of
    their teens, and within 10 years there's be no workforce to support
    social insecurity.
79.2445PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Jun 11 1996 13:3712
> <<< Note 79.2442 by POLAR::RICHARDSON "Person to person contact laughing." >>>

	I think drawing the line can have various levels of complexity
	irrespective of one's opinion about the "sacred"ness of life.
	I don't get involved in the abortion topic, because I don't
	feel compelled to try to justify my views on it, nor do I think it
	would interest anyone particularly.  While I'm not exactly
	wishy-washy about it, to me it's a difficult issue with lots of grey
	areas associated with it.  Shooting a baby in the womb two days
	before birth doesn't fall into any of those grey areas though.
	In my humble opinion, of course.  And that's all I have to say
	about that.  <crowd effects thankful expressions>
79.2446POLAR::RICHARDSONPerson to person contact laughing.Tue Jun 11 1996 14:0215
    If you don't believe life is sacred, you can draw a line based on
    whatever you think is acceptable and you can change the rules as you
    go. You can eliminate ethical quandaries. If you're a catholic, for 
    example, the sacredness goes as far as the testicles. The question for
    those is when does it become a gift from god?

    See, we as humans believe our lives are sacred and, just recently,
    endangered and threatened species. I speak generally, and as a
    heterosexual male. But there will come a time, as in the past, that
    much human life won't be viewed as sacred and there will be much death.
    The line will be drawn on race or nationality or religion. So, why is
    it ok to justify the killing of a full adult life and sometimes it's
    not?

    I'm babbling.
79.2447NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 11 1996 14:031
Wacky News Briefs, people, Wacky News Briefs!
79.2448I'd love to hear the explanation from the strip searchers....EVMS::MORONEYyour innocence is no defenseTue Jun 11 1996 15:5631
	DECATUR, Ga., June 7 (UPI) -- An auto theft suspect is lodged Friday  
in the womens' dormitory of the DeKalb County Jail after she was 
misidentified as a male and spent more than two months in the facility's 
men's unit -- despite undergoing a strip search. 
	The comedy of genders began March 26 when Sydney Samauell Mitchell,  
18, was charged with auto theft and taken by the arresting officer to 
the male booking area. 
	``She was arrested by DeKalb police as a male.'' said Sheriff Bob  
Morris. ``It was just male, male, male all through the system.'' 
	The incident report filled out by the arresting officer described  
Mitchell as a black male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 235 pounds. 
	Mitchell never corrected the misidentification, even during a strip-  
search during which her true gender went unnoticed. 
	The jail officer who conducted the strip search observed chest hair,  
some facial hair and no indication that Mitchell was a woman, Morris 
said. 
	``If you look at the appearance of this individual, you'll see, ah,  
very masculine looking, the hair, body hair, chest hair, very stout, 
manly,'' said Morris. 
	He said Mitchell's true gender also went unnoticed in the jail's  
common shower area. 
	``There's a door for their privacy so no other male could notice  
that,'' said Morris. 
	The gender error came to light this week when a pretrial coordinator  
repeatedly referred to Mitchell with male pronouns during an interview 
with her parents. 
	``They said, 'We don't have a son. We have a daughter,''' Morris  
recounted. 
	Following the discovery, Mitchell underwent a physical, which  
confirmed her sex and she was immediately moved to the womens' dorm, 
where she now awaits trial. 
79.2449RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Tue Jun 11 1996 16:2718
    Re .2436:

    > .2435  Er, so, if she had done this two days later, after the baby
    >	  was born, it would have been attempted murder, but as it was,
    >	  it was just a botched medical procedure?

    If you shoot somebody breaking into your house (in self defense), it is
    legal, but if you shoot them two days later, it is murder.  This is
    true even if the person breaking into your house did not intend to do
    so.  (They could fail to have intent because of limited mental
    capacity, drunkenness, or mistaking the house for another.)


    				-- edp


Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.2450PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Jun 11 1996 16:332
   .2449  Thank you for that brilliant analogy, Mr. Postpischil.
79.2451Dog Bite Prevention WeekHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Jun 11 1996 16:5711
  POST OFFICE OBSERVES ANNUAL DOG-BITE PREVENTION WEEK
   
   WASHINGTON - The post office is observing its annual dog-bite
   prevention week and it would like owners of canines to contemplate one
   number: $12,000. That's the average insurance claim payment for
   dog-bite injuries, according to State Farm Insurance. And it isn't
   just letter carriers who are in danger, far from it. Last year 4.7
   million Americans were dog-bite victims including 2,851 letter
   carriers. The majority of victims, nearly 3 million, were children,
   the post office reports.
79.2452hit the showersHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Jun 13 1996 21:2919
don't know how old this is or if'n it's been posted afore:


                ANTIDISCRIMINATION LAW SHUTS DOWN NUDE DANCERS
                                       
   Los Angeles, California city officials shut down an adult nightclub's
   main feature, a shower enclosure for nude dancers, because it has no
   wheelchair access.
   
   The city's Department of Building and Safety's Disabled Access
   Division claims the club discriminates against the handicapped,
   denying them an equal opportunity to work as nude dancers, according
   to Reuters news service.
   
   Patrons of the Odd Ball Cabaret could previously pay $20 to watch a
   nude dancer take a shower for five minutes.
   
   More than likely, the use of the antidiscrimination law was just an
   excuse to stop a legal, but politically unpopular, form of expression.
79.2453BUSY::SLABOUNTYGo Go Gophers watch them go go go!Thu Jun 13 1996 21:469
    
   >More than likely, the use of the antidiscrimination law was just an
   >excuse to stop a legal, but politically unpopular, form of expression.
    
    
    	You really think so?
    
    	8^)
    
79.2454could beHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Jun 13 1996 22:011
that was actually part of the story and not a_after the fack editorial.
79.2455technically consistentGAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseFri Jun 14 1996 12:565
    
      Well, if you believe the Americans with Disabilities Act, this
     is correct.  They have to accomodate wheelchair nude dancing.
    
      bb
79.2456par for the courseWAHOO::LEVESQUEshow us the team!Fri Jun 14 1996 13:022
    Yet another poorly written piece of legislation. Good intent, poor
    execution.
79.2457NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 14 1996 13:411
ADA is one of Bob Dole's proudest accomplishments.
79.2458WAHOO::LEVESQUEshow us the team!Fri Jun 14 1996 13:463
    That it accomplished as much as it did is laudable; the unintended
    results, on the other hand, are intolerable. The hammer was too large
    and imprecise.
79.2459ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsFri Jun 14 1996 15:482
    
    <--- a bit unwieldy as well
79.2460maximum wage?SUBPAC::SADINFreedom isn't free.Sun Jun 16 1996 15:23130
Executive greed, meet the maximum wage


Copyright &copy 1996 Nando.net
Copyright &copy 1996 N.Y. Times News Service 

(Jun 15, 1996 3:41 p.m. EDT) -- Now that liberals have pushed a higher
minimum wage onto Congress' agenda, some of these descendants of
George McGovern are agitating for another idea to narrow the gap
between haves and have-nots. It's called a maximum wage.

There's a moderate version that would limit executive salaries to, for
example, 50 times what a company's lowest-paid worker earns -- last
year CEOs at the largest 500 companies earned $4.06 million on average,
or 197 times as much as the average worker.

There's also an extreme form that would bar any American -- be it
Michael Jordan, Bolton, Eisner or Milken -- from earning more than,
say, 25 times the minimum wage, which would mean a maximum of
$212,500. Some radicals even advocate a maximum of $85,000 -- or 10
times the salary for a minimum-wage worker.

But the chance of passing a maximum wage these days is about the same
as that of a snowball in House Speaker Newt Gingrich's Georgia
backyard barbecue.

The rich will no doubt howl that these proposals are anti-free enterprise
and roundly un-American. But supporters claim a pedigree for their idea
that reaches back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and, farther still, to
Aristotle.

Roosevelt, concerned about war profiteering, proposed a maximum
income of $25,000 in 1942 with a 100 percent tax on all income above
that, but Congress shunned his idea. Aristotle wrote that no one should
have more than five times the wealth of the poorest person. So there.

And advocates say a maximum wage just might catch fire at a time
when politicians from Pat Buchanan to Jesse Jackson have roused
supporters by asserting that something is rotten when executive pay has
soared while wages for the average American have stagnated. Such
stratospheric compensation sticks in the craw, especially among those
who have been downsized.

But Sam Pizzigati, a union publicist who is the chief proponent for the
maximum wage, readily acknowledged that the notion was unlikely to
take Gingrich's neo-revolutionaries by storm. "True, it's a bit meshuga
in the current political climate," Pizzigati said, while also pointing out
that the income tax was once considered a radical idea.

Pizzigati, who wrote "The Maximum Wage" (The Apex Press, 1992),
said that a ratio linking the income of the rich to that of the poor would
insure that a rising economic tide lifted all boats, and not just the yachts,
as many economists say the current economic expansion has done.

"You'd have a very interesting situation because for the first time the
richest and most powerful people in the country would have a vested
interest in raising the wages of the lowest paid," Pizzigati said.

A 50-to-1 ratio would mean that a $1-million-a-year corporate
chairman who was eyeing a $200,000 salary increase would have a big
incentive to raise the $20,000 salary of the company's lowest paid worker
to $24,000. Under most maximum-wage proposals, the ceiling would
include not just wages but also stock options, dividends, interest and
capital gains.

"It's a statement of values, that there should be relationship between the
top and bottom in an economy," said Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn., the
author of a bill, with 30 sponsors, that would bar companies from
deducting that part of an executive's compensation that is more than 25
times that of the company's lowest paid worker.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., has called for awarding tax benefits to
companies that hold executive compensation to under 50 times that of a
company's lowest paid worker.

Fans of an unfettered free market like this idea as much as they like Karl
Marx. "This is just another manifestation of the politics of envy," said
William A. Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute and once President
Ronald Reagan's chief economic adviser.

"You can do all sorts of mischief with something like this. People who
make these proposals have not begun to think through the problem of
unintended consequences."

Those consequences would no doubt include more cheating on taxes,
more maneuvering by executives to defer income until retirement and
more deposits of paychecks in secret offshore accounts. The stock market
might well head south because the wings of the rich would be clipped,
and real estate values could plunge on the Upper East Side and in
Beverly Hills.

Then there's the specter of inflation because a maximum wage might
heighten pressures to raise pay for low-paid workers.

With a ceiling on their income, Americans might feel less of an incentive
to be the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, undermining America's role as
the epicenter of innovation. Similarly, a maximum wage might
encourage venture capitalists to venture offshore or close shop
altogether. Zillion-dollar-a-year basketball stars might even lobby the
NBA to relocate outside the country.

There are economic arguments for income-equalizing too, of course.
One is that greed can strangle a free market; to keep it healthy, the poor
and middle class need enough money to sustain consumer demand.

But even some outspoken critics of high executive salaries argue against
a maximum wage for fear it would hobble the economy. Greg Mueller,
Buchanan's communications director, said, "He would be for using the
bully pulpit to focus on people who get million-dollar bonuses while
laying off thousands of people, but having the government getting
involved in wage scales, I don't think he'd be for that."

Not to worry. Graef Crystal, an expert on executive compensation, said
that even with a maximum wage, Americans would strive to excel and
the economy could still prosper.

"People will brave real danger to rise and become, say, a four-star
general even though it doesn't mean tremendous pay," he said. "I can't
believe Bill Gates and others would sit back and play tennis all day."

A ceiling on executive compensation "might not be such a bad idea,"
Crystal said, because shareholders have done little to restrict it. But there
is a reason powerful institutional investors like Fidelity Investments and
others are AWOL on this issue.

"The problem is these shareholders often have a conflict of interest," he
said. "Why don't they do anything? Because their executives and fund
managers make millions themselves. They're not about to criticize high
pay lest attention be focused on them."

79.2461sounds fishyHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Jun 17 1996 18:4813
speaking of fishing:

DRIVER TO RENTAL AGENT: A FISH MADE THAT DENT

DETROIT - Bob Ringewold had his explanation ready when he turned in a
rental car with a dent in the roof: A bird bombed him - with a 5-pound
fish. Ringewold and a friend, Verna Dawn, were driving near Lake
Michigan when they spotted a young eagle flying overhead with a
wriggling fish in its talons. Ringewold stopped to pick up the fish, a
sucker, to serve as evidence. "I knew there was going to be damage to
the roof of the car and no one was going to believe me about what
happened," he said. Then he had to explain the dented roof to Rick
Ireland, the Avis Rent-A-Car manager.
79.2462ROWLET::AINSLEYDCU Board of Directors CandidateTue Jun 18 1996 13:2112
    re: .2460
    
    And people wonder why I make fun of the Democratic Party?
    
    It won't make one bit of difference to the execs of the big companies. 
    Why?  They will simply eliminate (outsource) any job that impacts their
    salary range.  Is the stockroom guy holding back my salary?  Fine. 
    TFSO him and get a temp.
    
    What idiots!
    
    Bob
79.2463just rhetoric...GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseTue Jun 18 1996 13:366
    
      We once did this, effectively.  We had a top income tax rate
     of 92%.  It made virtually no difference.  Just the usual
     political shenanigans.
    
      bb
79.2464NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 18 1996 14:0879
WhiteBoard News for Monday, June 17, 1996 [excerpts]

Hong Kong:

Ships were alerted and bomb disposal experts scrambled
to defuse a "bomb" bobbing about in Hong Kong harbor,
but it turned out to be an enormous sausage, a
newspaper said Thursday.

Marine police, fire services and Marine Department
launches swung into action when a man reported the
suspected floating bomb off Stonecutters Island, the
South China Morning Post said.

"Police later confirmed the explosive-like object was a
big sausage," a Marine Department spokesman said. It
was wrapped in white plastic and sealed at each end
with a metal ring.
==========

Johannesburg, South Africa:

A South African puppy was in intensive care but lucky
to be alive after a hungry crowned eagle swooped into
its owner's back yard and plucked the Jack Russell
terrier pup away.

"I heard this incredible whimpering and saw this huge
bird grappling with Licky," said the dog's owner.

The eagle sank its talons into Licky and flew off
toward a tree.  The airborne puppy managed to wiggle
free from certain death and fell 15 feet headfirst into
a suburban Pietermaritzburg swimming pool.  

After diving in to save her, the unnamed owner rushed
Licky to a clinic, where she was being treated for
concussion, water in the lungs and talon punctures on
the neck.
==========

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

The woman spotted what looked like an old helmet in her
attic near where the Halloween costumes used to be,
cleaned it up and wondered if it might be worth some
money.

She lugged it downtown to the Civic Center where
Chubb's Antique Roadshow was offering people free
appraisals of their junk, and what she found out left
her speechless.

Greg Martin, an appraiser from San Francisco's
Butterfield & Butterfield, informed her Saturday that
the helmet was a 16th century cabasset from Milan,
forged from a single sheet of steel and covered with
gold.

"It is really quite remarkable," Martin said.  "It was
probably a parade helmet."   And the value?  About
$250,000.

"Super," muttered the woman, who then put the helmet
back into her bag, asked not to be identified, and
left.

"She was completely stunned.  She was hoping for maybe
a grand or two and finds out it's worth a quarter of a
million?  Heck, you'd be flustered too," said event
spokeswoman Elisabeth Harmon.

The Antiques Roadshow was making its second stop in a
13-city tour for a series on America's hidden treasures
to be shown on PBS in January.

About 1,000 hopeful people showed up, carrying
everything from bracelets and music boxes to pictures
of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War muskets.
79.2465NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 18 1996 14:09130
WEIRDNUZ.433 (News of the Weird, May 24, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Easter news:  Yearly, instead of Easter communion in Cutud,
Philippines, volunteer Catholics are crucified, with real nails. 
Fourteen endured it this year (wailing agonizingly in pain), which
marked the first year that HIV-conscious townspeople were
assured by church leaders that only clean nails were used.  And
in San Diego, an atheist group beat Christians to the permit office
this year and won the right to hold a non-religious Easter sunrise
ceremony at the landmark, 40-foot-high cross at Mount Soledad
in a city park. [Edmonton Journal-Reuter, 4-6-96] Egan .215
[San Francisco Examiner, 4-8-96] 

* Edmonton, Alberta, transit worker Salim Kara, 44, was
sentenced to four years in prison in March for a 13-year scheme
of stealing coins from fare machines.  Using a rod with a magnet
on the end, he had patiently amassed $2.3 million (Cdn).  No one
suspected Kara until he bought an $800,000 house on a salary of
$38,000. [Globe and Mail, 3-26-96] 

* Clifford Olson, serving a life sentence in Saskatchewan,
announced through his lawyer in March that he had registered
with Canada's copyright office to protect his proposed video
series offering psychological insights.  Olson, who sexually
assaulted and murdered eight girls and three boys in 1981, plans
to call the video, "Motivational Sexual Homicide Patterns of
Serial Child Killer Clifford Robert Olson." [Barrie Examiner-CP,
3-14-96] 

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES

* Pauline Nichols, 66, lost a jury trial in Mansfield, Tex., in
April, over whether she could evict her mother, Urene Ray, 87,
from her home.  Ray has lived there for 22 years and pays $500 a
month rent.  Asked why she was so eager to jettison her mom,
Nichols said, "Because it's my property." [Dallas Morning
News, 4-17-96] 

* In Tulsa, Okla., in April, three relatives were shot (two teenage
boys wounded and Albert Cavanaugh, 21, killed) as gunfire
broke out during a family card game. [Daily Oklahoman, Apr96] 

* According to a March police report in the Lima (Ohio) News, a
25-year-old man and his 37-year-old mother-in-law battled during
her visit.  He grabbed her by her hairpiece and tried to hit her
with a broom, then threw a metal heating register at her as she
was fleeing.  She returned, grabbed him by the neck, scratched
him, then hit him between the legs with a drywall square,
lacerating his scrotum. [Lima News, 3-2-96] 

CLICHES COME TO LIFE

* In March, the Postal Rate Commission decided to make an
exception and consider a late-filed appeal about a post office
closing in Sedan, Minn.  The deadline for the appeal's being
received was November 22, 1995, but the citizen-appellant sent
his notice of appeal by U. S. Mail, postmarked November 20,
and it arrived November 29.  The Commission called the nine-
day journey "inexplicable."  And pink slips laying off about 100
Allegheny County (Pa.) employees were given to the Pittsburgh
post office to be special-delivered during the week after
Christmas, but through a post office error, they were delivered
on Christmas Eve. [AP wirecopy, 3-14-96] [Tuscaloosa News,
12-27-95] 

* The Sex Pistols' 1996 reunion tour was delayed in January for
a month so the band members could "rehearse."  According to a
Virgin Records spokesman, the members have become such
accomplished musicians in the 20 years since the band folded that
they needed practice to get down to their old sound. [Columbia
Tribune-AP, 1-12-96] 

* Life Imitates a TV Commercial:  Appliance repairman Glenn
Thomas Stooksbury was charged with fraud in January in
Knoxville, Tenn.  Police said he billed Maytag for repairing
under-warranty defects that did not exist. [AP wirecopy, 2-1-96] 

* Life Imitates a Rodney Dangerfield joke:  In January, Steven
Hicks, 38, and Diana Hicks, 35, were sentenced to 6 months in
jail in Cape May, N. J., for child abandonment.  While their
unruly son, Christopher, 13, was hospitalized last January, the
couple surreptitiously packed up and moved to Inglewood, Calif.
[New Haven Register-AP, 2-1-96] 

* Life Imitates "Twin Peaks":  Jenny Lee Owens, 39, describing
in a London, Ohio, court in May how it was not her fault that her
boyfriend got shot to death:  "Something came into the room.  It
was not a person.  It was like a color.  Me and it, whatever it
was, we both had the gun.  Somehow it had passed into me.  It
was holding the gun; I was standing behind it."  The two of them
then walked down the hall to the living room, where "it" pointed
the gun at the back of her boyfriend's head and pulled the
trigger. [Columbus Dispatch, 5-3-96] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* David A. Mills, 28, a criminal-justice graduate, to Akron,
Ohio, police upon his arrest in April for theft at a shopping mall: 
"When I get my police job, I won't have to do this [stealing]
anymore." [Akron Beacon-Journal, 4-16-96] 

* In April, Budget Car Sales in Louisville, Ky., included a $250-
off coupon in its ad in a local shoppers' guide.  A very optimistic
Keith Gough clipped the coupons out of 140 of the free tabloids
and presented them to Budget, expecting to drive away a 1994
Lincoln Continental that non-coupon-clippers would have to pay
$35,000 for.  (According to Budget, the "one per customer"
limitation was accidentally left off.) [Louisville Courier-Journal,
4-27-96]

* North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported that
concentric rainbows appeared around the sun on February 16, in
honor of Kim Jong-Il's 54th birthday, as if they were "defending
and upholding" him.  The Agency also reported that, for the 54th
straight year, it was "bright and temperate" on Mount Paektu,
where Kim was born after averaging 40 degrees below zero for
the 100 years prior. [Bangkok Post-AFP, 2-21-96] 

RECENT PASSINGS

* In Buffalo, Minn., in April, Ms. Hazel B. Posthumus, 96.  In
DeSoto, Kan., in February, Mr. Demon Self, 61. [Minneapolis
Star Tribune, 4-4-96] [Kansas City Kansan, 2-27-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2466RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Tue Jun 18 1996 15:3315
    Re .2465:
    
    > . . . 13-year scheme of stealing coins from fare machines.  Using a
    > rod with a magnet on the end, he had patiently amassed $2.3 million
    > (Cdn).
    
    If he worked 300 days a year, 10 hours a day, that's a dollar every
    minute for 13 years!  Wow!  And nobody caught him earlier?
                                                              
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.2467SMURF::BINDERUva uvam vivendo variatTue Jun 18 1996 15:426
    .2466
    
    > 10 hours a day, that's a dollar every
    > minute for 13 years!
    
    But it's only 13 cents a day in US dollars.
79.2468NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 18 1996 15:443
If he used a magnet to actually get the coins (rather than mess with the
mechanism), it was all in nickels.  Canadian nickels are pure nickel, so
magnets attract them.
79.2469mixed change, just no pennies or looniesEVMS::MORONEYIt's alive! Alive!Tue Jun 18 1996 15:503
re .2468:

Canadian quarters (and maybe dimes) are, or at least were, nickel.
79.2470POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Tue Jun 18 1996 16:347
    
    I just took a regular whiteboard magnet to my Canadian money hoard and 
    discovered that it picked up loonies, quarters, dimes, and nickles - just 
    not pennies, and I don't have a twonie to test.
    
    Glenn?
    
79.2471MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Tue Jun 18 1996 16:372
And me with a twonie but no magnet ...

79.2472POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Tue Jun 18 1996 21:4013
    
    Man gets son, dumps daughters
    
    CAIRO - A man handed over his eight daughters to the police so he could
    devote himself to raising his long-awaited baby boy, newspapers said.
    
    Sayed Abd al-Fatah Ali, 50, reportedly dragged his wife and daughters,
    aged one to 17, to the police station and abandoned them. He also 
    threatened to divorce the mother if she returned home with her daughters, 
    who say he mistreated them, the newspapers said.
    
    Police have a warrant for his arrest.    
    
79.2473DEVMKO::SHERKI belong! I got circles overme i'sTue Jun 18 1996 23:578
    
      wow.
    
       all those daughters.  some guys just don't see opportunity when
    it stares them in the face.
    
      ken
    
79.2474MFGFIN::EPPERSONthemindcloudhasliftedWed Jun 19 1996 00:011
    Another incest freak? I didn`t think we had any noters in Kentucky.
79.2475DEVMKO::SHERKI belong! I got circles overme i'sWed Jun 19 1996 00:097
    ^
    !
      Now what are you talking about.  INCEST??  really now.
      what is it with the dirty minds in this conference.
    
    ken
    
79.2476POLAR::RICHARDSONHere we are now, in containersWed Jun 19 1996 00:121
    8)
79.2477looks especially happyTHEMAX::SMITH_SOnly users lose drugsWed Jun 19 1996 00:543
    re -1
    IMO that is a post-coital bliss kind of smiley face.
    -ss
79.2478WAHOO::LEVESQUEshow us the team!Wed Jun 19 1996 11:431
    How ironic.
79.2479GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheWed Jun 19 1996 12:504
    
    hey ken!!  how are ya?
    
    
79.2480DEVMKO::SHERKI belong! I got circles overme i'sWed Jun 19 1996 16:557
    
      i dunno.  let me check.
    
     yup.  same as always.
    
    ken
    
79.2481someHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorWed Jun 19 1996 17:0024
  MISSIONARY GETS COLD RECEPTION IN LONG ISLAND
  
   
   
   A Long Island woman faces menacing and harassment charges after she
   apparently snapped when a Jehovah's Witness came to her door. Suffolk
   County police say Fran Newman, 43, pointed what appeared to be a gun
   at her uninvited Sunday visitor and yelled "I'm sick of you people
   coming here!"
     _________________________________________________________________
   

  J.T. PHONE HOME
  
   
   
   Members of the National Anti-Tesh Action Society claim John Tesh is an
   alien. They demonstrated outside his Detroit concerts this weekend and
   distributed fliers describing the new age musician as an
   "interplanetary mole" for the alien army Echelon. Tesh raced out to
   get his picture taken with the protesters, but they scurried off.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
79.2482SMURF::WALTERSWed Jun 19 1996 17:122
    OK Missionary, assume the position.
    
79.2483ACISS2::LEECHWed Jun 19 1996 17:502
    John Tesh in an alien?  I did not know that. <said in my best Carson
    voice>
79.2484WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Jun 19 1996 18:031
-1 his wife's no alien!
79.2485you familiar with her?HBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorWed Jun 19 1996 18:030
79.2486POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Wed Jun 19 1996 18:115
    
    Newsflash:  Twonies DO stick to magnets.  
    
    This guy had a good thing going 8^).
    
79.2487ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsWed Jun 19 1996 18:552
    
    What pray tell, is a twonie?
79.2488POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Wed Jun 19 1996 18:563
    
    A Canadian $2 coin.
    
79.2489SMURF::MSCANLONa ferret on the barco-loungerWed Jun 19 1996 18:564
    re: .2487
    
    Bugs Bunny
    
79.2490LANDO::OLIVER_Bsnapdragons. discuss.Wed Jun 19 1996 18:571
    they make great sandwiches.
79.2491EVMS::MORONEYIt's alive! Alive!Wed Jun 19 1996 19:055
re .2489:

No, that would be $3 CDN.

(also known as a loonie twonie)
79.2492possibilities...GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseWed Jun 19 1996 19:124
    
      So could a Canadian be controlled with powerful magnets ?
    
      bb
79.2493PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Jun 19 1996 19:133
  powerful magnates, maybe.

79.2494CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowWed Jun 19 1996 19:154


 Well, this should attract a few puns..
79.2495SMURF::WALTERSWed Jun 19 1996 19:182
    Quite a lode, I'll warrant.
    
79.2496SOLVIT::KRAWIECKItumble to remove jerksWed Jun 19 1996 19:227
    
    
    >So could a Canadian be controlled with powerful magnets ?
    
    
    Not if they're gold-bricking...
    
79.2497ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsWed Jun 19 1996 19:362
    
    I don't know. Ask Glenn if he's been around debra's purse lately.
79.2498POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Wed Jun 19 1996 19:374
    
    ...8^)
    
    
79.2499JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeWed Jun 19 1996 20:121
    That wacky wabbit!
79.2500JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeWed Jun 19 1996 20:121
    I'm truly wacky about Snarfing this one!
79.2501CNTROL::JENNISONIt's all about soulWed Jun 19 1996 20:219
    
    	This whole twonie business troubles me greatly.  
    
    	When I was a kid, my parents used the term "twonie" to refer
    	to the derriere.
    
      
    
    
79.2502ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsWed Jun 19 1996 20:272
    
    was $2 Canadian the going rate for that back then?
79.2503POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Wed Jun 19 1996 20:283
    
    8^o
    
79.2504POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Wed Jun 19 1996 21:2020
    
    Rob a clinic, or just glad to see me?
    
    MELBOURNE, Australia - Burglars who raided an impotence clinic last
    weekend may have grabbed more than they can handle -- drugs that cause 
    five-day erections, police said Tuesday.
    
    "We are looking for someone who is very embarrassed or very tired," a
    police spokesman told Reuters.
    
    The thieves took dozens of bottles of several drugs used to treat
    impotence in a weekend break-in at the clinic.
    
    The drugs can cause an erection lasting up to five days but are not
    fatal.
    
    "(But) they can cause extreme discomfort," the police spokesman said.
    
    
                          
79.2505NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 20 1996 14:0965
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, June 19, 1996 [excerpts]

Guadalajara, Mexico:

Eight-year-old Elmer Javier Licona missed his mother so
much that he set out from his Honduras home with no
money on a 2,000-mile trek to find her in California.

He had no address, but knew that his mother, Martha
Serrana, had headed north five months ago to find work
and believed she was in the Los Angeles area, Mexican
officials said.

He didn't reach her.  But he did manage to hitchhike
more than 1,000 miles and cross two national borders
before officials found him in Guadalajara.  

The child was in a shelter Tuesday as Honduran and
Mexican officials decided what to do with him.
==========

Clarion County, Pennsylvania:

Dead deer are on the menu of the prison board
yesterday.  The panel is expected to take up a proposal
to permit road kill to be fed to inmates.  

Supporters say the free venison would help round out
prisoner's diets and reduce food costs.  The practice
was common at jails and nursing homes until about 30
years ago, officials say.

But Jenni Gainsborough of the American Civil Liberties
Union's National Prison Project says her group doesn't
know of any prison that serves road kill.

"This among the lowest levels prison officials have
sunk to, and they can sink pretty low."
==========

Fast News Forum:

Murder suspect Russell Bucklew, 28, apparently escaped
a Jackson, Missouri, jail in a trash bag inside a
garbage can, deputies said.  Bucklew weighs 90 pounds.

A food company in Poland plans to offer tourists a
welcome kit consisting of canned meat, checkers and a
condom.

The Toledo, Ohio, school board suspended high school
science teacher Sherever Masters, saying he failed too
many students.  Fewer students would have failed if
they'd done their homework, he said.

Harland Masker, 32, charged with attacking and sicking
his dog on his girlfriend and three other women, told
Windham, Maine, police he feared they would kill his
daughter, 4, in a satanic rite.  The women were having
a barbecue.

Golf cart passengers must wear seat belts or face an
$80 fine after July 11 in Put-In-Bay, Ohio.  One cart
rental firm owner said people who fall from carts are
usually too drunk to buckle seat belts.
79.2506ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsThu Jun 20 1996 14:264
    
    I spent many a summer in Put-in-Bay, Ohio. I spent 6 years of my
    ute in Bay Village, Ohio. I loved Put-in-Bay.. Perry's monument
    was my favorite, along with Heinemann's winery. 
79.2507ACISS2::LEECHThu Jun 20 1996 14:503
    Seat belts in golf carts?  Get real!  I can outrun a golf cart on foot.
    I imagine this would be quite a pain buckling and unbuckling your
    seatbelt for 18 holes.  
79.2508SMURF::WALTERSThu Jun 20 1996 14:521
    It would for me.  I can only buckle my belt four holes.
79.2509MOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Thu Jun 20 1996 14:545
>    I imagine this would be quite a pain buckling and unbuckling your
>    seatbelt for 18 holes.  

Yes, but it might prove to be a sobering experience.

79.2510In one day?? :-)SHOGUN::KOWALEWICZnextThu Jun 20 1996 15:466
79.2511POWDML::HANGGELI_8^p_Thu Jun 20 1996 16:2445
     Manly Men Celebrate Their Manhood With Camping, Cigars and Spam

     By Associated Press, 06/20/96

     YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - R.M. Crane celebrates his manhood in the manliest
     of ways: camping, cigar smoking and eating Spam.

     ``I'm pretty darn manly,'' said Crane, a Tacoma florist who also
     happens to be president-for-life of the Order of Manly Men.

     On Saturday, Crane and other like-minded manly folk will gather in the
     Cascade foothills town of Roslyn for this year's Manly Men Parade and
     Spam Festival.

     On the itinerary: a parade, open to both sexes with a vehicle that is
     sufficiently manly; an amateur Spam cook-off; and a tool-belt
     competition.

     ``I hear there's one guy in town named Bull and he has this honking
     tool belt. I don't know if he'll enter, but they tell me he'll win
     hands down,'' Crane said Wednesday.

     The festival began five years ago as a men-only camping trip along the
     Cle Elum River.

     ``Our wives razzed us about being manly men and we said, `Sure we're
     manly men and we're going to do manly things in the woods,''' he said,
     deepening his voice for each ``manly.''

     Now there are at least 1,000 men nationwide who are members of the
     Order of Manly Men, receiving a certificate, a mug and a membership
     card.

     ``It's proof positive. If his manliness is ever questioned, he can
     whip out his card and prove how manly he is,'' Crane said. ``It's also
     good in bar fights, but I've never tested that.''

     Honorary members of the order include actors Kurt Russell, Bruce
     Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, retired Chicago Bears running back
     Walter Payton and former Chicago Bears football coach Mike Ditka, he
     said.

     AP-DS-06-20-96 0122EDT

79.2512he has a tool belt, tooHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Jun 20 1996 16:261
Doesn't Al Bundy belong to this manly man club?
79.2513ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsThu Jun 20 1996 17:032
    
    how could Tim the toolman be left off that list. I smell a fraud.
79.2514SUBSYS::NEUMYERYour memory still hangin roundThu Jun 20 1996 17:228
    
    re 2512
    
    No, Al belongs to NO MA'AM. They believe in drinking beer, smoking
    cigars and going to nudie bars. They wouldn't be caught dead in the
    woods
    
    ed
79.2515NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 21 1996 20:04156
WEIRDNUZ.434 (News of the Weird, May 31, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* In April the Iowa Supreme Court turned down inmate Kirk
Livingood's attempt to sue Phillip Negrete based on the state's
domestic abuse law.  Negrete is Livingood's cellmate and,
according to Livingood, beats and torments him. [Des Moines
Register, 4-18-96] 

* The New York Times, in a May story on the commercial
usefulness of cow parts, reported that not only are the gallstones
exported (at $600 an ounce to the Far East, as aphrodisiacs and
jewelry), and hearts (27 cents a pound to Russia, for sausage),
but so are cow lips (58 cents a pound to Mexico, where they are
shredded, spiced, and grilled for taco fillings). [N. Y. Times, 5-
5-96] 

* In April, Ms. Gabriella Villa was finally discovered, dead of
natural causes, in Monza, Italy, approximately seven years after
she died at age 47.  She had passed away in her home, but
neighbors and her estranged husband had assumed that she had
simply moved to another town.  (Seven years appears to be a new
record for an undetected death in the home.) [Northwest Florida
Daily News, 5-1-96] 

CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* The Italian Justice Ministry admitted in March that a notorious
prisoner had escaped:  Palestinian terrorist Youssef Magied al-
Molqi, 34, who was convicted in 1986 for one of the most
heinous crimes of the decade--the Achille Lauro hijacking, during
which he shot American Leon Klinghoffer and pushed him
overboard in his wheelchair.  Al-Molqi was free on a 12-day
leave for good behavior and failed to return. [Dallas Morning
News, 3-3-96] 

* In February in Elizabeth City, N. C., the first hearing was held
in former attorney Reginald Frazier's lawsuit against the state bar
association for disbarring and imprisoning him.  Frazier's choice
of attorney to represent him was C. C. "Buddy" Malone of
Durham, N. C., whose own license was recently suspended for
five years by the state bar. [Durham Herald-Sun, 2-7-96] 

* Reuters news service reported in February that Brazilian farmer
Mariano Jose da Silva, of the northern town of Encanto, had
caught his wife with her lover in 1983 but that the two trysters
had imprisoned him ever since in a back room, feeding him
sparingly, until he was freed by inquiring relatives.  Da Silva
said he would not prosecute the two and has "no hard feelings." 
[Bangkok Post-Reuters, 2-29-96] 

* In March, The Sunday Oklahoman profiled Oklahoma City
homemaker Mary Clamser, 44, whose deterioration with multiple
sclerosis had been abruptly halted in 1994 when lightning struck
her house while she was grasping metal objects with each hand
and wearing her metal leg brace brought on by the disease. 
Suddenly, she began walking easily, and though doctors told her
the condition was probably only temporary, she still walks easily
today.  As if that weren't enough good luck, Clamser, in order to
fly to California for a TV interview in April 1995, was forced to
cancel a local appointment she had made at the Oklahoma City
federal building for 9 a.m. on April 19. [The Sunday
Oklahoman, 3-17-96] 

IMPATIENT SPOUSES

* In a Calgary, Alberta, courtroom in April, business executive
Earl Joudrie testified that his wife Dorothy had shot him six times
and then ridiculed his failure to die immediately.  After Earl,
who was bleeding badly, asked Dorothy to come sit by him, she
replied, "Well, how long is it going to take you to die?" and 
"You haven't changed your will, so I'll get everything."  Joudrie
said that a few minutes later, Dorothy changed her mind and
called an ambulance. [Globe and Mail, 4-24-96] 

* According to a 911 tape played at his preliminary hearing in
Las Vegas, Nev., in March, Roy Holloway called the emergency
number because he was frustrated at his inability to kill his wife. 
Said he, to the operator, "I've tried to strangle her about four
different ways.  She won't die."  Asked the operator, Why are
you trying to kill her?  "Because I don't like her," said Holloway
on the tape.  Why not just divorce her?  "Isn't it a lot easier just
to kill her?  But she won't die.  [G]od, she keeps breathing."
[Las Vegas Sun, 3-20-96] 

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* Almost 600 delegates from 17 countries attended the first
World Conference on Auto-Urine Therapy ("auto" not meaning
"automobile" but rather "self-," as in "your own") was held in
Goa, India, in February.  Adherents of the 5,000-year-old
therapy claim that urine's hormones, enzymes, vitamins, and
minerals are so rich that urine can cure illnesses such as
tuberculosis and cancer.  A widely recommended treatment
combines a glass of fresh urine a day along with body massages
using stale urine at least four days old. [Globe and Mail, 2-24-
96] 

* In February in Little Rock, Ark., Heather Sherrard threatened
to file a criminal complaint against KATV consumer reporter
Dewayne Graham for harassing her.  After filing a TV report,
with Sherrard's help, on how to change the code on garage door
openers, Graham allegedly went back twice to Sherrard's house
on his own and opened the door using the old code.  He then
allegedly left a message on Sherrard's answering machine,
scolding the woman for not taking his professional consumer
advice. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2-16-96] 

* In December, a Wall Street Journal report described the "Polish
method" for destroying the 48,000 tanks (that weigh up to 34
tons each) left in Eastern Europe that must be turned to scrap
under a 1990 treaty.  Since it is impractical to blow them up or to
melt them, Poland manufactures nine-ton balls, lifts them with
hoists containing electromagnets, and drops them onto the tanks,
flattening them.  Said an American diplomat, after the process
was described to him, "Wow, that must be really satisfying."
[Wall Street Journal, 12-26-95] 

* In February, three Army recruiters in Leesburg, Fla., were
jailed after they trashed the adjacent Navy recruiting office with a
crowbar, injuring two Marines, because a female potential Army
recruit had been given a better deal by the Navy. [Atlanta
Journal-Constitution-AP, 2-23-96] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In April, the California Senate president revealed that
Republican Sen. Don Rogers, facing bankruptcy four years ago,
filed a declaration denying that he owed the $150,000 in federal
taxes that the government claimed.  The reason, he wrote, was
that he was not a "citizen" under the 14th amendment to the U.
S. Constitution because that provision applies only to former
slaves; rather, Rogers said he possessed a "white man's
citizenship."  This year, Rogers renounced the declaration,
claiming he had received bad tax advice. [San Jose Mercury
News-AP, 4-24-96] 

UPDATE

* In May, Minneapolis artist Judy Olausen's hardcover
photographic essay, Mother, finally hit the bookstores. 
Olausen's project made News of the Weird in June 1993 as a
work-in-progress, after she took her initial photos, featuring her
mother, then 70, portrayed in a series of a passive, subordinate
characters.  Included were her mother kneeling on all fours with
a pane of glass on her back ("Mother as Coffee Table") and lying
alongside a highway ("Mother as Road Kill").  Said Olausen in
1992, "My brothers think I'm torturing my mother," but
actually, "I'm immortalizing her." [U. S. News & World Report,
5-6-96; Advertising Age Creativity (supplement), 7-6-92]

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material, or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2516GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheFri Jun 21 1996 20:399
    >>* The New York Times, in a May story on the commercial
    >>usefulness of cow parts, but so are cow lips (58 cents a 
    >>pound to Mexico, where they are shredded, spiced, and 
    >>grilled for taco fillings). 
    
    
    
    {ick}
    
79.2517MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Fri Jun 21 1996 21:207
 Z   heinous crimes of the decade--the Achille Lauro hijacking, during
 Z   which he shot American Leon Klinghoffer and pushed him
 Z   overboard in his wheelchair.  Al-Molqi was free on a 12-day
 Z   leave for good behavior and failed to return. [Dallas Morning
 Z   News, 3-3-96]
    
    This sounds like News Briefs!
79.2518HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comFri Jun 21 1996 23:066
    Jack,

    I believe the "wacky" part was the idjits who let him go on a 12-day
    leave for good behavior.

    -- Dave
79.2519JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeFri Jun 21 1996 23:262
    I remember that incident... makes me sick recalling it.
    
79.2520NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 25 1996 13:4732
WhiteBoard News for Friday, June 21, 1996 [excerpts]

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan:

Yes.  We've all had golf games after which we'd like to
use his services.

Dr. Jack Kevorkian -- assisted suicide advocate and
golf enthusiast -- recently was out dispensing advice
on the links.

Said he at the U.S. Open as competitors neared the
dreaded and treacherous 18th hole at Oakland Hills Golf
Course: "Hit it into the rough below the green.  Why
take a chance of landing in the sand?  Don't play with
the hole because you're playing with danger."

Later, Dr. Kevorkian joked with a security guard about
meeting golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who is playing his
40th, and perhaps last, Open.

"I'm going to walk up to Jack Nicklaus and tell him if
you don't win, I'm here," Kevorkian said.
==========

Fast News Forum:

William Ballard, who said he wanted to die because his
wife no longer loved him, drove his truck the wrong way
on Interstate 75 near Fort Myers, Florida.  He slammed
head-on into a rental van, killing a woman and injuring
her two small daughters.  Ballard, 39, suffered a cut.
79.2521NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 25 1996 13:4910
The gopher museum in Torrington, Alberta, Canada, is making its debut
despite a year-long campaign by animal rights activists to stop it.
In 31 scenes, 54 stuffed gophers, culled from local farm fields,
are set up with clothing and tiny props to depict a day in the life
of Torrington: they play hockey, get their hair done, shoot pool, fish,
and even rob a bank. The locals didn't think much of the attempt by
outsiders to keep the museum from opening: Mayor Harold Ehrman told them
to "go stuff themselves."  But Diane Kurta, head of Torrington's tourism
committee, liked the controversy.  "They've given us thousands of dollars
of free publicity," she said.
79.2522NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 25 1996 13:5074
WhiteBoard News for Monday, June 24, 1996 [excerpts]

San Antonio, Texas:

Felix Rivera's late-night craving for a cold brew
bought him a ticket to the cooler.

Rivera, 33, greased his naked body with used cooking
oil, then tried to slide through a 2-foot-wide rooftop
air vent into Pik Nik, a convenience store where he's a
regular customer, police said.

He tripped the burglar alarm early Friday when his
upper body became wedged in the vent with his legs
dangling inside.

It took eight firefighters an hour to free Rivera.

"He walked up to me and said, 'Sorry, man.  All I
wanted was a beer,'" store manager Joe Castellano said.

Rivera was charged with burglary and held in lieu of
$10,000 bond.
==========

Miami, Florida:

As burglars go, this guy was all thumbs.

It started out as a break-in at an apartment.

"He was going to steal a shotgun," said Dorothy Diaz,
Metro-Dade detective assigned to the case.  "The gun
was zippered up in a carrying case.  As he put the gun
down, it fired."

"He shot off his thumb."

Rafael Santiago, 34, is recovering in the jail ward at
the hospital where he sought medical help.  He is
charged with armed burglary and grand theft.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Diaz, a cop
for 11 years.

Santiago and an accomplice broke into the apartment of
Jim Thompson on Monday.  Then the accident happened and
the burglars split.

Officer Phillip Hegele responded to a call from a
neighbor.

"A portion of thumb was located next to a shotgun
inside the residence," the police report said.

Police started calling hospitals.

Emergency workers at Jackson Memorial Hospital said
they were treating a man who had just walked in "with a
hand injury (missing thumb)."

Diaz drove to the hospital and showed Santiago the
missing digit.

"He started looking at it, and he claimed it.  He asked
if it could be placed back on," Diaz said.

"Doctors attempted to reattach his thumb, but it was
too fragmented," a spokesman said.

And the thumb?

"We just took a picture of it.  We didn't impound it. 
The evidence is overwhelming."
79.2523BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amTue Jun 25 1996 14:044

	Talk about leaving finger prints behind..... he should have worn
gloves! :-)
79.2524good for the heartHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Jun 25 1996 16:2014
BEAN BURGLARS BREAK INTO BLACK CHURCH

HILLSBORO, Ala. - Police thought they had the jump on arsonists when
the silent alarm at a church went off in the middle of the night.
Instead, they found two white men heating beans in the microwave.
Michael Shane Terry, 30, and Jeffrey Lynn Boyles, 32, were charged
with burglary and jailed on $2,500 bail each. Investigators said the
men entered a side door to the Flower Hill Church of God in Christ
early Friday. An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms, which was called in because it is investigating a string of
fires at black churches across the South, said there is no evidence
the men were bent on arson. "We think these guys just picked a bad
time to break into a black community church,'' Jim Cavanaugh said.

79.2525WAHOO::LEVESQUEplus je bois, mieux je chanteTue Jun 25 1996 17:181
    I don't understand how that falls into BATF jurisdiction.
79.2526is this a federal case ?GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseTue Jun 25 1996 17:204
    
      feloniously and maliciously heating beans ?
    
      bb
79.2527CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowTue Jun 25 1996 17:254


 The BATF doesn't know beans about this case.
79.2528B.A.T.F.HBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Jun 25 1996 17:251
Beans Alcohol Tobacco Firearms
79.2529BUSY::SLABOUNTYGo Go Gophers watch them go go go!Tue Jun 25 1996 17:463
    
    	Ban Annoying Trumpeting Farts
    
79.2530JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeTue Jun 25 1996 17:501
    Is it really BEANS??? :-)  I always wondered what BATF stood for.
79.2531MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Tue Jun 25 1996 18:421
    Beans cause methane...which cause flames.
79.2532SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Tue Jun 25 1996 18:481
    No flames in here, no never.
79.2533SOLVIT::KRAWIECKItumble to remove jerksTue Jun 25 1996 18:586
    
    <------
    
    
    <R.O.>!!!!!!!!!
    
79.2534MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Tue Jun 25 1996 19:011
    I didn't say poop or bumb...
79.2535POLAR::RICHARDSONHere we are now, in containersWed Jun 26 1996 00:161
    You did claim to be cornholio though.
79.2536THEMAX::E_WALKERWed Jun 26 1996 00:432
         Beavis and Butthead fans in here? Please say it isn't so....
    
79.2537FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed Jun 26 1996 10:594
    
    
    	this sux beevis...
    
79.2538Stupid vulgar disgusting Beavis & Butthead posterCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Jun 26 1996 11:307
re .2535

And while Massachusetts law calls it "the detestable crime against nature",
it now seems fashionable to put up posters celebrating it outside offices
at Digital.

Feh.
79.2539BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amWed Jun 26 1996 12:1630
| <<< Note 79.2536 by THEMAX::E_WALKER >>>

| Beavis and Butthead fans in here? Please say it isn't so....




       ________________                              _______________ 
      /                \                           /----------------\ 
     / /          \ \   \                         /|    -    -       \
     |                  |                         || /        -   \  |
    /                  /                          \\                 \
   |      ___\ \| | / /                            \\____________  \  \
   |      /           |                             \            \    | 
   |      |     __    |                             |             \   \ 
  /       |       \   |                             |              \  | 
  |       |        \  |                             | ====          | |
  |       |       __  |                             | (o-)      _   | | 
  |      __\     (_o) |      DUN DUN DUN, DUN DUN!  /            \  | |
  |     |             |                     \      /            ) ) | |
   \    ||             \   Breakin the Law!  \    /             ) / | | 
    |   |__             \  Breakin the LAW!   \  |___            - |  | 
    |   |           (*___\  /                  \    *'             |  |
    |   |       _     | ___/  Hey, Ed doesn't   \  |____           |  |
    |   |    //_______|    \want us to have fans-\_ ####\          |  |
    |  /       |_|_|_|___/\ \                      ------          |_/  
     \|       \ -         |  That's because Ed     |                | 
      |       _----_______/  is always bitchin!    \_____           | 
      |      /               Let's lick him or something\           |
      |_____/                heh, heh, heh heh heh...    \__________|
79.2540GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheWed Jun 26 1996 12:3012
>>BEAN BURGLARS BREAK INTO BLACK CHURCH

>>HILLSBORO, Ala. - Police thought they had the jump on arsonists when
>>the silent alarm at a church went off in the middle of the night.
>>Instead, they found two white men heating beans in the microwave.
>>Michael Shane Terry, 30, and Jeffrey Lynn Boyles, 32, were charged
    			     ^^^^^^^^^^^^
    see, sinteda, yer not the only one!!!
    
    
    ;> :>
    
79.2541NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jun 28 1996 15:56148
WEIRDNUZ.435 (News of the Weird, June 7, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* In May, at a hearing in New Haven, Conn., lawyers argued
whether wives could sue husbands under the 1994 federal
Violence Against Women Act.  In the case at hand, a woman said
that during an 18-month period from 1993-1995, she was
imprisoned in the couple's home and beaten daily, was forced to
lay out her husband's clothes for his more than 50 extramarital
liaisons, and was forced to wash and blow dry the couple's dogs
and the mistress's dog.  (The husband's lawyer denied
everything.) [Burlington Free Press-AP, 5-15-96] 

* In May, a federal judge in Beaumont, Tex., issued a permanent
injunction against the Quadro Corp. of Harleyville, S. Car.,
which had been selling a plastic box with an antenna on it to
government agencies and schools for up to $8,000 each as an
illegal-drug finder.  FBI tests had found the devise merely a piece
of plastic, utterly incapable of detecting drugs or anything else. 
However, several law enforcement officers and school principals
swore to the judge that the Quadro Tracker worked for them.
[Dallas Morning News-AP, May96] 

* The National Pastime:  In Los Angeles, Regina Anne Chatien,
43, and Melvin Maurice Hoffman, 53, were fined $1,000 in
April for engaging in oral sex during a game at Dodger Stadium
last season, while in attendance with their four children.  And in
May, yet another couple had sex in a Toronto SkyDome Hotel
room, the inside of which is easily visible from the field and the
stands, during a Blue Jays' baseball game.  (Said one Blue Jay,
"It's a good thing they finished before the game ended, or I don't
think anyone would have seen the game.") [UPI wirecopy, 4-19-
96] [Seattle Times, 5-13-96] 

UH-OH

* In May, free-lance accident-scene photographer Peter Nicholas,
61, was charged by Massachusetts State Police with leaving the
scene of a fatal accident that he had photographed for $25 for the
Middlesex News in Framingham.  Nicholas was charged because
police believe that that particular accident was inadvertently
caused by Nicholas, who then jumped out of his car and began
snapping photos. [Boston Globe, 5-14-96] 

* After a four-day trial in Greensburg, Pa., in March, Sarah M.
Milliken, 48, lost her lawsuit against the Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation for alleged, lingering back injuries
she suffered in 1991 when her car skidded out of control on an
icy spot in the road.  She was done in by a videotape supplied by
her now-estranged husband, showing her a year after the accident
in a bathing suit wrestling with another woman in a vat of
coleslaw during Biker Week in Daytona Beach, Fla. [Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, 3-22-96] 

* In October, a jury in Alameda County, Calif., ruled against
Greg Franklin in his lawsuit against the local water district, and
according to Franklin, it was the judge's fault.  Franklin, who is
black, said that Judge Jacqueline Taber at one point referred to
him in front of the jury, perhaps Freudianly, as "Mr. Simpson."
[Los Angeles Times, 11-4-95] 

* In January, Buffalo (N. Y.) police officer Deborah Zangara
Mulhern returned to work at desk duty after more than six years
on sick leave because of a back injury incurred when her patrol
car was rear-ended.  Three hours into her first shift, Mulhern
leaned back in her chair, fell over, and had to be taken to Mercy
Hospital. [Buffalo News, 1-16-96] 

WRITERS IN THE NEWS 

* In February, the Los Angeles Times profiled Hollywood
screenwriter Ed "Hacksaw" Jones, who five weeks earlier had
been serving time in a federal prison in Indiana for a series of
small-time crimes and 14 jailbreaks.  Since he had written three
novels and five screenplays in the joint, Jones upon release
immediately began calling on the studios that held the movie
options on his works.  Said Jones, "Writing a screenplay is not
unlike planning an escape." [Los Angeles Times, 2-22-96] 

* The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Brazilian
Ryoki Inoue had just written his 1,039th novel since he took up
the craft ten years ago.  For the benefit of the reporter, Inoue
started the book around 10 p.m., and by 5:30 a.m. had put the
finishing touches on a 195-page story of drug traffickers and
corrupt cops. [Wall Street Journal, 2-5-96] 

* According to a Seattle Times feature in March, Robert Shields,
77, of Dayton, Wash., is the author of perhaps the longest
personal diary in history--nearly 38 million words on paper
stored in 81 cardboard boxes--covering his last 24 years in five-
minute increments.  Example:  July 25, 1993, 7 a.m.:  "I cleaned
out the tub and scraped my feet with my fingernails to remove
layers of dead skin." 7:05 a.m.:  "Passed a large, firm stool, and
a pint of urine.  Used 5 sheets of paper." [Seattle Times, 3-17-
96] 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY:  IRAN

* In May militant Muslims attacked the director of the Chitgar
sports center outside Tehran and ransacked the grounds in protest
of the center's policy of allowing women to ride bicycles on the
premises.  The militants believe women should not cycle at all in
public because it is "provocative." [Globe and Mail-AP, 5-3-96] 

* Two days later, about 60 Muslim activists wrecked a Tehran
theater that was showing an Iranian film, "Indian Souvenir," that
featured a four-minute scene of little girls dancing at a wedding. 
(The militants believe females should dance only in the company
of females.) [Edmonton Journal-AP, 5-7-96] 

* In October, Iran, long struggling with the effects of technology
on the country's fundamental Islamic values (in 1994 banning
satellite dishes because they were bringing in indecent Western
television), announced through the government-run Tehran
television station that it was developing computer and video
games to teach Islamic moral values. [Park City Daily News
(Bowling Green, Ky.)-AP, 10-6-95] 

WELL-PUT

* In January, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeal rejected the
argument of a defendant that a particular piece of evidence
against him at trial should not have been admitted.  In the case of
State vs. Marles, the trial court had permitted testimony from a
police officer that the defendant, immediately upon his arrest for
sexual assault, defecated in his pants; the prosecutor had argued
that that information was properly admitted under the traditional
doctrine of admitting a defendant's "excited utterance[s]."
[Marles v. State, 04-94-00629-CR (San Antonio), in Texas
Lawyer Weekly Case Summaries, 1-29-96] 

UPDATE

* Mikey Sproul, age 3, made News of the Weird in 1993 when,
in the space of six weeks, he smashed up the family car (and two
others) with a late-night drive near Tampa, Fla., and accidentally
burned down the family home.  (He was a reporter's delight, as
well, with his easy quotability:  "I go zoom" and "Now I have no
more house.")  In April 1996, Mikey (now age 6) accidentally
burned his mother's current house in Tampa--resulting in
$45,000 in damages--but this time had no statement for the press.
[Tampa Tribune, 4-16-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2542Whoops! Excuse me!!EVMS::MORONEYIt's alive! Alive!Fri Jun 28 1996 21:282
A farmer in Nepal was trampled to death by an angry bull elephant after
he stumbled across the elephant mating with another elephant.
79.2543NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 01 1996 13:1695
WhiteBoard News for Friday, June 28, 1996 [excerpts]

Frankenmuth, Michigan:

It took more than an obscenity complaint to stop
production of Bad Frog beer. 

After a tornado tore off part of the roof and smashed
windows and walls Friday, Frankenmuth Brewery had to
dump 900,000 bottles-worth of suds, general manager
Brian Greenlee said Thursday. 

The brewery, which makes the beer with labels featuring
a frog extending a finger in a well-known gesture, also
had to lay off 22 of 30 employees. 

"This shuts down Bad Frog production for at least six
weeks," said Jim Wauldron, president of Rose City-based
Bad Frog. The company has made temporary arrangements
with a brewer in Evansville, Indiana, where Bad Frog
Malt Liquor is made. 

Earlier this year, the Michigan Liquor Control
Commission ruled the company could keep its mascot if
it dropped the word "obscene" from the last line of its
label, which read, "It's mean, green and obscene." 

Executives at Frankenmuth Brewery Inc. are debating
whether to try to salvage the brewery or start over in
a new building, Greenlee said. 

"We've been brewing beer since 1862 ..." Greenlee told
the Detroit Free Press. "We don't want to abandon this
site, but it's a matter of determining whether we can
even use this structure or not." 

The brewery also produced some Majestic Organic and
Stoney Creek beer. 
==========

Jasper, Alberta, Canada:

A thief on the run from Jasper RCMP learned the long
arm of the law is preferable to the long arm of an
angry black bear. 

Bruce William O'Connor, 30, fled into the backcountry
of Jasper National Park last week after stealing cases
of beer from a local pub. 

But he didn't count on the unusually high number of
hungry, grumpy bears foraging the valley floors this
year looking for food. 

"He had his dog with him and the bear came out of the
bushes and charged them," said RCMP Constable Mike
Wallsmith. The dog distracted the black bear while the
terrified man climbed a tree. 

"The bear climbed up the tree beside him and was
reaching across swatting at the bad guy," Wallsmith
said. 

"He kept swatting and the bad guy kept ducking and
finally one of the branches gave way and the bear went
sliding down the tree." 

The dog took up the fight again, giving O'Connor the
chance to run away. But the bear came after him again,
and chased him up another tree.

The hapless thief was finally able to get down and run
to the nearest park warden's station where he turned
himself in, after his dog got into another scuffle with
the bear.

O'Connor, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to break,
enter and theft and is serving 30 days in jail. 

"I guess he figured it was better to turn himself into
police rather than deal with the bears," Wallsmith said. 

The dog is OK and staying with a friend of O'Connor's.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Children in eastern China licked their way to an ice
cream surprise -- the sticks of their treats turned out
to be plastic models of a naked woman.  Police raided
and shut down the manufacturer.

Of the 12 officers of the South Bay, Florida, police
force, 10 have been arrested, fired from other jobs or
disciplined, says the State Department of Law Enforcement.
79.2544CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Jul 01 1996 14:216
    Frankenmuth, MI is home of the largest chicken resto in the country,
    possibly the world maybe even the universe.  A kitschy place that 
    resembles an old world alpine chateau and seats about a billion people.  
    Not as big as Hilltop in Saugus but it serves a lot of chicken.  
    
    Brian
79.2545eGAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheMon Jul 01 1996 14:264
    
    anything like wright's chicken farm in rhode island??
    i like that place.  time for a rode trip!
    
79.2546It's a dirty job, etc.DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefMon Jul 01 1996 14:377
> A farmer in Nepal was trampled to death by an angry bull elephant after
> he stumbled across the elephant mating with another elephant.
    
    It's sad, you know.  Someone always gets hurt in these complicated
    love triangles.
    
    Chris
79.2547BUSY::SLABOUNTYGood Heavens,Cmndr,what DID you doMon Jul 01 1996 15:309
    
    	RE: .2545
    
    	But Wright's Farm is always SO crowded on the weekends, so it's
    	never my 1st choice when going out to eat.
    
    	Try The Pines, just down the road and around the corner on Pound
    	Hill Road.  Very similar format and not as busy.
    
79.2548GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheMon Jul 01 1996 15:467
    
    so, don't go on the weekends.  you live close enough you could go any
    nite that they are open.  since the onlyy time that would make sense
    for me to go is on the weekend, we always go a little early, and if we
    have to wait, we make sure we have keno money... :>
    
    
79.2549NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 01 1996 15:571
Wacky News Briefs, people, Wacky News Briefs!
79.2550NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 01 1996 20:2826
Lucky Dog

October, 1993--Europa Times 



``We will not have him put down. Lucky is basically a damn
good guide dog,'' Ernst Gerber, a dog trainer from Wuppertal told
reporters. ``He just needs a little brush-up on some elementary
skills, that's all.'' 

Gerber admitted to the press conference that Lucky, a German
shepherd guide-dog for the blind, had so far been responsible for
the deaths of all four of his previous owners. ``I admit it's not an
impressive record on paper. He led his first owner in front of a
bus, and the second off the end of a pier. He actually pushed his
third owner off a railway platform just as the Cologne to
Frankfurt express was approaching and he walked his fourth owner
into heavy traffic, before abandoning him and running away to
safety. But, apart from epileptic fits, he has a lovely temperament.
And guide dogs are difficult to train these days.'' 

Asked if Lucky's fifth owner would be told about his previous
record, Gerber replied: ``No. It would make them nervous, and
would make Lucky nervous. And when Lucky gets nervous he's
liable to do something silly.'' 
79.2551BUSY::SLABOUNTYA Momentary Lapse of ReasonMon Jul 01 1996 20:293
    
    	Amazing.
    
79.2552WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Jul 02 1996 11:002
putting him down would seem a little drastic. couldn't he be
found another line of work, say... family pet?
79.2553FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Jul 02 1996 11:047
    
    	re -1
    
    	well, the dog didn't seem to have a problem killing his last
    owners. :*)
    
    
79.2554WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Jul 02 1996 11:252
-1 yeah Jim, but that was due to professional 
   negligence :-).
79.2555FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Jul 02 1996 12:085
    
    
    	har har! :)
    
    
79.2556NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 02 1996 14:3479
WhiteBoard News for Monday, July 01, 1996 [excerpts]

Bangkok, Thailand:

The members of Thailand's top all-transvestite
volleyball team say they have been kept off the
national men's team because of their sexual preferences
rather than lack of skills.

The popular team of 12 men, who have had plastic
surgery, grown breasts and wear heavy makeup,
represents Lampang province.

Last week the team, against high odds, won the gold
medal in men's volleyball at the national games.

"Although we act and look like woman, I think we have
every right to play on the men's team since we have not
yet changed our sexual organs," said Patphong
Srinutham, the team's coordinator.

Patphong said when his players went to the recent
national men's team tryouts in Bangkok at the
Volleyball Association of Thailand, they were teased by
other players.
==========

Johnson Space Center, Houston:

Four people who have been sealed inside a giant can for
four weeks as part of a NASA study must record every
drop of water they use and are limited to one 30-second
shower per day.

Body odor is sometimes a problem, but otherwise
everything is fine and the accommodations are quite
plush, the occupants said Friday.

The three aerospace engineers and one scientist are
recycling all their air and water, including urine, in
a demonstration of life-support equipment that might
one day be used on moon bases or trips to Mars.

The confinement study is the second of four planned
through next year.  One person spent two weeks in
another chamber last summer and grew wheat plants to
recycle his air.

About the only thing not being recycled this time is
solid body waste.  NASA hopes the technology will
improve enough so feces can be incinerated and changed
into water and carbon dioxide.

The three men and one woman spend their spare time
surfing the Internet, playing games or watching videos. 
Friends and relatives visit but must stay outside and
talk through portholes or glass walls.  All meals are
microwaved, and the occupants have separate bedrooms. 
The four range in age from 29 to 40.

There are benefits to being removed from the outside
world, if only for a month.

"Shorter drive to work," joked engineer John Lewis.
==========

Rogue River, Oregon:

With defending champion Mr. Skinhead no longer in the
running, Fowl Mouth easily won the annual Rogue River
Rooster Crow over the weekend.

Fowl Mouth the rooster crowed 80 times in a half-hour,
topping Mr. Skinhead's 69 crows in 30 minutes in 1995.

Just days before Saturday's crow-off, Mr. Skinhead was
killed by a dog.

The record is 112 crows, set in 1978.
79.2557no more calls, we got a winnerHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Jul 02 1996 14:364
>Fowl Mouth the rooster crowed 80 times in a half-hour,
>topping Mr. Skinhead's 69 crows in 30 minutes in 1995.

I think we found us a replacement for Pesatori...
79.2558NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 08 1996 13:4464
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, July 03, 1996 [excerpts]


"We'll catch the guys who did this, and I promise you
it won't be an O.J. Simpson trial."

Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin
Sultan, to an American soldier wounded in the Dhahran
bombing which killed 19 servicemen.
==========

London, England:

If Britain were an ice cream, what flavor would it be?

Jack the Ripple?  Charles and Diana Split?

Those names were floated in a contest run by Ben &
Jerry's Homemade Incorporated to create the
quintessential British ice cream flavor, along the
lines of its American Cherry Garcia.  The new flavor
will be introduced in Britain Thursday.

The entries offer a glimpse inside Britain's collective
mind.  Among the 7,500 losing flavors were Cream
Victoria, Queen Yum Mum and Vanilla Parker-Bowles.

From rock-music fans came John Lemon and Ruby Chewsday. 
Literary references included Grape Expectations and
Agatha Crispie.  Nessie's Nectar and Choc Ness Monster
were nods to the mysterious Scottish beast.  Other
finalists included Minty Python, Cashew Grant, James
Bomb and Stiff Upper Flip.

So what is the winning flavor?  Cool Britannia, a play
on the popular British military anthem "Rule Britannia"
that Ben & Jerry's considered "suitably evocative."

Oddly enough, the winning name was submitted by an
American, Sarah Moynihan-Williams.  The attorney, who
is married to a Welshman, also concocted the winning
recipe of vanilla ice cream, English strawberries and
chocolate-covered Scottish shortbread.

Ben & Jerry's officials think Britons will be amused by
the new name.  With the exception of suggested names like
Fish & Chips and Bangers & Mash, most of the entries were
a testament to British ingenuity, they said.

"The Rolling Scones," says James Lovell, a Ben &
Jerry's spokesman.  "It's absolute genius."
==========

Fast News Forum:

Some Hispanic leaders are calling racist a pamphlet put
out by the Siler City, North Carolina, Hispanic Task
Force, which has no Hispanic members.  It tells
readers, among other things, not to keep goats or beat
their wives.

The government of Saskatchewan, Canada, is trying to
sell 1,000 erect wooden penises meant for use in
sex-education classes.
79.2559NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 08 1996 13:45147
WEIRDNUZ.436 (News of the Weird, June 14, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Woe unto the Perfectionist:  U. S. Attorney Kendall Coffey of
Miami, Fla., resigned in May.  He reportedly bit a topless dancer
on the arm at a nightclub to which he had gone to drown his
sorrows after losing the big "Los Muchachos" cocaine-smuggling
case.  And in May in North Brunswick, N. J., police charged
Rutgers Univ. math professor Walter Petryshyn, 67, with
bludgeoning his wife to death.  A friend said Petryshyn had
become despondent recently because he feared his career had
been ruined by an error in his latest textbook, Generalized
Topological Degree and Semilinear Equations. [St. Petersburg
Times, 5-18-96] [New York Daily News, 5-8-96] 

* The Bjorer Kagoj newspaper in Bangladesh reported that about
100 criminals attended the nation's first conference of muggers
on April 23.  The association decided that the city of Dhaka was
prosperous enough to support a doubling of their daily ripoffs,
from 60 to 120.  The leader, Mohammad Rippon, was acclaimed
"Master Hijacker" by the group for his record of 21 muggings in
a two-hour period. [San Francisco Chronicle-Reuters, 4-24-96]

* Breast Exams in the News:  This month, the first of six
pending lawsuits for improper diagnoses against Washington,
D.C., physician Peter Kwon goes to trial.  According to one
patient, Kwon "examined my breasts no matter what I tell him is
wrong."  Kwon admitted he gives breast exams to every female
patient if more than 30 days has elapsed since her previous breast
exam.  And in May, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of
Chiropractors finally suspended the license of Ronald A.
Goldstein [News of the Weird, January 5, 1996] for giving
improper massages to 14 women over a 17-year period. 
Goldstein had maintained that the "uterine lift" and "chest
spread" treatments were legitimate. [Washington City Paper, 5-
10-96] [Boston Globe, 5-9-96] 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* The Floyd County (Ky.) coroner complained in February that
ambulance drivers were taking obviously-dead people to the
hospital just so they could bill the county for rides.  One man
was rushed to the hospital even though his suicide shotgun blast
was so powerful that it blew both eyeballs out of their sockets. 
Another had been dead so long that rigor mortis had commenced,
leaving the body bent at the waist so that it would not fit on a
stretcher, but the driver said he thought he felt a pulse.
[Lexington Herald-Ledger, 2-15-96] 

* In January, the New York City Parks Department, which
controls permits for vendors on park land, doubled the annual fee
for the hot dog pushcart that had the exclusive license for the spot
just south of the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art--to
$288,200 a year. [ARTnews, April 1996] 

* In May, the San Diego Union-Tribune profiled Pete Springer of
Encinitas, Calif., and his three-year-old firm, Rats R Us, that
breeds food for reptiles.  Wholesale prices range from 60 cents
for the "pinkies" to $3 for a jumbo rat.  Springer disclosed that
he is sometimes disturbed by the nature of his business but
pointed out that, at times, he gives mouth-to-rat resuscitation to
keep frail babies alive. [San Francisco Examiner-San Diego
Union-Tribune, 5-12-96] 

* Reuters news service reported in May that German scientists at
the Max Planck Breeding Institute have invented a suicidal
potato--whose cells automatically kill themselves if attacked by
potato blight fungi, thus slowing the blight and saving crops. 
[Chicago Sun-Times, 5-20-96] 

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH MONEY

* This summer in Putney, Vt., Honey Loring expects 400 people
will enroll in her two-week, $1,300 camp for dogs and their
owners.  At Camp Gone to the Dogs (now in its 6th year), there
is doggie square-dancing, doggie swimming lessons, and a doggie
bathing suit pageant and costume parade, as well as traditional
classes in Frisbee-catching. [Good Housekeeping, June 1996] 

* The Central Wholesale Market in Sapporo, Japan, put two
melons on sale in May with a pricetag of about $1,285 each. 
They were described as "perfect beauties" in color and sweetness.
[Independence Examiner-AP, 5-10-96] 

* From a classified ad in the June 1996 Martha Stewart Living
magazine:  The Protocol School of Washington is accepting
students in its class to train those who want to become
"Children's Etiquette Consultants." [Martha Stewart Living, June
1996] 

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

* According to criticism in May from Gov. George Pataki, the
New York City school board recently voted to spend $187,000 to
put a metal art structure on the roof of P. S. 279 but not to repair
the school's elevator, which has been broken for nearly two
years.  Pataki said the board has spent $11 million on artwork for
public schools that have problems ranging from leaky roofs to
outdated textbooks. [USA Today, 5-7-96] 

* In February, the Connecticut Division of Special Revenue
issued two pages of regulations to govern charitable artificial-
duck races.  Included were requirements to give each contestant a
diagram of the "natural stream of water," which "has a steady
current" on which the race is to be conducted and which shows
the starting and finishing points; to prevent anyone from guiding
the ducks down the course; and to require the ducks to be placed
in a receptacle before the race for inspection against "counterfeit"
artificial ducks. [Connecticut Law Journal, 3-19-96] 

* The U. S. Treasury Department announced in February that it
would spend up to $32 million in a worldwide public relations
campaign on the new counterfeit-proof $100 bill.  (Within two
months of the bill's release, in Richmond, Va., alone, the Secret
Service found at least 14 counterfeits of the new bill that had
been passed in stores.) [Park City Daily News (Bowling Green,
Ky.), 2-28-96] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* A Hong Kong woman, So Lai-kan, said she would appeal a
shoplifting conviction (which means taking her case to the Privy
Council in England) because a Hong Kong judge did not believe
her claim that the reason she walked out of a department store in
March wearing two bras was because it was cold. [Bangkok Post,
3-4-96] 

UPDATE

* Urbandale, Iowa, police officer James R. Trimble made News
of the Weird after his arrest in January, when he was caught
driving around in his car with a battery-operated "sexual device
inserted into his body."  Police said Trimble took $20,000 worth
of methamphetamine from the department's evidence locker and
also had marijuana, cocaine, and LSD in his car when he was
arrested, along with "scores" of sexually-explicit videotapes and
photos.  In May, Trimble was "sentenced" to probation, a $1,000
fine, and 100 hours' community service.  Though the police
department fired him, his community service will consist of what
he used to do as an officer--give anti-drug motivational speeches
in local schools. [Des Moines Register, 5-17-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2560NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 08 1996 13:4691
WhiteBoard News for Friday, July 05, 1996 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of John DeVere:

Cape Coral, Florida:

A man who forced his wife to wear a necklace like a dog
collar, attached a leash and made her drink from a
toilet bowl was given a year in jail. 

Richard DiTusa also offered his children rides on his
naked wife, prosecutors said. 

DiTusa, 41, was convicted last month of battery. He
received the maximum jail sentence Wednesday. 

DiTusa said the prosecution was making an issue out of
nothing. 

The couple had a history of marital troubles, and the
woman, whose name was withheld, had taken out two
restraining orders against her husband.
==========

Portland, Oregon:

Police say a man planted video cameras inside the
toilets of portable restrooms at public events and then
taped both adults and children using the facilities.

Jess Townsend, 36, is being arraigned on charges of
burglary and criminal mischief.

Officers reportedly found several videotapes of both
adults and children at Townsend's home.

Police said they found Townsend by tracing the purchase
of the video camera.  In addition, they said, Townsend
appeared on the videotape as he set up the camera
inside the toilet.
==========

New York, New York:

The Polaroids seemed to show a woman's cuts and
bruises, but on the back of the photos was an
11-digit number that eventually wrecked the case
against an investment banker convicted of assaulting
his girlfriend.

The code stamped on the photos showed they could not
have been taken when Samantha Carroll, 32, said she was
beaten, because the film was still in a Polaroid
warehouse in Massachusetts.

Because of that, a judge Tuesday tossed out Lofton
Holder Jr.'s conviction.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the injuries
depicted in the Polaroids -- dark bruises on Carroll's
legs, arms and back, a bloody mouth and shoeprints on
her belly and breast -- were real or faked.

Seven months ago, the photos were largely responsible
for a jury's conviction of Holder for beating Carroll
in December 1994.

But as Holder, 30, awaited sentencing, his lawyers
turned sleuths and tracked down the meaning of the
numbers on the back of the photos.  They found the
numbers were a code that proved the film had been
stored in a warehouse until at least February 22,
1995 -- two months after Carroll testified the photos
were taken.

The district attorney's office is deciding whether to
charge Carroll with perjury.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Anthony Messmer, 7, fell off a 75-foot cliff to his death
in White Rock Park in Arkansas.  He was vacationing with
his family when he ran ahead to grab a crude cross
marking the site of an earlier fatal fall.  The cross
gave way.

The Kohler, Wisconsin, police commissioner will decide
in a few weeks if officer Thomas Berlin, 20, keeps his
job.  Police Chief Daniel Dahlke testified he doesn't
think Berlin writes enough traffic tickets.
79.2561Anent last item (Saskatchewan sale) in .2558 ...DRDAN::KALIKOWMindSurf the World w/ AltaVista!Mon Jul 08 1996 20:5028
    ... gotta tell this one...  On recent trip to Turkey, we visited the
    Antalya area on the southern Mediterranean coast.  One of the most
    visible tourist icons around there is an ancient male fertility figure,
    a little dwarfish fella with a VERY oversized organ in full turgor. 
    You see him in far greater profusion than the local Artemis female
    fertility figurines.  Every corner schlock-shop and tourist-trap sells
    'em.  
    
    One afternoon I was transfixed by discovering a post-card display that
    had one of these phine phallows standing opposite one of the
    long-haired kids' toys (they're not called smurfs, can't remember!) but
    they have oversized heads, short arms & legs, big eyes, big smiles, no
    genitalia, and straight long hair that is usually seen combed straight
    up.  So this little kids' toy is looking in apparent horror at
    ProngMan, with the legend "What is THAT??" beneath.  I was convulsed
    when my wife suggested we send one to elder now-married daughter, who
    when she was 6 just adored these little white-haired dolls.  (no, she
    didn't get the others until...  but that's another story).
    
    So OK, we did so, and just for fun we started a small contest with her
    & hubby to see who could come up with a better slogan than "What is
    THAT??"
    
    I won, no contest, with  
    
    "Don King meets King Dong."
    
    
79.2562NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 08 1996 20:531
Trolls.  NNTTM.
79.2563WAHOO::LEVESQUEit seemed for all of eternityTue Jul 09 1996 11:191
 kewpie dolls
79.2564PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Jul 09 1996 12:033
 what Gerald said.

79.2565NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jul 09 1996 18:4786
WhiteBoard News for Monday, July 08, 1996 [excerpts]

Belom, Brazil:

A Brazilian fisherman choked to death near the remote
Amazon city of Belom after a fish unexpectedly jumped
into his mouth.  

Nathon do Nascimento was fishing by the Maguari River,
about 30 miles south of Belom, when the 6-inch long
fish suddenly leaped out of the river and became lodged
in Nascimento's throat.

Two other fishermen tried to help him, but by the time
they arrived at a local hospital it was too late.  "The
fish obstructed his throat completely and he couldn't
pull it out because he couldn't reach the tail," a
doctor said.
==========

Stigtoma, Sweden:

The town of Stigtoma recently held a "Pee Outdoors Day."

According to a Swedish news agency, about 2,000
townspeople foreswore indoor plumbing for the day to
protest the pollution of nearby Hallbo Lake, allegedly
by a sewage treatment plant.

Sort of a stream of environmental consciousness.
==========

Sonkajarvi, Finland:

Finnish laborer Jouni Jussila, his tiny wife Tina
clinging to his shoulders, romped through a grueling
obstacle course Saturday to become the first world
champion in woman-carrying.

Jussila, a local hero and three-time national champion
in this offbeat annual contest in a remote
middle-Finland village, outclassed a field of 32 pairs
that for the first time included foreigners -- A
Norwegian weightlifter, three Swedes and a Swiss.

Jussila pounded around the 260-yard course that
included two timber hurdles and a waist-high water jump
on one minute, 6.2 seconds.  He was six seconds clear
of his nearest rival.

Cheered on by nearly 5,000 spectators, he took home a
mobile phone, a check for 1,000 markka ($250), a loaf
of rye bread and, most importantly, 79 pints of beer --
the equivalent of his wife's weight.

The contest is rooted in the legend of Ronkainen the
Robber, said in the 19th century to have tested
aspiring members of his gang by forcing them to lug
sacks of grain or live swine over a similar course.

It also purportedly stems from an even earlier tribal
practice of wife-stealing, in honor of which many
contestants now take up the challenge with someone
else's wife.

The contest is open to all, although only men do the
carrying, and the only rigid rule is that the woman to
be carried must by over 17.

Norwegian Attle Ronning, 11 times a national champion
in weightlifting, led the race for a time as he hauled
a 110-pound local woman, Kaija Kainulainen, round the
track piggy-back style.

But he faded badly toward the end and could only finish
eighth.

"The hardest part was getting on his back," said
Swedish television journalist Dominica Beczynski, after
finishing 20th on board Juse Sirvio.  "No way could
they export this to Sweden.  The Finns have a bizarre
sense of reality."

"At least the Finns won," commented Sonkajarvi Mayor
Paavo Tyrvainen, who was prevented from competing by a
bad back.  "Now we are world champions.
79.2566ACISS1::BATTISChicago Bulls-1996 world champsTue Jul 09 1996 19:142
    
    wow. died from fishing. what next?
79.2567WAHOO::LEVESQUEit seemed for all of eternityTue Jul 09 1996 19:3110
    I guy I fished with died "from fishing" the day after I last fished
    with him. They had a giant tuna on the line and they'd just stuck the
    fish (with a harpoon) when it pulled him overboard in rough seas.
    The only other guy on the boat never saw him again. He was not a
    swimmer. I remember watching the news the next day and seeing the coast
    guard search for him and remarking that nobody could last long because
    it was so very windy. It was a couple of months afterward that I
    learned who it was (he was my striper fishing partner's brother).
    
     <r.o.> happens. :-/
79.2568hook line and sinkerCNTROL::JENNISONIt's all about soulTue Jul 09 1996 20:135
    
    	I see you fell for the old "the tuna pulled him overboard"
    	line.
    
    
79.2569ACISS1::BATTISThree fries short of a Happy MealTue Jul 09 1996 20:274
    
    I can it now. "Warning! Fishing can be hazardous to your Health"
    
    This should be a sticker attached to all fishing rods.
79.2570PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Jul 09 1996 20:307
>   <<< Note 79.2569 by ACISS1::BATTIS "Three fries short of a Happy Meal" >>>

    
>    I can it now. 

	 the tuna, you mean?

79.2571grrrrrWAHOO::LEVESQUEit seemed for all of eternityWed Jul 10 1996 10:584
    >	I see you fell for the old "the tuna pulled him overboard"
    >	line.
    
     I guess I'm in good company. The Coast Guard did as well.
79.2572NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 10 1996 17:3710
ZHIRINOVSKY VODKA TO BE BOTTLED IN LATVIA. The Rubins distillery in
Bauska will bottle vodka named for Russian Liberal Democratic Party
leader Vladimir Zhirinovksy, said Rubins president Leon Osipov, BNS
reported on 9 July. Osipov said Zhirinovsky extended the bottling
license, and was motivated by the need to refill his party's treasury,
emptied during the election campaign. Osipov said Zhirinovsky pledged to
help Latvian businessmen expand to the Russian market with the help of
"his people" in parliamentary committees. Zhirinovsky this spring had
sent proposals to several distilleries in Latvia and Lithuania, but
Lithuanians showed no interest. -- Saulius Girnius
79.2573POWDML::HANGGELIHeartless JadeWed Jul 10 1996 20:4725
    
    Tessa the Cat dines at the table with a fork
    
    TAMPA, Fla. -- Pass the liver treats.
    
    Tessa the cat dines at the table with a fork and spoon -- and a little
    help from some Velcro.
    
    Faye Murrell used patience and tender loving care during the nine months 
    it took to teach her 3-year-old Himalayan to eat with her and her husband.
    
    Murrell wanted Tessa at the table because she missed the traditional
    family dinners she had before her children left home.
    
    So now, at about 6 p.m., Murrell dips Tessa's paws in a small wash bowl, 
    then outfits her with Velcro fastened like a wrist strap to hold the fork 
    or spoon in place.
    
    Tessa does the rest. She climbs onto her favorite chair and shovels in
    the cat food.
    
    "I didn't think she could do it," said Murrell's husband, William.
    "After seeing this, I believe she can teach these cats just about anything."
    
                          
79.2574BUSY::SLABOUNTYForeplay? What's that?Wed Jul 10 1996 20:507
    
    	[bangs head against wall]
    
    	[doesn't help, tries again]
    
    	[still no idea why anyone would do this]
    
79.2575SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 10 1996 20:502
    The husband draws the line at sleeping with the cat however.
    Clawed Tess tickles.  
79.2576LANDO::OLIVER_Bit's about summer!Wed Jul 10 1996 20:521
    me-OW!
79.2577SCASS1::BARBER_ASpankyWed Jul 10 1996 20:521
    gak.  That lady needs a life, fer sher.
79.2578CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Jul 11 1996 04:2111


 Speaking of cats, here I am reading the 'box and I h ear a loud crash behind
 me..my cat just knocked a large cup about 1/4 full of quarters off of my
 desk..jumped down on the floor to check it out, and walked away, thoroughly
 delighted that I have to pick up the mess..



 Jim
79.2579WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Jul 11 1996 10:452
i would've used that great patience and time to teach it to
use the throne first.
79.2580RUSURE::GOODWINwe upped our standards now up yoursThu Jul 11 1996 12:414
    There is a new device out now for the training of cats and other small
    annoying animals, in addition to the blender and the microwave, that
    is:  the automatic bread making machine.  Takes about 4 hours for the
    full cycle.  :-)
79.2581ACISS1::BATTISThree fries short of a Happy MealThu Jul 11 1996 12:582
    
    <--- nah. to chewy.
79.2582NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 11 1996 13:1483
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, July 10, 1996 [excerpts]


Broome, Australia:

Camels have been fitted with taillights in the
Australian tourist town of Broome.

Town-council member Elsta Foy said the beasts posed an
unacceptable hazard to the growing tourist traffic
along Cable Beach Road.

"It's quite shocking that tourists could be driving along
quite unaware that camels use the road, or locals who
have forgotten, and run into a camel's rump," she said.

The council had no record of any accidents involving
the humped quadrupeds that carry tourists for sunset
rides along Broome's famous Cable Beach on the tropical
Kimberly coast, 1,400 miles north of Perth.

Tour operators have agreed to outfit the rear of their
camels with red flashing battery-operated bicycle
lights in the interests of safety.

Camels were used in the desert outback from the 1860s
to the 1920s as pack animals during the construction of
telegraph lines, railroads and roads.
==========

New York, New York:

A man who weighed nearly 1,000 pounds when he was
removed from his home by forklift two months ago has
lost 250 pounds and was leaving the hospital Tuesday.

Michael Hebranko, 43, was possibly the heaviest person
in the world when workers ripped out a bay window and
rows of bricks from his Brooklyn home.

He was removed by a stretcher used to move small
whales, then transferred to an ambulance by forklift. 
He suffered from heart disease, respiratory ailments
and a severe skin infection in his legs.

Hebranko, married with a 19-year-old son, had spent 2
1/2 months on a love seat, unable to stand for more
than 30 seconds at a time.  No clothes fit his 110-inch
waist; he sat wrapped in sheets.

He had once lost 700 pounds and became a spokesman for
weight-loss guru Richard Simmons before gaining it all back.

He has lost 250 pounds and recently started walking for
the first time in more than a year.  "I hope to be walking
around the block by the end of the summer," he said.

But he's not out of the woods yet.

"His kidney still has to be watched, his lungs are not
taking in the oxygen they should, and he has to learn
to walk again," said Simmons.

Hebranko's answering machine urges callers to take
charge of their future: "Stand up from where you are
now and move forward and say, "I will and I did."
==========

Fast News Forum:

A chimpanzee from the Krakow, Poland, zoo earned a
10-percent return on a three-month investment choosing
stocks in the Warsaw stock market, beating a local
brokerage.

A Wellington, New Zealand, bar has run afoul of animal
activists by giving patrons frozen chickens to use as
bowling balls for a promotional stunt.

Shelley Moquin, who'd just finished advanced CPR
training in Middleboro, Massachusetts, saved her son's
iguana with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after it fell
into a pool.
79.2583ACISS1::BATTISThree fries short of a Happy MealThu Jul 11 1996 13:182
    
    what's next, camels with turn signals?
79.2584courtesy of the donaldPENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jul 11 1996 13:2917
HANOI - The death of an old man in central Vietnam triggered a
series of accidents which killed his wife, a young father and
seriously injured six people, the Thanh Nien newspaper said on
Thursday.

After Vo Lieu, 74, died of natural causes on Wednesday last
week, his children administered a drug to his wife to prevent
her screaming at the funeral scheduled for the following day.

She died of an overdose before the funeral was held.

A joint funeral was then held but at the graveyard, a truck
transporting the coffins of Lieu and his wife careered out of
control and crashed into the funeral procession, killing a
26-year old man and injuring six undertakers.

79.2585NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jul 11 1996 13:323
>                          -< courtesy of the donald >-

Could you ask Mr. Trump to mail me a large check?
79.2586BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amThu Jul 11 1996 13:479
| <<< Note 79.2584 by PENUTS::DDESMAISONS "person B" >>>


| A joint funeral was then held but at the graveyard, a truck
| transporting the coffins of Lieu and his wife careered out of
| control and crashed into the funeral procession, killing a
| 26-year old man and injuring six undertakers.

	Maybe they should have laid off the joints, eh?
79.2587SMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 12 1996 12:441
    Unlucky stiffs.
79.2588Just received - sorry if a repeatMOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Fri Jul 12 1996 18:22128

Darwin Awards

These are nearly always granted posthumously. This citation is bestowed
upon (the remains of) that individual, who through single-minded
self-sacrifice,  has done the most to remove undesirable elements
from the human gene pool.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[San Jose Mercury News]
An unidentified man, using a shotgun like a club to break a former girlfriend's
windshield, accidentally shot himself to death when the gun discharged,
blowing a hole in his gut.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[Hickory Daily Record, 12-21-92] Ken Charles Barger, 47,
accidentally shot himself to death in December in Newton, N. C.,
when, awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside his
bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead a Smith &
Wesson .38 Special, which discharged when he drew it to his ear.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[News of the Weird, 18 May 93, San Jose Mercury News] A 24-year-old
salesman from Hialeah, Fla., was killed near Lantana, Fla., in March
when his car smashed into a pole in the median strip of Interstate 95
in the middle of the afternoon. Police said that the man was traveling
at 80 MPH and, judging by the sales manual that was found open and
clutched to his chest, had been busy reading.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[Unknown, 25 March 1993] A Vapid Death

A terrible diet and room with no ventilation are being blamed for
the death of a man who was killed by his own gas. There was no
mark on his body but autopsy showed large amounts of methane gas
in his system. His diet had consisted primarily of beans and cabbage
(and a couple other things). It was just
the right combination of foods.

It appears that the man died in his sleep from breathing from the
poisonous cloud that was hanging over his bed. Had
he been outside or had his windows opened it wouldn't have been
fatal but the man was shut up in his near airtight bedroom. He
was ``...a big man with a huge capacity for creating [this deadly
gas].'' Three of the rescue workers got sick and one was
hospitalized.


 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[Reuters, Mississauga, Ontario] Man slips, falls 23 stories to
his death.

A man cleaning a bird feeder on his balcony of his
condominium apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23
stories to his death, police said Monday.

Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheeled chair Sunday when the
accident occurred, said Inspector D'Arcy Honer of the Peel
regional police.

"It appears the chair moved and he went over the balcony," Honer
said.  "It's one of those freak accidents. No foul play is
suspected."

 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[UPI, Toronto] Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of
windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane
with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death.

A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of
the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was
explaining the strength of the building's windows to visiting law
students.

Hoy previously had conducted demonstrations of window strength
according to police reports. Peter Lauwers, managing partner of
the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that
Hoy was ``one of the best and brightest'' members of the 200-man
association.


 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[AP, Cairo, Egypt, 31 Aug 1995] CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Six people
drowned Monday while trying to rescue a chicken that had fallen
into a well in southern Egypt.

An 18-year-old farmer was the first to descend into the 60-foot
well. He drowned, apparently after an undercurrent in the water
pulled him down, police said.

His sister and two brothers, none of whom could swim well, went
in one by one to help him, but also drowned. Two elderly farmers
then came to help, but they apparently were pulled down by the
same undercurrent.

The bodies of the six were later pulled out of the well in the
village of Nazlat Imara, 240 miles south of Cairo.

The chicken was also pulled out. It survived.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------
[Times of London] A thief who sneaked into a hospital was scarred
for life when he tried to get a suntan.

After evading security staff at Odstock Hospital in Salisbury,
Wiltshire, and helping himself to doctors' paging devices, the
thief spotted a vertical sunbed. He walked into the unit and
removed his clothes for a 45-minute tan.

However, the high-voltage UV machine at the hospital, which is
renowned for its treatment of burns victims, has a maximum dosage
of ten seconds.  After lying on the bed for almost 300 times the
recommended maximum time the man was covered in blisters.

Hours later, when the pain of the burns became unbearable, he
went to Southampton General Hospital, 20 miles away,in
Hampshire. Staff became suspicious because he was wearing a
doctor's coat. After tending his wounds they called the police.

Southampton police said: "This man broke into Odstock and decided
he fancied a quick suntan. Doctors say he is going to be scarred
for life."





79.2589NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 12 1996 19:55143
WEIRDNUZ.437 (News of the Weird, June 21, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Number One in the News:  In May near Stigtomta, Sweden,
about 2,000 environmentalists protested by mass outdoor
urination to draw attention to the dying ecosystem of Hallbo
Lake.  And the UPPU Club was forced to cancel its five-year
meeting this year in Los Alamos, N. Mex., because of cutbacks
in government funding.  The club consists of soldiers who were
exposed to plutonium in the 1940s and who continue to have their
bodily functions studied by researchers.  The name of the club
tells what one must do to be a member ("pu" being the symbol
for plutonium). [Edmonton Journal, 5-13-96] [Albuquerque
Journal-AP, 3-24-96] 

* Construction worker Thomas W. Passmore, 32, filed a lawsuit
in April for $3.35 million against Sentara Norfolk (Va.) General
Hospital and four doctors over the loss of his hand.  Passmore
admits to having cut off the hand because he believed it to be
possessed by the devil and to having refused twice to allow
doctors to reattach it.  However, he claims the hospital was
negligent in not asking his family to overrule his poor decision.
[Tulsa World-AP, 5-14-96] 

* In May, Valentin Grimaldo, 40, who was bitten by a poisonous
coral snake near Encino, Tex., survived by biting the snake's
head off, slitting its body lengthwise, and using the skin for a
tourniquet until help arrived. [McAllen Monitor, 5-11-96] 

NEW RIGHTS

* In January, wheelchair-user Judith Brand filed a lawsuit against
the College of Marin in San Rafael, Calif., claiming that the
school failed to accommodate her adequately in a dance class she
took last year.  (Teacher Sandi Weldon said numerous
accommodations were made for Brand in the class.) [San
Francisco Examiner, 5-7-96] 

* The Tufts University student senate recently cut $600 from the
budget of the school's Chinese Culture Club, reported columnist
George Will in April, but the Club's treasurer Carol Wan called
the cuts a kind of racism.  Because part of the cut affected
Chinese take-out food that had been ordered for the Club's
Chinese New Year observance, Wan said the cut "questioned the
authenticity of take-out food as part of our culture." [New York
Post, 4-18-96] 

* In Ogden, Utah, a self-described "ugly" person, Lynn Romer,
recently formed The Pinocchio Plot, a support group to combat
"looks-ism." [Globe and Mail, 5-21-96] 

* In May, a court in Sweden rejected an appeal by Elisabeth
Hallin and her husband, who had been fined about $1,000 for
giving their son an unauthorized name.  The 5-year-old is called
"albin," but his formal name consists of 38 consonants followed
by 5 numbers, a name Hallin said is "a pregnant, expressionistic
development that we see as an artistic creation." [Edmonton
Journal, 5-30-96; Globe and Mail, 4-11-96]

* In December, Massachusetts prison inmate Anthony Jackson,
serving three life sentences for three murders, won a procedural
motion on appeal, thus keeping alive his lawsuit against the
prison system for refusing to assign him to a no-smoking cell.
[USA Today, 12-19-95] 

* In February, the Disability Rights Center in Concord, N. H.,
filed a legal brief supporting the appeal of Joel Frost, who was
convicted of raping a mentally retarded woman.  At his trial,
Frost tried to prove that the woman was capable of giving
consent to sex, but state law prohibits that, and the Center
supports Frost in his claim that the law discriminates against the
mentally retarded by assuming they all lack the ability to decide
whether to have sex. [Boston Globe, 2-5-96] 

LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES

* Carlos Santiago was arrested in San Francisco, Calif., in May
and charged with assault.  Police said he stabbed his wife more
than a dozen times because she refused his orders to read the
Bible. [San Jose Mercury News, 5-18-96] 

* Members of the First Congregational Church in Akron, Ohio,
voted in May to eject squatter Jim Dunn, who had been living in
a cardboard tent in the church's front yard since April 1995,
bathing only sporadically, claiming that that's where God told
him to live.  Dunn rejected offers of better conditions and a clean
sleeping bag because the offers did not come from God.  "I've
talked to Him," said Dunn, "but He hasn't told me yet to move."
[Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph, 5-19-96; Akron Beacon
Journal, 5-25-96] 

* In a May Reuters news service feature on spiritual-themed
books, author Neale Donald Walsch described how he created his
best-seller, Conversations with God.  Walsch said he wrote
questions on a legal pad and then heard God giving the answers,
which Walsch also wrote down.  "It felt like someone was just
whispering in my ear," he said.  Asked why God chose him to
give the answers to, Walsch said, "[I]f someone such as me can
receive this kind of information . . . then all of us are worthy."
[Reuters wirecopy, 5-27-96] 

* In May, "Reverend" Jim Dillon started the Church of Kurt
Cobain in Portland, Ore., honoring the late singer-songwriter and
challenging "parishioners," MTV, and rock radio stations to fight
drug abuse and suicide.  Dillon said his sermons are based on
Nirvana songs; for example, "Rape Me" ("Rape me," "Waste
me," "I'll kick your open sores") is actually about brotherly love,
he said.  In April, Mort Farndu and Karl Edwards, who founded
the First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine in 1988, posted
the King's 31 Commandments at Lehigh University in
Bethlehem, Pa., as part of the school's Elvis Week.  (Among the
Church's tenets:  Eat six meals a day, face Las Vegas once a day,
make a pilgrimage to Graceland, and fight the anti-Elvis, Michael
Jackson.) [The Oregonian, 5-29-96] [Independence Examiner-
AP, 4-27-96] 

LEAST COMPETENT PERSON

* Police in Guilford, Vt., said in May that they would probably
file criminal charges against Stephen Kodash of Waterbury,
Conn.  They said that Kodash had a flat tire on Interstate 91, and
instead of pulling onto the shoulder, he merely left his car parked
in the passing lane while he walked to a nearby rest area to call
for help.  As might be predicted, another vehicle smashed into
Kodash's, destroying both (but the driver was not seriously hurt).
[Rutland Herald, May96] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In April, Nevada County (Calif.) judicial candidate Robert
Litchfield, attempting to rectify his low standing among local
lawyers, offered to kneel and wash the feet of any lawyer in the
county as a gesture of his desire to serve them.  Said Litchfield,
"What I [offered] was an act of faith, and I don't think that's
something a news reporter can understand."  At the scheduled
washing, Litchfield showed up with a basin and towel, but no
lawyer came forth. [Grass Valley Union, 4-25-96, 5-8-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2590heads will roll for this...KERNEL::FREKESMon Jul 15 1996 20:5110
        US software giant Microsoft has run into something of a public
        relations disaster in the shape of the thesaurus which comes with
        its latest version of the wordprocessing package Word.  The suggested
        Spanish language alternative for terms such as 'cannibal' and
        'barbarian' is 'black people', while the synonym for 'lesbian' is
        'vicious'.  Microsoft has publicly apologized for the mistakes
         included and has promised to make corrections.
    
        Wall Street Journal, Europe, London.  8th July 1996
                  
79.2591CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowMon Jul 15 1996 20:563

 Whoops!
79.2592RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Tue Jul 16 1996 13:078
    Who says they are mistakes?
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.2593ACISS1::BATTISThree fries short of a Happy MealTue Jul 16 1996 13:163
    
    Microsoft isn't that stupid. Do you really think they are a racist
    company???
79.2594Excuse me while I scratch my buttKERNEL::FREKESTue Jul 16 1996 13:2211
    re .2593 
    
    Stupid for allowing something like that to get through to customer. 
    or
    Stupid for, allowing employees to be racist.
    
    Either way, I thought it was a classic example how the meanings of
    words chnage when you translate from two different languages/cultures.
    
    eg: The english (british) definition of route is quite different I am
    told from the Australian one.
79.2595BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amTue Jul 16 1996 13:269
| <<< Note 79.2594 by KERNEL::FREKES >>>


| Either way, I thought it was a classic example how the meanings of
| words chnage when you translate from two different languages/cultures.
        ^^^^^^

	Ok... what language is the word "chnage" from, and what does it mean in
english? :-)
79.2596Excuse me while I scratch my buttKERNEL::FREKESTue Jul 16 1996 13:344
        Quite funny how you do not usually spot your typos until someone else
    points them out to you.

    Even after you have proofread what you have just typed.
79.2597COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Jul 16 1996 13:409
Pay attention to edp's point.

It may very well be that in Spanish, the word for "lesbian" also means
"vicious".  I'm not a scholar of Spanish, and simply don't know.

The only mistake may be in failing to Bowdlerize the dictionary to suit
the current political-correctness agenda.

/john
79.2598ACISS1::BATTISThree fries short of a Happy MealTue Jul 16 1996 13:414
    
    .2596
    
    Interesting p_name. are you perhaps related to Martin Davis?
79.2599BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amTue Jul 16 1996 13:454

	You know, they have medication so you won't have to keep scratching
your butt.
79.2600BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amTue Jul 16 1996 13:461
                            SNARF SNARF SNARF!!!!
79.2601RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Tue Jul 16 1996 15:3015
    Re .2593:
    
    > Microsoft isn't that stupid. Do you really think they are a racist
    > company???

    It is not racist to correctly report the connotations of a language's
    words.  Blaming Microsoft for the contents of the thesaurus may be
    shooting the messenger.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
79.2602NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 17 1996 13:532
There's a radio station in the twin cities that has an all-commercials format.
The "programming" is commercials from the '50s.
79.2603ACISS1::BATTISThree fries short of a Happy MealWed Jul 17 1996 14:252
    
    <---- burma shave?
79.2604Sounds good, Oldies 103 has gotten boringDECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefWed Jul 17 1996 17:168
> There's a radio station in the twin cities that has an all-commercials format.
> The "programming" is commercials from the '50s.
    
    TV commercials or radio commercials?  Radio commercials had neat
    music back then, usually with vocal groups doing that complex
    harmony stuff that was prevalent in the 40's and 50's.
    
    Chris
79.2605covering all basesHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Jul 18 1996 16:0610
  Sculptor depicts nude politicians

   ESSEX, Conn. - If President Clinton and Bob Dole take time from their
   campaign schedules to view sculptor Nicholas Swearer's "Our Time"
   exhibition outside the Hollycroft Foundation, they might find an issue
   they could agree on - restoring the fig leaf. The current Democratic
   and Republican standard-bearers are depicted in a exhibition of 28
   bronze nudes that also show Ronald Reagan, House Speaker Newt Gingrich
   and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
79.2606Grab the ipecac, George, it's gonna be an exciting night!BULEAN::BANKSThu Jul 18 1996 16:547
>   they could agree on - restoring the fig leaf. The current Democratic
>   and Republican standard-bearers are depicted in a exhibition of 28
>   bronze nudes that also show Ronald Reagan, House Speaker Newt Gingrich
>   and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.


Geez, and I thought contemplating /john in a seamless garment was bad...
79.2607some kinda punishmentHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Jul 18 1996 19:1412
   Father mows son's room after teen refuses to cut grass
 
   BELTON, Mo. - A boy who wanted to sleep rather than mow the lawn
   received a rude awakening when his father started up the mower in his
   bedroom. Rickey Worthley woke up his son Michael at 6 a.m. Saturday to
   mow the lawn, but the teen told him to go away, saying it was too
   early. His father returned, this time with the mower. He pushed it
   through the door and started it up, cutting clumps from the bedroom
   carpet, police said. Michael threw a fan at the mower and his father
   left. The boy called police, who arrested Worthley and charged him
   with assault.
 
79.2608BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amThu Jul 18 1996 19:277

	What kind of person mows a lawn at 6:00 am? Doesn't that wake up the
neighbors? 


Glen
79.2609EVER::GOODWINThu Jul 18 1996 19:293
    
    The early worm gets the bird.
    
79.2610horrors !GAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseThu Jul 18 1996 19:307
    
      Yet another case of wrongful parenting.  Help, it's a fad.
    
      The kid is obviously a victim.  Society should build more
     cages to stick such parents in.
    
      bb
79.2611Stupidity is a right only if practiced in solitudeBULEAN::BANKSThu Jul 18 1996 19:373
    I don't know about the kid, but I for one am not comfortable with a guy
    who mows the carpet being a dad.  Particularly if it's a power mower,
    'cause he was putting everyone at risk for CO poisoning.
79.2612More dirty laundry ...BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Thu Jul 18 1996 19:399
  6AM and waking the neighbors? Depends on the neighborhood I suspect.

  But lets judge him anyway ...


  Sounds like the kid needs a lesson in respect and responsibility.

  Doug.
79.2613BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Thu Jul 18 1996 19:447
    >Particularly if it's a power mower,
    >'cause he was putting everyone at risk for CO poisoning.

    Now that's FUNNY!!!!


    
79.2614BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amThu Jul 18 1996 19:466

	Doug... who said anything about judging? I just asked if 6:00 am is
going to wake up the neighbors. Where I grew up no one mowed the lawn until at
least 9:00. Hell, I may have owned a gun when I was a kid if people mowed at
6:00 am! :-0
79.2615"Assault"?DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefThu Jul 18 1996 19:559
> Michael threw a fan at the mower
    
    Hint for kid:
    
    		mower blade > fan blade
    
    On the other hand, the father did leave...
    
    Chris
79.2616BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amThu Jul 18 1996 20:011
was the mower still running?
79.2617ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerThu Jul 18 1996 20:053
    
    well, good thing it wasn't winter, and the father wanted him to snow
    blow the driveway.
79.2618WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Jul 19 1996 11:141
i'm with you... CO poisoning? Bwahahahahahahahahahah...
79.2619GAVEL::JANDROWi think, therefore i have a headacheFri Jul 19 1996 12:4213
    
    chris, i was thinking the same thing...the father only came into the
    room with a (running) mower.  the kid threw a fan at the mower
    (probably aimed at the father) and yet the father is charged with
    assault. 
    
    now, i agree 6:00 is a little early for lawn mowing, but perhaps the
    father was waking the kid up that early because he knew it would take a
    bit to actually get him out of bed...
    
    then again, it is a wacky news brief..
    
    
79.2620SMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 19 1996 12:451
    I've read all the clippings, and it's mulch ado about nothing.
79.2621RUSURE::GOODWINwe upped our standards now up yoursFri Jul 19 1996 13:014
    >Sounds like the kid needs a lesson in respect and responsibility
    
    I don't think that's quite what he got out of Daddy's little
    Demonstration...  
79.2622WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Jul 19 1996 13:063
-1 you're right. the likelihood that some idjit judge may find for the
   kid is probably good too. yet another another fine lesson to leave
   with the lad.
79.2623NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 13:211
The father was confused.  Power mowers do not belong in bedrooms.  Paramours do.
79.2624BULEAN::BANKSFri Jul 19 1996 13:232
Gee, maybe there are a lot of people around here who spend time running
power mowers in their bedrooms.
79.2625PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jul 19 1996 13:262
   .2623  <applause>
79.2626SMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 19 1996 13:271
    .2623  agagag does not do justice.
79.2627NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 13:312
I'll confess that the "power mower" vs. "paramour" pun is not original.
I think Leo Rosten uses it in "The Joy of Yiddish."
79.2628NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 13:389
Dadeville, Ala. (AP) -- A man who lost an early-morning Bible-quoting contest
killed the man who beat him, police said.  Gabel Taylor, 38, was shot once
in the face outside his apartment Thursday.  Police are searching for the
suspect, whose name was not released and who is believed to have left
Dadeville, about 50 miles northeast of Montgomery, Police Chief Terry Wright
said.  Taylor, a preacher's brother, and the suspect were comparing their
Bible knowledge outside an apartment complex, each quoting different versions
of the same passage, police said.  The suspect retrieved his Bible and
realized he was wrong, witnesses said.
79.2629PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jul 19 1996 13:392
   .2627  <applause for being honest>
79.2630BULEAN::BANKSFri Jul 19 1996 13:411
You know, most of these "wacky" news briefs seem more sad than "wacky."
79.2631SMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 19 1996 13:441
    .2629  Yes. That was the coup de grass.
79.2632a moral maybeHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jul 19 1996 13:4511
>...  Taylor, a preacher's brother, and the suspect were comparing their
>Bible knowledge outside an apartment complex, each quoting different versions
>of the same passage, police said. 

I think we found the problem: different versions of inerrancy.

>The suspect retrieved his Bible and
>realized he was wrong, witnesses said.

That sounds like the makings of a sermon: picked up the bible and was
saved [again]...
79.2633What?NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Jul 19 1996 13:471
I mow lawns in my bedroom. In fact I'm called "Lawnmower Man".
79.2634COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Jul 19 1996 13:545
>I think Leo Rosten uses it in "The Joy of Yiddish."

"The Joys of Yiddish".

NNTTM
79.2635NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 14:131
I guess Yiddish has more joy than either cooking or sex.
79.2636WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Jul 19 1996 14:132
.2633 this, of course, is acceptable only if you're not
      mowing someone else's lawn.
79.2637NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Jul 19 1996 14:266
O, it's my lawn alright.

Actually it belongs to me and the missus. Jointly.

(I can feel myself getting carried away, and so mercifully will cease at this
point. thank me.)
79.2638NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Jul 19 1996 14:283
re:2635

Good thing Jackie Mason didn't hear you say that.
79.2639Quoted but not read?DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefFri Jul 19 1996 14:366
> Dadeville, Ala. (AP) -- A man who lost an early-morning Bible-quoting contest
> killed the man who beat him, police said.
    
    File this one under "Unclear on the Concept".
    
    Chris
79.2640NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 14:403
Sort of along the same lines, there's a rebel group that wants Uganda to be
governed according to the Ten Commandments.  They recently massacred a bunch
of people.
79.2641BULEAN::BANKSFri Jul 19 1996 14:471
Kinda reminds me of the "peace" riots back in the late '60s.
79.2642NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Jul 19 1996 14:521
Or the Crusades in the late 50's.
79.2643LANDO::OLIVER_Bit's about summer!Fri Jul 19 1996 14:561
    he _is_ supposed to work in mysterious ways, ya know.
79.2644could workHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jul 19 1996 14:5812
Actually, the Ten Commandments would provide a fairly libertarian form of
government. At least it would if'n we have the working assumption that
what's not explicitly forbidden is OK and what's not explicitly required
aint.

That would take care of a couple of issues like legalization of drugs
which doesn't have a Thou Shalt Not.

A problem could occur on what all might be included in doing that "Thou
Shalt honor" clauses, though.

TTom
79.2645MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Fri Jul 19 1996 15:047
 ZZ   That would take care of a couple of issues like legalization of drugs
 ZZ   which doesn't have a Thou Shalt Not.
    
    In the greek the word for sorcery is Pharmakia, which is where we get
    the name for drugs.  Sorcery would violate the 1st commandment.
    
    -Jack
79.2646let's get it onHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jul 19 1996 15:118
See there you go, forcing your opinion and interpretation on us again.

The text says no other gods. Drugs aint proscribed.

Your doing to the Bible what you fault the SCOTUS for doing to the
Constitution.

TTom
79.2647That was a stretch even for you, JackoMOLAR::DELBALSOI (spade) my (dogface)Fri Jul 19 1996 15:122
Oh fer crissakes .....

79.2648MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Fri Jul 19 1996 15:183
    I know but I figured what the hell! :-)
    
    
79.2649or high waterHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jul 19 1996 15:333
>    I know but I figured what the hell! :-)

That's the attitude, Jack.
79.2650NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 15:4710
I've been web surfing for information on the Ugandan rebel group that
supposedly wants to turn Uganda into a Christian theocracy.  It's called
the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).  The leader is one Joseph Kony.  The
Ugandan government claims that they're backed by the Sudanese government
(which of course has been persecuting its own Christians for years).

The LRA has apparently committed quite a few atrocities.  I wasn't able to
find anything definitive about their theology.  I found two kinds of reactions
from Western Christian groups.  One was "pray that they repent."  The other
was "they're really Moslems masquerading as Christians."
79.2651SMURF::WALTERSFri Jul 19 1996 16:221
    Amin to that, as our Christian friends would say. 
79.2652NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 16:36153
WEIRDNUZ.438 (News of the Weird, June 28, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Real Estate News:  In May, New York Times columnist Dan
Barry reported a run on $6.95 St. Joseph statues at the Long
Island Catholic Supply store, attributed to a belief by many house
sellers that an upside-down St. Joseph buried in the lawn will
bring a quick and lucrative sale.  The Long Island Board of
Realtors told Barry that home sales have risen recently.  And the
Washington Post reported in April that home-buying Asians
around Washington, D. C., have turned increasingly to a 3,000-
year-old philosophy of feng shui to help them select stress-free
houses that match their personal spirits in location, dimensions,
and design, and that among the non-Asian practitioners is Donald
Trump. [New York Times, 5-19-96] [Washington Post, 4-23-96] 

* In March, security guards at the Mall of America in
Bloomington, Minn., along with local police and a helpful
eyewitness, apprehended a man who had grabbed a $1,400 gold
chain from the neck of another man.  Police arrested the suspect,
then arrested the witness when a computer check revealed that he
had several outstanding warrants, then arrested the victim when
they found crack cocaine in his pocket. [Bloomington Sun-
Current, 3-27-96] 

* France Imitates Marge Schott:  In June, France's Sports
Minister Guy Drut ordered his Olympic synchronized swim team
not to do its planned Holocaust-themed goose-stepping entrance,
set to music from the movie Schindler's List.  On the same day,
France's Education Minister Francois Bayrou denounced a
classroom exercise of a high school math teacher in a Paris
suburb in which asked how much carbon monoxide one of
Hitler's trucks could produce in an hour, given the volume of the
truck's cabin, the amount of the fatal dose, and the fact that death
usually took 20 minutes. [New York Times-AP, 6-6-96] [Globe
and Mail, 6-6-96] 

CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* Researcher Ken Olson of Colorado State University told the
Associated Press in May that his team had recently succeeded in
preventing mosquitos from passing dengue fever virus to
humans by actually injecting a blocking virus into a mosquito's
abdomen using a needle finer than a human hair. [Los Angeles
Times-AP, 5-11-96] 

* In May, Quebec legislator Andre Boulerice denounced voter
fraud during a committee meeting, citing one particular example
of bogus names registered to vote in Old Montreal.  "I know
there are famous people in my [district]," said Boulerice,"but I
doubt 'Omar Sharif' would be voting [here]," especially since,
according to voter records, he shares an apartment with "Martina
Navratilova."  The next day, as neighbors of the couple reported,
Sharif son of the actor is indeed married to a woman named
Martina Navratilova, who is a stockbroker. [Edmonton Journal,
5-9-96] 

* In February, police in Tuscaloosa, Ala., charged Felicia Scott,
29, with shooting to death her nine-month-pregnant girlfriend
Carethia Curry, 17, then cutting open her belly and stealing her
baby because she herself was unable to get pregnant.  The baby
survived. [Edmonton Journal-AP, 3-17-96] 

* According to a new corporation filing in April in St. Louis,
Mo., an organization formed to bring women together to raise
money for breast cancer research named itself Jus Us Girls
Gettin' Scooters. [St. Louis Countian, 3-29-96] 

* During December and January, and after four years of
preparation, award-winning, Yale-educated artist Maria Fernanda
Cardoso brought her flea circus to the Exploratorium in San
Francisco.  Among the tricks:  fleas walking tightropes, popping
out of cannons, diving into thimbles of water, dueling with foil
swords.  Cardoso bought the fleas in bulk for 10 cents each and
occasionally awarded prizes of blood for tricks well done.  She
admits a flea obsession, in part because they have killed so many
humans (spreading bubonic plague that killed 10 million people at
the turn of the century and another 25 million in the 14th
century). [Utne Reader, May-June 1996; San Francisco
Chronicle, 10-7-95] 

POLICE BLOTTER

* In March authorities in Providence, R. I., were seeking a man
known as "Honda" Brown, suspected of gang-related activities. 
According to police, "Honda" was last seen fleeing in a Chevette
about two weeks after he was the target of a drive-by shooting
while sitting in a Buick Century. [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 3-
13-96] 

* In December, a former U. S. Customs agent was sentenced to
seven years' probation for promoting prostitution in Houston,
Tex.  Among the prostitutes were the city's notorious "Salad
Sisters," so named for the things they did, to each other and their
clients, with fruits and vegetables. [Houston Chronicle, 12-9-95] 

* According to police in St. Louis, Mo., burglary suspects
Ronald L. Egan and Roy G. Mullin III couldn't have been more
eager to please when they were arrested in April.  The first cop
on the scene spotted Mullin and asked what he was doing there;
Mullin allegedly replied, "A burglary, I guess."  The second cop
spotted Egan emerging from around back with a vacuum cleaner
and asked him the same question; Egan allegedly replied,
"Burglarizing the place." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4-3-96] 

* The Sacramento Bee reported in May that rapists' use of
condoms is up substantially in several cities but that it is not 
clear
whether that is due primarily to fear of AIDS or fear of leaving
valuable DNA evidence on the victim's body.  Many rapists who
use condoms are ignorant of DNA, in that they will leave the
semen-filled condom at the scene, which is like gift-wrapping the
evidence for investigators. [Sacramento Bee, 5-19-96] 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* The New Haven (Conn.) Register reported in May that a local
woman, Joanne Kamerling, 48, had given title to two acres of
land she owns in Weber County, Utah, to a group of people that
includes a physical therapist, a prominent local attorney, the
former Louisiana Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, and O. J.
Simpson.  The four are strangers to each other and had not
sought the land.  Kamerling, who will continue to pay the taxes,
gave no explanation. [New Haven Register, 5-31-96] 

I DON'T THINK SO

* In March at Gulfstream Park in Florida, the Thoroughbred
Racing Protective Bureau filed a charged against prominent
trainer Frank Passero, the secret of whose success is allegedly to
rub a concoction of cayenne pepper and other stimulants around
his horses' genitals and anus.  According to Passero, his
technique was "no different than [baseball pitcher] Whitey Ford
using Ben-Gay." [Washington Post, 3-17-96] 

UPDATE

* University of Houston doctoral history student Fabian Vaksman
made News of the Weird in 1993 when he was reinstated by
court order after the school had kicked him out for poor
performance.  Upon re-entering the program, Vaksman had
written a 50,000-word "poem" in which a student resembling
Vaksman kills five professors who resemble Vaksman's
tormentors.  In February 1996, the school announced it was
giving Vaksman another two years, running the total to nine, to
finish his dissertation and awarding him another $10,000 in
graduate fellowships. [Austin American-Statesman-AP, 2-13-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2653It's a dirty job, etc.DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefFri Jul 19 1996 16:4811
> * In March at Gulfstream Park in Florida, the Thoroughbred
> Racing Protective Bureau filed a charged against prominent
> trainer Frank Passero, the secret of whose success is allegedly to
> rub a concoction of cayenne pepper and other stimulants around
> his horses' genitals and anus.  According to Passero, his
> technique was "no different than [baseball pitcher] Whitey Ford
> using Ben-Gay." [Washington Post, 3-17-96] 
    
    Whitey Ford rubbed Ben Gay on his genitals and anus?
    
    Chris
79.2654techniqueHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Jul 19 1996 16:501
No, on the horse's...
79.2655Another Cola on the Screen eventBULEAN::BANKSFri Jul 19 1996 16:593
That horse thing definitely fit "wacky" for me.

Almost had a two-nostril hork on that one.
79.2656WECARE::GRIFFINJohn Griffin zko1-3/b31 381-1159Fri Jul 19 1996 17:002
    Didn't we already have a note this week about dire consequences of
    stimulants applied to private parts, etc., etc.
79.2657NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 19 1996 17:072
There's been discussion on the chile-heads list of the consequences of not
washing your hands _very_ carefully after cutting up hot peppers.
79.2658WAHOO::LEVESQUEbon marcher, as far as she can tellFri Jul 19 1996 17:372
    Yeah, you get to have conversations like "did you have peppers tonight?"
    "Well, yeah, how did you know? Um, nevermind..."
79.2659ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerFri Jul 19 1996 18:412
    
    speaking of pvt parts, i wonder how bob is doing?
79.2660NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 22 1996 13:5750
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, July 17, 1996 [excerpts]

Morella, Mexico:

Horsing around in these parts can land you in the hock
-- especially if you're a horse.

Police in the capital of western Morelia state have
arrested a horse for allegedly kicking a car, and the
animal has been charged with causing damage to private
property, the government news agency Notimex said.

The horse was tied up on a street in this state capital
when a car parked nearby, said police spokesman Ariel
Arroyo Barriga.

The horse allegedly kicked in the grill and destroyed
the headlights.

The name and owner of the horse were not known, so
officers took it in to custody at the state's Public
Security and Transportation headquarters, Arroyo said.
==========

New England Patriots nose tackle Bruce Walker suffered a
stab wound in his chest, requiring stitches, Saturday.  

He and a friend were throwing a steak knife at each
other in a grocery store parking lot.  

Police said Walker was wounded when he missed a catch.  

Police said Walker provided few details.
==========

Spokane, Washington:

An inmate accused of causing some $250,000 in flooding
damage to the Spokane County Jail by plugging a toilet
will be given the repair bill if he's convicted of the
vandalism, county leaders say.

Nathaniel J. Brown, 19, is accused of plugging the
toilet in his jail cell and then flushing it repeatedly
June 14.

The resulting flood caused damage on five floors.

County commissioners said Tuesday they want the bill
sent to Brown if he is convicted of malicious mischief.
79.2661BIGQ::SILVAI'm out, therefore I amMon Jul 22 1996 14:085

	Gee... when I read about the knife, and the New England Patriots, I
thought Irving Fryer was back. Nice to know there is someone else trying to
hack away at his image.....
79.2662NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 22 1996 14:1065
WhiteBoard News for Saturday, July 20, 1996 [excerpts]

Portland, Oregon:

Michael Deibele is a practical joker, but he can't top
the hoax a friend pulled on him:  Signing his name to a
letter to "Dear Abby" seeking advice about his secret
passion: baton twirling.

The letter, published last week, has prompted Dear Abby
to change her letter policy.

The letter explained that Deibele is an architect
(which is true) who was living a normal life, except
for his hobby.  It professed that Deibele's fascination
with twirling dated to his childhood.  As an adult, the
letter read, he twirled in his back yard.

"Baton twirling is an admirable feat," Dear Abby
responded.  "It requires perfect timing as well as
nimble fingers.  I would rather see men twirling batons
than hurling them.  Enjoy yourself."

Deibele, 50, learned of the hoax when a reporter called
for an interview.  "I laughed.  Whoever did this really
knew me and got me," Deibele said.  Immediately, his
mind zipped over each victim of his practical jokes and
he came up empty.

Deibele finally learned who pulled the prank:  The
23-year-old daughter of friends.  Apparently Julie
Wilborn had not forgotten a joke Deibele pulled on her
when she was 9, and was just getting even.

"I can't top it, I admit it, and I'm afraid of her,"
Deibele said, laughing.

But he was miffed that Dear Abby hadn't checked whether
the letter was authentic.

Abigail Van Buren said on a Minneapolis-area radio
station interview that nothing like this had ever
happened to her.

"Usually I can spot a phony and won't use it," she
said.  

From now on, each letter will be checked, said Jeanne
Phillips, Van Buren's daughter and executive editor. 

Dear Abby plans to publish a response letter July 29,
alongside a letter from Wilborn explaining her prank.
==========

Fast News Forum:

Don't say "I don't know," "I don't care," "It doesn't
matter," or "Whoever" if an operator asks you to pick a
long-distance company.  Those phrases are trademarked
by KT&T Communications of Kennedale, Texas, a carrier
with rates higher than big companies.

Bettsville, Ohio, Mayor Ed Row submitted his
resignation July 10 but now says it was a joke.  The
village isn't laughing -- he's out of a job.
79.2663EVMS::MORONEYJFK committed suicide!Mon Jul 22 1996 19:254
A bank robber robbed a bank in Atlanta.  Unfortunately for him, a
short distance away dozens of state, county and local police were setting
up a motorcade route for President Clinton's Olympic visit, and they responded
to the 911 call...
79.2664COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Jul 25 1996 19:3225
Couple's hitchhiking fantasy thwarted by motorist

WOODBRIDGE, Va.  -- A couple's naked hitchhiking fantasy ended when another 
motorist spotted the woman with her thumb out before her boyfriend arrived 
to pick her up.  The boyfriend ended up in jail.

The pair was acting out a fantasy in which the 23-year-old woman posed as a 
naked hitchhiker, to be picked up by her boyfriend, Christopher John 
Barbour, 35, Prince William County police said Wednesday.

Barbour dropped his girlfriend off on a rural road at about 11:30 p.m.  
Monday, and planned to drive around the block and pick her up, police said.

The fantasy unraveled when the woman mistook another motorist for Barbour 
and darted into the road.

"She jumped out there with no clothes on and her thumb out," police 
spokeswoman Kim Chinn said.

The female motorist reported the incident to a fire station around the 
corner.  Barbour arrived moments later, and so did police.

Barbour, of Fredericksburg, was charged with drunken driving and released 
from the county jail on $500 bail.  His girlfriend, who lives in Lake 
Ridge, was not charged.  Police would not release her name.
79.2665MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu Jul 25 1996 19:374
    JJ, don't you have relatives in Virginia or sumpin???  And weren't you
    just on a trip?  
    
    Naw...it couldn't be!
79.2666RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerThu Jul 25 1996 19:422
    That's the problem with cops -- if you call 'em for almost anything at
    all they want to charge somebody with something.
79.2667POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennThu Jul 25 1996 19:432
    It was the snitches fault. There's always somebody trying to ruin the
    fun.
79.2668THEMAX::SMITH_SThu Jul 25 1996 21:104
    re .2664
    
    Sounds like a cool stint. Have to try it. But on a more secluded road.
    -ss
79.2669 MKOTS3::JMARTINMadison...5'2'' 95 lbs.Thu Jul 25 1996 21:501
    
79.2670THEMAX::SMITH_SThu Jul 25 1996 23:011
    Loss for words?
79.2671It Happened One Night...NASAU::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Jul 26 1996 14:133
naked hitchiking...

Sure have come a long ways from the days of Marlene Dietricht...
79.2672NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 26 1996 14:5490
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, July 24, 1996 [excerpts]

Brisbane, Australia:

Any veteran crocodile handler with all his fingers and
toes probably knows that crocodile mouths are dangerous
places. 

Now that the government has drawn the same conclusion,
it felt compelled to publish official
crocodile-handling guidelines. 

According to the new publication, inserting your hand
into the mouth of a crocodile is dangerous. In fact, the
Queensland government warns crocodile handlers not to
place any part of one's body in the mouth of a crocodile.

The Workplace Health and Safety guide for the burgeoning
crocodile industry also warns, under the heading "Unsafe
Activities," not to sit on the back of a crocodile.

A spokeswoman for the industrial relations department
says until now there have been no guidelines for
handling crocodiles, despite the operation of some 17
farms and parks throughout the state.

Work on the guide began in 1994 following a fatality on a
crocodile farm. There have been 16 fatalities since 1974.
==========

"It seems pretty clear that our body-search techniques
aren't good enough."

Oslo, Norway, police Inspector Leif Ole Topnes, on a
male prisoner who spent two weeks in the women's
cellblock despite two body searches.
==========

New York, New York:

New York police say Willie King's arrest on charges he
mugged 94-year-old Yolanda Gigante may be the least of
his troubles.

King, 37, is accused of snatching Gigante's wallet as
she walked in Greenwich Village with one of her sons, a
Roman Catholic priest.

Yolanda Gigante is also the mother of Vincent "The Chin"
Gigante, reputed head of the Genovese crime family, one
of the nations' most powerful criminal organizations.
==========

Brasilia, Brazil:

A 71-year-old Brazilian granny has gone to court to
force her 24-year-old ex-boyfriend to pay her alimony,
Jornal do Brasil newspaper reported Monday.

Ana Aparecida Honorato argued that under Brazil's new
co-habitation law she had the right to receive alimony
from her former lover, Antonio Carlos Ribeiro Pinheiro,
whom she lived with for five years until this May.
==========

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

People frustrated that their plastic pink flamingos can't
carry on a conversation should talk to Bill Killian.

The 36-year-old inventor has designed a new breed of
utilitarian lawn ornaments called Lawn Buddies that can
speak and take messages.

Killian spent three years designing the mechanical
plastic creatures -- bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels,
skunks, gophers, raccoons and a gnome -- that
automatically rise out of flower pots and tree logs to
query unexpected guests: "Can I take a message?"

Visitors trigger a motion detector, prompting the Lawn
Buddy to broadcast brief announcements recorded by the
owners.  Visitors can talk to the plastic creatures and
record a message.

Killian is talking with manufacturers and hopes to get
the Lawn Buddy -- now in prototype stage -- in stores
next spring.

"Everybody needs a Buddy," Killian said.
79.2673NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 26 1996 14:566
Antonino Votano, an Italian gangster who escaped into hiding a year ago after
being sentenced to life for a murder conviction, was known to be a chain-smoker.
So when police found a pile of hundreds of fresh cigarette butts bearing
Votano's brand outside a building, they surrounded it. Votano was indeed inside,
and was captured without incident. He had thrown the butts out a tiny window of
his hideout, which could not be seen from the street. (Reuter)
79.2674NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 26 1996 14:565
The Archer City, Texas, city council spent $13,000 to repaint the town water
tower to cover graffiti, and another $1,000 to install security bars to keep
vandals from defacing the new paint job. "Now, if any kids climb up there, we're
going to give them a spanking," a councilman said. It didn't take long before a
message was spray-painted on the clean tower: "You must give us a spanking."
79.2675NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 26 1996 14:57147
WEIRDNUZ.439 (News of the Weird, July 5, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Middle East Obsessions:  According to the new Judith Miller
book, God Has Ninety-Nine Names, Muammar Qaddafi seriously
pined for Bush Administration State Department spokeswoman
Margaret Tutweiler.  And London's Sunday Telegraph reported
in December that Syria's defense minister, Lt. Gen. Mustafa
Tlass, continues to bombard Princess Diana with love letters. 
His library is said to be decorated with her pictures and to
contain the world's largest collection of books about her. [Wall
Street Journal, May96] [Edmonton Sun-AP, 12-17-95] 

* In May, Monroe County (Tomkinsville, Ky.) judge and county
executive Mitchell Page urged officials to help make money for
the county by jailing fewer local criminals.  Said Page, "We
could hold more prisoners from Adair County [and charge $44 a
day for each one] if it wasn't for the local court system filling our
jail full." [Monroe County Citizen, 5-28-96] 

* Among the grossest problems created by the District of
Columbia's financial crisis is the condition of the city's morgue. 
The Washington Post reported in May that 74 bodies were
stockpiled because the crematorium (the only affordable disposal
method) is broken and that the city is backlogged with more than
200 autopsies and 400 toxicology analyses.  Furthermore,
reported the Post, in the autopsy rooms, the air conditioning is
broken, cockroaches run free on autopsy tables, the floor is
sticky with blood and other bodily fluids because drains are
clogged, and corpses are exposed in torn bodybags.  (And, of
course, there's the stench.) [Washington Post, 5-25-96] 

COURTROOM ANTICS

* In May in Narragansett, R. I., Kevin T. McGreevy was
sentenced to 20 days' home confinement for his second drunk-
driving conviction.  As usual, home confinement will be
monitored by an electronic bracelet that alerts authorities when
the subject strays more than 150 feet from his base.  Unknown to
the judge who imposed the sentence, McGreevy lives in an
apartment right above the Bon Vue Inn bar and nightclub, well
within the 150-foot zone. [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 5-31-96] 

* In May, the California Commission on Judicial Performance
recommended that Los Angeles County judge Norman Gordon be
censured for various inappropriate remarks to court employees,
including calling an Hispanic court clerk "the little Mexican" and
"peon," a Japanese-American stenographer "little Buddhahead," a
female judge "sow," and a female stenographer who was known
to be attempting to start a family with her husband as the "little
copulator." [Los Angeles Times, 5-17-96] 

* In May, Matthew Simmons, 21, had just been found guilty in
London, England, of threatening French soccer star Eric Cantona
when he leaped over a bench, grabbed the prosecutor in a
headlock, and tried to punch him, yelling all the while, "I am
innocent!  I promise!  I swear on the Bible!" [Houston Chronicle,
5-3-96] 

* In May, after prosecutor Michael Spivack waved his finger at
defense lawyer Howard Sohn one time too many in accusing him
of making inadmissible statements in the just-concluded closing
argument in a murder case, the two started wrestling.  At one
point, Sohn had Spivack in a headlock and was repeatedly
ramming his head against the jury room door while the jury was
inside deliberating.  According to Judge Victoria Platzer, jurors
were taking bets on the outcome of the match. [Miami Herald, 5-
21-96] 

GREAT ART

* The Wall Street Journal reported in March that New York City
photographer (and former Electrolux vacuum cleaner salesman)
Eugene Calamari Jr. is a part-time performance artist who lies on
the floor and lets people vacuum him with an upright cleaner,
after which he asks the vacuumers to write down their feelings. 
Calamari says, "A lot of people use each other and step on each
other's rights," and says his theme is "I won't let anyone do this
to me." [Wall Street Journal, 3-27-96] 

* Featured at the Donn Roll Contemporary museum in Sarasota,
Fla., in May and June was Charon Luebbers's Menstrual Hut, a
6-feet by 6-feet by 5-feet isolation booth to symbolize the
loneliness that society has forced upon menstruating women. 
Accompanying it were 28 paintings created by Luebbers's
pressing her face into whatever discharge was present in each of
the 28 days of her cycle one month, to show the contrast.
[Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 5-3-96]

* In March, former Andy Warhol protegee Brigid Berlin
continued her comeback with a New York City show for her 500-
page collection of phallic portraits contributed by people she met
(some famous, some not) at Warhol functions in the early 1970s. 
Also on display, from her first comeback show in 1995 were her
Tit Prints drawings (in toxic ink, using her nipples instead of a
brush), along with Penis Pillows (montages of porn-magazine
penises, photocopied, shredded, and stuffed into plastic pillows).
[Vanity Fair, March 1996] 

OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS

* USA Today reported in April on the problems caused by aging
zoo animals.  At the Phoenix (Ariz.) Zoo, orangutan Billy, age
35, gets laxatives and also cortisone for his aching back; a
cancerous growth was removed from the mouth of a rattlesnake;
a zebra gets ibuprofen for various pains; and a 33-year-old
donkey wears orthopedic shoes. [USA Today, 4-23-96] 

* Newsweek reported in January that Dr. Soraya Juarbe-Diaz of
Cornell University is developing a kitten personality test to help
prospective owners, eliciting cat responses to 13 stimuli including
prolonged petting, various toys, and the sight of dogs.
[Newsweek, 1-15-96] 

* The Edmonton (Alberta) Sun reported in June that researchers
will soon begin studying the effect of "alternative medicine"
treatments on dogs, cats, and horses that have such illnesses as
cancer or liver disease or kidney disease.  Among the treatments
being considered:  acupuncture, herbal remedies, and massage
therapy. [Edmonton Sun, 6-2-96] 

THE WEIRDO AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In March, Preston Lit, 47, was arrested as the suspected stalker
of Philadelphia news anchor Steve Levy.  Allegedly Lit followed
Levy around on assignments for three years and sent him what
Lit called "special gifts," such as car parts and mail stolen from
other people.  Lit once congratulated Levy on his ability to
"control the weather." [AP wirecopy, 3-20-96] 

* In April the Foothill Leader newspaper (La Crescenta, Calif.)
profiled local man Ludovit "Fanman" Salka, 77, prominent for
having waged a 28-year war against his neighbors, who he says
manufacture drugs in their houses.  In the beginning, he would
call the police, but after they repeatedly found no evidence of
drugs in any of the homes, they started arresting Salka. 
Nowadays, Salka is on his own, screeching at neighbors at all
hours of the day and night; he must yell to be heard over the roar
of a dozen industrial fans on his property, which he says are
necessary to blow away the drug fumes. [Foothill Leader, 4-3-
96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2676NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jul 26 1996 18:235
KGB GUIDEBOOK. A group of KGB veterans held a press conference in Moscow
on 24 July to launch a new book they have authored, "The KGB Guide to
Cities of the World,", NTV reported. Written for tourists, it reportedly
includes special vignettes on life as a spy in cities from New York to
Bangkok. -- Peter Rutland
79.2677ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerMon Jul 29 1996 13:452
    
    <---- would love to know how they rated Siberia.
79.2678dumb luckHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Jul 29 1996 19:1012
  Suspected drug buyer gets narcotics squad

   BEND, Ore. - A suspected drug buyer trying to reach his dealer via
   pager dialed a very wrong number. He got police. "At first, I thought
   it was some of the county guys playing a joke," said narcotics
   Detective Jim Porter. The caller identified himself as Wayne and said
   he needed a quarter-pound of green marijuana buds. Porter played
   along, arranging a meeting. When the detective met "Wayne," he
   arrested him. "What are the odds he makes a mistake, punches in the
   wrong number and out of 3,500 pagers in central Oregon, he would get a
   narc's pager?" Lt. Les Stiles said. "It's absolutely amazing."

79.2679NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 29 1996 19:129
ANGRY WIVES GROUND AIR FORCE REGIMENT. The wives of pilots in an air
force regiment near Kursk have been forming human chains on the runway
to protest the state's failure to pay their husbands' wages, Russian TV
(RTR) reported on 26 July. The men are owed about 6 billion rubles ($1.2
million). One woman said a divisional commander had told them that
criminal charges would be brought against them, AFP reported. Pilots'
wives have also been picketing a landing strip in Murmansk. Their
husbands have not been paid since May, according to RTR on 28 July. --
Penny Morvant
79.2680NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jul 29 1996 19:1353
WhiteBoard News for Friday, July 26, 1996 [excerpts]

Manchester, Connecticut:

Connie Potter keeps her love of animals close to her
heart.  Make that very close.

For four weeks, Potter has kept a baby opossum in her
bra as a substitute for its mother's pouch.

The opossum was orphaned when its mother was killed by
a car about four weeks ago.  Potter searched the
mother's pouch and found a lone survivor.

When opossums are born, they have to spend about 12
weeks in their mother's pouches, said Potter, a
certified animal rehabilitator at a children's museum.

Because the baby, named Lucy, was much younger than 12
weeks, Potter decided to use the only pouch she had. 
She carefully tucked the 2-inch-long animal in her bra,
where Lucy stayed nice and warm.

The animal squirmed only when it was time to eat or make
opossum potty.  Potter took her out to do both.  Potter
fed Lucy with a dropper, then tucked her back in.

One day, Lucy started squirming in the grocery store,
causing Potter's shirt to move.  The clerk asked what
was going on.

"I have a possum in my shirt," Potters said.

Lucy now lives in a knit cap inside a cage with a
heating pad.  She will be returned to the wild someday.
==========

Spearfish, South Dakota:

It's the drink of choice among discriminating
porcupines.  It's salty.  It's delicious.  It's brake
fluid.

So many of the pesky, prickly vermin have been sneaking
into one campground -- the Rod and Gun Campground in
Little Spearfish Canyon -- slipping under campers'
vehicles, gnawing through brake lines and draining them
dry that the U.S. Forest Service had to close the
campground last week.

There have been no accidents, but more than a dozen
vehicles have been damaged.  Experts say porcupines may
be drinking the stuff just for the taste of it.
79.2681ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerMon Jul 29 1996 20:112
    
    re porcupines. "Just for the taste of it, Diet Coke"
79.2682must be a northren thangHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Jul 30 1996 17:0410
   Canadians angered by woman who tied dog to car

   TORONTO - A woman who tied her Irish setter to a car bumper and
   dragged it down a gravel road says she never intended to hurt the
   animal, but Canadians expressed fury that the dog could be returned to
   its owner. Maureen Cook, 65, was charged Monday with causing
   unnecessary pain to an animal. In tears, she told reporters she had
   only been trying to cure her dog Holly of her habit of chasing cars.
   The dog suffered two broken legs and drag burns to 35% of her body.

79.2683POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennTue Jul 30 1996 17:192
    "Dreaming of the day from the joint you'll escape?
     You shouldn't have taken your dog for a scrape!"
79.2684oh dearPOWDML::HANGGELIWill Work For LatteTue Jul 30 1996 17:192
    
    
79.2685Ever think to check the mirror ?KAOFS::D_STREETTue Jul 30 1996 17:215
    The odd thing is she had LOTS of ribbons and such from dog shows she
    has had her dogs entered in. She has been turned into a villan, but it
    is probably a case of stupid is as stupid does.
    
    								Derek.
79.2686unpooching beyond the call of dutyGAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseTue Jul 30 1996 17:274
    
      She should be awarded the Lyndon Baines Johnson Medal.
    
      bb
79.2687DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Tue Jul 30 1996 18:2310
    
    
    	Obviously related to the elderly woman who refused
    	to pull over for the police because she thought they
    	were just a bunch of punks trying to cause trouble.
    
    	Talk about stupid.
    
    	She shouldn't get the dog back.
    
79.2688ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerTue Jul 30 1996 18:262
    
    Glenn is on a roll today.
79.2689RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerTue Jul 30 1996 18:277
    Nothing stupid about that -- there have been some rapes and other
    crimes committed by people disguised as cops.  Even some cops are now
    telling people to find a populated place or a police station to pull
    over in, especially late at night on some lonely place.
    
    I'd hate to try to use that as an excuse with LA cops though.  You're
    screwed sometimes no matter what you do.
79.2690SMURF::WALTERSTue Jul 30 1996 18:334
    So we tied him to the back of the car and took him for a scrape round
    to Dinsdale's...
    
                                                                     
79.2691POWDML::HANGGELIWill Work For LatteTue Jul 30 1996 18:335
    
    >Glenn is on a roll today.
    
    I prefer him in a white wine sauce with shallots mushrooms and garlic.
                  
79.2692POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennTue Jul 30 1996 18:5421
                     ___   ~----._
            _______     ~~---.__  `-.
        --~~       ~~-----.__   `-.  \
        _,--------------._   ~---. \  `.
      '~  _,------------. ~~-     `.\  |
     _,--~      _____    `        _____|_
         _,---~~          -----         `-.            /##
      ,-~   __,---~~--.       `._____,',--.`.        ,'##/
    ,' _,--~  __,----.          `  () '' ()' :    _,-' `#'
     ,~   _,-'   ,' ,--          `---' \ `.__,)--'     ,'
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    /  ,' ,-'    /               ' 8888888888,'   _|                 |
      /  /    /                 '  `888888888.`.  \    DINSDALE!!!!  |
     /  /  /      /            '    `888888888 |   |                 |
       '      /     /         '       `888888','   `._______________,'
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        /   /  /            '            ,-'
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79.2693SCASS1::BARBER_Aplease pass the dirtTue Jul 30 1996 19:031
    I see you've been into the Spaghettios again.
79.2694DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Tue Jul 30 1996 19:549
    
    	re: .2689  Goodwin
    
    	If you're responding to my note, maybe you don't know the
    	case I'm speaking of.  Without going into the details again
    	(it's all posted in here *somewhere*), the woman was driving
    	without her glasses, ignored the lights and the siren from
    	the cruiser and got cited for it.
    
79.2695RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerTue Jul 30 1996 20:038
    Well in that case ...
    
    Thought it was one of those cases where she was scared to stop because
    of time of day and isolation.
    
    It's amazing to me how many people will drive for a long way with fire
    trucks and other emergency vehicles on their tails, complete with
    sirens and lights.  Must be a lot of deaf+blind drivers out there.
79.2696ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerTue Jul 30 1996 20:224
    
    .2691
    
    That is a repeat debra. please try again.
79.2697PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Jul 30 1996 20:266
>         <<< Note 79.2693 by SCASS1::BARBER_A "please pass the dirt" >>>

>    I see you've been into the Spaghettios again.

	(belated) aagagagagag. ;>

79.2698SCASS1::BARBER_Aplease pass the dirtTue Jul 30 1996 20:371
    I made a funny!  And Lady Di acknowledged it!!  8)
79.2699DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Tue Jul 30 1996 23:255
>  Nothing stupid about that -- there have been some rapes and other
>  crimes committed by people disguised as cops.  Even some cops are now

I presume this does not include perps, disguised as cops, complete with
painted copcars, sirens, bubblegum machines, etc.
79.2700DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Tue Jul 30 1996 23:261
bugglegum snarf, BTW
79.2701RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerWed Jul 31 1996 11:1017
    >I presume this does not include perps, disguised as cops, complete
    >with painted copcars, sirens, bubblegum machines, etc.
    
    If I remember correctly, there have been some cases of pretend cops
    complete with official looking cars, lights, etc., attacking people. 
    Later turned out they weren't cops at all.  They weren't caught, and
    the real cops in the area broadcast warnings to women alone not to pull
    over even for cops except in safe areas with lights and people.  They
    promised to understand and follow someone to a safe place if they
    didn't want to pull over where they were.  Can't remember where that
    was, but it was in the paper.
    
    At my daughter's university in downtown Philadelphia, the area was so
    dangerous that they had after hours security police to escort people
    around campus.  One of the security police raped a coed.
    
    Some days ya just can't win.
79.2702ooh, that smellHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorWed Jul 31 1996 14:1914
  Giant, stinking flower blooms first time in 33 years

   LONDON - They held their breath for days, waiting for a gigantic
   flower to bloom for the fourth time this century. Then they held their
   noses. Botanists and curiosity-seekers who had been waiting since
   Monday were rewarded Wednesday with the flowering of a 10-foot-high
   titan arum plant that last bloomed 33 years ago. The huge, unfurling
   bloom filled a conservatory at Kew Gardens with an overwhelming odor
   variously described as being like rotten flesh, fish, and burnt sugar.
   The titan arum, the largest flower in the world, has bloomed only four
   times at Kew Gardens, in 1889, 1901, 1926 and 1963. The rare plants
   are more common in the forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is
   called "the corpse flower."

79.2703NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 31 1996 15:1173
WhiteBoard News for Monday, July 29, 1996 [excerpts]

Boise, Idaho:

Trout raised in Idaho's hatcheries are being sent to
school, because they don't know they're supposed to
enjoy those fast, slimy worms on anglers' hooks.

Trout raised by the state Fish and Game Department grow
up hooked on fishy junk food: little green pellets made
of fish meal and vegetable protein.

"They've never seen a worm in their life," said Jeff
Dillon, in charge of the department's trout education
project.

That creates a problem for anglers who try to catch
fish with nightcrawlers, the big earthworms widely used
as bait.

Before the training program, Dillon said, "It was
harder than heck to catch a fish with a nightcrawler."

But it's too expensive to feed only worms to hatchery
fish.  Worms cost $4 a pound, compared with pellets at
30 cents.

So the agency is putting some of its 9-inch to 12-inch
trout on shock diets, taking away the pellets and
tossing nightcrawlers into the fish-raising ponds.

At first, the fish are intimidated by the wriggly fare,
but they're given five days to grasp the new concept
before being released.

Dillon said the department doesn't want to be perceived
as favoring anglers who go after trout with live bait.

They just haven't found a way to teach trout to prefer
handmade artificial flies, he said.
==========

Pendleton, Oregon:

The extra few minutes it took a bumbling bank robber to
get to his car keys -- which he had locked inside his
getaway car -- were just what police needed.

As the robber panicked -- and then finally broke
through the car window with his gun -- tellers inside
the just-robbed U.S. Bank branch were able to scribble
down his license number and description of the car.

"I think I would have just given up and given the money
back," said Lt. Bill Stowell, referring to Friday's
incident.

The robber got his car started and sped away with
police in hot pursuit.  After a short but fast chase,
the 23-year-old man was captured and arrested.
==========

"Most heavy-metal songs are about chasing girls,
getting high or eating decayed flesh.  I just
jettisoned CD after CD until I found songs that I
really liked.  I'm doing 'Panama' by Van Halen, and
there's a line that says 'The on-ramp lead right to my
bedroom,' so I'm trying to get Eddie Van Halen's
permission to change it to something about 'head room'
or 'leg room.'"

Singer Pat Boone, 62, on his upcoming big-band album of
heavy-metal tunes and its headbanging creative challenges.
79.2704not so awesomeHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorWed Jul 31 1996 15:134
>Singer Pat Boone, 62, on his upcoming big-band album of
>heavy-metal tunes and its headbanging creative challenges.

This'll be something I'm sure to miss...
79.2705BUSY::SLABGo Go Gophers watch them go go go!Wed Jul 31 1996 15:563
    
    	Hmmm, that could be interesting.
    
79.2706MKOTS3::JOLLIMOREAlways a hoot!Wed Jul 31 1996 16:074
	due to be released in september.
	includes covers of deep purple, van halen, ozzie osborne, kiss ...
	
	i'll pass.
79.2707don't ax whyHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorWed Jul 31 1996 17:1812
  Woman takes ax to church belfry

   COMPTON BASSETT, England - Ask not Midge Mather for whom the bell
   tolls - it tolled once too often for her. Fed up with visitors ringing
   the church bells in this picturesque western England town, she took an
   ax to the 500-year-old church door this weekend and chopped down the
   belfry ropes. Mather said she felt remorse for what she did. But she
   also felt that, after repeated pleas to church elders over the years,
   she could no longer take the bells pealing 100 yards from her home.
   Before dawn Sunday, she spent 2 1/2 hours hacking through the church
   door with an ax; she then cut through the belfry ropes.

79.2708SMURF::MSCANLONa ferret on the barco-loungerWed Jul 31 1996 17:182
    Where's that topic for things that make you GAK?
    
79.2709NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 31 1996 17:211
The woman has bats in her belfry.
79.2710SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 31 1996 17:211
    She's a complete ding-a-ling.
79.2711CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Jul 31 1996 17:221
    Sounds like she was at the end of her rope.
79.2712ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerWed Jul 31 1996 17:332
    
    she was just clanging for attention.
79.2713BUSY::SLABGot into a war with reality ...Wed Jul 31 1996 17:363
    
    	Apparently the constant ringing finally took its toll.
    
79.2714CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowWed Jul 31 1996 17:368

 This whole string rings a bell..





79.2715SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 31 1996 17:371
    Will she appeal her conviction?
79.2716SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed Jul 31 1996 17:371
    How long are you idjits gonna carillon with this?
79.2717POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennWed Jul 31 1996 17:401
    I knew you would chime in.
79.2718SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 31 1996 17:401
    I've got a hunch we'll be ringing in the new year.
79.2719BUSY::SLABGot into a war with reality ...Wed Jul 31 1996 17:423
    
    	... singing "Auld Clang Syne"?
    
79.2720PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Jul 31 1996 17:435
>    I knew you would chime in.

	that's 'cuz he's a tailor.

79.2721SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 31 1996 17:454
    .2720 <applause>
    
    That one made me a clapper
    
79.2722POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennWed Jul 31 1996 17:481
    that's a switch.
79.2723SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 31 1996 17:522
    Late News:  Mather to be awarded no bell prize.
    
79.2724NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 31 1996 17:552
Fry her.  She starts out with property crimes like this, and next thing you
know, she murders an Avon lady.
79.2725SMURF::WALTERSWed Jul 31 1996 17:572
    Don't want to go to hell?
    Shouldn't have taken that liberty, belle.
79.2726Naked Hitchhiking... Is there anything women won't do?SCASS1::WISNIEWSKIADEPT of the Virtual Space.Wed Jul 31 1996 18:1112
    re: .2664
    
    Couple's naked hitchhiking fantacy thwarted by motorist..
    
    And Some of us are lucky if a woman would go out to dinner with us...
    
    This guy must be something else for a woman to hitchhike naked
    for him...
    
    JMHO
    
    John W.
79.2727NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jul 31 1996 18:141
Um, I think it was good for her too.
79.2728COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Jul 31 1996 21:051
I heard she found Lee Iacocca hanging upside down in the belfry.
79.2729NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 01 1996 17:1587
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, July 31, 1996 [excerpts]

Tijuana, Mexico:

If a two-headed infant survives through Thursday,
doctors say it is a good sign that a single heart can
serve two sets of lungs.

But even then, doctors don't know how the child will
fare as other shared internal organs attempt to work
for two spines, two stomachs and two heads.

The newborn, who was on a ventilator, was in critical
but stable condition Tuesday night.  The infant has
only one thorax, intestines and a single set of legs
and arms, said Dr. Fernando Ayala.

"They are not identical twins," Ayala said Tuesday. 
"They're similar-looking but not identical.  And
they're sort of a variety of Siamese, but in reality,
this is a two-headed baby."

The baby was born Friday at Tijuana's General Hospital. 
Sunday, the baby was moved to Notre Dame, a private
facility geared toward neonatology.

Separation surgery is out of the question, doctors
said.

The parents knew the baby was abnormal based on a
sonogram taken several days before the birth.  Born
weighing 7.5 pounds, the child was named Maria de Jesus
and Maria de Guadalupe.
==========

Yellowknife, Canada:

Soon there could be a new flag flying in Canada's
capitol.  Up there with Ontario, Alberta and British
Columbia: the banner of Bob.

Canada's Northwest Territories is set to split into two
in 1999.  The eastern half has already taken the name
Nunavut, an Inuit word meaning "our land."  When the
government of the western half called on its citizens
to rechristen their land, a group of revelers at a
barbecue started a grassroots campaign for the name
"Bob."

"It's simple to say.  It's easy to spell.  Bob's the
same in everyone's language," says Steve Tomkins, a
bartender in what would become Yellowknife, Bob.

The campaign for Bob relies on word of mouth and a
cheeky site on the World Wide Web that offers 10
reasons to vote for Bob.  Among them: "Government would
no longer be Big Brother, because 'Bob's your uncle!'" 
Also, "Bob is dyslexic-friendly."  Furthermore, "the
official sport could be bobsledding, the official
hairdo could be 'the bob.'"

Many citizens of the Northwest Territories, which takes
up one-third of Canada's landmass but has only 60,000
people, are receptive to the name.  While the vote for
the name won't be for another year, Bob is running
second to plain old Northwest Territories.  

Most businesses want to stick to the status quo so they
won't have to change signs and stationery -- though
others, including the Bobfathers, as they call
themselves, are opposed.  "The Northwest Territories is
not a name" but a "label in relation to Ottawa," said
Steven Kakfwi, a member of the local legislative
assembly, in a May speech.  At least 60 names have been
suggested, including Tundraland, Snobound and Eskimo Pie.

But not everyone is taking Bob in good humor.  Another
assemblyman, Michael Miltenberger, has claimed Bob
stands for "bottom of barrel" and is trying to expose
the Bobfathers' ringleaders, who started the campaign
anonymously.

Many think that no matter what the Northwest
Territories is called, it's still going to have a
problem.  "People don't know where the NWT is now,"
says Randy Hilworth, a hotel manager in Hay River. 
"They sure won't know where Bob is."
79.2730POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennThu Aug 01 1996 17:191
    Canadians are funny, eh?
79.2731Seems like adding insult to injuryDECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefThu Aug 01 1996 17:398
> Born weighing 7.5 pounds, the child was named Maria de Jesus
> and Maria de Guadalupe.
    
    One wonders what the response will be when, in the future, someone
    calls out "Maria?".  I'd have given them distinctly different names
    myself...
    
    Chris
79.2732COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Aug 01 1996 17:433
re .2728

autoexec.bat
79.2733CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Aug 01 1996 17:483

 hah!
79.2734NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 01 1996 18:041
Maria!  I just met a girl... two girls... no, _a_ girl named Maria!
79.2735POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennThu Aug 01 1996 18:061
    How do you solve a problem like Maria?
79.2736they call the wind MariaHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Aug 01 1996 18:070
79.2737BULEAN::BANKSThu Aug 01 1996 18:121
Once again, the "Wacky News Brief" is more depressing than Wacky.
79.2738ACISS1::BATTISFuture Chevy Blazer ownerThu Aug 01 1996 20:326
    
    Maria, Maria, I've just met a girl named maria, and suddenly I've found
    how wonderful a sound can be........ Maria, say it loud and there's
    music playing..... say it soft and its almost like praying.......
    
    Maria...
79.2739JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeThu Aug 01 1996 21:001
    Yeah but the wind was called moriah!
79.2740POWDML::HANGGELIWill Work For LatteThu Aug 01 1996 21:023
    
    It was just pronounced that way.
    
79.2741BIGQ::SILVAquince.ljo.dec.com/www/decplus/Thu Aug 01 1996 21:035
    <<< Note 79.2739 by JULIET::MORALES_NA "Sweet Spirit's Gentle Breeze" >>>

|  Yeah but the wind was called moriah!

	So Mariah is just a big wind? It explains a lot!
79.2742PleaseTINCUP::ague.cxo.dec.com::aguehttp://www.usa.net/~agueThu Aug 01 1996 21:545
Remember we're talking about a small, living human being here that is 
attempting to survive.  I don't see this as wacky, nor as something to be 
flip or humorous about.

-- Jim
79.2743Are Maria and Maria an "it" or a "she" or a "them"?COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Aug 01 1996 22:1010
re .2742

You mean it's not a choice?

You mean one possibly appropriate response should not be to smother it
before it has a chance to become aware of its new surroundings?

You mean they just cut off its mother's welfare for being two over the limit?

/john
79.2744BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughThu Aug 01 1996 22:564
    
    	I know you were trying to be flip in a non-humorous way, John,
    	but that was rather non-non-humorous to me.
    
79.2745MPGS::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketFri Aug 02 1996 14:248
    Well, I assume "they" are both named Maria because (in a sense)
    they are one baby, but the ...de Jesus and ...de Guadalupe are
    used to acknowledge the, uh, differences.
    
    But I admit the first thing that struck me was "This is my brother
    Darrell and this is my other brother Darrell"  :-}
    
    Leslie
79.2746need a_over/under hereHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorFri Aug 02 1996 14:261
I wonder how many souls them Marias have...
79.2747The issue is, are they one kid or two? I say two.DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefFri Aug 02 1996 14:3418
> Remember we're talking about a small, living human being here that is 
> attempting to survive.  I don't see this as wacky, nor as something to be 
> flip or humorous about.
    
    Yes... and if you look at my reply which may have started this thread,
    I was actually (for once) expressing a legitimate concern.  If you were
    a parent that had the unfortunate experience of having Siamese twins
    (which this case is a kind of variation of), would you give each kid
    the same name?  What in the world would possess someone to do that?
    Did they think it was "cute", kind of like dressing up identical twins
    in matching clothing until they're old enough to vote?
    
    I don't know if the medical powers-that-be consider this to be one kid
    or two, but as far as I'm concerned, it's two.  Two heads, two brains,
    two personalities... two kids, who should get two distinct names.  God
    knows it's going to be difficult enough on them, if they even survive.
    
    Chris
79.2748LANDO::OLIVER_Bit's about summer!Fri Aug 02 1996 14:441
    hopefully, they won't survive.
79.2749maybe, maybe notGAAS::BRAUCHERWelcome to ParadiseFri Aug 02 1996 14:5211
    
      The two-headed snake with the name IM has lived for years in
     captivity.  (I recall IM stands for Instinct, the left head,
     and Mind, the right one).  The two heads fight over mouse
     carcasses, but no matter which mouth swallows it, the food
     merges to the same digestive tract a couple of inches down the
     body.  The lungs and respiratory systems are shared.  Both heads
     react to nerves stimulated in the tail.  I believe IM is housed
     at the University of Colorado.
    
      bb 
79.2750PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Aug 02 1996 15:138
> Born weighing 7.5 pounds, the child was named Maria de Jesus
> and Maria de Guadalupe.

>            <<< Note 79.2731 by DECWIN::RALTO "Jail to the Chief" >>>
>                    -< Seems like adding insult to injury >-

	Actually, it seems deeply religious and purposeful to me,
	but that's just a hunch.
79.2751EVMS::MORONEYJFK committed suicide!Fri Aug 02 1996 18:406
>    hopefully, they won't survive.

I saw a clip on TV about a girl/girls that sounded similar (two heads but
shared nearly everything), except they/she were about 5 now.  They seemed
quite happy and seemed to get around pretty good, and when asked they said
they would never want to be separated even if it was possible.
79.2752LANDO::OLIVER_Bit's about summer!Fri Aug 02 1996 18:485
    |and when asked they said
    |they would never want to be separated even if it was possible.
    
    that's very heartwarming.  which head said it first, or 
    did both heads say it in unison?
79.2753HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comSat Aug 03 1996 00:157
    RE: .2748

>    hopefully, they won't survive.

    Yeah, it would be really bad if one did and the other didn't.  

    -- Dave
79.2754NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 05 1996 14:33129
WEIRDNUZ.440 (News of the Weird, July 12, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* In March, a Washington state physicians' agency filed charges
of unprofessional conduct against county coroner Dexter Amend
of Spokane, citing among other things his preoccupation against
homosexuality.  (For example, he allegedly halted the cremation
of an AIDS victim to demand an autopsy of the rectum and asked
the mother of a 16-year-old girl shot to death whether the girl had
ever been sodomized by gang members.)  He also routinely lists
as his favorite--though undiagnosed--cause of death, "alcoholic
fatty liver."  And in May, the county coroner in Tacoma, Wash.,
was fired for encouraging his staff to make sexual jokes about
corpses and dead people's sex organs and allowing photographs
of prominent persons' corpses to be circulated around the office.
[New York Times, 3-31-96][Seattle Times, 5-29-96] 

* On June 9, rock climber Reza Zand, 35, had to be rescued by a
volunteer search team on a 300-foot cliff near Castaic, Calif.,
where he got stuck while studying peregrine falcons.  He was
admonished for being poorly prepared and then released.  On
June 13, a fire department search and rescue team was called to
get Zand, once again lacking sufficient rope, down from the very
same spot. [Santa Clarita Signal, 6-11-96, 6-14-96] 

* Perhaps the most satisfied customer of penile enlargement
surgery among those interviewed by a Wall Street Journal
reporter for a June story on the phalloplasty business was Los
Angeles print shop entrepreneur Frank Whitehead, who said his
new length and thickness "has changed my whole outlook on
life."  Said Whitehead, "I go out on a limb more than I did
before with business.  Now [when] I go into business meetings,
I'm thinking, 'If you guys had just half of what I have.'" [Wall
Street Journal, 6-6-96] 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

* Despite appeals by their more-mainstream leaders, about 4,000
Shiite Muslims in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, slashed their heads with
swords and razors in May in the annual self-flagellation
celebration of the revered 7th century saint Hussein, the grandson
of the Prophet Mohammed. [Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader-AP,
5-28-96] 

* In December, shown on a TBS network documentary on
entrepreneurialism in China ("China: The Wild East") were
maidens on horseback dressed in Tang Dynasty costumes and
playing "horse basketball" (which is, of course, conventional
basketball but with players on horseback). [New York Times, 12-
25-95] 

* In January, the New York Times profiled physician Rubens
Faria, Jr., the latest in a line of Brazilians who claim to possess
the soul of "Dr. Fritz," an inexplicably meaningful German
physician who died during World War I, and who is said to have
had magical healing powers.  On a typical day, 800 people will
wait up to 14 hours in line for an "office visit" that might last 
just
30 seconds. [New York Times, 1-12-96] 

* In April, a rabbi in London, England, granted estranged wife
Rachel David a "nidui" in her quest to pressure her husband
Moses David for a divorce.  The "nidui" forbids observant Jews
from speaking to Moses or coming within six yards of him.  So
far, despite the pressure, Moses has refused to grant Rachel a
"get," which means that she cannot have a religious divorce and
that her subsequent children will be regarded as illegitimate.
[Independence (Mo.) Examiner-AP, 4-25-96] 

* Ms. Hind Abderrahim Mohamed, 17, was recently raped by a
stranger on the street in Cairo, Egypt.  Under the circumstances,
the man has one chance of avoiding prison:  Under Egyptian law,
he cannot be punished if the victim agrees to marry him, and in
February, she did. [Reuters wirecopy, 2-8-96]

* In April, a court in Hebei province in China found
nightwatchman Qi Minggin, 61, guilty of making 180 long-
distance calls on his employer's telephone and sentenced him to
life in prison. [Reuters wirecopy, 4-26-96] 

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES 

* Mark Steele, a Massachusetts candidate for the U. S. House, is
on probation for setting a business afire to collect insurance
payments (and as part of his platform lectures voters to take
greater personal responsibility). [Boston Globe-AP, 6-5-96] 

* Bill Yellowtail, running for the U. S. House from Montana,
was revealed to have had his Montana state senate pay docked in
the 1980s for child-support payments and to have kept secret his
expulsion from Dartmouth College for burglary convictions.
[Rocky Mountain News-AP, 6-1-96] 

* State Sen. Charles Davidson, who had announced for a U. S.
House seat in Alabama, dropped out after flak from a floor
speech in May in which he defended slavery as ordained by God.
[Northwest Florida Daily News, 5-10-96] 

* Bill Levinger, challenging Idaho's militia-defending U. S. Rep.
Helen Chenoweth in the primary, appeared on a public-affairs
show TV show in April, stripped down to his underwear, offered
the host $5,000 for a kiss, and played with a toy elephant and
rolls of $100 bills. [Washington Post, 4-22-96] 

WON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER

* The Columbia (Mo.) Tribune reported in May on Curryville,
Mo., Amish farmer Noah Schwartz, whom his wife divorced
outside the faith in 1983 but who refuses to acknowledge that she
is no longer his wife.  While waiting for her to return, Schwartz
files income taxes as "married, filing separately."  He was in jail
at the time of the interview because he refuses to pay child
support. [Columbia Daily Tribune, 5-17-96] 

* Engineering professor Valery Fabrikant, serving a life sentence
for shooting to death four colleagues at Concordia University in
Canada in 1992, continues his professional publishing career
from prison.  His latest article, "Complete Solution to the
Problem of an External Circular Crack in a Transversely
Isotropic Body Subjected to Arbitrary Shear Loading," appeared
in a recent issue of the International Journal of Solids and
Structures, and Fabrikant requested that comments be addressed
to him in prison. [Frank magazine (Canada), 4-10-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2755NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 05 1996 14:3648
WhiteBoard News for Friday, August 02, 1996 [excerpts]

Denver, Colorado:

Who would have thought that blowing your nose could be
fatal?  It could have been for Nicolas Villarruel, 29,
of Denver after a machine blew up on Monday at the
plant where he worked and lodged a dangerous explosive
charge in his nose.  

The machine loads a charge equal to five M-80
firecrackers into a small device that activates vehicle
air bags. But the device, called an initiator, became
stuck in the man's nose when the machine exploded.  

He was escorted to a hospital by the Arapaho County
sheriff's office bomb squad and was operated on partly
under water because the initiator is activated by air. 
"We were all on edge," Dr. Michael Gordon told the
Rocky Mountain News. Had the trigger exploded, the man
-- and some around him -- could have been killed.  

Gordon and a member of the bomb squad wore lead-lined
gowns during the delicate operation, which was
successful. The man was released from the hospital this
week.
==========

Washington, District of Columbia:

The Federal Aviation Administration this week directed
freight-forwarding companies -- which ship tons of
cargo on passenger planes -- to follow new, stricter
security standards.  But some of those standards are
striking experts as almost comical.

The major change: The freight forwarder must get the
person or company sending the package to sign a
certificate saying the package doesn't contain a bomb.

There are no new provisions for screening packages.

"That's essentially worthless," said Frank McGuire, a
security consultant in Maryland.

Neil Silver, who owns a freight-forwarding company in
New York City, said, "I don't think many bombers put
down that they're shipping a bomb."
79.2756Elvis lives!~HBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Aug 05 1996 14:5256
79.2757Bozo in Hall of FameHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Aug 05 1996 14:5841
                                      
                      Clown Hall of Fame inducts Bozo
                                      
                               August 4, 1996
                        Web posted at: 6:30 a.m. EDT
                                      
      DELAVAN, Wisconsin (CNN) -- The Clown Hall of Fame added another
     member Saturday: Bob Bell, who played Bozo the Clown on WGN-TV in
                           Chicago for 25 years.
                                      
     Larry Harmon began to market Bozo nationally in the mid- 1950s. In
     1959, Bozo came to WGN-TV; Bell portrayed the clown on a 30-minute
             show consisting of one-man sketches and cartoons.
                                      
   The program went off the air in 1960 and returned as "Bozo's Circus."
      Bell donned ample circus greasepaint, a fiery red wig and flashy
   clothes for the character. He brought the clown to national prominence
   when WGN began broadcasting via satellite in 1978 and continued until
                          his retirement in 1984.
                                      
   Since 1961, the show's title has changed several times. It is now "The
             Bozo Super Sunday Show" and airs Sunday mornings.
                                      
      Bell once said, "I love my work and enjoy making children laugh.
           Laughter cannot be imitated. It comes from the heart."
                                      
    The Clown Hall of Fame was founded in 1986 for the preservation and
                         advancement of clown art.
                                      
    The first inductees were Red Skeleton, Lou Jacobs, Emmett Kelly Sr.,
     Mark Anthony, Felix Abler and Otto Griebling. Since then, 30 more
    clowns have been added, including Bob Kesshan, TV's first Clarabell,
    and another star from WGN's "Bozo Show," Roy "Cooky the Cook" Brown.
                                      
    The Hall of Fame has a "Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award." The
    award has gone to Harmon and Willard Scott, who played Bozo and was
   the first Ronald McDonald before becoming the "Today Show" weatherman.
                                      
      The Clown Hall of Fame is in Delavan, Wisconsin, about 45 miles
                           southeast of Madison.
                                      
79.2758BUSY::SLABDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Mon Aug 05 1996 15:103
    
    	Is Bob Bell still around?
    
79.2759Near Baraboo?NQOS01::s_coghill.dyo.dec.com::S_CoghillLuke 14:28Mon Aug 05 1996 15:534
>      The Clown Hall of Fame is in Delavan, Wisconsin, about 45 miles
>                           southeast of Madison.

Is this anywhere near Baraboo?  It would seem fitting.
79.2760NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 06 1996 14:148
MUSLIMS ATTACK "SERBS." A Muslim crowd of about 100 persons, mainly
women and teenagers, blocked a UN-protected convoy in Ilidza on 4
August. The International Police Task Force (IPTF) was attempting to
escort what the Muslims believed to be two busses of Serbian civilians
wanting to return to the Sarajevo suburb of Osjek. The Muslims damaged
IPTF vehicles with bricks and rocks, and a UN translator was slightly
injured, news agencies reported. The busses turned out, however, to be
carrying Muslims.
79.2761a laugh riotHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Aug 06 1996 14:431
Oh those wacky Serbs and Muslims...
79.2762potbelliesHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Aug 06 1996 18:0313
  Bombay police fight battle of the bulge

   NEW DELHI, India - Policemen in Bombay have guts - lots, in fact. And
   that, their chief says, is the problem. Alarmed at the increasing
   girth of many policemen, the city's police chief rounded up 110
   officers for a day-long "potbellies seminar" on physical fitness, the
   Times of India newspaper reported Tuesday. "Photographs in the press
   of potbellied policemen have brought a bad name for the force," police
   Chief V.N. Deshmukh was quoted as saying. "They are also indicative of
   poor health." Two doctors lectured the officers on physical fitness
   and nutrition. One doctor even had a 210-pound policeman stand atop
   her washboard stomach as she did abdominal crunches.

79.2763POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennTue Aug 06 1996 18:111
    I don't suppose they're called "pigs" over there eh?
79.2764what will they think of next?WAHOO::LEVESQUEand your little dog, too!Wed Aug 07 1996 18:2332
       One of the most extraordinary compact dics ever released in 
    Europe in now available in the United States. 'Sound of Wine', 
    featuring "music" produced by 11 different 1995-vintage 
    fermenting wines, creates the perfect atmosphere for private 
    home wine samplings, restaurant wine dinners, and winery 
    and/or store tasting rooms.
       Fermentation involves yeast converting grape sugar into 
    alcohol and carbon dioxide, a process which creates a variety 
    of intriguing "noises", which celebrated Austion winemaker 
    Willi Opitz recorded in 1995. Over 1,000 CDs were sold within 
    the first week of release in Austria. Willi Opitz is the first 
    wine producer ever known to sign a recording contract with a 
    major record company (Polygram).
       Forget other Polygram artists like Elton John, Van Morrison, 
    U2, and Bob Marley. Now you can thrill to a rhythmic Opitz One 
    Red Trockenbeerenauslese, meditate to the subterranean Muskat 
    Ottonel Spaetlese Trocken, or eavesdrop on a Gruener Veltliner 
    Trockenbeerenauslese, which produces a sound resembling the 
    natter of aliens. Rose Madame and Schilfmandl are almost 
    conversational. McLaren Saemling Trockenbeerenauslese is 
    hypnotic. Pinot Blanc Spaetlese Trocken suggests Japanese flute 
    music. All recordings have been digitally mixed and mastered by 
    Paul Passler.
       The CD comes beautifully packaged with a vinorell (wine-not 
    water-based painting) by Opitz brother-in-law, artist JH 
    Teltschik.
       Sound of Wine will be available at fine wine and record 
    stores throughout the U.S. or directly from the U.S. 
    distributor: WaVES Marketing, P.O. Box 946, Pasadena CA 
    91102-0946. Suggested Retail Price: $29.95. 
    Info: great@wineday.com   
    
79.2765JHAXP::VULLOSimplify &amp; DeliverWed Aug 07 1996 18:253
    >> 'Sound of Wine'
    
    the ::DIGITAL Bonus note
79.2766RE: .2764BUSY::SLABAs you wishWed Aug 07 1996 18:265
    
    	I truly wish you were kidding.
    
    	[People tell me I have bad taste in CD's!!]
    
79.2767POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennWed Aug 07 1996 18:281
    I'd be hard pressed to listen to one.
79.2768WECARE::GRIFFINJohn Griffin zko1-3/b31 381-1159Wed Aug 07 1996 18:302
    
    And only $29.95.
79.2769CNTROL::JENNISONIt's all about soulWed Aug 07 1996 18:473
    
    	Vino where this is headed!
    
79.2770POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennWed Aug 07 1996 18:591
    It's not good to keep it all bottled up.
79.2771NUBOAT::HEBERTCaptain BlighWed Aug 07 1996 19:011
        Vell, vat did you expect?
79.2772CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowWed Aug 07 1996 19:033

 Put a cork in it!
79.2773BIGQ::SILVAquince.ljo.dec.com/www/decplus/Wed Aug 07 1996 19:071
where's corky????
79.2774POLAR::RICHARDSONPerpetual GlennWed Aug 07 1996 19:081
    He's a case.
79.2775CNTROL::JENNISONIt's all about soulWed Aug 07 1996 20:193
    
    	Please, can we crush this pun string ?
    
79.2776ACISS2::LEECHWed Aug 07 1996 20:341
    Stop wineine already.
79.2777wacky ol' Rodney KingHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Aug 08 1996 16:0011
  Rodney King fails to appear at hit-and-run sentencing

   ALHAMBRA, Calif. - Rodney King's lawyer took the blame for his
   client's failure to appear at a scheduled sentencing for hit-and-run
   Tuesday. Edi M.O. Faal, King's attorney, told Judge Michael Kanner
   he'd given his client the wrong date to appear. King, 31, was
   convicted July 11 of the misdemeanor charge filed after his wife was
   knocked over as he drove off during an argument a year ago. Kanner
   rescheduled sentencing for Aug. 21. The maximum penalty is one year in
   jail and a $1,000 fine.
  
79.2778CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Aug 08 1996 20:564


 That crazy nut!  What's he gonna do next?
79.2779Ride the Wild RodneyHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorThu Aug 08 1996 21:023
Jim,

I think he's about ready for his own sitcom, prolly on Fox.
79.2780NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 09 1996 14:24145
WEIRDNUZ.441 (News of the Weird, July 19, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Technology to Make Golf Less Laborious:  Two Fremont,
Calif., men obtained a patent recently for a golf club that will
fire a ball up to 250 yards by detonation of an explosive charge in
the club head.  (The club is not expected to be approved for
tournament play.)  And in April, a Houston, Tex., man obtained
a patent for a cup that goes inside a golf hole and periscopes up
after the ball goes in so that the golfer does not have to bend
down to retrieve it. [New York Times, 7-1-96; Sports Illustrated,
5-13-96] 

* Anal-Compulsive Criminals:  Two men who broke out of a jail
in Rutland, Vt., in May were captured a week later, done in
when police recovered a "things to do" list they had made to
guide them in a post-escape robbery.  In Dallas, Tex., in May,
Travis Crabtree, 15, was indicted for murder, done in by a list of
instructions he had written to himself for a robbery, including a
reminder to kill the victim, which he allegedly did.  In January in
San Antonio, Tex., Jonathan Blaine Downey, 26, was sentenced
to 10 years in prison for assembling fertilizer bombs to kill his
enemies, done in when police found his list of 17 targets. [San
Jose Mercury News-AP, 6-5-96] [USA Today, 5-17-96] [San
Antonio Express-News, 1-11-96] 

* Two girls at the Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock,
Ark., were not permitted at their graduation ceremony in May
because of a school ruling barring pregnant students.  Girls who
have had abortions are not barred from the ceremony. [USA
Today, 5-29-96] 

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

* In March, Sunrise, Fla., police Sgt. Mark Byers filed a lawsuit
against Jane Liberatore, a woman whom he rescued in the line of
duty from an abusive husband.  Byers suffered a permanently
warped hand by smashing through a door after the husband had
killed Liberatore's boyfriend and was about to attack her, and
wants compensation because Liberatore's immorality put him in
jeopardy.  Said Byers's lawyer, "When you cheat on your
husband and create the potential for murder [and] a police officer
is injured as a result, you make your own bed, and you have to
sleep in it." [St. Francois County (Mo.) Press-Advertiser-AP, 3-
28-96] 

* In January, Jacquelynne Stafford filed a $300,000 lawsuit
against the White Marsh (Md.) YMCA because a runner crashed
into her at 2nd base during a league softball game, breaking her
collarbone, when league rules require the runner to slide.  In
response to Stafford's lawsuit, the YMCA then sued the runner,
his manager, the umpire, and the company that paid for the
team's T-shirts for not assuring that the sliding rule was adhered
to. [Washington Times, 1-30-96] 

* Diana J. Nagy filed a lawsuit in Charleston, W. Va., against
the manufacturer of the golf cart from which her husband fell to
his death after he had been drinking during a tournament at the
Berry Hills Country Club.  She claimed the cart ought to have
had seat belts and doors.  Mrs. Nagy's son was driving the cart
so she also sued him. [Tampa Tribune-AP, 6-13-96] 

* In May, the U. S. Supreme Court rejected the claim made in
1992 by Ms. Bobby June Griggs that South Carolina Electric and
Gas Company owes her for a nervous breakdown she suffered. 
Griggs entered a rice-recipe cook-off but became stressed and had
to seek psychiatric help when the company, against her wishes,
subsequently published the recipes of all contest entrants. [Miami
Herald, 5-23-96] 

* In March, a woman filed a lawsuit against Israel's Channel 2
and its weatherman Danny Rup for about $1,000 because of an
erroneous forecast.  Rup had predicted sun, and the subsequent
rainstorm, said the woman, caused her flu and resulted in four
days' missed work and $38 in medications. [Arlington (Va.)
Journal, 3-18-96]

* In January, Kevin McGuinness, who flunked out of the
University of New Mexico medical school, filed a lawsuit
accusing the school of failing to accommodate him under the
Americans with Disabilities Act.  McGuinness said his disability
is that he is very anxious when he takes exams and consequently
doesn't do very well on them. [Albuquerque Journal, 1-4-96] 

* David Earl Dempsey, 37, filed a lawsuit against Pima County
(Ariz.) and state officials in February for injuries suffered when
he hit the concrete after his bedsheet had become unfastened as
he jumped out a jailhouse window trying to hang himself.  (He
had been arrested for mugging a woman, for which he was later
convicted; Dempsey succeeded on a second suicide attempt
shortly after filing the lawsuit.)  [Arizona Daily Star, 2-17-96] 

AWESOME, DUDE!!!

* In June, Bob Ringewold, 43, was driving with a friend in
Holland, Mich., when the roof of his car was dented by a 5-lb.
sucker fish that fell from the sky.  (It had fallen from the talons
of an eagle that couldn't hold it, and Ringewold took it home.)
[Detroit Free Press, 6-15-96] 

* A man stole a 10-ton tractor from a construction lot in York,
Neb., in June, and, as a police cruiser blocked his exit, merely
drove directly over the car, crushing it.  (There were no injuries.) 
And in a June major apartment house renovation in Baltimore,
Md., a construction worker accidentally drove his tractor off of
the fifth floor (but received only minor injuries). [Greensboro
News Record, Jun96] [USA Today, 6-25-96] 

* In April, convicted murderer Gene Travis escaped from the
maximum security prison in Cranston, R. I., by hiding in a
garbage truck, but he failed to escape from the truck soon enough
and was compacted with the driver's first load.  (He survived and
was captured, but the garbage-hauling company had previously
said no one could survive a compacting.) [Providence Journal-
Bulletin, 5-21-96] 

* On May 6 in Escondido, Calif., a wrecking ball came loose
from a crane traveling on an overpass and rolled away and down
to the freeway below as the crane kept on going.   A van drove
over the cable connecting the ball with the crane, and the cable
wrapped itself around the van's rear axle.  In a few seconds, the
cable was pulled taut, causing the van to spin around like a top,
then be hurled straight up into the bottom of the overpass.  (The
van's driver was hospitalized.) [San Diego Union Tribune, 5-7-
96] 

UPDATE

* Artist Todd Alden made News of the Weird in October 1993
after he asked 400 art collectors to deliver to him in cans samples
of their feces for a display.  In May 1996, Alden's show
featuring 81 such cans was scheduled to open in Manhattan, but
the New York Observer revealed Alden's claim to be a hoax in
that only one collector had actually contributed as instructed.  (It
was not revealed what was in the other 80 cans or why even one
collector had complied with Alden's request.)  Said Alden,
"There is a whole subtext to this that is between me and my
therapist." [San Francisco Chronicle-New York Observer, 5-23-
96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2781POWDML::HANGGELIWill Work For LatteFri Aug 09 1996 17:2440
     Man With Too Much Testosterone Charged With
     Stealing Women's Underwear

     By Associated Press, 08/09/96

     VERNON, Conn. (AP) - The testosterone made him do
     it.

     That was the argument made by a lawyer
     representing a 22-year-old convicted bra thief.

     Derrick J. Musson was sentenced in Superior Court
     on Wednesday to three years in prison and five
     years probation following the latest underwear
     robbery at a neighbor's Vernon home.

     His lawyer, Leo Flaherty, said Musson suffers from
     a hormone imbalance, with testosterone levels 39
     percent higher than the average male.

     But the judge said Musson - who does not take
     medication for his imbalance - poses a threat to
     society.

     Musson was convicted of breaking into his
     neighbor's home on three occasions last fall and
     stealing bras and photographs from the neighbor's
     daughter. Prosecutor Sandra Tullius said Musson
     used the underwear for sexual gratification.

     Musson pleaded under the Alford doctrine, under
     which the defendant does not admit guilt but
     acknowledges the state has enough evidence to win
     a conviction.

     He accepted a plea bargain for three counts of
     third-degree burglary and three counts of
     sixth-degree larceny.

79.2782BUSY::SLABThailboat!!Fri Aug 09 1996 17:463
    
    	Shouldn't that be "woman's underwear"?
    
79.2783COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Aug 09 1996 21:4782
79.2784BUSY::SLABThe Recall of the WildFri Aug 09 1996 22:213
    
    	I hope the kid wins, if only to teach Pepsi a lesson.
    
79.2785THEMAX::SMITH_SRIP-08/30/96Fri Aug 09 1996 22:401
    It may end up teaching us ALL a lesson if he wins
79.2786NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 12 1996 13:443
Woman in Maryland fed her husband lead powder for a year.  He got sick,
she looked after him, taking him to doctors, hospital, supposedly giving
him his medicine.  He wasn't dying fast enough, so she shot him.
79.2787ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 KTS is TOO slowMon Aug 12 1996 14:0012
    re: .2783
    
    >Any U.S. military aircraft must be "demilitarized" before it can be
    >sold to a member of the public, Bacon said, and that means it would be
    >stripped of its armament and rendered unable to fly.
    
    This is wrong.  Obviously Bacon has never been to an airshow.  There is
    an A4 Skyhawk and other ex-military aircraft based less than 1 mile
    from where I sit and they most certainly do fly.
    
    Bob
    
79.27885 minute probationHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Aug 12 1996 14:1112
  Assault leads to five-minute probation (it's not a typo)

   HARRISBURG, Pa. - Michael Fulkroad came home the other day, found his
   girlfriend in bed with another man. He beat up the other man - Greg
   Cook - then turned himself in. He went to court and was sentenced ...
   to five minutes probation. Yes, that's five minutes. ''I'm not saying
   I condone violent behavior,'' Common Pleas Judge Scott A. Evans said.
   But he added: ''If I go to some other guy's house and sleep with his
   significant other - I don't know what people expect.'' Fulkroad
   punched Cook in the mouth, threw him against a wall and chased him out
   of the house. Cook needed 32 stitches.

79.2789BUSY::SLABThe new phone book's here!!Mon Aug 12 1996 14:293
    
    	Even wackier would be if he'd somehow violated the probation.
    
79.2790could've happenedHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Aug 12 1996 14:353
>    	Even wackier would be if he'd somehow violated the probation.

Like punching the guy again in court...
79.2791Girl who murdered her parents, grandparents goes scot freeEDSCLU::JAYAKUMARMon Aug 12 1996 15:0065
Girl who murdered her parents, grandparents
goes scot free 

From Prasanta Paul
Deccan Herald News Service
CALCUTTA, Aug 11
At 16, she never knew that she would be acquitted if she gave her consent to
become a state witness in a quadruple murder case in which she too was an
active accomplice. When the additional district judge in Barasat, about 45
km from the city, finally acquitted her of the charge of the murders
committed in 1991, she could hardly believe that having been acquitted by
the court of law, she would be granted a reprieve by the court of the people.
A shower of abuse, brickbats, empty cans and coconut shells greeted her as
she stepped out and yet she took it all in her stride.

Meet Sudipa Pal at 21, now a heady lady with little remorse left in her heart,
though she would win anybody with her sham appearance that has
effectively concealed the crime she committed five years ago - colluding
with her tutor Randhir Bose in a heinous act of poisoning to death her
parents, grandma and grandpa in her house on the fringe of the city with the
sole aim of furthering her illicit relation with the tutor.

The district judge, P N Chakraborty, while delivering the judgement on
Friday, stated that without Sudipa`s confession and her subsequent
consenting to be the state witness, the law could not have taken its due
course and convicted the tutor and the chemist, Krishnendu Jana (who
supplied the poison), to death by hanging for murdering helpless, defenceless
couples in cold blood.

That the 10,000-strong crowd did not accept the judgement which set
Sudipa free despite her role in the murder was strikingly evident outside the
court premises as they booed and jeered at her for turning a state witness to
avert severe punishment. Many were seen spitting at her as she was trying to
board the prison van at the end of the session. Very few could reconcile to
the fact that it was Sudipa who gave the sweets to her father and grand
parents despite knowing fully well that they were poisoned. The court
premises have been littered with posters demanding strong punishment for
her and some of them said: ''She should not be allowed to escape from
punishment for her crime by feigning innocence now,`` ''We want
exemplary punishment for Sudipa,`` etc.

Throughout the period of delivering the judgement, she sat motionless
without responding to occasional remarks thrown at her from the audience
that was baying for her blood. The judge said Randhir had drawn up a plan
to eliminate the entire family and grab her property and he was aided in his
design by the chemist who provided the poison. The macabre nature of
death left no room other than a death sentence for the accused. Aware that
media glare and TV cameras were zooming in on her, she initially refused to
reply to newsmen`s queries and covered her face with a dupatta, but finally
mustered courage to respond, ''How do you think I will be happy at the
judgement when my entire family has been ruined. They will not come back
from the dead.``

She would not, however, reveal to the media where she would stay after her
release as her neighbours have already vowed not to allow Sudipa to live in
the locality. Although the judge stated that Sudipa, being the only child of
her parents, would inherit all the property, it is doubtful if she could visit her
place without a police escort. Residents have barricaded the approach point
of Sudipa`s house at Noapara.

However, the tutor who broke down after the verdict, accused Sudipa of
falsely implicating him in the case. ''I have taught her for several years and
this is what I have received from her in return.``

Main Page
79.2792CNTROL::JENNISONIt's all about soulMon Aug 12 1996 15:228
    
    	Chakraborty
    	Chakraborty
    	oh chak chak chak
    	chak chak chak
    	Chakraborty
    
    
79.2793SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Aug 12 1996 16:0411
    .2787
    
    >> Any U.S. military aircraft must be "demilitarized"...
    >
    > This is wrong.  Obviously Bacon has never been to an airshow.
    
    You're the one who is mistaken.  Bacon did not say, because to do so
    would be to lie, that the aircraft must be rendered into such a
    condition that it will never again be flyable.  Removing the engine
    renders a fighter jet unable to fly but does not preclude the
    installation of a replacement engine.
79.2794competition of the decadeHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Aug 12 1996 16:5623
   
                       Hairdressers try to make the cut
                            in world championships
                                       
     August 11, 1996
     Web posted at: 5:30 p.m. EDT
     
     WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Think of it as the Olympics of hairdressing.
     Stylists from more than 30 countries are gathering this week for a
     chance to compete in the 1996 World Championship of Hairdressing.
     
     In the world of hair, this is serious business. Men's, women's and
     students' teams will chop and crop their way through the
     competition comprised of three different styling tests.
     
     Organizers are calling it "the competition of the decade for the
     cosmetology industry."
     
     "We are working well together and are supportive of one another. I
     believe we have a good chance to win the gold," said Andrea
     Turrisi, trainer for the U.S. Gents Team.
     
     Hairworld '96 runs through Tuesday.
79.2795LANDO::OLIVER_Bit's about summer!Mon Aug 12 1996 17:0314
    from usa today, today:
    
    San Diego - Three prominent governors may be seen but 
    not heard this week as Republicans try to control internal
    disputes over abortion and immigration.
    
    Govs. Pete Wilson of California, the convention host, 
    William Weld of Massachusetts and George Pataki of New
    York have been taken off the podium program because of 
    disputes over what they would be allowed to say...
    
    "You can't let people just wander in off the street and
    say anything they want to," says Senate Majority Leader
    Trent Lott, R-Miss.
79.2796something's rottenHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorMon Aug 12 1996 17:21130
   
                    Swedes savor rotten fish as summer ends
                                       
     August 11, 1996
     Web Posted at 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT)
     
     STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) -- Pungent odors wafting from Swedish
     kitchens this month signal something special -- rotten fish is back
     on the menu.
     
     August heralds the start of Sweden's annual binge on crayfish and
     on one of the world's smelliest delicacies, fermented herring.
     
     It smells disgusting, it looks disgusting, and, to the unaccustomed
     palate, it tastes disgusting.
     
     Many Swedes, however, love the decomposing fish -- or surstromming
     -- which makes its annual premiere on Swedish dining tables on the
     third Thursday in August. This year it arrives on August 15.
     
     "It is an old Swedish tradition and admittedly it smells awful but
     the taste is wonderful, if you can get to it," said Thomas
     Hagglund, production manager at Sweden's largest surstromming
     producer, Hannells Fisksalteri AB.
     
     The sour-tasting fish with the stench of dog excrement has been
     made for more than 300 years along the Baltic coast of the Gulf of
     Bothnia, which separates Sweden from Finland.
     
     Fishermen first created surstromming due to the high cost of salt.
     Instead of salting down the herring, people used just enough salt
     to start the fish fermenting so it would keep for longer.
     
     The herring in surstromming is a lean fish, caught in the brackish
     Gulf between April and June as it prepares to spawn.
     
     Nowadays the fish is packed in flat cans, and the fermentation
     continues under wraps.
     
     The tins start to bulge as the months go by and the fish continues
     fermenting, bringing a rougher and even saltier taste to the
     delicacy.
     
     Cans of surstromming can safely be stored for 18 months. After that
     they are in danger of exploding under pressure.
     
     Old hands at the surstromming game advise newcomers to hold the can
     under water to pierce it so that the highly pressurized juices do
     not spray the room -- or the cook's clothes.
     
     Once stung by surstromming, forever shy. The smell lasts for hours.
     
     Experts also suggest eating surstromming rather like an oyster --
     swallowed whole without chewing.
     
     Novices would be well advised to stick to the fresh potatoes,
     onions and sour cream that are served alongside -- or the vodka and
     beer used to wash it down -- rather than try the fish itself.
     
     The production of surstromming is now limited to a few offshore
     islands in the Gulf of Bothnia by 10 or so companies.
     
     Hagglund said Hannells, which dates back to 1933, produces around
     400,000 cans of surstromming a year, nearly half of Sweden's total
     production, of which the majority are bought in Sweden at a cost of
     28 crowns ($4.50) for an average-sized can.
     
     But he said Hannells, which has produced a surstromming called Roda
     Ulva (Red Wolf) for the past 50 years, also exports about 2 percent
     of its production.
     
     "All over the world there are Swedish people longing for
     surstromming, particularly in August when the thought of it can
     make them homesick," Hagglund told Reuters.
     
     "This year we even have an order to send some to Bosnia where
     Swedish soldiers are involved in the peace-keeping force. It will
     help to boost morale."
     
     Mikael Hintze, acting manager of the food department at Stockholm's
     exclusive NK department store, said demand for surstromming tends
     to be limited to Swedes.
     
     "Even then we only really get any demand for it in the first week
     of the season," he told Reuters.
     
     Not all Swedish parties in August threaten the guest with a
     face-to-face encounter with rotten fish.
     
     The second week of August also marks the start of Sweden's crayfish
     season, when it becomes legal to catch the small lobster-like
     crustaceans, which grow to about 3 inches long.
     
     Like lobsters, crayfish are boiled alive in salted water until they
     turn bright red in preparation for the dinner table and then served
     with dill and washed down with the highly potent aquavit, a local
     vodka.
     
     Some imbibers insist on a nip of aquavit for each crayfish eaten --
     then launch into a range of traditional drinking songs, some
     toasting the summer and crayfish, others more bawdy.
     
     Crayfish parties are a vital part in the Swedish calendar, usually
     marking the final stages of the summer holiday and one of the final
     chances to enjoy the long nights and sun which are about to
     disappear, seemingly forever.
     
     Armed with every imaginable steel implement and wearing large white
     bibs for protection, Swedes attack their crayfish with incredible
     gusto -- which explains why most crayfish parties are held
     outdoors, in gardens decorated with Chinese lanterns with full-moon
     faces.
     
     The Swedish Institute said the crayfish was seen as pauper's food
     until bureaucrats limited the catching of crayfish to a couple of
     months every autumn.
     
     This move to stop over-fishing put crayfish back into vogue, and
     the crayfish party was born.
     
     But Sweden's own crayfish production falls well short of national
     requirements. A crayfish pest threatened Sweden's crayfish levels
     in the early 1990s and large numbers are now imported to satisfy
     demand.
     
     "It is a very popular way to celebrate and we still get a lot of
     demand for crayfish," said Hintze from NK. "But now we get most of
     ours from Ireland rather than Sweden."
     
     Copyright 1996 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
79.2797SMURF::WALTERSMon Aug 12 1996 17:541
    Can't be any worse than the fermented shark in Iceland.
79.2798ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 KTS is TOO slowMon Aug 12 1996 18:1113
    re: .2793
    
    >You're the one who is mistaken.  Bacon did not say, because to do so
    >would be to lie, that the aircraft must be rendered into such a
    >condition that it will never again be flyable.  Removing the engine
    >renders a fighter jet unable to fly but does not preclude the
    >installation of a replacement engine.
    
    Delivering the aircraft without any fuel would satisfy your definition
    of 'unflyable'.  I seriously doubt that is what Bacon meant.
    
    Bob
    
79.2799SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Aug 12 1996 18:573
    Consumables do not count for "unable to fly."  Being disabled does.  I
    watched a documentary on the only F-104 ever to be owned and flown by a
    civilian, and the business of disabling was mentioned there.
79.2800ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 KTS is TOO slowMon Aug 12 1996 19:068
    re: .2799
    
    Define consumable.
    
    Do you have any idea where you saw this documentary?  It sounds
    interesting.
    
    Bob
79.2801APACHE::KEITHDr. DeuceMon Aug 12 1996 20:0610
    Military consumables take many forms:
    
    Even such mundane things as U-Joints for my M151 Jeep are special. They
    need replacing when worn out our having spent much time under water.
    They are different than any other U-Joint available and can only be
    obtained from surplus dealers.
    
    So you can imagine a jet...
    
    Steve
79.2802SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Aug 12 1996 20:077
    .2800
    
    Consumable == fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid, batteries and other
    similarly replaceable items.
    
    I saw the documentary on WGBH TV, Boston's Channel 2, about 5 years
    ago.
79.2803BUSY::SLABThis is the Central ScrutinizerMon Aug 12 1996 20:106
    
    	RE: .2801
    
    	Not sure that mechanical replacement parts could be considered
    	consumables, though.
    
79.2804LANDO::OLIVER_Bit's about summer!Mon Aug 12 1996 20:131
    i heard military consumables are as dry as an army dinner.
79.2805SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Aug 12 1996 20:146
    .2803
    
    They are if they are "wear items."  By this is meant items that are
    expected to wear out in the normal operation of the machine.  For
    motor pool items, consumables include belts, spark plugs, distributor
    rotors, and so on.
79.2806SMURF::WALTERSMon Aug 12 1996 20:203
    A 60,000 mile service on a RR Pegasus vectored thrust (oo-er missus) fan
    turbine engine should come to a pretty penny.  A lot more than my
    Subaru anyways.
79.2807ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 KTS is TOO slowMon Aug 12 1996 20:2413
    re: .2802
    
    >Consumable == fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid, batteries and other
    >similarly replaceable items.
    
    O.K. so removal of the control stick would satisfy your definition of
    'unable to fly'.
    
    Thanks for the info on the documentary...I wonder if it was a Nova
    episode.
    
    Bob
    
79.2808NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 12 1996 20:265
>    A 60,000 mile service on a RR Pegasus vectored thrust (oo-er missus) fan
>    turbine engine should come to a pretty penny.  A lot more than my
>    Subaru anyways.

Even with Subaru's infamous exhaust system?
79.2809ROWLET::AINSLEYLess than 150 KTS is TOO slowMon Aug 12 1996 20:2713
    re: .2805
    
    >They are if they are "wear items."  By this is meant items that are
    >expected to wear out in the normal operation of the machine.  For
    >motor pool items, consumables include belts, spark plugs, distributor
    >rotors, and so on.
    
    Jet engines are expected to wear out in the normal operation of the
    aircraft.  So removal of the engine would not meet your definition of
    'unable to fly'.
    
    Bob
    
79.2810PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Aug 12 1996 20:306
>Even with Subaru's infamous exhaust system?

	my previous one was an '83 with one-a them thar exhaust systems.	
	hoo-wee.  costly little doodads.

79.2811BUSY::SLABThis is the Central ScrutinizerMon Aug 12 1996 20:439
    
    	I spent a couple years working for my neighbor at his garage
    	around '83-'85 and I remember a new replacement going for a-
    	bout $500 at the time.
    
    	And if the owner actually did get the job done the value of
    	the car was usually at least doubled by the time it left the
    	shop.
    
79.2812PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Aug 12 1996 20:474
  .2811  the pipe that had the catalytic converter in it listed
	 for around $600, so it was around $8-900 for the whole
	 system to be replaced.  unless you knew someone, i guess.
79.2813BUSY::SLABThis is the Central ScrutinizerMon Aug 12 1996 20:483
    
    	Worse than I thought ... maybe $500 was the dealer's cost?
    
79.2814SMURF::WALTERSMon Aug 12 1996 20:522
    Everything costs $900 on the Subaru.  It doesn't phase me any more.
    $900 for a new windshield.  $900 for a 60K service and brake job.... 
79.2815BUSY::SLABTime for cake and sodomyMon Aug 12 1996 20:545
    
    	Attendant: "Fill 'er up?"
    
    	Colin:  "Do you Take American Express?"
    
79.2816FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Aug 12 1996 21:129
    
    
    	I have a friend that does custom exhaust work. I'll bet he could
    make up his own exhaust that'd last longer than the factory one. I
    should ask him since the exhaust on the wife's subaru is sounding a bit
    loud. :)
    
    
    jim
79.2817BUSY::SLABTime for cake and sodomyMon Aug 12 1996 21:203
    
    	Buy an amplifier ... $100 and you won't hear the exhaust.
    
79.2818FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Aug 13 1996 11:219
    
    
    	Yeah, and I won't be able to hear my kids or my wife either.
    
    <pauses>
    
    	Where'd you say I could get one o' them amplifier thingys?
    
    ;*)
79.2819weekly world news materialHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Aug 13 1996 16:0615
  Mom: Why is my baby so big?

   BLOOMINGBURG, N.Y. - To call Zack Strenkert a big kid is an
   understatement. He looks like a miniature sumo wrestler, a puffy pink
   cumulus cloud of flesh. At 17 months old, Zack weighs nearly 68
   pounds, as much as an 8- or 9-year-old. He's 3 feet tall and nearly as
   big around. His T-shirts are size 14. His ankles won't fit into shoes,
   so he goes barefoot. On hot days, he wears nothing but a diaper, in
   the largest adult size. Zack's regular pediatrician said the boy just
   needed to be put on a diet. Fearing her son had a rare disease
   instead, Laurie Strenkert took Zack to Horlick, a specialist. But so
   far, there's no evidence of a glandular disorder. Mrs. Strenkert,
   Zach's mom says he is something of a celebrity in town. "People say he
   looks like Andre the Giant's baby. He's like a big teddy bear."
 
79.2820BUSY::SLABWe all, we all, love it - LOUD!!Tue Aug 13 1996 16:084
    
    	I didn't weigh that much when I was 10 years old!!  But I was a
    	bit taller than that.
    
79.2821got a picture, tooHBAHBA::HAASmore madness, less horrorTue Aug 13 1996 16:153
For a picture of this dapper lad, check out

	http://www.usatoday.com/news/nweird.htm
79.2822EDSCLU::JAYAKUMARTue Aug 13 1996 16:5254
Doctors threaten to stop operations over
reports of kidney theft 

By Our Staff Reporter
BANGALORE, Aug 12
The nephrologists and urologists of the State have threatened that they
would not only stop conducting kidney transplants but would also stop
admitting patients of kidney failure cases, if the State police continued to
register ''baseless`` and ''silly`` cases of kidney thefts.

The Karnataka Urologists` Association which met here recently, following
the latest incident in which the police admitted a case against some of its
members for alleged kidney theft from a person from Hubli, took a decision
to this effect, according to the association`s spokesman.

Blaming the police and the press for exaggerating such incidents, the
association felt that they should realise that an organ like the kidney cannot
be removed from a person without his consent as it involved complicated
tests such as scanning and an angiogram.

The association felt that if the police had not realised even after the futile
chasing of last year`s kidney racket that such cases were frivolous and were
aimed at extorting money from the recipients, it was imperative for the
surgeons to stop conducting such transplants, in the interest of the doctors.

However, the association decided to wait and watch what the police would
do, in the latest incident, over which the doctors of Karnataka Nephrology
and Transplants Institute (KANTI) have filed a case.

The association spokesman said the KANTI doctors who performed the
transplant had filed a complaint with the City police alleging impersonation
and cheating against the person who charged them with removing his
kidney, without his consent. The spokesman said that the KANTI doctors
performed the transplant after the victim had produced a certificate from
the tahsildar stating that he was a sibling of the recipient.

By producing the certificate, the donor and the recipient had avoided going
through a screening committee, as laid down in the Transplantation of
Human Organs Act, 1994, to certify that the donation was out of true
altruism.

The doctors in their complaint alleged that the donor and the recipient had
cheated them by producing wrong certificates about their true identity and
were taking advantage of the provisions in the 1994 Act. Meanwhile, the
Karnataka Nephrologists Association clarifying on the incident said, the
transplant was performed after being satisfied with the tahsildar`s
certificate. The association blaming the police for admitting such cases
pointed out that such incidents were not reported from Madras and
Bombay, where more transplants take place, and attributed it to the
awareness of police on transplant.

Main Page


79.2823POWDML::HANGGELIWill Work For LatteTue Aug 13 1996 16:573
    
    "Can we have your liver, then?"
    
79.2824NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 13 1996 17:094
re the fat baby:

Are all articles in USA Today this poorly written?  Who or what is
"Horlick, a specialist?"
79.2825RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerTue Aug 13 1996 17:181
    With a name like Horlick, you've *got* to be good.
79.2826MPGS::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketTue Aug 13 1996 17:356
    .2819 is an abridged version (the Worcester Telegram & Gazette ran the
    story today).  The mother is 5'10, 220#; the dad weighs 270# or so (I
    forget how tall he is).  There are 3 other kids; 2 of them are hefty
    as well, but "only Summer is slim".
    
    Leslie
79.2827FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Aug 13 1996 17:416
    
    re: .2823
    
    	BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! I love that skit!
    
    
79.2828NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 20 1996 13:4756
************************************************************************
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #8 August 14, 1996 [excerpts]
      http://netmar.com/users/ovigher/ovi.htm        
************************************************************************

>>>CATS RESPONSIBLE FOR $45,000 REPAIR BILL
     Source: Reuters
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (8-1) -- Two cats are responsible for 
flooding their owner's house and causing $45,000 worth of 
damage.
Owner Roger Sjoberg locked the two cats in the bathroom 
while away from his house. Upon his return, Sjoberg found 
his house flooded. The frightened cats were sitting on the 
shower taps.
"We normally lock them up in the bathroom to stop them 
from wrecking the place while we're out," said Sjoberg.

>>>SMALL WORLD
     Source: Reuters
MILAN, Italy  (8-4)-- An injured Italian man recognized the 
thief responsible for taking his van when they met up in a 
hospital.
The vehicle's owner attempted to stop the thief by hanging 
on to the door, but got injured when the thief punched him 
to the ground. The thief, 31-year-old Ruggero Campese, 
also got injured when he crashed the van a few miles from 
the incident. 
They met up at Sao Paolo Hospital where they were both 
seeking treatment for their injuries. The vehicle's owner 
recognized Campese and called police.

>>>MAN BEGS ZOO TIGER TO EAT HIM
     Source: Reuters
HONG KONG (8-6)-- A heart-broken man climbed into a 
tiger's cage at the local zoo and begged the tiger to eat 
him.
He didn't have to ask twice. The tiger knocked him 
down, sniffed him and then attempted to bite his neck.
A veterinarian heard  screams and shot the tiger with 
sedatives. The man survived.

>>>IN OTHER BIZARRE NEWS:
***BEIJING (AP, 8-7) -- A Chinese teacher was fired 
after it was discovered he forced children to drink 
urine as punishment. Most of the student vomited or 
rushed outside to rinse their mouths.
***ROME (Reuters, 8-5) -- Police discovered a plot in 
which the Mafia wanted to blow up the famous Leaning 
Tower of Pisa in 1993.
***LONDON --Computer hackers broke into Scotland 
Yard's security computers and made $1.5 million in 
calls, mostly to the United States. 
***DUBAI, UAE (Reuters, 8-10) -- 135-year-old Obaid 
Mubarak bin Suwaidan Bal-Jaflah died a few days after 
his first ever visit to a doctor. He was United Arab 
Emirates' oldest man.
79.2829NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 20 1996 13:48161
WEIRDNUZ.442 (News of the Weird, July 26, 1996)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* In a June Washington Post story on infant actors in the TV
industry, children's advocate Paul Petersen said that in 1995,
premature twins born two months early were used in a live-birth
scene on the program "ER" only one month after their actual
birth (and thus only eight months after conception).  They were
smeared with cream cheese and jelly to simulate the look of
babies at birth. [Washington Post, 6-6-96] 

* On the California ballot this year is the question of whether
suffering ill people may be prescribed marijuana as a pain
reliever.  The ballot initiative is a product of members of San
Francisco's Cannabis Buyers' Club, a three-year-old salon run by 
Dennis Peron, who currently risks arrest to sell marijuana daily
to those who can prove they are ill.  Peron also supplies
entertainment and games and a 12-step program--for those
wanting to leave heroin and cocaine in favor of marijuana.
[Globe and Mail, 6-22-96] 

* Air New Zealand announced in June that it will permit cockpit
crews on international flights to nap during periods of low
activity as long as one person remains awake.  The airline said
that it thus hopes to end "unofficial and uncontrolled" napping,
which it said pilots on all airlines do.  Air New Zealand also
issued instructions on how to awaken a pilot:  It should be done
"in a normal tone of voice.  An attempt should be made not to
startle the waking flight crew member." [Edmonton Journal, 6-
11-96; Globe and Mail, 6-18-96] 

NEWS FROM THE JOB MARKET

* Research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science in
November suggested a valuable role for an assistant researcher. 
A research director wanted to learn whether small bones found at
a dig were from an animal that died there or from an animal that
had been eaten by the animal that died there.  An assistant was
fed a boiled shrew and had his bowel movements tracked for
three days, then boiled and analyzed.  The director concluded
that the human stomach basically mashes up the eaten shrew's
bones during digestion. [Journal of Archaeological Science,
November 1995] 

* Canadian Health Minister David Dingwall announced in June
that the government would ban the sale of human sperm.  The
ban is not expected to affect the current practice of paying
"expenses" to donors ($40 to $100 per visit, with industrious
blond, blue-eyed, type-O donors able to earn more than $12,000
a year because some banks require only 24 hours' abstinence
between visits, versus the industry standard of 72 hours). [Globe
and Mail, 6-8-96; Edmonton Journal, 6-13-96] 

* Editor Martha Jette was eased out of her job after 10 years at
the weekly Dundas (Ontario) Review in June after a dispute with
the publisher.  She had run a story accepting the claim of local
singer "Danny Boy," who had convinced her that he is the
reincarnation of Jesse Garon Presley, Elvis's stillborn twin, and
that he was given life in order to continue Elvis's gospel work. 
Said Jette, "Who can ignore a miracle?" [Burlington (Ontario)
Spectator, 6-9-96] 

OOPS!

* According to the San Jose Mercury News, the only injury from
the May 21 Calaveras earthquake (magnitude, 4.7) near San
Francisco was to Edvardo Meneses, 21, who thought the quake
was a break-in in his home.  He grabbed his gun, and as he was
running up the stairs to protect his mother, he shot himself in the
leg. [San Jose Mercury News, 5-22-96] 

* In December, employees of the Advanced Medical Imaging
clinic in Newburgh, N. Y., forgot that Brenda Revella, 42, was
in the claustrophobia-inducing MRI machine when they locked up
for the night.  (The patient lies in a tube 27 inches wide with the
top of the tube only four inches from his or her face.)  Revella
managed to wiggle out three hours later. [Newburgh (N.Y.)
Times Herald Record, 12-27-95] 

* In June in Vacaville, Calif., after his brother had spilled glue
on the floor while repairing a piggy bank, 7-year-old Joshua
Bernardo stepped in it barefoot and became stuck to the floor for
several hours, until firefighters loosened the glue with vegetable
oil. [San Francisco Examiner, Jun96] 

* Latest Highway Truck Spills: 500 gallons of hydrochloric acid
onto Interstate 10 near Lake Charles, La., in June; 300 gallons of
chicken fat on U. S. 41 near Robards, Ky., in May; a ton and a
half of chicken guts in Dobson, N. C., in May; several barrels of
flea powder in Hopkinsville, Ky., in April; 6,000 pounds of
margarine on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City in May (as The
Daily Oklahoman reported, "Margarine Clogs Major Artery");
and a load of toilets in June near Silverthorne, Colo. [Tyler
Morning Telegraph-AP, 6-17-96][Louisville Courier-Journal, 5-
30-96] [Columbia Tribune-AP, 5-2-96] [Kentucky New Era, 4-
16-96] [Daily Oklahoman, May96] [Denver Post, 6-24-96] 

WEIRD SCIENCE

* The Tampa Tribune reported in June on research findings of
neuroscientist Paul Sanberg of the University of South Florida
that Sertoli cells from testicles might be able to improve body
movements when injected into the brain.  Sanberg's work is part
of studies to combat Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and
damage from strokes. [Tampa Tribune, 6-4-96] 

* A researcher at the Penn State College of Medicine, studying
21 business managers and professionals, reported in June that
having a hangover does not seem to impair managerial decision-
making ability.  Said Professor Siegfried Streufert, "These people
did feel miserable.  Yet their decision-making performance was
not affected." [New Haven Register-AP, 6-18-96] 

* Writing in the journal Nature in January, a Cornell University
biologist described the short-term perspective of the male
Australian redback spider, which is another species whose males,
upon mating, are consumed by the females.  The researcher
found that as many as six males per web will mate at one time
with a female and will vie for nature's "reward."  The reward is
that the female eats only the male that has most satisfied her, thus
increasing the likelihood that the dead spider ultimately will have
procreated.  Also, the favored male's sex act lasted an average of
25 minutes (before he was eaten) while the males not eaten had
sex only for 11 minutes. [Columbia Tribune, 1-14-96] 

UPDATE

* In May 1996, News of the Weird reported that Dr. Bryant
Litchfield was on trial in Edmonton, Alberta, for improperly
fondling eight female patients during examinations, including one
instance of the so-called "Murphy's Maneuvre," in which the
doctor, seated with the patient virtually in his lap, reaches around
and feels her bare midriff.  On June 14, a judge found Dr.
Litchfield not guilty, concluding that his examinations were not
so unusual that the patients couldn't be said to have consented to
them.  Just after the judge gave his decision, Edmonton police
filed another charge against Litchfield based on the complaint of
a female patient in April. [Edmonton Journal, 6-15-96] 

NO LONGER WEIRD

* Beginning an occasional list of stories that were formerly weird
but which now occur with such frequency that they must be
retired from circulation:  (1) the charity, or the church, or the
company (such as NYNEX in northern Vermont in June) that a
grossed-out phone caller is expecting to reach when, because of
an error somewhere, he reaches an adult phone sex line, and (2)
the suspiciously-shaped package in a public place that causes
authorities to call out the bomb squad, who evacuate the area and
surround the package for several hours in full gear, then
cautiously dispose of it only to find that it is a doll, or a 
personal
vibrator, or cans of food, or, in an incident in Hong Kong harbor
in June, a large, floating sausage. [Burlington Free Press, Jun96]
[Reuters wirecopy, 6-12-96] 

Copyright 1996, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights reserved. 
No commercial use may be made of the material or of the name
News of the Weird.
79.2830NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 20 1996 13:497
Two counties in northern Minnesota have failed to follow a new state law which
prohibits place names containing the word "Squaw," which has been declared by
the state legislature to be offensive to American Indians.  Lake County
attempted to comply with the law by renaming Squaw Creek to Politically Correct
Creek and Squaw Bay to Politically Correct Bay, but the Department of Natural
Resources vetoed those names.  A spokesman for the department says he hopes the
counties will "just quietly do the right thing." (AP)
79.2831NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 20 1996 13:50144
WhiteBoard News for Monday, August 19, 1996 [excerpts]


Perpignan, France:

The captain's voice came over the cabin intercom as the
airliner filled with vacationers taxied to a halt at
the end of the runway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, stay calm," he said.  "Some men
are interested in what we have on board, and since they
are armed, we have to wait."

In less than four minutes, a brazen gang of masked men
made off with $800,000 in Spanish pesetas from the
airliner's cargo hold, leaving behind only two empty
vans and a pistol dropped on the tarmac.

The holdup of the Air France Europe plane with 172
people aboard seemed like something out of a Hollywood
thriller.

Four to six men waited in a parking lot Tuesday evening
at the end of the runway at Perpignan, a airport
serving a resort near the Spanish border.

They were out of sight of the control tower.

When the Airbus A-320 landed on a flight from Paris,
the men drove their two vans through the chain-link
fence leading to the runway and blocked the jetliner's
path as it taxied to a halt.

"At first I called the control tower to ask what they
were doing," Captain Vincent Roy told news
interviewers.  "Then these masked and armed men came
out, and I knew we were being held up."

The men brandished guns and held up a banner demanding
that the crew open a cargo hatch.  To make clear they
were serious, they fired a couple of shots a the
cockpit.  One bullet hit the plane's nose.

"We turned off the motors, but since we can't reach the
cargo hatch from inside the plane, it was up to them to
open it themselves," Roy said.

After removing the cash-filled canvas bags from the
cargo hold, the gunmen drove to an airport gate and
fled in a waiting car.

None of the passengers or crew were injured.
==========

Singapore:

The mark of a gracious society is a clean public
toilet.

So says Singapore's government which is starting a
two-month campaign to get people to leave public
lavatories clean after using them.

Officials say the toilet-training drive is in response
to Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's call for Singapore to
measure social progress by the cleanliness of their
public facilities and their appreciation of music.

The Environmental Ministry has surveyed about 800 of
the 12,000 public toilets and will check them in two
months to measure the results of the campaign, a
spokesman said.  

Public hygiene is hardly a side issue in Singapore.

Elevators in some apartment buildings are equipped with
sensors that detect the high salt content in urine,
activate a hidden video camera to film the vandal and
alert the building's janitor.  The transgressors are
locked into the elevator and must await rescue when
they are turned over to the police.

First offenders may be fined up to $106.  Repeat
offenders face a $355 fine.  Those who fail to flush
public toilets three or more times may have to pay up
to $709 per incident.
==========

New York, New York:

Doctors in New York downgraded the condition of a
1,000-pound man to critical Friday, a day after
firefighters cut him out of his third floor apartment.

Doctors at St. Luke's Hospital said David Ron High, 43,
suffered from kidney failure.

Firefighters worked seven hours knocking down walls,
connecting ropes and rigging a hydraulic lift to remove
High from his apartment.  He sang "I got the whole
world in my hands" as he was put onto a waiting truck.  

It was the first time he had left his home in five
years.
==========

Venkateswara, India:

Fruits and vegetables such as bananas, oranges and
eggplant are an excellent source of low-level
electricity, and their wastes could even replace
harmful chemicals in batteries, according to Indian
scientists at Venkateswara University in the state of
Andhra Pradesh.

In one of their more successful experiments, a wall
clock ran for four weeks with a battery made from
banana peels that were crushed and placed in a
container with electrodes.

The researchers say further development could produce
much longer lifetimes for the natural batteries.
==========

Kiev, Ukraine:

Kiev's All-Ukraine Gazette reported a tale of mistaken
identity that endangered a child and left its parents
"thunderstruck."

A businessman returned from an unnamed foreign
destination with what he thought was a bull-terrier
puppy for his wife and son as a gift.  

At first, the animal ate normally and did not demand
much attention.  

But on the sixth day the parents were awakened by the
screams of their 3-year-old whose ear was being chewed
off by the animal.  The child was treated for minor
wounds, and a veterinarian informed the parents that
their pet was actually a rare species of Pakistani rat,
which in its early stage of development resembles a
bull-terrier puppy.
79.2832SALEM::DODASometimes the truth is all you getTue Aug 20 1996 14:014
Chinese restaurant in Plattsburg NY closed down by the Board of 
Health. Board of Health was called when police investigating a 
alarm discovered that the motion detectors in the kitchen were 
set off by "thousands and thousands of insects".
79.2833WAHOO::LEVESQUEand your little dog, too!Tue Aug 20 1996 14:0413
>New York, New York:

>Doctors in New York downgraded the condition of a
>1,000-pound man to critical Friday, a day after
>firefighters cut him out of his third floor apartment.
[...]
>It was the first time he had left his home in five
>years.
    
    First time he left the place in 5 years? Who was bringing him his food,
    and didn't they think he had a problem? You'd think this condition
    would be self-correcting. If you eat so much you don't fit out the
    door, eventually you run out of food...
79.2834POWDML::HANGGELIElvis is the WatermelonTue Aug 20 1996 14:088
    
    !! This is the same thing I said years ago when that guy on Long
    Island was cut out of his house.  The reports said he had been unable
    to leave his bed for literally YEARS and yet he weighed over #1,000
    pounds.  Who in the heck was bringing him food, his family?  And if so, 
    WHY didn't they feed him less?  Why did they continue to feed him so
    much that he weighed over #1,000 pounds?
    
79.2835CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowTue Aug 20 1996 14:1511

 The sleeping airline crew story reminds me of something that happened
 years ago on a Delta flight from Atlanta->Los Angeles.  The flight deck
 crew dozed off and snoozed as the plane flew over LA and out over the
 ocean.  Flight controllers had to trigger an alarm in the plane to
 wake the crew up.



 Jim
79.2836BUSY::SLABGot into a war with reality ...Tue Aug 20 1996 15:483
    
    	Ban autopilot!!
    
79.2837EVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Tue Aug 20 1996 16:2711
>Kiev's All-Ukraine Gazette reported a tale of mistaken
>identity that endangered a child and left its parents
>"thunderstruck."
...
>wounds, and a veterinarian informed the parents that
>their pet was actually a rare species of Pakistani rat,
>which in its early stage of development resembles a
>bull-terrier puppy.

Urban Legend alert!  Check out Brunvand's book _The Mexican Pet_,
and see the story that gave the book its name.
79.2838DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Tue Aug 20 1996 17:356
    
    	re: .2835
    
    
    	comforting thought.....
    
79.2839RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerTue Aug 20 1996 18:261
    I *thought* that story sounded familiar...  Good catch (Brundvand)
79.2840NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 20 1996 18:281
I guess it took a while for the UL to reach Ukraine.
79.2841NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Aug 21 1996 20:174
A postal worker charged with stealing more than $800,000 from the Postal
Service was found by federal agents to have written a number of letters
to God before his arrest.  One of them began, "I continue to petition you
to conceal this matter."
79.2842ACISS1::BATTISNew Chevy Blazer ownerWed Aug 21 1996 20:242
    
    Is it the color of their uniforms that make them "lose it"?
79.2843PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Aug 21 1996 20:273
  wonder if the address was "Everywhere".

79.2844ACISS1::BATTISNew Chevy Blazer ownerWed Aug 21 1996 20:292
    
    wonder if he cc: All Knowing
79.2845BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughWed Aug 21 1996 20:425
    
    	RE: Battis
    
    	No, apparently not since I didn't get a copy.
    
79.2846JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeWed Aug 21 1996 21:352
    Uhm.. not sure if this has any relevance, but the post office has large
    number of ex-service men.
79.2847WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Aug 22 1996 10:485
79.2848OHFSS1::POMEROYThu Aug 22 1996 12:502
79.2849BIGQ::MARCHANDThu Aug 22 1996 12:578
79.2850NQOS01::s_coghill.dyo.dec.com::S_CoghillLuke 14:28Thu Aug 22 1996 14:133
79.2851ACISS1::BATTISNew Chevy Blazer ownerThu Aug 22 1996 14:162
79.2852CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Aug 22 1996 14:396
79.2853NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 22 1996 20:424
79.2854Rambo becomes the top NCO in the Special ForcesNETRIX::thomasThe Code WarriorFri Aug 23 1996 19:3132
79.2855NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 26 1996 15:26143
79.2856NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 26 1996 15:2972
79.2857NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Aug 26 1996 15:30108
79.2858FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Aug 26 1996 15:515
79.2859GAVEL::JANDROWwhen in doubt, hug your teddybearMon Aug 26 1996 17:034
79.2860NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 27 1996 13:2535
79.2861ACISS1::BATTISNew Chevy Blazer ownerTue Aug 27 1996 13:542
79.2862SCASS1::BARBER_Aall of which are American dreamsTue Aug 27 1996 13:591
79.2863GAVEL::JANDROWwhen in doubt, hug your teddybearTue Aug 27 1996 16:096
79.2864SCASS1::BARBER_Aall of which are American dreamsTue Aug 27 1996 16:123
79.2865DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Tue Aug 27 1996 17:597
79.2866GAVEL::JANDROWwhen in doubt, hug your teddybearTue Aug 27 1996 19:015
79.2867NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Aug 27 1996 20:3340
79.2868ACISS2::LEECHWed Aug 28 1996 13:513
79.2869BIGQ::MARCHANDWed Aug 28 1996 14:532
79.2870NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 29 1996 14:2159
79.2871NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 29 1996 15:0311
79.2872Snakes?!?!? why'd it have to be snakes?CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Aug 29 1996 15:3061
79.2873NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 29 1996 15:483
79.2874POLAR::RICHARDSONI'm brave but my chicken's sickThu Aug 29 1996 15:501
79.2875RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerThu Aug 29 1996 15:526
79.2876NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 29 1996 15:538
79.2877POLAR::RICHARDSONI'm brave but my chicken's sickThu Aug 29 1996 15:531
79.2878POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideThu Aug 29 1996 15:548
79.2879RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerThu Aug 29 1996 15:571
79.2880POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideThu Aug 29 1996 15:577
79.2881PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Aug 29 1996 16:005
79.2882SMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 29 1996 16:033
79.2883CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Aug 29 1996 16:0810
79.2884BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.yvv.com/decplus/Thu Aug 29 1996 16:092
79.2885SCASS1::BARBER_AFear is your only godThu Aug 29 1996 16:469
79.2886CSLALL::HENDERSONEvery knee shall bowThu Aug 29 1996 16:5613
79.2887ASIC::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQThu Aug 29 1996 17:099
79.2888PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Aug 29 1996 17:102
79.2889NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Aug 29 1996 17:131
79.2890SMURF::WALTERSThu Aug 29 1996 17:241
79.2891EVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Thu Aug 29 1996 18:363
79.2892Although he does have the free time...ASIC::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQThu Aug 29 1996 18:434
79.2893EVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Thu Aug 29 1996 18:5817
79.2894GAVEL::JANDROWwhen in doubt, hug your teddybearThu Aug 29 1996 19:238
79.2895this was "his" moneyWAHOO::LEVESQUEa crimson flare from a raging sunFri Aug 30 1996 12:064
79.2896DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Fri Aug 30 1996 14:336
79.2897NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Aug 30 1996 20:0214
79.2898KERNEL::FREKESExcuse me while I scratch my buttFri Aug 30 1996 20:044
79.2899CSC32::M_EVANSwatch this spaceFri Aug 30 1996 20:255
79.2900ACISS2::LEECHFri Aug 30 1996 21:0811
79.2901NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 03 1996 14:1110
79.2902NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 03 1996 14:1311
79.2903NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 03 1996 14:15140
79.2904$100,000 EscortEVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Tue Sep 03 1996 17:583
79.2905pardon the techno-geeking...ASIC::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQTue Sep 03 1996 18:0122
79.2906SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Tue Sep 03 1996 18:0710
79.2907NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Sep 05 1996 15:19147
79.2908NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Sep 05 1996 15:2278
79.2909NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Sep 06 1996 20:30146
79.2910NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 09 1996 13:564
79.2911NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 09 1996 14:005
79.2912POLAR::RICHARDSONSlovenly ComportmentizationMon Sep 09 1996 20:191
79.2913FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Sep 10 1996 11:556
79.2914POMPY::LESLIEAndy Leslie, DTN 847 6586Tue Sep 10 1996 12:123
79.2915I love New York Dept.CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Sep 10 1996 13:1311
79.2916NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 10 1996 13:3452
79.2917NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 10 1996 13:3587
79.2918NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Sep 12 1996 18:583
79.2919close to homeCSC32::J_HENSONDon't get even, get ahead!Fri Sep 13 1996 16:2620
79.2920NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 16 1996 13:49105
79.2921NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 16 1996 13:58152
79.2922BUSY::SLABGreat baby! Delicious!!Mon Sep 16 1996 20:559
79.2923NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 17 1996 14:17108
79.2924NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 17 1996 19:0084
79.2925BUSY::SLABAudiophiles do it 'til it hertz!Tue Sep 17 1996 19:0811
79.2926NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 17 1996 19:193
79.2927a hazard we must live withGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaTue Sep 17 1996 19:308
79.2928ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyTue Sep 17 1996 20:052
79.2929Hmmph.STAR::JESSOPTam quid?Tue Sep 17 1996 20:154
79.2930BUSY::SLABBaroque: when you're out of MonetTue Sep 17 1996 20:224
79.2931PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Sep 17 1996 20:248
79.2932I can remedy that...STAR::JESSOPTam quid?Tue Sep 17 1996 20:251
79.2933more handsome?PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Sep 17 1996 20:304
79.2934...STAR::JESSOPTam quid?Tue Sep 17 1996 20:335
79.2935FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Sep 17 1996 22:595
79.2936Travis T will buy itHNDYMN::MCCARTHYA Quinn Martin ProductionWed Sep 18 1996 10:099
79.2937WAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedWed Sep 18 1996 10:344
79.2938FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed Sep 18 1996 11:2010
79.2939Calling Dr DeathOHFSS1::POMEROYWed Sep 18 1996 11:243
79.2940FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed Sep 18 1996 12:055
79.2941...STAR::JESSOPHi dad, can I wear a dress to school today?Wed Sep 18 1996 12:193
79.2942SMURF::WALTERSWed Sep 18 1996 12:394
79.2943ACISS2::LEECHWed Sep 18 1996 13:183
79.2944RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerWed Sep 18 1996 14:434
79.2945ACISS2::LEECHWed Sep 18 1996 15:129
79.2946meo*splat!STAR::JESSOPAnkylosaurs had afterburnersWed Sep 18 1996 15:144
79.2947RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerWed Sep 18 1996 16:071
79.2948BUSY::SLABCatch you later!!Wed Sep 18 1996 16:244
79.2949POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideWed Sep 18 1996 16:275
79.2950BUSY::SLABCatch you later!!Wed Sep 18 1996 16:329
79.2952CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayWed Sep 18 1996 16:403
79.2953ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyWed Sep 18 1996 16:572
79.2954Another Thumper Has Been Found!JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeWed Sep 18 1996 17:084
79.2955RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerWed Sep 18 1996 17:195
79.2956WAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedWed Sep 18 1996 17:223
79.2957POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideWed Sep 18 1996 17:256
79.2958RUSURE::GOODWINSacred Cows Make the Best HamburgerWed Sep 18 1996 17:3812
79.2959WAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedWed Sep 18 1996 17:543
79.29608^)POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideWed Sep 18 1996 17:565
79.2961BUSY::SLABConsume feces and expire.Wed Sep 18 1996 17:595
79.2962meow *splat*STAR::JESSOPAnkylosaurs had afterburnersWed Sep 18 1996 18:0715
79.2963ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyWed Sep 18 1996 19:224
79.2964GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeThu Sep 19 1996 12:339
79.2965WAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedThu Sep 19 1996 12:5416
79.2966CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsThu Sep 19 1996 13:253
79.2967RUSURE::GOODWINEverything you know is wrong.Thu Sep 19 1996 13:423
79.2968They don't know what the whale died from ....BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Thu Sep 19 1996 13:484
79.2969SMURF::WALTERSThu Sep 19 1996 14:596
79.2970more squawkingCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Sep 20 1996 02:3275
79.2971Well, how did the ENGLISH version come about?USPS::FPRUSSFrank Pruss, 202-232-7347Fri Sep 20 1996 02:4413
79.2972JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeFri Sep 20 1996 04:504
79.2973much ado about nothin'WAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedFri Sep 20 1996 11:1310
79.2974What the Hill?COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Sep 20 1996 12:411
79.2975ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyFri Sep 20 1996 13:374
79.2976SMURF::WALTERSFri Sep 20 1996 13:541
79.2977ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyFri Sep 20 1996 14:012
79.2978spirits from the vasty dopeSMURF::WALTERSFri Sep 20 1996 14:144
79.2979BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.yvv.com/decplus/Fri Sep 20 1996 14:2636
79.2980ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyFri Sep 20 1996 15:074
79.2981BUSY::SLABGo Go Gophers watch them go go go!Fri Sep 20 1996 15:193
79.2982ooh, that'll stingWAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedFri Sep 20 1996 15:201
79.2983SMURF::WALTERSFri Sep 20 1996 15:211
79.2984ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyFri Sep 20 1996 16:042
79.2985SMURF::WALTERSFri Sep 20 1996 16:151
79.2986POLAR::RICHARDSONThere ain't no easy way outFri Sep 20 1996 16:231
79.2987ACISS1::SCHELTERFri Sep 20 1996 16:385
79.2988POLAR::RICHARDSONThere ain't no easy way outFri Sep 20 1996 16:401
79.2989COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Sep 20 1996 20:2878
79.2990JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeFri Sep 20 1996 21:591
79.2991WMOIS::CONNELLStory does that to us.Fri Sep 20 1996 22:086
79.2992ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyMon Sep 23 1996 12:562
79.2993CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Sep 23 1996 13:402
79.2994ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyMon Sep 23 1996 13:462
79.2995BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.yvv.com/decplus/Mon Sep 23 1996 14:206
79.2996CLUSTA::MAIEWSKIBos-Mil-Atl Braves W.S. ChampsMon Sep 23 1996 15:1710
79.2997BUSY::SLABAlways a Best Man, never a groomMon Sep 23 1996 15:316
79.2998POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideMon Sep 23 1996 21:2870
79.2999POLAR::RICHARDSONThere ain't no easy way outMon Sep 23 1996 21:501
79.3000SMURF::WALTERSMon Sep 23 1996 22:111
79.3001POLAR::RICHARDSONThere ain't no easy way outMon Sep 23 1996 22:241
79.3002NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 24 1996 14:0981
79.3003NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 24 1996 14:115
79.3004NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 24 1996 14:128
79.3005NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 24 1996 14:12139
79.3006NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 24 1996 14:1384
79.3007POLAR::RICHARDSONThere ain't no easy way outTue Sep 24 1996 14:543
79.3008Hand held camera? Don't they have tripods?DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefTue Sep 24 1996 16:448
79.3009How would she know?DECWIN::RALTOJail to the ChiefTue Sep 24 1996 16:5711
79.3010NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Sep 24 1996 20:0657
79.3011FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Sep 24 1996 20:525
79.3012MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Tue Sep 24 1996 21:031
79.3013NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Sep 26 1996 13:14116
79.3014ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyThu Sep 26 1996 13:202
79.3015SMURF::WALTERSThu Sep 26 1996 13:212
79.3016WAHOO::LEVESQUEenergy spent on passion is never wastedThu Sep 26 1996 13:361
79.3017NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Sep 26 1996 13:392
79.3018POLAR::RICHARDSONGood-a-niiiiite-a-ding-ding-dingThu Sep 26 1996 14:291
79.3019NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Sep 27 1996 17:58155
79.3020POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideFri Sep 27 1996 18:013
79.3021JULIET::MORALES_NASweet Spirit's Gentle BreezeFri Sep 27 1996 18:053
79.3022POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideFri Sep 27 1996 18:074
79.3023BUSY::SLABOn with the body count!!Fri Sep 27 1996 18:184
79.3024EVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Fri Sep 27 1996 18:2413
79.3025BULEAN::BANKSThink locally, act locallyFri Sep 27 1996 18:263
79.3026BUSY::SLABOn with the body count!!Fri Sep 27 1996 18:293
79.3027NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Sep 27 1996 18:292
79.3028BULEAN::BANKSThink locally, act locallyFri Sep 27 1996 18:314
79.3029NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Sep 27 1996 18:351
79.3030GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeFri Sep 27 1996 18:465
79.3031PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Sep 27 1996 19:033
79.3032NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Sep 27 1996 19:051
79.3033PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Sep 27 1996 19:192
79.3034NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 30 1996 13:49177
79.3035NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 30 1996 13:547
79.3036NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Sep 30 1996 13:558
79.3037BUSY::SLABRaging SlabMon Sep 30 1996 14:524
79.3038MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Mon Sep 30 1996 14:535
79.3039SMURF::WALTERSMon Sep 30 1996 14:573
79.3040FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Sep 30 1996 14:597
79.3041ACISS1::BATTISBlazer BoyMon Sep 30 1996 15:102
79.3042BUSY::SLABRandom acts of senseless violenceMon Sep 30 1996 15:293
79.3043NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 02 1996 14:2274
79.3044NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 02 1996 14:2368
79.3045MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Wed Oct 02 1996 14:331
79.3046ACISS2::LEECHTerminal PhilosophyWed Oct 02 1996 17:492
79.3047MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Thu Oct 03 1996 16:1011
79.3048Payed to Pray?NETCAD::MCGRATHThu Oct 03 1996 16:143
79.3049BUSY::SLABThe age of aquariusThu Oct 03 1996 16:193
79.3050MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Thu Oct 03 1996 16:242
79.3051BUSY::SLABThe age of aquariusThu Oct 03 1996 16:404
79.3052GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeThu Oct 03 1996 16:539
79.3053BUSY::SLABThe age of aquariusThu Oct 03 1996 16:564
79.3054NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Oct 03 1996 17:08150
79.3055CHEFS::16.42.32.175::leslieareally POMPY::LESLIEThu Oct 03 1996 17:174
79.3056EVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Thu Oct 03 1996 17:393
79.3057BUSY::SLABThe new phone book's here!!Thu Oct 03 1996 17:573
79.3058NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 07 1996 13:51166
79.3059NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 07 1996 13:55168
79.3060NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 07 1996 14:018
79.3061CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Oct 07 1996 14:052
79.3062BULEAN::BANKSMendel fudged his dataMon Oct 07 1996 14:073
79.3063ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberMon Oct 07 1996 15:032
79.3064NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 07 1996 15:062
79.3065CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Oct 07 1996 16:222
79.3066BUSY::SLABWonder Twin powers ... activate!!Mon Oct 07 1996 16:234
79.3067CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsMon Oct 07 1996 16:271
79.3068BUSY::SLABWonder Twin powers ... activate!!Mon Oct 07 1996 16:333
79.3069NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 08 1996 18:02107
79.3070POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideTue Oct 08 1996 18:083
79.3071SMURF::WALTERSTue Oct 08 1996 18:093
79.3072PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Oct 08 1996 18:113
79.3073BUSY::SLABAfterbirth of a NationTue Oct 08 1996 18:145
79.3074GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeTue Oct 08 1996 18:298
79.3075LANDO::OLIVER_BLook in ya heaaaaaaaaaaaart!Tue Oct 08 1996 18:341
79.3076MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Tue Oct 08 1996 18:5943
79.3077BUSY::SLABAfterbirth of a NationTue Oct 08 1996 19:013
79.3078Talk about dumbDYPSS1::s_coghill.dyo.dec.com::S_CoghillLuke 14:28Tue Oct 08 1996 19:069
79.3079...and they lived happily ever after.EVMS::MORONEYYOU! Out of the gene pool!Tue Oct 08 1996 19:209
79.3080BUSY::SLABAfterbirth of a NationTue Oct 08 1996 19:243
79.3081CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsTue Oct 08 1996 19:251
79.3082SCASS1::BARBER_AU F O F UTue Oct 08 1996 19:271
79.3083NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 08 1996 19:321
79.3084NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 08 1996 19:3396
79.3085CADSYS::FENNELLNothing is planned by the sea and the sandTue Oct 08 1996 19:406
79.3086MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Tue Oct 08 1996 20:1427
79.3087ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberTue Oct 08 1996 20:145
79.3088ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberTue Oct 08 1996 20:165
79.3089CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsTue Oct 08 1996 20:272
79.3090who buried them?ACISS2::LEECHTerminal PhilosophyTue Oct 08 1996 20:283
79.3091NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 08 1996 20:391
79.3092APACHE::KEITHDr. DeuceWed Oct 09 1996 12:561
79.3093CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Oct 09 1996 13:325
79.3094ACISS2::LEECHTerminal PhilosophyWed Oct 09 1996 13:423
79.3095CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Oct 09 1996 14:007
79.3096APACHE::KEITHDr. DeuceWed Oct 09 1996 14:564
79.3097COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Oct 09 1996 14:571
79.3098CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Oct 09 1996 15:0910
79.3099NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 09 1996 18:2649
79.3100do drunk elephants see pink elephants?EVMS::MORONEYSorry, my dog ate my homepage.Wed Oct 09 1996 19:152
79.3101NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 09 1996 19:161
79.3102Pink Elephants On ParadePERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftWed Oct 09 1996 19:175
79.3103PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Oct 09 1996 19:196
79.3104EVMS::MORONEYSorry, my dog ate my homepage.Wed Oct 09 1996 19:264
79.3105BUSY::SLABConsume feces and expire.Wed Oct 09 1996 20:025
79.3106SMURF::WALTERSWed Oct 09 1996 20:071
79.3107NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 09 1996 20:191
79.3108POMPY::LESLIEAndy, living in a Dilbert worldThu Oct 10 1996 09:061
79.3109ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberThu Oct 10 1996 13:212
79.3110MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Thu Oct 10 1996 13:288
79.3111NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Oct 10 1996 13:31106
79.3112ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberThu Oct 10 1996 13:382
79.3113NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Oct 10 1996 13:541
79.3114ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberThu Oct 10 1996 14:064
79.3115re, lastGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Oct 10 1996 14:084
79.3116POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideThu Oct 10 1996 14:084
79.3117NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Oct 10 1996 16:237
79.3118maybe this is a TTWAHNDYMN::MCCARTHYA Quinn Martin ProductionThu Oct 10 1996 16:506
79.3119long term prognosis, howsomever...GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Oct 10 1996 16:524
79.3120Speaking of all things ScottishNPSS::MCSKEANEDavie Dodds IS E.T.Thu Oct 10 1996 20:1278
79.3121NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 11 1996 17:58165
79.3122NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 11 1996 18:282
79.3123BULEAN::BANKSThink locally, act locallyFri Oct 11 1996 18:303
79.3124SMURF::WALTERSFri Oct 11 1996 19:162
79.3125BUSY::SLABGood Heavens,Commander,what DID you do?Fri Oct 11 1996 19:423
79.3126BUSY::SLABGood Heavens,Commander,what DID you do?Fri Oct 11 1996 19:5440
79.3127And I found this also ...BUSY::SLABGood Heavens,Commander,what DID you do?Fri Oct 11 1996 19:5446
79.3128CTHU26::S_BURRIDGEFri Oct 11 1996 19:574
79.3129NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 14 1996 15:437
79.3130CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Oct 14 1996 15:517
79.3131NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 15 1996 13:48146
79.3132SMURF::WALTERSTue Oct 15 1996 13:581
79.3133NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 15 1996 14:002
79.3134POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideWed Oct 16 1996 16:0516
79.3135BULEAN::BANKSThink locally, act locallyFri Oct 18 1996 13:528
79.3136WAHOO::LEVESQUEguess I'll set a course and goFri Oct 18 1996 14:161
79.3137NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Oct 18 1996 14:56175
79.3138Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener .....BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Fri Oct 18 1996 14:585
79.3139POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideFri Oct 18 1996 20:3746
79.3140MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Fri Oct 18 1996 21:388
79.3141EDSCLU::JAYAKUMARFri Oct 18 1996 22:012
79.3142CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each daySat Oct 19 1996 12:2011
79.3143NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 21 1996 14:19147
79.3144NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 21 1996 14:23103
79.3145NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 21 1996 14:266
79.3146NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 21 1996 14:278
79.3147MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Mon Oct 21 1996 14:384
79.3148NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Oct 22 1996 14:0037
79.3149Richard Richards?COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Oct 22 1996 14:417
79.3150surprised you didn't notice, John...GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaTue Oct 22 1996 14:444
79.3151NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Oct 24 1996 13:48134
79.3152NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Oct 24 1996 13:5048
79.3153Only 4? Well of course there was stronger morality back then.SBUOA::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundThu Oct 24 1996 14:289
79.3154COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Oct 24 1996 14:375
79.3155COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Oct 28 1996 12:13116
79.3156POMPY::LESLIEAndy, living in a Dilbert worldMon Oct 28 1996 12:351
79.3157NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 28 1996 13:28137
79.3158NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 28 1996 13:32200
79.3159NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 28 1996 13:368
79.3160BUSY::SLABSubtract LAB, add TUD, invert nothingMon Oct 28 1996 14:235
79.3161NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Oct 28 1996 15:307
79.3162LANDO::OLIVER_BLook in ya heaaaaaaaaaaaart!Mon Oct 28 1996 15:321
79.3163going out with a bangEVMS::MORONEYSorry, my dog ate my homepage.Mon Oct 28 1996 17:0015
79.3164BUSY::SLABSubtract LAB, add TUD, invert nothingMon Oct 28 1996 17:026
79.3165EVMS::MORONEYSorry, my dog ate my homepage.Mon Oct 28 1996 17:263
79.3166need caddy adviceGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaMon Oct 28 1996 17:266
79.3167ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberTue Oct 29 1996 16:322
79.3168SHRCTR::PJOHNSONaut disce, aut discedeTue Oct 29 1996 18:273
79.3169ACISS1::BATTISmz_debra fan club memberTue Oct 29 1996 19:172
79.3170NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 30 1996 12:1366
79.3171NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Oct 30 1996 14:46101
79.3172GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeWed Oct 30 1996 15:1511
79.3173ACISS1::BATTISVending machines=food of the godsThu Oct 31 1996 13:042
79.3174ouchFABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Sun Nov 03 1996 17:3020
79.3175COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertSun Nov 03 1996 23:521
79.3176FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Nov 04 1996 10:104
79.3177WAHOO::LEVESQUEIt's just a kiss awayMon Nov 04 1996 11:183
79.3178BSS::PROCTOR_RAwed FellowMon Nov 04 1996 14:205
79.3179POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Nov 04 1996 14:211
79.3180reading for comprehension 101WAHOO::LEVESQUEIt's just a kiss awayMon Nov 04 1996 14:234
79.3181NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 05 1996 13:31138
79.3182NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 05 1996 13:36196
79.3183NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 05 1996 13:43174
79.3184NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Nov 06 1996 16:0634
79.3185NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 11 1996 13:34144
79.3186NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 11 1996 13:35109
79.3187NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 11 1996 13:395
79.3188NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 11 1996 13:406
79.3189POWDML::HANGGELIsweet &amp; juicy on the insideMon Nov 11 1996 16:1815
79.3190DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Mon Nov 11 1996 17:044
79.3191NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 12 1996 12:5085
79.3192CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Nov 12 1996 13:009
79.3193NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 12 1996 13:141
79.3194Go to bed. ITS THE LAW SONKERNEL::FREKESOlympic Banging Team MemberThu Nov 14 1996 11:5011
79.3195NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 14 1996 12:1640
79.3196Stowaway's incredible voyageEDSCLU::JAYAKUMARThu Nov 14 1996 14:39104
79.3197NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 14 1996 14:444
79.3198EDSCLU::JAYAKUMARThu Nov 14 1996 15:0110
79.3199SMURF::WALTERSThu Nov 14 1996 15:092
79.3200Thx DoctahMKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Thu Nov 14 1996 15:2312
79.3201BUSY::SLABThe Choking DobermanThu Nov 14 1996 15:325
79.3202WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott itjThu Nov 14 1996 15:353
79.3203UBFLWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott itjFri Nov 15 1996 12:3929
79.3204LANDO::OLIVER_BFri Nov 15 1996 12:521
79.3205CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Nov 15 1996 12:533
79.3206LANDO::OLIVER_BFri Nov 15 1996 12:562
79.3207POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Nov 15 1996 13:071
79.3208SMURF::WALTERSFri Nov 15 1996 13:071
79.3209amateursGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaFri Nov 15 1996 13:124
79.3210LANDO::OLIVER_BFri Nov 15 1996 13:173
79.3211POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Nov 15 1996 13:191
79.3212BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.yvv.com/decplus/Fri Nov 15 1996 14:224
79.3213MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Fri Nov 15 1996 17:171
79.3214ACISS1::BATTISClueless in ChicagoMon Nov 18 1996 11:423
79.3215WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott itjMon Nov 18 1996 12:191
79.3216ACISS1::BATTISClueless in ChicagoMon Nov 18 1996 12:232
79.3217typical 70's stuntGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaMon Nov 18 1996 12:258
79.3218I'll stick with hot; you can have safeWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott itjMon Nov 18 1996 12:424
79.3219Helpful HintCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Nov 18 1996 12:451
79.3220WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott itjMon Nov 18 1996 12:461
79.3221NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 18 1996 13:12144
79.3222that's weirdWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott itjMon Nov 18 1996 13:225
79.3223NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 18 1996 13:23173
79.3224ACISS1::BATTISClueless in ChicagoMon Nov 18 1996 13:422
79.3225BUSY::SLABWe're not #1, but we're up thereMon Nov 18 1996 14:228
79.3226NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 19 1996 15:4742
79.3227NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 21 1996 12:20173
79.3228NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Nov 21 1996 12:256
79.3229BUSY::SLABCatch you later!!Thu Nov 21 1996 13:2511
79.3230EVMS::MORONEYSmith&amp;Wesson - The original point &amp; click interface.Thu Nov 21 1996 15:2412
79.3231SMURF::WALTERSThu Nov 21 1996 16:0223
79.3232EVMS::MORONEYSmith&amp;Wesson - The original point &amp; click interface.Thu Nov 21 1996 16:3514
79.3233SMURF::WALTERSThu Nov 21 1996 16:416
79.3234easy testGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Nov 21 1996 16:525
79.3235NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 25 1996 13:496
79.3236NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 25 1996 13:49142
79.3237NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Nov 25 1996 13:50100
79.3238NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Nov 26 1996 13:04108
79.3239NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 02 1996 14:27145
79.3240NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 03 1996 13:50147
79.3241not-so-bright crime victimEVMS::MORONEYThe Thing in the Basement.Wed Dec 04 1996 20:184
79.3242ACISS2::LEECHTerminal PhilosophyThu Dec 05 1996 11:223
79.3243NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 05 1996 12:16135
79.3244DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Thu Dec 05 1996 13:3011
79.3245NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 09 1996 13:35119
79.3246NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 09 1996 13:386
79.3247Cockroach in corporator's sandwichEDSCLU::JAYAKUMARTue Dec 10 1996 10:3936
79.3248POMPY::LESLIETue Dec 10 1996 10:411
79.3249WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Dec 10 1996 10:491
79.3250POMPY::LESLIETue Dec 10 1996 11:403
79.3251NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 10 1996 12:20141
79.3252NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 10 1996 12:2671
79.3253CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsTue Dec 10 1996 12:262
79.3254It's a dirty job, etc.TLE::RALTOBridge to the 21st Federal Judge RulingTue Dec 10 1996 12:4212
79.3255POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorTue Dec 10 1996 13:081
79.3256EVMS::MORONEYThe Thing in the Basement.Tue Dec 10 1996 14:376
79.3257NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 10 1996 14:452
79.3258NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 11 1996 14:027
79.3259NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 11 1996 14:08120
79.3260A look of panic slowly spread across the clown's faceTLE::RALTOBridge to the 21st Contributor VisitWed Dec 11 1996 14:317
79.3261"you deserve a truncheon-beating today ?"GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaWed Dec 11 1996 14:404
79.3262Let us prey...SBUOA::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundWed Dec 11 1996 17:2311
79.3263BUSY::SLABDancin' on CoalsWed Dec 11 1996 17:385
79.3264POMPY::LESLIEThu Dec 12 1996 05:546
79.3265WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Dec 12 1996 09:431
79.3266POMPY::LESLIEThu Dec 12 1996 10:144
79.3267CHEFS::COOKSHalf Man,Half BiscuitThu Dec 12 1996 10:224
79.3268WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Dec 12 1996 10:271
79.3269BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Thu Dec 12 1996 11:028
79.3270POMPY::LESLIEThu Dec 12 1996 11:271
79.3271NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 12 1996 12:08148
79.3272BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Thu Dec 12 1996 14:027
79.3273TROOA::BUTKOVICHeschew obfuscationThu Dec 12 1996 14:392
79.3274SBUOA::GUILLERMOBut the world still goes round and roundFri Dec 13 1996 19:564
79.3275NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 16 1996 13:49139
79.3276NHASAD::SHERKI belong! I got circles overme i'sMon Dec 16 1996 15:059
79.3277POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Dec 16 1996 15:071
79.3278BUSY::SLABConsume feces and expireMon Dec 16 1996 15:193
79.3279NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 17 1996 12:36155
79.3280WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed Dec 18 1996 11:5358
79.3281BIGHOG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROWed Dec 18 1996 12:257
79.3282NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 18 1996 12:321
79.3283Only in AmericaKERNEL::FREKESLike a thief in the nightWed Dec 18 1996 13:3320
79.3284CSC32::M_EVANSbe the villageWed Dec 18 1996 13:3612
79.3285POMPY::LESLIEWed Dec 18 1996 13:405
79.3286MKOTS3::JMARTINBe A Victor..Not a Victim!Wed Dec 18 1996 13:404
79.3287POMPY::LESLIEWed Dec 18 1996 13:474
79.3288WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed Dec 18 1996 15:1111
79.3289NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Dec 18 1996 19:3266
79.3290BUSY::SLABA cross upon her bedroom wall ...Wed Dec 18 1996 19:358
79.3291They locked up while she was still in an alcove with her stuffCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Dec 18 1996 19:375
79.3292BUSY::SLABA Momentary Lapse of ReasonWed Dec 18 1996 19:455
79.3293She was right where they left her!COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Dec 18 1996 19:466
79.3294BUSY::SLABA Momentary Lapse of ReasonWed Dec 18 1996 19:4913
79.3295WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Dec 19 1996 11:4431
79.3296NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 19 1996 12:4620
79.3297Argument for sex _before_ marriage?USPS::FPRUSSFrank Pruss, 202-232-7347Thu Dec 19 1996 13:37112
79.3298A switch in the darkCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Dec 19 1996 13:456
79.3299POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Dec 19 1996 13:571
79.3300BUSY::SLABAll the leaves are brownThu Dec 19 1996 14:283
79.3301a puzzle solved ?GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Dec 19 1996 16:1412
79.3302WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Dec 19 1996 16:3165
79.3303NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 24 1996 13:10145
79.3304NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 24 1996 13:22132
79.3305NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Dec 26 1996 11:5754
79.3306ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownThu Dec 26 1996 15:412
79.3307COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Dec 27 1996 14:4734
79.3308GOJIRA::JESSOPFri Dec 27 1996 14:545
79.3310Maybe not so wacky briefs :-OSHOGUN::KOWALEWICZAre you from away?Fri Dec 27 1996 15:113
79.3311COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Dec 27 1996 15:123
79.3309BUSY::SLABCatch you later!!Fri Dec 27 1996 15:143
79.3312BUSY::SLABCatch you later!!Fri Dec 27 1996 15:143
79.3313GOJIRA::JESSOPFri Dec 27 1996 15:184
79.3314GOJIRA::JESSOPFri Dec 27 1996 15:181
79.3315BUSY::SLABCome On'N'OnFri Dec 27 1996 15:203
79.3316BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Fri Dec 27 1996 16:002
79.3317BUSY::SLABCome On'N'OnFri Dec 27 1996 16:045
79.3318BULEAN::BANKSOrthogonality is your friendFri Dec 27 1996 16:521
79.3319COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Dec 27 1996 22:0437
79.3320GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeMon Dec 30 1996 12:0211
79.3321NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Dec 30 1996 13:48129
79.3322GOJIRA::JESSOPMon Dec 30 1996 13:572
79.3323LANDO::OLIVER_Burban camperMon Dec 30 1996 14:171
79.3324ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownMon Dec 30 1996 16:062
79.3325NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Dec 31 1996 12:2988
79.3326NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 02 1997 12:5060
79.3327NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 02 1997 12:5128
79.3328EVMS::MORONEYRobigusThu Jan 02 1997 14:5011
79.3329BUSY::SLABBasket CaseThu Jan 02 1997 14:534
79.3330WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Jan 02 1997 15:222
79.3331BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughThu Jan 02 1997 15:235
79.3332WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Jan 02 1997 15:253
79.3333BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughThu Jan 02 1997 15:266
79.3334WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Jan 02 1997 15:271
79.3335BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughThu Jan 02 1997 15:293
79.3336WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Jan 02 1997 15:391
79.3337riderless horse racingCOOKIE::MUNNSdaveThu Jan 02 1997 15:393
79.3338NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 02 1997 15:391
79.3339BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughThu Jan 02 1997 15:504
79.3340BULEAN::BANKSOrthogonality is your friendThu Jan 02 1997 15:507
79.3341NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 02 1997 15:523
79.3342POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 02 1997 15:557
79.3343SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 02 1997 15:561
79.3344BUSY::SLABBeing weird isn't enoughThu Jan 02 1997 15:586
79.3345POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 02 1997 15:594
79.3346I saw itPASTA::PIERCEThe Truth is Out ThereThu Jan 02 1997 17:124
79.3347POMPY::LESLIEFri Jan 03 1997 06:349
79.3348BULEAN::BANKSOrthogonality is your friendFri Jan 03 1997 11:483
79.3349POMPY::LESLIEFri Jan 03 1997 12:131
79.3350NOTHING LIKE A BONEHEAD!!!!LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 12:557
79.3351POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 12:555
79.3352CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 13:004
79.3353POMPY::LESLIEFri Jan 03 1997 13:001
79.3354Look at this one!!!!LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 13:1312
79.3355POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 13:146
79.3356LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 13:173
79.3357BULEAN::BANKSOrthogonality is your friendFri Jan 03 1997 13:172
79.3358CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 13:193
79.3359POMPY::LESLIEFri Jan 03 1997 13:253
79.3360POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 13:265
79.3361LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 13:272
79.3362the insurance broker could retire on this one!TROOA::BUTKOVICHoski wee wee, oski wah wahFri Jan 03 1997 13:2742
79.3363POMPY::LESLIEFri Jan 03 1997 13:293
79.3364Little defensive are we???LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 13:398
79.3365POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 13:425
79.3366BUSY::SLABCrash, burn ... when will I learn?Fri Jan 03 1997 13:435
79.3367LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 13:442
79.3368POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 13:453
79.3369BUSY::SLABCrash, burn ... when will I learn?Fri Jan 03 1997 13:456
79.3370CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 13:4523
79.3371LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 13:474
79.3372LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 13:497
79.3373CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 14:0315
79.3374LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 14:071
79.3375LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 14:113
79.3376POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 14:141
79.3377CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 14:153
79.3378LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 14:209
79.3379LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 14:223
79.3380LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 14:243
79.3381CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 14:2513
79.3382LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 14:273
79.3383LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 14:301
79.3384POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 14:315
79.3385CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 14:325
79.3386SMURF::WALTERSFri Jan 03 1997 14:322
79.3387GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeFri Jan 03 1997 14:345
79.3388BUSY::SLABCrazy Cooter comin' atcha!!Fri Jan 03 1997 14:415
79.3389NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jan 03 1997 14:441
79.3390NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jan 03 1997 14:453
79.3391SCASS1::BARBER_AAre you happy now?Fri Jan 03 1997 14:451
79.3392ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 15:073
79.3393PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 03 1997 15:104
79.3394ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 15:122
79.3395CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 15:133
79.3396LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 15:163
79.3397wow- talk about an insult.WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 03 1997 15:223
79.3398SCASS1::BARBER_AAre you happy now?Fri Jan 03 1997 15:262
79.3399POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 15:313
79.3400POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 15:342
79.3401POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 15:355
79.3402PSDV::SURRETTETheCluePhoneIsRinging,AndIt'sForYOU.Fri Jan 03 1997 16:013
79.3403POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 16:061
79.3404PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 03 1997 16:093
79.3405POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 16:131
79.3406WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 03 1997 16:213
79.3407ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 16:252
79.3408GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeFri Jan 03 1997 16:448
79.3409POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 16:471
79.3410BUSY::SLABDancin' on CoalsFri Jan 03 1997 16:475
79.3411LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 16:481
79.3412NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Jan 03 1997 16:563
79.3413LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:001
79.3414POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 18:011
79.3415LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:022
79.3416POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 18:033
79.3417LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:054
79.3418LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 18:063
79.3419LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:072
79.3420LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 18:071
79.3421LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:081
79.3422SMART2::JENNISONGod and sinners, reconciledFri Jan 03 1997 18:096
79.3423CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 18:128
79.3424LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:142
79.3425ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 18:162
79.3426CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 18:177
79.3427RE: .3424BUSY::SLABDo ya wanna bump and grind with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:174
79.3428GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeFri Jan 03 1997 18:182
79.3429LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:191
79.3430LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 18:201
79.3431POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 18:211
79.3432GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeFri Jan 03 1997 18:224
79.3433BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:233
79.3434LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:237
79.3435BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:245
79.3436LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:251
79.3437ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 18:252
79.3438POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 18:265
79.3439BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:265
79.3440LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:262
79.3441CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 18:2711
79.3442LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 03 1997 18:271
79.3443PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 03 1997 18:284
79.3444LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:304
79.3445BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:306
79.3446POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 18:313
79.3447LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:321
79.3448LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:321
79.3449CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 18:334
79.3450POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 18:334
79.3451BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:345
79.3452POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 18:343
79.3453LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:341
79.3454MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyFri Jan 03 1997 18:3523
79.3455BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:386
79.3456LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:409
79.3457momentary grammer lapseCSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 18:4110
79.3458MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyFri Jan 03 1997 18:411
79.3459LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:432
79.3460ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 18:443
79.3461POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 03 1997 18:443
79.3462LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:473
79.3463KA-SLAM! "Wilma! I'm home!"WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 03 1997 18:479
79.3464RE: .3462BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 18:484
79.3465ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 03 1997 18:483
79.3466LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:492
79.3467not even the first time aroundWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 03 1997 18:502
79.3468SMURF::WALTERSFri Jan 03 1997 18:504
79.3469;^)WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 03 1997 18:501
79.3470LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:512
79.3471SMURF::WALTERSFri Jan 03 1997 18:511
79.3472CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 18:527
79.3473LUNER::BIRDFri Jan 03 1997 18:532
79.3474POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 18:546
79.3475Let me smooth things...GOJIRA::JESSOPFri Jan 03 1997 18:585
79.3476POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 19:002
79.3477CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 03 1997 19:0111
79.3478GOJIRA::JESSOPFri Jan 03 1997 19:033
79.3479POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 19:052
79.3480SCASS1::BARBER_AAre you happy now?Fri Jan 03 1997 19:051
79.3481SMURF::WALTERSFri Jan 03 1997 19:061
79.3482POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 19:081
79.3483BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 19:1011
79.3484SCASS1::BARBER_AAre you happy now?Fri Jan 03 1997 19:163
79.3485BUSY::SLABDo you wanna bang heads with me?Fri Jan 03 1997 19:174
79.3486GOJIRA::JESSOPFri Jan 03 1997 19:192
79.3487SCASS1::BARBER_AAre you happy now?Fri Jan 03 1997 19:193
79.3488POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 03 1997 19:203
79.3489BUSY::SLABDogbert's New Ruling Class: 150KFri Jan 03 1997 20:043
79.3490FABSIX::M_CADIEUXKADOUSat Jan 04 1997 00:243
79.3491POMPY::LESLIEMon Jan 06 1997 06:5412
79.3492POMPY::LESLIEMon Jan 06 1997 07:1115
79.3493FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Mon Jan 06 1997 10:105
79.3494LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 11:422
79.3495COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon Jan 06 1997 11:461
79.3496LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 11:491
79.3497POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityMon Jan 06 1997 11:493
79.3498LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 11:594
79.3499POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityMon Jan 06 1997 12:005
79.3500CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 12:007
79.3501CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 12:018
79.3502POMPY::LESLIEMon Jan 06 1997 12:121
79.3503LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 12:332
79.3504CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 12:343
79.3505POMPY::LESLIEMon Jan 06 1997 12:361
79.3506LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 12:371
79.3507POMPY::LESLIEMon Jan 06 1997 12:381
79.3508LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 12:391
79.3509POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Jan 06 1997 12:451
79.3510incongruityGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaMon Jan 06 1997 12:454
79.3511LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 12:483
79.3512POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Jan 06 1997 12:541
79.3513NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 06 1997 12:561
79.3514NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 06 1997 12:5795
79.3515POMPY::LESLIEMon Jan 06 1997 13:0310
79.3516NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 06 1997 13:0724
79.3517LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 13:183
79.3518POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Jan 06 1997 13:242
79.3519LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 13:261
79.3520CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 13:275
79.3521POMPY::LESLIEDigital: the ohm of futile resistanceMon Jan 06 1997 13:302
79.3522justifiable...GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaMon Jan 06 1997 13:325
79.3523LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 13:324
79.3524CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 13:3610
79.3525BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Jan 06 1997 13:525
79.3526BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Jan 06 1997 13:549
79.3527BUSY::SLABErin go braghlessMon Jan 06 1997 14:255
79.3528LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 16:042
79.3529BUSY::SLABExit light ... enter nightMon Jan 06 1997 16:126
79.3530BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Jan 06 1997 16:187
79.3531BUSY::SLABExit light ... enter nightMon Jan 06 1997 16:197
79.3532MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyMon Jan 06 1997 16:207
79.3533LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 16:221
79.3534SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Jan 06 1997 17:281
79.3535LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 17:311
79.3536CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 17:344
79.3537BUSY::SLABForeplay? What's that?Mon Jan 06 1997 17:404
79.3538LUNER::BIRDMon Jan 06 1997 17:431
79.3539SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Jan 06 1997 17:553
79.3540PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jan 06 1997 17:585
79.3541EVMS::MORONEYRobigusMon Jan 06 1997 18:031
79.3542CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Jan 06 1997 18:044
79.3543SMART2::JENNISONGod and sinners, reconciledMon Jan 06 1997 18:087
79.3544PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jan 06 1997 18:123
79.3545SMART2::JENNISONGod and sinners, reconciledMon Jan 06 1997 18:145
79.3546NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 06 1997 18:2512
79.3547EDSCLU::JAYAKUMARMon Jan 06 1997 19:0320
79.3548hmmm, an idea from India...GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaMon Jan 06 1997 19:084
79.3549NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 06 1997 19:162
79.3550SMART2::JENNISONGod and sinners, reconciledMon Jan 06 1997 19:185
79.3551PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BMon Jan 06 1997 19:213
79.3552POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Jan 06 1997 19:211
79.3553POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityMon Jan 06 1997 19:234
79.3554SMART2::JENNISONGod and sinners, reconciledMon Jan 06 1997 19:244
79.3555POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityMon Jan 06 1997 19:253
79.3556POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Jan 06 1997 19:251
79.3557POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityMon Jan 06 1997 19:295
79.3558Horsie Pampers?POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityTue Jan 07 1997 19:5527
79.3559NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 07 1997 19:583
79.3560POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityTue Jan 07 1997 20:013
79.3561BUSY::SLABA thousand pints of liteTue Jan 07 1997 21:085
79.3562NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 12:01146
79.3563It's a dirty job, etc.TLE::RALTOLeggo My LegoWed Jan 08 1997 13:356
79.3564NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 13:361
79.3565SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed Jan 08 1997 13:411
79.3566POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityWed Jan 08 1997 13:4346
79.3567BUSY::SLABAlways a Best Man, never a groomWed Jan 08 1997 13:455
79.3568NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 13:462
79.3569NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 13:5711
79.3570POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityWed Jan 08 1997 15:2029
79.3571SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed Jan 08 1997 15:235
79.3572NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 15:241
79.3573WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed Jan 08 1997 15:291
79.3574NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 15:311
79.3575SMURF::WALTERSWed Jan 08 1997 15:311
79.3576NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 15:331
79.3577SMURF::WALTERSWed Jan 08 1997 15:351
79.3578NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 15:371
79.3579SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed Jan 08 1997 15:401
79.3580PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Jan 08 1997 15:413
79.3581BSS::DSMITHRATDOGS DON'T BITEWed Jan 08 1997 17:115
79.3582NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 08 1997 17:141
79.35832nd 'of' = 'if'BUSY::SLABAntisocialWed Jan 08 1997 17:175
79.3584BSS::DSMITHRATDOGS DON'T BITEWed Jan 08 1997 17:203
79.3585WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed Jan 08 1997 17:231
79.3586COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Jan 08 1997 18:031
79.3587NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 09 1997 12:1389
79.3588exitDEVMKO::ROSCHThu Jan 09 1997 16:504
79.3589WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu Jan 09 1997 16:551
79.3590LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againThu Jan 09 1997 17:111
79.3591CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu Jan 09 1997 17:123
79.3592POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 09 1997 19:5617
79.3593POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Jan 09 1997 19:592
79.3594POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 09 1997 20:005
79.3595NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 09 1997 20:021
79.3596POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 09 1997 20:063
79.3597MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyThu Jan 09 1997 20:431
79.3598caveat emptor ?GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaFri Jan 10 1997 11:396
79.3599WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 10 1997 11:552
79.3600COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Jan 10 1997 12:104
79.3601CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 10 1997 12:1810
79.3602MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyFri Jan 10 1997 12:255
79.3603SALEM::DODAOne World within....Fri Jan 10 1997 12:261
79.3604POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 10 1997 12:273
79.3605as I recallCSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 10 1997 12:284
79.3606Hey! No illicit sex allowed within these hallowed halls!TLE::RALTOLeggo My LegoFri Jan 10 1997 12:3910
79.3607GAVEL::JANDROWPartly to Mostly BlondeFri Jan 10 1997 12:407
79.3608BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Fri Jan 10 1997 13:262
79.3609CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 10 1997 13:345
79.3610there's no proof!WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Jan 10 1997 13:434
79.3611BULEAN::BANKSOrthogonality is your friendFri Jan 10 1997 13:501
79.3612NirvanaEDSCLU::JAYAKUMARFri Jan 10 1997 14:1745
79.3613Banking on spies to check adulteryEDSCLU::JAYAKUMARTue Jan 14 1997 16:3056
79.3614POMPY::LESLIEThu Jan 16 1997 10:181
79.3615adjrectiveGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Jan 16 1997 13:224
79.3616SSDEVO::RALSTONK=tc^2Fri Jan 17 1997 13:1534
79.3617CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 17 1997 13:235
79.3618LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 17 1997 13:261
79.3619wasted turnGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaFri Jan 17 1997 13:4711
79.3621POMPY::LESLIEandy@reboot.demon.co.ukFri Jan 17 1997 13:492
79.3622LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 17 1997 13:513
79.3623ACISS1::SCHELTERFri Jan 17 1997 13:525
79.3624CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsFri Jan 17 1997 13:5714
79.3625PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 13:599
79.3626POMPY::LESLIEandy@reboot.demon.co.ukFri Jan 17 1997 14:001
79.3627LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 17 1997 14:013
79.3628SMURF::WALTERSFri Jan 17 1997 14:021
79.3629POMPY::LESLIEandy@reboot.demon.co.ukFri Jan 17 1997 14:043
79.3630PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 14:079
79.3631Smarm, crawl, etc etcPOMPY::LESLIEandy@reboot.demon.co.ukFri Jan 17 1997 14:133
79.3632;>PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 14:204
79.3633SMURF::MSCANLONa ferret on the barco-loungerFri Jan 17 1997 14:509
79.3634POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 17 1997 14:534
79.3635LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 17 1997 14:553
79.3636Nowadays it's solely a voicemail messaging interface unitTLE::RALTONow featuring Synchro-VoxFri Jan 17 1997 15:2118
79.3637ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 17 1997 15:243
79.3638CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 17 1997 15:264
79.3639Answer with a question ?GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaFri Jan 17 1997 15:298
79.3640ArffTLE::RALTONow featuring Synchro-VoxFri Jan 17 1997 15:326
79.3641BIGHOG::PERCIVALI'm the NRA,USPSA/IPSC,NROI-ROFri Jan 17 1997 15:349
79.3642PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 15:357
79.3643CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsFri Jan 17 1997 15:441
79.3644EVMS::MORONEYUHF ComputersFri Jan 17 1997 17:013
79.3645PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 17:1012
79.3646Sometimes, a simple 'What!" substitutes for a greeting ...BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Fri Jan 17 1997 17:134
79.3647SHOGUN::KOWALEWICZAre you from away?Fri Jan 17 1997 17:166
79.3648PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 17:1810
79.3649ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 17 1997 17:303
79.3651STAR::JESSOPAnkylosaurs had afterburnersFri Jan 17 1997 17:324
79.3652EVMS::MORONEYUHF ComputersFri Jan 17 1997 17:345
79.3653SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Fri Jan 17 1997 17:345
79.3650SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Fri Jan 17 1997 17:3536
79.3654BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Fri Jan 17 1997 17:356
79.3655SMURF::WALTERSFri Jan 17 1997 17:387
79.3656PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 17:436
79.3657yACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 17 1997 17:514
79.3658PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BFri Jan 17 1997 18:046
79.3659SSDEVO::RALSTONK=tc^2Fri Jan 17 1997 18:292
79.3660MPGS::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketFri Jan 17 1997 18:4014
79.3661STAR::JESSOPAnkylosaurs had afterburnersFri Jan 17 1997 18:4612
79.3662CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 17 1997 19:189
79.3663ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownFri Jan 17 1997 19:222
79.3664CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 17 1997 19:255
79.3665LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againFri Jan 17 1997 19:325
79.3666CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Jan 17 1997 19:339
79.3667POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Jan 17 1997 19:411
79.3668SSDEVO::RALSTONK=tc^2Fri Jan 17 1997 19:483
79.3669POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityFri Jan 17 1997 19:485
79.3670MPGS::WOOLNERYour dinner is in the supermarketFri Jan 17 1997 19:568
79.3671MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyFri Jan 17 1997 20:241
79.3672CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each daySat Jan 18 1997 02:1712
79.3673Then what type do I look like ....BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Sat Jan 18 1997 12:587
79.3674COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertSun Jan 19 1997 22:148
79.3675It's a dirty job, etc.TLE::RALTONow featuring Synchro-VoxMon Jan 20 1997 13:025
79.3676BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Jan 20 1997 13:503
79.3677NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 16:4691
79.3678NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:108
79.3679NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:114
79.3680LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againMon Jan 20 1997 17:131
79.3681NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:1390
79.3682NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:14131
79.3683NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:1556
79.3684NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:15137
79.3685NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:17103
79.3686NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 17:1889
79.3687GOJIRA::JESSOPMon Jan 20 1997 18:451
79.3688NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 20 1997 20:04142
79.3689perfectGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaTue Jan 21 1997 11:445
79.3690MKOTS3::JMARTINEbonics Is Not ApplyTue Jan 21 1997 12:2437
79.3691NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 21 1997 15:095
79.3692ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownTue Jan 21 1997 19:234
79.3693FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Jan 21 1997 19:307
79.3694BUSY::SLABAnd one of us is left to carry on.Tue Jan 21 1997 19:326
79.3695FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Jan 21 1997 19:325
79.3696BUSY::SLABAnd one of us is left to carry on.Tue Jan 21 1997 19:359
79.3697SMURF::WALTERSTue Jan 21 1997 19:373
79.3698gad I'm tired...:)FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Jan 21 1997 19:558
79.3699ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownWed Jan 22 1997 12:303
79.3700NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 23 1997 12:54106
79.3701NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 23 1997 12:55132
79.3702NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 23 1997 14:227
79.3703POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Jan 23 1997 14:301
79.3704PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jan 23 1997 14:304
79.3705POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 23 1997 14:313
79.3706CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu Jan 23 1997 14:337
79.3707USPS::FPRUSSFrank Pruss, 202-232-7347Thu Jan 23 1997 14:351
79.3708NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 23 1997 14:361
79.3709POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Jan 23 1997 14:371
79.3710PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jan 23 1997 14:563
79.3711POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Jan 23 1997 14:591
79.3712SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:051
79.3713NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jan 23 1997 15:071
79.3714PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jan 23 1997 15:094
79.3715tough field...GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Jan 23 1997 15:104
79.3716CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu Jan 23 1997 15:107
79.3717SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:111
79.3718POWDML::HANGGELImouth responsibilityThu Jan 23 1997 15:123
79.3719SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:133
79.3720PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jan 23 1997 15:184
79.3721SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:201
79.3722POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Jan 23 1997 15:211
79.3723SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:261
79.3724PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Jan 23 1997 15:264
79.3725SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:271
79.3726disappointingGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaThu Jan 23 1997 15:506
79.3727SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:511
79.3728SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 15:513
79.3729ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownThu Jan 23 1997 18:302
79.3730SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 18:391
79.3731BUSY::SLABAs you wishThu Jan 23 1997 18:434
79.3732SMURF::WALTERSThu Jan 23 1997 18:451
79.3733TROOA::BUTKOVICHtry a little tendernessFri Jan 24 1997 17:141
    some replies are more titallating than others
79.3734NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 27 1997 13:42136
WEIRDNUZ.465 (News of the Weird, January 3, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* The township supervisors in East Marlborough, Pa., proposed an
ordinance in November to ban offensive smells within the town,
requiring that a panel of people who possess "ordinary and
reasonable sensibility" be convened to determine which odors are
not acceptable.  The issue arose when one supervisor complained
about the smell from a Chinese restaurant. 

* On December 5, for the 17th consecutive year, hundreds of Thai
men underwent free vasectomies to honor King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, 69, on his birthday.  The day-long festivities included
free food and drink and a condom-inflating championship.  The
king has been praised by family-planning organizations for cutting
Thailand's population growth rate by two-thirds over the last 25
years. 

* The Sanctity of Heterosexual Marriage:  In September,
Painesville, Ohio, judge Fred V. Skok issued a marriage license to
Paul Smith and Debi Easterly, even though he was aware that Paul
describes himself as a lesbian, usually dresses in women's clothes,
and is on a three-year regimen toward a complete gender change. 
Judge Skok, mindful that he could not under Ohio law approve a
female-female marriage, merely required a doctor's certificate that
Paul currently still has male sex organs. 

COURTROOM ANTICS

* In the Tasmanian Supreme Court in November, Martin Bryant
pleaded guilty to the April murders of 35 people at a tourist
attraction in Port Arthur, Australia, but he couldn't stop laughing. 
Wrote the Associated Press, "Bryant laughed so much he had
trouble saying the word 'guilty' and had to be hushed by his own
lawyer."  And convicted child molester Francis Robinson, 76, at a
September bail hearing on a charge of sexual abuse of an infant in
Markham, Ill., had to be admonished by the judge because he
chuckled while prosecutors described how Robinson allegedly
fondled the girl. 

* In October, a court in Kerrville, Tex., granted Darlie Router's
request (she's on trial for the Susan Smith-like murder of her two
small children) to have her hair done in jail at taxpayer expense.  
Router had convinced the judge that if she arrived for her trial with
dark roots, the jurors might infer that the reason she hadn't taken
care of her hair was because she is locked up, and thus they might
not give her the presumption of innocence.  

* At an October re-trial in Leeds, England, jurors took about an
hour to acquit police officer Andrew Whitfield, 30, of stealing a
calculator worth about $4.  The cost of the trial, plus the original
mistrial, plus keeping Whitfield on paid suspension for 14 months
as required by law, was about $158,000. 

* In September, Barbara Monsky filed a federal civil rights lawsuit
in Danbury, Conn., against local Superior Court Judge Howard J.
Moraghan for permitting his dog to roam the courthouse, especially
since Moraghan should know that the dog habitually sticks his
snout under women's skirts and allegedly did so to Monsky. 
Monsky's attorney, Nancy Burton, said the dog had sniffed her,
also.  Burton analogized to the traditional "one free bite" rule for
determining whether a dog is legally "vicious," arguing that
Moraghan long ago knew that the dog had had his one free sniff. 

* Rodney L. Turner, 55, called his office on October 2 in Kansas
City, Kan., and said he wouldn't make it to work that day, as a
result of his 2 a.m. arrest for DUI that resulted in his detention 
until
5 a.m.  Turner, a lawyer, is a part-time municipal judge and on
October 2 had been scheduled to hear a full day's docket of DUI
cases. 

COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS

* At the trial in his racial harassment lawsuit against Pitney Bowes
in Los Angeles in September, black salesman Akintunde I.
Ogunleye testified that he had been addressed by one co-worker as
"Akintunde, ooga-booga, jungle-jungle."  The co-worker, who is of
French-Canadian ancestry, later testified that he was
misunderstood, that what he said was "Bonjour, bonjour." The jury
awarded Akintunde $11.1 million. 

* In September, Roy T. Moore was convicted of exposing himself
while seated in his car at a gas station in Goderich, Ontario, 
despite
his explanation that what a witness saw was actually only a
half-eaten cookie from a bag he was holding in his lap.  The judge
refused to admit the cookie as evidence but did allow Moore's
lawyer to wield a tape measure to illustrate to the jury the size of
the alleged cookie. 

* Philippines army logistics officer Brig. Gen. Rolando Espejo told
a senate hearing in Manila in September that the 4,500 weapons
captured in coups against then-President Corazon Aquino have
been stolen from two armories and can never be recovered because
all documents referring to them are missing.  The general said the
documents were all eaten by termites. 

* Orlando, Fla., Juvenile Court judge Walter Komanski was caught
by office workers making printouts of pornography in the
courthouse in October and of keeping pornographic videos and
magazines in an office cabinet.  He said he kept them at work only
because he had teenage boys at home and that, as a responsible
parent, he didn't want them to find his stash.  Also, he said he had
surfed Internet sex sites only to research how to restrict them from
his kids.  (He was reassigned to finance cases.) 

* According to a report in the Wilmington (N. C.) Morning Star in
November, a dog was briefly, though improperly, admitted to the
local Kenan Auditorium with its owner to take in a performance of
the opera The Barber of Seville.  (The owner took the dog away
after it started to bark.)  Manager Don Hawley said one of his staff
members had allowed the woman to bring the dog in after she said
she was hearing-impaired and that the dog was a "hearing-ear dog." 
In retrospect, said Hawley, "That was silly." 

* Singer Stevie Nicks's lawyer told the Internal Revenue Service in
November that the reason she spent (and tax-deducted) so much for
clothing in 1991 was that she had to throw away each outfit after
one use because of "the energy levels of her performances and the
heat generated on stage from lights and physical exertion." 

UPDATE

* Imprisoned Kentucky child molester Lou Torok announced in
July 1995 that he had persuaded the governors of six states to
proclaim October 7 of that year as "Love Day."  Despite the
attention that Torok's petition drew from News of the Weird and
other news outlets at that time, Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton okayed
the "Love Day" designation again for October 7, 1996 (though he
later said he should not have).  Torok complained that America is
"not a forgiving country" and said that he is "in a cesspool of
negativism [in prison] and is just "trying to make the world a little
better." 
79.3735NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 27 1997 13:466
Police in Thailand have arrested a man and five women suspected of robbing
tourists at the Pattaya beach resort. It seems that the women would invite
visiting men to lick their nipples, which they had laced with drugs. When
the men passed out, an accomplice would rob the unconscious men. At least
45 tourists have died of drug overdoses at the resort in the past year,
all apparently as a result of the scheme. (Reuter)
79.3736NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jan 27 1997 13:4782
WhiteBoard News for Friday, January 24, 1997 [excerpts]

Bangkok, Thailand:

The Thai health ministry is advising the public that
placing the drug ecstasy in the taker's private parts
does not make sex feel better, an official said Thursday.

"The result of studies into the drug ecstasy show that
it does not have any effect when it is inserted into
sexual organs and I don't think any drug in the world
would work like that," said Manit Arunakul, the health
ministry's narcotics control director.

Teenagers of both sexes have been experimenting with
the drug in this way, rather than orally, hoping it
would be absorbed into the blood stream.

Manit noted that it would be other drugs and alcohol
taken beforehand that could give the impression that
the ecstasy was having an effect.
==========

Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada:

The Defense Department is drawing up some elaborate
plans to cover its butt.

Extensive field trials are scheduled this spring and
summer to test new underwear designs that will replace
standard military boxer shorts.

Manufacturers have until next week to submit their
designs for a contract to supply about 260,000 pairs
of briefs over two years. The deal is worth about $10
million.

And a 17-page set of military guidelines issued this
month indicates that only the finest undergarments will
pass muster. Initial specifications require that the
new drawers:

* Must not hinder the elimination of body wastes.

* Must remain in place . . . e.g., must not pull up in
crotch, roll up on thighs, slide down at waist, etc.

* Must not irritate open wounds.

* Must withstand six months of wear under normal field
conditions.

* Must not provide a significant source of static
electricity.

* Must not develop any peculiar odor, or retain body
odor after laundering.

* Must retain physical and performance standards for at
least 60 washings by hand.

Only "subdued" colors or white are acceptable, and the
garments must be suitable for both male and female
soldiers.

The briefs are part of the Clothe the Soldier Project,
a $187 million plan announced last November to outfit
the army in everything from new boots to improved
helmets.

Underwear testing will be carried out at Canadian
Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, among other
locations, said project head Lt. Col. Chris Davis.

The military is also warning manufacturers that it may
require the underwear to be invisible to night-vision
goggles through the use of special pigments that mask
infrared radiation.

The move, ensuring a soldier's rear end does not glow
in the dark, would conform to recent NATO standards for
combat clothing. 
79.3737NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 28 1997 12:4174
WhiteBoard News for Monday, January 27, 1997 [excerpts]

Brasilia, Brazil:

Turkeys in party dress will be the symbol of Brazil's
AIDS-awareness campaign during Carnival because of the
turkey's long-standing association, in local slang,
with the male genital organ, officials said on Friday. 

"Turkey for us Brazilians has the same double-meaning
as cock in the English-speaking world. It's a bird and
a penis," said Andre Caldeira, an account manager with
advertising agency Master Comunicacao which created the
government's campaign. 

Turkeys dressed up to look like Brazilian film star
Carmen Miranda, pirates, old-fashioned crooners and
other characters typical of raunchy Carnival parties
will star in a barrage of television spots to be
launched on Sunday. 

Images of the bird will also be emblazoned on wallets
designed to hold condoms, 2.5 million of which will be
handed out free during the February 8-12 pre-Lenten
holiday. 

By opting to feature an animal, the campaign's creators
hoped to avoid a repeat of last year's outcry when a
government television advertisement featured a man
conversing with his irrepressible penis called Braulio. 

Men named Braulio complained they were being ridiculed
because of the association and the campaign was abandoned. 

Health Minister Carlos Albuquerque, speaking at the
launch of this year's campaign, said he expected the
Catholic Church would object to the direct tone of the
advertisements but stressed their importance. 

"Preventing sexually transmitted disease and AIDS goes
beyond public health issues. It's a question of human
rights and citizenship," the minister said. 

Brazil has one of the world's highest rates of HIV
infection with 95,000 cases officially registered. The
government estimates that as many as 450,000 people of
a total population of 160 million have the HIV virus
that causes AIDS. 
==========

Leon, Mexico:

A Mexican family took out a newspaper advertisement
Sunday asking crooks to please stop robbing them.

"Mister robbers, you have cleaned us out ... please do
not visit us anymore, it's not worth your while," the
Robles family wrote in an ad in a newspaper in the
central Mexican state of Guanajuato.

The ad recounts how the Robles family was held up in
a local restaurant December 27, losing their money
and jewels. A month later, two armed robbers held up
the family again in their home, taking nearly
everything of value.

"The only things we have left is our refrigerator, our
television set and a VCR," the family said.

Crime in Mexico has soared in the past few years amid
an economic crisis that threw millions out of work.
Last week, the U.S. government warned its citizens not
to take taxicabs in Mexico City because many are used
to rob passengers.
79.3738NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jan 28 1997 12:537
Jorge Lemus, 23, set up shop as a drug dealer on Washington Street in
Jamaica Plain.  Across from the police station.  Police looking out the
window saw him in action, made a buy, and arrested him.

"This guy had to be blind!" said Boston police spokesman Jerry Vanderwood.
"We have big blue lights and signs that say 'police department.'  This guy
must be from another planet."
79.3739NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 29 1997 12:3593
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #32 Jan 28, 1997 [excerpts] 
                        http://www.ovis.com/       
**********************************************************************
>>>Man Bites Off Dog's Testicles
Source: LB Press-Telegram
CORNING (01-22) -- A man angry when a stray dog tried to 
mount his pet German Shepard is accused of cruelty to animals 
for biting the stray dog's genitals. Raymond Leroy Belew, 25, 
an iron worker, tried to separate the two dogs. When the 
black-and-white dog failed to leave, Belew bit off the stray 
dog's genitals. "Maybe the mutt bit him, maybe it didn't. He 
had red marks, but no broken skin," said Tehama County 
sheriff Cmdr. Paul Hosler.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Man Dies Playing "Safe" Russian Roulette
Source: LB Press-Telegram 
LONG BEACH, Calif. (01-22) -- A 24-year-old man died after 
he tried to demonstrate a "safe" system for playing the deadly 
Russian Roulette game. John Spaulding Settle was inside a 
car with one of his friends when he tried to demonstrate his 
technique. He died as a result of a bullet wound to his head. 
----------------------

>>>Me No Speak No Dutch
Source: Reuters 
AMSTERDAM, (01-16) -- A robbery attempt by a masked gunman 
failed after a foreign employee did not understand his request for 
cash. 
"The only  staff member present at the time barely spoke 
Dutch and the robber was apparently unable to make it clear to 
him that he wanted money," a spokesman said. "Language barriers 
have their advantages," he added.
----------------------

>>>Italian Prisoners Allowed Pets
Source: Reuters 
ROME, (01-22) -- Italian prisoners can keep small pets inside their 
cells. 
The Justice Ministry approved the pet program after it was introduced 
by Green Party Senator Athos de Luca. Luca said the new program 
will "help humanize penal institutions." Inmates can now share their 
cells with cats, fish, caged birds
and other small pets. "Inmates have a great need for contact with 
nature and this contact helps speed their social recovery," said 
Fulco Pratesi, president of Italy's chapter of World Wildlife Fund.
----------------------

>>>Angry Judge Throws Rape Victim in Jail
Source: AP 
KINGSTON, Jamaica (01-22) -- A High Court judge ordered a 
22-year-old woman, testifying in her own rape trial, to spend the 
night in jail because she wouldn't speak loud enough. 
Judge Basil Reid repeatedly ordered the woman to speak up. 
She was transported to the Women's Prison, but the judge 
rescinded the order later the same day.
----------------------

>>>Superstitious Woman Finds Bad Luck
Source: Reuters 
Submitted by: Jim Gunderson (topgun@lightspeed.net)
BANGKOK, (01-27) -- An eight months pregnant woman was 
attacked by an elephant as she was crawling under his belly. 
Many superstitious Thais believe that crawling three times under 
an elephant's belly will bring them good luck and that pregnant 
women will have an easier delivery. 
The woman just finished her second trip under the elephant's 
belly when it became agitated by barking dogs and gored her in 
the thigh. The elephant's owner was arrested and released only 
after paying 6,000 baht ($240) to the woman. 
The unidentified woman was transported to a local hospital.
----------------------

>>>IN OTHER BIZARRE NEWS:

+++Submitted by: mgetz@soucedigital.com (01-17) -- Edward Hill, 
suspected of concealing drugs, was awaiting his turn for X-rays 
requested by police. No X-rays wee needed after Hill defecated on the 
emergency room floor. Along with his body waste police found two 
baggies containing two ounces of crack cocaine and one bag with 10 
grams of marijuana.

+++RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters, 01-14) -- Brazilian drug dealers used a 
cemetery to hide drugs and guns. Police confiscated $480,000 worth of 
marijuana discovered in a grave inside Rio de Janeiro's English 
Cemetery.

+++PRAGUE, (01-28) -- A man was shot through the head and sought 
medical help... six days later. The man was shot by another person in 
what police described as "careless use of a weapon." The bullet entered 
through one of his nostrils and exited through his temple. Doctors 
speculate it would take seven weeks for him to recover.
79.3740NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Jan 29 1997 12:427
New London, Conn. (AP) -- A would-be police officer says he was rejected as
a candidate for the New London department because he is too smart.  Robert
Jordan, 46, recently filed a complaint with state Commission of Human Rights
and Opportunities, claimong that a city hiring official told him he scored
too high on an IQ test.  Jordan, who says his IQ is 120, says Assistant City
Manager Keith Harrigan explained the city believes those with high IQs would
become bored with police work.  City officials declined to discuss the case.
79.3741POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateWed Jan 29 1997 12:553
    
    120 is considered a high IQ?!
    
79.3742CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Jan 29 1997 13:001
    For certain occupations apparently.
79.3743besides, 100 is averageWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed Jan 29 1997 13:011
    Everything's relative, Debra.
79.3744MROA::YANNEKISFri Jan 31 1997 15:189
    
>    120 is considered a high IQ?!
    
    I think 17 points (15?) is one standard deviation on the IQ test.  If
    that is right a score of 117 is in the top 17% of folks tested.  So 120
    is pretty good.
    
    Greg
    
79.3745NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 03 1997 13:01204
WhiteBoard News for Friday, January 31, 1997 [excerpts]

St. Petersburg, Russia:

A disgruntled crew of mountain climbers repairing the
spire of a historic cathedral concealed their written
complaints inside the bronze figure of an angel, 400
feet above the ground. 

Nearly 40 years later, another crew of climbers
discovered the letter, hidden in a lemonade bottle
inside the weather vane, The Moscow Times reported. 

"The job is done badly because the bosses did not care
about us," the letter said. "They paid little.  The
deadlines were short." 

The first team was sent to the top of the spire above
St. Petersburg's Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in
1957 to repair the angel's gold leaf and the weather
vane mechanism. 

In their letter to "future climbers," the six workers
complained that a strict deadline imposed by city
authorities made it impossible to remove the
12-foot-high angel and make the repairs on the ground. 

In 1991, the second set of climbers scaled the spire to
remove the angel for restoration. While dismantling the
figure, they discovered the hidden lemonade bottle. 

Taken with the idea of using the angel as a messenger,
the contemporary climbers hid their own message in a
bottle in the angel when they replaced it in 1995. 

Elvira Degmirova, a spokeswoman for the Peter and Paul
Fortress, where the cathedral is located, said the
contents of the second letter will remain a secret
until the next time the figure is dismantled. 
==========

Mexico City, Mexico:

Police in Mexico City are spending their time, and the
public's money, making telephone calls to sex lines,
television news program Hechos said Wednesday.

The program said telephone calls to companies that sell
sexually explicit conversations were billed to 20
police stations in one region of the city and
authorities were having trouble paying the large bills.

"During the past year we had problems with the
collection for these kinds of calls," local government
spokeswoman Esperanza Gomez was quoted as saying.

The television program said with the expensive bills going
unpaid the police stations were having their telephone
service restricted and were unable to receive calls.

The government's security department told the
television program that it would crack down on the
fantasy sex calls.
==========

Tulsa, Oklahoma:

A radio station got its listeners' attention with a
Groundhog Day promotion. It also got them upset.

The phones at KHTT-FM were flooded Wednesday morning
after disc jockey Andy Barber said the station planned
to drop "Grady the Groundhog" 200 feet from a hot air
balloon.

If Grady survives, Barber told his listeners, then
spring will be on the way. If not, then winter will
stick around.

Station news director Katrina Tyler said KHTT received
so many calls, they started playing some of them on the
air.

She said the station will go ahead with its plan
Sunday, but isn't saying whether a live animal will be
used. "All I can say is it's a groundhog," she said.

Rumor has it the station will drop a package of sausage
-- a ground hog.
==========

Jacksonville, Florida:

For Brenda Gaskin, giving birth in the back seat of the
family car is getting old.

"I was really looking forward to having this one in the
hospital," the 26-year-old mother of three said
Wednesday, laughing. "We even picked a closer hospital
so it wouldn't happen a second time."

But Cleborne Kenneth Gaskin III came into the world in
the back seat of the family's blue, 1991 Mercury Topaz
-- just like his sister Kensey two years ago.

The 9-pound, 5-ounce boy made it to the front door of
the hospital, but wouldn't wait a minute longer.

The youngster arrived in fine shape, with some help
from an off-duty emergency room worker who happened to
be in the lobby when the Gaskins arrived.

"We really thought we were going to make it this time,"
Brenda said. 

Labor contractions started about 6:00 AM Tuesday.
Brenda, a clerk in an attorney's title insurance fund,
called her mother-in-law, who came for the family's
other two children, Kensey and Brittani.

When the contractions were about five minutes apart, "we
grabbed our stuff and went right out," Brenda said.
Traffic was light on the 15-minute journey to St. Vincent
Medical Center.

Just as they pulled into the parking lot, Brenda turned
to her husband, Cleborne. "I told him, 'It's coming
right now!'" she said. "And he said: 'Not again!'"

The Gaskins have plans for one more child, Brenda said.

"The next one will be born in the hospital. No matter
what it takes." 
==========

Southampton, Massachusetts:

Some schools ban gang colors, others banish offensive
T-shirts. The Norris School has soured on lollipops. 

"Beginning Monday, lollipops will be confiscated,"
Principal Lynne Christensen announced in the elementary
school's newsletter this week. 

Christensen said she is acting out of concern for
students' safety. The decision to drop the pops came at
a faculty meeting that featured a demonstration of the
Heimlich maneuver by the town's fire chief. 

"We see kids running around with sticks in their
mouths," Christensen told the Springfield Union News.
"They could fall and choke." 

Not likely, said a spokeswoman for a group that
represents candy makers. 

"I would think pencils could be a more potential danger
than lollipops," said Susan Smith, vice president of
the Virginia-based National Confectioners Association. 

For now, the idea doesn't appear to be a sticking point
for parents. 

"I would stand by the school," said Dianne Belisle, a
member of the school's Parent-Teacher Organization.
"I don't think it needs to be a policy, but it's not
a bad idea." 
==========

Tampa, Florida:

Claude Gates is no William Tell, but he used a crossbow
to stop a suspected burglar at his business.

After his shop was broken into twice since Sunday,
Gates and his employees decided to wait in the shadows,
armed with crossbows.

"I'm not an archer," Gates said, adding he had not
touched a bow in years.

Gates, 50, said he was on watch duty Tuesday night when
he saw a man ride a bicycle up to his business, dismount
and proceed to rob the place, which does chrome plating.

Gates said he ordered the intruder to stay still, to no
avail, and was forced to use his weapon.

He let fly two razor-edged arrows. One struck the
intruder's side, going through, and the other lodged in
his buttocks.

The case has been turned over to the Hillsborough state
attorney's office to determine if Gates should be
charged, said police spokesman Steve Cole.

Meanwhile, police arrested Shon Penalver, 46, on
suspicions of breaking into Gates' business.

Penalver, who had outstanding warrants for burglary,
grand theft and possession of burglary tools, was
released from Tampa General Hospital Wednesday.

He faces burglary and grand theft charges.
79.3746NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 03 1997 13:12144
WEIRDNUZ.466 (News of the Weird, January 10, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Can't Hold It In:  The school board in Durham, N. C.,
suspended a substitute teacher at Hillside High School in
November after she urinated into a trash can during class,
allegedly because of a medical condition.  And 5th-grade teacher
Dow Ooten, 36, was suspended in Charleston, W. Va., in
December after he brought his soiled trousers to a school board
meeting to show what he was forced to do because the faculty
restroom door was locked.  And in November, a similarly-soiled
Tom Pak won a $45,000 settlement from Los Angeles County,
whose property tax office clerks made him wait at a desk,
without a restroom break, in retaliation for his having arrived 15
minutes before closing to make payments on more than 200
properties. 

* Latest Ear Technology:  In November, police in Independence
Township, Mich., arrested a 45-year-old man and charged him
with peeping into windows at the Clarkston Motor Inn, basing the
arrest on the earprints he allegedly left on the windows.  And one
month later, in Vancouver, Wash., Judge Robert L. Harris ruled
that the prosecutor could use an earprint found on the bedroom
door of a murder victim in the trial of his suspected killer. 

* Actress Anya Pencheva announced in November a plan to
divert her fellow Bulgarians' attention from grim economic
problems:  She would have a plaster cast made of her breasts, to
display in the National Theater in Sofia.  Said Pencheva, "It is a
pity to focus everything on [budget cuts] when there are such
beautiful breasts around." 

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* According to a September report in Toronto's Globe and Mail,
the University of Toronto's medical school employs actors and
other people for $12 to $35 per hour to be practice patients for its
students.  Bob LeRoy, 45, commands the top pay because he is a
rectal-exam patient.  Said LeRoy, "I always hope the student with
the biggest finger goes first." 

* The Wall Street Journal reported in September that about 100
"laughing clubs" had sprung up in India in the last year based on
the philosophy of Dr. Madan Kataria, who says the ancient yoga
breathing and laughing exercises can help people shed inhibitions,
build self-confidence, stop smoking, alleviate high blood pressure
and arthritis, and stop migraine headaches.  After conventional
stretching, adherents engage in silent laughs, out-loud laughs
with their lips closed, and the roaring "Bombay laugh."  Dr.
Kataria worries only that some day, the government might try to
tax laughter. 

* Suicide Chic:  A September story in London's Sunday Times
described Venice, Italy, as a new trendy site for unhappy
Europeans' and Americans' suicides, inspired by the movie
"Death in Venice."  (About 50 people attempted suicide in the
past year; all but a half dozen were unsuccessful, usually because
the canals into which they leap are deceptively shallow.)  And the
San Francisco Examiner reported in September that 11 people in
the previous 18 months had rented handguns at local gun ranges
and killed themselves on the premises. 

* According to an August dispatch by Britain's Guardian News
Service, the family of Chiang Kai-shek (the Chinese ruler who
was chased out by the communists, to Taiwan, in 1949 and who
died in 1975) is growing weary of the "temporary" storage of his
skeleton in Taiwan, where it has been kept in preparation for its
triumphant return to the mainland upon the fall of the communist
government.  According to practitioners of the art of feng-shui,
the spirits are upset that the skeleton is kept in a box in the 
living
room of the family estate instead of being buried in China. 

* Students rioting in August at South Korea's Yonsei University
apparently found weapons in short supply and used whatever was
available.  When police finally quashed the protest, the geology
department faculty discovered that about 10,000 rare rocks,
collected over 30 years and considered irreplaceable, were
missing.  A few were recovered from the streets, chipped or
broken. 

* In September, David Cook of Caledonian University (Glasgow,
Scotland) told the British Psychological Society's annual
conference that his three-year study shows that politicians have
significant behavior patterns in common with criminal
psychopaths.  Cook said that criminals were relatively easy to
analyze but that he did not have as much data as he would like on
politicians:  "[They] don't like to be studied." 

* In October, Miss Canada International, 20-year-old Danielle
House, was removed from further competition after being
charged in St. John's, Newfoundland, with punching out her ex-
boyfriend's current girlfriend in a bar.  Ms. House said she had
been in counseling recently for "low self-esteem." 

* In Santa Fe, N. Mex., Christine Bodman announced in
November that a group of massage therapists has formed the
Massage Emergency Response Team to minister for free to
stressed-out firefighters, police officers, and paramedics. 

* Latest Bobbittizations:  On the evening of November 17,  Ms.
Renu Begum, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Ms. Raquel Nair
Lucio, in Tiete, Brazil, at about the same hour on the clock (but
10 time zones apart) severed their respective husbands' genitals in
jealous rages. 

* In August, a federal judge in Springfield, Mo., dismissed the
lawsuit of Jennifer Stocker Jessen, now 24, who had claimed that
repressed memories of childhood abuse by her step-grandfather
returned to her in 1988.  The triggering mechanism, she said,
was her hitting an opossum in the road with her car. 
 
THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In September in East Orange, Vt., Christie's auction house sold
almost $2 million worth of automobiles (including 33 Stutz
Bearcats) that belonged to eccentrics A. K. Miller, who died at
87 a few years ago, and his wife Imogene, who died in 1996. 
The couple left millions more in gold and silver and other
valuables but lived like paupers, sometimes eating dog food or
bread made of flour they had swept off the floor, sometimes
shopping at yard sales, sometimes dressing in rags.  As treasurer
of his church, Mr. Miller had once refused to accept a small
increase in electricity rates and converted the entire church to
kerosene lamps.  The Millers paid property taxes but no other
ones, and the federal and state governments are now claiming
$8.2 million. 

NO LONGER WEIRD

* Adding to the list of stories that were formerly weird but which
now occur with such frequency that they must be retired from
circulation:  (13) The gun expert who accidentally shoots himself
while demonstrating safety techniques, as did Constable Randy
Youngman, who took a shotgun blast in the leg while teaching a
safety class in Medicine Hat, Alberta, in December.  And (14)
the periodic warnings about global warming caused by excessive
methane production by flatulent livestock, as was announced in a
European Commission strategy paper released in November in
Brussels. 

Copyright 1997 by Universal Press Syndicate.
79.3747SMART2::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveMon Feb 03 1997 16:438
    
    	re .3745
    
    	A friend of mine delivered her baby in her car, just outside
    	her OB's office.  I'll be happy if I can cut my shortest
    	delivery time in half - at least then it'll be under 10 hours...
    
    
79.3748SMURF::WALTERSMon Feb 03 1997 17:004
    "Karen, use the force."
    
    OB Wan Kenobi
    
79.3749SCASS1::BARBER_AA.D.I.D.A.SMon Feb 03 1997 17:021
    I was in labor for 36 hours.  Ugh.  
79.3750BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Feb 03 1997 17:291
i put in a 40 hour week myself!
79.3751POMPY::LESLIEandy@reboot.demon.co.uk as of Feb 14Tue Feb 04 1997 07:332
    Lessee, Philippa was 22 hours 15mins, Simon was 5 hours 20mins and
    Daniel was 1 hour 10!
79.3752NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 04 1997 12:081
My kids took 7 weeks.
79.3753COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Feb 04 1997 12:101
And Gerald did most of the labor himself.
79.3754NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 04 1997 12:272
Actually, my wife did more labor than I did, and a guy named Sergei did more
labor than both of us together.
79.3755too many hours, big heads, bad presentation, dangerGAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaTue Feb 04 1997 12:324
  caesarians

  bb
79.3756SMART2::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveTue Feb 04 1997 13:248
    
    	been there, done that, but not until I'd put in my time
    	pretending Andrew's pumpkin head might actually fit out
    	the "regular" way ...
    
    	doc says we aren't going to let this one grow to 10+ pounds
    
    
79.3757BUSY::SLABBeware of geeks baring griftsTue Feb 04 1997 13:526
    
    	RE: .3756
    
    	Keep eating that fatty cream cheese, Karen, and the kid might be
    	10+ pounds.
    
79.3758PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Feb 04 1997 13:584
  .3757  Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Labounty, Dr. Fein.


79.3759BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Tue Feb 04 1997 14:034

	I don't know.... the way shawn keeps complimenting people, he might
just need an undertaker..... :-)
79.3760SMART2::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveTue Feb 04 1997 14:1310
    
    	Hey, slab, if I'm gonna put up with morning sickness,
    	I'm gonna eat whatever suits my palate.  These days,
    	that ain't "lite" cream cheese.  Of course, if I were
    	watching my fat intake, they'd be out of the "lite" all
    	the time.
    
    	BTW, my son was 10.25 pounds, but I only gained 22.
    
    
79.3761BUSY::SLABBlack No. 1Tue Feb 04 1997 14:377
    
    	Hey, you knew what you were getting yourself into.
    
    	No sympathy from me.
    
    	8^)
    
79.3762ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownTue Feb 04 1997 15:232
    
    Shawn "A compliment for all seasons" LaBounty
79.3763BUSY::SLABBuzzword BingoTue Feb 04 1997 15:474
    
    	Winter isn't good for too much, so you might even see 2 complim-
    	ents before spring gets here.
    
79.3764POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateTue Feb 04 1997 16:2957
79.3765ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownTue Feb 04 1997 16:332
    
    only in america, god i love this country!
79.3766CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Feb 04 1997 17:016


 The guy suing the Patriots because his son didn't get a ticket to the playoff
 game with Jacksonville was on Howie's show last night..this guy is a real
 winner..
79.3767PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Feb 04 1997 17:045
  .3766  yah.  i wouldn't want him doing brain surgery on any
	 of my relatives.  well, on second thought...


79.3768The Judge should PADDLE them both ....BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Tue Feb 04 1997 17:4510
And there are those who think corporal punishment isn't appropriate ....

The son won't play ball if daddy won't by him a truck. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa  :-(

The Judge should require the father pay the defendants legal bill and
then send both father and son to 'character building' school.

Doug.
 
79.3769DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Tue Feb 04 1997 18:368
    
    
    	re: .3764
    
    
    	Spare me.  Someone give this woman a life. She's in desperate
    	need of one.
    
79.3770POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorTue Feb 04 1997 18:391
    I see it the other way around.
79.3771CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Feb 04 1997 18:4110



 I think they should use the father and son as tackling dummies in football
 practice.



 Jim
79.3772NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 06 1997 15:58130
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #33 Feb 5, 1997 [excerpts]
                        http://www.ovis.com/       
**********************************************************************
>>>Man Sleeps With Knife in His Neck
Source: Reuters
BUENOS AIRES (02-04) -- After a brawl in a local bar, Pedro 
Olivera walked home and went to sleep for four hours without 
realizing he had a knife stuck in his neck.
His wife attempts to remove the kitchen knife were unsuccessful. 
Olivera, 36, a farm laborer, was transported to a local hospital 
and placed in the intensive care unit. He is expected to recover.
Olivera has survived three previous stabbings.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Man Is Suing Restaurant Over Condom Pie
Source: Reuters
TAMPA, Fla. (02-04) -- A man filed a lawsuit against a 
restaurant operator claiming he has found a used condom 
in his sweet potato pie.
David Stokes and his wife Carolyn found the condom while 
eating dinner at Morrison's cafeteria, a restaurant chain 
operated by Atlanta-based Morrison's Fresh Cooking.
"It had the appearance of having been utilized for its intended 
purpose," attorney R. Scott Bunn said.
Morrison's attorneys stated that Stokes' health was never in 
danger from "the alleged foreign object found in his food item."
Stokes claims he has suffered mental anguish and emotional 
distress while waiting for the results of medical tests. He is 
asking for $15,000.
-----------------------

>>>Zoo Gorilla Nails Politicians
Source: Boston Globe
Submitted by: timp@silverplatetter.com
BOSTON (01-29) -- Several politicians came under heavy fire 
from a gorilla while holding a press conference at the Franklin 
Park Zoo. Frightened by the crowd and cameras, the gorilla 
named Kubandu launched an attack by throwing balls of straw 
and feces.
"It's the first time I've been hit by a gorilla's you-know-what," 
said Representative John E. McDonough, a Democrat from 
Jamaica Plain. "I think he's a Republican gorilla," he added.
The 'casualties' included Senator Dianne Wilkerson, Mayor 
Thomas Menimo and City Councilor Charles C. Yancey. 
"He thought he was being attacked," Zoo Director Brian 
Rutledge said. "So he made his own bombs with feces, 
straws and anything else he could find."
-----------------------

>>>Not Easily Charmed: Python Strangles Snake Charmer
Source: Reuter
BANGKOK (02-03) -- A boa constrictor refused to be 
charmed by a snake catcher and strangled him to death.
Manee Saisin, 35, rushed to the site where a 3.5 meter 
(11.5 foot) serpent was spotted. By using his snake charming 
skills Saisin was able to place the snake on his shoulders. 
On his way home Saisin cried for help as the snake began 
strangling him.
Saisin was strangled to death by the time police arrived at 
the scene.
-----------------------

>>>Village Celebrates Testicle Squeezing Festival
Source: RAI UNO TV, Italy
Submitted by: David Hammond trid@pacbell.com
MILAN (02-02) -- Dressed in traditional wear, boys and men 
of the small town of Bagolino end their yearly carnival in 
a very unusual celebration: squeezing and touching each 
other's testicles.
While the men spend the entire day walking the streets 
and touching genitals, the women prepare special porridge-like 
meals (polenta) made with flour, cheese, eggs and shaped 
to resemble large testicles.
Even the television reporter could not escape the raging 
crowds as they rushed towards him in an attempt to bury 
their hands between his legs.
Villagers consider testicles to be sacred explaining the words 
'testsimoniare' and 'testimone' (to witness) derive from the latin 
word 'testis' (testicle). When their ancestors were called as 
witnesses they were usually asked to 'swear' on their most 
sacred things, most often this being their testicles.
----------------------

>>>Luck for Those Who Need It Most
Source: Reuters
FREETOWN, Siera Leone and JACKSON, Mich. (01-27) -- Three 
hungry orphans searching for food found a 100 carat diamond 
worth more than $500,000. Without food for two days, the three 
children searched in vain for yams and decided to return home.
"On the way back we found a yam under a palm tree and dug it up. 
Right under the yam we found the diamond. It was very easy to see 
because it was shining and sparkling," said Morie Jah, 14, the 
oldest of the three.
No word yet on how much money the children will receive. Their 
parents were killed in a rebel attack two years ago.

More luck: 17 factory workers, preparing for layoffs, hit the lottery 
jackpot and will split $46 million dollars. All of them showed up for 
work the next day and announced they will continue to work "until 
we get our pink slip."
Their factory was scheduled to be closed in June. "A lot of these 
people are single mothers that didn't know what they were going 
to do without a job," said winner Shirley Johnson. Each person will 
receive $135,000 per year, amounting to $2.7 million over a 20-year 
period.
--------------------

>>>$25,000 Reward for "We Can't Tell You What"
Source: Reuters
MIAMI (01-31) -- The U.S. Postal Service is offering a $25,000 
for ...'something.' Postal inspectors said three mail carriers were 
robbed and particular objects were stolen, but only referred to the 
items as 'devices,' and would not elaborate on their exact nature.
"I can't say what their demands were," Postal Inspector Rafael Rivera 
said. "I can't tell you what it is. I can't tell you what it's used 
for," he continued.
Mail carriers said robbers were not interested in anything else but 
these 'devices.' 
NOTE: I don't know about you, but I was dying to find out what 
these mysterious 'devices' are. We asked mail carriers in the 
"alt.snail-mail" newsgroup and finally determined these devices 
are 'universal mail-box keys,' unofficially valued at more than $10,000 
on the black-market. It seems to me postal inspectors are drawing 
much more attention by being secretive about the incident.

+++HELSINKI, Findland (Reuter, 02-03) -- A relaxation and 
motivational course is offered in the town of Tampere, were 
participants are expected to find "their inner animal" by learning 
how to behave like chimpanzees. Participants will sit, move, 
sound, pick and eat each other's dry skin, just as chimpanzees do.
79.3773WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 06 1997 16:081
i will not be visiting Milan anytime soon.
79.3774ACISS1::BATTISChicago - My Kind of TownThu Feb 06 1997 16:262
    
    Glen will be.
79.3775NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Feb 06 1997 16:331
It's not Milan.  It's Bagolino.
79.3776POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateThu Feb 06 1997 16:343
    
    Aptly named.
    
79.3777WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Feb 06 1997 16:341
-1 there too!
79.3778POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorThu Feb 06 1997 19:011
    I would go there as an importer of bag balm.
79.3779WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon Feb 10 1997 09:311
-1 :-)
79.3780NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 10 1997 14:56141
WEIRDNUZ.467 (News of the Weird, January 17, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright information at end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* The New York Police Department disclosed in December that it
has been stepping up the enforcement of a little-known ordinance
that makes it illegal for a subway passenger to occupy more than
one seat (such as by putting a package or his feet on an adjacent
seat), even if no one else is in the car.  NYPD said more than
31,000 summonses (carrying $50 fines) were issued in 1996,
compared with 1,800 in 1993. 

* After a trial in Alesund, Norway, in December, a 34-year-old
man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for repeatedly molesting
seven boys he was baby-sitting.  Before now, no child molester
in Norway had ever be sentenced to longer than six years, and no
one has ever been sentenced for longer than 21 years for any
crime. 

* Balaclava Blues:  Police in Grand Rapids, Manitoba, in
December said a woman, who had chased down a thief who had
stolen her group's bingo receipts, ripped off his balaclava and
discovered it was her 15-year-old son.  And Barry George
Paquette, 40, was arrested in November for the robbery of a
convenience store in Edmonton, Alberta--a collar made easier
because he was halfway through the robbery before he realized he
had forgotten to pull down his balaclava.  (He halted the robbery
momentarily to pull it down, but the store's surveillance camera
had already captured his face clearly.) 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* In October, veteran San Francisco beauty-salon owner Carla
Blair opened another one, a full-service salon called "Crossers,"
catering exclusively to cross-dressing men.  Blair said she got the
idea when she sensed more and more men were not being taken
seriously at women's clothing and cosmetic counters.  (She said
the big tip-off for her was the number of men who claimed to be
looking for something for their wives and habitually said, "She's
about my size.") 

* Janet Merel of Deerfield, Ill., recently introduced Diet Dirt
(sterilized soil that can be sprinkled over french fries, cake, etc.,
to make them taste repugnant).  Order $10 bags from 1-888-Diet
Dirt. 

* Sherry Dubois and Peggy Freemark recently opened a
licebusters business in Barrie, Ont., to pick through people's hair
for $30 per hour, which they say is a bargain because
nonprofessionals miss about half of any resident head lice.  Lice
has become a major problem in school because infested kids
sometimes purposely share their hats to pass lice to classmates so
they can get a few days off. 

* A December Associated Press dispatch touted the male baldness
remedy of cosmetic surgeon Anthony Pignataro of West Seneca,
N. Y.:  hairpieces with tiny gold screws that snap on to titanium
sockets implanted in the top of the skull, which fuse to the bone
in about 12 weeks.  Pignataro said he has about 100 customers
and got his idea from what he said were commonplace (in his
profession) snap-on eyes, ears, noses, and fingers. 

* The Chicago Tribune reported in October on Woodland Hills,
Calif., sculptor Mark Maitre, who for two years has been
creating casts of body parts of his clients (many of them
Hollywood celebrities) at $1,500 to $4,000 per product, which
includes mounting on marble.  Actress Marlee Matlin had her
breasts cast into a bust for her husband, and another celebrity had
the small of his back and his buttocks cast into a fruit bowl. 

SCHEMES

* Huntsville, Tex., prison inmate Steven Russell escaped in
December when he walked past guards after having colored his
prison whites with a green marking pen so they resembled
hospital scrubs.  He was soon recaptured.  However, David A.
Neel, 48, serving a life sentence at a prison in Point of the
Mountain, Utah, did not even make it out the gate in his
December escape attempt because a guard thought something
looked funny about the United Parcel Service box into which
Neel had had himself sealed. 

* In James City, Va., in September, Robert Pablo Montez, 46, at
first showed up at the public assistance office with dark glasses
and a white cane, claiming to be blind, but left when a social
worker told him he'd need a doctor's certificate.  A week later,
he returned minus the cane and glasses and soon was arrested
when he threatened to blow up a social worker's car if she didn't
sign him up. 

 * Ronnie Wade Cater, 39, was arrested in Hampton, Va., in
October and charged with calling in a bomb threat.  According to
detectives, he was sitting at a bar, drunk, and had the idea to tell
police there was a bomb at another bar, hoping to divert enough
officers to that bar so that he might drive home undetected. 
However, probably because he had been drinking, he lingered on
the phone a little too long while talking to the dispatcher, and the
call was traced. 

* In St. Paul, Minn., in December, well-to-do dentist Gerald
Dick, 58, his wife Gretchen, 56, and their two adult children
were charged with receiving up to $250,000 in stolen luxury
consumer goods that they had allegedly "ordered" from a
personal shoplifter who was given detailed lists of which upscale
goods to procure. (In a refreshing departure from suspects' usual
denials, Mrs. Dick was reported to have said to the police, "You
caught us red-handed.  Now what?") 

* In September, Texas-based Electronic Data Systems (the
company founded, and later sold, by Ross Perot) won the
contract to collect the unpaid parking tickets for the city of
Madrid, Spain.  A few weeks later, the city treasurer accused the
company of creating as many as 73,000 bogus tickets in order to
collect more money on its contract. 

UPDATE

* Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird
posthumously in 1989.  He had spent several years awaiting
South Carolina's electric chair on a murder conviction before
having his sentence reduced to life in prison.  In March 1989,
sitting on a metal toilet in his cell and attempting to fix his small
TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.  On January 1,
1997, Laurence Baker, also a convicted murderer once on death
row but later serving a life sentence at the state prison in
Pittsburgh, Pa., was electrocuted by his homemade earphones as
he watched his small TV while sitting on his metal toilet. 

UNDIGNIFIED DEATHS

* Wilmetta Billington, 68, an inveterate collector of trash, which
she stored in her home in Metropolis, Ill., asphyxiated in
December when she stumbled and fell into one of her many
stacks, causing debris to fall on top of her.  So jam-packed was
the room that it took authorities 20 minutes to unstack the debris
from the top of her body.  And British tourist Stephen John
Pepperell, 39, lost his balance as he was tossing a melon off a
second-floor balcony into a trash can in Nicosia, Cyprus, in
October and fell to his death. 
79.3781NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 11 1997 12:12152
WhiteBoard News for Monday, February 10, 1997 [excerpts]

Jackson, Michigan:

A rooster that lost its legs to frostbite will be
strutting again soon with a pair of artificial limbs.

Mr. Chicken gets fitted for the new legs Sunday at
Crossroads Animal Hospital. The bird was found around
Christmas, when Chris Gilzow spotted it struggling
through her yard.

She took it to veterinarian Timothy England, who
adopted the emaciated rooster and named him Mr.
Chicken.

Despite England's care, Mr. Chicken lost both legs at
the first joint. Dressed in special bandages, the bird
is still able to walk.

"He runs pretty good on his little stumpies," England
said.

The doctor is footing the bill for the prosthetic feet,
which he hopes could become a prototype for injured
birds. The staff also has ordered 14 chicks for Mr.
Chicken to enjoy the outdoors with come spring.

"He will have his own harem," England said.
==========

San Francisco, California:

A teen-age girl is having second thoughts about taking
off her clothes, slapping bumper stickers on her body
and running around a van.

Lawyers for the girl claim she was talked into the
stunt by workers for radio station KYLD during a
promotional visit to San Jose last summer.

A recent lawsuit charges the victim has suffered mental
anguish, public humiliation and embarrassment,
emotional and physical distress, and post-traumatic
stress disorder.

"She realizes this was not something she should have
done," lawyer James Roberts said.

A spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based station
declined comment Thursday.
==========

San Francisco, California:

Jane Tollini is promising the hottest, raciest, X-rated
sex tour in the city - at the San Francisco Zoo. 

She's an animal keeper who will take some 700 Peeping
Toms on a tour of the giraffe pen, where 8-month-old
Spot negotiates a harem of older females, and the bird
cages, where the hornbills practice bondage. 

"Animals practice the same sexual rituals we do, but
with a twist," Tollini says. "We even have homosexual
wallabies and lesbian penguins." 

The 90-minute Sex Tour, which starts -- appropriately
-- on Valentine's Day and lasts for eight days, is
restricted to "mature audiences only." 

Among the highlights: penguins engaging in a month of
foreplay, lions procreating up to 50 times a day and
koala bears that nearly maim each other during 40
seconds of intercourse. 

"Koalas are nasty little creatures that don't like each
other very much," Tollini says. "It's a rolling,
tumbling thing for them and you have to almost kick
them apart or they will kill each other." 

Tollini warns her Peeping Toms that some portions of
the tour are not pretty to watch. 

"Rhinoceros sex is the most violent," she says. 

The hour-long act can leave the female with painful
gashes. But this year, the highlight is the product of
one rough roll in the hay: a 60-pound baby rhino born
three weeks ago. 

The Sex Tour got its start seven years ago during
penguin mating season. 

On Valentine's Day, Tollini put red paper hearts in the
penguins' iceberg pond, then put on Johnny Mathis to
set the mood. The males gathered up the hearts and
brought them back to the mates' birthing dens. 

As word of her sex tour grew, Tollini expanded the
show. Now, she also discusses birth control and
hormonal implants, and teaches visitors the different
methods of copulation for predatory and prey animals. 

"I can't tell you how much I want a cigarette after
this tour," she says. 
==========

Jerusalem, Israel:

Max Dadashvili was drinking coffee at an Israeli cafe
when a would-be suicide dropped in.

Dadashvili, 26, ended up in a hospital with a broken
back. The 72-year-old man who jumped on him from a
balcony three stories above got up unscathed.

"I looked very carefully before I leapt to make sure I
wouldn't fall on somebody," Monday's Yedioth Ahronoth
newspaper quoted the jumper as telling police after the
weekend incident in the atrium of a swank Tel Aviv
shopping and apartment complex.

Interviewed from his hospital bed, Dadashvili, in a
neck brace, sounded an ironic note.

"I have to lie here for six weeks, without moving," he
said. "I am not angry but I don't understand why it was
my neck he had to jump on. What rotten luck: nothing
happens to a person who wants to die but I want to live
and I get whacked."

Police told the newspaper they are considering whether
to file assault charges against the jumper, who tried
to flee the scene, only to be stopped by stunned
witnesses.
=========

Paris, France:

A suspected pedophile went on trial in a French court
Monday, betrayed by a burglar turned law enforcer.

Shocked by video recordings of child sex he found while
ransacking the home of Michel Chretien three years ago,
the anonymous burglar mailed them to the local police
in the eastern town of Nancy.

Justice sources said Chretien, 48, had confessed and
faced 10 years in prison if convicted. 

The burglar is still on the run.
79.3782EVMS::MORONEYUHF ComputersTue Feb 11 1997 15:272
Texas is going to designate buckminsterfullerene (a.k.a "buckyball" or C-60
shaped in a soccer ball shape) as The Official State Molecule.
79.3783PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Feb 11 1997 15:324
 .3782  was that decided by the Particle Board?


79.3784EVMS::MORONEYUHF ComputersTue Feb 11 1997 15:341
>snort!<
79.3785NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 11 1997 15:381
Di, your reply would show you've an ear for puns.
79.3786PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BTue Feb 11 1997 15:413
  very nice.

79.3787BULEAN::BANKSOrthogonality is your friendWed Feb 12 1997 11:492
Well, they certainly wouldn't pick DNA.  I think there's a requirement that
whatever they pick has to exist in their state.
79.3788NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 12 1997 12:12106
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #34 Feb 11, 1997 [excerpts]
                    http://www.ovis.com/       
**********************************************************************
>>>Handgun Used As Medicine Inhaler
Source: The Tribune-Review
Submitted by: Mike Getz mgetz@SourceDigital.com
PITTSBURGH (02-06) - An Indiana County man shot himself 
in the mouth after he mistook a .22 caliber gun for a medicine 
inhaler.
Daniel Sutherland, 49, kept both the inhaler and gun in the 
same drawer and accidentally shot himself just before 2 a.m. 
Wednesday. He was airlifted to Presbyterian University Hospital 
in Pittsburgh where he was listed in fair condition. The .22 
caliber bullet did not exit his head.
"No one really knows what happened but him," Sutherland's 
step-daughter Christina Bashline said. She also added that 
Sutherland was taking pain medication. She did not confirm the 
police report that her step-father mistook the gun for a medicine 
inhaler.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Man Shot by Son Over Donkey Penis Transplant
Source: AFP
ANKARA (02-10) - A 52-year-old Turkish man was shot in the 
leg by his own son over his intentions to have a penis transplant 
from a donkey.
On two previous occasions Mehmet Esirgen, 52, purchased 
two donkeys, amputated their sexual organs and appealed in 
vain to medical doctors to perform a penis transplant in order 
to cure his sexual impotence.
His family, opposed to Esirgen's intentions, became hysterical 
when he purchased a third donkey on his way home from Ankara 
and one of his sons shot him in the leg.
"For a long time now I have had sexual problems and I have 
spent all my pension funds to overcome them," said Esirgen. 
He plans to buy a fourth donkey as soon as he recovers from 
his leg wound.
-------------------------

>>>Bacon to Attract Wild Animals Used in Assault
Source: Daily World, Aberdeen, WA., AP
Submitted by: Cecile Calabrese, editor, Rain Barrel 
ccalabr1@mickey.esd113.wednet.edu
COLVILLE, Wash. (02-07) - Two men tied down a relative and 
placed strips of bacon around him to attract wild animals to kill him.
James L. Peterson, 39, was tied down and stretched across a 
rural road by two of his relatives. The two assailants placed 
bacon around him in the hope that wild animals would be 
attracted by the smell and eat Peterson.
Peterson freed himself and called for help. One suspect, Randy 
Thomas, has been arrested and police is currently seeking the 
second assailant.
No reasons were given as why the two men wanted Peterson dead.
-------------------------

>>>Zoo Workers Arrested for Eating Rare Deer
Source: AP
BEIJING (02-06) - Two Chinese zoo workers have been arrested 
for killing and eating a rare white fallow deer.
According to police the two men climbed into the cage at the 
Wuhan Zoo, choked the deer, skinned it, chopped it up and 
finally ate parts of it. Zhou Qisheng and Zhou Yong were arrested 
after authorities found deer meat and tools at their homes. It is 
believed the two men came up with the idea while playing a 
game of cards while working at the zoo.
China has strict laws, including the death penalty, in relation to 
endangering protected animals but it is not yet known how the 
two men would be charged.
-------------------------

>>>Man Burns Woman On A Stake
Source: AP
SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (02-06) - A man who believed his 
next-door neighbor was a "full-blooded witch" burned her to 
death on a stake.
The 29-year-old man from the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea 
believed the woman was responsible for the deaths of his mother 
and dog by "casting evil spells and curses" on his family.
The man, identified only as Ivan S., forced his way into the 
neighbor's house, smashed her head with a hammer and dragged 
her to a nearby vineyard where he tied her to a stake and burned 
her to death.
----------------------------

>>>Judge Postpones 'Maguire' Lawsuit Decision
Source: LB Press-Telegram
LOS ANGELES (02-10) - U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson 
was either dead tired or dead bored while watching the movie 
"Jerry Maguire," and had to postpone his decision over a $110 
million lawsuit against the producers of the movie.
Reebok International Ltd. sued TriStar Pictures for not running a 
commercial during the movie's closing credits. The box office hit 
"Jerry Maguire" starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. was to 
be watched by Judge Wilson who was supposed to decide whether 
to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge postponed his decision after falling 
asleep during the movie.
-----------------

>>>IN OTHER BIZARRE NEWS:

+++ OCALA, Fl. - A 5-year-old was suspended from school for 
carrying a nail file.

+++ KISSIMMEE, Fl. (USA Today, 02-07) - Osceola School officials 
fired teacher Holly Hendricks for taping a boy's mouth shut and sealing 
him in a box.
79.3789suicide attemptASIC::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQWed Feb 12 1997 12:436
> PITTSBURGH (02-06) - An Indiana County man shot himself 
> in the mouth after he mistook a .22 caliber gun for a medicine 
> inhaler.

Yah, that's real likely. One is small, light and mostly plastic. The other is
large, heavy, and mostly steel.
79.3790POMPY::LESLIEAndy Leslie, DEC man walking...Wed Feb 12 1997 12:451
    Evolution in action.
79.3791NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Feb 12 1997 14:3113
LYSENKO CHARGED WITH BOMBING HIS OWN OFFICE. Former Duma member Nikolai
Lysenko has been charged with ordering the detonation of a bomb in his
own office on 5 December 1995, NTV reported 11 February. Investigators
concluded that Lysenko hoped that the incident would boost his chances
in the 17 December Duma elections. Witnesses saw Lysenko's assistant,
Mikhail Rogozin, leave the office just before the explosion. The
investigators also found a $3,000 Duma computer in Lysenko's St.
Petersburg apartment even though Lysenko earlier reported that the
computer had been destroyed. Lysenko had charged that the attack's
perpetrators were people from the Caucasus seeking revenge for his anti-
Chechen statements and demands that Moscow be "cleansed" of people of
Caucasian descent. Lysenko was arrested on 13 May and remains in
custody, ITAR-TASS reported. -- Robert Orttung
79.3792POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateFri Feb 14 1997 19:4460
    
    			  UNH mulling sexual consent
                          policy
    
                          Associated Press, 02/14/97; 16:01 
    
                          DURHAM, N.H. (AP) - The University of New
                          Hampshire will seek student opinions on a
                          proposed sexual consent policy that caused a
                          national furor when another college adopted it. 
    
                          The proposed policy, modeled on one adopted
                          by Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in
                          1993, would require any student initiating sex to
                          get explicit verbal consent before going ahead. 
    
                          The policy says that anyone who is drunk, under
                          the influence of drugs or unconscious is incapable
                          of ``willingly and verbally agreeing to engage in
                          specific sexual behavior.'' 
    
                          The policy would apply to students both on and
                          off campus, whether or not they were having sex
                          with other students. Sanctions could range from
                          suspension to expulsion. 
    
                          Two university officials gave the go-ahead
                          Thursday to a student committee that proposed
                          the policy. 
    
                          Peter Finkle, president of judicial affairs for the
                          student senate, said the proposed policy will be
                          presented to the entire senate Sunday. The
                          student senate also will seek feedback through
                          fraternities and the university residence halls. 
    
                          If UNH students have a clear idea of what
                          consent means, there may be no need to formally
                          adopt the policy, Finkle said. 
    
                          But if the senate finds that a lot of students don't
                          understand what consent means, the policy could
                          help make that explicit, he said. 
    
                          While Antioch suffered a hailstorm of criticism
                          when it decided to require an explicit ``yes''
                          before sex, officials and students there say it has
                          become a model for policies at other schools. 
    
                          UNH students say it could help clarify and
                          prevent situations in which one student claims she
                          failed to understand that another person objected
                          to his sexual advances. 
    
                          If adopted, the policy would become part of the
                          university's student code of Rights, Rules and
                          Responsibilities. The policy probably would not
                          take effect until next fall, Finkle said. 
    
                                                                        
79.3793COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Feb 14 1997 19:465
Sounds like a good start.

However, I think that notarized consent should be required.

/john
79.3794notarized? moods over by thenACISS1::SCHELTERFri Feb 14 1997 19:575
    <-- You forgot the smiley.
    
    
    Mike
    
79.3795EVMS::MORONEYUHF ComputersFri Feb 14 1997 20:093
>                       -< notarized? moods over by then >-

I suspect that was the intent.
79.3796SHRCTR::PJOHNSONVaya con huevos.Sat Feb 15 1997 12:063
I hereby consent to anything I like.

Peet
79.3797NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 17 1997 13:28183
WhiteBoard News for Friday, February 14, 1997 [excerpts]

Starkville, Mississippi:

Their gun didn't work, they ended up ducking bullets
from the clerk they came to rob and finally the engine
of their getaway car blew up. Sometimes crime just
doesn't pay. 

"Not to make light of a serious situation, but this was
the Apple Dumpling Gang," said police Capt. David
Lindley. "They couldn't get anything right." 

The three were arrested shortly after they fled a
convenience store Tuesday night when their getaway car
gave out and they got into an accident. They were
booked on armed robbery charges; one faces an attempted
murder charge. 

During the holdup at the Green Oakes Superette, one
suspect pulled the trigger of a Saturday night special,
a .22-caliber handgun, but nothing happened, police
said. The robbers then retreated from the store, only
to be fired upon by a store clerk. No one was injured
in the robbery or later in the car accident. 
==========

El Paso, Texas:

Good boy! 

A Doberman pinscher puppy apparently dug up $13,500
buried in its back yard Wednesday, sending $100 bills
drifting through the neighborhood. 

"It was like a fable," said Florence Berger, who lives
nearby. 

Dora Moya, a housekeeper caring for the home, called
police after seeing money swirling through the yard.
The owners of the house have been in California for two
weeks, neighbors said. 

Officers found $11,600 in the yard and the rest of the
money elsewhere around the neighborhood, some of it
with teeth marks. 

The police and the FBI are investigating. 

"Because it was such a large amount and such large
denominations, we were immediately suspicious of its
origin," Sgt. Bill Pfeil said. 
==========

Ashland, Oregon:

Trying to play Cupid for a pair of swans proved more
tricky than officials here imagined -- they inadvertently
set up two males.

A pair of swans had lived in a local park in this
southern Oregon tourist town. When the male swan was
struck and killed by a truck last month, city officials
thought they'd find a new mate for the young widow.

Their efforts were way off mark. When the new male was
introduced, the swans locked wings and pecked at each other.

The widow was actually a widower.

Last June, a local family donated a swan to replace a
female killed by a dog, but actually gave the city a
young male.

Because it wasn't mating season, the two male swans got
along just fine last fall.

Next time, the self-appointed Cupids say, they'll take
more careful aim.

"We are in the process of going to advertise and get a
female swan," Parks Director Ken Mickelsen said. "And
we'll have a sex check."
=========

Singapore:

A Singapore hotel has concocted an unusual Valentine's
Day love potion -- bull's penises and crocodile's tails
-- for those seeking to boost their sexual prowess.

The saucy spread is being offered for $106 per person
at the central Apollo Hotel and the 145 places are
nearly all sold out. After-dinner port containing the
genitals of dogs, deer and seals tops off the love
birds' feast.

"The motivation is to create something which the
average Singaporean has never seen before, to tickle
(their) lust a little bit," the hotel's manager Chris
Schlittler said.

Schlittler, a former chef trained in Switzerland, said
the dishes on offer are of "Southeast Asian flavor" and
were invented by him and a team of local cooks.

The bull's penis, the main feature of the six-course
menu, is cut into bite-size chunks and is cooked for
six hours in the chef's special spices.

"It's an interesting dish," Schlittler said.
==========

Santa Ana, California:

Police dogs in Orange County may soon have a new and
shocking tool for subduing suspects - a stun-gun muzzle
charged with 50,000 volts of electricity. 

"The dog's going in for a bite, but he can't bite, so he's
just rubbing the muzzle on the perpetrator," explained one
of the mask's inventors, E. William Berke of Orange. 

The muzzled canines in action are an arresting sight.
Electricity crackles across a Darth Vadar-like mask,
turning an already intimidating animal into a high-tech
horror show. 

During a demonstration of the device, Berke - a pension
planner and owner of two German shepherds - said the
idea arose during an informal conversation with dog
trainer Harvey S. Allen II of Orange. 

The mask allows the dog's handler to immobilize a suspect
without ever getting within dangerous reach of the
suspect. The handler is able to activate the stun gun
remotely and avoid the danger of sic-ing an unmuzzled
animal on a suspect -- the less humane alternative,
inventors say. 

Lt. William Francis, commander of the Orange County
Sheriff Department's K-9 unit, said the muzzles would
have to pass intensive field tests before the
department would accept them. 

"Right now we're open-minded about it, but there's so
many things we'd have to put it through," Francis said. 

Dave Hamilton of Silverado volunteered as a human
guinea pig earlier this week. A shock of electricity
flying off of his muzzled, 4-year-old German shepherd
sent Hamilton's 230-pound frame briefly airborne,
before dropping with a thud to earth. 

"Who needs coffee?" said a shaken but otherwise unharmed
Hamilton. 
==========

Tegucigalpa, Honduras:

A Honduran congressman accused of bigamy tried to
explain it to the public: he's handsome enough for two
women -- or more. 

"Because I have many admirers I have problems with my
wife, even though she knows a handsome man is not for
one woman but for several," National Party congressman
Julio Villatoro said in remarks that outraged church
leaders and women's groups. 

Villatoro's wife of 17 years has accused him of being
married to a second woman and is seeking a divorce. 

Villatoro, who has asked for a leave from the assembly,
has not responded directly to the charges. Last week,
he sought to explain his predicament. 

"God gave me a physique attractive to women and I take
advantage of it," he said, adding that he is also a
nifty dancer. 

Villatoro apologized Thursday after drawing censure
from clerics and women's groups.
79.3798DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!!Mon Feb 17 1997 13:327
    
    
    	re:  last story
    
    
    	{gag}
    
79.3799BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Feb 17 1997 13:474

	The doberman story.... do you think the dog dug up the seeds that would
become a money tree?
79.3800WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjMon Feb 17 1997 15:425
    >"God gave me a physique attractive to women and I take advantage of
    >it," he said, adding that he is also a nifty dancer. 
    
     <guffaw!>
    
79.3801NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 17 1997 16:27138
WEIRDNUZ.468 (News of the Weird, January 24, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd 
See copyright information at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* The Brooklyn, N. Y., organization Shalom Bayis ("Household
Peace" in Hebrew) closed down its 24-hour mistress hotline in
January after an unfavorable New York Daily News story.  A
Shalom Bayis spokesman said the hotline's purpose was to place
its 40 volunteer mistresses with unsatisfied husbands in order to
stop the "plague of divorce" menacing Jewish couples.  Although
Shalom Bayis claimed to take no fee for its services, it did admit
that after the Daily News story, most of the hotline callers were
single men and happily married men who just wanted sex. 

* One Man, One Vote:  Because of an obscure state constitutional
amendment that few voters and politicians noticed, the terms of
office of the four incumbents on the Loretto, Ky., City Council
automatically expired in November without their having had an
opportunity to campaign for re-election.  Travis Greenwell, 23,
voting by absentee ballot, was perhaps the only person in town
(population 800) who read the voting literature and thus cast the
only votes in the election.  For the four slots, he wrote in the
names of his mother, his uncle, a friend, and a local character
who runs a hardware store.  (All except the hardware store guy
declined to serve.) 

* Wrong Place, Wrong Time:  Phoenix, Ariz., cosmetic surgeon
Steven Locniker, on the lam for avoiding child-support charges,
was arrested in September after he called attention to himself as
Cosmopolitan magazine's "Bachelor of the Month."  And
Thomas Georgevitch, 22, on the lam for impersonating a police
officer, was arrested in Bay Shore, N. Y., in October after a
detective heard him call in to a radio station to make a song
request (Johnny Rivers's "Secret Agent Man").  And Tom
Tipton, 63, wanted on two warrants in Minneapolis, was arrested
in November when a sheriff's officer recognized his name as the
man singing the national anthem before the Vikings-Broncos
game. 

THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY

* Chris Morris filed a $1 million lawsuit against the state of
Michigan in November, claiming that he caught a cold in the
rotunda of the state Capitol while viewing an art exhibit there
earlier in the year. 

* Dale L. Larson's $41,000 trial-court award was upheld by a
Wisconsin appeals court in October, which agreed with the trial
court that the Indianhead golf course in Wausau was 51 percent
responsible for Larson's needing nine root canals and 23 dental
crowns.  Larson tripped on his golf spikes and fell hard on his
face on a brick path outside the clubhouse, and he argued that he
wouldn't have fallen if it had been a smooth concrete sidewalk
rather than a brick path.  The trial court had found that only 49
percent of the accident was due to Larson's having consumed 13
drinks that evening, which left him with a blood-alcohol level of
0.28 90 minutes after the fall. 

* Andrew Daniels filed a $500,000 lawsuit against M&M/Mars
Company and an Cleveland, Ohio, retailer because one of the
M&M Peanuts he bit down on had no peanut in it, and as a
result, his teeth bit through his lip, which required his
hospitalization and various surgery bills.  One claim against the
retailer is under the legal theory of "failure to inspect" the candy. 

* In August, Julie Leach filed a lawsuit in Macomb County,
Michigan, seeking at least $10,000 from the owners of a beagle
named Patch, which Leach said was constantly enticing Leach's
German shepherd Holly to chase him.  In 1995, during one of
Patch's escapades, the pursuing Holly was run over by a car and
killed.  Leach says Patch's owners should pay for permitting their
dog to harass Holly. 

* Jamie Brooks, 18, filed a $5 million claim against Kiowa
County, Okla., in June, asserting that it is the county's fault that
she became pregnant six months earlier while housed in the jail
awaiting her murder trial.  She said the father is inmate-trusty
Eddie Alonzo, who had access to the hallways and who she said
impregnated her through the bars of her cell. 

* In July Alex Alzaldua filed a $25,000 lawsuit against Dennis
Hickey in Raymondville, Tex., alleging injuries caused by his
"suddenly without warning" having tripped over Hickey's dog in
the kitchen of Hickey's home.  According to the lawsuit, Hickey
should have warned Alzaldua that he was walking around in the
kitchen "at his own risk" and that Hickey had failed to warn
Alzaldua of "the dog's propensity of lying in certain areas." 

CLICHES COME TO LIFE

* Trucker Franciszek Zygadlo was committed to a mental
institution in Rochester, N. Y., in November after he led police
on a 280-mile, high-speed chase in his trailerless cab through
three states in September.  According to police, after finally
driving the truck into Irondequoit Bay, Zygadlo ran toward the
officers and proclaimed himself a hero for defusing a bomb on
the truck that he said would have exploded if he had ever slowed
to less than 40 mph. 

* On October 17 firefighters took two hours to extinguish a fire
at the Cal-Compack Foods plant in Las Cruces, N. Mex., that
started when a silo full of red chile powder grew so hot that it
began to smolder. 

* In August, the Caron family of Sandown, N. H., was granted
an extension of time to file a quarterly federal tax return after
they discovered that their home had been ransacked by the
family's pet pygmy goats while they were on vacation.  Among
the items the goats had eaten were toilet bowl cleaner, a
lampshade, a telephone directory, and all of the family's income
tax paperwork. 

* Jeen Han, 22, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder
in Irvine, Calif., in November, against her twin sister, Sunny. 
According to a police lieutenant, the "evil twin" was angry that
the "good twin" had snitched on her regarding stolen credit cards
and thus wanted to kill her and assume her identity. 

THINNING THE HERD 

* In November, a 60-year-old Polish man in the village of
Kosianka Trojanowka, identified only as "Czeslaw B," was
accidentally shot to death by two homemade guns he had
mounted on his garage door to ward off trespassers (just 2 of 28
booby traps in his house). And in Slidell, La., in December,
Jason Jinks, 20, decided to open his car door and back up at 25
mph in order to look for his hat that had just fallen off; when he
hit the brakes, he fell out on his head and, three days later, died. 

CONTEMPORARY WISDOM

* Veteran Belleville, Ill., jail inmate Kelvin Lewis, asked by the
Belleville Journal in January to evaluate the jail's new black-and-
white, thick-horizontal-striped uniforms, graded them an 11 on a
10-scale:  "I like their style.  The younger generation will like
[the rolled-up cuffs]." 
79.3802NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 18 1997 12:29140
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #35 Feb 18, 1997 [excerpts] 
                       http://www.ovis.com/       
**********************************************************************
>>>Student Pilot Lands Plane Safely After Gunman On 
                       Ground Shoots Instructor
Source: AP
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (02-13) - A shot fired from the ground wounded 
a pilot instructor and his student landed the plane safely.
The flying instructor, Mark Lambright, was shot in the knee while 
teaching emergency procedures in a Cessna 152 plane. 
"The bullet entered the fuselage under the cabin and penetrated 
the instructor's leg just behind the right knee," police 
spokesperson Joe Rhodes said. 
Lambright was reported in good condition and was transported 
to a local hospital. Police questioned the gunman but did not 
arrest him. This is not the first time the unidentified man shot at 
flying planes, neighbors told police.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

>>>Inmate Gets Dying Wish
Source: AP
MOUNT OLIVE, W. Va. (02--13) - An inmate's attempt to cut his 
head off with a power saw failed, but his dying wish became a 
reality when he suffered a fatal heart attack while interviewed
by a psychiatrist.
Arnold Russell Jr., 43, attempted suicide in the prison's 
woodworking shop. Two other inmates and a guard stopped 
him before he could insert his head into the blade of a power saw. 
While being interviewed by a psychiatrist, Russell became violent 
and died as a result of a heart attack. He was a convicted 
murderer serving life with the possibility for parole after 15 years.
--------------------

>>>Three-Eyed Man - First In China, Third In the World
Source: China News Service
BEIJING (02-12) - Doctors announced the first case of a 
three-eyed Chinese man last week.
A hospital in Putian found the 23-year-old man, named only 
as Deng, to have three eyes. Deng is blind in two of his eyes 
and skin covers two-thirds of his extra eye.
This is the third known case of a three-eyed person in the world.
---------------------

>>>Blind Man Hit by Truck and Jaywalking Charge
Source: AP
CINCINNATI (02-13) -  Prosecutors decided to drop charges 
against a blind man who was slapped with a jaywalking 
ticket after a pickup truck hit him. 
Jeff Friedlander, 48, suffered a broken tailbone and was 
ticketed for walking outside the crosswalk and against a 
red light. 
"I was shocked and I didn't deserve the ticket . . .  I guess 
he didn't give a hoot whether I was blind or sighted," 
Friedlander said. He was going to pay the $100 fine until he 
discovered that Ohio law protects blind people carrying white 
canes. Friedlander pleaded not guilty in Hamilton County Court. 
Prosecutor Charlie Rubenstein announced that they will drop 
the charges although "this person technically was in violation." 
The driver of the pickup truck was not cited.
------------------------

>>>Dog Deposits Dirty Money
Source: The Ottawa Citizen, CP
BARRIE, Canada (02-17) - A family searched through piles of dog 
poop for their missing cash after their golden retriever chewed 
up more than $1,000 in bills.
The family spent three days of scooping, searching and 
disinfecting pieces and bits of the lost cash. Once finished they 
took the mess to the Barrie branch of the Hong Kong Bank of Canada.
"We've had mutilated money brought in before but nothing like 
this," said Customer Service Manager Heather Eacott. "We just laid 
the bits across the table and tried to piece together the pieces of 
the puzzle. It was messy," she added.
The bank recovered and replaced $960, but $150 is still missing.
-------------------------

>>>Daughter Unintentionally Drives Over Mother Three Times
Source: LB Press-Telegram
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (02-14) - The simple task of backing 
up a vehicle turned into a disaster when a teenager accidentally 
ran over her mother three times at a gas station.
Rachel Landa, 48, asked her 14-year-old daughter to back up 
their van and position it closer to the gas nozzle. The daughter 
accidentally ran over her mother, twice backing up and once 
going forward before crashing into a signal light box.
Landa suffered a fractured foot and ankle and an injured finger. 
She is listed in fair condition at Sequoia Hospital.
------------------------

>>>Hermit Gives Up Waiting for End of World
Source: AP
NELSON, New Zealand (02-13) - After spending the last six 
years on a mountain top waiting for the world to end, hermit 
Gerald Cover gave up and returned to civilization.
Cover believed that God wanted people to retreat to mountain 
tops and separate from the wicked world. In Cover's theory these
would by the only Apocalypse survivors. Although the end of the 
world prediction never happened, he now claims that God told 
him a world holocaust would occur in 2011.
There was a last minute decision by an Auckland woman not to 
join Cover in his isolated location following his 1991 advertisement 
for a wife.
----------------------

>>>Pet and Pot Owner Charged
Source: AP
ATHENS, Ohio (02-13) - Police arrested the owner of a dog when 
a resident discovered three-quarters of a pound of marijuana 
inside the pooch's fanny pack.
The 17-month-old dog was tied to a parking meter, his owner 
nowhere in sight.  A concerned citizen looked inside the fanny 
pack for identification and discovered the drugs and $720 in 
cash which he turned over to police.
Shawn Sloter, 24, was arrested when he went to the police 
station to report his dog missing.
----------------------

>>>IN OTHER BIZARRE NEWS:

+++ SYDNEY (Sydney Morning Herald, 02-15)
A lawyer charged a woman client $26 (Australian) for opening 
and reading a Christmas card she had sent him. He billed her 
an additional $26 for calling and thanking her for sending him 
the card.

+++ MIAMI (02-13) - The NBA basketball team Miami Heat 
was ordered to pay $50,000 to a woman who claimed the 
team's mascot humiliated her. Another woman was awarded 
$10,000 after she sued for $1 million claiming she was 
injured by the same mascot.

+++ MEXICO CITY, (PT, 02-12) - Scientists blame drug 
traffickers for the recent deaths of 42 dolphins and three 
whales. They reported that traffickers are using a cyanide-based 
chemical to mark ocean drop sites.

+++ BEIJING (AFP, 02-12) - Singer Elton 
John has canceled two concerts after an official proposal that 
fans should wear headphones to keep the noise down.
79.3803NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 18 1997 14:19105
WhiteBoard News for Monday, February 17, 1997 [excerpts]

Edinburgh, Scotland:

A man serving a life sentence for raping and murdering
his girl friend on a Valentine's Day date is being
freed to attend the premiere of an opera he wrote in
jail. 

David Price, 34, composed "Odyssey" in Edinburgh's
Saughton Prison after being convicted of killing
Michelle Slater with a sliver of glass from a broken
picture of his estranged wife in 1984. 

Prison service officials said Price would be
accompanied by warders for Tuesday's premiere at the
Demarco European Arts Center. He would not be
handcuffed and would be free to mix with cast and
audience. 

Price would also be allowed to attend the final
performance Wednesday. Many of the 50-strong Odyssey
cast are music students and the orchestra is from
Edinburgh University. 

The production was aided by a l,000-pound grant from a
trust set up by Jimmy Boyle, a gangster who made a
fresh start as an artist after serving a murder
sentence in Glasgow's notorious Barlinnie Prison. 
==========

Mesa, Arizona:

Byron McNeil hopes a judge will understand why he felt
compelled to illegally pass a fellow motorist the other
day - he was rushing to help his sons stranded atop a
120-foot electrical tower. 

"I'm not trying to make excuses for myself. I realize
if I got into an accident it wouldn't have helped
anybody," McNeil said. "I thought it was real important
I get there, and it was an emergency." 

But a state trooper who observed McNeil passing on the
shoulder of the Beeline Highway's high-speed lane
didn't agree, and cited him for unsafe lane usage -- a
$75 violation. 

Ten-year-old John McNeil, who is autistic, made national
news Tuesday when he climbed to the top of the tower,
which carried 230,000-volt power lines. 

His brother James, 17, put aside his fear of heights and
scrambled up after John, holding him until firefighters
rescued them. 
==========

Helsinki, Finland:

Finns making the most of what they have a lot of --
cold -- opened a sprawling ice castle that includes a
theater, an art gallery and a chapel.

Thirty workers took three months to build the castle
with 13-foot high ice walls stretching for 1,650 feet
-- the length of about five football fields.

The Orthodox Church chapel, hewn from ice, already has
been booked for four weddings and a christening. The
theater has a capacity of 3,000 and will feature rock
and pop concerts, musicals, modern dance and opera
recitals.

Construction and upkeep costs are estimated to be $1.1
million. It is the second annual ice castle in Kemi,
which lies 450 miles north of Helsinki.

The castle is expected to stay frozen until mid-April.
=========

Norfolk, Virginia:

A 7-year-old girl who complained of choking on a quarter
coughed up 40 cents when her teacher came to the rescue.

During class Thursday, Kashay McCleese turned to her
teacher, Trumillia Britt, and gasped, "Mrs. Britt, I
swallowed a quarter."

Britt quickly turned the child to do a makeshift Heimlich
maneuver. After a pound on the chest, out popped a
quarter. That was followed by a dime, then a nickel.

"I thought I was a magician," Britt said Friday at
James Monroe Elementary School. "She told me a quarter
and I got 40 cents."

"I just started licking the money," Kashay explained
later. "Then it went down my throat."

Britt used the experience to teach the class a lesson.
Kashay sure learned hers.

"I'm not putting anything in my mouth but food," she
said. "And candy."
79.3804NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 24 1997 13:32148
WEIRDNUZ.469 (News of the Weird, January 31, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright information at end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* Clarence Mulloy, weary of doctors who don't keep their
appointments, filed a lawsuit in November against one of them, 
Dr. Lawrence Amato of Round Lake Beach, Ill., and won $10
plus court costs.  Mulloy claimed that Dr. Amato once canceled
merely because his nurse was away and he didn't want to have to
hook Mulloy up to a heart monitor all by himself. 

* In December, McDonald's opened restaurants in its 100th
country, Belarus, amid about 4,000 eager customers and 500
protestors, and a few days later, in its 101st, Tahiti.  According
to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, no two
countries with McDonald's restaurants have ever gone to war
against each other--because, as Friedman theorizes, countries
prosperous enough to support a McDonald's are surely stable
enough to resist most provocations. 

* Texas A&M student Jonathan Culpepper and his fraternity
Kappa Alpha were indicted in College Station, Tex., in
December on a criminal hazing charge because of a severe
"wedgie."  The grand jury found that fraternity members lifted a
candidate, unnamed in news reports, off his feet by the waistband
of his briefs, causing the man to require the surgical removal of a
testicle. 

CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in December that a
female inmate at the Yell County Jail in Dardanelle had been
receiving regular shipments of methamphetamines via Federal
Express.  Jail officials had finally become suspicious and
obtained the necessary search warrant to check her frequent
deliveries. 

* During the Christmas Handicap race at a track in Melbourne,
Australia, the horse Cogitate threw its rider and bumped the
horse Hon Kwok Star sending Hon's jockey, apprentice Andrew
Payne, into the air.  To break his fall, Payne grabbed the neck of
Cogitate and then climbed into the stirrups and rode that horse
across the finish line (though the official records would show that
both horses were disqualified). 

* The Miami Herald reported in September that David
McAllister, 77 and blind, a nursing-home invalid in North Miami
Beach, Fla., receives daily visits from Chris Carrier, 32, who
reads to McAllister from the Bible.  Their only previous
relationship occurred during a few days in December 1974, when
McAllister kidnapped young Carrier at a bus stop and left him for
dead in the Everglades with cigarette burns on his body, icepick
holes in one eye, and a gunshot wound that left him blind in the
other eye.  Said Carrier, "I don't stare at my . . . potential
murderer.  I stare at a man, very old, very alone and scared." 

* In November, ballroom dancing champion Michael Keith
Withers was convicted in Perth, Australia, of the attempted 1994
murder of his wife-dance partner, Stacey Larson.  He had said it
was an accident, but the jury found that he had doused her with
gasoline (set aside to use in a Whipper Snapper lawn trimmer he
had borrowed from a neighbor) and set her afire, burning 70
percent of her body.  Larson testified that she had not seen
Withers since the incident, but under cross-examination finally
admitted that she had slept with him 15 times since then, and
another witness said Larson had bought Withers Christmas gifts
in 1995, including his very own Whipper Snapper. 

* Results of a University of Minnesota study, announced in July
and pertinent to the dispute between large animal feedlots and
their neighbors who object to the smell, showed that home values
nearer the feedlots were higher than those further away.  (No
explanation was given by researchers, but some experts
interviewed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune said increased
employment opportunities at feedlots had driven up demand for
housing.) 

* A 1985 lease fixed the annual rent the U. S. pays for its
Moscow embassy at 72,500 rubles.  That was worth about
$60,000 at the time, but now with nine years to go on the lease,
the devaluation of the ruble has reduced the rent to the equivalent
of $22.56 a year.  In August, the Russian government stepped up
its demands to renegotiate, but the U. S. continues to resist. 

INEXPLICABLE

* The New York Times reported in December on a Jordanian
company that employs veiled Palestinian women stitching
together women's exotic underpants for Victoria's Secret stores
and catalogs.  Adding to the irony is that the products, which in
1997 will also include brassieres, are sold with a "Made in
Israel" label in order to take advantage of Israel's favorable trade
status with the U. S. 

* In December, Frederick Lundy was to report for a court
hearing in Akron, Ohio, in which he had been told:  Plead not
guilty to a parole violation and be released until trial, or plead
guilty and go to jail immediately.  Lundy pleaded guilty and was
abruptly led away.  That decision could be explained, perhaps,
by Lundy's desire to get on with his punishment.  What was not
explained was why he had come into the courtroom under the
circumstances with 41 rocks of crack cocaine in his pocket,
which were discovered in a routine, pre-incarceration search. 

* In November at the Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque,
Anthony Valencia and Fitzgerald Vandever, both age 20, were
arrested and accused of roaming the Intensive Care Unit, looking
to steal patients' food off warming carts.  (Said a hospital
spokeswoman, "Actually, we've got some pretty good [food]
down there." 

* In December in London, England, the first fraud cases against
the parent company of Hoover vacuum cleaners went to trial,
four years after the company's disastrous giveaway campaign in
which it promised two free air fares with all vacuum cleaners,
which retailed for as little as about $165 in Great Britain.  The
company sold over a half million units during the campaign and
has so far paid out about $72 million in airline tickets to about a
third of the purchasers. 

UPDATE

* In 1995 News of the Weird listed four cities in which
entrepreneurs had begun businesses to fly couples around for an
hour so that they could have sexual intercourse while airborne. 
In December 1996 several homeowners near Van Nuys (Calif.)
Airport complained vociferously to the Los Angeles Daily News
that one of the four, Mile High Adventures (whose flights now
start at $429), flies so frequently and low that they are extremely
irritating.  Said one homeowner, "What people do in their own
bedroom is their business.  What they do over our heads is the
community's business." 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* In January, disbarred Parsonburg, Md., lawyer Paul Bailey
Taylor, 61, finally snapped after years of erratic behavior and
barricaded himself inside a church, armed with a rifle, for five
hours before police convinced him to surrender.  When he was
working, Taylor ran his law practice from the bathroom of his
unheated rural trailer, where he had set up a desk over the toilet
so that he could sit for long periods of time because of an
intestinal disorder.  A social worker once described the place as
"clean," in that Taylor's 12 cats were neatly housed in cardboard
boxes and his legal papers were filed in an orderly fashion in the
bathtub. 
79.3805NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 24 1997 13:34106
WhiteBoard News for Friday, February 21, 1997 [excerpts]

Jacksonville, Florida:

Noel Owens never ate, smoked or licked his pellet of
hardened toad secretion. He did rub it on himself
though, and that could get him five years. 

Owens, 26, was convicted of possession of the illicit
drug bufotenine after he testified Tuesday he used the
fingernail-sized brown stone as an aphrodisiac. 

Bufotenine is a hallucinogenic substance secreted by
live bufo toads. It is said to give one sexual powers
and is sometimes licked off a toad's back. 

Sometimes, people dry and smoke the secretions for
their hallucinatory effects, or use them in a tea.
Others skin the toads and dry their skins. 

Although he insisted he never tasted his "sex stone,"
Owens faces up to five years in prison and fines as
high as $5,000 at sentencing in a few weeks. 

His lawyer expected the judge would go easy, perhaps
giving Owens probation. 

"He just carried it around in his wallet, like a
teen-ager carries a condom," lawyer Robert Rush said. 
==========

Tucson, Arizona:

Most of the time, Ken Adams is a mild-mannered
University of Arizona student. But yesterday, he donned
a sheath of beige fabric and was transformed into an
unusual alter ego - Mr. Condom. 

Surprisingly enough, this wasn't a fraternity prank. 

The 21-year-old music education major knowingly and
voluntarily agreed to become the latex Lothario as part
of National Condom Week. 

Adams expected some ribbing from his friends, but it
was all for a good cause. 

"It's kind of a taboo subject," said Adams, a junior.
"If someone can laugh at an idiot wearing a giant
condom costume, that'll break the ice. If it makes one
person who doesn't normally wear a condom wear one,
then this is worth it." 

National Condom Week, started by University of
California-Berkeley students in 1978, is celebrated
every year from February 14 through February 21. 
==========

New Brunswick, New Jersey:

Accordion music helps prisoners turn their lives
around, says a preacher who has just marked 40 years
playing at his local county jail.

Baptist minister and Salvation Army volunteer Ralph
Bailey says the favorite song among inmates is the hymn
"Amazing Grace" about a lost soul who found redemption.

Sgt. Joe de Matteo of the Middlesex County jail in New
Jersey said prisoners clapped and sang along to
Bailey's accordion. "It calms them down ... after the
sessions they become real pussycats," he said.

Bailey, 78, said the accordion music "seems to reach
their souls more quickly than words ever could. The
music gives them a measure of serenity they couldn't
get any other way."
==========

Trenton, New Jersey:

A man who went to a church to pray ended up baring a
lot more than his soul.

Police say a man in his 20s entered a Trenton church
Wednesday and, after praying, stripped naked and
wrestled the bishop who tried to cover him up.

"I promised him a prayer if he'd put his pants back
on," said Bishop Willie Jones of the nondenominational
New Holy Cross Church.

Jones said on Thursday that he prayed aloud in an
effort to soothe the man and get him to dress before
anyone saw.

Unfortunately, a woman attending a luncheon in the
church's basement came up and spotted the nude man
prancing about.

After she was calmed, Jones called police and the man,
whose name was not released, was taken to a medical
center.

"He was trying to do something for himself, but he was
taken over by something inside," Jones said.
79.3806WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjMon Feb 24 1997 14:094
    >Adams expected some ribbing from his friends
    
     NPI
    
79.3807POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorMon Feb 24 1997 14:133
    |New Brunswick, New Jersey:
    
    well? which is it?
79.3808NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Feb 24 1997 14:152
The "ribbing" line was the only reason I included that item in my excerpts.
I usually skip the items that are manufactured news.
79.3809POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateTue Feb 25 1997 12:458
    
     >|New Brunswick, New Jersey:
     >
     >   well? which is it?
     
    
    New Brunswick is a city in New Jersey.
    
79.3810Before someone asksCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Feb 25 1997 12:481
Exit 9.
79.3811BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Tue Feb 25 1997 12:491
stage left
79.3812NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 25 1997 13:521
Heavens to Murgatroyd!
79.3813POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorTue Feb 25 1997 13:531
    whoosh.
79.3814POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateTue Feb 25 1997 13:553
    
    Surrrrre.
    
79.3815CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Feb 25 1997 13:563

 I hate those meeses to pieces..
79.3816NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 25 1997 18:15106
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #36 Feb 25, 1997 [excerpts]
                       http://www.ovis.com/       
**********************************************************************
-------------------------
>>> Man Cuts Off Wife's Ears and Eats Them
Source: AFP
DARES SALAAM, Tanzania (02-17) - A man cut off his wife's 
ears and ate them when she refused to leave the room so that 
he could have sex with his mistress. 
Chacha Ng'ombe used a machete to slice his wife's ears when 
she would not allow him privacy to sleep with another woman. 
"He cooked the ears in the middle of the night and ate them," 
the Kiswahili weekly Mzalendo newspaper reported. 
His mistress left following the incident.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

>>> Woman Charged for 'Group' Therapy
Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Submitted by: jp@iname.com
APPLETON, Wis. (02-12) - A woman sued her former psychiatrist 
because he convinced her she had more than 100 personalities 
and billed her insurance company for group therapy. 
The psychiatrist told Naden Cool that some of her 120 
personalities included a duck, Satan and angels. Dr. Keneth 
Olson claimed her multiple personalities deserved a 'group 
therapy' billing since he was counseling more than one person. 
The final bill is estimated at $300,000 most of which Blue Cross 
Insurance has paid. Cool claims the treatment left her suicidal 
and haunted by false memories.
----------------------

>>> Man Dismembers Another Man
Source: Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO (02-14) - A Brazilian man cut off the penis of 
a man sleeping next to his wife, assuming he was her lover. 
Raimundo Luiz dos Santos went by his ex-wife's house to pay 
her alimony and became jealous when he found Delmando Salvador 
sleeping next to her in her bed. The ex-wife denied that Salvador 
was her lover. She called Salvador a longtime family friend who was 
drunk when he arrived at her house and asked to take a nap.
Doctors reattached Salvador's penis but said it is too early to tell 
whether the operation can be considered a success.
-----------------------

>>> Insurance Against "Virgin Birth by Act of God"
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
LONDON (02-14) - Approximately 300 women purchased insurance 
against a virgin birth by act of God.
Goodfellow Rebecca Ingrams Pearson, an insurer broker, sells the 
policies for $210 a year. "So far we've had everyone from 18-year-olds 
to pensioners taking out the policy, but I don't anticipate very many 
successful claims," said Managing Director Simon Burgess. 
The broker also offers insurance against impregnation by an alien. 
"You can never underestimate the stupidity of the British public," 
Burgess added.
-------------------------

>>> Jail Stop Gets Man Arrested
Source: Lawrence County Advocate
LAWRENCEBURG, TN. (02-19) - A drunk Rodney Allen Atwell 
stopped at the right place, the Lawrence County Jail. Authorities 
detained him for public intoxication and a search revealed two 
bags of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia on his possession. 
Atwell also told prison officials that he had a shotgun in his truck. 
After searching his truck authorities confiscated a Remington 870 
pump action shotgun, more marijuana bags, drug paraphernalia 
and a glass of alcohol.
--------------------------

>>> 'Friendly' Zoo Lion Kills Boy
Source: Reuters
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (02-21) - A 17-year-old boy was killed by a 
lion at a "wild animal petting" zoo in the tourist resort of Ahungalle.
Authorities report the victim was posing for a picture with the lion 
when he was attacked. "The boy had sat next to the lion to have 
his picture taken with the animal. The keeper had stepped aside 
so that he would not be in the picture. That is when it attacked," 
Inspector Saman Keerthi said. 
The zoo is very popular with tourists because it allows animal 
petting. Visitors can also pet leopards and crocodiles.
---------------------------

>>> IN OTHER BIZARRE NEWS:

+++ LONDON (Reuter, 02-19) - 7-year-old Craig Flatman was finally 
cured of his addiction of eating nothing but jam sandwiches. For the 
last three years Craig's diet consisted of nothing but strawberry and 
raspberry jam sandwiches on white bread. His treatment involved 
playing with other types of food until he "overcame his fears."

+++ SINGAPORE (Reuter, 02-20) - It is now illegal to perform or 
receive oral sex unless it is part of foreplay and eventually leads 
to intercourse, Singapore Court of Appeals ruled. This concludes 
the trial of a 47-year-old man accused of convincing a 19-year-old 
woman to perform oral sex on him. The man told her she has been 
poisoned when she received oral sex from another man and the
 only cure is to perform oral sex on him.

+++ EAST NORRITON, PA. (Philadelphia Online, 02-18) submitted 
William Charlton was arrested for trying to steal a TV set at a local 
Kmart store. As soon as he was released on a $2,500 bond, Charlton 
took a cab to the same Kmart and tried stealing another TV set. He 
almost got away but the cab driver would not move unless Charlton 
paid him $25. Too bad Charlston did not have the money. He was 
arrested again.
79.3817NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Feb 25 1997 18:21184
WhiteBoard News for Tuesday, February 25, 1997 [excerpts]

Sydney, Australia:

An Australian wildlife park attendant survived a
crocodile attack after her father jumped on the huge
reptile's back and gouged out its eyes as horrified
tourists looked on. 

Karla Bredl, 21, was in a stable condition in intensive
care in a hospital Saturday with a broken pelvis, a
broken leg and internal injuries after the attack. 

The 15-foot crocodile, called Solomon, grabbed Karla
Bredl around the leg and then the waist when she
slipped and fell during a crocodile feeding display for
tourists late Friday. 

Karla's father, Joe Bredl, grabbed a rake and beat the
crocodile about the head in an attempt to force it to
let go of her, said Karla's uncle Rob Bredl. 

"When Solomon grabbed her across the pelvis, the rake
was doing nothing so my brother said, 'bugger it'. He
jumped on its back and stuck his thumbs in its eyes and
Solomon ... released her," Rob Bredl told Reuters from
the family's Barefoot Bushman Wildlife Park in north
Queensland. 

"Short of a gun, nothing will stop a crocodile unless
you get into his eyes," he said. 

Karla Bredl was then dragged from the enclosure by Rob
Bredl and a tourist and subsequently flown by
helicopter to the Mackay Base Hospital. 

There were about 10 to 15 tourists watching at the
time. 

Rob Bredl said Karla's injuries could have been much
worse if Solomon, who weighs 1,650 pounds, had all his
teeth. Most have been lost in fights with other
crocodiles and because of a calcium deficiency. 

"He's a fussy bloke. He usually won't eat anything with
bones in it," he said. 

Solomon would not be destroyed and Karla had said from
her hospital bed she wanted to return to her work as an
attendant at the park feeding crocodiles, Rob Bredl
said. 

A Mackay Hospital spokeswoman told Reuters Karla was
awake and in stable condition in intensive care. 
==========

Los Angeles, California:

About 200 prostitutes from around the world and 30
police officers from across the country will check into
a Los Angeles hotel next month. 

And if all goes as planned, neither group will have
much to do with the other. 

The Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys will be sex central
when several hundred college professors, counselors,
lawyers, public health experts, sex workers and their
clients convene March 13-16 for the International
Conference on Prostitution. 

At the same time at the same hotel, the Los Angeles
Police Department will be wrapping up a two-week
seminar on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program,
which puts officers in classrooms teaching kids to
"Just Say No." 

The coincidental scheduling of the events was just
that. Coincidence. 

"We're not uncomfortable with it. But it's not
something we would normally request," said Edward
Arambula, training coordinator for the LAPD's DARE
division, Western Regional Training Center. "We
wouldn't want to interfere with their ability to
conduct business. I mean the hotel. Not the hookers." 

Norma Jean Almodovar, a former LAPD traffic
officer-turned-call girl whose prostitution association
is co-sponsoring the sex conference, wants to make one
thing clear to the police: The sex workers are not here
to work. 

"I told them the minute they show up at the hotel,
they're retired," said Almodovar, co-chairwoman of the
conference. 

Kevin McCarthy, who manages the hotel, said he expects
it will be an interesting week. "I expect everyone to
conduct themselves professionally," McCarthy said. 

The Center for Sex Research at California State
University Northridge is co-sponsoring the conference
on prostitution, one of the largest gatherings of sex
workers and experts, said James Elias, center director. 

"We're not here to titillate," Elias said. "This is an
academic conference to discuss the issues related to
prostitution, and that also includes the concerns of
the prostitute and sex worker population."
==========

Lubbock, Texas:

The Mexican Transvestite Wrestlers crossed the line,
police say, when the freak show act's performance at a
concert hall veered into the sort of adult
entertainment that requires a license in Lubbock. 

Four members of the Jim Rose Circus were arrested late
Friday on a misdemeanor charge of breaking an adult
entertainment law. They were released on bond. Three
face a $500 fine. The fourth was also charged with
cursing during the arrest and faces up to a $1,000
fine. 

"They're not your average circus, and they were
definitely doing things that belong in a nightclub,"
Officer Mike Crain said Saturday. Acts by other circus
performers include hanging cinder blocks from hooks
attached to their nipples. 

Jim Rose called Lubbock police "small town bullies"
whose actions were out of line. 

"They consider the Mexican Transvestite Wrestlers show
simulating a sex act," he said. "It's certainly like no
sex act I've ever seen." 

The Jim Rose Circus has performed at the annual
Lollapalooza music festival, and also appeared on "The
X-Files." 
==========

Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

A couple of inmates say it's unfair that they're not
allowed to pray in the prison chapel while members of
other religions can. 

They just happen to worship Satan. 

Dale George, serving time for rape and armed robbery,
and John Fuller, in for murder, sued Friday in federal
court on the grounds that their religious rights were
being violated. 

George asked last year that he and other followers of
Satan be allowed to use the state prison's Inter-Faith
chapel just like members of other denominations. The
men also asked for items such as black robes and a
symbol of the devil. The prison refused. 
==========

London England:

History books complete with smells of muck heaps,
rotting heads on poles and plague-ridden streets are
set to bring the past truly alive for Britain's
schoolchildren. 

The scratch and sniff "Smelly Old History" series
promises to waft children back to a past when Romans
washed their laundry in urine and 16th century lovers
exchanged apples they had kept in their armpits, said
publishers Oxford University Press. 

"Of all the senses of the past, we often forget the
importance of smell. It's the best, it's the worst, but
it's the hardest sense to include in a history lesson,"
said author Mary Dobson. 

The first three books in the series are to be published
in mid-March. 
79.3818Not sure if this is true or not ...BUSY::SLABEnjoy what you doFri Feb 28 1997 12:2255
You'll recall a Darwin award from not too long ago where a guy decided  to
strap a cargo plane rocket booster to his car to see how fast it would  go,
and ended up hitting a cliff several hundred feet in the air.  Here's  one
more.

This story was clipped from the recent Darwin awards, which people get  for
doing something incredibly stupid.  True stories. Here's the winner:

Larry Walters is among the relatively few who have  actually turned their
dreams into reality.  His story is true, as hard  as you may find it to
believe . . .

Larry was a truck driver, but his lifelong dream was to fly.  When he
graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming  a
pilot.  Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him.  So when he  finally
left the service, he had to satisfy himself with watching others fly the
fighter jets that crisscrossed the skies over his backyard.  As he sat
there in his lawn chair, he dreamed about the magic of flying. Then one
day, Larry had an idea.  He went down to the local Army-Navy  surplus store
and bought forty-five weather balloons, and several tanks of  helium. These
were not your brightly colored party balloons, these were  heavy-duty
spheres measuring more than four feet across when fully inflated.

Back  in his yard, Larry used straps to attach the balloons to his lawn
chair,  the kind you might have in your back yard.  He anchored the chair
to the  bumper of his jeep, and inflated the balloons with helium.  Then he
packed a  few sandwiches and drinks, and a loaded BB gun, figuring he could
pop a few  balloons when it was time to return to earth.  His preparations
complete, Larry sat in his chair and cut the anchoring cord.  His plan was
to  lazily float into the sky, and eventually back to terra firma.  But
things  didn't quite work out that way.  When Larry cut the cord, he didn't
float  lazily up; he shot up as if fired from a cannon!  Nor did he go up a
couple hundred  feet.  He climbed and climbed until he finally leveled off
at eleven  thousand feet!  At that height, he could hardly risk deflating
any of the  balloons, lest he unbalance the load and really experience
flying.

So he stayed  up there, sailing around for fourteen hours, totally at a
loss about how to  get down. Eventually, Larry drifted into the approach
corridor for Los Angeles  International Airport.  A Pan Am pilot radioed
the tower about passing a  guy in a lawn chair at eleven thousand feet,
with a gun in his lap .  . .  now there's a conversation I would have given
anything to have heard!  LAX  is right on the ocean, and you may know that
at nightfall, the winds on the  coast begin to change.  So, as dusk fell,
Larry began drifting out to  sea. At that point, the Navy dispatched a
helicopter to rescue him, but the  rescue team had a hard time getting to
him because the draft from their  propeller kept pushing his home-made
contraption farther and farther away.  Eventually, they were able to hover
above him and drop a rescue line, with which  they gradually hauled him
back to safety.  As soon as Larry hit the ground,  he was arrested.  But as
he was led away in handcuffs, a television reporter  called out, "Sir,
why'd you do it?"  Larry stopped, eyed the man, then replied  nonchalantly,
"A man can't just sit around!"

79.3819CHEFS::UKFURNITUREFri Feb 28 1997 12:285
    ...or not.
    
    I you believe this, they're putting soemthing funny in your water.
    
    Richard          
79.3820BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Fri Feb 28 1997 12:407
| <<< Note 79.3819 by CHEFS::UKFURNITURE >>>

| I you believe this, they're putting soemthing funny in your water.

	Errr..... the first part makes me wonder what is in your water!

	But slabbo puts coffee grounds into his water...
79.3821ASGMKA::MARTINConcerto in 66 MovementsFri Feb 28 1997 14:277
    At an International Commerce Bank in Texas, a man came in at gunpoint 
    and holding hostages, demanded a shrimp cocktail and a glass of water.
    
    He was given what he asked, ate it, then released the hostages and
    surrendered.
    
    
79.3822SMURF::WALTERSFri Feb 28 1997 14:272
    I know a guy named Walters who tied a bedsheet around his neck,
    shouted "I'm batman!" and jumped off a railway viaduct.
79.3823DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Feb 28 1997 14:464
    
    
    	Does Alice know about this?  ;)
    
79.3824SMURF::WALTERSFri Feb 28 1997 14:482
    Can't remember if I ever mentioned it.  He was one of my least nutty
    uncles.
79.3825SALEM::DODARunning on faithFri Feb 28 1997 14:481
Go ask her. Do it when she's ten feet tall.
79.3826DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Feb 28 1997 14:555
    
    	Oh, sure, the wacky uncle excuse, huh?  My dad tries that
    	one sometimes only he blames it on one of his loony brothers
    	instead of an uncle.  =)
    
79.3827BUSY::SLABErotic NightmaresFri Feb 28 1997 15:037
    
    	RE: .3821
    
    	A man came in at gunpoint holding hostages?
    
    	Who was holding him hostage, and what were HIS demands?
    
79.3828and now, the rest of the story :-)SHOGUN::KOWALEWICZAre you from away?Fri Feb 28 1997 15:3814
79.3829DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Fri Feb 28 1997 15:3916
re: the balloon story:

This just might be a result of the old game "telephone".

I recall quite a few years ago reading in the Orlando Fla paper a similar,
but much less dramatic version of the same story. The guy tied surplus 
weather balloons to a lawn chair, floated around for a while, and used a 
BB gun to come back down.

I remember the paper story describing the event, followed by a one-line
paragraph:

	"The FAA was not amused."  :-}

Yes, he was arrested.
79.3830ACISS1::BATTISCarnations,not just for Easter anymoreFri Feb 28 1997 16:042
    
    <---- Urban legend alert!!!!
79.3831DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Feb 28 1997 16:066
    
    
    	re: kb
    
    	ooops!  He can't know I'm spilling the family secrets!  =)
    
79.3832DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Fri Feb 28 1997 16:125
>     <---- Urban legend alert!!!!

Well, it's somewhat more believable than the one about the guy in the SW who
strapped a solid rocket booster on his chevy. I think that one has been 
proven to be UL.
79.3833EVMS::MORONEYUHF ComputersFri Feb 28 1997 16:466
The "lawn chair balloonist" story is true. (I don't know if either version here
has the actual facts of the case, but someone _did_ attach a bunch of balloons
to a lawn chair, go for a ride and got arrested by the FAA for his efforts.)

The JATO attached to the car is 100% pure USDA Grade A urban legend (or at
least a Wile E. Coyote story). 
79.3834WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Feb 28 1997 17:081
    -1 that would be Acme Grade A urban legend, wouldn't it?
79.3835COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Feb 28 1997 18:2013
Cunard cruise lines is being sued by a nudist who says that ship
employees videotaped him and others during a nude cruise, and then
entertained friends by showing the tapes.

Ronald Bacchiocchi is seeking unspecified monetary damages for
emotional harm and mental suffering, saying that Cunard's actions
were "intentional, willful, wanton, and in total disregard of privacy."

He also names Bare Necessities Tour and Travel Company as a defendant
in the suit.


79.3836ASGMKA::MARTINConcerto in 66 MovementsFri Feb 28 1997 18:245
Z    Ronald Bacchiocchi is seeking unspecified monetary damages for
Z    emotional harm and mental suffering, saying that Cunard's actions
Z    were "intentional, willful, wanton, and in total disregard of privacy."
    
    He deserves a kick in the arse for putting himself in that position.
79.3837BUSY::SLABForget the doctor - get me a nurse!Fri Feb 28 1997 18:248
    
    	Hmmm, so what's the expected number of people that you'd allow
    	to see you naked before it becomes an issue?
    
    	He's on a nude cruise and should expect to be seen by a good
    	number of people, some of them clothed.  So why would he care
    	that other people [some clothed] are also seeing him naked?
    
79.3838CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsFri Feb 28 1997 18:241
    Anyone roller blading?
79.3839SMURF::WALTERSFri Feb 28 1997 18:2812
      At a stop light, a chap on a bicycle pulls up next to a spanking
      new Rolls Royce Corniche convertible.  
      
      "Nice car." He says to the driver.  "How does a person get the
      money to buy one of those"?  
      
      "Oh, I work for Cunard". Replied the driver.
      
      "I work f'cunard too". Said the cyclist.  "But all I can afford is
      this lousy bike".
      
      
79.3840COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Feb 28 1997 18:313
kyewnard.

nnttm.
79.3841ACISS1::BATTISCarnations,not just for Easter anymoreFri Feb 28 1997 18:416
    
    .3839
    
    agagagag 
    
    <wipes tears away>
79.3842DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Mon Mar 03 1997 13:209
    
    	re: the nudist
    
    	Just because someone is a nudist, doesn't mean they don't
    	have the same rights to privacy as the rest of us.  He was
    	on a cruise, and if I read John's posting correctly, it was
    	a special cruise for nudists.  Videotaping someone without
    	their knowledge and publicizing that video is wrong.
    
79.3843NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 03 1997 13:53141
WEIRDNUZ.470 (News of the Weird, February 7, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright information at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* An ancient fear of penis-shrinking sorcery periodically surfaces in
Ghana, the latest instance in December.  Mobs beat seven men to
death in Accra and injured others in Tema, all on rumors that the
men had the power to make others' genitals disappear by a mere
touch.  Police said the rumors were spread by criminal operatives
so that crowds of hysterical men would gather, making it easier for
the criminals to pickpocket wallets. 

* Japanese researchers at Tokyo University and Tsukuba
University said they will begin in February testing a project to
surgically implant microprocessors and electrode sets, and
eventually microcameras, into American cockroaches for a
variety of possible missions, including espionage surveillance and
searching for victims in earthquake rubble.  The equipment,
which can also receive remote-control signals to command the
cockroach's movements, weighs a tenth of an ounce, twice a
typical roach's weight but still only a tenth of what it potentially
can carry. 

* In December, the Idaho High School Activities Association
rejected a proposal by the superintendent of public instruction for
extracurricular firearms competition in junior high schools.  But
in January in neighboring Wyoming, a House committee
approved a bill that would lower the minimum age for big-game
hunters to 12. 

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION

* The New York Times reported in January that the Taliban
movement in Afghanistan is presiding over such a bankrupt
economy that a viable career field now has men (women are
forbidden to work at all) raiding cemeteries of human bones, which
are then sold to dealers in Pakistan as animal bones to be fashioned
into cooking oil, soap, chicken feed, and buttons.  Skulls must first
be broken up to preserve the ruse that only animal bones are
involved. 

* Recent Inappropriate Nudity:  In September, dozens of
schoolteachers from the state of Bihar stripped in front of the
Indian parliament to protest low wages.  And the Defense
Intelligence Agency, in a memo disclosed by the Washington
Post in October, reported the emergence of a Liberian leader
known as "General 'Butt Naked,'" "from his propensity for
fighting naked," which he "probably believes terrorizes the
enemy and brings good luck."  And Meaux, France, high school
philosophy teacher Bernard Defrance was suspended in January
for his pedagogical game in which he removes an article of
clothing each time a student stumps him with a riddle (sometimes
losing everything). 

* In a July soccer game in Tripoli, Libya, a team sponsored by
the eldest son of Muammar Qaddafi suffered a questionable
referee's call and began beating the official and the other team. 
After spectators jeered, Qaddafi and his bodyguards opened fire
on them, and some spectators shot back.  The death toll was
somewhere between eight and fifty, including the referee, and
Muammar Qaddafi declared a period of mourning, the hallmark
of which was that Libyan TV was to be in black and white only. 

* Role Model Gains:  In October, Marcia Fann, 37, won the
prestigious Bass'n Gal Classic Star XX bass-fishing tournament
in Athens, Tex.  Fann cheerfully discloses that she was formerly
a man, having been surgically changed sometime in the 1980s. 

* In December, the entire 300-man paramilitary police force of
the 83-island, South Pacific nation of Vanuatu was arrested for
kidnaping a visiting Australian official in order to increase its
leverage in an overtime-pay dispute with the government.  The
force had been suspended in November for kidnaping Vanautu's
deputy prime minister for the same purpose, and in October,
several members of the force had kidnaped Vanautu's president
and held him for almost a day before releasing him because of
the populace's seeming indifference. 

* A July Wall Street Journal story reported that the city jail
(capacity 134) in the Seattle suburb of Kent, Wash., does a brisk
business charging petty criminals from around the state $64 a day
to serve their sentences of up to 40 days in comfortable settings. 
Reservations are recommended, and the policy is cash only. 

* A United Nations spokesman in Sarajevo disclosed in
November a recent marital quarrel that escalated out of control
"in classic Bosnian style" and reflected the war-saturated quality
of life.  During an argument, the wife of Pero Toljij fled to a
neighbor's home, but Toljij chased her with a bazooka he
happened to have on hand, fired at her, missed, and hit the
couple's own house.  He was arrested. 

BOTTOM OF THE GENE POOL

* In October in Massapequa Park, N. Y., four men, ages 19-21,
intending to follow a recipe in the Underground Steroid
Handbook, failed to wait patiently until the Drano-like
concoction had reached a satisfactory pH level to make it milder. 
The four were hospitalized with bad internal burns, and the
concoction also burned rescuing police officers when the four
men vomited on them. 

* In November in Santa Maria, Tex., Luis Martinez, Jr., 25, was
stabbed in the neck with a broken bottle by his uncle, allegedly to
punish Martinez for not sharing his bag of Frito's.  In October a
20-year-old man was hospitalized in Guthrie, Okla., after
encouraging his friend Jason Heck to kill a millipede with a .22-
caliber rifle; after two ricochets, Heck's  bullet hit the man just
above his right eye, fracturing his skull. 

* Phillip Johnson, 32, was hospitalized in Prestonburg, Ky., in
December with a gunshot wound just above his left nipple, which
he inflicted upon himself because, as he told paramedics, he wanted
to see what it felt like.  When the paramedics arrived, said the
sheriff, they found him "screaming about the pain, over and over." 

I DON'T THINK SO

* David S. Peterson filed a lawsuit against New Mexico Gov.
Gary Johnson in August for racketeering, seeking three times the
sum of money that Peterson had given his girlfriend to buy him
clothes but which she had lost gambling at an Indian tribal
casino.  Peterson said Gov. Johnson was so much a supporter of
the Indian gaming industry that it was his fault Peterson was out
the money. 

NO LONGER WEIRD

* Adding to the list of stories that were formerly weird but which
now occur with such frequency that they must be retired from
circulation:  (15) The burglar with poor planning skills who
attempts to enter a building after hours through a chimney or vent
and gets stuck, as Baltimore, Md., police say Dwayne Terry, 33,
did at a convenience store on Christmas morning.  And (16)
certainly the thousands of times a year (about 50 the past year in
Fremont, Calif., alone) that trial-bound defendants and others
cheerfully place their belongings on the X-ray machines at the
entrances of courthouses, only to have their illegal drugs
detected. 
79.3844NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 03 1997 13:5881
WhiteBoard News for Friday, February 28, 1997 [excerpts]

Davie, Florida:

What fast-food restaurants did for dining, Karen Ann
Emery wants to do for wedded bliss. 

Ms. Emery has converted a former fast-food joint off
busy Interstate 95 into Vows, a drive through wedding
chapel due to open Saturday. 

"Everybody wants a wedding that makes theirs stand
apart," Emery said. 

Pulling up single and leaving hitched will do it. 

Emery, a notary public, says she'll lean out of the
drive through window, pronounce people man and wife,
then give them a certificate. Elapsed time: five
minutes. Cost: $75. 

Jeni Hughes, 28, says she's thinking about the
marriage-to-go. 

"We wanted to get married in a park or a boat, but it's
not working out," she said. "If I get any more aggravated
I might do it." 
==========

Springfield, Missouri:

A man brandishing a beer bottle abducted a kitten from
its front lawn recently, demanding a Tickle Me Elmo
doll as ransom. 

Kathryn Hamilton awoke to someone banging on her door
in the early morning hours Tuesday. When she opened up
she saw a drunken man with a beer bottle who picked up
Blue, her blue-eyed female kitten, and threatened to
harm it if she didn't hand over the doll. 

"I have never seen this man," Hamilton said. "I told him
I didn't have his doll. I was so upset, so terrified." 

The abductor was unmoved. He carried the cat to his car
and yelled: "If you want your cat back, gimme Elmo." 

Hamilton is aghast. 

"I knew the things were (selling) like nuts, but I can't
imagine someone would (hurt a cat) for one," she said. 

The cat is still missing. 
==========

San Francisco, California:

Surgeons have reattached the tongue of an automobile
accident victim in an operation they say may be the
first of its kind. 

The 16-year-old boy is already able to move his tongue
and is "well out of the woods," said Dr. Harry J.
Buncke, a nationally known pioneer in microsurgery. 

The boy should be able to speak and move his tongue
normally. But predicting how much feeling or sense of
taste will return is impossible, the doctor said. 

The boy, who was not identified, underwent surgery at
San Francisco's Ralph K. Davies Medical Center after
biting off his tongue in a near-fatal automobile
accident last weekend, the doctors disclosed Wednesday. 

Using microscopes and sutures finer than a human hair,
the surgical team needed seven hours to complete the
operation. 

According to Buncke, a search of medical records
worldwide indicates that the surgical feat was the
first of its kind. 
79.3845ASGMKA::MARTINConcerto in 66 MovementsMon Mar 03 1997 13:5916
 Z    Videotaping someone without
 Z           their knowledge and publicizing that video is wrong.
    
    JJ:
    
    Chief Justice Berger of the Supreme Court proves you wrong in this
    case...which is why Jackie O and other celebrities were hounded by
    photographers to the point of exasperation.  Had the cruise been a
    private party on private property, this may have been the case...such
    as the photographing of Jackie O newd on Onassis' private Island;
    however, this cruise, while offered by a private company, was offered
    to anyone who so chose to pay for such a cruise.  The gentleman place
    his genitalia for public display, and therefore has opened his privates
    to pubic scrutiny.  He's a fool.
    
    -Jack
79.3846NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 03 1997 14:068
"You have added new meaning to the word contemptible," said Brisbane
(Australia) District Court Judge Patrick Shanahan as he sentenced
Nektario Zafiratos to five years in prison. Zafiratos pled guilty to
44 counts of fraud, forgery and theft stemming from his wedding. He
paid for the wedding reception with a check stolen from one of the
guests, and left for his honeymoon in the guest's car. Over the next
two months he wrote bad checks totaling A$150,000 to pay for a car,
jewelry, clothing and a prostitute. (Reuter)
79.3847GAAS::BRAUCHERChampagne SupernovaMon Mar 03 1997 14:1510
  You do have a "right of privacy". But not to what you do in public.
 The key question in the case of the nudist cruise is whether the man
 had a reasonable expectation of privacy.  Since cell phones have failed
 that test, I would expect nude cruises would fail it also.

  If you don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy, then the First
 Amendment says anybody can use it for any purpose once you do it in public.

  bb
79.3848OVRTYM::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQMon Mar 03 1997 14:3711
> * In December, the Idaho High School Activities Association
> rejected a proposal by the superintendent of public instruction for
> extracurricular firearms competition in junior high schools.  But
> in January in neighboring Wyoming, a House committee
> approved a bill that would lower the minimum age for big-game
> hunters to 12. 

...and then what happened?

Isn't there supposed to be something weird/funny in this (beside the
author's little problem with the subject matter)?
79.3849Dopes on dope, dept.CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu Mar 06 1997 13:1510


 Rush had an item yesterday (repeated this morning) on a woman in Pensacola,
 FLA who called the police because she was ripped off on a crack purchase,
 alleging the stuff she bought was baking soda.  The police showed up, tested
 the stuff and found it was indeed crack, and arrested her for posession.


 Jim
79.3850NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 06 1997 13:1850
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, March 05, 1997

London, England:

A baby girl born in Britain last September has 12
fingers and 12 toes, The Sun newspaper reported Monday.

Samantha Evans who was born in the Welsh town of
Pontypridd, has two middle fingers on each hand and two
middle toes on each foot.

The malformation was discovered a few minutes after her
birth by the father after her mother remarked that the
child's hands were big for a newborn baby.

"Some people say she is bound to be a brilliant
pianist," the girl's parents joked. But the paper said
people in the village where they lived considered the
child a "freak" and crossed the road when they saw her
pram.

The last person in Britain with the same anomaly was
also a girl, Denise Streeton, born 26 years ago.
==========

Wichita, Kansas:

A man who has impersonated a gynecologist, senator,
professional athlete and astronaut has allegedly added
to his resume.

Robert James Hunt, 35, was charged Monday in U.S.
District Court with pretending to be a Secret Service
agent.

Hunt is accused of offering investigative services to a
Pittsburg sporting goods store worker in November while
posing as a Secret Service agent.

He was arrested Friday and a search of his home turned
up the same kind of 9mm pistol that is used by the
Secret Service.

The alleged offense came the same month he was released
from prison after pleading guilty in 1994 to another
impersonation charge.

The legal complications could interfere with his latest
role. He is a candidate in Pittsburg's city commission
election scheduled for next month.
79.3851BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapThu Mar 06 1997 13:203
    Serious TTWA:
    
    Is there a reliable way of identifying which digit is the extra digit?
79.3852BUSY::SLABDancin' on CoalsThu Mar 06 1997 13:238
    
    	RE: .3851
    
    	I was wondering that also.
    
    	She might have 2 ring fingers on each hand, although 1 of them
    	is a little taller than it should be.
    
79.3853SMURF::WALTERSThu Mar 06 1997 13:231
    Now that's sad behaviour.
79.3854NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 06 1997 13:453
Being born with an extra digit is fairly common.  It's usually removed when
the kid is a baby.  I'm assuming that the unusualness in this situation is
that there was as extra digit on both hands and both feet.
79.3855BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapThu Mar 06 1997 13:473
Why do they do that?  Never having had an extra digit, I guess I don't know
what it'd be like to grow up with one (much less four), but what next? 
Nose jobs at birth?
79.3856NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 06 1997 13:542
It's usually not fully developed (and never will be), and it gets in the way.
Another kind of anomaly that's usually fixed in infancy is ambiguous genitalia.
79.3857SMURF::WALTERSThu Mar 06 1997 13:547
    Social stigma. Like the idiot people crossing the street to avoid her. 
    Reminds me of when I worked for MIND and we'd take the kids to the
    park.  Microcephalics, Downs, Autism - a whole range of disabilities. 
    Parents would gradually ease their "normal" kids away until we were the
    only ones left in the play area.  At least our poor little buggers
    never knew how they were treasted, but it still burns me up.  
    
79.3858BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapThu Mar 06 1997 13:554
Recent studies have shown that "fixing" ambiguous genitalia during infancy
generally causes more physical and psychological problems than leaving it
ambiguous and letting the person sort it out when they're an adult.  (And
I'm not going to go into details here unless asked.)
79.3859DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Thu Mar 06 1997 13:564
I would wonder if these extra digits are fully functional, i.e., do they 
come complete the appropriate supporting skelatal structures, control 
muscles/tendons, etc?
79.3860EVER::GOODWINThu Mar 06 1997 14:069
    re .3857
    
    Autistic children can be quite violent with other 'normal' children.
    I have a niece-in-law who is.  She is not to blame, but neither are
    parents of smaller normal children who want to keep their kids out
    of harms way.  I know when I had my daughter, I didn't want her any-
    where near the autistic child.
    
    /Steve 
79.3861CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu Mar 06 1997 14:1114

 Many years ago we had a young pregnant woman stay with us (her mother had
 kicked her out of the house) and her baby was born with 6 fingers on each 
 hand and 6 toes on each foot.  As i recall, the doctors advised her to
 have them removed in her first year or so as they would "get in the way"
 and they really didn't function.

 I'm not sure what happened as she moved out of our house when the baby
 was about 3-4 months old, after she and my wife engaged in frequent battles
 over her lack of desire to contribute to light housecleaning chores.


 Jim
79.3862BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapThu Mar 06 1997 14:124
I can understand the removal if the extra digits are indeed
non-functioning.  (Getting in the way is a bit more iffy to me, although I
also refuse to have my wisdom teeth out, so I guess I'm just a bit of a
stick in the mud when it comes to that sort of thing.)
79.3863SMURF::WALTERSThu Mar 06 1997 14:1710
    .3860
    
    You're right.  On the other hand, the parents had no way of knowing
    they were autistic.  One disability can be much like another and some
    of our meningitis cases were far more prone to hit other kids, although
    they had no features that distinguished them as disabled.  (One was
    positively angelic-looking, but a little bugger).  Often when we were
    out with these kids alone, we didn't see the parents pull their kids
    away.  It's the halo effect.
     
79.3864NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 06 1997 14:172
It's called polydactyly or polydactylism.  Sometimes there are bones,
sometimes there aren't.
79.3865CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu Mar 06 1997 14:269



 As I recall the baby of whom I spoke had no bones in her extra digits.



 Jim
79.3866NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 06 1997 14:262
Dawn, it's ironic that you're against removing extra digits and wisdom teeth,
but you're a poster child for removing other bits.
79.3867;-)BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapThu Mar 06 1997 14:294
Hey, I was waiting for that.

I guess it has a lot to do with non-functioning organs, and ignorning the
lower half whilst making love, or something.
79.3868chick tricks...GAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersThu Mar 06 1997 14:304
  does that make fake o's easier ?

  bb
79.3869LANDO::OLIVER_Bready to begin againThu Mar 06 1997 14:321
    hey, whatever turns you on. ;-)
79.3870GAVEL::JANDROWThu Mar 06 1997 16:2411
    
    my brother was born without a thumb.  his clubbed hand otherwise
    functions normally.  at one point i think they were thinking about
    removing one of his toes and putting it where the thumb should be. 
    strangest thing is that there was another child born around the same
    timeframe in the area with the same problem, and still another that was
    born without any thumbs.  tried telling the maternal unit there must
    have been something in the water....
    
                                 
    
79.3871DECWET::LOWEBruce Lowe, DECwest Eng., DTN 548-8910Thu Mar 06 1997 19:014
Saw an interesting solution to this - knew a guy without a thumb on one side,
and the surgeons separated his forefinger, turned it around, and attached it
where his thumb should be. Looked weird, but was very functional.
79.3872NUBOAT::HEBERTCaptain BlighThu Mar 06 1997 19:363
Wasn't it a characteristic of the Brit royals that additional digits
frequently popped up? As is hemophilia?

79.3873BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapThu Mar 06 1997 19:413
Well, maybe extra digits popped up in the presence of the royals, but I
assume they were attached to the hands of the citizenry.  ("Pluck Yew!" As
Click & Clack would say.)
79.3874SMURF::WALTERSThu Mar 06 1997 19:454
    I believe it was so. The Hapsburg lip, Looney Hanoverians and Bleeding
    Czars.  It's all in the genes, or lack thereof.  Chuck was the first
    Royal ever to get into college.  Rumours of a brain transplant
    frequently crop up. 
79.3875GAVEL::JANDROWThu Mar 06 1997 19:517
    
    >>> Looney Hanoverians 
    
    
    HEY!!!  i resemble that remark!!  (or, at least used to....)
    
    
79.3876SMURF::WALTERSThu Mar 06 1997 19:551
    I guess it's the raq for me. 
79.3877COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu Mar 06 1997 19:573
	...and the screw may twist and the raq may turn...

79.3878POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateFri Mar 07 1997 17:2176
    
    Subj:	FW: Dumb and Dumber
    
       Police in Wichita, Kansas, arrested a 22-year-old man at
       an airport hotel after he tried to pass two (counterfeit)
       $16  bills.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       A man in Johannesberg, South Africa, shot his 49-year-old
       friend in the face, seriously wounding him, while the two
       practiced shooting beer cans off each other's head.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       A company trying to continue its five-year perfect safety
       record showed its workers a film aimed at encouraging the
       use of safety goggles on the job. According to Industrial
       Machinery News, the film's depiction of gory industrial
       accidents was so graphic that twenty-five workers suffered
       minor injuries in their rush to leave the screening room.
       Thirteen others fainted, and one man required seven stitches
       after he cut his head falling off a chair while watching the film.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       The Chico, California, City Council enacted a ban on nuclear
       weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within
       city limits.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       A bus carrying five passengers was hit by a car in St. Louis,
       but by the time police arrived on the scene, fourteen pedestrians
       had boarded the bus and had begun to complain of whiplash injuries
       and back pain.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       Swedish business consultant Ulf af Trolle labored 13 years
       on a book about Swedish economic solutions. He took the
       250-page manuscript to be copied, only to have it reduced
       to 50,000 strips of paper in seconds when a worker confused
       the copier with the shredder.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       A convict broke out of jail in Washington D.C., then a few
       days later accompanied his girlfriend to her trial for robbery.
       At lunch, he went out for a sandwich.  She needed to see him,
       and thus had him paged.  Police officers recognized his name
       and arrested him as he returned to the courthouse in a car he
       had stolen over the lunch hour.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       Police in Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by
       placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with
       wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was
       placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each
       time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth.
       Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       When two service station attendants in Ionia, Michigan,
       refused to hand over the cash to an intoxicated robber, the
       man threatened to call the police. They still refused, so
       the robber called the police and was arrested.
    
    ************************************************************
    
       A Los Angeles man who later said he was "tired of walking,"
       stole a steamroller and led police on a 5 mph chase until
       an officer stepped aboard and brought the vehicle to a stop.
    
79.3879GAVEL::JANDROWFri Mar 07 1997 17:3611
    	>> Police in Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by
        >> placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with
        >> wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was
        >> placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each
        >> time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth.
    	>> Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.
                                                         
    
    i'm dyin' ovah  heah...
      
    
79.3880CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri Mar 07 1997 17:373

 That was a good one..
79.3881SMURF::MSCANLONa ferret on the barco-loungerFri Mar 07 1997 17:597
    >Swedish business consultant Ulf af Trolle labored 13 years
    >on a book about Swedish economic solutions. He took the
    >250-page manuscript to be copied, only to have it reduced
    >to 50,000 strips of paper in seconds when a worker confused
    >the copier with the shredder.
    
    ironic?
79.3882DECWIN::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri Mar 07 1997 18:056
    
    
    	bahahahahahahahahaaaa!
    
    	Can people really be *that* stupid?!
    
79.3883BUSY::SLABGo Go Gophers watch them go go go!Fri Mar 07 1997 18:078
    
    	RE: .3881
    
    	In a spacial economics sort of way, it could be considered ironic,
    	since a pile of shredded paper is easier to manipulate than a pile
    	of non-shredded paper.  Especially when throwing it into the trash
    	or a recycle bin.
    
79.3884very funny, whether true or not...GAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersFri Mar 07 1997 18:146
  miz_deb's seems a better (?) class of wacky than our usual fare, sorry,
 Sax...I hope the $500 nuclear detonation fine in Chico, Cal wasn't
 enacted primarily as a revenue measure !!

  bb
79.3885POWDML::HANGGELILet's Play ChocolateFri Mar 07 1997 18:144
    
    Thank goodness for that 's.
    
    
79.3886NHASAD::SHERKI belong! I got circles overme i'sFri Mar 07 1997 19:425
    send that shredded document to the us embassy in iran.  they'll restore
    it for free.
    
    ken
    
79.3887NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 10 1997 14:29146
WEIRDNUZ.471 (News of the Weird, February 14, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright information at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* Still More Italian Justice:  In November, a judge in Rome ruled
that a 24-year-old man was entitled to live with his mother even
though she doesn't want him to.  Said the woman, "If he comes
home then I'm [leaving]."  In a 1996 case reported by the
Associated Press in December, Italy's Supreme Court refused to
convict several of a 6-year-old girl's relatives who had had sex
with her, citing the strangeness and "particular[ity]" of the family
environment.  The court said the family's ordinary relationships
were wild, "dominated uniquely or almost always by instinct." 

* In January, Jack Petelui, 43, claiming to hear God, stripped
down to his underwear, climbed the ornate facade of the Ansonia
Hotel in New York City, resisted police efforts for more than an
hour to talk him down, and finally jumped.  Cynical New
Yorkers were said to be astonished at the dozens of bystanders
who were actually yelling "Don't jump!"  (Petelui was spared
serious injury when he landed on a police department rescue
airbag.) 

* Life Imitates Crime Movies:  In January, six inmates, including
two convicted murderers, tunneled out of the maximum security
state prison in Pittsburgh, Pa., 15 feet below ground, using tools
from the prison machine shop.  And in January, the Banco
Credito Argentino in Buenos Aires was robbed of about $25
million by a gang that had made a 165-foot-long tunnel under a
street over the previous several months.  It was Buenos Aires's
55th tunnel-related bank robbery since 1990. 

POLICE BLOTTER

* Police in Allentown, Pa., discovered in September that a man
who was recently arrested at the bus station with 280 small bags
of heroin in his luggage had chewed off the skin of seven
fingertips after being jailed.  Said a police sergeant, "It certainly
is a strong indication that somebody somewhere is looking for
him." 

* Armed and Dangerous:  A man robbed a variety store in
Guelph, Ontario, in December wielding only a three-foot-long
tree branch.  And in Columbia, Mo., in December, Eric O.
Criss, 31, fortified only with a socket wrench, failed in his
alleged attempt to rob a grocery store.  And in Calgary, Alberta,
in December, a man brandishing only a bottle of household
cleaner robbed a Bank of Nova Scotia. 

* A 21-year-old, allegedly intoxicated man was spotted by police
on an Austin, Minn., street in January urinating on a car but was
let go with a warning when he persuaded police it was his own
car.  A few minutes later police returned and arrested the man for
DUI, having figured out that he was urinating on the car's door
lock to melt the ice so that he could get in and drive away. 

* Roger Augusto Sosa, 23, was charged with burglary early on
Christmas morning in Chevy Chase, Md.  Scott Kane and his
wife had heard a prowler in the house and called 911.  Despite
the clamor of several squad cars arriving and seven officers
rushing into the living room with guns drawn, Sosa by that time
reportedly was seated under the tree, blissfully opening the
Kanes' presents. 

* In October in Great Falls, Mont., Tina Rae Beavers, 19, was
arrested on the lawn separating the jail and the courthouse and
charged with indecent exposure.  According to a sheriff's deputy,
she was energetically complying with her jailed husband's request
to remove her clothes, lie down in the grass, and make suggestive
movements so that he could see her from his cell window. 

* Slaves to Love:  In December in Hong Kong, Yuen Sai-wa, 33,
pleaded guilty to bank robbery but said the only reason he did it
was that he felt challenged to keep his girlfriend, who was about
to leave him.  And in San Diego, Calif., in January, Michael
William Smith, 26, and Danny Mayes, 20, were charged with
arson for fires they said they set at the behest of Tammy Jo
Garcia, 27, who they said became sexually aroused by the fires, to
their benefit.   (She was also charged.)  

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

* The New York Daily News reported in January that a fire hydrant
had recently been installed at the busy intersection of Tremont
Avenue and Boston Road in the Bronx but that it was installed in
the street, five feet from the curb, requiring all traffic to go around
it.  A city spokesman said the hydrant was installed properly and
that eventually a sidewalk would be built in what is now the curb
lane, but because of engineering delays and bad weather,
construction has not yet been scheduled. 

* Helen Stanwell, a 23-year-veteran park ranger in Seattle,
Wash., was suspended for 6 days in November because she
worked after hours without pay to help a historical society
member look for a local site.  (It is illegal in Washington to work
more than 40 hours without claiming overtime.)  And in January,
Wallingford, Conn., city employee Millie Wood, 72, was
suspended for one day because she voluntarily trimmed the
town's Christmas tree during Thanksgiving holiday.  (It is illegal
to be in the building after hours.)  

* In March Amy Howe, 25, was the victim of a hit-and-run
driver in Washington, D. C., and suffered a broken leg.  Three
witnesses immediately supplied police with the car's tag number,
and shortly afterward Howe's husband used public records to
identify for police the car that was assigned that tag.  In
September 1996, upon inquiry by the Washington Post, a police
spokesman said that despite having the pertinent information
virtually handed to it, the department was only then almost ready
to begin its investigation. 

* In October, the Associated Press uncovered several military
construction projects that continued to be fully funded by the
Pentagon long after the facilities on which they are housed had
been designated for permanent closing.  Included were a $5
million Navy chapel in San Diego, a $3 million Army classroom
building near Chicago, a $13 million Navy dining hall in
Orlando, and a $5 million Air Force fire station and training
facility in Indianapolis.  Said a Navy spokesman in San Diego,
"[The taxpayers] are going to have to pay for it anyway, so why
not complete [it]?" 

* The town of Colma, Calif., just south of San Francisco, has a
population of 1,000 in an area of about 2.2 square miles, but
three-fourths of the land consists of cemeteries in which a million
people are buried.  In October citizen Robert Simcox announced
he would gather signatures to secure a ballot referendum for 1997
that would impose a municipal tax on the dead, in the form of a
levy on cemetery owners of $5 per grave per year. 

UPDATE

* In August 1996, News of the Weird reported on a group of
New York City police officers who had availed themselves of
expensive and hokey tax-resistance kits that would allow them to
be regarded as nontaxable aliens while still being law-
enforcement officers.  Six subsequently pleaded guilty, but in
January 1997, in the first case to go to trial, Officer Adalberto
Miranda testified that he owed no tax because New York was
merely a geographic area, not a government entity, and a short
ways into his testimony, Miranda took it upon himself to
disqualify Federal Judge Denny Chin because Chin seemed
"upset" and then to "arrest" Chin from the witness stand and to
give Chin his "Miranda [no relation] warning." 
79.3888NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 10 1997 14:52208
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 07, 1997 [excerpts]

Pensacola, Florida:

Rosie Lee Hill thought she had been ripped off, so she
called police.

Her complaint, officers say, was that someone had sold
her fake crack.

When a policeman went to her home early Monday, police
said Hill showed him two crack cocaine rocks that she
had just bought for $50 and said they tasted like
baking soda.

The officer tested the drugs and discovered that even
if it wasn't good crack, it was real. He arrested Hill,
35, for possession.

"It's amazing," said Jerry Potts, assistant police
chief. "We've never had someone call and say they got
ripped off on a dope deal, and then we checked the
cocaine and it actually was cocaine."

Hill was released Monday on bond.
==========

Ellsworth, Maine:

Staying in jail is no easy task. Just ask Leigh J.
Mackeen, who has been in the Hancock County Jail for more
than seven weeks, and has no plans to leave anytime soon. 

"I just want them to stop telling me to leave jail,"
Mackeen, 47, says of authorities' effort to get him to
leave his cozy cell. "It's kind of a pain in the neck
... It's an odd thing to be evicted from jail." 

Mackeen checked into the county jail on January 14. He
got there by failing to sign bail papers requiring him
to appear in court, and by repeatedly getting himself
arrested for criminal trespass at the courthouse after
refusing to leave the building at closing time. 

Mackeen, a tall, wiry man with jet-black hair, says
jail is the life for him: it's warm on cold winter days
and the food's much better than what most Mainers eat. 

That's no reason to stay in jail, says Hancock County
Sheriff Bill Clark who believes Mackeen is a burden to
taxpayers and wants him out. 

"We were literally prepared to drop the charges against
him to get him out," Clark said. "But if someone wants to
come here and stay, there is nothing to get them out." 
==========

Denver, Colorado:

All they wanted was a little splash of culture to
commemorate their own historic moment. 

Instead, the planned June 21 wedding of Brad Irwin and
Suzanne Terry has turned into an international crisis. 

The problem is that President Clinton, Boris Yeltsin
and other world leaders are set to converge on the city
for an economic summit the same weekend. And they have
just picked the Denver Museum of Natural History for
their conference -- the same spot Irwin and Terry
booked months ago for their reception. 

The summit will put the museum off-limits all weekend to
the public -- including the wedding party and guests. 

"When I told Suzanne, she was devastated and cried for
hours," Irwin said. 

The museum have given the couple two options -- change
their wedding date or change the location of their
reception. It has offered to waive the rental fees,
which range from $3,000 to $4,000, if the couple agrees
to another date. 

But Irwin said the date the museum offered, June 7,
coincides with a "camp-in" of 250 Girl Scouts at the
museum. And the search for another reception hall for
June 21 has been fruitless. 

"To force us out on the street at this late date ruins
our entire wedding," Irwin said. "This is not an
airline ticket that can be overbooked." 

Irwin, a lawyer, said he may seek a restraining order
in Denver District Court against the G-7 summit unless
a compromise is reached. 

He did offer one other solution. 

"Maybe President Clinton can trade us. We can have the
White House this weekend and he can have the museum." 
==========

Tulsa, Oklahoma:

An after-hours meeting on security turned into
something more when two strangers burst into a cable
company's lobby, cursing and aiming guns at terrified
employees and demanding money. 

Some of the 25 workers were crying, shaken and
physically ill as the robbers fled with the cash on
March 23, 1993. 

Managers then revealed the break-in was fake; the
robbers were actors. 

The purpose, according to a TCI Cablevision memo three
days later, was "to prepare the possible victims to be
alert and to take action to help make them a less
desirable target should a real robbery occur." 

Five women at the simulated robbery took action. They
quit their jobs and sued, saying the faked event
amounted to a vicious assault and outrageous conduct.
The trial begins April 7. 

Each seeks more than $10,000 in damages from Englewood,
Colo.-based Tele-Communications Inc.; its Tulsa
subsidiary; and Elite Protective and Security Services
Inc., contracted to run the seminar. 

The companies say the simulated robbery meant no harm
and was designed as an educational exercise "to promote
the safety, health and well-being" of receptionists and
others who work in the lobby. 

"Practicing techniques for life-threatening situations
such as robbery, bomb threats, tornadoes and fire
drills are an effective tool for learning where we have
areas of concern," the TCI memo said. "Our objective
was to create a scenario that was believable and
realistic." 

Elite said the actions were not so extreme as to offend
reasonable people. 
==========

Buffalo, New York:

Police say an antique dealer who was robbed at gunpoint
in Buffalo spotted one of the three men who held him up
on the street - in New York City. 

"It was a one-in-a-million shot," Buffalo Detective
Michael Donohue said Thursday. "Here's a (criminal)
walking down the street in New York City, figuring he's
golden, that he'll never be identified miles away in
Buffalo. Then his world falls in." 

City police said that thieves took $130,000 worth of
antiques from Arthur Wilk's Buffalo store on February 15. 

One of the bandits posed as a well-dressed customer in
Arthur's Antiques. While he was shopping, two masked
men walked into the store. Wilk went to hit an alarm,
but the customer pulled a gun on him. 

The trio then ordered Wilk to lie on the floor with his
hands cuffed behind his back, while they fled in a van
loaded with valuable antiques. 

Police told Wilk last Saturday that some of his
property had turned up in a Manhattan store, and he
went to New York to identify the goods. While walking
to a coffee shop, Wilk spotted the man who posed as the
customer, police said. 

Following a police lineup, Jonathan Chang, 36, of
Brooklyn, was charged with first-degree robbery and
returned to Buffalo. 
==========

Seattle, Washington:

Thanks mainly to one bank robber who got away, two
others were caught Wednesday, police said.

Officer Carmen Best said a man escaped on foot with an
undisclosed amount of money after displaying a gun at
the Crown Hill Branch of Washington Federal Savings.

Tracking dogs and a house-to-house search proved
unsuccessful.

During the search, two people who implied they had a
gun took an undisclosed amount of money from a nearby
branch of Washington Mutual.

A bystander gave police a description and license plate
numbers of the getaway car, which was stopped soon
afterward.

"The area was saturated with police from the first
incident," Best said.

Both occupants of the car were arrested and all the
money from the second robbery was recovered.
79.3889CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Mar 10 1997 14:5610
>"Maybe President Clinton can trade us. We can have the
>White House this weekend and he can have the museum." 


 Just make the check payable to "The Democratic National Committee"




79.3890ACISS1::BATTISKansas Jayhawks-Toto's favoriteTue Mar 11 1997 12:482
    
    ie: Minnesota DUI story,  agagagag
79.3891NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 11 1997 12:51119
WhiteBoard News for Monday, March 10, 1997 [excerpts]

New York, New York:

A Staten Island woman who called for help when she
locked herself in her room Monday got more than she
needed: Police freed her and then arrested her for
allegedly growing 195 marijuana plants in her home. 

The 39-year-old woman, who was not identified by
police, got locked inside her bedroom on Wilson Avenue
sometime before 2 a.m., said police spokesman Officer
Dennis Laffin. 

Officers responding to the woman's call for help noticed
195 marijuana plants "in plain view," Laffin said. They
freed her from the bedroom and arrested her on charges of
possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. 

The woman was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital for
psychiatric evaluation. 
==========

Bozeman, Montana:

A man released from prison after serving time for
robbing a bowling alley returned to the scene of the
crime in hopes of retrieving his wallet. 

The man told a cashier at Country Lanes on Friday that
he had robbed the place a few years ago and thought he
might have lost his wallet up in the ceiling, where he
had been found hiding by police. 

He asked the cashier if he could take a look. 

"I was floored," County Lanes owner Gary Gerhardt said.
"I called the sheriff's office and went down and told
that guy I wanted him out of here." 

Gerhardt said the man shrugged and nodded in compliance
when he was told to leave. 
==========

Jerusalem, Israel:

Israeli police have arrested a 93-year-old woman on
suspicion of drug dealing, Channel Two Television said
Monday.

Wearing a red bathrobe and a white kerchief, the woman 
-- described as Israel's oldest drug suspect -- was
shown shuffling down the corridors of a police station
after being arrested at her apartment in the port city
of Ashdod.

The television said she denied selling heroin out of
her apartment.

Police had no trouble gaining entry to the flat because the
woman's eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she
could not make out who her clients were, the report said.
==========

Sheridan, Wyoming:

An old encyclopedia turned out to have a lot more than
a wealth of information.

Library worker Karen Woinoski was leafing through a
volume of the 1934 Collier Encyclopedia when she found
$40,000 in government bonds, $2,600 in cash and several
rare coins.

"I stood there and looked at it for a while and
thought, 'Oh my gosh,"' Woinoski said.

After a little investigation, workers at the northern
Wyoming library found the treasure's owner -- Mary
Jayne Petit of Norfolk, Virginia.

Petit's husband, Joe, never told her about the hidden
cache. After he died 12 years ago, Petit sold his book
collection to a Sheridan native who later donated it to
the library.

Petit said she thinks the money will go to her five
grandchildren for college.

"This will come in handy when they have to pay college
tuition," she said.
==========

Berlin, Germany:

Spare a thought for the man who has to sell Albania -- as
a tourist attraction.

Fatmir Caci's stand, Albanian tours, was a small oasis
of peace Sunday as thousands of delegates fought for
space at the world's biggest tourism fair in Berlin.
But although armed rebellion in Europe's poorest nation
might have temporarily wiped out the tourist industry,
it has failed to crush its representative's vision of
things to come.

"There is not much interest in going to Albania at the
moment," Caci conceded, "but we are looking to the future."

The brochures note the small Balkan country across the
Adriatic from Italy has a sun-drenched climate
featuring 2,400 hours of sunshine each year that puts
it on a par with Greece.

But the tourism infrastructure, in a state of atrophy
after 40 years of isolation under Stalinist rule, was just
beginning to build up before violence erupted last month.

"We have very little business here this year," said Caci.
79.3892NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 12 1997 15:587
VODKA PIPELINE UNEARTHED BETWEEN ESTONIA, LATVIA. Estonian and Latvian
customs officials have discovered an underground pipeline probably built
to smuggle vodka between the two countries, BNS reported on 11 March.
The 300-meter pipeline ran between two border villages alongside the
main Riga-Tallinn road. ITAR-TASS reported Estonian authorities as
saying the pipeline was discovered before it began operating. The price
of vodka in Estonia is 60% higher than in Latvia. -- Jan Cleave
79.3893EVMS::MORONEYWed Mar 12 1997 18:056
A police horse in Orlando suddenly dropped dead of what appeared to be a heart
attack.  Someone noticed that a while ago, another police horse also dropped
dead of an apparent heart attack on the very same spot.  Further investigation
showed that the combination of a faulty underground electric cable, metal
horseshoes, wet grass and the fairly large distance between a horse's front
and hind legs caused the horses to be electrocuted.
79.3894SMURF::WALTERSWed Mar 12 1997 18:091
    It's arsenic in the oatey-o's, I tell you!  
79.3895WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Mar 13 1997 09:191
    i'll bet Orlando has a wonderful odor in summer...
79.3896NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 13 1997 12:24167
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, March 12, 1997 [excerpts]

Beijing, China:

An employee who racked up $96,400 in calls to a
telephone sex service because his company refused to
provide him with housing won't have to worry about
shelter for the next 15 years. 

That's how long he's been ordered to serve in prison. 

The man, identified only by his surname, Li, made more
than 1,000 calls to the overseas sex services,
sometimes placing four or five calls at the same time,
the official Beijing Evening News reported today. 

Li, a contract worker at an information center, made
the calls while working alone on night and weekend
shifts, the report said. 

"This really is a case of what you sow, you reap," Li
was quoted as telling the Haidian District Court. 
==========

Anderson, South Carolina:

Roy Sanders struck up a conversation with a young
co-worker at the construction site where they worked
and discovered he was talking to his son, who had been
given up for adoption after his birth. 

Sanders, 43, and 20-year-old Jeff Roberts had been
looking for each other for years. 

"It was a surprise for me," Sanders said Tuesday,
recounting the March 4 revelation. "Of all the places
to find him." 

Sanders said his girlfriend gave birth several months
after they had broken up, and by that time he was in
the military and stationed in Germany. He said his
ex-girlfriend never told him about the birth or the
baby's adoption. 

By the time he started searching for the baby, about a
year later, he could not even track down his former
girlfriend. 

In the meantime, Roberts learned that he was adopted,
but sealed court and health department records blocked
his search for his biological father. 

"On my 18th birthday I made a promise to myself: 'If I
have not found my father by the time I'm 21, I'm gonna
give up,' " he said. "I'll be 21 in two months." 

They were never far apart. Before this construction
job, both had worked together at another company,
although they never met. And Roberts' brother lived
next door to Sanders for several years. 

"It's just uncanny how much they were around each other
and didn't even know it," said Sanders' wife, Anita. 

The two men have talked frequently during the past week. 

"Finding him has closed a very big gap in my life,"
Roberts said. "I can honestly say I am complete. I know
who my father is."
==========

Stockholm, Sweden:

A man can't get in legal trouble for patronizing a
prostitute in Sweden, but one man's being sued for not
going to one. 

A Stockholm man allegedly telephoned a prostitute last
August, arranged to meet her and then didn't show up,
newspapers reported Wednesday. 

The prostitute still sent a $200 bill and sued when he
didn't pay, the reports said. The case is to be heard
next month. 

Prostitution is legal in Sweden and the woman said she has
the same right to collect debts as other businesspeople. 

"If a dentist makes an appointment with a customer and
that person chooses not to show up at the agreed-upon
time and place, then he or she would be charged for the
visit," she said in court papers. 

Neither the prostitute nor the no-show were identified. 
==========

Provincetown, Massachusetts:

Looking for a place to get away from it all? Always
wanted a shack on the beach?

The Provincetown Community Compact, a nonprofit
organization in this community on the tip of Cape Cod,
is offering a 600-square-foot wooden shack -- without
running water, electricity, telephone or convenient
location -- for up to $400 a week.

"The primitive nature of the structure and its physical
isolation allow for uninterrupted solitude and refuge,"
Jay Critchley, an artist who founded the Compact to
support the arts and environment, said in a telephone
interview Tuesday.

It is the only one of 17 such shacks in a remote area
of the National Seashore that is available to the
public and was once home to playwright Eugene O'Neill,
Critchley said. His group has a five-year lease on the
shack from the U.S. National Park Service.

"It's not totally primitive. There's a wood stove so
you can use it year round and there's a composting
toilet," Critchley said.

Exact rentals, on a scale of $100 to $400 per week, will
depend on the tenant's ability to pay. Artists can apply
to live in the shack rent-free for up to five weeks.
==========

Albany, Georgia:

Police say they bagged some robbers who were budding
shutterbugs.

The friends would take pictures of themselves practicing
their crimes, said Captain Chuck Faulk of the Dougherty
County Sheriff's Department.

One picture shows a smiling man pointing a shotgun at
another with the word "carjacking" scrawled underneath.
Another shows a woman posing with a shotgun in an
apparent imitation of a character in the robbery film
"Set It Off."

"They even had them put up on the wall," Faulk said.

Police arrested seven people last week and said more
arrests were expected as investigators look into the
possibility that the group was involved in more than
three bank and three business robberies. All but one of
the suspects have confessed.
==========

Moscow, Russia:

A blacksmith in a Russian village was killed by an
explosion after hammering on a cannon shell he had used
as an anvil for 10 years, the daily Komsomolskaya
Pravda said Tuesday.

The newspaper said someone had given him the shell a
decade ago saying it was a training dummy. The smith,
who had never served in the army, had been using what
he thought was just a heavy piece of metal as an
improvised anvil.

"Now there is a deep hole in the ground instead of a
village smithy," the daily said.
79.3897NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Mar 13 1997 19:5384
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #38 Mar. 11, 1997 [excerpts]
                      http://www.ovis.com/       
**********************************************************************

>>>Smoker shoots cop who had no matches
Source: AFP
BUENOS AIRES (03-04) - An unidentified man shot an off-duty 
police officer when he could not provide him with a light for his 
cigarette. 
Officer Jose Carlos Dominguez was enjoying the evening with 
his girlfriend when a man on horseback approached and asked 
for a light. 
"I'm sorry, but I don't have one," Dominguez told the stranger. 
The nicotine addict took out a gun and shot Dominguez in 
the chest. 
Dominguez is in critical condition at a local hospital. The 
short-tempered smoker was arrested and faces criminal charges.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Man goes on hospital rampage
Source: The Press Enterprise
RIVERSIDE (03-03) - A man bit off another patient's penis and pulled 
his intravenous needles and tubes, then fought at least eight police 
officers in a violent rampage in the intensive care ward at Riverside 
General Hospital. 
Steve Dale Halsey, 25, was admitted to the hospital with a head 
injury following a vehicle accident. A field sobriety test indicated 
Halsey was under the influence of a drug. Five hours after being 
admitted in the emergency room Halsey attacked a 53-year-old 
patient next to his bed, biting his penis off and pulling his 
intravenous tubes. It took at least eight police officers five minutes 
to subdue the 6-foot-2, 185-pound man. 
"It was quite a struggle, the officers were soaked in blood when 
it was all over," said Detective Steve Johnson. "Blood was 
everywhere. They finally used a swarm tactic to bring him down." 
Halsey is on probation for a January 1996 arrest for driving under 
the influence. 
NOTE: The 53-year-old victim underwent constructive surgery the 
same day, but died a few days later (cause of death not determined). 
Various media sources erroneously reported the victim to be 83 
years old.
--------------------------

>>>Young Vietnamese glows in the dark
Source: AFP
HANOI (03-05) - Cha Ma Le Buot, 17, is the third person who has 
developed an ability to glow in the dark. 
The unexplained condition was first noticed when the teenager's 
body was unusually warm and his skin was giving flickering bluish-
white light. 
The bizarre symptoms appear nightly, although his skin appears 
normal during the day. The shy teenager is avoiding the public, 
the Thanh Nien newspaper said.
---------------------------

>>>Woman fails driver's test, hits examination office
Source: UPI
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (03-07) - A Florida woman lost her driver's license 
after crashing her vehicle into the examination office at the end of 
her road test. 
Elizabeth Rodriguez, 24, not only failed the test but she may be 
restricted from obtaining a license for at least one year, authorities 
reported. Rodriguez pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, hit 
a pedestrian and crashed into the building. 
The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was transported to a l
ocal hospital.

+++BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP, 03-04) - Authorities announced they will 
not slaughter homing pigeons that were caught transporting marijuana 
to prison inmates. 

+++EDINBURG, Texas (UPI, 02-27) - A man took two hostages during 
a bank robbery and during negotiations with police demanded ... a 
shrimp cocktail with saltine crackers and a bottle of water. He 
surrendered as soon as he finished the food.

+++LOS ANGELES (Toronto Globe & Mail) - Benny Subo is suing a 
Los Angeles marina after a pelican defecated on his head while he 
was proposing to his girlfriend.

+++ROME (Weekly Telegraph, 03-10) - Orazio and Simon, 16 and 
17 respectively, have admitted killing 33 people during their five-year 
Mafia career. Orazio was only 11 when he started his killings for the 
Sicilian Mafia.
79.3898NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 17 1997 15:46207
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 14, 1997 [excerpts]

This item comes by way of Mike Senske:

New York, New York:

Cigar's former owner is exploring the possibility of
cloning the 1995-96 Horse of the Year, so far a failure
at stud. 

"We're certainly looking into cloning," Allen Paulson
told the New York Post for today's editions. Paulson
has the right to buy Cigar back should the 7-year-old
horse prove to be sterile. 

Barry Simon, farm manager for Ashford Stud at
Versailles, Ky., said last week that 16 of 36 mares
bred to Cigar had been tested and none was in foal.
After Paulson retired Cigar last year, the horse was
sent to Ashford Stud in a deal valued at $25 million.
Cigar's stud fee is $75,000. 

"There's no life in his sperm at all," Paulson told the
Post. "They've checked over 20 mares, and all of them
are barren. It's a big shock." 

Scientists in Scotland who successfully cloned a sheep
told the newspaper that they don't know when, if ever,
they'll be able to clone a horse. 

"It's been done once in sheep, and whether it's
transferable to other species, we don't know yet," said
Dr. Harry Griffin of the Roslin Institute. "Other
attempts ... will be in cattle and then probably in
pigs." 

Dr. James Stewart of the American Association of Equine
Practitioners told the Post that there might be
problems with a cloned horse's offspring. 

"When the clones start to breed, they'll bring out
recessive traits," Stewart said. "You'll open some
problems who don't want to think about." 

The Jockey Club, one of racing's governing bodies, bars
the offspring of horses impregnated by artificial
insemination from competition. The rules do not
specifically address cloning. 

Cigar ended his career at age 6 as the richest horse
ever, just shy of $10 million. He was retired to stud
after he finished third in the Breeders' Cup Classic on
Oct. 26 at Woodbine in Toronto. 

It was his second consecutive loss and third in four
races since the end of his record 16-race winning
streak, which matched the modern record of Citation.
The streak included a 10-for-10 record in 1995. 

Cigar won an allowance race on Oct. 28, 1994 at
Aqueduct, then didn't lose again until he was second to
Dare And Go in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 10, 1996 at
Del Mar. 
==========

McPherson, Kansas:

Cleanliness might be next to godliness, but being a
little messy was a blessing for Floyd Pearson. 

Pearson, 45, recently threw away a lottery ticket worth
$100,000. Luckily, he forgot to take out the trash. 

His secretary told him Friday that nobody brought in
the winning ticket purchased February 15 at the
convenience store where he normally buys gas. 

"I got real sick. ... I said, 'Oh, no! I just threw
mine away!'" Pearson said. 

He knew exactly where the ticket was: neatly tucked
away between two pages of a newspaper sealed in a trash
bag he thought he tossed out March 2. 

"I'm very faithful about taking out the trash. ... Why
it didn't go out that day, I don't know," said Pearson,
who works for an insurance company. "Sure as the world,
there the paper was and the tickets were right there
between Page 2 and Page 3." 

He expects to receive a check for about $63,000, after
taxes, next week. He says he'll pay a few bills, donate
to his church and save the rest. 
==========

San Francisco, California:

In what police describe as an unusual heist, a San
Francisco bank robber returned to the scene of the
crime the day after a failed robbery and found his
second attempt to be successful. 

After a dye pack exploded during his first attempted
robbery of the Market Street branch of First Nationwide
Bank on Tuesday, the robber went back to the same
teller Wednesday to try again. 

This time, he got away with $600. 

"It's unusual," robbery Inspector Tom Horan said.
"We've had people rob the same banks, but not two days
in a row." 

In the first heist the robber pretended he had a gun in
his waistband, Horan said. The teller turned over about
$2,400 with a dye sack. When the robber left, it
exploded and he dropped the loot. 

Authorities recovered most of the money. 

Then the next day, the same man walked in and demanded
cash from the same teller, again simulating a gun in
his waistband, Horan said. 

The teller once more turned over the money, but this
time without a dye sack. 

The suspect walked out, then fled.  He has not been
found. 
==========

Bradenton, Florida:

Thirty years ago, 17-year-old Allen Bradley lost his
wallet, containing $78. Bradley got the wallet back
last week by certified mail -- with $122 more than it
originally contained.

The tan wallet, Bradley said, is "like my personal time
capsule."

Still inside: a 1967 Elvis Presley wallet-size
calendar, old photographs of girlfriends he says he no
longer remembers, a receipt for the 1965 Mustang he
rented for his high school prom -- and a 30-year-old
condom.

The wallet also contained $200 in crisp $20 bills and a
letter of apology for not returning the wallet for 30
years and for spending the $78 it once held.

"Everything is still in your wallet like it was when I
found it," Ernie Putt of Chesapeake, Virginia, wrote to
Bradley. "I realize that the little extra I'm sending
will not correct my misdeed, but it may help."

Putt and his wife and children were on their way from
Virginia to Philadelphia to visit relatives during the
summer of 1967 when they stopped in New Castle,
Delaware, and found the wallet in a phone booth.

"It seemed like a godsend," Putt's wife, Doris, said.
"At the time, we had six children and were on our way
to visit their grandparents in Philadelphia and we were
short on money."

Bradley was in Delaware that summer after dropping out
of 10th grade in Indian Harbor Beach on Florida's East
Coast. He had taken a summer job in New Castle, digging
ditches for $2.10 an hour.

Earlier this year, Putt contacted the Florida Division
of Motor Vehicles in Tallahassee and was able to track
down Bradley by the Social Security number on Bradley's
driver's license.

"I always thought I had been pickpocketed, but I'm glad
to know I was wrong," Bradley, a taxi driver, said
between fares at Sarasota-Bradenton International
Airport. 
==========

London, England:

A law firm that checked up on an attorney who failed to
appear for work, summoned police and then notified the man's
mother that he was dead won no praise for compassion. 

James Beauchamp Solicitors of Edgbaston counted the
hours it spent on Christopher Bryant's death -- and
billed his family for each one. 

Bryant's sister, Melanie Weerdmeester, said the worst
fee was the $240 "to knock on my mother's door to tell
her son was dead." 

In all, the law firm billed the family $19,645 for work
related to his death, apparently by suicide, in
November 1994. 

The family complained to the Office of Supervision of
Solicitors, and on Thursday the firm backed down. A
spokesman for Harfield-Pickering, which is handling
Bryant's estate, said the bill was cut to $4,535. 

Law firm senior partner David Waterhouse said in light
of the family's distress it would not seek the money
79.3899NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 17 1997 17:4412
David Kruithoff needed dental work, but didn't have insurance or money.
The Lakeview, Mich., farm hand lost many of his teeth to a medical condition,
but didn't want dentures. "I wanted permanent teeth," he says. He couldn't
afford implants, so he made his own from stones. "I went out in the driveway
and looked around for the right color. Then I'd grind them, make them fit."
He then implanted them himself. When it looked like they wouldn't hold up well,
he replaced them with a plastic mixture he made  -- "about 85 cents worth" of
material, he said. He's also given himself two root canals. With no anesthetic.
"I went a little at a time" with a high speed hobbyist drill, stopping when he
couldn't take the pain, he said. So far, it appears his work is standing up
well. Kruithoff says home dentistry is "a real learn-as-you-go process."
(Kalamazoo Gazette)
79.3900CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Mar 17 1997 17:474


 Finally, a story with some bite..
79.3901NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 18 1997 17:04140
WEIRDNUZ.472 (News of the Weird, February 21, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright information at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* The Associated Press reported in January on the three-year-old
anti-smoking policy of Kimball Physics of Wilton, N. H., which
not only forbids lighting up at work but subjects each employee
and visitor to a sniff test of his breath and clothing performed by
receptionist Jennifer Walsh.  Those with an odor so strong that it
is likely they smoked within the last two hours or so are not
allowed in. 

* In February, Schenectady, N.Y., patrolman Robert J. O'Neill
reportedly retired.  He had been on sick leave since 1982, at full
salary that now has reached $508,000, because of psychological
problems related to his Vietnam Marine experience that allegedly
made him a danger to the public. 

* Modernday Stagecoach Robberies:  Reuters news service
reported in January that the 400-mile route from Moscow to St.
Petersburg, Russia, is being worked by gangs of armed thieves
who rob and hijack cargo trucks.  And in August on the runway
at the airport in Perpignan, France, gunmen halted a taxiing Air
France airliner that had just landed with 167 passengers and stole
moneybags containing about $800,000. 

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

* In a November Associated Press dispatch from Payiir, Sudan, a
reporter described the local competition among unmarried Dinka
men to gorge themselves (and refrain from exercise) to become
fat, which is regarded as a way to win females because it
demonstrates that the man's cattle herd is large enough for him to
consume extra milk and meat.  The typical Dinka is tall and reed-
thin--former basketball player Manute Bol is a Dinka--and some
men gain so much unfamiliar weight so quickly that they have
been known to topple over. 

* The hottest selling computer software in Japan in November
was a "love simulation" game in which boys try to get a virtual
17-year-old girl, Shiori, to fall in love with them.  There is even
a magazine, Virtual Idol, devoted to supplying fictional
biographical tales of Shiori and other virtual girls.  Wrote one
young man, Virtual Idol "is just the right kind of magazine for a
person like me who's not interested in real girls."  By January,
several news services had reported on an equally popular Japanese
computer craze, the Virtual Pet, a $16 electronic "bird" the size of
an egg that responds to nurturing instincts in many teenage girls. 
By pushing buttons, the owner can feed it, play with it, clean up
after it, and discipline it. 

* According to an October Associated Press story, young mothers
in large Japanese cities have adopted the city park as a forum for 
vying for status.  Some young mothers interviewed claimed they
were "scared" to take their toddlers to the parks (to make their
"park debut") because of the established cliques of mothers who
dominate the facilities.  Guidebooks teach the proper "park
behavior"; department stores feature the proper "park clothing";
and a recent satiric movie depicted a park ruled by 50
authoritarian mothers. 

* In Singapore, which is so pristine that even public gum-chewing
is illegal, police expressed concern in February about the recent
crisis of apartment-dwellers in high-rise buildings who casually
toss their belongings out the window.  Fifty-one people were
arrested last year for throwing objects ranging from TV sets to
tricycles to flower pots. 

* The Times of London reported in December that Bombay
(whose name was recently changed to Mumbai) became the first
city in India to ban public spitting, which the reporter described
as "one of the two most ubiquitous of male habits" in India (the
other being public urination).  According to the Times, "Boys
barely old enough to walk can be heard practicing guttural
sounds, which is regarded as macho." 

* A September Los Angeles Times story described what
Argentine writer Tomas Eloy Martinez called the country's
obsession with "emotional" necrophilia toward its prominent
citizens.  Frequently, corpses of luminaries such as Juan Peron
are dug up and either celebrated or desecrated, to excite national
pride.  (The hands of Peron's corpse were sawed off by a zealous
grave robber in 1987 and have not been recovered; last fall, a
judge ordered Peron's body to be disinterred yet again so that a
DNA sample could be taken as evidence in a woman's claim that
she is Peron's illegitimate daughter.) 

* According to a June China Daily story, 40 million Chinese live
in caves, but many are leaving for regular houses, putting a strain
on the available arable land in some areas.  Thus, architects
working for the government are designing futuristic cave homes
in Gansu, Henan, and Shanxi provinces to encourage the cave
dwellers to stay put.

ANIMALS

* A team of Chinese surgeons from Zhengzhou, Beijing,
Shanghai, and Shenzhen reported in January that, in a 17-hour
operation three months earlier, they had reattached an elephant's
trunk that had been severed in an accident and that the elephant
was now feeding itself again, though the trunk was 16 inches
shorter. 

* In October, Annie Wald and a partner opened Total Dog, Los
Angeles's first canine fitness center.  For a fee of up to $800 a
year from owners too busy to walk their dogs, the pooches work
out on treadmills, in swimming pools, and on an obstacle course,
and massages are available. 

* In August firefighters in Kelso, Wash., listed the official cause
of the fire at Matthew Gould's home as Sadie's playing with
matches.  Sadie, a 5-month-old German shepherd mix had
probably gnawed into a box of matches but failed to drool enough
to douse the sparks.  And in Spencer, Ind., in December, James
E. Baker was shot in the heel by his Akita, Boo Boo, which had
jumped on the trigger of a 20-gauge shotgun on the floor of
Baker's pickup truck as he sat in the driver's seat. 

UPDATE

* In December 1996 News of the Weird reported that Los
Angeles County authorities had decided not to charge Texan
Robert Salazar in the death of his employee Sandra Orellana, who
fell from an 8th floor hotel balcony railing on which the two were,
according to Salazar, having sex.  In January, after dropping 
mannequins from the railing to see how they fell and examining
the wounds on Ms. Orellana's body, the county coroner called the
death a homicide, and police sought Salazar for more questioning. 

CRIES FOR HELP

* In an eight-day period in January in towns less than 100 miles
apart (Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif.), police found the corpses of
elderly mothers that continued to be treated as integral parts of the
family by their adult sons.  The Bakersfield woman, who died at
age 77 around September, was thought by her son to be merely
"demonically depressed" and therefore liable to wake up at any
minute and thus had been propped up on the sofa. 
79.3902BUSY::SLABBasket CaseTue Mar 18 1997 17:094
    
    	Another penis-removal story from Taiwan, but this time the wife
    	tied it to helium balloons and let it float away.
    
79.3903WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Mar 18 1997 17:141
    well that's another twist on the flying fickle finger, eh?
79.3904LANDO::OLIVER_Bgonna have to eventually anywayTue Mar 18 1997 17:181
    up, up and away!!!
79.3906BUSY::SLABBasket CaseTue Mar 18 1997 17:203
    
    	More importantly, though, keeping it up for hours.
    
79.3905for old times' sakeWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjTue Mar 18 1997 17:521
    bringing new meaning to 'getting it up one last time'
79.3907NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 18 1997 18:1471
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #39 Mar. 18, 1997 (excerpts)
         http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)
**********************************************************************

>>>Man strangled by escalator
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (03-13) - A man was strangled and died in a subway 
station when his clothing became entangled in an escalator. 
Authorities speculate that Daryl Jackson, 37, may have been lying 
down or sitting when the accident occurred at the Navy Yard Metro 
station. 
"There was nothing that we found that would have been a contributing 
cause to the accident," Metro Supervisor Denny Jernigan said. "It's 
pretty difficult to actually get a coat, or clothing, especially on the 
upper part of the body, caught in the steps or in the cone without 
you either physically lying on the escalator or sitting down on the 
escalator." 
The escalator was inspected and cleared for operation. No witnesses 
were present when Jackson died.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Man charged with horse molestation
Source: SW Plus Weekly
SAN DIEGO (03-10) - A 49-year-old man was videotaped taking his 
clothes off, fondling and sexually arousing a horse. 
The unidentified man was arrested before for a similar incident, but 
was never charged with a crime. Joan Embery, San Diego Zoo's s
pokeswoman, complained and alerted the authorities more than 
10 years ago. 
"The people in the area are frustrated because we can't get the 
law to take this man off the streets and out of our neighborhood," 
Embery said. 
Embery warned her neighbor when she observed the suspect 
"checking out" their horse. The neighbor hired private detectives 
who videotaped the man fondling the animal. 
The suspect pleaded innocent to assaulting a horse charge, a 
misdemeanor because the horse was not physically harmed.
--------------------------

>>>Groom finds out that she is a ... he.
Source: Mercury Mail
JAKARTA, Indonesia (03-12) - An 18-year-old groom found a little 
more than he expected on his first night with his new wife ... she 
was a man. 
After a lavish wedding at Samarinda in East Kalimantan province 
where a Moslem cleric declared them man and wife, the bride 
turned out to be a 38-year-old transvestite drag queen who ran 
a local beauty parlor. 
"If this sort of marriage is allowed, it would mean we had set the 
clock back to the age of pagan ignorance," the chief of the local 
Moslem council said. 
--------------------------

>>>Assault over 'Andy Griffith' videotape
Source: Albuquerque Journal
Contributor: Gabe [GGinsb4048@aol.com]
ALBUQUERQUE (03-13) - A 42-year-old man was arrested for 
hitting another man in the face with a hammer over a videotape 
of the "Andy Griffith" TV show. 
Cristopher Caffrey was angry when Kenneth Noice failed to return 
the "priceless" 25th-anniversary of "The Andy Griffith Show." 
Caffrey hit Noice in the face with a hammer, causing a large 
laceration. 
Caffrey was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon 
but said he used the hammer as an "equalizer" since the other man 
is bigger and stronger. 

+++ MANILA, Philippines (AP, 03-13) - 'Is the barber still alive?' is a 
popular wisecrack in the Philippines when someone receives a bad 
haircut. Fed up with the teasing over his bad haircut, Romeo Adrales 
returned to his barber and stabbed him to death with a butcher knife.
79.3908Bull market in balloon stocksCOVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Mar 19 1997 04:159
The helium thing in Thailand was actually just the latest in a recent fad.

Over three dozen men have been victim to this rather clever way of making
sure it can't be rebobbitted.

I suppose a less clever way would involve either the garbage disposer or
the sausage machine.

/john
79.3909BUSY::SLABBuzzword BingoWed Mar 19 1997 04:324
    
    	[Picturing the scene from "The Jerky Boys" with the pictures of
    	 ex-mobsters alongside pictures of sausage and hot dog links.]
    
79.3910WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Mar 19 1997 09:501
    shouldn't that be "a less cleaver way"? :-)
79.3911BUSY::SLABCan you hear the drums, Fernando?Wed Mar 19 1997 11:023
    
    	You picked up on that too, eh?
    
79.3912WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Mar 19 1997 11:201
    ummmm, yup :-)
79.3913NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 24 1997 14:04186
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 21, 1997 [excerpts]

Hastings, Minnesota:

A federal meat inspector has been accused of swiping
animal gallstones that sell for up to $550 an ounce
overseas as aphrodisiacs.

Mary Claire Stevens, 36, was charged Wednesday with
felony theft. Investigators claim she was caught on
tape taking the gallstones from the Long Prairie
Packing Plant in South St. Paul.

Stevens, on administrative leave from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, admitted she had been
stealing gallstones from plants for a year,
investigators said.

She said she had not sold any of the stones, which had
a value of about $6,000.

The Long Prairie plant collects the gallstones from
slaughtered animals, usually cows, and sells them
mostly to Asian countries.

"These are rare and it's not as if every animal has
them," plant president Greg Benedict said.
==========

Wichita, Kansas:

A man on trial for robbing a shoe store at knifepoint
probably didn't help his court case by propping his
feet on the defense table - in a pair of stolen boots. 

Charles Taylor was identified by a store clerk as the
man who stole a pair of tan hiking boots and $69 on
Dec. 18. 

"I leaned over and stared," said Judge James Fleetwood,
presiding. "I said, `Surely nobody would be so stupid
as to wear the boots he stole to his trial." 

The prosecution didn't make Taylor's choice in footwear
part of its case, but four jurors later told the judge
they wondered whether the boots were stolen. So did the
FBI's Paul O'Mara. 

While the jury deliberated, O'Mara called the shoe
store and learned the stolen boots were size 10 from
Lot No. 1046 - the same size and lot number of the
boots that Taylor wore to trial. 

Officers confiscated the boots after the jury found
Taylor guilty on Tuesday of aggravated robbery after an
hour's deliberations. 

"We sent him back to jail in his stocking feet,"
Fleetwood said. 
==========

East Rutherford, New Jersey:

Take heart, Milli Vanilli fans: Your lip-synching
heroes weren't the only ones faking it. 

The New Jersey Nets admit that phony crowd noise has
been used to pump up the volume at the team's home
games in Continental Airlines Arena. The cheers were
amplified through loudspeakers. 

It wasn't clear how long the club has been engaging in
the practice, what equipment was used or whether the
Nets had tape-recorded arena noise and then played it
back. Spokesman John Mertz declined comment Friday. 

"Some of this stuff is embarrassing," Coach John
Calipari told the New York Daily News in Friday's
editions. "I just shook my head. I said, `Do we need to
do that?"' said Calipari, who learned of the
high-decibel hoax early in the season. 

The arena can hold 20,049 for basketball games. The
average attendance at Nets games this year is 16,017,
up from 15,564 last season. The team, which is 20-45,
is mired in 13th place in the 15-team Eastern Division. 

The artificial cheers were noticeable during the Nets'
99-98 victory over Chicago on March 14. They drowned
out booing by Chicago fans trying to distract Xavier
McDaniel, who made four foul shots in the final minute
to clinch the victory for the Nets. 

"I didn't notice that," he said. "Is that true?" 

Said guard Kevin Edwards: "I guess it's like a game
show, where they have those applause signs." 

Spokespersons for the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors,
Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers
all said their clubs don't use fake crowd noise. 

NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said he knew of no other
teams that used artificial crowd noise. He said the
practice would violate NBA rules if the noise were
broadcast during free throw shooting. Otherwise, the
home team can broadcast whatever it wants over the
arena's public address system, he said. 

He compared the practice to the use of canned laughter
by television sitcoms. 

Calipari says the bogus cheers will eventually be
silenced. 

"One day, you'll say it was only three years ago that
they were pumping in fake crowd noise. You'll say, `How
far has this organization come?"' he said. 
==========

Moscow, Russia:

A family in a Russian village was so immersed in a TV
movie about a poltergeist that it took them too long to
notice their house catch fire, the ITAR-Tass news
agency said Friday. 

The house burned around them and was eventually reduced
to ashes, the report said. 

Firefighters said the television set was the first
thing the residents saved from the blaze, followed by
the family cow. 

The cause of the fire in Ramenye, a village about 250
miles northeast of Moscow, was not known. 

A poltergeist is a ghost that is supposed to be
responsible for mysterious noisy disturbances. 
===========

Manila, Philippines:

First they banned public drinking. Now they've outlawed
public vomiting. 

The local council in the Manila suburb of Marikina City
approved the proposal two weeks ago as a way to further
discourage drunkenness. If Mayor Bayani Fernando
approves it, it will be implemented immediately. 

The resolution allows police and local village guards
to temporarily detain people who throw up in public.
Offenders are asked to clean up their mess and to pay a
fine. 

People who vomit due to sickness or for eating rotten
food are exempt. 
==========

Irwindale, California:

A woman accused of making 1,500 obscene phone calls to
a bank apparently needed a script to remember her
lines.

Donna Skinner, 30, was arrested Wednesday at a pay
phone where she is accused of making the calls to Home
Savings of America. She had an obscenity-filled script
with her, and police believe she read from it during
the calls.

The bank had been getting the calls since August, but
officials only alerted authorities when the caller
started making death threats.

Police do not know why she made the calls, Sgt. Ken
Aguayo said.

"She obviously has a lot of time on her hands," Aguayo
said.

Police traced the calls to three pay phones in Temple
City, all within a block of Skinner's home. She was
arrested by officers who set up a surveillance of her
home.
79.3914NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 24 1997 14:15136
WEIRDNUZ.473 (News of the Weird, February 28, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See Copyright Notice at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* In January, the owners of KZZC-FM, Tipton, Calif., ended 18
consecutive months of being an all-"I Heard It Through the
Grapevine" station, playing various versions of that song all day,
7 days a week (except once, when it played the Eagles' "New Kid
in Town" for a whole weekend).  The station was pending sale,
and the owner needed just to keep the frequency occupied, but
negotiations dragged on much longer than expected. 

* Life Imitates Lawyer Jokes:  Because of overcrowding at the
Chilliwack, British Columbia, courthouse, jury selection
in a January manslaughter case was removed to a local community
center, but because of other court business taking place there, jury-
selection was further removed to the center's men's room.  Said
prosecutor Henry Waldock, "When you start holding hearings in a
bathroom, I fear it may diminish the respect for the justice system
in the eyes of the public."  And in Miami, Fla., the gargoyles on the
24th floor of the Dade County  courthouse have been suffering
since November the dreaded swallows-at-Capistrano-like invasion
of several thousand migrating vultures. 

* The Associated Press reported in January that many handicapped
and deformed kids from the village of Murshidabad, India, were
being sold by their parents to middlemen who would place them in
Saudi Arabia cities as street beggars.  For those who didn't have
such children but still wanted a piece of the action, the traffickers
took on private investors, offering a 50 percent return within a few
months. 

COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS

* David Schames, a founder of the Association of Coupon
Professionals, explaining to columnist Martin Sloane in
November why so many companies have switched from overseas
processors to prison-labor processors:  "Employee stability is
always an issue overseas, but most of the inmates [working for
coupon companies] are serving long terms." 

* Palm Harbor, Fla., elementary school teacher Patricia Locke
beat a DUI rap in November, and was reinstated by the school
board as a result, when she argued successfully that the reason
she appeared disoriented while driving was that a silicone breast
implant ruptured and poisoned her nervous system. 

* In December, Dr. William D. Cone, 71, went on trial on 19
counts of sexual assault in West Plains, Mo., allegedly committed
against a 37-year-old female patient.  According to the patient,
Cone's "re-parenting theory" of counseling (i.e., regressing the
patient to the age when parental flaws are prominent and then
overcoming them) required him to play the role of her mother
and to allow her to suckle him to compensate for her not having
been breastfed. 

* A state Appellate Division court In Albany, N. Y., ruled in
January that a trial judge was correct in denying as irrelevant the
request of accused rapist Edward Hendrix Jr. to enter into
evidence the size of his penis.  Hendrix said he thought that size
was an important consideration to the issue of whether the woman
consented to sex.

* Darlie Routier, recently convicted in Kerrville, Tex., of
murdering her 5-year-old son, but indignantly insisting that she is
innocent:  "If I had [killed him], I would be the first person to
stand up and say, 'Oh, my gosh!'" 

* In October, a University of New Hampshire business major, in
a letter to the school newspaper, blamed his recent drunken
driving on a police crackdown on underage drinking in the
University's home of Durham.  Because he has to drive to
another city to drink, the student wrote, "[I] can expect to be
doing a lot more drunk driving." 

SMOOTH REACTIONS

* In November in Lancaster, Pa., comedy club customer Judy K.
Strough, seething at insults about where she is from (Arkansas)
by comedian Al Romero, walked to the stage and slugged him. 
Two weeks earlier, comedian Timothy Ward filed a lawsuit in
New York City against Prince Ranier of Monaco, who Ward says
slapped him during a 1995 show in which he was making fun of
the Prince's son's bald spot. 

* In December, Bowling Green (Ohio) State University instructor
Patrick Stearns, 32, was suspended after allegedly punching a 25-
year-old student who showed up late for Stearns's class.  And in
January, the Medical Board of California issued a public
reprimand against Dr. Edward A. Thistlewaite of San Marino,
Calif., for slapping a 9-year-old boy he was treating for Attention
Deficit Disorder. 

* In September, world-renowned composer Jon J. Polifrone, 59,
sent a letter to 2,500 colleagues in classical music announcing he
was abruptly quitting the business and limiting the availability of
his work, solely because administrators at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute (where he is a professor) told him he needs to spend
more time on his teaching.  (Colleagues interviewed by the
Roanoke Times said the VPI review was merely a suggestion and
that he was not in danger of losing his job.) 

* In October in Leonia, N. J., Maria Graef became so enraged
that her next-door neighbor's sprinkler was forming a puddle in
her yard that she rammed his garage with her car and then
barricaded herself in her home for 20 hours in a standoff with
police.  After attempting several schemes to get her out, police
got the idea to turn on Graef's own sprinkler, which enraged her
so much that she came running out of the house in her nightgown
and was captured and charged with several crimes. 

UPDATE

* In June 1996 News of the Weird reported that the federal
government had indicted the sellers of a box with a car-radio-
antenna-like device (the Quadro Tracker) that was being sold as a
divining rod, for up to $8,000 each, to school officials and small-
town law enforcement officers as an aid to finding illegal drugs.
The FBI showed that the Tracker was merely a piece of plastic
(and besides, it had been offered to golfers as a device to help
them find lost balls).  In January, after a trial in Beaumont, Tex.,
the sellers were found not guilty of fraud. 

UNDIGNIFIED DEATHS

* Weight Problems:  In January, Michigan state security officer
Canute Findsen, 43, was shot to death in Lansing by fellow
officer Virginia Rich, 51, but then he shot Rich to death just
before he died; police believe Rich was upset that Findsen had
made one comment too many about her being overweight.  And
in January in Providence, R. I., Ricardo Guerrero killed himself
rather than face prison for shooting and wounding Johanny
Urbaez at a nightclub; according to police, Urbaez had
precipitated the incident by referring to Guerrero as "fatso." 
79.3915ASIC::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQMon Mar 24 1997 14:279
> in Town" for a whole weekend).  The station was pending sale,
> and the owner needed just to keep the frequency occupied, but
> negotiations dragged on much longer than expected. 

Oh, so that's what happened. We heard an all "Old Time Rock and Roll", by Bob
Seger, station a couple of years back. We called 'em up and asked if their CD
player was stuck or something. They said something to the effect of, "It's a
great song. Lots of people like it." Couldn't get a real explanation out of
'em...
79.3916BUSY::SLABAct like you own the companyMon Mar 24 1997 14:2812
    
>* In December, Dr. William D. Cone, 71, went on trial on 19
>counts of sexual assault in West Plains, Mo., allegedly committed
>against a 37-year-old female patient.  According to the patient,
>Cone's "re-parenting theory" of counseling (i.e., regressing the
>patient to the age when parental flaws are prominent and then
>overcoming them) required him to play the role of her mother
>and to allow her to suckle him to compensate for her not having
>been breastfed. 
    
    	I'll have to make a note of that.
    
79.3917NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 25 1997 17:39150
WhiteBoard News for Monday, March 24, 1997 [excerpts]

Fowlerville, Michigan:

A 4-year-old girl suffered only minor injuries --
including tire marks on her face -- after a car rolled
over her head and dragged her into the street. 

State trooper Paul Rambo said it was miraculous that
Ashli Maree Dennis survived. 

"That car ran over her head," he said. "God put his
hand under that car and picked it up." 

Rambo said Ashli had been playing in her yard Thursday
morning when she got behind the wheel of a station
wagon idling in the driveway. The girl put the car in
reverse, and then was knocked underneath it as she
tried to escape. 

The front driver-side tire went over the side of
Ashli's face, leaving tire marks, Rambo said. The girl
was then caught under the car and dragged into the
street. 

The girl's mother emerged from the house to find Ashli
crawling out from under the car. Ashli was treated for
abrasions at McPherson Health Center and released. 
==========

Amsterdam, Netherlands:

A mother and daughter who were estranged for eight
years bumped into each other again this week -- in a
car crash. 

The 63-year-old mother was trying to make a left turn
in the southeastern Dutch city of Capelle aan den
Ijssel when she ran into her daughter, who was on a
motorbike, Dutch newspapers reported Friday. 

After taking off her helmet, the 44-year-old daughter
recognized her mother behind the wheel of the car that
had just hit her, the national daily Algemeen Dagblad
reported. 

An emotional reunion followed, according to police, who
did not release the women's identities. It was not
known why the mother and daughter were estranged. 
==========

Portland, Maine:

A convenience store clerk was so stunned to see a
completely naked man walk into his store during a
snowstorm that he didn't even notice the three-foot
sword he was carrying. 

The clerk at the Big Apple store told police that the
man, identified as Michael L. Hicks, 29, came into the
store at 4 a.m. Saturday and walked to a beer cooler
without saying a word. 

The clerk asked Hicks to leave. But Hicks raised the
three-foot-long, double-edged sword and pointed it at
the clerk's chest, said police Lt. Nelson Bartley. 

Hicks told the clerk, "I'm thirsty," according to
Bartley. 

The clerk told police he thought he would be stabbed,
so he raised his arms into the air and backed away. As
the clerk called police, Hicks left the store without
taking anything, Bartley said. 

Hicks walked a few blocks before he was spotted by
police. He was arrested without a struggle. 

Police wrapped Hicks in a blanket and charged him with
criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and public
indecency. 

Bartley said police also served Hicks with a
trespassing warning to keep him away from the store. 

"He was told not to go back to that address again -
whether he has clothes on or not," Bartley said. 
==========

Nagasaki, Japan:

An 18-month-old boy crouched in middle of railroad
tracks as a train passed over Sunday and escaped with a
minor cut on his forehead, police said. 

The engineer spotted the child from 90 yards away and
applied the brakes, but the two-car diesel train passed
over the boy before coming to a stop, said a police
official. 

The engineer found the boy crawling out from under the
train, said the official, Toshiyuki Hamasaki. 

The baby was staying with his grandparents, who live nearby,
and strayed too close to the railroad, Hamasaki said. 
==========

Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada:

A man who tried to hopscotch across the ice floes of
Sydney harbor to visit his girlfriend got a cold shower
Sunday. 

Joel Denny, 21, suffered mild hypothermia after he
plunged through and tried for almost half an hour to
scramble back onto the ice while frantic rescuers
rushed to help him.

"I was trying to take the shortcut, I was going to see
my girlfriend," said Denny.

He was crossing a route he had taken a couple of days
earlier without incident.

But an ice breaker had cleared a shipping lane in the
middle of the frozen Cape Breton harbor Saturday.

Denny was about halfway across when he encountered
broken ice. Instead of turning back he tried to hop
from floe to floe.

"I was hoping that I could make it across without
falling through or anything like that, jumping from
iceberg to iceberg." he said. "I slipped off one
iceberg and fell in the water."

He screamed for help while trying to hang on to a piece
of ice.

"When we got to him he was starting to get hypothermia,"
said George Lundrigan of Cape Breton Regional Fire Serivce.
"His hands were freezing. He was in pretty bad shape."

The ice was so fragile that the rescuers were afraid to
approach him so Denny had to crawl to them.

"He came off of the ice on to a ladder with ropes,"
said George Cann of the Coast Guard auxilliary. "From
there they put him in a dinghy and pulled him across
the ice like a sled."
79.3918NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Mar 25 1997 17:4482
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #40 Mar. 25, 1997 [excerpts]
         http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)
**********************************************************************


>>>Ducklings used during sex shows
BANGKOK, (03-19) - Police raided two bars and fined four 
go-go dancers for performing a "hatching" sex show using 
ducklings. 
The ducklings were placed in plastic eggs and inserted inside 
the dancers who would "hatch" them to the cheers of the 
audience. Although the plastic eggs had small holes, the 
ducklings had a hard time breathing while inside the dancers' 
bodies. 
The four go-go dancers were fined a total of $80.
-------------------------

>>>Russian pleads guilty to eating three booze buddies
Source: AP
Contributor: Barry Surman
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (03-19) - A Russian man pleaded 
guilty to killing and then eating the internal organs of three of 
his drinking partners. 
Ilshat Kuzikov, 37, admitted to the killings and acts of 
cannibalism saying he did it because he needed the food and 
that he could not live on 120,000 rubles ($20) monthly disability 
pension. 
Kuzikov was found criminally insane and sent to a maximum-
security psychiatric hospital. 
Police searched his apartment and found the dismembered 
bodies of three men, a bucket with boiled human organs and 
a large jar of marinated human flesh.
--------------------------

>>>More penis attacks
Source: Reuters

(03-18) - A Malaysian woman accidentally severed her husband's 
penis while dreaming of strangling him. Doctors re-attached his 
penis following four hours of surgery. Hassan Abdullah, 41, will 
not take any legal action against his wife and denied having any 
marital problems. They had been married for 21 years and have 
four children. It is not known how the wife ended up severing his 
penis while dreaming of strangling him.

(03-15) - A 33-year-old man may consider himself lucky, losing 
only a finger when his jealous wife tried to cut off his penis. The 
man denied accusations of having a mistress in China and the 
couple engaged in a loud argument. His wife tried to severe his 
penis but instead sliced off his finger when he protected himself. 
His finger was re-attached at a local hospital. The woman was 
ordered to appear in court.

+++ PORTLAND, Ore. (03-21) - A 13-year-old boy was suspended 
from school for violating the zero-tolerance to alcohol policy after 
a security guard saw him take a swig from a bottle of Scope 
mouthwash. "The lunch kind of tasted bad, I didn't have any place 
to spit," said Adam McMakin who was suspended for a week.

+++ DALLAS (UPI, 03-19) - Dallas County Juvenile Department 
officials forgot a 16-year-old locked in a court holding cell without 
plumbing, food or water for an entire weekend. The teen was 
waiting to be moved to the county juvenile detention center 
following a court appearance.

+++ SAN DIEGO (UPI, 03-20) - Darin Palmer, a major witness 
for the prosecution in a cop killing case, claims he was regularly 
allowed to leave jail and have sex with his wife inside the San 
Diego County District Attorney's Office between 1991 and 1993. 
The DA's office denies the story but Palmer has photos to prove it.

+++ TRENTON, N. J. (AP, 03-19) - Seconds after drug dealer 
Mike Still died as a result of a shoot-out with another drug dealer, 
dozens of looters scavenged the corpse taking his money, gun 
and drugs. Two people, one being an 11-year-old boy, were 
arrested. 

+++ AUBURN, Maine (Reuter, 03-17) - Daniel Whitney has 
been charged with "illegal use of a migratory bird" after witnesses 
said he ran his car through a flock of ducks, killing five of them, 
in a supermarket parking lot. 
79.3919I'd heard of shooting hard-boiled eggs across the room, but...COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Mar 25 1997 18:171
That first story really quacked me up.
79.3920BARSTR::JANDROWWed Mar 26 1997 14:5212
    >> +++ PORTLAND, Ore. (03-21) - A 13-year-old boy was suspended 
    >> from school for violating the zero-tolerance to alcohol policy after 
    >> a security guard saw him take a swig from a bottle of Scope 
    >> mouthwash. "The lunch kind of tasted bad, I didn't have any place 
    >> to spit," said Adam McMakin who was suspended for a week.
    
    another case of people with too much power and too much time on their
    hands...
    
    doesn't digital have a 'no alcohol' policy??  gee, better not let
    anyone know *i* have a small bottle of scope-like mouthwash in my desk...
    
79.3921GMASEC::KELLYA Tin Cup for a ChaliceWed Mar 26 1997 14:555
    ms. jandrow, 
    
    please step into my office.  i promise it won't hurt....much
    
    :-)
79.3922BARSTR::JANDROWWed Mar 26 1997 15:046
    
    go get your own mouthwash!!  
    
    %^>
    
    
79.3923BUSY::SLABCrazy Cooter comin' atcha!!Wed Mar 26 1997 15:084
    
    	No, she's going to pour it out onto the floor in front of you
    	and warn you not to do it again.
    
79.3924NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Mar 26 1997 15:342
The kid actually swallowed the mouthwash.  I included the story because it
clarified 844.18.
79.3925BARSTR::JANDROWWed Mar 26 1997 15:578
    
    i realize the kid swallowed it.  but still, it's mouthwash.  he didn't
    have a place to dispose of it after use.  i've done it before.  at
    work, even.
    
    again, they over reacted.
    
    
79.3926GMASEC::KELLYA Tin Cup for a ChaliceWed Mar 26 1997 16:103
    ms. jandrow-
    
    resistance is futile.  you're only making it harder for yourself.
79.3927BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Wed Mar 26 1997 16:422
Swallowing mouthwash!!!   YUK!
79.3928SMARTT::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveWed Mar 26 1997 17:195
    
    	Unfortunately, I know someone who has recently resorted
    	to drinking mouthwash when alcohol is unavailable.  
    
    
79.3929COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertWed Mar 26 1997 17:225
Just checked a bottle of Cool Mint Listerine.

Alchohol: 21.6%  !!!!

/john
79.3930WECARE::GRIFFINJohn Griffin zko1-3/b31 381-1159Wed Mar 26 1997 17:533
    
    I've been reading the alcohol levels on mouthwash for years; 
    there are brands available that have 0-4% alcohol.
79.3931:-|GAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersWed Mar 26 1997 17:564
  take it to topic 222

  bb
79.3932BARSTR::JANDROWWed Mar 26 1997 18:033
    but occifer... i did nothing wrong... 
    
    
79.3933BUSY::SLABDancin' on CoalsWed Mar 26 1997 18:083
    
    	"... oh, no, not ANOTHER breathalizer test!".
    
79.3934WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Mar 27 1997 09:047
    i used to work at the State Hospital in Gardner, Ma (closed in the
    70'). i had the opportunity to sit in on some interviews and it seems
    that mouthwash is drink of choice for alcoholics when the real stuff
    is unavailable.
    
    when i was (very) young a bunch of would chip in and buy some extracts,
    e.g. vanilla, orange, etc. and mis them with soda or water for a buzz.
79.3935BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Thu Mar 27 1997 10:245
| <<< Note 79.3934 by WMOIS::GIROUARD_C >>>

| when i was (very) young a bunch of would chip in and buy some extracts,

	Does the above sentence seem right to everyone?
79.3936BUSY::SLABDon't get even ... get odd!!Thu Mar 27 1997 10:293
    
    	No, he forgot to add "us" after "of".
    
79.3937there's usually a word missing or something...PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BThu Mar 27 1997 10:315
>	Does the above sentence seem right to everyone?

	It seems right for Chip. ;>

79.3938WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Mar 27 1997 11:442
    thanks Shawn and Di... i need all the help i can get these days,
    but of course, you knew that already :-).
79.3939ACISS1::BATTISSoapbox NCAA ex-championThu Mar 27 1997 12:232
    
    chip, are you going to take that from them? show some nads man.
79.3940WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Mar 27 1997 12:531
    if i do that don't i run the risk of arrest?
79.3941CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsThu Mar 27 1997 12:581
    not if you are in the appropriate location for such things to occur. 
79.3942BUSY::SLABDuster :== idiot driver magnetThu Mar 27 1997 13:125
    
    	RE: .3940
    
    	I don't want to see them, but maybe Battis does.
    
79.3943WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Mar 27 1997 14:341
    evidently, he made the request.
79.3944BUSY::SLABErin go braghlessThu Mar 27 1997 14:463
    
    	He might not have been serious.  It's tough to tell sometimes.
    
79.3945WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Mar 27 1997 16:082
    good point, Shawn. notice he's been obviously absent since that
    entry? :-)
79.3946ACISS1::BATTISSoapbox NCAA ex-championThu Mar 27 1997 16:414
    
    hey, i've been busy. Some of us have provide mama DEC with revenue.
    Otherwise, people like the doctah won't be getting the bonuses that
    bb loves to whine about. geesh.
79.3947NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 28 1997 17:00140
WEIRDNUZ.474 (News of the Weird, March 5, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright information at the end of this transmission. 

LEAD STORIES

* In 1978 the Oakland Raiders' Jack Tatum made a "clothesline"
hit on New England Patriots' receiver Darryl Stingley's neck,
causing permanent paralysis.  At the time, Tatum arrogantly
defended the play as legal and warned other opponents that they
could expect the same.  In January 1997, Tatum applied for
disability benefits of  $156,000 a year from the NFL Players'
Association, pointing to the mental anguish he has suffered having
to live with the incident.  (The $156,000 "catastrophic injury"
category is the NFLPA's highest; it is the same category that
Stingley is in.) 

* Dick Shields made the Pittsburgh, Pa., newspapers on his 75th
birthday on January 11 for his remarkable recuperative powers. 
Among the medical traumas from which he has recovered:  in a
coma near death for a week after a burst appendix; three times a
broken neck (once while falling out of bed during recuperation
from a previous broken neck); a broken back; triple-bypass heart
surgery; a grapefruit-sized blockage of a blood vessel; a fungus that
ate the skin off his feet; and duty during World War II that
included hand-marking of active mines.  Said Shields, apparently
without irony:  "I'd have to say I've been truly blessed." 

* Beyond Fingerprints and Earprints:  Lavelle Davis, 23, was
convicted of murder in Geneva, Ill., in February.  Prosecutors
showed how Davis and an accomplice rehearsed the murder at the
scene just beforehand, including how the accomplice placed duct
tape over Davis's mouth just as they would later do to the victim. 
Davis was linked to the crime scene when his lip prints were
found on the piece of tape. 

THE CONTINUING CRISIS

* Member of the First Husbands Club:  In October, welfare
workers found a 50-year-old man living alone in a cave in Ifsahan
province in Iran.  According to the workers, he had moved there
30 years ago when his wife dumped him. 

* Reuters news service reported in October that seven women and
eight newborn babies were being held in the King Baudoin
Hospital outside Kinshasa, Zaire--some for as long as three
months--because they could not pay their maternity bills.  Said a
hospital official, "We are obliged to use unusual means to force
the patients to find the money." 

* In January, the wife of Dr. Michael Baden--he is the head of
the New York State Police's forensics unit--filed papers in her
divorce action against him in New York City.  (Baden testified on
behalf of O. J. Simpson that the victims' knife wounds probably
were caused by more than one assailant.)  According to his wife's
papers, Baden once performed a pair of autopsies on the couple's
dining room table, once asked her permission to impregnate his
girlfriend, and once told her he could kill her and make it look
like a natural death. 

* In October, a court in Fort Worth, Tex., awarded former
patient Jeannie Warren, 23, $8.4 million in her lawsuit against
the now-defunct Psychiatric Institute of Fort Worth because of its
"rage reduction therapy."  The treatment involves restraining the
patient and creating a rage "in a controlled and loving
environment," said the Institute, so that any underlying anger will
be exposed.  Warren said that, in two dozen lessons, Institute
personnel pinned her down, punched her in the abdomen and
ribs, and demanded continually to know what she was angry at.
Said Warren, "I couldn't think of anything except, 'You!'" 

* Pro wrestler Don Harris, 36 (6'6", 275 lbs.), who with twin
brother Ron performed as the Bruise Brothers, went to trial in
Nashville in January in his lawsuit against plastic surgeon Glenn
Buckspan.  Harris had wanted his pectorals tightened but wound up
with misplaced nipples such that he now says he is mortified every
time he takes his shirt off in public and now wrestles only in a vest. 

* The University of Arizona turned down a $250,000 scholarship
gift in November that was to be available to female American
Indians.  Four-year Sally Keith scholarships would be given on
the basis of personality rather than grades, and preference would
be given to virgins, a point that caused the University to balk
because, said a University official, "We can't dictate morals." 

* A woman in Seoul, South Korea, identified only as Mrs. Lee, age
35, was granted a divorce in November on the ground that her
husband  frequently called out his mistress's name while asleep,
and made what were described as "diverse" expressions used in
lovemaking but which Mrs. Lee said he had never used with her. 

* Taking "Amateur Night" Too Far:  In Betulia, Colombia, an
annual festival in November includes five days of amateur
bullfighting.  This year, no bull was killed, but dozens of matadors
were injured, including one gored in the head and one Bobbittized. 
Said one participant, "It's just one bull against [a town of] a
thousand morons." 
 
* Randy Farmer of a Houston, Tex., suburb was one of the
millions of people around the world who felt compelled to
welcome in 1997 by firing off a few gunshots just after midnight. 
Farmer shot at a backyard tree, but then the gun jammed, and he
went back inside to unjam it.  He mishandled his gun and
accidentally shot and killed his 7-year-old daughter.  Said Farmer,
"God had a hand in this.  He had to.  It was like God called my
baby home to be with him, and God used me as a tool to bring her
to him." 

* On February 21, the Court of Appeal of Singapore ruled that
oral sex is illegal as a substitute for "natural" intercourse but
permissible if it is merely foreplay leading to such intercourse. 
The ruling came as part of a decision against a 47-year-old man
who had convinced a 19-year-old woman that the only way to
disgorge poisons in her system was to perform oral sex on him. 

THE WEIRDO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

* Buffalo State University professor Scott Isaksen, 44, was
arrested in December, allegedly in connection with his
coursework, which is described in the University's bulletin as
"original thinking" and "approaching situations with innovative
techniques."  According to police, he had given a truant male
student the option of writing a paper on stress or actually meeting
with Isaksen in private for a series of stress exercises, and the
student chose the latter, which included allowing Isaksen to
handcuff him and to put a rope around his neck in a motel room. 

UPDATE

* Convicted child molester Lou Torok, who made News of the
Weird in 1995 from his Kentucky prison cell for persuading
several governors to declare Oct. 7 as "Love Day," has written a
"powerful new screenplay," he says, about the Salem witch trial. 
"One of the main characters, who is believed to have innocently
incited the famous trials and eventual hangings of 19 accused
witches, is a Carib Indian woman from Barbados, modeled after
the personality of Whoopi Goldberg."  Torok also says he is
working on a second script, "The Burley Boys," "the story of
comedian Bob Hope's sponsoring a home for troubled boys in
Cincinnati." 
79.3948NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Mar 28 1997 17:0897
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, March 26, 1997 [excerpts]

Jerusalem, Israel:

Four decades after she first started trying, an
82-year-old Israeli woman finally passed her driver's
test on her 36th attempt. 

The Transport Ministry license bureau in the town of
Ashdod south of Tel Aviv called in Shulamit Dezhin to
give her the good news. Dezhin received her license
Tuesday, and plans to frame it. 

Dezhin told the Maariv newspaper that she had always
been an excellent driver, "but when I took the test I
always got uptight and confused. 

"I wasted tens of thousands of shekels on driving lessons,
but I always believed that one day I would pass." 

Dezhin originally wanted to get her license so she
could drive to Tel Aviv to visit her ailing parents,
the Jerusalem Post said. 

"They're dead now, but I will be able to drive with my
grandchildren," she said. 
==========

Fort Myers, Florida:

A prisoner's girlfriend got him released by faxing a
bogus letter saying he had been pardoned, police said,
but the man landed back in jail when he tried a similar
ruse to free his former cellmate. 

Jails across the state have been alerted to the
deception, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent
Steve Emerson said Tuesday. 

Gregory Williamson, 35, walked out of jail last week on
the authority of a fax that appeared to come from the
Pennsylvania governor's office, Emerson said. Officials
realized their mistake when Pennsylvania authorities
arrived to transport back to that state to face
probation violation charges. 

Jail officials received another fax Friday -- purportedly
from Governor Lawton Chiles' office, telling them to free
James Couts, 23, Williamson's former cellmate. This time
they checked with Chiles' office and were told that
pardons were handled more formally. 

State agents allowed Couts to prepare to leave before he
was stopped for questioning on Williamson's whereabouts. 

"We let him look out and see freedom and then we nabbed
him," Emerson said. "He told us Williamson and his
girlfriend were part of a plan to get Couts out for $2,000." 

Williamson and his girlfriend, Kim Starke, 32, were
arrested later Friday on fraud and escape charges at
her Fort Myers apartment. 

Emerson said Starke was a former printing company
production manager, and investigators found computers
and disks containing official seals for state offices
across the country in the apartment. 
==========

Boston, Massachusetts:

A diet of cookies and cereal nearly turned a scallop
boat crew into a pack of mutinous dogs, frightening the
captain into messaging other ships for help. 

A ship off Cape Cod received a fax about 3 a.m. Friday
from the captain of "Alice Amanda" who said he feared a
mutiny by three of his six crew members. 

The message was relayed to the Coast Guard, which spent
a harried hour trying to contact the vessel. 

The situation had improved by the time they got
through, but the captain was jittery and wanted the
hostile crew members off the boat. 

A Coast Guard cutter found the Alice Amanda and
escorted it ashore in Provincetown, where the
disgruntled crew complained of cereal and cookies for
grub and a captain who used racial slurs. 

Mutiny is punishable by death in the military. Among
civilian crews it is a major violation. 

"But I haven't heard of one since all boats were wooden
and under sail," Coast Guard Senior Chief Leo Deon told
The Cape Cod Times. 
79.3949BUSY::SLABA cross upon her bedroom wall ...Fri Mar 28 1997 17:1116
    
>* In January, the wife of Dr. Michael Baden--he is the head of
>the New York State Police's forensics unit--filed papers in her
>divorce action against him in New York City.  (Baden testified on
>behalf of O. J. Simpson that the victims' knife wounds probably
>were caused by more than one assailant.)  According to his wife's
>papers, Baden once performed a pair of autopsies on the couple's
>dining room table, once asked her permission to impregnate his
>girlfriend, and once told her he could kill her and make it look
             ----------------------------------------------------
>like a natural death. 
 ---------------------
    
	And I bet he could, too.  This is the pathologist that's featured
    	on HBO's "Autopsy" series.
    
79.3950NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Mar 31 1997 15:2264
WhiteBoard News for Friday, March 28, 1997 [excerpts]

Memphis, Tennessee:

A teen-ager in court on traffic offenses was jailed
after a packet of cocaine fell from his pocket when he
raised his hand to be sworn in. 

"Unbelievable," said Judge Louis Montesi Jr. "But it
happened." 

Witnesses included the judge, a deputy and a police
officer. 

Brandon B. Hughes, 18, had faced only a fine Tuesday
for driving with a suspended license and violating
vehicle registration laws. 

Then the packet of white powder, which turned out to be
1.2 grams of cocaine, fell out. 

"It's bizarre," said Hughes' attorney, J.T. Harris.
"It's stupidity." 

Hughes went straight to jail, sentenced to 10 days for
contempt of court. He could also get up to 12 years in
prison on drug charges.
==========

Slidell, Louisiana:

An 11-year-old boy climbed inside the air deflector on
top of a tractor-trailer's cab and rode from Florida to
Louisiana.

"He wasn't injured at all," St. Tammany Parish
sheriff's spokesman James Hartman said of the young
boy, whose name was not released because he is a
juvenile.

The odyssey began in Pensacola, Fla., where the boy
lives in a foster home. He climbed inside the air
deflector -- also called a windjammer -- and rode 175
miles to a truck stop about 30 miles east of New
Orleans, Hartman said.

"The truck he was on stopped at a truck stop and the
boy got down to go to the restroom. When he came back
out, the truck was gone, so he found another and
climbed back up into the windjammer," Hartman said.

But someone saw him and radioed the truck driver, who
called police.

"He came right out of the windjammer but he fell
getting off the top of the cab," Hartman said. "We took
him to Slidell Memorial Hospital to be checked over."

The boy's family was en route from Pensacola to get him
Thursday, Hartman said.

"He seems to be a nice kid," Hartman said. "He just got
into a little trouble at school and decided to run
away. He didn't seem to be upset when we found him."
79.3951CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Mar 31 1997 15:263

 "Truckin' like the doodah man.."
79.3952SPECXN::BARNESTue Apr 01 1997 13:413
    still got a little of that in ya, doncha Jum...%^)
    
    rfb
79.3953CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Apr 01 1997 13:445



 Little bit ;-)
79.3954NFBWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjTue Apr 01 1997 14:5512
    Man chokes on live fish
    
    Associated Press, 03/31/97 15:45 
    
    BAYOU VISTA, La. (AP) - A man who popped a friend's 6-inch tropical
    fish into his mouth as a joke died when it got stuck in his throat. 
    
    Steven Hill Epperson, 36, was dead on arrival at a hospital Sunday. 
    
    He put the Jack Dempsey fish in his mouth at his friend's house, and it
    became wedged in his airway, said Dr. F.H. Metz, coroner for St. Mary
    Parish. 
79.3955CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Apr 01 1997 15:003

 Whoops
79.3956FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Apr 01 1997 15:025
    
    
    	natural selection.
    
    
79.3957POWDML::HANGGELIBecause I Can.Tue Apr 01 1997 15:143
    
    Serves him right for trying to mess with that poor little fishie.
    
79.3958CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Apr 01 1997 15:224


  you're durn tootin' thar, Deb!
79.3959GAVEL::JANDROWTue Apr 01 1997 23:474
    
    did the fish live??
    
    
79.3960BUSY::SLABCrackerWed Apr 02 1997 05:293
    
    	At one time, yes.
    
79.3961from our "I missed the bus" departmentWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed Apr 02 1997 11:1247
    Man found dead in remote cabin, left spaceship suicide note
    
    Associated Press, 04/01/97 15:12 
    
    MARYSVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A man was found dead with a plastic bag over
    his head and a purple scarf over his body in an apparent copycat of the
    Heaven's Gate cult suicides. 
    
    A suicide note found near the body of 58-year-old Robert Leon Nichols
    said: ``I'm going on the spaceship with Hale-Bopp to be with those who
    have gone before me.'' 
    
    Undersheriff Gary Finch said Tuesday there is no evidence that Nichols
    was a member of the cult. 
    
    Friends found him dead late Sunday in his trailer in a remote canyon in
    Northern California. Nichols was lying on his back in bed with a clear
    plastic bag over his head, the hose to a propane tank under the bag and
    a 3-by-3-foot mostly purple scarf covering his upper torso. 
    
    ``He had made a model of a galaxy with a little spaceship out of
    aluminum foil and hung it from the ceiling so he could view it from the
    bed,'' Finch said. 
    
    Richard Mattarolo, one of the friends who found him, said Nichols was
    once a roadie for the Grateful Dead and wrote a book about the band in
    1984 called ``Truckin' With the Grateful Dead to Egypt.'' 
    
    The leader of the Heaven's Gate cult and 38 followers were found dead
    March 26 in a San Diego-area mansion, their bodies covered by purple
    pieces of cloth. Investigators said they had taken drugs and vodka and
    had put plastic bags over their heads. 
    
    Cult members said they were going to leave their earthly ``containers''
    behind and ride a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet to a better
    life. 
    
    Unlike the Heaven's Gate cult members, who were dressed identically in
    black and had close-cropped hair, Nichols was in a blue-and-white
    T-shirt and blue briefs. He was bearded and had shoulder-length hair,
    Finch said. 
    
    ``He did have a computer - whether he was linked to them, I don't
    know,'' Finch said. 
    
    Nichols had been arrested March 1 on suspicion of stealing a camp stove
    from a cabin. He was caretaker of some property in Yuba County. 
79.3962NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 02 1997 16:2077
WhiteBoard News for Monday, March 31, 1997 [excerpts]

Bangkok, Thailand:

A Thai villager died of heart failure after receiving a
shocking electricity bill, local media said Sunday.

Sanoon Thammakai, 47, died after he received a monthly
electricity bill for $770. He was usually charged about
$8, the reports said.

Sanoon was sent to a local hospital in Ayutthaya
province, some 50 miles north of Bangkok, but a doctor
declared him dead on arrival.

His wife was quoted as saying the only possessions he
had left her and their two daughters, both factory
employees, were a few household electrical appliances.

Villagers said every house in the area had received
incorrect electricity bills, much higher than usual,
and they would be going to the local authorities for an
explanation when offices opened Monday.
==========

London, England:

Given a choice of two flights from New York, Stuart Pike
figured the later one might be less crowded - and how. 

Pike was the only passenger Sunday aboard a British
Airways Boeing 747 flight from New York. 

"The captain even let me sit on the flight deck when we
landed. It was terrific," Pike said at London's Heathrow
airport. 

Pike - who sat in the first class section of the
420-seat plane - said two British Airways flights were
leaving New York and his was supposed to be first. When
it was delayed while a fault was fixed, the passengers
were transferred to the other flight. 

"I wasn't in any hurry and didn't mind hanging around
so I thought I'd wait," said Pike, who lives in the
London suburb of Kingston. "I thought there would be
more space on this flight." 
==========

Thermal, California:

She won the school district science fair trophy for her
project on condom reliability - but Shari Lo was
disqualified from a regional contest because school
officials said she went against their sex-education
policy promoting abstinence. 

"Because it is on condom reliability, it basically
encourages safe sex. Our philosophy is abstinence, not
safe sex," said Colleen Gaynes, superintendent of the
Coachella Valley Unified School District. 

Ms. Lo, 15, said at first she was confused - but now
she's upset and plans to appeal the decision. 

"I'm disappointed that my project was judged
scientifically and scored well but didn't score well
with some people's opinions," she said. 

Ms. Lo bought six brands of condoms, put them through
strength, endurance, and temperature tests and rated
them. No human trials were involved. 

The student at Coachella Valley High School, about 130
miles southeast of Los Angeles, said she conducted the
experiment because she was concerned about teen
pregnancy and AIDS. 
79.3963glow-in-the-dark sheep...EVMS::MORONEYWed Apr 02 1997 16:313
Farmers in England are using a new method of preventing young lambs from
being attacked by foxes - they're spray-painting them with a phosphorescent
paint.  The paint also has an awful taste to further discourage the foxes.
79.3964PENUTS::DDESMAISONSperson BWed Apr 02 1997 16:333
  the better to see ewes with, my dear.

79.3965POWDML::HANGGELIBecause I Can.Wed Apr 02 1997 16:363
    
    Wool you stop that!
    
79.3966LANDO::OLIVER_Bgonna have to eventually anywayWed Apr 02 1997 16:374
    
    .3964  the best in a long time.
    
    
79.3967NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 02 1997 16:4272
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #41 Apr. 1, 1997 [excerpts]
          http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)
**********************************************************************

>>>Train collision blamed on engineer's color blindness
Source: Reuter
WASHINGTON (03-25) - Investigators have concluded  the 
engineer responsible for a head-on collision with another 
train suffered from color blindness. He was unable to recognize 
the red stop signal. Three people died and more than 150 
were injured as a result of the head-on collision on the 
eastbound New Jersey Transit on Feb. 9, 1996. 
According to the National Transportation Board a faulty 
doctor's eye examination contributed to the engineer being 
wrongly certified and allowing him to continue operating 
commuter trains. 
-------------------------

>>>Art paper roll kills student
Source: Nando Times
MIDWAY, Ga. (03-27) - A 10-year-old student was killed when 
a 100-pound, 8-foot long roll of art paper fell on her head. 
A teacher asked Christina Aliffi and another classmate to bring 
the paper roll from a building behind the school. The roll, located 
on a higher shelf, fell on Aliffi's head as she was trying to catch it. 
"This should have never happened, and it was an irresponsible 
act on their part," Christina's mother, Barbara, said. "Now this is 
going to be all hush-hush on the school's part, but I want some 
questions answered," she said.
-------------------------

>>>The Ex-Lax fugitive captured
Source: Nando Times
SEATTLE (03-29) - After cashing a refund check for $98,002 
that was mistakenly sent to him by a pharmaceutical company 
in 1993, Barry Lyn Stroller took the cash and disappeared. 
This week police finally captured the "Ex-Lax" fugitive.
Four years ago Sroller, 40, asked for a $1.99 refund by mail 
from Sandoz Pharmaceuticals and instead received a check 
for the amount of his postal ZIP code: 98002. 
Stroller was arrested for stealing two packs of cigarettes when 
officers discovered his identity. According to authorities, Stroller 
resembled a homeless person and had a "scruffy" appearance.
---------------------------

+++ EL PASO, Tx. (El Paso Times, 03-25) - Contributor: Denham, 
Russell [denhamr@bliss-catdp01.army.mil] - A man was killed and 
a woman was injured when they fell over the railing of a third-story 
balcony while leaning outward to view a lunar eclipse. Kenneth 
Hunter was pronounced dead at the scene and may have struck 
his head on a sprinkler, according to police. 

+++ AUGUSTA, Maine (UPI, 03-26) - A warden supervisor who 
urinated on fish and wildlife recruits during training will not be 
subject to punishment, the state's warden service and state police 
investigation concluded. 

+++ PHILADELPHIA (Philadelphia Daily News, 03-29) - A man who 
claims he did not know his gun was loaded when he shot his girlfriend 
will have to stand trial. Sydney Parham, 57, said his lover playfully 
reached for the gun when it went off and killed her. Parham was unable 
to explain the 11 bullet holes in the bedroom wall and admitted he has 
fired his gun "at sandbags in the basement" about a month before 
the incident, fired some shots "into a couple of pillows" and said his 
eye injury was caused when he fell down a flight of steps right after 
the killing. 

+++ MINNEAPOLIS (AP, 03-28) - Contributor: Barry Wood 
[barrywood@compuserve.com] - George G. Chamberlain, a pedophile 
serving time for molesting four children, has been indicted on charges 
of child pornography on the Internet ... using a prison computer. 
79.3968BUSY::SLABDogbert's New Ruling Class: 150KWed Apr 02 1997 17:176
    
    	RE: train collision
    
    	Yeah, I hate it when they switch the position of the green and
    	red lights so you can't memorize which is above the other.
    
79.3969EVMS::MORONEYWed Apr 02 1997 17:567
re .3968:

Railroad signals are more complicated than red-on-top-green-on-bottom traffic
signals.  One I see daily often shows red-green-red (from top to bottom)

(aside: I have a photo of an unusual traffic signal that will confound Shawn.
It's from an Irish neighborhood...)
79.3970NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 02 1997 17:591
Tipperary Hill in Syracuse, no doubt.
79.3971CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayWed Apr 02 1997 18:0710

 enough of the train talk...I'm on Amtrak Boston-Oakland starting Saturday.

 

 tyvm.


 Jim
79.3972EVMS::MORONEYWed Apr 02 1997 18:123
re .3970:

Yup.  The green light is on top.
79.3973ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanWed Apr 02 1997 18:125
    
    .3971
    
    who knows. by the time you get there, you may have figured out where
    you're going to be sleeping.  bwahaaaaaaaaaa
79.3974CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayWed Apr 02 1997 18:225



 Button it, Blazer Boy
79.3975CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Apr 02 1997 18:231
    Ho ho!  Very good James, very good.  Suits him to a tee. 
79.3976BUSY::SLABDon't drink the (toilet) waterWed Apr 02 1997 18:507
    
    	RE: .3971
    
    	If you hear someone yell "UH OH!!" very loudly, be afraid.  Espec-
    	ially if the person who yells it sounds very much like the conduct-
    	or.
    
79.3977CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayWed Apr 02 1997 18:564


 Thanks..
79.3978ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanWed Apr 02 1997 19:372
    
    is that a whoosh i hear
79.3979BUSY::SLABEnjoy what you doThu Apr 03 1997 05:094
    
    	Sort of ... it's actually the sound of unimpeded air travelling
    	from your left ear to your right ear.
    
79.3980WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Apr 04 1997 14:5712
    Gang member urinates during closing arguments of racketeering trial
    
    Associated Press, 04/03/97 17:59 
    
    PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - As stunned courtroom observers looked on, one
    of six Latin Kings gang members accused of murder, drug dealing and
    extortion stood up Thursday, unzipped his pants and urinated. 
    
    Federal marshals tackled George ``King Animal'' Perry and removed all
    the defendants from the courtroom. U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi called
    a recess and ordered Perry banished to a cell for the rest of the
    trial. 
79.3981COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertFri Apr 04 1997 14:594
>ordered Perry banished to a cell for the rest of the trial. 

Uh-oh.  Cause for reversible error?

79.3982Bailiff!CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsFri Apr 04 1997 15:021
    Never a wooden spoon handy when you need one.
79.3983the rest of the storyWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Apr 04 1997 15:031
    She relented after he apologized to the court.
79.3984ABACUS::CURRANFri Apr 04 1997 15:122
    Then he did it again.....isn't that amazing. 
    
79.3985ASGMKA::MARTINConcerto in 66 MovementsFri Apr 04 1997 19:402
    They're making fools of us...and then you have to support them as they
    live and die in Joliet!
79.3986CSC32::M_EVANSbe the villageFri Apr 04 1997 21:496
    Jack,
    
    Support them, or have them loose on the street with an attitude, it is
    your choice.
    
    
79.3987ASGMKA::MARTINConcerto in 66 MovementsFri Apr 04 1997 21:549
    Meg:
    
    Carry over from our discussion over in C-P.
    
    Why is this our only two choices...and do you see any merit in my
    suggestion of putting our federal penal system under the defense
    department?
    
    -Jack
79.3988CSC32::M_EVANSbe the villageFri Apr 04 1997 22:1119
    jack,
    
    Read some history, as well as the constitution.  The founding fathers
    and mothers did not want the defense departments of the US making what
    is effectively war on its citizens.  they had multiple good reasons for
    doing this, not the least of which happened in this century in one of
    those fine, wondwerful western european countries you tout as the
    cradle of all civilization.  
    
    anyuthing less than supporting those you incarcerate against their will
    is inhumane, unchristian, and you are forgetting there is some level of
    wrongful conviction going on every day.  Of course if you aren't
    worried about killing an innocent woman or man, you solution of nopt
    supporting the prison population as a cetain 20th century leader did
    not is probably valid.  
    
    Hiel Jack!
    
    meg
79.3989ACISS2::LEECHTerminal PhilosophyMon Apr 07 1997 12:303
    There was no defense department in the days of the FF.  And FWIW, the
    government is doing just fine in making war against the US citizens
    (WoD).    
79.3990read the document, pleaseGAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersMon Apr 07 1997 13:2334
  (1)  There were no "founding mothers" at the Constitutional Convention.
      Other notable absences were Jefferson and Adams.  Washington, Franklin,
      and Madison were notable delegates.  For a complete list, see Catherine
      Drinker Bowen's "Miracle in Philadelphia".

  (2)  In several places, the Constitution provides for actions against
      Rebellion.  In particular, see Article I, Section 8, paragraph 15,
      "The Congress shall have power... to suppress insurrections.",
      Article III, Section 3 , Treason Defined,  Article I, section 9,
      paragraph 2 allowing suspension of habeas corpus during rebellion,
      and also the exception to the Grand Jury rule in the Fifth
      Amendment during "times of public danger".

  (3)  It is quite clear that the Founders argued in favor of adopting
      the Constitution on the grounds that it would restore public order
      and suppress rebellion.  In fact, Shays' Rebellion in western
      Massachusetts was going on at the time, and was cited by Federalists.
      One of the arguments anti-Federalists such as Patrick Henry used
      to argue AGAINST the Constitution was the danger of abuse of the
      broad powers of domestic military action in the document.  Henry
      and the Antifederalists lost the vote.

   (4) Numerous rebellions have been repressed by federal force, as the
      Founders envisioned.  Washington himself rode at the head of an
      invasion army in Pennsylvania during the Whisky Rebellion, and
      had a man executed there for rebelling against the whiskey tax.
      But of course, the big enchilada was the Civil War.

    (5) You have no right to rise in armed rebellion against the United
      States or to flout its laws.  If you do so, you will be captured
      and punished.  So would I.  Quite right, too.

       bb
79.3991ASGMKA::MARTINConcerto in 66 MovementsMon Apr 07 1997 15:0326
    Heil Jack....ho ho ho....coming from a person who voted in our beloved
    president...a man who obviously holds Constitution rights is high
    regard...that's a good one!!  
    
    Meg, this is typical hand flailing and goings on!  Try to put a little
    more content into your replies.  1/3 of the federal government is the
    judiciary, and believe me they go well above and beyond in using their
    privalege and power to mete out justice and injustice.  Between they and 
    the legislature, there is certainly precedent for establishing the
    department of war...defense department, whatever as a means to control
    and operate the penal system.  They are sworn to defend our borders
    from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.  It is up to the
    local and federal legislature to determine what is considered an act of 
    insurrection or crime.  If you are worried about our beloved prison
    population who got caught with a joint in their pocket, then obviously
    we need to lean on local governments to stop misusing and abusing the
    penal system.  
    
    Was it not Clinton who compiled a list of prominent political enemies
    to his campaign?  Was it not Clinton who instituted the right to search
    and seize government housing without warrants?  What of the other
    countless felonies this administration has committed?  Now the big
    question Meg....did you vote for this administration?  If so, then you
    don't have any credibility.
    
    -Jack
79.3992EVMS::MORONEYHit &lt;CTRL&gt;&lt;ALT&gt;&lt;DEL&gt; to continue -&gt;Mon Apr 07 1997 19:153
Woman in New Jersey found the remains of 133 dead cats in her house, each
placed in its own box, apparently by previous owner, a cat lover.  Some were
apparently there for 50 years. 
79.3993BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Mon Apr 07 1997 19:414

	How did they not stink, how did they get by any type of building
inspector? 
79.3994WMOIS::GIROUARD_CTue Apr 08 1997 10:132
    -1 you know how stealthy cats are, Glen. imagine the stealth of a dead
       one! 
79.3995ACISS1::SCHELTERTue Apr 08 1997 12:505
    Yea, they can lay motionless for years, just waiting to pounce.
    
    
    Mike
    
79.3996BUSY::SLABCareer Opportunity Week at DECTue Apr 08 1997 14:393
    
    	I wonder if opossums play cat?
    
79.3997ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanTue Apr 08 1997 16:543
    
    just curious. how did the lady miss the 133 boxes??? were they in the
    attic?
79.3998BUSY::SLABConsume feces and expireTue Apr 08 1997 17:433
    
    	Maybe they were marked "dog food".
    
79.3999EVMS::MORONEYHit &lt;CTRL&gt;&lt;ALT&gt;&lt;DEL&gt; to continue -&gt;Tue Apr 08 1997 18:2911
re .3993:

I do not know (at least when they originally died, but by now (up to 50 years
later) I'd expect them to be not particularly olfactory.

re .3997:

I think they were in the attic.  Depending on the house layout there might be
some good hiding places. (a few months ago I found a few teenage girl's items
including a letter about some boy she apparently had a crush on. She and her
family moved out 8 years ago.)
79.4000POLAR::RICHARDSONstupid and contagiousTue Apr 08 1997 22:011
    wacky 4000
79.4001WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Apr 09 1997 10:179
    Jimmy Buffet suing some hamburger joint owners in Hawaii (Cheeseburgers
    In Paradise) because they want to open two more places on the
    continent.
    
    JB was okay with it (even visited the place) until he heard they were
    successful and were going to open more. The name has been registered
    by the owners. 
    
    poor JB... whadda boob! he'll make a lot friends on this one.
79.4002BUSY::SLABDo ya wanna bump and grind with me?Wed Apr 09 1997 11:489
    
    	I don't think there's anything he can do about it, is there?  As
    	long as JB doesn't have some sort of protected logo for the song
    	title that's being used for the restaurant, it's not a copyright
    	violation.
    
    	I mean, does Debbie Harry try to sue these 1-900-SEXPOTS lines
    	whenever they end the commercial with "Call me"?
    
79.4003WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Apr 09 1997 11:599
    i believe he already sought legal action. the position of the 
    burger joint owners is that he was notified of the use the of
    the name, he came to the establishment, was aware the owners
    registered their name and was okay with that. i think that the
    term "chessebugers in paradise" might be protected under the
    copyright.
    
    i think he quiffed "sho me the money, sho me the money" when
    they decided to expand.
79.4004CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Apr 09 1997 13:332
    His place in Key West, Margaritaville, is a rip off of the Hard Rock,
    Planet Hollyweird etc.  Food isn't as good either.  
79.4005BULEAN::BANKSSaturn SapWed Apr 09 1997 13:3910
I think JB should be sued, just for existing.

Sorry.  Just having flashbacks of helping set up for a really bad band, in
a biker bar in Jacksonville Beach, FL, where all the big, nasty, smelly
bikers were listening to JB on the jukebox.

Fits most of my definitions for surreal.  Unfortunately, not far enough in
the past for my comfort.

I really hate JB.
79.4006DEVO::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Wed Apr 09 1997 13:467
    
    
    	I've been to the establishment in question.  It's in Lahaina
    	on Maui.  GREAT shopping in Lahaina!  Good burger, bought a 
    	t-shirt.
    
    
79.4007CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Apr 09 1997 13:493
    Question is, who's been to the establishment that was the song's
    inspiration?  I have nyah!  Trivia question, where in the world would
    this place be?
79.4008WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Apr 09 1997 16:561
    it's in Key West... nyah!
79.4009CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Apr 09 1997 17:391
    Nope.  Nyah! :-)
79.4010WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed Apr 09 1997 17:561
    it is in the Keys somewhere, right?
79.4011SMARTT::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveWed Apr 09 1997 18:1414
    
    	Tried to amend my carnivorous habits
    	made it nearly seventy days
    	losing weight without speed 
    	eating sunflower seeds
    	drinkin' lots of carrot juice
    	and soakin' up rays
    
    	but at night I'd have these wonderful dreams
    	some kinda sensuous treat
    	not zucchini fettucini or bulgar wheat
    	but a big warm bun and a huge chunka meat
    
    
79.4012CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Apr 09 1997 18:361
    Sidney's, Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, BVI
79.4013BUSY::SLABErotic NightmaresWed Apr 09 1997 20:283
    
    	That is SO good to know.
    
79.4014ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanThu Apr 10 1997 13:033
    
    I'm slow, I admit it. Did JB really write a song called Cheeseburgers
    in Paradise? If so, he should be shot for that reason alone.
79.4015POWDML::HANGGELIElvis Needs BoatsThu Apr 10 1997 13:045
    
    <tap tap>
    
    See .4011.  Sing along.  
    
79.4016ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanThu Apr 10 1997 13:082
    
    shoot him, soon.
79.4017SALEM::DODAIf I were to ask, which I'm not...Thu Apr 10 1997 13:151
blasphemy.
79.4018SMARTT::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveThu Apr 10 1997 13:2213
    
    	re .4016
    
    	It's a cool tune, Battis.  Get hip, will ya?
    
    	How about:
    	
    	As the son of a son of a sailor
    	I went out on the sea for adventure
    	expanding the view of the captain and crew
    	like a man just released from indenture
    
    
79.4019BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Thu Apr 10 1997 13:395

	I have JB's greatest hits cd. It has Cheesburger in Paradise on it. I
LOVE that song. I suppose if the song was called, "Vending Machine Cheeseburger
in Paradise", Battis would like it! :-)
79.4020WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu Apr 10 1997 15:511
    ...and this whole suit thing would certainly have been averted.
79.4021BUSY::SLABGo Go Gophers watch them go go go!Thu Apr 10 1997 16:145
    
    	Buffett bores me.
    
    	Parrothead is a synonym for birdbrain.
    
79.4022ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanThu Apr 10 1997 16:214
    
    .4021
    
    shawn, when di sees that. your goose is cooked.
79.4023BUSY::SLABGood Heavens,Commander,what DID you do?Thu Apr 10 1997 16:223
    
    	Should I duck, then?
    
79.4024SALEM::DODADon't make me come down there...Thu Apr 10 1997 16:224
I'm sure he's devatasted. Perhaps if he would put on some silly 
makeup and sung of Nazis and death he'd be more appealing to you.

:-)
79.4025try the pre-bird jbGAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersThu Apr 10 1997 17:235
  The "early" more "country" Buffett is interesting.  Try "Stars fell on
 Alabama", or its ilk.

  bb
79.4026SMARTT::JENNISONAnd baby makes fiveThu Apr 10 1997 17:356
    
    	"Stars Fell on Alabama" isn't that early for Buffett.
    
    	Shawn - whadda you know ?  You worship Weird Al.
    
    	
79.4027BUSY::SLABGot into a war with reality ...Thu Apr 10 1997 17:423
    
    	And some day you too might see the light.
    
79.4028Japan - best crank callers in the worldEVMS::MORONEYHit &lt;CTRL&gt;&lt;ALT&gt;&lt;DEL&gt; to continue -&gt;Thu Apr 10 1997 18:498
Police in Tokyo arrested a cartoonist for making as many as 24,000 prank
phone calls over a three year period to a publisher that turned down his
work.  He was arrested near a public phone booth trying to make his daily
prank calls.

Earlier a woman called her former teacher 28,000 times for allegedly
mistreating her and a man calling his ex-wife 113,000 times in a 17 month
period.
79.4029NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:13143
WEIRDNUZ.475 (News of the Weird, March 14, 1997) 
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright notice at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* Medical Breakthroughs:  In February, surgeons removed a
cataract from the eye of the National Zoo's 6-foot-long Komodo
dragon "Muffin" in the hope that she could better see how studly
the male "Friendty" was and thus would mate with him.  And in
January, doctors in Johannesburg, South Africa, performed spinal
surgery on a 10-foot-long python, which had been run over by a
car.  (Contrary to what one's eyes tell us, the python has 306
vertebra and 268 ribs.)  And in Jackson, Mich., in February
veterinarian Timothy England fitted a stray rooster with artificial
legs after he had to amputate his natural ones because of frostbite. 

* Gas in the News: Janesville, Wis., police responded to a 911
call in December over a domestic disturbance begun, said the
wife, when the husband inappropriately passed gas as they were
tucking their son into bed.  And in January in Perth, Australia,
John Douglas Young, 47, was convicted of a child-abuse charge
for attempting to hire two boys for $5 each to pass gas in his face
so that, according to the man, he could later masturbate to the
"mental picture" of the encounter.  (Young's unsuccessful
defense was in part to recite a long list of movies, literature, and
TV shows in which gas-passing was a popular theme, e.g.,
"Benny Hill.") 

* In March, Ms. Nadean Cool won a settlement of $2.4 million
in her lawsuit in Appleton, Wis., against her former
psychotherapist Dr. Kenneth Olson.  She claimed that he had first
persuaded her that she had a Multiple-Personality Disorder (120
personalities, including Satan and a duck) and then billed her
insurance company for "group" therapy because he said he had to
counsel so many people.  (Olson, seeking greener pastures for his
psychotherapy business, had since moved to Montana.) 

CREME DE LA WEIRD

* In October, the Washington Supreme Court reversed on a
technicality the conviction of Benjamin R. Hull, who had been
found guilty of defrauding the state worker compensation office. 
Hull admitted that he gpt a friend to help him blast a hole in his
left leg below the knee with a shotgun, but insisted it was not to
get compensation (he received $96,000) but because the knee has
been so painful to him since 1973 after it was injured in an
accident.  (Five years earlier, he had tried to take the leg off with
a chain saw, but got only part-way through because the saw kept
malfunctioning.) 

* In January, the Australian Medical Journal reported a case of
lead poisoning by an electrician who chewed electrical cable to
satisfy his nicotine urge when he was forced to work in no-
smoking buildings.  The man said he chewed almost a yard of
cable a day for nearly ten years because it had a sweet taste,
especially near the center. 

* Larry Doyen, 22, was hospitalized in December after chaining
himself to a tree just outside the town of Mexico, Maine.  He was
rescued by the state Warden Service after spending two weeks
with the tree.  It was the third time he had done that in recent
months. 

* In November, a 50-year-old man was arrested in Albuquerque,
N. Mex., on a complaint by his 13-year-old stepdaughter that he
made her perform a series of bizarre acts written out on index
cards and which were supposedly to toughen her in her quest to
get a learner's driving permit.  According to the complaint, the
girl was allowed to drive the truck until the man turned up an
index card with an instruction, which she had to follow before
driving some more.  Among other things, the cards called for her
to pour shampoo and dirt into her hair; wear a dog collar; do sit-
ups; stand naked in the glare of the truck's headlights; and stand
tied to a bar and with a ball in her mouth. 

FEUDS

* Continental Airlines filed a lawsuit in November in Newark,
N.J., against Deborah Loeding, who the airlines said endangered
passengers in order to get revenge on her ex-husband/pilot.  Ms.
Loeding had baked him some bread, but unknown to him, had
laced it with marijuana so that he would fail the airline's drug test
and get fired, which did happen, although he was later reinstated
when Continental learned what happened. 

* In October, a judge in Baton Rouge, La., abruptly called a
mistrial in the 8-year-old lawsuit filed by Mary Ann Turner, now
56, against ex-husband (and anesthesiologist) Alan Ostrowe,
proclaiming that her testimony was overly theatrical.  According
to Turner, when she was hospitalized for birth-canal surgery in
1972, Ostrowe, without her permission, persuaded the surgeons
to remove her clitoral hood because, according to the couple's
eldest son, his father needed to "control my mother's sexuality in
order to compensate for his sexual inadequacies." 

* In Jakarta, Indonesia, in January, Reuters news service reported
that a 29-year-old woman, upset with her unfaithful boyfriend
(identified only as Tu), went to the crowded karaoke bar where
he works and released a half dozen cobras onto the premises. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST

* On an Israeli TV program in January, Hamas militant Rashid
Saqqer, who was captured by the PLO last year before he could
carry out a scheduled suicide bombing in Israel, waxed rhapsodic
about his love of soccer.  He said he was such a fan that "I
couldn't [kill myself] in [an Israeli] soccer stadium.  Yes, they
are Zionists [and] unbelievers.  But I couldn't do it [there]." 

* According to Vladimir Zelentin, 40, testifying in January in
New York City against his cousin Rita Gluzman, 47, Rita
planned the murder of her husband, talked Zelentin into being the
hit man, and calmly bought all the murder supplies at Home
Depot.  However, according to Zelentin, when he went to light
up a victory cigarette in her kitchen after the ax-slaying, she
screamed at him, "No smoking [in here]!" 

* The New York Times reported in November on the project by
the Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, N. Y., to create
more environmentally friendly bullets while still maintaining the
bullets' killing power.  (Three years ago, the federal government
closed a nearby firing range because spent, leaded bullets were
contaminating the soil so as to endanger people and animals.) 

UPDATE

* In 1995 the Brazilian government's AIDS-awareness campaign
made News of the Weird because several men named Braulio had
complained publicly of their humiliation that the main character
in the advertising spots--a talking penis--was named Braulio.  In
January 1997, the campaign re-emerged with the main character
an unnamed, variously-costumed turkey (which is itself a double
entendre). 

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

* In January, Michael Coulter, 32, was arrested for shoplifting in
Cookstown, Ireland, having made off with shoes, socks, and
boxer shorts.  Coulter was not difficult to spot during his
getaway.  He is reported to be the tallest man in Ireland, at 7-
foot-5.  Said one officer, "Everyone knows him, and you can see
him coming a mile away." 
79.4030NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:169
ALBANIA'S MARITIME CHAMBER OF HORRORS. Some 200
people have died and 700 have been injured since looters
began taking tens of thousands of weapons from government
facilities across Albania last month. Navy officials now warn
that ship hijackers dumped some 25,000 37mm shells, 50
torpedoes, and 70 mines off Pasha Liman near Vlora. Albanian
fishermen often kill their prey by tossing hand grenades into
the water, and the navy fears a major disaster if such grenades
impact on the underwater explosives.
79.4031NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:22114
WhiteBoard News for Saturday, April 05, 1997 [excerpts]


Jerusalem, Isreal:

Mobile phones in Israel may be as plentiful as seeds in
a biblical pomegranate, but holding the phone while
driving is against the law - even for the police
commissioner. 

After angry citizens spotted the top cop, Assaf Hefetz,
talking on the phone while driving, he wrote himself a
ticket for the misdemeanor which carries a $230 fine,
Israel army radio said Thursday. 

One of the motorists who saw Hefetz said she was
shocked to see the police commissioner so brazenly
break the law. "We honked at him ... but he did not
respond," one driver told the radio. 

After the radio station reported Hefetz's slip, he
acknowledged on the air that he made a mistake and told
listeners a check was in the mail. 
==========

Port Orange, Florida:

"Kidneys?" reads the newspaper ad. "I have 2 excellent
ones! Long-term lease available."

Bob Loturco, 60, disabled and barely surviving on a
$550 a month Social Security pension, wants to ease his
retirement years by leasing for 99 years one of his
kidneys to someone in need. Price negotiable.

"It's my darn kidney," Loturco said Wednesday. The
former boat builder and car salesman has emphysema and
cannot work. But he is not dying, and believes one
kidney will suit him just fine.

Loturco is trying to get around a law that prohibits
the sale of organs by advertising his kidney for
long-term lease. But Lisa Jacques of Florida's Health
Care Administration said: "Any kind of monetary
compensation for an organ is illegal."

This is the second time Loturco has tried to profit
from his kidney. He ran a similar ad in Fort Myers,
Florida, in December, but ran into a storm of protests
from organ donor groups.

"It's crazy," he said. "How can it be unethical for me
to let a man who's facing death live five or 10 years
more and for me to take myself ... off welfare?"

Loturco said he was willing to clinch a deal outside
the country. So far, his ad in the local newspaper has
not prompted any serious offers, but several people
have called out of curiosity.
==========

Richmond Hill, Georgia:

April Fools' Day was like any other day at the First
Bank of Coastal Georgia - except for that screaming
clown plastered in paint running toward the doors. 

The clown was real estate investor Paul Peskin, 30, who
was looking over the abandoned Pembroke State Bank when
he found a fake package of bills in an open vault. 

He put the stack in his pocket, not knowing it was a
decoy tellers give to bank robbers. It exploded,
covering him in red dye and an irritant like tear gas.
Peskin ran outside, looking for the parked truck of a
friend. 

The friend moonlights as a clown; Peskin had put on the
clown suit to keep the truck clean. 

"Apparently the dye was irritating somewhat rather
profusely and he couldn't stay in the truck," Police
Chief Billy Reynolds said Thursday. "It can be pretty
painful." 

So Peskin jumped out of the truck and ran toward First
Bank, and police were called in response to a possible
robbery. 

"Nothing this unusual has ever occurred that I can
remember," Reynolds said. No charges were filed. 
==========

Westmoreland, Kansas:

What if they held an election and nobody came? 

It happened in Pottawatomie County. 

Nobody, not even the candidate, showed up to vote in
the Rock Creek School Board election Tuesday. That
leaves the board short a member. 

"I can't explain it," County Clerk Susan Figge said
Wednesday. "I don't understand it, I really don't." 

None of the 327 voters in the district who were
eligible to vote showed up - including the candidate,
Mike Sotelo, who was running unopposed. Figge said the
seat will be filled by a vote of the board. 

Some believe voters were not aware of the election -
and those who were may have been confused by the
relocation of the polling place. 
79.4032NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:26165
WhiteBoard News for Tuesday, April 08, 1997 [excerpts]

London, England:

Surgeons restored a Briton's sight by inserting a piece
of his eyetooth into his eye -- a strange procedure,
the patient admits, but it works.

"I can't believe it. It is magic," said 62-year-old
Bhimji Varsani, whom doctors say has gone from
blindness to being able to read halfway down an eye
chart.

Varsani was the first Briton to undergo the complex,
two-part operation, developed by Giancarlo Falcinelli
at Rome's San Camillo Hospital, where the surgery has
been done 180 times.

Under the procedure, surgeons ground up a piece of
Varsani's eyetooth and jawbone to build a frame for an
artificial cornea, which was stitched into his left
eye.

Without the tooth and bone frame, the artificial cornea
would eventually fall out of the eye socket. Tooth and
bone are the best materials for the implants, doctors
say.

Varsani -- blinded in one eye by smallpox since
childhood and then in the other by an infection two
years ago -- previously underwent three failed
transplants of donor corneas.

With this procedure, Varsani can see as well enough to
read newspapers and tell the time from a wall clock,
said Christopher Liu, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at
the Sussex Eye Hospital in southern England where
Varsani was treated.

The procedure cost $11,000 -- and, of course, Varsani
did give his eyetooth for it.

"No one could give me a guarantee it would work," he
said. "But I thought if it would help me see, it was
worth taking the chance." 
==========

Nixa, Missouri:

A woman whose 6-year-old son was abducted from their
front yard chased the suspect in her car and repeatedly
rammed his car until he set the boy free.

With mother and child safely back together an hour
later, authorities arrested Elton Choate, 20, and
charged him Sunday with kidnapping. He was jailed on
$100,000 bond.

Sheriff's deputies got a call that a boy was abducted
while playing in the front yard, but his mother had
left in pursuit of the kidnapper by the time they
arrived.

She rammed her car into the suspect's car several times
until it eventually stopped, police said. The man
pushed the boy out of the car and his mother grabbed
him, police said.
==========

Bonn, Germany:

An engineering student on in-line skates has claimed a
world speed record after holding onto the back of a
sports car as it reached 246 km per hour (153 mph), a
German newspaper reported on Sunday.

Bild am Sonntag said 25-year-old Dirk Auer, wearing a
crash helmet, leather motorcycle kit and four-wheel
in-line skates, clung to a specially built rack on the
back of a 550 horse-power Porsche as it raced around
the 2,000-metre Hockenheim track.

Wind and rain prevented Auer, from Gross-Gerau near
Frankfurt, from reaching his hoped-for 300 kph (186
mph), the newspaper said.
==========

Berlin, Germany:

A German photographer hoping to get hundreds of
Berliners to pose naked in front of the city's
Brandenburg Gate on Sunday had to settle for a more
modest project when only two volunteers appeared.

Manfred Schonlau, who was detained and fined by police
in Cologne recently when he attempted a similar project
in front of its famous cathedral, had to make do with
pictures of a man and a woman wearing only fig leaves
in front of Berlin's landmark.

Berlin police did not intervene, concentrating on
keeping some 300 spectators from blocking traffic.
==========

Latham, Kansas:

His honor the mayor isn't so sure his new job is much
of an honor at all. 

Nobody filed to run for the office, and so it was a
very unenthusiastic Brett Calvin who wound up with the
job after he was elected with 17 write-in votes last
Tuesday. 

"I was hoping somebody else would do it, but nobody
wants to," he said. 

Calvin, 37, has lived in the south-central Kansas
community of 170 since 1969, and can pretty much guess
who elected him to office - "probably my mom, my dad,
the other city council members and their families." 

Latham residents, it turns out, are passionate about
not wanting to be mayor, said David Corbin, who works
at the Latham Saloon. He said everyone abhors the
unpaid job, which involves having to pitch in when
Latham's lone city employee is sick or unavailable to
mow lawns and read water meters. 

"I wouldn't have it as a gift," he said. 

Corbin didn't vote for Calvin, but the mayor shouldn't
take it personally. 

"I voted for another guy because I thought it would be
very nice if he got stuck with the job," Corbin said. 
==========

Jerusalem, Israel:

Answering a call on a mobile phone he had just stolen
in a break-in, a gullible thief succumbed to the
seductive voice on the line and unknowingly made a date
with the law. 

Police First Sgt. Major Yardena Rahamim said she
initially called the suspect after the break-in in
Haifa on Saturday just to "get an idea of who he was." 

"In the course of ad-libbing I realized he was
friendly, so I spontaneously pretended I was a lonely
girl from a conservative village who wanted to go out.
I realized he was hot for me so I arranged a meeting
and he fell for it," she said. 

Dressed in plainclothes, Rahamim met the man, who
approached her enthusiastically, smelling strongly of
aftershave. But his amorous mood was soon dampened when
the date turned into an arrest. 

The suspect, a 22-year-old Israeli who was not
identified, had driven to the rendezvous in a car
stolen in the break-in, along with the phone. Rahamim
said thousands of dollars worth of stolen property was
in the car. 
79.4033NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:30114
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 09, 1997 [excerpts]

New York, New York:

The leader of New York City's union of parking-ticket
writers has apparently given his own rank-and-file a
lot of business. 

Robert Cassar's car was towed last week after he failed
to pay nearly $5,000 in parking fines, the New York
Post reported Tuesday. 

Cassar, president of Local 1182 of the Communications
Workers of America, said those penalties came on top of
another $5,000 he has paid for parking violations in
recent years. 

"Nobody likes to have that many summonses," he said.
"But I guess that it shows that my guys do their job." 

Cassar said his car was returned after he agreed to pay
$4,916.44 in fines and penalties on 39 tickets issued
between 1993 and 1995. 

Cassar was a traffic agent before becoming president of
the 1,400-member union four years ago. He claims
officials in the city Transportation Department have a
vendetta against him. 
==========

New York, New York:

A judge has ruled that a man's breasts just don't have
the same sex appeal as a woman's. 

The decision Tuesday by federal Judge John S. Martin's
upheld a 1995 city law banning female topless dancing
in residential areas. 

"One does not have to be either a psychologist or a
sociologist to recognize that," he said. "If it were
widely known that 10 topless women were walking down
Park Avenue and 10 topless men were walking down
Madison Avenue, the effect on the traffic on Park
Avenue would be substantially greater than on Madison
Avenue." 

A topless dancer and a bar where she works, the Cozy
Cabin, sued to repeal zoning rules they say
discriminate against women because topless clubs
featuring male dancers aren't mentioned. 

City counsel Gabriel Taussig applauded the judge's
ruling but said challenges on other grounds must be
resolved before the regulations can be enforced. 

Ivan S. Alter, the bar's lawyer, said the city never
showed that topless women have a worse effect on a
neighborhood than barechested men. 

Martin responded that advertisements for a troupe of
male strippers don't emphasize the "the extraordinary
dimensions of the breasts of their male dancers." 

"Indeed, it appears that many female dancers go to
great lengths to surgically enhance their breasts in
order to ensure that they could not possibly be
mistaken for a male dancer," he said. 
==========

Hartland, Wisconsin:

A plumber's snake took a wrong turn in a pipe,
slithered over a rooftop and wrapped itself around a
10-year-old girl playing in her back yard. 

And when the plumber began pulling the snake back,
little Shannon Musli was lifted off the ground. 

"The snake became ensnared in her jacket and as it
continued to twist, it snared her hat, head and hair,"
Police Chief Morton Hetznecker said. 

A Roto-Rooter worker was trying to unclog a drain in an
apartment Monday when the narrow steel cable known as a
snake found its way through a roof vent. 

When it grabbed Shannon, the serviceman thought he had
found the pipe's blocked area and started pulling the
snake back. The girl's brother alerted them to what was
happening. 

"This is definitely a weird situation. We're grateful
it wasn't more serious," Ben Huth, manager of the
Roto-Rooter shop, said Tuesday. 

Firefighters used bolt cutters to free Shannon. 
==========

Baltimore, Maryland:

Bank robbers usually take the money and run. 

Not Jeffrie Thomas, police said. 

Thomas, 35, walked into a Signet Bank on Monday and
handed a teller a note demanding money. 

When police arrived and asked which way did he go,
employees pointed to a man counting cash near a
teller's station. 

It was Thomas, adding up the take, police said. Thomas,
who was unarmed, was taken into custody. 
79.4034NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:39140
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #42 Apr. 9, 1997 [excerpts]
          http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)

>>> Burglars take pregnant woman to hospital
Source: Reuters
WARSAW (03-31) - Three armed thieves interrupted their 
burglary to take a pregnant woman to the hospital - then 
returned and finished the job. 
The pregnant woman developed abdominal pains soon after 
three armed men broke into her apartment. One suspect was 
left with the woman's husband while the other two used their 
car to transport the woman to a nearby hospital. They then 
returned to complete their burglary.
All three men were arrested shortly after.
------------------

>>>Chinese man eats live animals
Source: AFP
HONG KONG (03-27) - A Chinese man's diet consists of live 
animals, including poisonous snakes, without any apparent 
ill effects. 
Tang Yushen, 45, of Xupu county in the province of Hunan, 
started his strange diet following an illness. For the past year 
he has swallowed numerous live animals including six chickens, 
25 frogs, two ducks, 20 lizards and 15 rats. Tang, immune to 
snake poison, has also swallowed four poisonous snakes. 
Occasionally he eats uncooked pork, raw fish and roots, China 
News Service said. 
------------------

>>>Colombia's anti-kidnap director arrested for ... kidnapping
Source: Reuters
BOGOTA (03-31) - The second-in-command officer of Colombia's 
anti-kidnapping squad has been arrested for abducting two 
people. 
Maj. Manuel de Jesus Lozada is believed to be implicated in 
the forced disappearance of a couple in 1995. "We're charging 
him with falsifying documents and some disappearances," Gen. 
Luis Ernesto Gilbert said. 
Lozada was the deputy director of Colombia's elite anti-kidnap 
squad, the GAULA force.
-------------------

>>>Naked woman arrested in church
Source: LA Times
CHATSWORTH, Calif. (03-31)  - Police arrested a 24-year-old 
woman after she was found nude, screaming and throwing Bibles 
inside a Chatsworth church. 
Ilham Affane was arrested and taken to the Van Nuys Jail after 
neighbors phoned authorities to report strange noises inside the 
church. 
"When the officers arrived, they found Affane completely nude, 
jumping up and down on the pews, screaming, throwing Bibles 
around and generally acting in a bizarre manner," LAPD 
Spokesman Mike Partain said. 
-------------------

>>>Portable phone saves trapped woman
Source: UPI
NORTON SHORES, Mich. (04-04) - A 60-year-old woman was 
inspired to take her portable telephone inside her home tanning 
bed. The phone saved her life when she was trapped inside the 
malfunctioning machine. 
Cecilia Wolcott was unable to activate the automatic lid and 
immediately contacted authorities. 
"The cordless phone - that's what saved her. And she got quite 
a tan," said Fire Chief Harold Wheeler. 
Wolcott stated she will never use the tanning bed again.
---------------------

>>>Man remains calm after severing hand
Source: Edmonton Sun
(04-05) - A man walked two blocks to a doctor's office after 
completely severing his hand with a power saw. 
"He wasn't in shock, he was actually quite with it," said Dr. 
Gabriel Cahill. "He came in and said 'I've cut off my hand.'"
A crew of paramedics went to the scene of the accident and 
retrieved his hand. "He was extremely helpful - he was able to 
tell us exactly where (his hand) was," added Cahill. 
The man is in stable condition but it's too early to tell if the 
hand can be successfully reattached.
---------------------

>>>Boy dies as he falls on knife
Source: Electronic Telegraph
LONDON (04-02) - A 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death when 
he fell on top of a knife stacked inside an open dishwasher. 
Mark Rockingham of Kettering, Northants, was trying to reach a 
kitchen cabinet when he lost his balance and fell on top of the 
open dishwasher. The knife, stacked with its sharp point upwards, 
sliced through one of the boy's arteries. 
"When we arrived at the house the family were hysterical," said 
an ambulance service spokesperson. "Our team did what they 
could ... but it was too late."

In another incident a 12-year-old boy was trapped for one hour by 
a sofa bed. The mechanism jammed and the boy was unable to 
free himself. The incident took place at the his 21-year-old sister's 
house who was furious that firefighters had to cut apart the sofa bed.

+++ PECATONICA, Ill. (RRS, 04-01) - Doris Burton, 65, slowed her vehicle to 
view an accident and was killed when a pickup truck crashed 
into the rear of her car. Two other passengers were in fair condition. 

+++ LA CROSSE, Wis. (UPI, 04-01) - Muriel Smith, 63, who forced 
her husband to live in a 6-by-8-foot cellar for three years because 
he urinated on the bedroom floor, is free on a $25,000 bail bond. 
Leroy Smith was not able to walk to the bathroom because of a leg 
infection. The man was also beaten by his wife and his co-workers 
said they often shared their lunches with him because he always 
looked hungry.

+++ BANGKOK, Thailand (AP, 04-03) 
Vichai Thongto, 30, was feeding his pet peacocks when one of 
them hurled itself at him and started clawing his head. Thongto 
died as a result of a small puncture above his left ear.

+++ VIENNA, Austria (AP, 04-07) - Ernestine Kiesling, 65, was 
sentenced to five years in prison after regularly locking her 
adopted daughter in a coffin-like box. The retired religion teacher 
claims she locked up her 23-year-old daughter in belief that the 
girl would grow taller.

+++ PEORIA, Ill (UPI, 02-02) - A 6-year-old boy used a crowbar to 
break into a home and steal 26 ice cream sandwiches and a bottle 
of root beer. Authorities will not file any charges. "We don't arrest 
6-year-olds," said police spokesman Jay Sauer.

+++ SEATTLE (AP, 04-07) - 
It took police 11 hours to subdue a mental patient wielding a 
samurai-style sword and threatening people. Police used pepper 
spray, fired beanbag projectiles, used water hoses and finally 
pinned him to the sidewalk with ladder. Tony Allison, 41, a 
homeless man, told several witnesses he uses the sword to 
ward off demons.

+++ NEW YORK, (UPI, 04-02) - The assistant manager at the New 
York Blood Center, the country's largest blood bank, has been 
arrested for not properly testing plasma for viruses such as HIV. 
Eliazar Maniago was trying to avoid extra work.
79.4035EVMS::MORONEYHit &lt;CTRL&gt;&lt;ALT&gt;&lt;DEL&gt; to continue -&gt;Thu Apr 10 1997 20:406
re .4029:

>* The New York Times reported in November on the project by
>the Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, N. Y., to create

Joisy, not NY.  (uncle worked there)
79.4036NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Apr 10 1997 20:401
Picatinny Arsenal, any tinny arsenal.
79.4037POWDML::HANGGELIElvis Needs BoatsThu Apr 10 1997 20:433
    
    I've been there.
          
79.4038more better wackiesGAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersFri Apr 11 1997 12:534
  Gerald's are more whackier.

  bb
79.4039NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri Apr 11 1997 19:57136
WEIRDNUZ.476 (News of the Weird, March 21, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright notice at the end of this transmission.

LEAD STORIES

* Former Gotti crime-family hitman Sammy "The Bull" Gravano
cooperated on author Peter Maas's Gravano biography,
"Underboss," to be published in April.  Despite the fact that
Gravano's testimony helped send Gotti to prison for life without
parole, and 36 others to the slammer, and despite the fact that he
admits to making 19 hits for the Gotti family, Gravano reportedly
quit the Witness Protection Program and said he'll take his chances
on the street.  Though he had plastic surgery after he went
underground, he agreed to show off his new face in the book,
perhaps, said Maas, because the recently divorced Gravano would
like to hear from any interested ladies. 

* Unclear on the Concept:  The Multnomah County, Ore., school
system was scheduled to begin in March test-marketing the idea of 
paying parents of chronic truants to help their kids get to school
($3 if they stay the whole day, $1 for a half day).  And in February,
the University of Maryland's Student Honor Council, crusading
against academic dishonesty, offered local-merchant discount cards
to students who pledged in writing not to cheat.  (Said a critic, "By
the time you get to bribing, you're already pretty far gone.") 

* Despite a lengthy development period and a year on the market,
the Reebok shoe company realized only in February that its new
line of Incubus athletic shoes for women was named for a
mythological demon who raped slumbering females.  And
Walgreen's drug stores distributed discount-coupon books
nationwide in February to honor Black History Week; among the
product specials was skin-bleaching cream directed to the
African-American market. 

FAMILY VALUES  

* In Woodbridge, Va., in January, a 35-year-old woman was
charged with sexual abuse of her son, age 9, and according to
police, she also arranged at least one sex instruction session
between herself, the son, her daughter, 15, and her boyfriend,
34.  According to the boyfriend, she was motivated by wanting to
spare her kids from having to learn about sex on the street.  (A
year ago, she became a grandmother as a result of the boyfriend-
daughter liaison.) 

* Raymond Taylor was sentenced to 40 years in prison in El
Paso, Tex., in March after his conviction for attempted murder of
his ex-wife.  According to trial testimony, Taylor ordered his two
kids, ages 10 and 12, to set his ex-wife's house on fire and
instructed them how to do it and how to disable the home's
smoke detectors. 

* Parenting License Revocations:  According to police in Cairo,
Egypt, Ibrahim Mohei Eddin, 40, pushed his 7-year-old son
under a moving train and left him for dead at the behest of his
brand-new, 23-year-old second wife.  (The boy survived, but lost
both legs.)  And in January, in Williamsport, Pa., David W.
Crist, 38, was convicted of pushing his deaf 9-year-old daughter
into an oncoming truck in order, said prosecutors, to collect on
an insurance policy.  (He is also charged with trying to
electrocute another daughter in 1990 and hiring a hit man to kill
his brother in 1982, all allegedly for insurance money.  Both kids
survived; the brother didn't.) 

IRONIES

* In October, Richard E. Clear, Jr., 32, was arrested in Tampa,
Fla., for shooting his gun toward a neighbor who had complained
about Clear's barking dog.  Clear runs a martial-arts studio and 
advertises his experience in "stress management." 

* In October, the Des Moines Register reported that Daniel
Long, 35, had been fired from his job as a greeter at a local Wal-
Mart.  According to records in the state unemployment appeals
agency, Long had called one customer a "snob," told another she
had to be "smarter than the cart" to get two carts unstuck, and
called another a "fat elephant." 

* In November, retired police department custodian Jay Pfaff, 73,
was fired from his job as school crossing guard because, said a
police spokesman, "a number of parents" complained that they
were uncomfortable because he was too nice to their children. 

* Sascha Rothchild, 20, known on campus at Boston College for
her trademark five-inch-high platform shoes, clomped hurriedly
down the platform at Providence (R.I.) Station in December and
leaped unsteadily for her just-departing train.  She slipped and
suffered a broken pelvis. 

PEOPLE IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME

* In October, sewage truck driver Ricky Walter, 19, collided
with another vehicle in Waukesha, Wis., pinning Walter inside
and sending his load directly into the cab of his truck.  Walter
was forced to marinate for half an hour before rescue workers got
to him. 

* In Lincoln, Neb., in February, two men attempted to shoplift
shoes from an Athlete's Foot store, but a clerk and the manager
ran them down outside.  Clerk Dave Olson is captain of the
University of Nebraska men's track team, and manager Robb
Finegan is an Olympics-class marathoner.  And two weeks
earlier, near Warsaw, Poland, highway robbers forced off the
road a car in which the coaches of the Belarussian and Russian
biathlon (skiing and shooting) teams were riding.  Following
right behind, however, was the teams' bus, and as all of the
athletes grabbed rifles, the robbers quickly scurried away.  

* On September 29 in rural northeast Vermont, the car in which
Michael O'Keefe, 44, was riding was hit by a 700-lb. moose. 
O'Keefe was taken for treatment of cuts and returned to the road
a few hours later in his own truck, which was then hit by another 
moose. 

UPDATE

* In 1995 News of the Weird reported that the European Court of
Human Rights had agreed to examine whether Britain's assault
convictions against three men for engaging in consensual sado-
masochism orgies (in which severe pain was inflicted on the
genitals of apparently grateful recipients) were oppressive.  In
February 1997, the Court decided not to intervene, saying Britain
had a right to protect its citizens from themselves, analogizing to
the requirement of motorcyclists to wear helmets. 

THINNING THE HERD

* Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed in February in Selbyville,
Del., as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a
revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the
trigger.  And in February, according to police in Windsor, Ont.,
Daniel Kolta, 27, and Randy Taylor, 33, died in a head-on
collision, thus earning a tie in the game of chicken they were
playing with their snowmobiles. 
79.4040NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Apr 14 1997 14:10205
WhiteBoard News for Friday, April 11, 1997 [excerpts]

Spartanburg, South Carolina:

A suspected criminal took off in a Highway Patrol car
and drove several miles before crashing into an
apartment building. 

The incident may not sound extraordinary, but David
Thornton had his hands cuffed behind his back the whole
time. 

"I don't see how you can do it," said Cpl. Steve
Sulligan, a Highway Patrol spokesman. "This guy made
turns, crossed the median, you name it." 

Thorton, 28, was arrested in a car with some crack
cocaine after police received a report Tuesday of
someone shooting at motorists, according to
investigators. 

Thornton was put in the passenger seat of a patrol car
after being cuffed. But when troopers went back to
search his car, he managed to slide into the driver's
seat and put the patrol car into gear. 

He sped onto a highway, crossed the median, headed down
an embankment and behind a shopping center before
hitting the apartment complex. 

"Apparently he was using everything he could to steer -
his knees, his elbows," Sulligan said. 
==========

Mexico City, Mexico:

Prostitutes in a sleazy red-light zone in Mexico City
have abandoned mini-skirts, see-through blouses and
"dental floss" bikinis -- not because of a cold spell
but in a bid to win over angry locals.

Since April 1, the dress code has been "normal skirt to
the knee, no splits, seemly trousers and normal
blouse," Ana Maria Casmiro, leader of some 700 sex
workers in Mexico City's market district La Merced,
told state news agency Notimex.

"Strictly forbidden are the baby doll, dental floss
bikinis, transparent blouses, all lycra clothing and
underwear worn on the outside," she said Wednesday.

By cleaning up their image, she said, the women aimed
to persuade scandalized local residents to let them
continue working in the area. She said Mexico City
local authorities had approved the plan.

Prostitution is illegal in Mexico but police and
authorities are often paid off to turn a blind eye. In
Mexico City there are several "tolerance zones" where
brothels and street walkers openly ply their trade.
==========

Coalhurst, Alberta, Canada:

Dustin Tarbell could hear the bones in his arms snap,
but that didn't deter him from rescuing his younger
brother.

Dustin, 7, could hear his brother David's cries coming
from inside a tumbling clothes dryer at their baby
sitter's home.

"I grabbed his shirt and my hands got caught in
[David's shirt] and my arms started twisting and I
heard them cracking," said Dustin, wearing a cast on
each arm.

David, 4, hid in the dryer during a game of
hide-and-seek. Another child at the baby sitter's home
turned on the dryer.

Hearing screams, Dustin threw open the dryer door and
saw David bouncing around.

Dustin managed to get the dryer to stop, but not before
the appliance broke two bones in each arm below the
elbow. The mechanism that stops the dryer when the door
opens was broken.

Dustin also got three stitches over his right eye and a
rash similar to a rope burn on his back, where his
shirt chafed him.

" 'Dustin's a superhero' is all David can say," said
Kim Tarbell, 25, the boys' mother.

Tarbell says she doesn't blame the baby sitter for what
happened.

"It was a freak thing," she said.

"You never know what's going to happen, although what
happened is bad enough. We've told our children not to
open the dryer because it can be dangerous, but kids
are kids, I guess." 
==========

Hilo, Hawaii:

Passengers on an Aloha Airlines flight helped locate
two people floating in a raft Thursday after their
twin-engine plane crashed in the Pacific. 

Shortly after the Piper plane went down northeast of
this Hawaiian island, Aloha Flight 404 from Honolulu to
Hilo joined in the search and pilot Bob Bryant asked
passengers to keep their eyes open for the plane. 

"We circled a couple of times when I saw two persons on
a life raft," said passenger Ronie Cabison. 

Five rows back, passenger Anthony Locricchio noticed
green dye the pilot used to mark the site of the crash. 

The Aloha jet remained in the search area 28 miles
offshore for a half hour and did not leave until the
Coast Guard arrived, said airline spokesman Tom
Yoneyama. 

The two people aboard the downed plane - pilot Kenneth
Landau, 28, of Alameda, Calif., and passenger, James I.
Branch, 27, of Australia - suffered only minor injuries
and refused medical treatment. 

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the
two had taken off from Hilo bound for Hayward, Calif.,
when their plane began to experience engine failure.
They turned back, but the plane was laden with fuel for
the long trip and was too heavy to fly on one engine. 

The two survivors were able to get out of the plane
once it hit the water and then waited in a raft until
they were rescued about 2 hours later. 
==========

London, England:

Scientists using a giant magnetic field have made a
frog float in mid-air and might even be able to do the
same thing with a human, New Scientist magazine
reported Friday.

The team from Britain's University of Nottingham and
the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands has also
succeeded in levitating plants, grasshoppers and fish.

"If you have a magnet that is big enough, you could
levitate a human," said Pater Main, one of the
researchers.

He said the frog did not seem to suffer any ill
effects. "It went back to its fellow frogs looking
perfectly happy."

The levitation trick works because giant magnetic
fields slightly distort the orbits of electrons in the
frog's atoms. The resulting electric current generates
a magnetic field in the opposite direction to that of
the magnet.
==========

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

A woman in labor, waiting at home for her husband to
take her to the hospital, delivered the baby herself
after her contractions progressed quickly and she
realized it was a breech delivery. 

The details of Wednesday's birth of a healthy boy were
a little sketchy for Kim Rowe, whose pregnancy had been
uneventful for the rest of its 8= months. 

When her contractions took on 20-minute intervals, she
called her husband, Steve. As he drove to their house
in Wexford from his office eight miles away, the
contractions speeded up, way up in just a few minutes. 

Ms. Rowe, 35, was in her bathroom. She said she reached
down and felt a tiny leg. She knew it was too late to
do anything but push. 

"I couldn't get to the phone. I couldn't call 911. We
live on a private road, so I wasn't sure an ambulance
could even find me," she said. 

"Instinct sort of took over," Ms. Rowe said. "I'm still
in shock and sort of in awe of the whole thing. It's
pretty wild." 

Although she wasn't watching the clock, she estimates
the birth came within 20 minutes of her call to her
husband. 

Mother and son, Matthew Thomas, were taken to Allegheny
General Hospital and were doing well. 
79.4041A willing geek. A rare commodity.ACISS1::s_coghill.dyo.dec.com::CoghillSSteve Coghill, NSIS Solution ArchitectMon Apr 14 1997 14:353
Re: >>>Chinese man eats live animals

Quick! Call a carnie! Good geeks are hard to find.
79.4042NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 16 1997 14:36146
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #43 Apr. 15, 1997 [excerpts]
          http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)
**********************************************************************

>>> Innocent man enjoys vacation in jail
Source: AP
BRUNSWICK, Maine (04-11) - A man, falsely arrested for robbery, 
had a great time in jail. 
Scott Sanborn, 20, said he had fun while spending two nights inside 
the Cumberland County Jail. "It was like a vacation for me," Sanborn 
said. "I got to watch cable TV, which I don't have at home. I also 
played basketball and cards ... it was like a mini-vacation," he added. 
Police released Sanborn after realizing they got the wrong man. 
"I never stressed over it because I knew I was innocent. I was just 
totally cool," said Sanborn, who is currently employed as a dishwasher. 
------------------

>>>Five men busted posing with marijuana plant
Source: AP
AMHERST (04-10) - A pharmacy manager called authorities after 
spotting marijuana plants on a customer's roll of film. 
Armed with a search warrant, police confiscated 10 marijuana plants 
and charged five men with drug possession and intent to distribute 
marijuana. 
The CVS pharmacy manager said the five men were smiling while 
posing with the marijuana plants. 
Bill Lewis of the National Photo Marketing Association was in 
disagreement with the pharmacy manager's actions. "We like to be 
moral people and all, and make sure to try to stop crime, but it's not 
the photo finisher's job to do that," he said.
-----------------

>>>Drunk lawn mower driver faces charges
Source: AP
ELKINS, WV (04-09) - A man was cited for driving his lawn mower while 
under the influence of alcohol after he crashed into a parked vehicle. 
Ronald Biggs, 38, took his brand new 14 HP Cub Cadet lawn mower on 
a joy ride along the highway. Wheel in one hand and a 40 oz beer bottle 
in the other, Biggs' ride ended when he crashed into a parked 1997 
Mitsubishi Eclipse. 
"He said the car shouldn't have been there, that it was in the way," 
said Sheriff Deputy Rob Elbon Jr. 
Biggs was charged as a motorist and cited for six offenses: hit and run, 
drunken driving, driving without a license, improper registration, no 
insurance and failure to maintain control.
----------------

>>>Cops wrongfully charge one of their own
Source: Nando Times
BALTIMORE (04-09) - An arrest warrant was issued against one of the 
police officers investigating a burglary after his thumb print appeared 
in the crime report. 
Officer William Scott Kern was investigating a June burglary of Rosa 
Parker's residence and left his thumb print on a door frame.  Kern 
was charged with burglary in December and it took four months until 
the mistake was corrected. 
A police corrective report stated that  "William Scott Kern is the 
wrong person." 
"He said it is a mistake and that he has put it behind him," said 
Police Maj. Errol Dutton.
------------------

>>>Bus driver replaces mental patients
Source: "Financial Mail" - South Africa
HARARE, Zimbabwe (04-04) - After 20 mental patients disappeared 
from his bus, the driver replaced them with sane citizens and delivered 
them to a mental hospital. 
The unidentified bus driver was transporting 20 mental patients from 
the capital city of Harare to Bulawayo Mental Hospital when he decided 
to stop for a few drinks at an illegal roadside liquor store. Upon his 
return he was shocked to discovered that all the mental patients have 
escaped. Desperate for a solution, the driver stopped at the next bus 
stop and offered free bus rides to several people. He then delivered 
them to the mental hospital and informing the staff they were easily 
excitable. 
It took the medical personnel three days to uncover the foul play. 
The real mental patients are still at large.
-----------------

>>>Teachers charged for forcing children to swallow vomit
Source: AP
MADRID, Spain (04-10) - Three teachers face child abuse charges 
for forcing day care children to swallow their own vomit. 
The teachers were suspended pending an investigation into 
allegations they forced several children under the age of 3 to 
swallow they own vomit. Prosecutors also accused the day care 
specialists with slapping children's faces in a way no marks were 
visible. 
"There was never any risk of physical or psychological damage to 
the children," Enrique Munoz, mayor of Torrelodones said. "But 
these accusations require the utmost in cooperation and investigation." 
---------------------

+++ COLUMBUS, Ohio (SF Examiner, 04-09) - Eight cars were damaged 
after a truck spilled around 200 gallons of human waste on Interstate 
270. The road reopened four hours later after firefighters cleaned up 
the half-mile long spill. 

+++ SAN DIEGO (SD Union Tribune, 04-10) - Joseph Bennett, 65, showed up
in court to be sentenced on a charge of worker's compensation fraud for
faking a foot injury. Bennett, aided by a cane, begged for medical attention
after receiving a 90-day sentence. The judge agreed. While being searched 
before being admitted as an inmate, a deputy discovered  two good-sized 
rocks inside his shoes. He quickly answered: "They're arch supports." 

+++ DALLAS (04-10) - Last week in Texas, the Legislature passed a law
mandating that criminals provide at least 24 hour notice to their potential
victims before they perpetrate their crime. 

+++ DERRY, N.H. (UPI, 04-13) - A computer error listed Jonathan 
Michaels as the $1 million winner in a New Hampshire lottery. 
Attorney John Michels claims his client suffered "considerable 
letdown and emotional distress," when finding out he didn't 
win anything. 

+++ LOS ANGELES (UPI, 04-11) - A burglar, caught in the act 
by the homeowner, was killed after being hit over the head with 
a golf club. No criminal charges were filed. 

+++ LONDON (Reuters, 04-11) - Roger Penrose, a mathematical 
physicist and expert on black holes, is suing the U.S. paper 
products manufacturer Kimberly-Clarke Corp. for stealing one of 
his design and using it to decorate toilet paper. 

+++ MOSCOW (AFP, 04-10) - A Finnish man, stopped at the 
Russian border with a crate of smuggled vodka, fled into the 
woods and hid there until he had drunk all 20 bottles. After 
seven days of solitary boozing he turned up empty handed at 
the border and customs agents had to let him through. 

+++ TOKYO (Toronto Globe and Mail, 04-14) - A teacher was 
suspended for three months for ordering two students to disembowel 
themselves because they did not offer to share their candies with 
the rest of their classmates. He beat the students with a tent-pole 
when they refused to commit hara-kiri. 

+++ SANTA ANA (PT, 04-14) - "QUIT ROBBING ME. ALL GONE," 
says a sign posted by Bill Farrell in front of his house. Farell was 
the victim of robbery three times in the past four months. The thieves 
stole almost everything he owed, including the Rottweiler dog he got 
to scare away the burglars. He takes his remaining VCR with him 
when he leaves the house and is currently in the process of installing 
steel doors, burglar bars over the windows and motion-activated lights. 
"All you can do is move or live in a prison. But why should I live in a 
prison? Why aren't (the burglars) living in prison?" 
79.4043ACISS1::SCHELTERWed Apr 16 1997 16:566
    Those wing dings in Dallas have Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too
    much time on their hands.  Notify victims, that's stoopid.
    
    
    Mike
    
79.4044CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsWed Apr 16 1997 16:583
    RE: CVS photo person.  Someone needs to reinforce the notion that
    nobody likes a snitch.  What a twit.  Then again, the bozos in the
    photo don't get any extra credit points either.
79.4045ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanFri Apr 18 1997 14:402
    
    this will be a quiet topic till the 30th.
79.4046CSC32::M_EVANSbe the villageFri Apr 18 1997 14:4412
    Nearly 2400 of the richest americans paid no federal income taxes,
    compared with 85 individuals and couples in 1977, according to the IRS.  
    
    While the number of people who make 200K or more/year grew 15 fold from
    1977 to 1993, the number of people in that income category who pay no
    taxes grew 28 fold.  
    
    Another 18K filers with high incomes pay less than 5% of their incomes,
    casting doubt on the Alternative Minimum Tax, supposadly designed to
    insure the wealthy paying their fair share of taxes.  
    
    
79.4047WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjFri Apr 18 1997 16:5017
    <== That's what happens when you put labyrinthine tax laws in place.
    
    The gummint decided they wanted to funnel money to municipalities, so
    they made the interest on bonds they issued non-taxable. This had the
    effect of making money less expensive for municipalities, because they
    could offer bonds at a lower interest rate (cost of money to them)
    while retaining the same effective rate for investors (since they
    didn't have to pay taxes on the interest earned).
    
    Guess what. If you have a lot of money in municipal bonds, you can make
    a lot of money in interest income and not have to pay taxes on it. 
    
    Now people like you may decide that this is a bad thing, and we have to
    stop it. And what will happen? People won't put money into munis unless
    they offer higher interest rates. So by stopping the tax free status of
    munis, you'll be raising the cost of money to municipalities- a case of
    robbing Peter to pay Paul.
79.4048TROOA::TEMPLETONUnhappy gardenerFri Apr 25 1997 13:0413
    A very unusual weapon.
    
    A man walked into a doughnut shop with a Canada goose underneath his
    arm and demanded $50 or he would kill the goose, when he started to choke
    the bird a customer said she would pay, he and the goose went to a bank
    machine with the woman who had to give him $60 because her machine only
    payed out $20s, he then turned over the bird to the woman and left.
    
    This was on the front page of The Toronto Sun this morning.
    
    
    
    joan
79.4049SALEM::DODADon't make me come down there...Fri Apr 25 1997 13:114
"Any tool can be a weapon if you hold it right."

                            Ani DiFranco
 
79.4050WMOIS::GIROUARD_CFri Apr 25 1997 13:261
    so, a bird in the hand is worth $60.00 then?
79.4051ASIC::RANDOLPHTom R. N1OOQFri Apr 25 1997 14:204
BWAHAHA!

One of the more clever uses for little-fuzzy-big-eyed-animal-righters I've
seen...
79.4052ACISS1::BATTISFerzie fanFri Apr 25 1997 16:235
    
    .4048
    
    don't worry. that was really only $28.00 in US currency. woman should
    have told him to kill the ugly duck.
79.4053BUSY::SLABA cross upon her bedroom wall ...Fri Apr 25 1997 17:028
    
    	This reminds me of the movie "UHF".
    
    	There's a commercial filmed at a car dealership, and the owner is
    	standing beside one of his cars which happens to have a baby seal
    	on the hood, and the owner says, "If you don't buy this car, I'm
    	going to club this seal!".
    
79.4054POLAR::RICHARDSONA stranger in my own lifeFri Apr 25 1997 17:053
    HA!
    
    I think I'll rent that movie this weekend. 
79.4055BUSY::SLABA cross upon her bedroom wall ...Fri Apr 25 1997 17:063
    
    	"Badgers?  Badgers?  We don't need no steenkin' BADGERS!"
    
79.4056POWDML::DOUGANMon Apr 28 1997 03:461
    The goose even made the noose in bangkok
79.4057WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon Apr 28 1997 11:029
    one for the "people who need a life" category...
    
    evidently the Spice Girls have offended some of the local natives
    of New Zealand by taking part in some traditional native dance.
    
    they felt it a "mockery" of their culture and tradition. 
    
    <yawn>
    
79.4058RUSURE::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Mon Apr 28 1997 15:2224
    From _Annals of Improbable Research_ III, Number 3 (May/June 1997):

    "Oral conception. Impregnation via the proximal gastrointestinal tract
    in a patient with an apalstic distal vagina. Case Report," Douwe A. A.
    Verkuyl, _British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology_, vol. 95,
    September 1988, pp. 933-4. The patient was a 15-year-old girl employed
    in a local bar. She was admitted to the hospital after a knife fight
    involving her, a former lover, and a new boyfriend.

    The girl had a single stab-wound in the upper abdomen . . . Precisely
    278 days later the patient was admitted again to the hospital with
    acute, intermittent abdominal pain. Abdominal examination revealed a
    term pregnancy with a cephalic fetal presentation. . . . Inspection of
    the vulva showed no vagina. . . . The patient was well aware of the
    fact that she had no vagina and she started oral experiments after
    disappointing attempts at conventional intercourse. . . . Just before
    she was stabbed in the abdomen she had practiced fellatio with her new
    boyfriend and was caught in the act by her former lover. The fight with
    knives ensued. . . . A plausible explanation for this pregnancy is that
    spermatozoa gained access to the reproductive organs via the injured
    gastrointestinal tract. . . . It is likely that the patient became
    pregnant with her first or nearly first ovulation otherwise one would
    expect that inspissated blood in the uterus and salpinges would have
    made fertilization difficult.
79.4059POLAR::RICHARDSONA stranger in my own lifeMon Apr 28 1997 15:321
    I find that story hard to swallow.
79.4060ACISS1::BATTISEDS boundMon Apr 28 1997 15:502
    
    <--- agaggggg
79.4061LANDO::OLIVER_Blooking for deep meaningMon Apr 28 1997 16:072
    
    Texas is revolting!!
79.4062CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayMon Apr 28 1997 16:085


 I dunno...I like some parts of Texas..some parts are rather revolting
 though
79.4063lien-happy frauds....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftMon Apr 28 1997 16:179
    
    Austin's very nice.
    
    But the so-called "The Republic of Texas" is revolting.  A few folks
    took their neighbors hostage, demanded their comrade in arms be
    released (he was) as a condition of releasing the hostages (they were)
    and last I heard, everyone was busy negotiating.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.4064http://www.flash.net/~robertk/PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftMon Apr 28 1997 16:3213
    Ah, boys with toys....
    
    
    But in fairness to the lien-happy frauds, they contend that the
    group calling itself "The Republic of Texas" led by the "former
    Ambassador" McLaren is not the "legitimate provisional government of
    the Republic of Texas."
    
    On March 21, McLaren was impeached by the "legitimate provisional
    government."  On April 19, he held a "so-called election" and then
    declared war.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.4065http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1842/PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftMon Apr 28 1997 17:127
    Ah, geeks with toys....
    
    And the folks over at "The Homepage of the Second Republic of Texas"
    would also like you to know that they have absolutely nothing to do
    with "The Republic of Texas."
    
    								-mr. bill
79.4066FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Tue Apr 29 1997 13:157
    
    
    	mr. bill's on a crusade. Everyone stand back...for your own safety.
    :)
    
    
    
79.4067Thanks to McLaren et al....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftTue Apr 29 1997 13:196
|   Everyone stand back...for your own safety.
    
    The people standing back are the 150 families who can't go home right
    now.
    
    								-mr. bill
79.4068ACISS1::BATTISEDS boundTue Apr 29 1997 13:202
    
    i for one, eagerly await the return of gerald. yes, i do.
79.4069izzit the water ?GAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersTue Apr 29 1997 13:377
    
      Why are whack-ohs more prominent out west, anywhaze ?
    
      I mean, who would declare themselves President of the Nation
     of Massachusetts ?
    
      bb
79.4070As of January 1, 1997, the "officers"....PERFOM::LICEA_KANEwhen it's comin' from the leftTue Apr 29 1997 13:3924
    President                                          Archie H. Lowe
    Vice President                                     Stephen C. Crear, Sr.
    Secretary of Defense (acting Secretary)            Roger Erickson 
    Chief Ambassador and Consul General                Richard L. McLaren
    Secretary of State                                 Robert Kesterson, Jr.
    Secretary of Judicial Affairs                      Ray Wanjura
    Secretary of Inter-Agency Coordination             Carolyn Carney
    Presidential Press Secretary                       Jeanette Kinman
    Secretary of Council                               (temporarily vacant)
    
    the following offices are either vacant or
    under suspension pending impeachment proceedings:
    
    Secretary of Commerce and Trade                    Bill Bailey 
    Counsel General                                    Robert Taylor
    Secretary of Agriculture                           D. A. West
    Secretary of Science and Technologies              Jeff Katz
    Treasurer                                          Darrell Dean, Franks
    Auditor                                            Coolidge Gerdes
    Secretary of Plans, Powers,                        Donald Joe, Varnell
    Constitution, and Convention
    Secretary of Privatization                         Ed Brannum
    
    
79.4071TROOA::BUTKOVICHgirls just wanna have fudgeTue Apr 29 1997 14:2954
    Another nominee for this year's Darwin Award. (Given posthumously to
    the
    > individual whose withdrawal from the gene pool significantly advanced
    the
    > evolution of mankind.)
    > 
    > There are many transmission lines that crisscross Connecticut. These
    are
    > held up by Transmission Towers of various constructions. Those most
    > commonly installed near urban areas are called "metal Ornamental
    Towers"
    > (supposedly prettier than wood towers). Sometimes adventurous folks
    climb
    > the towers in order to enjoy the view and the night air.  Most stay
    away
    > from the wires, and when they get bored, come back down.
    > 
    > Apparently, a man who was forlorn after a recent spat with his
    girlfriend
    > needed some fresh air to clear his head and decided to climb a tower. 
    He
    > stopped for a 6 pack to help clear his thoughts, went to a tower
    south of
    > Hartford, next to I-91, and climbed it.
    > 
    > Public Service employees later pieced the story together. The man sat
    there
    > 60 feet above the highway, drank his beer and consoled his bruised
    ego. 
    > 
    > After 5 beers, he needed to do what people often need to do after 5
    beers.
    > It being such a long hike down, he unzipped and did his business
    right
    > there off the tower.
    > 
    > Electricity is a funny thing.  One doesn't need to touch a wire in
    order to
    > get shocked.  Depending on conditions, 115,000 volt lines, like those
    > supported by the tower, could shock a person as far away as 6 feet.
    When
    > the man "whizzed" near the conductor (wire), the power arced to his
    > "stream" (urine is an excellent conductor of electricity), traveled
    up to
    > his private parts, and blew him off the tower.
    > 
    > The guys at the power company noted a momentary outage on this line
    and
    > sent repairmen to see if there was any damage.  When they got to the
    scene
    > of the accident, they found a very dead person, his fly down, what
    was left
    > of his private parts smoking, and a single beer left on top of the
    tower. 
79.4072CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayTue Apr 29 1997 14:323

 Doh!
79.4073that's gotta hurt...BARSTR::JANDROWTue Apr 29 1997 16:294
    
    apparently, he didn't watch ren & stimpy....
    
    
79.4074COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertTue Apr 29 1997 16:311
Urban legend alert.
79.4075BUSY::SLABCareer Opportunity Week at DECTue Apr 29 1997 17:533
    
    	Oh, he DID watch "Ren and Stimpy"?
    
79.4076CSC32::M_EVANSbe the villageTue Apr 29 1997 18:227
    bb
    
    Who would want to admit they even lived in Mass?
    
    ;-)
    
    
79.4077EVMS::MORONEYvi vi vi - Editor of the BeastTue Apr 29 1997 18:324
re .4069:

Because Massachusetts would have a Party Chairman or something, not
a President.
79.4078ACISS1::BATTISEDS boundWed Apr 30 1997 13:122
    
    Gerald, you're late!! wacky news briefs on the double. hut hut
79.4079NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 14:49132
WEIRDNUZ.477 (News of the Weird, March 28, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright notice at the end of this transmission. 

LEAD STORIES

* In February, a California Court of Appeal upheld the 1995 ruling
of a judge in Marin County that admitted to probate the will of
Sam Zakessian, leaving $2 million to his girlfriend rather than to
relatives.  The lower court was persuaded that scribblings on a 4"x
4" piece of paper contained the deceased's instructions, despite
their being hard to read in the first place and then overwritten with
what appear to be obliterations.  The court said the overwrites were
Mr. Zakessian's initials written 21 times (some rotated, some
sideways, some upside-down), three different dates (one sideways
over three lines of text), and two signatures written diagonally. 
The appeals court conceded that the will "is not easily described." 

* In March, the New York Times reported on a recent spate of
what it called really bad Japanese TV shows, among them one in
which bikini-clad young women attempt to crush aluminum cans
by squeezing them between their breasts and another in which a
young child was brought on stage and told that his mother had just
been shot to death--for the purpose of seeing how many seconds
would elapse before he started crying.  Said a leading TV critic,
"The more nonsensical [the programs] are, the more interesting I
find them." 

* The Los Angeles Times reported in February on a dramatic
business success:  the astute marketing decisions by Colombian
drug cartels to increase their market share in U. S. heroin sales. 
The cartels at once reduced price, to bring in more retail customers,
and increased quality, so that HIV-phobic customers could achieve
an adequate high by smoking rather than risk disease from
injecting with sometimes-dirty needles.  The U. S. government
estimates the Colombians have now captured two-thirds of the East
Coast market despite producing only 2 percent of the world's
heroin. 

OBSESSIONS

* Larry Bottone, a coach, teacher, and private tutor of kids for
almost 20 years in Norwalk, Conn., pleaded guilty in October to a
charge of child pornography based on a videotape of himself with a
teenage boy.  According to the police, other videos showed
Bottone whipping nude, blindfolded boys, sticking objects under
their fingernails, and rubbing their bodies with hot olive oil. 
Bottone contended that he was conducting serious research into
how much punishment someone could endure when asked by an
authority figure. 

* Jason Christopher Zepeda, 19, in a holding cell following his
arrest for graffiti vandalism in Fremont, Calif., in February, was re-
arrested when sheriff's deputies noticed on a TV monitor that he
was writing his name all over the walls of the cell. 

* Michael Ronson, 23, was sentenced to five months' probation in
Brantford, Ontario, in October for violation of a previous probation
by again smearing an unsuspecting woman with shaving cream. 
He is once again forbidden to possess any "compressed-air-
impelled shaving cream container." 

* Carlton Bradley, 56, was indicted in November in Plattsburgh,
N.Y., for  stealing underwear from a certain neighbor woman. 
According to police, over a three-year period and stealing one item
at a time, he had amassed 42 bras, 41 pairs of underpants, and 14
negligees. 

* In a radio interview in February, a woman in London, England,
said treatment at the Great Ormond Street children's hospital had
finally cured her 7-year-old son of his three-year habit of eating
nothing but jam sandwiches (strawberry or raspberry, on white
bread).  His fear of other foods was such that he would tremble and
sweat and become nauseous at the sight of them. 

* In February in Charlotte, N.C., skydiving instructor J. C.
Cockrell lost by default a lawsuit filed by a former student, Erin
Crabtree, 21, who had accused him of fondling her breasts during a
tandem jump in which he is harnessed to her and she must hold on
to the parachute lines above her head. 

NOT MY FAULT

* In February, credit union manager Cathleen Byers, charged with
83 counts for embezzling $630,000 over a six-year period, told a
Eugene, Ore., jury, through her lawyer, that her hands may have
taken the money but that her "heart, mind, and spirit" were
innocent, because some other personality within her did it. 
According to the prosecutor, only a handful of multiple-personality
cases have ever been diagnosed in Europe, versus "tens of
thousands" in the U. S. 

* Kurt Irons, 28, was arrested in December in Wausau, Wis.,
and charged with vehicular homicide.  Reportedly, Irons was
driving a stolen truck and had been drinking and crashed head-on
into another truck, killing a 37-year-old woman.  According to
the Marathon County Sheriff's report, Irons was surprised that he
was arrested, saying, "Dudes, it's just a girl, man.  It's a girl,
nothing but a girl." 

* Jeremy Dean and his parents, of Burney, Calif., filed a lawsuit
in January against Shasta County for at least $700,000 for
Jeremy's total disability that resulted from a car crash.  Dean and
some friends had been out drinking.  Dean was in the back seat of
a car and had stuck his head out the window to vomit just as the
driver veered off the road ramming Dean's head into a tree.  The
lawsuit claims that it was the county's fault that the tree was so
close to the road. 

* In November, Gallup, New Mexico, high school football player
Gilbert Jefferson, 18, was arrested after he reacted to his ejection
from a game (two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties) by tackling
a referee, causing the man to flip over and land on his head,
knocking him unconscious.  Four days later, Jefferson's mother
Darlene told reporters it was the referees' and coaches' fault: 
"[Gilbert] has no bad temper.  My son has never been that type of
boy."  It's just that he "was tired and frustrated." 

CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* According to a recent Walt Disney World newspaper
advertisement, an Ashland, Ohio, couple, Bill and Vicky
Meredith, have been journeying to the park since 1974 and spend
10 days of every month there, staying in the same room at the
Caribbean Beach Resort. 

UNDIGNIFIED DEATH

* According to police in Dahlonega, Ga., ROTC cadet Nick
Berrena, 20, was stabbed to death in January by fellow cadet
Jeffrey Hoffman, 23, who was trying to prove that a knife could
not penetrate the flak vest Berrena was wearing. 
79.4080NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 14:52129
WhiteBoard News for Monday, April 21, 1997 [excerpts]

Sydney, Australia:

While not quite a case of assault with a deadly
vegetable, an Australian man has been convicted of
breathing on a policeman after chewing garlic.

Friday, Jeff Pearce was convicted of assault in a Perth
court after admitting he deliberately chewed a clove of
garlic and then breathed in a policeman's face after
being pulled over for a traffic offense.

Perth magistrate Peter Micheledes stressed in
convicting Pearce that he did not intend to deter
garlic lovers but was applying the law. The local
criminal code defines assault as the direct or indirect
application of force, including gas or odor, in such a
manner as to cause personal discomfort.

Pearce told the court a friend had told him the best
way to repel police was to chew garlic and breathe on
them. Following the advice, Pearce kept a clove of
garlic on the dashboard of his car for just such an
occasion.

But when he was pulled over by police for a smoking
exhaust pipe, he was arrested for drunk driving despite
chewing the garlic. He was later charged with
assaulting constable Darren Horn.
==========

Chisinau, Moldavia:

Moldovan transport police detained a 70-year-old woman
who carried a hand grenade "for self-defense" in her
shopping basket, Itar-Tass news agency said Saturday. 

"I carry it around because there is so much hooliganism
around and you can't expect people to come to your
help," it quoted her as saying. 

The police detained the woman after receiving a tip
that a dangerous criminal was riding a suburban train
in Chisinau, capital of the former Soviet republic. 

Tass said she had obtained the grenade from a passer-by
in exchange for half a liter of "samagon"
(home-distilled alcohol). 

Police confiscated the grenade and released the woman
with a warning, it added. 

Crime has soared in most former Soviet republics since
the demise of communism and the painful shift to a
market economy. 
==========

Venice, Italy:

A Finnish tourist's bid to steal a gondola in Venice
failed when sharp-eyed river police noticed the
"unconventional" posture of the midnight skipper,
authorities said Sunday.

The man, about 30, had made off with the boat near St.
Mark's Square late Saturday night and was drifting
toward the Lido when police intercepted him.

They said he did not have the standard posture of a
gondolier and looked as if he was about to fall into
the water.

A complaint was filed against the tourist, who had
apparently partaken too much of the local wine.
==========

Merced, California:

You've heard of a would-be crook pretending the hand in
his pocket was a gun? Someone forgot to tell Steven
King II to cover up.

Police say King tried to rob a bank by brandishing his
uncovered finger and thumb at a teller and demanding
money.

The Bank of America teller told King to wait, then
walked away, Sgt. Gary Austin said. King got tired of
waiting and went across the street to another bank.

Police say he switched tactics there, jumping over the
counter and trying to get the key to a cash drawer. An
employee grabbed the key and told him to "get out of
there," Austin said.

Police arrested King, who was found sitting in the
shrubs nearby.
==========

Albany, Georgia:

The 74-year-old owner of a car dealership chased off an
armed robber with a weed trimmer, whacking him in the
behind after the gunman menaced, "Old man, I've got you
now." 

The robber showed up at Oran McGlamry's dealership
Thursday with a pistol, Police Chief James Vick said. 

McGlamry, forced to give up his wallet in a holdup
Monday, rushed the gunman with his humming weed
trimmer. The surprised robber turned to run and fell.
That's when McGlamry kicked his trimmer into full
throttle and whacked him in the buttocks, Vick said. 

The robber ran away but sheriff's deputies found him. 

"I was just trying to do what any other man would have
done to protect his business, his wife and his life,"
McGlamry said Friday. 

Jason Gordon, 17, was charged with armed robbery,
aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon and
carrying a pistol without a license, police said. 

Gordon had two cuts in the seat of his pants. He didn't
require medical help but "I'm sure it stung pretty
good," Vick said.
79.4081NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 15:01142
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #44 Apr. 22, 1997 [excerpts]
          http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)
**********************************************************************
-------------------------
>>>Messing with the wrong woman
Source: USA Today
BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo. (04-17) - An armed carjacker 
should thank police for their prompt response when a 77-year-old 
woman defended herself in a parking lot. 
The woman (who asked to remain anonymous) may have looked 
defenseless to the suspect, Charles Hoelzer, who intended to take 
her car and money. Instead, Hoelzer got punched out by the woman 
and ended up cutting himself with his own knife. 
"I told one of those nice officers that if I'd have had a few more 
minutes, I would've really kicked his butt," the woman said. 
Hoelzer was charged with four felonies: first-degree robbery, 
attempted kidnapping and two counts of armed criminal action. 
-----------------

>>>Freak driving accident
Source: AP
WELCH, Okla. (04-15) - It was tragic enough that a teen-age 
boy's pickup truck struck a woman. It was even more tragic that 
the woman he just killed was his own mother.
Jay Vasquez, 17, was driving himself to school and was blinded by 
the sun when he accidentally struck his mother from behind, less 
than a quarter mile from the family home. Katherine Vasquez was 
wearing radio headsets and was pronounced dead shortly after the 
7:40 a.m. accident. 
"I've never worked anything like this," Trooper Sheridan O'Neal 
said. "Freak accident. I can't even imagine what (Jay Vasquez) is 
feeling," O'Neal added.
-----------------

>>>Surprise visitor pulls down his pants
Source: Dialog
MADISON, Wis. (04-15) - A 61-year-old man allowed a stranger 
into his apartment and was shocked as the surprise visitor pulled 
down his pants and began to masturbate. 
The 61-year-old Russian immigrant answered the security buzzer 
at 12:50 a.m. and permitted a stranger to enter his home. The 
intruder began masturbating and did not answer when asked to 
leave. The apartment resident watched quietly for about 10 minutes 
and then handed a phone to the strange visitor asking him to call 
police. After dialing a few numbers, the intruder threw the phone 
down and left the building.
-----------------

>>>Six-foot metal poll falls from sky
Source: UPI
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (04-16) - The Federal Aviation Administration 
is investigating a bizarre incident in which a metal pole fell from the 
sky and landed a few feet from a Florida woman and her neighbor. 
The 6-foot pole fell through the roof at a diagonal angle and landed 
in the woman's flower bed. Donna Marie Kostreva and neighbor John 
Allen heard a very loud noise an initially thought something exploded 
nearby. The metal pole had pink cloth attached to it, and the two 
assumed it fell from a banner-towing plane which they have spotted 
flying above just a few minutes before the incident. 
Advertising Air Force, the company flying the banner, has not yet 
admitted responsibility but offered to pay for all the damages. 
-----------------

>>>Pierced patient remains patient
Source: AP
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (04-16) - Authorities were called when a 
pierced acupuncture patient realized his doctor forgot to return and 
remove the needles. 
The acupuncturist, who left the office to attend a personal matter, 
forgot about his patient and went home. "The man had been lying 
there for more than an hour before he realized everyone had gone 
home," a police spokesperson said. 
Immediately following his long session, the 49 year-old patient 
made another appointment for further treatment.
----------------

>>>Man charged with theft after spending bank-error money
Source: UPI
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (04-16) - An auto mechanic was charged 
with theft after spending most of the $169,000 wrongly credited to 
his bank account. 
Frank McPherson's credit union account jumped from $16.90 to 
$169,000 because of a decimal-point error. McPherson, 28, spent 
most of the money during a five-day spending spree. He claims his 
innocence and calls it "an honest mistake." He questioned a Town 
and Country Credit Union teller about his balance and was told the 
money was his. McPherson assumed this was a 401 (k) and severance 
pay from a previous job. 
"McPherson feels a little bit victimized. He was led to believe over 
his objections that the money was his," said McPherson's attorney, 
Andrew Cloutier. 
He was charged with theft and freed on $2,000 cash bail.
-----------------

>>>President Ramos late during punctuality week
Source: AFP, Reuters
MANILA (04-16) - Philippine President Fidel Ramos arrived one 
hour late for an appointment during the national 'Punctuality Week'. 
Ramos woke up at 4:00 a.m. to watch Tiger Woods' historic win in 
the U. S. Masters golf tournament, then went back to bed. 
"My aide gave me a frantic call on the telephone because 
apparently I overslept," he said. 
Ramos declared the national 'Punctuality Week' to educate citizens 
of the importance of being prompt during their quest of becoming a 
globally competitive country. 
---------------------

+++ RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (Reuters, 04-14) - A former history and 
social studies teacher appeared in court to argue for his release 
from state psychiatric care. In 1979 Albert Fentress was accused 
of castrating a 17-year-old boy, cooking and eating his genitals 
and finally shooting him a few hours later. According to his attorney, 
Fentress ran a computer center at the psychiatric hospital and is 
"a model patient."

+++ KIEV, Ukraine (AP, 04-17) - A 13-year-old boy was killed during 
a basketball game when his slammed-dunk caused the backboard 
to come off its post, crushing his skull.

+++ TOKYO (04-18)
- A 51-year-old Japanese woman is suing her local government for 
$128,000 after a public health clinic misdiagnosed a case of 
constipation 
for stomach cancer. "Not only did a portion of the plaintiff's large 
intestine get cut out, she was also forced to take time off from work," 
the lawsuit stated.  

+++ CORRY, Pa. (AP, 04-17) - The Corry Area School District banned 
the use of pencils and pens on school buses after a third-grader played 
a bad joke and seriously injured a six-grade pupil. The younger student 
held a pencil upright on a bus seat and intended to poke the other. 
The injured boy needed four hours of surgery after the pencil brushed 
his colon and nearly hit his rectum. 

+++ SYRACUSE, N. Y. (Reuters, 04-16) - Being confined to a
wheelchair was not enough to keep Champ Hallett from committing
more than 25 robberies. Hallett, 32, agreed to confess to the crimes in 
exchange for a reduced sentence. Wheelchair tire tracks 
led police to Hallett. He has been in a wheelchair since 
1988 when he lost his right leg by falling out of a six-story 
window while trying to rob a crack dealer. 
79.4082NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 15:05138
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 23, 1997 [excerpts]

Tampa, Florida:

Take a left at the light, go three blocks and look for the
house with the bomb on the mailbox. 

McCormick Jones wanted to make sure his brother would be
able to find his house so he placed the fake bomb on the
mailbox Saturday. 

The orange tubes, with flashing lights and a buzzer and
"TNT" written on the side, caught the eye of neighbors, who
called police. 

The bomb squad figured out the device was nothing dangerous,
but a number of officers were frightened when the buzzer
suddenly went off. 

Jones, 24, was arrested and charged with placing a hoax
device, a felony. 

"He said it was all a joke," said sheriff's Lt. David
Gee. "We were not laughing, I'll put it that way."
==========

Wilmington, North Carolina:

A fire that destroyed a vacation home owned by the president
of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. likely was caused by a
discarded cigarette, investigators said.

The home owned by Andrew Schindler caught fire Friday while
workmen installing tile were at lunch. A worker told
investigators he smoked a cigarette about 30 to 45 minutes
before the crew left.

Investigators believe the blaze started in a shrubbery bed
outside the home on Figure Eight Island. Embers from the
fire, fanned by 25 mph wind, flew across a road and scorched
roofs and decks on four oceanfront homes.

Damage to the Schindler home, reduced to several rows
of charred pilings, was estimated at $750,000. Total
damage to the other houses was estimated at $250,000.
==========

Belleville, Ontario, Canada:

It's unlikely that the owners of the Screaming Tale bar had
Joyce Worsley and Ada Gray in mind when they advertised for
topless waitresses.

Worsley, 66, and Gray, her 85-year-old mother, turned up
Tuesday to apply for jobs. 

The applications were partly a lark and partly intended to
deliver a message, said Worsley.

"It's a shame people have to do this," she said. "It's a
shame women have to exploit themselves in this society to
get a job." 

With a twinkle in her eye, Gray said that, although she uses
a walker to get around, "I could put a tray on my head." 

On a serious note, she said it's sad that seniors and young
women have so few means of supplementing their incomes and
are often left to seek work that is exploitive.

The bar's owner was not in Tuesday and the bartender on duty
refused to give the women applications, saying only resumes
were being accepted. 

Worsley handed in her resume and left a message for the
bar's owner to call her. She also promised she would be back
to speak with him in person. 

"I live on a pension and my mother and I barely get by. If I
could do this I would," she said. 
==========

Dummerston, Vermont:

The spring snowmelt helped a Dummerston landowner recover
some belongings that were stolen from his house this winter. 

How? 

The landowner found the burglar's wallet. 

The Vermont State Police said the wallet, containing
identification and cash, belonged to Toby Gagne, 25, of
Townshend. 

Police said their investigation into the burglary at the
Dummerston home took a "positive turn" when the homeowner
found Gagne's wallet in his back yard, near where Gagne and
two other suspects apparently parked their car. 

Authorities believe Gagne inadvertently dropped his wallet,
containing identification and cash, into the snow. 

Police said "a substantial amount of stolen property was
recovered" from searches Monday at Gagne's home and at other
homes in Brattleboro and Vernon. 

Gagne and Matthew Mattson, 23, of Brattleboro, were cited to
appear in Brattleboro District Court on May 12 to answer to
a burglary charge. 

A third accomplice was being sought for the same charge,
police said. 

"Don't want to get caught, hold onto your wallet," one
trooper said. 
==========

Johannesburg, South Africa:

It seemed like a good idea: Use hormones to keep elephants
from getting pregnant. 

But South Africa's largest game park has dropped that
experiment in jumbo-size birth control after a seven-month
trial run, appalled to find the hormones put female
elephants' sex drive in overdrive. 

Instead of keeping the elephants from going into heat, the
estrogen patches kept them in constant heat. The result:
torrid scenes on the grounds of Kruger National Park. 

"The bulls were following them around all the time, hassling
them," park veterinarian Douw Grobler said Wednesday. 

None of the elephants got pregnant, but "this was not
the kind of behavior we were looking for," Grobler
said. 
79.4083NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 15:05139
WEIRDNUZ.478 (News of the Weird, April 4, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright notice at the end of this transmission. 

LEAD STORIES

* Saddam Hussein filed a libel lawsuit in February in Paris
against the magazine e Nouvel Observateur for its September
1996 story in which he was described by other Arab leaders as
stupid and incompetent and referred to, among other things, as an
"executioner," a "monster," a "murderer," "a perfect cretin," and
a "noodle." 

* In March, a judge in York, Pa., sentenced a woman to a first-
offender rehabilitation program for assaulting her 10-year-old son
by giving him what she called a "titty twister."  According to a
police report, she asked the boy, "What's worse than a tornado?"
and then pinched and twisted his nipples, causing soreness and
noticeable damage. 

* In February, the electric co-op in the Philippine province of
Illocos Norte shut off power to the refrigerated crypt of former
president Ferdinand Marcos because his wife, now a member of
the legislature, is about $215,000 behind in the electricity bill. 
The government will not permit Marcos to be buried in Manila
because he was suspected of having appropriating billions of
dollars during his 20-year reign that ented in 1986.  Shutting off
power, said Mrs. Marcos, was "the ultimate harassment, the
harassment of the dead." 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

* Each December for four months, the Ice Hotel residential igloo
opens in the Lapland region of Sweden, housing about 40 people
at about $130 a night for a double room, and with a bar,
restaurant, conference facilities, and a bridal suite.  Room
temperatures range from 27-45 degrees F, and sleeping bags are
used, cushioned by spruce boughs and reindeer skins. 

* According to a trade association of prostitutes in Harare,
Zimbabwe, massive layoffs in the economy have led to an
oversupply of women taking up prostitution and a reduction in
men's spending power, causing them either to ignore prostitutes
or to visit bars only to drink and flirt before going home to the
wife.  To save their jobs, the association recommended in
January that prostitutes raise their price from about $2.80 to
about $4.60 but also requested that wives loosen the pursestrings
to allow husbands to spend more when they go out. 

* The Associated Press reported in February on the Time
Machine lounge in Tokyo, and the "relief room" at the
Yamanakako resort, in which stressed-out workers pay from
about $80 to $125 for a few minutes of satisfaction by smashing
fake ceramic antiques in a museum-like sitting room.  Often, say
the proprietors, the names of tyrannical bosses or unfaithful
spouses will be yelled out as the destruction takes place. 

* A February Associated Press story described how two mid-
career, Berkeley, Calif., professionals (nurse Raphaela Pope, 52,
and lawyer Sam Louie, 36) became prosperous telepathic "pet
psychics."  Pope charges $40 per half-hour by telephone, which
sometimes includes talking directly to the pet.  Said one of her
customers, "I learned [from Pope] that Scarlette [the cat] thought
I didn't want her around.  Scarlette changed immediately after
talking [sic] to Raphaela, and we're happy again." 

* Locksmith Harley Hudson filed a claim for damages against the
city of Wenatchee, Wash., in November, saying that he is due
about $250,000 in damages for lost business because the friendly
police department helps for free motorists who lock themselves
out of their cars.  Hudson calls this kindliness an
"unconstitutional gift of public funds." 

I'VE GOT MY RIGHTS

* In February, the Palm Springs (Calif.) Regional Airport
Commission issued hygiene rules for cab drivers serving the
airport,  including requiring drivers to shower daily with soap,
brush with toothpaste, and eat breath mints.  After vociferous
complaints, the Commission softened the specifics on "fresh
breath" and "pleasant body odor."  Said cabbie Ken Olson to the
Commission, "You're not my mother." 

* Six nurses at a government health care for the disabled facility
in Barrie, Ontario, were fired in December for disobeying new
countywide rules that required them to provide sexual assistance
to their patients (e.g., helping them masturbate, positioning
couples for sex, assisting to put on a condom).  In January, the
agency said it would reconsider the rules, but the women remain
jobless and have filed a lawsuit. 

* In November, the European Commission on Human Rights
rejected the appeal of Manuel Wackenheim, aka "The Flying
Dwarf," whose stage show was banned in France because it
consisted of allowing customers to pay to toss him around. 
Wackenheim said his show "is part of a French dwarf tradition,"
but authorities said it "damages human dignity." 

* According to an October Chicago Tribune report, Illinois and
most other states interpret the federal "motor voter" law to
require mental health agencies to help all clients register and vote
in national elections, even those with mental ages down to 5 or 6. 
The only ones who cannot vote are clients formally declared by a
court to be mentally incompetent (about half of Illinois agencies'
clients).  One woman in the Tribune story, now qualified to vote,
took 20 minutes to write her first name at the registration desk;
another was registered despite the fact that his only
communication ability seemed to be to repeat the last words he
hears.  Relatives fear the clients will be ridiculed at the polls and
that agencies' personnel, while "assisting" them to vote, will
simply complete the ballots as they wish. 

* In February, the staff of the San Francisco Human Rights
Commission found that The Cafe, a gay and lesbian bar, had
illegally discriminated in an August incident in which a straight
man and woman were ushered out the door for smooching too
heavily.  According to a witness, the bartender told the couple,
"What you're doing is very offensive to people here," even
though gays and lesbians freely make out on the premises. (The
Cafe says it has since adopted a policy barring heavy kissing by
anyone.) 

CHUTZPAH

* In November, attempting to influence an Arlington, Va., jury
to give him a light sentence for 20 counts of credit card fraud,
Oludare Ogunde, 28, at first asked for mercy but then said the
jury should keep him out of prison because if he were locked up,
he would just teach other inmates--the "hardened criminals"--how
to commit credit card fraud.  "And," he reminded the jury,
"we're trying to prevent crime in America." 

UNDIGNIFIED DEATH

* In February, Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc,
Calif., as he fell face-first through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he
was burglarizing.  Death was caused when the large flashlight he
had placed in his mouth (to keep his hands free) crammed against
the base of his skull as he hit the floor. 
79.4084NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 15:10141
WhiteBoard News for Friday, April 25, 1997 [excerpts]

Lexington, Kentucky:

A Kentucky man has filed suit claiming he was jailed
for three hours earlier this year because he returned a
rented video cassette too late.

The video was "Ernest Goes To Jail."

Scott Rose says in his suit he was jailed in Lexington
for more than three hours January 19 after an employee
of Blockbuster Video in Nicholasville charged him with
failing to return the video.

The story began in August when Rose said he rented the
movie for a friend. The friend's VCR malfunctioned, so
Rose said he took the video back the next morning and
placed it in the store's drop-off box.

But he said he received a collection agency letter in
October saying that he had not returned the video and
that his credit history would be affected if he didn't
reimburse the store for the video and late fees.

Court records show that Blockbuster had filed a
criminal complaint against Rose for theft.

Rose said he went to the Fayette sheriff's department
to talk with an officer, and was promptly placed behind
bars.

"It just seems ridiculous to me," said Rose, 44. "I've
never even heard of anything like that before."
==========

San Jose, California:

A pair of crooks who apparently had trouble getting a
baby-sitter brought along a boy as young as five months
to at least two burglaries, police say.

Authorities suspect the thieves used the baby to avoid
suspicion, but are concerned about the infant's safety.

"They're just trying to avoid detection and
apprehension by giving the appearance of being a
family," said San Jose police officer John Carrillo.

At least twice, witnesses saw the couple and the baby
when residential burglaries occurred, Carrillo said.
==========

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada:

A cranked-up stereo and a cranky neighbour prompted
police to tell Charles Melanson to turn down the volume
- several times.

And with each warning, Melanson simply cranked it up
some more.

Finally, the RCMP had to go into his home and seize the
stereo.

On Wednesday, his loud listening habits earned him a
$395 fine and two years probation after he pleaded
guilty to mischief.

A judge also ordered the stereo sold.

It was the fourth time in the last 13 years that
Melanson, 39, has been charged with mischief relating
to his blaring speakers.

Melanson appeared nonplussed Wednesday.

"I don't know why they make stereos if you can't use
them," he told court.
==========

Indianola, Mississippi:

Only one thing was stolen in three robberies of a
health office - free condoms. And police are confident
they've caught the culprit. 

Roger Lee Townsend had 3,000 of the contraceptives - in
a variety of colors - at his home when police arrested
him. His pockets were stuffed with prophylactics. 

"This case has to rank up there with the strangest
we've ever handled," Police Chief Kenneth Winter said
Thursday. "I just don't know what he was planning or
what." 

Townsend, 23, was charged with repeatedly breaking into
the health office. 
==========

Rockville, Maryland:

It was Gregory Cooper's moment. The steelworker was
about to be honored for helping pull 15 people from a
burning apartment building near a work site.

But right before he was recognized for his bravery, he
was fired.

"We're walking up to face the TV cameras and the
foreman -- who's just fired me -- says to me, 'Don't
say nothing about it.' He's smiling and telling
reporters, 'Oh, he's such a good worker!"' Cooper told
The Washington Post.

Officials at Burkholder Inc., the Virginia welding and
crane rental company that employed Cooper, said the
March 25 firing was due to job performance and had
nothing to do with the heroics.

The foreman said he didn't want to spoil the ceremony,
which included Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., and
county officials.

"We did kind of feel bad about that," company owner Bob
Burkholder told the Post.

Cooper, who was on the job for about a month, said he
was never told why he was dismissed.

"Everything got worse after the fire," Cooper said,
adding that his co-workers and supervisors seemed
resentful or shunned him.

Cooper, 30, along with a co-worker and a Safeway
employee, kicked in doors to the apartment building and
carried people out during the fire last month.

"We had to put one guy's feet out, they were literally
on fire," Cooper said. Afterward, Cooper said he and
co-worker Dave Thomas "were both coughing up smoke."
79.4085NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 15:13112
WhiteBoard News for Monday, April 28, 1997 [excerpts]

Hamilton, Ontario:

Police are on the lookout for a man accused of
attacking a woman in an alley and they don't think
it'll be too hard to pick him out of a crowd.

He's described as Caucasian, in his early 30s, 6-foot-2
and 220 pounds, with long brown unkempt hair. Oh yes,
the suspect also has a bright green face.

Police say the man, described as a glue sniffer, got a
big surprise when he attacked a woman near her home
Tuesday.

The woman sprayed her attacker's face with a green dye
when he grabbed her. The dye, known by its commercial
name Dyewitness, is difficult to remove and won't
likely come off for about a week.
==========

Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

Two wives of a Saudi man suffering from kidney disease
competed to donate their kidneys to save their husband
and the donor was chosen by drawing lots, a Saudi
newspaper said on Monday.

"There was a degree of competition between the women as
to who the donor should be," the English-language Arab
News said.

"(The) hospital administration was forced to draw lots
between the two wives," it said. "The second wife . . . 
won. However the first wife insisted that the chance of
donating her kidney should have been hers."

According to Islamic law enforced in Saudi Arabia, a
man can have up to four wives.
==========

Chicago, Illinois:

A man driving through Palatine Township choked on
French fries, blacked out and ran his Jeep through a
back yard and kitchen of a nearby home, pinning a man
inside his refrigerator, police reported.

The homeowner, Angel Cosme, 44, was grabbing a Coke at
the time of the crash early Saturday evening.

Though Cosme was not seriously injured, he could have
been crushed if the refrigerator door had not been
open, authorities said.

"I could have lost my legs, if not my life," said
Cosme, a systems technician for Ameritech.

On Saturday, the Cosmes planned a quiet evening at
home. Angel, dressed casually in socks and jeans, went
to the refrigerator for a soda. As he replaced the can
with warm one, he heard an explosion of glass.

Hammerschmidt, heading south on Baldwin Road and eating
French fries, told police he choked and blacked out.

His Jeep slammed through a row of bushes, a 6-foot
wooden fence and an air-conditioning unit in the
Cosmes' back yard, which abuts Baldwin Road.

The Jeep continued through the rear west wall of the
three-bedroom townhouse, shattering the glass patio
doors and mirrors.

The Jeep stopped in the kitchen, but not before it had
shoved Angel Cosme's feet under the refrigerator and
pinned Cosme inside.

Cosme wiggled free by climbing over the hood of the
car. Covered in blood, he crawled to the foyer near his
front door and collapsed.
===========

San Diego, California:

A plastic surgeon was negligent for allowing a waiter
to assist him during a woman's liposuction and breast
implant procedures, a jury ruled. 

Dr. Joseph Graves, whose medical license has been
suspended, argued the waiter did not start working for
him until after Kathryn Taylor's 1995 procedures. 

Ms. Taylor claimed the waiter, Andrew Abodeely,
assisted. 

Abodeely testified that he only observed Graves'
operations because he was interested in becoming a
physician. Former employees, however, testified they
saw Abodeely performing liposuctions, inserting
implants into breasts and doing other procedures. 

The jury Friday did not award any damages for emotional
distress, saying Abodeely's participation did not harm
Ms. Taylor. 

Graves faces more than two dozen lawsuits filed by
patients. The next case scheduled for a May trial
involves Lorraine Boone, who was Grave's receptionist
and claimed the doctor drugged her, kidnapped her and
performed liposuction against her will. 
79.4086ACISS1::BATTISEDS boundWed Apr 30 1997 15:162
    
    <----- it's about time!
79.4087BUSY::SLABDo ya wanna bump and grind with me?Wed Apr 30 1997 15:2019
    
* Six nurses at a government health care for the disabled facility
in Barrie, Ontario, were fired in December for disobeying new
countywide rules that required them to provide sexual assistance
to their patients (e.g., helping them masturbate, positioning
couples for sex, assisting to put on a condom).  In January, the
agency said it would reconsider the rules, but the women remain
jobless and have filed a lawsuit. 
    
    
    	My step-sister works at Providence House [I think that's the name]
    	in Millbury and I remember her telling us a few years ago that it
    	doesn't come up often [snort!!], but they could be asked to put
    	couples in position.
    
    	She didn't mention the masturbation assistance, so I'm not sure
    	that they would be expected to help in that way.  Although I'm not
    	sure that anyone can be legally forced to do that.

79.4088NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed Apr 30 1997 15:35106
********************************************************************** 
Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #45 Apr. 29, 1997 [excerpts]
          http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)
**********************************************************************

>>>Woman can't handle gun, kills friend
Source: Reuters

BELLEVUE, Wash. (04-23) - A woman accidentally shot and 
killed her friend on a shooting range when she was not able 
to control the recoil on a .44-caliber gun. 
Both were part of a Mormon church group visiting Wade's 
Eastside Gun Shop for a session of target practice. Michael 
Chumney, 24, allowed the unidentified 30-year-old friend to 
use his .44-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and stood 
behind her as she began firing. The woman kept her finger 
on the trigger and was not able to control the recoil as one 
of the bullets fired back over her shoulder struck Chumney 
in the neck.
"Based on the information we received from witnesses, we 
believe this is an accidental shooting," Bellevue Police Lt. 
Bill Ferguson said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Sergeant shoots corporal  for refusing order
Source: Nando Times

MADRID, Spain (04-21) - A sergeant major fatally shot one of 
his corporals after the man refused an order to shoot him. 
Sgt. Maj. Juan Carlos Miravete started pointing his gun at 
a group of young reservists while shouting "Are you afraid 
to die?" He then handed his gun to one of his corporals and 
ordered the man to shoot him. Cpl. Samuel Ferrer, 19, was 
fatally shot in the chest after he refused his superior's order. 
Witnesses said the sergeant major was drunk at the time of 
the incident. The Defense Ministry has ordered a full 
investigation.
----------------------

>>>Victims' revenge
Source: Reuters

TAIPEI (04-22) - A robber's life came to a painful end after 
one of his victims bit his penis and another stabbed him with 
his own knife. 
Cheng Chin-lung and his crime partner were holding two 
couples hostage when for unexplained reasons his partner 
decided to run off. Cheng forced one of the women to perform 
oral sex while the other hostages were watching. The woman 
bit Cheng's penis, then one of the men grabbed his butcher 
knife and stabbed him several times. 
He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Cheng's partner 
is still at large.
---------------------------

>>>Prank results in hefty settlement
Source: AP

OAKLAND, Calif. (04-22) - The former owners of KSOL radio 
station agreed to settle a lawsuit and decided to pay $500,000 
to cover the tolls on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge 
for a period of three days and $480,000 for various bridge 
improvements. The settlement was a result of a May 1993 
incident when a station employee blocked several lanes of 
traffic to receive a haircut while broadcasting live on the air. 
The incident was intended as a joke following reports that 
President Clinton tied up traffic at Los Angeles International 
airport while getting a haircut.
---------------------

>>>IN OTHER BIZARRE NEWS

+++   NIEUWEGEIN, The Netherlands (Nando Times, 04-21) - 
Police apprehended a 21-year-old man for having sex with a 
mare. The man admitted "frequenting" several other animals 
for the past month. Stables employees became suspicious after 
finding bales of hay and piles of stones placed behind mares 
and used as stepping stones.

+++ BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters, 04-25) - Lester "Bear" Bryant 
was convicted of shooting his girlfriend's brother, Paul Thomas, 
for eating a slice of his lemon meringue pie. Bryant, 41, could 
get up to 50 years in prison for his crime.

+++ WALES (Toronto Globe and Mail, 04-22) - The 
cause of death for Andrew Thomas remains a mystery. 
Thomas, 27, became addicted to television and his family 
said he had lost his will to live. 

+++ EATON, Colo. (AP, 04-25) - Five third-grade students 
were caught smoking marijuana cigarettes rolled with their 
homework papers. They were suspended for four days and 
school officials are considering additional punishment. 

+++ CHICAGO (UPI, 04-22) - Two 10-year-old boys have 
been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a 5-year-old 
boy for tricking him into drinking urine and sexually assaulting 
him behind a youth community center. Police said several 
other boys were involved in the assault but were younger 
than 10 and cannot be legally charged.

+++ ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP, 04-22) - The Virginia Department 
of Motor Vehicles cancelled the license plate "2 DIKES" which 
was issued to Alice Deighan and her partner two years ago. 
The two lesbian women consider this an attack on their sexual 
preference. Deighan, 34, and her partner Scout, 31, have 
applied for a new license plate: "LESBIAN."
79.4089DEVO::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Wed Apr 30 1997 16:515
    
    
    	Wow........  there are quite a few REALLY bizarre
    	stories in those past few replies (more bizarre than
    	usual)
79.4090NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 01 1997 13:0378
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 30, 1997 [excerpts]

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:

A thick stack of losing lottery tickets brought Patrick
Gayle the best luck of all: It helped save his life. 

Gayle had $40 worth of losing tickets in his shirt
pocket when he got hit in the chest by a stray bullet
from a teen-age gang fight. 

The slug pierced a lighter, a credit card, shaved the
edges off some lottery tickets and put holes in others. 

"You want to talk about being lucky?" said Gayle, 33,
who was unharmed. "Those tickets saved me." 

Police charged a 17-year-old boy with attempted
homicide. Gayle turned the tattered tickets over to
police as evidence last Wednesday, then went to play
his lucky numbers again. 
==========

Arnhem, Netherlands:

Day care can be a hassle, even for burglars. 

Police in this central Dutch city said Tuesday they had
arrested a 32-year-old thief while he was robbing a
house - with his 4-year-old son in tow. 

The thief had broken a window and was trying to steal
stereo speakers when neighbors who heard the break-in
notified police. 

The child, who lives with his mother, had been visiting
the father for a few days when Sunday's burglary
occurred, said police spokesman Jos Klahorst. The thief
is in police custody. The child was returned to his
mother. 

The local child protection agency is considering taking
measures against the divorced parents, the national
daily Algemeen Dagblad reported Tuesday. 
==========

Oshawa, Ontario, Canada:

A 43-year-old Oshawa man will have an interesting story
to tell the family - once he's sober.

After staggering out of a bar in this city east of
Toronto late Thursday night, he passed out between a
set of railway tracks.

The engineer on an approaching train slammed on the
emergency brakes, but it was too late. The train ran
over the man.

Police and an ambulance crew who were called to the
scene expected to find a body. Instead, they discovered
the man sleeping peacefully without a scratch on him.

When they woke him, he wasn't aware of how close he'd
come to death.

The man, whose name is not being released because no
charges are pending, was taken to Oshawa General
Hospital so medical staff can keep an eye on him while
he dries out, said Sgt. Jim Grimley of Durham Region
police.

And although the booze put him in the precarious
situation in the first place, it may also have saved
his life.

"If he had woken up and sat up he would have been in
trouble," said Grimley.
79.4091NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 05 1997 15:19199
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 02, 1997

Seattle, Washington:

A gunfight with bank robbers caused six police officers
emotional distress, so they're suing the bad guys for
damages.

The lawsuit names the estate of William Scott Scurlock,
who died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound
the day after the robbery, and his accomplices, Steve
Paul Meyers, 47, and Mark John Biggins, 42.

Meyers and Biggins, arrested in the early stages of the
Nov. 27 shootout in a North Seattle neighborhood,
pleaded guilty to federal bank-robbery charges in the
$1 million heist. The loot was recovered and sentencing
was set for May 12.

The lawsuit, filed last week by six members of the
Puget Sound Violent Crime Task Force, alleges "extreme
and outrageous" behavior by the robbers.

"They are not doing this for the money," attorney
Lincoln Sieler, who represents the plaintiffs, said
Wednesday. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
==========

Kennesaw, Georgia:

Phone-napped and held for ransom.

Jennifer LeBrecque was running an errand in Atlanta's
suburban Cobb County when her $350 combination cellular
phone, pager and walkie-talkie was stolen from her
unlocked car.

When she called her husband to alert him to last week's
theft, he was negotiating with someone over the phone's
radio band. The phone-napper demanded $80 be put in an
orange envelope and placed under the slide at an
elementary school playground, according to police
reports and the LeBrecques.

An orange envelope was not available, so Bob LeBrecque
and the caller settled on a green soft-drink bottle.
LeBrecque called police, who set up a stake out at the
playground while he put the bottle containing $3 under
the sliding board.

Christopher Lee Schoener, 17, was charged Monday with
theft by receiving.

The phone was eventually found in the trash at the
elementary school.
==========

Alfreton, England:

An unfaithful husband was paraded through a town's
streets yesterday wearing a sandwich board proclaiming
his errant ways.

Robert Hill, 30, walked through the centre of Alfreton,
Derbys, bearing two messages scrawled on the makeshift
frame. One read: "I have been unfaithful to my wife (at
least eight times)." The other said simply: "I am sorry
darling."

Hill, whose route took him past at least one former
workplace, said later that he agreed to the humiliation
in order to pacify his wife, Donna, who had apparently
uncovered a string of affairs.

She recorded his progress on video while passers-by
heckled and jeered. The couple later returned, hand in
hand, to their home in nearby Somercotes.

"I did it basically to prove how much I still love her
and our children, and to admit what I've done," said
Hill. "It was embarrassing, but not as bad as I thought
it would be. I got a lot of response. Some were shaking
their heads and saying 'Who's been a naughty boy then?'
One couple said they'd prefer a divorce. A lot of
people said I had guts for doing it."

Donna Hill, a mother-of-three, appeared delighted by
her revenge. "I just had to teach him a lesson he will
never forget. He made me look stupid, so I thought I'd
make him look stupid."

Recalling how she had forgiven her husband's previous
dalliances, she added: "He would just go out and do it
all over again. But this is it. If he does it again,
he's out on his ear."
==========

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:

The anti-fencing unit of the Vancouver police has
foiled some sword snatchers. 

Members of Smithers' Stikinia fencing club were in the
big city for a meet March 23 when they had an
increasingly common Vancouver experience. 

Someone broke into their car. 

"The only thing they took from the vehicle was a bag
full of fencing swords, a fencing uniform, a mask and
related equipment," Const. Ron Fairweather said
yesterday. 

The 14 swords alone were worth $3,500. 

Three weeks ago police were called to an east-end home
where two men were having a play fight on their lawn
with a pair of foils. 

The cops seized the swords. 

Fairweather said the anti- fencing unit -- which fights
the trade in stolen property -- notified pawnbrokers to
be on the lookout for the stolen fencing gear. 

"On Saturday there was a male that went into the
Vancouver Buy and Sell pawn shop at Columbia and
Hastings and he brought in six of these fencing
swords," he said. 

"The shop owner clued in, knowing there had been a
theft of these things. He asked if he could get any
more, and the fellow later brought in six more for a
total of 12." 

So the anti-fencing unit helped the fencers? 

"I guess you'll be able to have a little fun with
that," Fairweather chuckled. 

He said the pawnshop owner did a good deed -- he paid
very little for the swords and turned them over to
police. 

No arrests have been made. Police are still looking for
the other stolen items. 
==========

Erie, Pennsylvania:

At age 40, Debbie Mizikowski has been a competitive
skier, cyclist, laborer and construction worker. She
can now add "Hooters Girl" to the resume. 

"It's the same kind of feeling because I'll be in the
public eye," said Mizikowski, who took the part-time
job as a waitress after a friend was hired. 

The Hooters restaurant chain is known for waitresses
who wear tight, orange running shorts and low-cut tank
tops. 

"It's the first job I've ever had where I can wear my
hair down and use makeup and do my nails," she said.
"My first table I waited on, a guy told me I have
beautiful eyes. That made me feel good." 

Mizikowski believes she is the oldest Hooters waitress.
The Atlanta-based company said it does not keep track
of such statistics. 

Mizikowski's 9-year-old daughter has a T-shirt that
reads "Future Hooters Girl." 
==========

Stockholm, Sweden:

A dirt road at the Arctic Circle with just one family
living there: does it sound like Lonely Street? Close -
it's actually Elvis Presley Boulevard. 

The road in the 600-person hamlet of Juoksengi, about
500 miles north of Stockholm, had gone without a name
for years. But that caused trouble for Leif Bergdahl, a
doctor who has his office on the road, along with his
family's home. 

The agency that oversees Sweden's health care matters
demanded that Bergdahl get a proper street address so
that his office would be easier to find, the newspaper
Expressen reported Friday. 

"I worked as a heart surgeon in Alabama for a year, and
learned to love Elvis," the newspaper quoted Bergdahl
as saying in explaining his choice. 

The name was approved by local authorities and the
street was christened on the eve of May Day, a
traditional night of celebration. 
79.4092NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 06 1997 16:46102
WhiteBoard News for Monday, May 05, 1997 [excerpts]

Sao Paulo, Brazil:

A Brazilian lottery ticket vendor said he owed his life
to his faith in God and four small coins he was
carrying in a breast pocket, which blocked a bullet
fired by a man trying to rob his store.

"These coins are blessed," said Raimundo Dias Carneiro,
a middle-aged vendor in Belo Horizonte, capital of the
southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

Carneiro, holding the four dented coins in his palm,
told TV Globo that two armed men approached a booth
where he sells lottery tickets and said they wanted his
money. Carneiro told the men not to shoot but when he
opened the door to let them in, one of the men fired
his pistol at Carneiro.

Fortunately, the bullet struck the coins, preventing it
from entering Carneiro's body. He said he pushed the
men into his booth and then ran out into the street.
Both were later arrested by police.
==========

New York, New York:

A 3-year-old boy who had wandered away from a Sunday
school was rescued from busy train tracks after the
Long Island Rail Road halted its service and shut off
an electrified rail. 

An engineer stopped his train and alerted dispatchers
after spotting the child on Sunday afternoon in Queens. 

The engineer of a following train, hearing reports that
the boy had been found, noticed a man walking around
the tracks in the same vicinity and, realizing it could
be the father, stopped to pick him up, said railroad
spokeswoman Susan McGowan. 

The man and his son, Pedro Avilas senior and junior,
were reunited at the Jamaica station. 

Police learned that the father had been attending
services and the boy was in the Sunday school at a
church adjacent to the tracks between the Woodside and
Forest Hills stations in Elmhurst, Queens. 

The child apparently had wandered away and crawled
under a fence separating the church from the tracks,
McGowan said. 

She said Jim Hanley, engineer of a 4:58 p.m. train out
of Penn Station, saw the child on the tracks. He
stopped his train and radioed ahead to have the
electrified "third rail" turned off and stop other
trains from running through the area while his crew
picked up the boy. 
==========

Istanbul, Turkey:

Turkish Airlines fired two pilots Monday for engaging
in a fistfight in the cockpit of a plane that carried
240 passengers. 

The fistfight between pilot Altan Tezcan and co-pilot
Erdogan Gecim broke out during a dispute over altitude
data during a Bangkok-to-Istanbul flight April 4,
newspapers said. 

The two pilots have been barred from flying since the
incident, which occurred at 11,000 feet. 

The automatic pilot on the Airbus 340 was active at the
time, the daily Hurriyet said. 
==========

Beijing, China:

Li is the most common family name in the world,
belonging to some 87 million people, Chinese academics
announced Monday.

The findings of the Chinese Academy of Sciences'
Institute of Genetics study mean that Zhang has been
knocked off the top spot, the official Xinhua news
agency reported.

The study found there were 11,969 surnames among
China's 56 ethnic minorities but this was far from
adequate.

Some 350 million people use the names Li, Wang, Zhang,
Liu and Chen alone, the report said.

The study's authors suggested China institute
regulations on the use of family names to ease the
problems caused by having too many people with the same
names.
79.4093WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjWed May 07 1997 17:5397
79.4094NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 07 1997 17:581
They oughta add 20 to their name.
79.4095Dark Bothers == mitchell Brothers??LUNER::WALLACEWed May 07 1997 18:017
    
     <<< Note 79.4093 by WAHOO::LEVESQUE "Spott Itj" >>>
    
  <<<  "....and no one complained about being personally violated..."
    
	What an interesting way to phrase this.....
    
79.4096YGBSMWAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu May 08 1997 12:4621
    Man charged with crime for claiming intruder maimed him
    
    Associated Press, 05/08/97 04:35 
    
    JOHNSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - A man who claimed an intruder cut off his penis
    actually clipped it himself to discourage a man who was attracted to
    him. 
    
    Earl Zea, 34, cut off his own penis with pruning shears so that a man,
    whose name was not released, would find another target for his
    affection, Fulton County District Attorney Polly Hoye said. 
    
    Zea, who drove himself to a nearby hospital, told police an intruder
    maimed him while he slept in his living room Saturday night. Police
    became suspicious after noticing blood stains in the bathroom and not
    the living room, however. 
    
    Zea admitted Wednesday he made up the story, but will only been charged
    with falsely reporting an incident. 
    
    ``It's not against the law to remove your own penis,'' Ms. Hoye said. 
79.4097ACISS1::BATTISApostrophe abuser supremeThu May 08 1997 13:204
    
    .4096
    
    another canidate for Heavens Gate.
79.4098 for all your pruning needs...GAAS::BRAUCHERAnd nothing else mattersThu May 08 1997 13:324
    
      pruning shears...
    
      bb
79.4099POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Thu May 08 1997 14:091
    That sure is a eunuch approach to dealing with sexual harassment.
79.4100ACISS1::BATTISApostrophe abuser supremeThu May 08 1997 14:172
    
    well, best to snip it in the bud.
79.4101POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Thu May 08 1997 14:281
    Bud? I'm with Doda. Battis, you have lousy taste in beer.
79.4102NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 08 1997 15:391
Sounds like he may have had a few Buds before he nipped it in the.
79.4103ACISS1::BATTISApostrophe abuser supremeThu May 08 1997 16:572
    
    are you daring to question my taste in beer? you are a brave lot.
79.4104SALEM::DODAJust you wait...Thu May 08 1997 17:011
No, your lack of taste. 
79.4105POWDML::HANGGELIElvis Needs BoatsThu May 08 1997 17:053
    
    That's going to leave a mark.
    
79.4106ACISS1::BATTISApostrophe abuser supremeThu May 08 1997 17:114
    
    daryll, the day i need advice from a pncy type who drinks
    BLUEBERRY ale, i will no doubt call you. Until that time comes, I'll
    just ignore your obvious envy.
79.4107POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Thu May 08 1997 17:121
    will you pay attention to his hidden envy?
79.4108WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu May 08 1997 17:153
    >are you daring to question my taste in beer? 
    
     What taste?
79.4109old style <snicker>SALEM::DODAJust you wait...Thu May 08 1997 17:152
No need to call marky, solicitation is not a requirement. You'll 
get it anyway, and for free to boot.
79.4110POWDML::HANGGELIElvis Needs BoatsThu May 08 1997 17:173
    
    I thought having a ponytail was a requirement for ponciness.
    
79.4111WMOIS::GIROUARD_CThu May 08 1997 17:311
    or pncyness.
79.4112MRPTH1::16.121.160.239::slablabounty@mail.dec.comFri May 09 1997 16:3165
Is this woman blonde???
---------------------------------------------------


>Subject: 	Woman Eats Contraceptive Jelly
>
>This story demonstrates that our justice system is whacked. But the
>saddest fact is that this woman is producing intelligence-impaired
>offspring.
>
>PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - A woman is suing the pharmacy that sold her a
>popular contraceptive jelly - because she ate the stuff on toast and got
>pregnant anyway.
>
>And, incredibly, many legal experts are saying she's got an excellent
>chance of collecting!
>
>"The woman is a complete idiot," said one attorney who asked that we not
>use his name. "How bright can you be if you think eating a vaginal gel
>will prevent conception?
>
>"But certain aspects of the case involve truth in labeling and false
>advertising issues. She may not collect but she'll make a lot of noise
>and trouble. People are down on lawyers anyway. They think we waste time
>and money on frivolous lawsuits. This isn't going to help our public
>relations any."
>
>A spokesman for the unnamed mom-and-pop drugstore says he's shocked and
>angry that such a case could ever be taken seriously. "All she has to do
>is open the box and read the directions," says the spokesman. "Next
>thing you know someone will come after us because they couldn't stick
>things together with their toothpaste.
>
>"I can just imagine some moron saying: 'It's paste, isn't it? Why can't
>I glue these papers onto my bulletin board?' "
>
>But attorneys for Mrs. Chyton say she was swindled and lied to by
>implication and they intend to make the pharmacy pay $500,000 for the
>hardship the woman will have to endure.
>
>"It says right on it 'jelly,'" says Mrs. Chyton, a former model who was
>once a cheerleader for a popular professional basketball team.
>
>"And they kept it on the shelf just two aisles from the food section. I
>know, now, that the directions say it should be used vaginally with a
>condom.
>
>"But who has time to sit around reading directions these days -
>especially when you're sexually aroused?
>
>"The company should call it something else and the pharmacy shouldn't
>sell it without telling each and every customer who buys it that eating
>it won't prevent you from getting pregnant."
>
>As bizarre as it sounds, the pharmacy could wind up losing the lawsuit.
>
>"It's hard for businesses to avoid troublesome lawsuits," said another
>attorney.
>
>"With the courts bending over backwards to please consumer groups, the
>temper of the times is perfect for these crackpots to bring legal action
>against businesses - even a moronic legal action like this."
>

79.4113CSLALL::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayFri May 09 1997 16:332
 Kinda sounds like urban legend material to me.
79.4114SMURF::WALTERSFri May 09 1997 17:021
    They labelled it Jelly.  Now they want to Welch on it.
79.4115CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsFri May 09 1997 17:071
    Looks like she's in quite a jam.
79.4116SMURF::WALTERSFri May 09 1997 17:071
    She Fluffed the pregnancy test too.
79.4117GAVEL::JANDROWFri May 09 1997 17:086
    >> "But who has time to sit around reading directions these days -
    >> especially when you're sexually aroused?
    
    but she had time to make toast???
    
    
79.4118CONSLT::MCBRIDEIdleness, the holiday of foolsFri May 09 1997 17:091
    A good school marm'll aid in educating folks on how to read directions.
79.4119SMURF::WALTERSFri May 09 1997 17:102
    Hey, do I have to draw you a diaphragm?
    
79.4120LANDO::OLIVER_Blooking for deep meaningFri May 09 1997 17:114
    
    now Mrs. Chyton.  what is the capital of Wyoming?
    
    
79.4121ACISS1::BATTISSniper BoyFri May 09 1997 17:202
    
    lucky she wasn;t drinking and driving. would have gotten a iud.
79.4122SMURF::WALTERSFri May 09 1997 17:303
    In court, Ms Chyton claimed that her seat was uncomfortable
    and could she please have some stool softener.
    
79.4123NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Fri May 09 1997 17:562
The story's gotta be bogus.  It's written in the style of the
Weekly World News.
79.4124DEVO::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Fri May 09 1997 18:096
    
    
    	Well we would certainly hope so.  But if God forbid it 
    	isn't, here's hoping that she doesn't add anymore 
    	offspring to the gene pool!
    
79.4125COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertSun May 11 1997 02:2816
                       S A V E   T H E   B O O B S

The Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando and the American Cancer Society's
Orlando chapter both refused to accept $3500 raised by topless dancers who
operated a topless car wash this past April 24th in a promotion using the
slogan "Save the Boobs".

Patrons pulled their cars into tents at an Orlando nightclub where the
dancers went to work with soap and water.

The money was finally accepted by the Women's Center for Radiology, where
it will be used to provide mammograms to uninsured women who can't afford
to pay.

/john
79.4126MRPTH1::16.121.160.240::slablabounty@mail.dec.comSun May 11 1997 15:533
Geez, beggars try to be choosy once in awhile, eh?

79.4127TROOA::BUTKOVICHclowns to left/jokers to rightMon May 12 1997 05:359
    I've been told by the Canadian Cancer Society that they may no longer
    be able to accept the donation from the Charity Ball that I organize
    each Nov (last year was the 8th) because there is smoking at the event. 
    I agree that it is rather hypocritical for people to attend an event
    for the Cancer Society and then turn around and smoke but who am I to
    judge?    In any case, we have to make it clear in the invitations this
    year that this will be a non-smoking event and then do our best to
    "police" it on the night of th Ball.  I hope it doesn't drop our
    numbers/donation by too much.  8^/
79.4128WMOIS::GIROUARD_CMon May 12 1997 10:494
    Many of these groups are way too anal for their own good. pious and
    pontificating pseudo-pc cretins thare are too wrapped up in their own
    presentation and not wrapped enough in the cause they allegedly
    support.
79.4129POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Mon May 12 1997 13:045
    Well, if you had ever been to one of these Balls you might understand.
    I had a blast at the one I went to, but hooo boy, just about everybody
    was smoking like a bastard. 

    Kind of like passing dirty syringes around at an aids charity ball.
79.4130Those Kiwis really know how to have funSHOGUN::KOWALEWICZAre you from away?Mon May 12 1997 13:2535
     A poultry worker aimed a live chicken and squeezed it 
     with such force that excrement was splattered over a 
     fellow worker, New Plymouth District Court has been 
     told. 

     Norman Keith Hireme, 24, was fined $50 by Judge 
     Michael Hobbs yesterday, after being found guilty of 
     cruelly treating a chicken in a defended hearing. 

     RSPCA counsel Jim Boyd said that on November 25 last 
     year, Hireme worked as a process worker in the 
     unloading and hanging bay area of the Tegel Poultry 
     plant at Bell Block, near New Plymouth. 

     Hireme took a live chicken, pointed the bird's rear 
     end at a fellow worker and squeezed it with such 
     force that excrement was forced from it and was shot 
     several metres to strike a fellow worker. 

     The defendant repeated this several times before 
     placing the chicken on the conveyer line, where it 
     was electrically stunned and slaughtered a few 
     seconds later. 

     Veterinary opinion was that considerable force would 
     have been needed to do this and that the chicken 
     would have suffered extreme pain and distress. 

     Hireme lost his job as a result of the incident. 

     As well as fining Hireme $50, Judge Hobbs also 
     ordered him to pay witness expenses of $192.50, 
     inspection costs of $123 and court costs of $65. -- 
             NZPA 
79.4131POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Mon May 12 1997 13:321
    he must have hired a chicken **** lawyer.
79.4132PENUTS::DDESMAISONSAre you married or happy?Mon May 12 1997 13:357
	I never heard of a chicken soup lawyer before.


        - Naive Nell


79.4133NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 12 1997 15:12131
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 09, 1997 [excerpts]

Newstead, New York:

A man was charged with felony drunken driving after
being pulled over on his way to court to answer the
same charge, police said. 

James Hicks, 55, of Buffalo, was stopped by sheriffs
responding to a complaint of a motorist drinking vodka
from the bottle about 5:30PM Wednesday, authorities said. 

According to the Erie County Sheriff's office, Hicks
admitted he had been drinking since about 10AM and was
killing time before a scheduled court appearance for a
drunken driving arrest May 2. 

Each arrest occurred in the town of Newstead, just east
of Buffalo. 

Hicks had a blood-alcohol level of .27 percent --
nearly three times the legal limit -- after his first
arrest. His level was .28 percent Wednesday. 

Hicks was arraigned at Newstead Town Court, where Judge
Dennis Freeman set bail at $5,000. 
==========

York, Pennsylvania:

A suspected burglar shot in the head during a break-in
sat on his front porch with a bullet between his eyes
waiting for police to arrive, authorities say. 

Michael Hughes, 30, was treated Tuesday at York Hospital
before being arraigned on charges of burglary, theft,
receiving stolen property and reckless endangerment. 

Police said Hughes broke into the home of Kenneth
Miller, then fled after Miller arrived home. 

Fleeing in his own sport utility vehicle, Hughes
ignored Miller's order to stop, and Miller fired a shot
from his .22-caliber pistol through the windshield,
hitting the burglar, police said. 

Police said Hughes was able to drive home about a
half-mile away, and his family called for help. 
==========

Miami, Florida:

John Kane came into a Miami jewelry store Tuesday to
sell a $3,200 Rolex when he heard a shriek.

It was Olga Whittaker, 56, who recognized the watch as
her husband's. The piece had been stolen two days
beforehand from her booth at an antique show in West
Palm Beach -- 70 miles away.

Whittaker just happened to be in the store at the time,
so she grabbed Kane as the jeweler locked the door and
called police.

Whittaker thought the watch was gone forever when it
disappeared Sunday. She said she recognized Kane.

"He came to our booth three different times, asking the
price of this, the price of that," she said. "He looked
very pale and nervous then, and the same today."

Whittaker said God delivered Kane to her. He had another
answer.

"Bad luck," he told police.
==========

Fresno, California:

An 11-year-old boy is getting $1,235.20 for not playing
baseball.

A judge gave Spartan League officials two choices --
either let Peter C. Lang play with the league's Major
Giants or pay the boy compensatory and punitive damages
plus court costs. The league's board of directors chose
to pay and said Wednesday the check was on its way.

The controversy started in March when Lang was invited
to practice with the team by a former coach because
some players were not showing up for practices.

Later, the boy's father approached the league's vice
president and paid the $40 registration fee for his son
to play for the Giants. But the league's president said
the boy could not be on the team because he missed the
registration deadline.

Although the league offered a spot for Lang on another
team, the parents refused, saying he had no friends on
the other team, and filed a lawsuit in small claims
court.
==========

Boulder, Colorado:

It was the right diamond ring, the right box of chocolates,
but the wrong woman. 

Chuck Lehman's perfectly planned proposal took a wrong
turn at a Boulder restaurant, when a waiter delivered
an engagement ring to the wrong table - and another
woman left with it. 

Lehman had tucked the ring into a box of Godiva
chocolates and arranged for the waiter to deliver it to
his soon-to-be fiancee. Trouble is, they switched
tables and the waiter didn't get the word. 

Lehman's girlfriend was facing the table where the
chocolates were delivered and watched, unaware of the
plan, as the woman tried on the ring for size. Lehman's
back was to the table, so he didn't know. 

The other couple paid their bill and left - with the
ring. Sheriffs used a credit card receipt to track down
the couple, who said they thought it was just costume
jewelry. They returned the ring. 

The story has a happy ending: Lehman's girlfriend said
"yes." 
79.4134ACISS1::BATTISSniper BoyMon May 12 1997 15:252
    
    regarding the drunk driver, if nothing else, he is consistant.
79.4135NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 12 1997 15:291
Like you're spellling.
79.4136ACISS1::BATTISSniper BoyMon May 12 1997 15:342
    
    ouch!
79.4137NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 13 1997 13:48146
WhiteBoard News for Monday, May 12, 1997 [excerpts]

Cambridge, Massachusetts:

A book about the history of England has been returned
to Harvard University - 233 years after it was checked
out.

No one knows where the thick, leather-covered "Complete
History of England with the Lives of All the Kings and
Queens Thereof, Volume 3," has been. It was one of only
a few books that survived a fire at the university in
1764, thanks to an unknown borrower who failed to
return it.

It was recently purchased from a rare-books dealer.

The book itself is a relatively undistinguished volume
of history that was written by Bishop White Kennett,
printed in London in 1706 and given to Harvard by a
Boston minister in 1709.

It was one of 404 books that escaped a fire in Harvard
Hall when the building burned to the ground on January
25, 1764, destroying the rest of the 5,000-volume
collection.

About 250 books that were being kept in storage were
spared. Another 144 were out on loan, including one
from the original bequest of John Harvard, after whom
the university was named.

That book, "The Christian Warfare Against the Devil
World and Flesh," by John Downame, was returned by an
undergraduate who was profusely thanked and then
expelled for having borrowed it without permission.
==========

Toronto, Canada:

A man who has been trying to extort money from
bystanders by threatening animals was charged Sunday
after putting a baby raccoon at risk.

The same man was sought in connection to an incident
last month in which a man threatened to wring a Canada
goose's neck in a downtown doughnut shop, police said.

Carrying a two-month-old raccoon and a large rock
Sunday, the man threatened to bash the raccoon on the
head if passersby in Toronto's east end didn't pay him
$50, police said.

A bus driver saw the incident and called police.

After escaping from the man, the raccoon hid under a
police cruiser. A tow truck had to lift the vehicle so
staff from the Toronto Humane Society could catch the
animal.

The agency's Amy White said the tiny raccoon kit was
unhurt, except for a few scratches. 

"He's fine. He's extremely feisty, which is exactly
what you want for a raccoon his age," White said. 

"It's a relief," White said of the arrest. 

On April 24, a man carrying a Canada goose walked into
a downtown doughnut shop and demanded money from
customers, or he would wring the animal's neck.

A customer gave the man $60 before he fled, leaving the
animal behind.

The goose was also taken to the Humane Society, and
later released. 

"We are worried that people may copycat (the
kidnappings). It's not lucrative and it's dangerous,"
White said.
==========

"It produces an ecological cleansing of the criminal
fauna." 

-- Buenos Aires police commissioner Abel Miqueleiz,
expressing gratitude for gang street battles in
Argentina's capital.  
==========

Woburn, Massachusetts:

Joshua Naughton was filming an adventure movie. It
almost became a documentary. 

Naughton neglected to inform the local police
department that he was staging a terrorist attack in
this Boston suburb, and officers responded as if it was
the real thing. 

"I think the Woburn police were angry at us for being
so stupid. They were just doing their job," the
23-year-old filmmaker said. 

The film was to be the tale of six Navy commandos
raiding a Woburn church where fictional Middle Eastern
terrorists had stashed some stolen uranium. 

Six amateur actors, most of them martial arts teachers
or students, donned black ammunition vests,
commando-style pants and boots, strapped on hip
holsters with plastic copies of 9mm pistols, carried
"automatic weapons" made of gunstocks and painted
pieces of pipe and put radio headsets and black masks
around their necks. 

Terrified, a neighbor called police. 

"We got a call, and I dispatched an unmarked cruiser to
the area," said police Sgt. Donald Lyons. "The
detective parked at a farm stand and observed them
through binoculars. He saw people in what appeared to
be black jumpsuits coming out of the home with
weapons." 

The unmarked car and three marked cruisers boxed in the
truck in the parking lot of the Joyce Middle School. 

Naughton and his brother, Matthew, 20, who were in
civilian clothes, were rousted from the truck's cab.
The costumed actors were in back. 

"I told everyone to put their guns on the floor and put
their hands on their head. And nobody touch the door.
Wait 'til they open it," said Mark Hardcastle, 23, one
of the amateur actors. 

"They were very professional," he said of the police. 

The troupe was set free after officers made certain
they were harmless. 

"It could have been a disaster if someone had
panicked," Lyons told the Boston Herald. "They're only
making a movie. Like we know that." 
79.4138NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 13 1997 13:58122
**********************************************************************
   Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #47 May 13, 1997  [excerpts]
            http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)     
**********************************************************************

>>>Man performs self-surgery
Source: AFP

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (05-08) - A Tanzanian man amputated 
his foot because he could not afford the $26 operation fee. 
William Mbaruku, 65, cut off his cancerous right foot with a razor 
because he could not pay the surgical fee. The man approached 
several doctors who refused to perform the operation. 
Mbaruku is a former medical assistant at a plantation near the 
town of Morogoro. 
"I found the bill too much and decided to operate myself. I am 
now dressing the wound myself, and at least I am now feeling 
better," Mbaruku said.
-----------------------

>>>Multiple personalities rape case
Source: UPI

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (05-09) - A Santa Rosa court will decide 
if one of a 44-year-old woman's personalities was raped by her 
male roommate. 
The woman, who has suffered from multiple personality disorder 
for 20 years, accused Ronnie Merrick, 43, of raping 10-year-old 
"Little Annie," who was the dominant personality at the time of 
the incident. The woman also claims she is sometimes taken 
over by personalities of a 3-year-old, a "rambunctious" 
18-year-old and a 14-year-old "seductress." 
The ex-schoolteacher said "Little Annie" awoke to find Merrick 
having intercourse with her. In a previous hearing last September, 
she claimed "Annie" just witnessed the incident. The court is 
to decide which personality was actually raped. 
----------------------

>>>S&M Cafe opens in New York
Source: NY Post

NEW YORK (05-09) - La Nouvelle Justine is the latest theme 
restaurant where the waiters love to take your orders. 
Whip-toting mistresses, dog-collar-wearing busboys, chains 
and cages are part of the atmosphere at this S&M lovers' 
paradise. 
"Our submissives will do anything you ask," said co-owner 
Hayne Jason. "You want a slave to lick your shoes? They'll 
lick your shoes. You have no idea how many people like that," 
Jason added. 
What if you are submissive? "If you're a bad boy, we'll throw 
you in the prison and make you eat out of a dog bowl," said 
maitre d' Master Michael. 
"It's not about pain, whips and chains, but about exploring 
one's psyche," said former dungeon manager, Mistress Diane. 
---------------------

>>>Construction worker wrecks house and love
Source: Reuters

BONN, Germany (05-12) - A 34-year-old construction worker 
wrecked a 4.5-ton excavator into the house of his ex-girlfriend 
in an unsuccessful attempt to win her back. 
The unidentified man drove the excavator more than 12 miles 
to Ilona Vogel's house who refused to talk to him because he 
was drunk. The construction worker drove the excavator 
through the 36-foot-long fence and rammed into her bedroom 
window. 
He was later arrested by police and fired by his employer. 
---------------------

+++ COPENHAGEN (AFP, 05-02) - A 29-year-old Danish prisoner 
regularly slipped out of his jail cell to commit burglaries. A search 
of his cell revealed more than 40,000 kroner (6,000 dollars) worth 
of stolen merchandise. "He managed to push apart the bars of his 
cell every night and leave the prison, which has no surrounding 
wall but an exterior fence, undisturbed," said Inspector Poul Erik 
Pederson.

+++ HONG KONG (AFP, 05-08) - A 19-year-old woman told a 
court that she was talked into having sex with 30 men per day 
as part of her duties as a member of the Green Dragon Temple 
cult. The money she earned working as a prostitute for four 
months was used to fund the cult. She was told that her future 
would be provided for when the world ended and that her family 
will be protected against evil and they would become "gods 
and go to heaven." 

+++ TULSA, Okla. (L.B. Press-Telegram, 05-12) - Police arrested 
Timothy McWilliams, 40, after locking his mother in a storm cellar 
filled with 2-1/2 feet of water. The woman, who is in her mid-60s, 
was locked in the cellar for 27 hours  ... "to punish her because 
she wouldn't pray to God."

+++ SANTA FE, N. M. (Reuters, 05-12) -
A former junior high school teacher, who is accused of having an 
affair with one of his 14-year-old students, told the judge that 
he knew the girl in 640 A.D. while he was a teenage monk in 
Tibet. Roger Katz also said she saved his life more than 1,350 
years ago and he just wanted to repay the "debt of love and 
devotion." 

+++ SANTA FE, N. M. (Reuters, 05-07) -
Two fifth graders were ordered by a judge to stop seeing each 
other after their make-believe marriage ended in make-believe 
divorce. Eleven-year-old Katie Sawyer's family filed a complaint, 
alleging abuse and threats, against 10-year-old Cody Finch. 
The two got "married" on the school playground by a classmate 
"minister." 

+++ MANAGUA (Reuters, 05-08) - A two-year-old child, who was 
sleeping in a hammock, was attacked by a pig before being 
rescued by his parents. The pig munched the child's groin, 
destroying his genitals and part of his urethra. Doctors are 
attempting to reconstruct the "micropenis."

+++ JACKSONSVILLE, Fla. (UPI, 05-12) - During a home search 
for drugs, a sheriff deputy answered the suspect's phone and 
accepted the offer from the caller to bring over a "half-pound." 
Scott Brackmann, 32, was arrested for possession of marijuana, 
driving with a suspended license, having an open container and
 ... playing music too loudly.
79.4139TROOA::TEMPLETONUnhappy gardenerTue May 13 1997 14:385
    I heard this morning that they had to put the Raccoon down as it's jaw
    was broken in a couple pf places, they did not say how it happened.
    
    
    joan
79.4140POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Tue May 13 1997 15:471
    Well, they shouldn't have picked it up in the first place.
79.4141NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 13 1997 15:481
Time to put Glenn down.
79.4142POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Tue May 13 1997 15:561
    Is someone going to try to pick me up?
79.4143MRPTH1::16.34.80.132::slablabounty@mail.dec.comTue May 13 1997 16:453
Glen?

79.4144POLAR::RICHARDSONgot any spare change?Tue May 13 1997 16:481
    put me down! put me down!!!!
79.4145MRPTH1::16.34.80.132::slablabounty@mail.dec.comTue May 13 1997 16:523
OK ... you're ugly, too.

79.4146HOTLNE::BURTrude people ruleTue May 13 1997 16:5331
who needs videos anymore? roadtrip anyone?

ogre.

  <<< Note 79.4138 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

**********************************************************************
   Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #47 May 13, 1997  [excerpts]
            http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)     
**********************************************************************

...

>>>S&M Cafe opens in New York
Source: NY Post

NEW YORK (05-09) - La Nouvelle Justine is the latest theme 
restaurant where the waiters love to take your orders. 
Whip-toting mistresses, dog-collar-wearing busboys, chains 
and cages are part of the atmosphere at this S&M lovers' 
paradise. 
"Our submissives will do anything you ask," said co-owner 
Hayne Jason. "You want a slave to lick your shoes? They'll 
lick your shoes. You have no idea how many people like that," 
Jason added. 
What if you are submissive? "If you're a bad boy, we'll throw 
you in the prison and make you eat out of a dog bowl," said 
maitre d' Master Michael. 
"It's not about pain, whips and chains, but about exploring 
one's psyche," said former dungeon manager, Mistress Diane. 
---------------------
79.4147BIGQ::SILVAhttp://www.ziplink.net/~glen/decplus/Tue May 13 1997 17:125
| <<< Note 79.4144 by POLAR::RICHARDSON "got any spare change?" >>>

| put me down! put me down!!!!

	Ok... and um....thanks!
79.4148bad editor, no donutSX4GTO::OLSONDBTC Palo AltoTue May 13 1997 18:007
    > +++ TULSA, Okla. (L.B. Press-Telegram, 05-12) - Police arrested 
    > Timothy McWilliams, 40, after locking his mother in a storm cellar 
    > filled with 2-1/2 feet of water.
    
    If the police locked the woman in the cellar, why did they arrest her son?
    
    DougO
79.4149MRPTH1::16.34.80.132::slablabounty@mail.dec.comTue May 13 1997 18:193
Maybe it was her own dam's fault.

79.4150NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 19 1997 16:48146
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 16, 1997 [excerpts]

Birmingham, Alabama:

David Wagnor paid a high price for being a hero. 

Wagnor, an auto painter, forgot about work and forgot
he was in a customer's car when he chased down a bank
robbery suspect. FBI agent Ron Webb hailed him a hero
but Wagnor went home unemployed. 

"I lost my job because I made my boss lose a lot of
money," Wagnor said. "Not one car got painted and we
could have been sued because I was in a customer's car.
I had to quit. But it just makes me sick." 

Wagnor was opening the shop, American Auto Painting,
when he saw a bleeding man run by with an off-duty
police officer in close pursuit. 

The father of four took off after the man in the
customer's car, then chased him on foot, "tackled him
and held him until police got there," Wagnor said after
the man's arrest Tuesday. 

The man and an accomplice had thrown gasoline through
the doors of a Regions Bank branch in a foiled robbery
attempt, police said. 

"What David did was courageous but how he did it was
wrong," said his boss, Rick Cole. "He put the customer
liable for damages and American Auto Painting liable." 
==========

Oslo, Norway:

A Norwegian cabbie thought he'd landed the fare of the
century when a Dane hopped into his taxi for a
1,300-mile ride from Copenhagen to Rome. 

Jorgen Gilberg's bliss ended at the Vatican, where his
customer said he had to collect the $3,570 cab fare
from Pope John Paul II. 

"That's when it hit me. A bad fare to Italy. I was
about to collapse from laughter," Gilberg, 24, said
yesterday by telephone from Aarhus, Denmark. "I could
hardly contain myself when he said the pope owed him
money." 

Gilberg, an economics student from Fredikstad, Norway,
drives part-time for an Aarhus taxi company. So when
the owner asked him to drive the 66-year-old man to
Rome last week, Gilberg assumed everything was in
order. 

So did the taxi company, because the man took a cab to
Rome last year. During the 24-hour drive through
Denmark, Germany, Austria and most of Italy, the
customer seemed unusually quiet. 

"I thought he was filthy rich, so I didn't ask too many
questions. But I did wonder who would take a 2,600-mile
round trip in a taxi," said Gilberg. 

At the Vatican, the customer claimed the pope owed him
$7,140, and then admitted that "the voices in his head
might have misled him," said Gilberg. 

Gilberg stopped for a quick tour of the Vatican, then
drove the man home to Denmark.
==========

Harderwijk, Netherlands:

A museum in the Netherlands is staging an exhibition
showing the ascent of man through the types of toilets
used, from stinking latrines to self-cleaning machines.

The Veluws Museum at Harderwijk is staging the
exhibition from May 17 to November, with exhibits of
bed pots, holed chairs, lavatories, toilet paper and
diapers as well as accounts of how people defecated
throughout history.

"What do we have more in common than excrement? Young,
old, human being or animal, we deal with it everyday,"
the museum says in a promotional brochure.

Visitors can read scatological jokes on posters at the
museum entrance, study plastic models of human and
animal excrement, stick their nose up the behind of a
hippopotamus or play flipper with the intestines of a
zebra.

The museum also takes a more serious tone by showing
the problem of dogs defecating in cities and condemns
environmental damage caused by improper waste disposal.
==========

Santa Ana, California:

It didn't take much detective work to catch this
suspected bank robber.

A man waited patiently in line, took $2,000 from a
Santa Ana bank teller and then sauntered over to a
couch in the lobby to wait for authorities, police
said.

"He put the money away and began reading the newspaper
and stayed there," Sgt. Bob Clark said Thursday.

The stick-up note was scrawled on the back of an
insurance document bearing the man's name, and the
suspect never tried to escape.

"That's maybe what he wanted," Clark said.
==========

Ottawa, Canada:

Canada's capital is poised to allow women to go topless
at municipal pools and beaches, a city councilor said
Thursday.

If approved by the city council next week as expected,
Ottawa would become the first city in Ontario --
Canada's most populous province -- to permit topless
sun bathing at city-run facilities.

The move comes amid a controversy over topless women
that was sparked in 1991 when a woman from Guelph,
Ontario, about 50 miles southwest of Toronto, was fined
for strolling topless. A wave of topless solidarity
protests followed.

Last December Ontario's highest court overturned the
woman's indecency conviction, effectively making it
legal for women to go topless in public. The Ottawa
policy would mean women could sun themselves topless at
city facilities as well.

"We don't want our lifeguards to become the breast
police," City Councilor Diane Deans said in a phone
interview.
79.4151is this old news?HOTLNE::BURTperversionist extraodinaireMon May 19 1997 17:0755
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - A woman is suing the pharmacy that sold her a popular
contraceptive jelly - because she ate the stuff on toast and got pregnant
anyway.

And, incredibly, many legal experts are saying she's got an excellent chance
of collecting!

"The woman is a complete idiot," said one attorney who asked that we not use
his name. "How bright can you be if you think eating a vaginal gel will
prevent
conception?

"But certain aspects of the case involve truth in labeling and false
advertising
issues.  She may not collect but she'll make a lot of noise and trouble.
People are down on lawyers anyway. They think we waste time and money on
frivolous lawsuits.  This isn't going to help our public relations any."

A spokesman for the unnamed mom-and-pop drugstore says he's shocked and angry
that such a case could ever be taken seriously.  "All she has to do is open
the box and read the directions," says the spokesman. "Next thing you know
someone will come after us because they couldn't stick things together with
their toothpaste.

"I can just imagine some moron saying: 'It's paste, isn't it? Why can't I
glue
these papers onto my bulletin board?' "

But attorneys for Mrs. Chyton say she was swindled and lied to by implication
and they intend to make the pharmacy pay $500,000 for the hardship the woman
will have to endure.

"It says right on it 'jelly,'" says Mrs. Chyton, a former model who was once
a
cheerleader for a popular professional basketball team.

"And they kept it on the shelf just two aisles from the food section. I know,
now, that the directions say it should be used vaginally with a condom.

"But who has time to sit around reading directions these days - especially
when you're sexually aroused?

"The company should call it something else and the pharmacy shouldn't sell it
without telling each and every customer who buys it that eating it won't
prevent you from getting pregnant."

As bizarre as it sounds, the pharmacy could wind up losing the lawsuit. "It's
hard for businesses to avoid troublesome lawsuits," said another attorney.

"With the courts bending over backwards to please consumer groups, the temper
of the times is perfect for these crackpots to bring legal action against
businesses- even a moronic legal action like this."


79.4152LANDO::OLIVER_Blooking for deep meaningMon May 19 1997 17:093
    
    yes.
    
79.4153LUNER::BIRDMon May 19 1997 17:311
    Are you sure she wasn't eating it on an English Muffin?
79.4154SSDEVO::RALSTONNeed a quarter?Mon May 19 1997 18:061
    This isn't funny. Some lawyer will probably win this case.
79.4155NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon May 19 1997 18:061
Um, we discussed this before.  Some of us maintain that it's bogus.
79.4156LUNER::BIRDMon May 19 1997 18:355
    Yeah, but the funny thing is that she can still make money off this
    just from the publicity! Do you realize how many offers a person gets
    to do commercials, interviews, and talk shows? Maybe this lady is
    smarter than we all think.
    
79.4157COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertMon May 19 1997 18:371
It's so bogus there is no "she" to make money off of it.
79.4158LUNER::BIRDMon May 19 1997 18:392
    Oh, I see. That's what I get for not keeping up to date with the
    discussions.
79.4159NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue May 20 1997 14:2770
WhiteBoard News for Monday, May 19, 1997 [excerpts]

Christchurch, New Zealand:

Looking for a good read? Here are some writers to
avoid.

The winner - or loser - of an academics' "Bad Writing
Contest" announced Friday was Frederic Jameson, a
professor of comparative literature at Duke University
in North Carolina.

His book, "Signatures of the Visible," opens with this
sentence: "The visual is essentially pornographic,
which is to say that it has its end in rapt, mindless
fascination; thinking about its attributes becomes an
adjunct to that, if it is unwilling to betray its
object; while the most austere films necessarily draw
their energy from the attempt to repress their own
excess (rather than from the more thankless effort to
discipline the viewer)."

Telephone calls to Jameson's home Saturday were not
answered.

All the entries in the contest were gleaned from
published academic works. The top three offenders were
all English professors. The judges observed: "This
reliance on jargon is an indication of the death throes
of English as an academic discipline."

Second place went to Rob Wilson of the University of
Hawaii, whose sentence reads, in part:

"If such a sublime cyborg would insinuate the future as
post-Fordist subject, his palpably masochistic
locations as ecstatic agent of the sublime superstate
need to be decoded as the 'now-all-but-unreadable DNA'
of the fast deindustralizing Detroit . . .  ."

The third place-winner kept his sentence short, but to
no avail.

"The lure of imaginary totality is momentarily frozen
before the dialectic of desire hastens on within
symbolic chains," wrote Fred Botting in his 1991 work,
"Making Monstrous: Frankenstein, Criticism, Theory."
=========

Plainville, Connecticut:

It may pay to advertise, but a car dealer has learned
it is important to be clear about how you advertise to
pay. 

Chris Pio had run an ad in a dealership flyer for a
1983 Cadillac that had said the "First 10,000 Bananas
Takes It." 

Tony Quirion of Bristol saw the ad and took it
literally. He called up Hartford fruit wholesaler and
priced out 10,000 bananas for about $1,100 which was
less than half the cash price of the Caddy. 

Quirion showed up at Chris' Auto Wholesalers Saturday
morning along with the mountain of bananas and got the
car. 

"I opened my mouth and someone brings in bananas," Pio
said. "I had to hold myself to my word." 
79.4160Rock and Roll!SSDEVO::RALSTONNeed a quarter?Tue May 20 1997 19:2238
From: <http://www.DailyOutrage.com/>

Tuesday, May 20, 1997

                        DO YOU FEEL LOVED?

We certainly hope so, even if you're one of the unfortunate 100,000 Kansas
City commuters who will be stuck in traffic today because major sections of
the freeway have been shut down.

Why, you may ask, is one of the busiest sections of freeway in the midwest
being shut down for several hours today? Has OJ escaped to Missouri? Major
infrastructure repairs? Military exercises? Well, probably none of those
reasons would be sufficient to inconvenience tens of thousands of the city's
residents.

The real reason: British rock band U2 has taken a fancy to the Kansas City
skyline as a backdrop for their latest music video, entitled "Do You Feel
Loved?" The rockers decided they needed major sections of the freeway cut
off to shoot their video today.

We're guessing that Kansas City commuters will be feeling some emotion
*other* than love as they discover that their traveling plans have been
destroyed. Almost no notice was given: the city issued a short press release
on Monday afternoon for the Tuesday morning shutdown.

"I can't believe the stupidity of it," said Mike Right, vice president of
public affairs for the AAA Auto Club of Missouri.

You too may wonder about the wisdom of a city government that inconveniences
thousands of taxpayers so that MTV viewers can watch a slightly more
realistic two minute video clip. On the other hand, if they suggested
shutting down Washington for a while....

Read more about it in the Kansas City Star story:
<http://www.kcstar.com/news/stories/20u2.htm>

     
79.4161WMOIS::GIROUARD_CWed May 21 1997 10:094
    the entire city administration requires execution.
    
    hey, maybe the mayor got some autographs for his kids. ya just never
    know.
79.4162NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 21 1997 16:28155
**********************************************************************
   Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #48 May 20, 1997 [excerpts]
            http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)     
**********************************************************************

>>>Only if my cat can come
Source: Reuters

CALTANISETTA, Sicily (05-12) - A suspected Mob member, 
on the run for the last three years, has agreed to turn himself 
in under one condition - his cat must come too. 
Mario Milano, a suspected Mafioso sentenced to eight years 
in prison, has been in contact with police officials through 
his attorney, Claudio Carnastra. Milano is currently hiding in 
Canada. 
Carnastra also told authorities that his client wants to be 
jailed in the Sicilian port of Agrigento and to be able to 
contact his family upon his return to Sicily. 
-------------------

>>>Lawsuit choice: play or pay
Source: NT

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (05-15) - A man has filed a lawsuit 
against a 49-year-old woman asking for $1,500 or 15 sessions 
of sex. 
Wood Keesee, 59, claims he had a "sex for money deal" with 
Victoria L. Howell at $100 per session. Keesee said he paid 
the woman $1,800 but they only had sex three times. "She 
owes me 15 sessions or $1,500," he wrote in his complaint. 
The woman's attorney, Clyde Johnson, said: "(My client) 
specifically and vehemently denies each and every statement 
and allegation of the complaint." Johnson also stated that his 
client was romantically involved with Keesee but when she 
tried ending the relationship he attempted to force her to 
continue. 
-------------------

>>>Stop sign theft leads to manslaughter
Source: UPI

TAMPA, Fla. (05-15) - Three men were found guilty of 
manslaughter for stealing a stop sign, an act that left three 
teenagers dead. 
Nissa Baillie, 21, Christopher Cole, 20, and Thomas Miller, 
20, face a maximum of 40 years each in prison. The three 
admitted having stolen 20 stop signs the night the triple 
fatality occurred. Three 18-year-old men were killed when 
the vehicle failed to stop at an intersection. 
-------------------------

>>>Dinner dispute turns ugly
Source: NT

PITTSBURGH (05-16) - A man promised his wife manicotti for 
dinner but instead made spaghetti - and she was not happy 
with the changed menu. 
What was supposed to be a nice family dinner turned into 
an ugly dispute when Michael Stefanowicz opted for the 
'easier to make' spaghetti. "She called him lazy and he called 
her a fat pig," said Lt. Gregory Tenos. 
Mrs. Stefanowicz claims her husband hit her and she called 
her brother to the rescue. James Shenkel, armed with a gun, 
fired a bullet into the wall as he was trying to shoot Stefanowicz. 
Shenkel is facing several criminal charges.
--------------------

>>>I'm a cook, not a crook
Source: Reuters

SAO PAULO (05-14)  - Carlos Gomes, 32, had the brilliant idea 
to open a bank safe by filling it with gas and lighting it. The 
explosion was so powerful that it blew the roof off the building, 
sending Gomes flying through the air. Police officers responding 
to the scene arrested Gomes as he was trying to get away. 
When questioned about the incident, Gomes offered this 
explanation: "He said the explosion took place while he was 
frying a steak in the kitchen," a spokesman said.
---------------------

+++  ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (Toronto Globe and Mail, 
05-13) - Julie Leach has filed a $10,000 lawsuit against 
neighbors who own a small beagle dog. Ms. Leach claims 
the beagle was "constantly enticing" her German shepherd 
to chase him and was run over by a car while doing so. 

+++ CHICAGO (AP, 05-20) - Restaurant employees who do not 
wash before leaving the bathroom may soon be in trouble. An 
infrared detection device will be tested at the Tropicana Hotel 
in Atlantic City. Each employee's bathroom visit will be 
electronically monitored, noting whether each worker stopped 
at the sink.

+++ LONDON (AFP, 05-09) - Liz Sharrat, 37, found an abandoned 
swan egg and hatched it by carrying for two days in her ... bra. 
"I kept it here for two days and only took it out at night. We even 
kept the egg in the bed with us and when I had a shower I put 
it in the airing cupboard," she said. Sharrat also stated that 
her boyfriend helped by holding the egg under his arm. 

+++  DENVER (UPI, 05-15) - Barbara Hohlweg filed a lawsuit 
against a McDonald's restaurant claiming one of the employees 
hurled a cheeseburger in her face when she complained about 
her order. Hohlweg states in her lawsuit that she was 
traumatized and lost a filling in her tooth when telling the 
employee she ordered a plain hamburger and not the 
cheeseburger she was served.

+++ BEAVER DAM, Wis. (Daily Citizen, 05-14) - A man has been 
accused of disorderly conduct for assaulting a 13-year-old boy 
with a ... fish. The 49-year-old man became agitated when a 
few youngsters refused his request to move from the street 
sidewalk in front of his house. He maintains his innocence 
claiming the bullhead fish he was cleaning at the time bit 
his hand, resulting in one of the boys being hit.

+++ GREEN GARDEN TOWNSHIP, Ill. (UPI, 05-15) - A man 
was charged with criminal damage to property after beating 
his neighbor's goose to death, upset over goose droppings 
on his lawn. 

+++ FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NT, 05-16) - The family of Molly 
Cohen, an amputee who was buried without her legs, received 
$1.25 million in punitive and compensatory damages from a 
funeral home guilty of losing the legs. Cohen's legs were 
amputated in 1986 and were given to the funeral home for 
safekeeping with the intention to be reburied with her when 
she died. Cohen died in 1993 but the legs were missing.

+++ KUWAIT (Reuters, 05-19) - An unusual rescue took place 
after an Indian worker's penis was trapped in a metal bearing. 
Authorities said the man was trying to have sex with the 
'ring-shaped metal object.' "He was crying in pain when we 
got to him," a rescue worker said.

+++ SYDNEY (Reuters, 05-14) - A 41-year-old man, scheduled 
to testify in an upcoming organized crime trial, had his mouth 
shut by an armed intruder who pushed coathanger wire through 
his cheeks. The man also had wire pushed through his wrists, 
knees and ankles. He managed to call emergency services 
and is currently in fair condition.

+++ BUENOS AIRES (Reuters, 05-14) - Two young men were arrested after 
trying to run off with a toilet stolen from a fast-food restaurant. 
The men entered the restaurant and asked to use the toilet, 
which they then wrenched out and loaded it onto their scooter.

+++ LAS VEGAS (AP, 05-19) - A woman who earns $1,000 a month
was recently ordered to pay over $10,000 in back child support
to her millionaire ex-husband. HE SAID: "I do not need the money
to support the children. I do think she needs to make some contribution 
to their living. She brought them into the world. She has an 
obligation to make payments." SHE SAID: "The irony of this 
is that one of the reasons he got the children was that he was 
better able to support them."
79.4163SALLIE::DDESMAISONSAre you married or happy?Wed May 21 1997 16:339
>  <<< Note 79.4162 by NOTIME::SACKS "Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085" >>>

>Sharrat also stated that 
>her boyfriend helped by holding the egg under his arm. 

	eggegegegeg.


79.4164Intuitive Human ComputerEDSCLU::JAYAKUMARWed May 21 1997 18:3528
Intuitive Human Computer Sahkuntala Devi

In 1980 Shakuntala Devi multiplied 7,686,369,774,870 with 2,465,099,745,779. In
28 seconds she answered 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730. Thus her name was
entered in the Guiness Book of World Records under the heading "Human
Computer." 

But she does not have any idea about what happens inside her head when she
looks at a problem. She has no mathematical training. She puts in all down to
intution 

Nowadays, she claims she uses her calculating skills to tell people their
future using astrology, for Rs.801. She can also tell you which direction your
bed should face Vastu Shastra. She said, Astrology is about numbers, Vastu
Shastra too. They are all inter-connected." 

At the age of 3 when a child does not know how many fingers she has, Ms Devi
was spotting prime numbers. AT three and a half, her parents were taking her to
Bangalore University to give a one-hour show just doing calculations for
Rs.20/-. Ask her what she does other than numbers. She replies, "All that I do
are numbers." Her moment of glory was in Januray 24, 1977 when a professor
wrote a 201 digit number on a black board. It took him 4 minutes to write it.
Earlier in the day a computer called Univac 1108 which had been fed with 13446
instructions and 4883 data locations had taken 62 second to find the 23rd root
of the number. Shakunthala Devi looked at the number on the black board, she
sat down and closed her eyes . When 50 seconds passed she answered 546372891.
She had beaten the computer by 12 seconds. Gary Kasparov would have applauded. 

79.4165FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed May 21 1997 19:165
    
    
    	amazing.
    
    
79.4166LANDO::OLIVER_Blooking for deep meaningWed May 21 1997 19:193
    
    math ISN'T hard.
    
79.4167POLAR::RICHARDSONConformity is freedomWed May 21 1997 19:221
    really makes you wonder about the interconnectedness of all things.
79.4168re: .4166FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed May 21 1997 19:2210
    
    
    	I've been taking math classes for little while now, and I beg to
    differ. :)
    
    	Seriously, I have to work very hard to keep an "A" average in any
    math class. It amazes me that there are these people that can do
    gigantic calculations accurately in their head. 
    
    jim
79.4169ACISS1::BATTISCNBC junkieWed May 21 1997 19:282
    
    jim, they're called engineers.
79.4170LANDO::OLIVER_Blooking for deep meaningWed May 21 1997 19:303
    
    human evolution at work.  pushing that ol' envelope.
    
79.4171re: battisFABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed May 21 1997 19:317
    
    	I doubt it. :) I've baffled some of the engineers here with my
    homework problems. Most of them are too removed from having to do the
    problems out by hand...they just punch them into the computer and out
    comes a number. Magic! ;*)
    
    
79.4172ACISS1::BATTISCNBC junkieWed May 21 1997 20:012
    
    <--- um, works for me.
79.4173FABSIX::J_SADINFreedom isn't free.Wed May 21 1997 20:078
    
    
    	re: -1
    
    	I'd like to do it that way, also. But, my professors insist on
    seeing the work. :)
    
    
79.4174SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed May 21 1997 20:096
    .4173
    
    That's one of the benefits of studying Latin.  Professors don't insist
    on seeing the work, they want only the result.  On the other hand, the
    state of the art in translating natural languages by computer leaves a
    lot to be desired...
79.4175SMURF::KAZIGIANNo good deed goes unpunished.Wed May 21 1997 20:169
    
    Re: .4174
    
    You mean the mac doesn't do that?
    
    That's it, I'm returning this piece of **** right now!
                                               
    |^.!*.
    [LOST CARRIER]
79.4176DEVO::JUDYThat's *Ms. Bitch* to you!Wed May 21 1997 20:496
    
    
    	The *only* thing that got me through my two Finite Math
    	classes was the manager I was working for at the time.  She
    	used to teach advanced algebra.  She was my lifeline for that 
    	class!
79.4177SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed May 21 1997 20:553
    .4175
    
    Try reading for comprehension.  I did not say Mac.  Nor did I say PC.
79.4178POLAR::RICHARDSONConformity is freedomWed May 21 1997 21:001
    But it oozes from your pores, that's why he inferred it.
79.4179SMURF::KAZIGIANNo good deed goes unpunished.Wed May 21 1997 21:058
    Re: .4178
    
    You took the words right out of my mouth.  Thanks.
    
    Marc
    
    ps- Binder is just disappointed that I haven't been involved in a
    major argument in Soapbox yet.  He's trying to start one...
79.4180SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Wed May 21 1997 21:063
    .4179
    
    Fluff Noter Alert!
79.4181SMURF::KAZIGIANNo good deed goes unpunished.Wed May 21 1997 21:146
    
    .4180
    
    At least I'm not lurking...
    
    Marc
79.4182BRITE::FYFEUse it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.Thu May 22 1997 02:053
    > Fluff Noter Alert!
    
    I like it!
79.4183WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu May 22 1997 10:553
    > At least I'm not lurking...
    
     Don't put your arm out of its socket patting yourself on the back.
79.4184NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 22 1997 12:5577
Fla. girl catcher banished to outfield
after refusing to wear cup

By Associated Press, 05/22/97

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Twelve-year-old Melissa
Raglin can't play catcher on her coed
baseball team anymore.

Melissa is refusing to obey a Babe Ruth
League rule that she wear a jock strap and
protective cup, because she doesn't see the
need.

``When the ump asked me if I was wearing a
cup at the beginning of the second inning,
I took my helmet off and said, `I'm a
girl,''' said Melissa, who sat behind home
plate for 2 1/2 years - without a cup -
until last Thursday.

Apparently Melissa, her coach and most of
the umpires hadn't even realized that the
rule that catchers must wear cups applies
to girls, too. She has been banished to the
outfield until she complies.

The dispute has become a hot topic in the
community and on talk radio, drawing in the
league's national officers and the National
Organization for Women.

``It's almost some of kind of harassment,''
said Linda Bliden, president of NOW's South
Palm Beach County chapter. ``The cup has
nothing to do with a female anatomy. Why
are they forcing girls to wear it?''

She wondered if boys would object if made
to wear bras.

The Babe Ruth League said it is treating
both sexes equally in requiring all
catchers to wear a cup, a triangular
concave piece of hard plastic that slips
into a jock strap and is designed to
protect the testicles from a foul ball or
wild pitch.

Girls have been playing in the league -
with 1 million participants nationwide -
since the 1950s.

``It's for her protection,'' James Stewart,
Babe Ruth's commissioner for the Southeast
Region, said from Trenton, N.J. ``A blow
there to a young girl could have
devastating long-term effects. It's no
different than her mask.''

But doctors said that girls do not need as
much groin protection as boys do and that,
in any case, girls should not wear gear
designed for boys.

Stewart said she could play if she wears
female protective gear - briefs with a
padded crotch that can be ordered at
sporting goods stores. But Melissa's
mother, Patricia Raglin, said store clerks
laughed at her when she inquired about such
a product.

By Wednesday, Melissa sounded as if she
were ready to compromise. She has put in a
rush order for female protective gear from
Bike Athletic Co. of Knoxville, Tenn.
79.4185DECXPS::HENDERSONGive the world a smile each dayThu May 22 1997 13:049

 wonder if she's filed a lawsuit yet.





 Jim
79.4186NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 22 1997 16:24115
WEIRDNUZ.479 (News of the Weird, April 11, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
See copyright notice at the end of this transmission. 

LEAD STORIES

* The (Nashville) Tennessean reported in February on state
government engineer Ken Robichaux's lonely, 10-year crusade to
wipe out both the English system of measurement and the metric
system, in favor of one that combines weight, length, and volume
into a single set of measures denominated as (not surprisingly)
"robies."  (For example, 25 robies could stand for any of 8 ounces,
1 cup, 250 ml's, 250 grams, or 250 cc's.)  He said Al Gore, when he
was a senator, once called his ideas "intriguing." 

* In Milwaukee, Wis., the family of Robert Senz demanded shortly
after his burial last July that Borgwardt Funeral Home dig up the
body because his wallet was missing.  Sure enough, the wallet
containing $64 and credit cards was still in Senz's pocket. In
February 1997, Borgwardt sent the family a reburial bill for
$2,149, but then decided the whole thing was the county medical
examiner's fault and sent the bill there, but that office has denied
responsibility. 

* In March, four strippers at the Scene Karaoke and Coconut
Karaoke bars in Pattaya, Thailand, were fined a total of about $80
for indecency for an act in which live ducklings were placed inside
plastic "eggs" (with air holes) and inserted into the women's bodies
so that in the course of their routines, they would "lay" the eggs,
which would then "hatch."  

OOPS!

* In February in Redwood City, Calif., Rachel Landa, 48, got out
of her van to pump gas, but when she realized the hose wouldn't
reach, she instructed her 14-year-old daughter to get behind the
wheel and back it up.  By the time the girl wrestled the van to a
stop, the mother had been run over three times (broken ankle, foot,
and finger), and the van had crashed into a traffic signal box
adjacent to the station. 

* Latest Highway Truck Spills:  Several hundred thousand apples
near Brighton, Mich., in November; a tractor-trailer full of Hills
Bros. ground coffee in downtown Louisville in December; a truck
hauling spaghetti sauce and ranch dressing (colliding with a
truckful of computers) on I-35 in Austin, Tex., in January; and
during a November ice storm, a tractor-trailer full of nuclear
weapons near Brownlee, Neb. (an accident kept secret for a month
by the federal government). 

* John O'Neill, 73, had to be rescued by firefighters in Huntington,
N. Y., in February after he wandered out of a bar late at night and
somehow got wedged between two buildings overnight.  He was
stuck so tight that he had to be pulled out from above. 

WELL-PUT

* A breathalyzer company executive testifying in a Knoxville,
Tenn., DUI trial in September, disputing the defendant's contention
that an untimely belch yielded a falsely positive reading: 
"Belching?  I frankly have never seen a belch that brought alcohol
up into the oral cavity." 

* Honduran Congressman Julio Villatoro, reacting in February to
the bigamy charge filed by his wife:  "[I] have problems with my
wife, even though she knows a handsome man is not for one
woman but for several.  God gave me a physique attractive to
women, and I take advantage of it." 

* Employees who have become ill in asbestos-laden workplaces
have their own class-action lawsuit so lawyer Michael V. Kelley
filed one in January in Cleveland, Ohio, on behalf of employees in
those workplaces who are perfectly healthy (in case they someday
become ill).  Said Kelley, "It's very pro-active." 

* King Letsie III, 33, king of Lesotho, imploring other southern
African monarchs and dignitaries in December to help him find a
wife:  "The pressure on me to find a wife soon is heavy, especially
[from] my mother."  "[I] sometimes feel jealous when I see other
leaders getting partners with such remarkable ease." 

RECENT CRIMINAL MOTIVES

* Kevin Carter, 21, and Michael Harrison, 26, were charged with
murder and armed robbery in Boynton Beach, Fla., in December. 
Motive:  to raise money to attend the police academy  

* Darrel Voeks, 38, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in
Appleton, Wis., in December for stealing $100,000 worth of pigs
from his farmer-employer.  Motive:  to pay for breast implants for
a stripper at a club he patronized 

* Michael Pollina, 26, pleaded guilty in Chicago in February to
three bank robberies.  Motive:  to pay for a lavish reception that he
and his fiancee had planned for their upcoming wedding 

* Jack Swint, 42, pleaded guilty to passing bad checks in Roanoke,
Va., in November (while he was awaiting trial on other bad-check
charges).  Motive:  needed to pay for counseling sessions to help
him kick his bad-check habit 

UPDATE

* The famously dysfunctional Sexton family, headed by Eddie and
Estella, of Canton, Ohio, and Tampa, Fla., made News of the
Weird in 1994 and 1996 based on almost unimaginable charges of
incest, child molestation, and murder.  In March 1997, son Willie,
26, was found to be "competent" after two years in the Florida state
mental hospital, and now will stand trial for killing his sister's
husband (as allegedly ordered by Eddie, who feared the husband
would turn Eddie in for killing the man's baby, whose crying
annoyed Eddie).  Ostensibly, the dead baby was Eddie's own
grandson, but according to trial testimony in an case against
Estella, the baby was actually Eddie's own son, the result of a
father-daughter coupling. 
79.4187NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 22 1997 16:28110
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, May 21, 1997 [excerpts]

Watertown, New York:

It was eagle-eyed zookeepers who noticed first. The DNA
testing only proved what they already suspected. 

The Thompson Park Zoo's American bald eagle breeding
program was going nowhere. Not with two males, anyway. 

"We had our suspicions right away. The birds are
virtually the identical size," said Director Glenn D.
Dobrogosz, who laughed Tuesday about the gender mix-up
that provided a comical start to the zoo's new eagle
breeding program. 

"It happens. Not a lot. But it happens," he said. 

The two American bald eagles - supposedly a male and
female - arrived at the zoo last July from the Bird
Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage, Alaska. 

The two males became good buddies but zookeepers
quickly realized there would be no amorous flights for
these two, Dobrogosz said. 

Because bald eagle males and females share the same
coloring characteristics, it is difficult to determine
gender by visual inspection. However, in most raptor
species, the female is slightly larger than the male,
he said. 

Based on their size and behavior, the Alaska center
mistakenly thought it had sent a male and a female,
Dobrogosz said. It wasn't until the Thompson Park Zoo
took blood samples for DNA testing that it confirmed
the birds' sexes. 

"Sure enough, they both were boys," he said. 

Now that the confusion has been cleared up, zookeepers
are once again focused on the romancing. 

One of the males is being sent to the Clinch Park Zoo
in Traverse City, Mich. Meanwhile, the Watertown zoo
already has received a new female from another raptor
rehabilitation center on Sitka Island in Alaska. 

"We're positive this time," Dobrogosz said, heading off
the inevitable inquiry about the bird's gender. 
==========

LeRay Town, New York:

Matthew Ambrose needs a little more practice before
he's ready for his driver's license. 

The 3-year-old boy climbed into his father's pickup
Monday and took off, forcing cars off the road and
hitting a gas line in front of a judge's house before a
town police chief caught up with him. 

"It could have been a real tragedy," LeRay Town Justice
John D. Cox said. "One spark and that truck, with the
boy, and my house would have all blown." 

The father, David Ambrose, had the pickup backed into
his driveway and never noticed his son getting behind
the wheel. The boy shifted the Ford into drive and
turned left. 

He drove past three homes while motoring on the wrong
side of the road, forcing drivers to veer out of the
way. One was Black River Police Chief Donald Doney, who
saw the truck head over the lawn of Justice Cox,
rupturing a natural gas line. 

The chief was a bit surprised when he ran over to the
truck and saw little Matthew behind the wheel. The
child was not injured. 

Meanwhile, Matthew's father had no idea the truck was
gone until Doney knocked on the door with the boy. 

No charges have been filed, although police said there
were conflicting reports about whether the truck was
running when Matthew got in or if he was the one to
start it up. 
==========

London, England:

The airline Virgin Atlantic plans to install bedrooms
complete with showers, Jacuzzis and double beds in its
747 jumbos to encourage travelers to join the "Mile
High Club", a report said Wednesday.

Ten to 12 rooms will be installed in the hold of
airplanes and be accessed by a staircase from the main
cabin, the Sun newspaper said.

The price of a trip from London to New York would be
around 2,900 pounds ($4,600).

"You can do it on cruise ships and trains, why not on a
plane? Passengers will find it comfy and romantic,"
airline boss Richard Branson was quoted as saying.

The paper said Branson also plans a Kiddie Class, where
airline nannies and clowns will entertain children.
79.4188COVERT::COVERTJohn R. CovertThu May 22 1997 16:596
The little Little Leaguer is expecting the imminent arrival of a Female Crotch
Protector from Bike Athletic, and says that she's waiting to see what it looks
like and how it feels.  She says she'll probably wear it, because she wants
to help out the team.

/john
79.4189and why is this in WNB?WAHOO::LEVESQUESpott ItjThu May 22 1997 17:237
>* Honduran Congressman Julio Villatoro, reacting in February to
>the bigamy charge filed by his wife:  "[I] have problems with my
>wife, even though she knows a handsome man is not for one
>woman but for several.  God gave me a physique attractive to
>women, and I take advantage of it." 
    
     And she has a problem with that? What's wrong with her?!!
79.4190NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 16:2862
WhiteBoard News for Saturday, May 24, 1997 [excerpts]

London, England:

A psychotherapist is setting up a support group to
offer "bereavement counseling" for people who suffer
mental pain and trauma when their virtual pets die.

The Japanese interactive toys, which have become a
craze in Britain, require their owners to press buttons
to stroke, feed and exercise them. If the pet, a
Tamagotchi, is neglected, it could "die". Dr. Daniel de
Souza said: "Caring for a Tamagotchi is like caring for
a real creature, thus the death of one can be as
mentally painful as losing a favorite pet dog or cat."

Doctors agreed that the loss of a virtual pet could
upset a vulnerable child. Dr. Sidney Crown, consultant
psychotherapist at the Royal London Hospital, said most
children would treat virtual pets as toys and would not
be affected by its loss. "But certain vulnerable
children, especially lonely ones, could suffer real
feelings of bereavement at the death of a Tamagotchi."
==========

San Diego, California:

Jake, an aging but feisty tomcat, was hailed as a hero
Friday for thwarting a burglary attempt at his
mistress' home in San Diego.

The ailing, 18-year-old orange and white feline leaped
at the suspect, landed on his shoulder and clawed his
back and both arms, San Diego Police Det. James Dixon
said.

He said the suspect, Juan Mendoza-Guzman, a Mexican
national who had worked as a locksmith, allegedly broke
into the apartment of a 33-year-old woman on Thursday
night by picking the lock to her door.

When he tried to unhook the video cassette recorder, a
watch on top of the VCR began beeping. Apparently
fearing the woman would wake up, he crept into her
bedroom, Dixon said.

"The next thing he knew, the cat jumped on his right
shoulder and scratched him on his lower back and both
arms. I'm sure the cat startled the guy and he yelled
out," the detective said.

The suspect's shout awakened the woman, but
Mendoza-Guzman put his hand over her mouth and told her
not to scream. The victim then bit his finger and
screamed loudly, causing the suspect to flee, Dixon
said.

Mendoza-Guzman was arrested soon after, given first aid
for his scratches and charged with burglary.

Dixon said the woman had asked that her name not be
disclosed. 
79.4191NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 16:35139
WEIRDNUZ.480 (News of the Weird, April 18, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* Family Values:  In March the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
reported that a local woman, 66, and her husband are searching for
a surrogate mother for their deceased son's sperm so that they can
fulfill their longing to be grandparents.  And three days earlier, a
Milan, Italy, newspaper reported that a 35-year-old woman was
three months' pregnant with the fetuses of two couples, whose
children she agreed to bear because of a shortage of surrogate
mothers.  She said blood tests after birth would determine which
baby is which.  (The Vatican and Italy's health minister announced
they were appalled.) 

* Life Imitates Monty Python:  The Salem (Mass.) Evening News
reported in March on an incident in which Ms. Carmen LaBrecque,
51, had to outrun a rabid skunk, which was literally snapping at her
heels, for 15 minutes before an animal control officer arrived to
shoot it.  Unable to slow down enough even to open her front door
and get inside, LaBrecque circled her yard 12 times, a foot or two
in front of the skunk.  On one pass by her front door, LaBrecque's
elderly mother handed her a cell phone, which LaBrecque
pantingly used to call 911. 

* In March, at the height of the civil unrest in Albania, when the
U.S. diplomatic mission was evacuating personnel for safety
reasons, the Washington Post reported that the State Dept. had just
sent a cable to the diplomats in Tirana reminding them of the
department's "[evacuation] policy for safeguarding of sterling silver
flatware (cutlery)." 

NEWS OF THE JUDGMENT-IMPAIRED

* The public-service goal of an advertising campaign by England's
Children's Society was to enlighten people that child sex abuse
could occur in anyone's town and not just in notorious sex-tourist
spots in the Far East.  However, its slogan, announced in billboards
released in February, came out this way:  "Why travel 6,000 miles
to have sex with children when you can do it in [the English town
of] Bournemouth?"  When questioned by a reporter, a Society
spokesman expressed pride in the campaign and said it would be
extended to Manchester and Leeds. 

* In January, motorist John Tanayo, 30, was stopped in New York
City, and a search of his car turned up 573 lbs. of cocaine, worth
about $5 million.  He only drew cops' attention when, in traffic in
front of a police cruiser, he failed to signal a right turn. 

* A 38-year-old apartment building manager was arrested in
Whitewater, Wis., in January and charged with surreptitiously
videotaping a female tenant with a camera hidden in the ceiling of
her shower.  The 20-year-old tenant had become suspicious
because of the fixture the manager had installed in order to
disguise the lens:  Why, she thought, was a smoke detector placed
in the ceiling of a shower? 

* The Robles family placed an ad in a newspaper in the town of
Leon, Guanajuato, north of Mexico City, in January, to the
attention of robbers who had been breaking into their house and
stealing things.  In exasperation, but perhaps unwisely, the family
begged robbers to stay away, announcing that they had been
cleaned out except for the TV, the VCR, and the refrigerator. 

* In November, Washington, D. C., inmates Antwan Hudson (drug
charges) and Kingsley Ellis (a Texas credit card fraud suspect), in a
holding cell, apparently thought they were each in less trouble than
the other and thus agreed to a scheme to swap identities for an
upcoming court appearance.  Ellis was shocked to learn in court
that Hudson was also wanted on several more drug charges and for
threatening his wife.  Hudson was even more shocked to find that
Ellis was facing deportation to Jamaica and thus blew the whistle
on the scheme. 

* In a Virginia case reported in the December Mental Health Law
News, Susanna Van de Castle was awarded $350,000 against her
psychiatrist-husband Robert for malpractice.  According to the
lawsuit, after having diagnosed her as suffering from Multiple
Personality Disorder, he then married her and continued the
therapy but also sought deals for a book and a movie about her, in
addition to staging public lectures (charging admission) in which
she was showcased as his subject. 

* In November, Brownsville, Tex., insurance agency owner Raquel
Cantu Garza was charged with impeding IRS agents who had come
to seize her business on a tax matter.  According to the prosecutor,
Garza instructed the two employees on duty at the time to leave
and lock the agents inside.  When one agent pounded on the door
to get out, a Garza employee allegedly said, "Call a locksmith," and
walked away. 

* In Guthrie, Okla., in October, Jason Heck tried to kill a millipede
with a shot from his .22-caliber rifle, but the bullet ricocheted off a
rock near the hole and hit pal Antonio Martinez in the head,
fracturing his skull.  And in Elyria, Ohio, in October, Martyn
Eskins, attempting to clean out cobwebs in his basement, declined
to use a broom in favor of a propane torch and caused a fire that
burned the first and second floors of his house. 

* Early New Year's morning, a 16-year-old girl in Kalamazoo,
Mich., was arrested for erratic driving in a car she allegedly stole
from Patricia Conlon.  The girl was unaware that the next day
Conlon would begin a term as county juvenile court judge.  Also in
Kalamazoo on New Year's Eve, Derrick Demones Gunn was
sentenced to one to five years in prison for attempting to escape
from a halfway house one day before his original sentence was up. 

* In October, Heber C. Frias, 20, on the lam from a first-degree
murder charge in Florida, saw his freedom come to an end in an
Arlington, Va., 7-Eleven when he tauntingly stole a candy bar right
in front of a clerk, provoking a call to the police, who apprehended
Frias just outside the store. 

UPDATE

* North Carolina state Rep. Henry Aldridge made News of the
Weird in 1995 when he denounced state funding for abortions for
rape victims as unnecessary in that a woman who is "truly raped"
doesn't get pregnant because "the juices don't flow, the body
functions don't work."  In March 1996, North Carolina House
Speaker Harold Brubaker appointed Aldridge co-chair of the
Committee on Human Resources, which oversees abortion
funding. 

PERSEVERANCE

* In March, Shulamit Dezhin, 82, passed her driver's test in
Ashdod, Israel, after 35 failures.  She said she originally wanted to
learn to drive so she could get to Tel Aviv to visit her parents, but
it took so long to get her license that now they're dead.  And in
February, Sue Evans-Jones, 45, of Yate, England, passed her
driver's test after only three failures.  However, she had taken 1,800
lessons over 27 years with 10 instructors, most of whom had told
her she was such a bad driver that she should not even attempt the
exam.  (Her policeman-husband explained her problem to a
reporter:  The first thought crossing her mind about crashing, no
matter what the circumstances, causes her to flail wildly at the
brakes and steering wheel.) 
79.4192NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 19:17176
**********************************************************************
   Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #49 May 27, 1997 [excerpts]
            http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)     
**********************************************************************

>>>Woman on ground dies when hit by body from air crash
Source: Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO (05-20) - Two small planes collided in midair 
killing all 12 passengers and one woman on the ground. The 
woman died of an apparent heart attack when the body of 
one of the air casualties fell on top of her. 
The accident took place in the Santa Catarina state during 
ceremonies marking the 55th anniversary of the local airport. 
The planes were at an altitude of 980 feet when the collision 
occurred. The accident is under investigation but initial 
witnesses reports strongly suggest the crash was caused by 
pilot error.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>The secret of long life finally revealed
Source: Reuters

UDINE, Italy (05-21) - The secret of long life continues to 
fascinate people in all parts of the world. The answer may 
be found in the bedroom. According to a 101-year-old Italian 
male the secret of long life is  . . .  lots of sex. 
"I still feel as if I were a little boy," said Giulio Paggi. 
Paggi, who has been married for 77 years, claims the secret 
of his long life has to do with lots of sex. "And the secret 
of this youthfulness is that all my life I've put a lot into 
lovemaking," he added. 
Paggi was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1896, was a prisoner 
of war in World War I and was a typewriter salesperson until 
the age of 90. 
---------------------

>>>Police monitor annual naked soccer game
Source: AP

DECORAH, Iowa (05-26) - One student was arrested during 
the annual naked soccer game at Luther College, an event 
celebrating the end of final exams, prompting more people 
to take their clothes off. 
School officials requested the presence of police officers 
who videotaped the event and may use the tape to identify 
students and issue citations. Out of the 200 students who 
participated more than 30 were naked or wearing only 
underwear. 
Mirsad Zahirovic, 22, was arrested after he grabbed the police 
officer videotaping the event. "The arrest made people mad 
and more people took their clothes off," said Ann Barden. 
Zahirovic, a computer science major, was charged with 
interference and assault.
---------------------

>>>Big liar tells the truth
Source: Reuters

JACKMAN, Maine (05-23) - They called him 'Big Jim the Liar' 
because of his always exaggerated tales. One of the stories 
he liked bragging about was that of a man he killed in 
Connecticut in 1985. Those who know James Darrow were 
shocked to find out he may have been telling the truth. 
Darrow, 37, has been charged with beating to death his 
sister's boyfriend in Connecticut in May 1985. He has 
confessed to killing John Avery and helped authorities find 
the remains of Avery's body. Michael Forgue, the restaurant 
owner where Darrow worked as a cook, said: "They don't call 
him 'Big Jim the Liar' for nothing. You name it, he lied about it. 
Who could believe him? No one." 
-------------------

>>>Lousy handwriting spoils robbery
Source: UPI

LAKELAND, Fla. (05-23) - An apparent bank robbery went wrong 
when the back teller told the suspect she couldn't read his note. 
The man snatched back his note and ran from the bank. 
The teller of a First Union Bank branch in Lakeland told police 
she couldn't comprehend the man's lousy handwriting. The 
suspect fled without getting any money.
---------------------

+++   LONDON (Electronic Telegraph, 05-21) - The former 
director of a cosmetic surgery firm was accused of stealing 
breast implants before leaving the company. The woman, 
known only as Miss A, first claimed that she left because 
her previous boss, also her lover, "made her life a misery." 
Last week she admitted her guilt to the court: "It was the 
first thing I've ever stolen in my life. It was not stealing. It 
was something I was going to confide to him later." 
The man who owns the clinic and Miss A's lover for the past 
15 years, did not notice she stole the implants until a year 
later when he met her in a night club and noticed her figure 
was much altered. 
Miss A is suing for unfair dismissal, sexual harassment and 
loss of earnings.
-------------------

+++   SAO PAULO, Brazil (LB Press-Telegram, 05-20) - Former 
soldier Genildo Ferreira de Franca who killed 15 people during 
a 22-hour shooting spree "would laugh as if possessed by the 
devil" after each killing, said his accomplice. One reason for 
the killing spree is that Franca was upset that he had been 
called a homosexual.

+++ ROME (Reuters, 05-20) - An 80-year-old Italian grandmother 
began ripping up some of her 13 opium plants when she saw 
the police. She claims she planted them in her garden because 
she loves flowers. She was charged with narcotics possession. 

+++ MADRID (Reuters, 05-26) - Jose Guzman Molina, 34, drowned 
in a six-foot lake while searching for lost golf balls. He would sell 
the recovered balls to golf players. Molina and three other friends 
spent hours at local bars before going to the golf course.

+++ GAINESVILLE, Fla. (NT, 05-23) - Fourteen-year-old Raymond 
Webb did not get a reward for returning a wallet with $1,100 still 
inside but instead received a rude reply from the owner: "(That) 
was my gain and his loss." ... Raymond replies: "It wasn't my loss. 
It was my gain. I gained trust." Raymond's mother, Debra 
Robinson, said her son received many letters and even cash 
and gift certificates.

+++ FORT WORTH, Texas. (Reuters, 05-20) - Kayla Segerstrom, 
18, was ordered to pay $7 million because of a head-on collision
 caused while she was answering a cellular telephone. She was 
driving her family van at the time. A three-year-old boy was killed, 
his younger sister was injured with a broken neck and their father 
suffered serious brain damage. 

+++ GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP, 05-21) - Abraham Mosley, 64, died 
after he set himself on fire while trying to light a cigar. Mosley 
was unable to yell for help because throat cancer affected his 
vocal cords. Unable to use a lighter or matches because of his 
illness, Mosley tried igniting strips of paper on the kitchen 
stove. The bandages around his neck caught on fire, quickly 
spreading to his clothes.

+++ NICOSIA (Reuters, 05-21) - Three British soldiers were fined 
150 Cyprus pounds ($300) after being caught early one morning 
running naked through the town of Ayia Napa singing 'God Save 
the Queen,' the British national anthem. The soldiers pleaded 
guilty and apologized for their singing prank. The judge called 
their behavior "offensive."

+++ TOKYO (UPI, 05-19) - Close to 500 chickens died on a poultry farm
because of the noise following a series of test explosions at nearby
National Space Development Agency. Officials could not deny that the chickens 
were 'scared to death.'

+++ MERCED ISLAND, Wash. (NT, 05-22) - A biology classroom's 
pet iguana kept pulling the fire alarm at Islander Middle School. 
After one false alarm, school officials were not sure if Iggy the 
pet was responsible. But after the second alarm there was little
doubt. "We ran in and we knew it was the iguana," said 
seventh-grader Katrina Spaunhurst. "We saw it hanging by its 
hands on the fire alarm. Some of us kids think it's a game: He 
pulls on it, everyone leaves."

+++ MADRID (NT, 05-26) - An Angolan man was apprehended 
by waiters of a Madrid cafe when they noticed his "rifle" was 
an umbrella. "He was in a cafe in the plaza threatening the 
clients and waiters with a black umbrella pointed at them like 
a rifle," a police spokesperson said. "At first, people thought 
it was a rifle and then a waiter noticed it was a fake."

+++ WICHITA, Kan. (AP, 05-24) - A 10-year-old boy ran over and killed
his mother while backing the family car down the driveway. The unidentified
woman allowed her son to move the vehicle while she was guiding the young boy. 
The woman stumbled into a bush alongside the driveway and 
the boy panicked. He pressed the gas pedal running over his 
mother, veering into the front yard and hitting the family home. 
Witnesses said the boy tried resisting his mother's suggestion 
that he move the car himself. 
79.4193NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 19:2110
>+++ ROME (Reuters, 05-20) - An 80-year-old Italian grandmother 
>began ripping up some of her 13 opium plants when she saw 
>the police. She claims she planted them in her garden because 
>she loves flowers. She was charged with narcotics possession. 

The legality of growing opium poppies is periodically discussed in
rec.gardens.  It's apparently illegal to grow them at all in the U.S.,
even though you'd need a large number to get any opium out of them.
I guess this story shows that the Italian authorities are just as clueless
about such things as are the American authorities.
79.4194NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 19:338
Genoa, Italy (Reuters) -- An escaped Italian prisoner was back behind bars
yesterday after he lost his wallet and police telephoned him to come and
collect it.  Luigi De Chirico slipped away from a company where he was
allowed to work during a four-month sentence in the central town of Terni,
but he lost his wallet containing his identity papers and his cell phone
number.  A police officer called De Chirico on his cell phone and arrested
him when he arrived -- on a stolen moped -- to pick up the wallet.  De Chirico
now faces fresh charges of evading jail and theft.
79.4195NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 19:398
Mamaroneck, NY (AP) -- A woman who was forced into her trunk by carjackers
managed to get herself rescued by pulling wires to disable the tail lights
and attract police.  Bessie Cassaro, 64, was forced into the trunk of her
1992 Nissan in Manhattan on Monday.  The carjackers drove it north about
15 miles to Larchmont, where a police officer noticed the lights and tried
to stop the car.  The carjackers sped into Mamaroneck, where the car hit a
pole.  They fled.  Paul Mikaya, 29, and Mickie Smith, 18, were charged with
kidnapping and criminal possession of stolen property.
79.4196POLAR::RICHARDSONuh, buh buh buh buh blonde?Wed May 28 1997 19:454
    smart lady!
    
    I probably would have been so flustered I never would have thought of
    that!
79.4197ACISS1::BATTISCNBC junkieWed May 28 1997 20:243
    
    re: Decorah, Iowa. I've been to that school before, my friend went
    there years ago. Nice to see some things never change.
79.4198NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Wed May 28 1997 20:282
Decorah is also the home of the Seed Savers Exchange, which is dedicated
to preserving heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables.
79.4199NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu May 29 1997 18:3159
WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, May 28, 1997 [excerpts]

Redondo Beach, California:

It was a double exposure, of sorts.

Police caught a man accused of exposing himself in
public using photos snapped by the victim.

Jimmy Robert Jewell, 33, was booked for investigation
of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted kidnapping
and indecent exposure, police Sgt. Randy Martin said.

Jewell stopped his van Friday morning and asked a woman
walking to work for directions, Martin said. While she
was talking, Jewell allegedly exposed himself and began
masturbating.

The woman was carrying a camera, so she took it out and
snapped a photograph. Jewell then grabbed the woman,
but she broke free and ran to the front of his van,
trying to take a picture of the front license plate.

Jewell allegedly got behind the wheel and tried to run
her over but the woman jumped aside into some bushes
and managed to take a picture of the van's rear license
plate as it went by.

Police developed the film and identified the vehicle
and Jewell, whose face was clearly exposed. He was
arrested at home that night.
==========

Phoenix, Arizona:

Craig Davison isn't your ordinary penny-pincher.

He figures he has jogged 120,000 miles since he began
running regularly in 1978 -- and has collected more
than $5,170 in loose change on the way.

"People say to me, 'I never find money when I run,"'
Davison, 43, said Sunday. "I say, 'You're running too
fast."'

Davison, who runs about 30 races each year, isn't in it
for the money. But each day he picks up the coins he
finds and logs the amount in a diary.

All those dropped dimes, nickels and pennies paid for a
second honeymoon in Hawaii in 1991 for Davison and his
wife, Irene. He also picks up proofs-of-purchase from
discarded cigarette packs. His RCA satellite dish --
courtesy of Marlboro -- arrived last week.

"I asked my tax guy whether I should declare it and he
said that, one, they wouldn't believe it, and, two,
nobody's that honest to report a penny they found on
the ground."
79.4200it's a long one!TROOA::BUTKOVICHgot a rubber pencil thing happeninThu May 29 1997 18:42319
    > > It is once again time to vote for the Darwin Award nominees
    > > for 1996. As you know these nominees will not be
    > > contributing to the gene pool (thankfully).
    > >
    > > You may recall last year's Darwin Award winner:  The man who
    > > found out moments before making a 300 MPH dent in an Arizona
    > > cliff that the JATO (jet assist take off) unit he'd strapped
    > > to his car could not be turned off once it was turned on.
    > >
    > > And 1994's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke
    > > machine which toppled on top of him as he was attempting to
    > > tip a free soda out of it.
    > >
    > > The 1996 nominees are:
    > >
    > > NOMINEE #1 [San Jose Mercury News]
    > >
    > > An unidentified man, using a shotgun like a club to break a
    > > former girlfriend's windshield, accidentally shot himself to
    > > death when the gun discharged, blowing a hole in his gut.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #2 [Kalamazoo Gazette, 4-1-95]
    > >
    > > James Burns, 34, of Alamo, Mich., was killed in March as he
    > > was trying to repair what police described as a "farm-type
    > > truck." Burns got a friend to drive the truck on a highway
    > > while Burns hung underneath so that he could ascertain the
    > > source of a troubling noise. Burns' clothes caught on
    > > something, however, and the other man found Burns "wrapped
    > > in the drive shaft."
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #3 [Reuters, Mississauga, Ontario]
    > >
    > > Man slips, falls 23 stories to his death.  A man cleaning a
    > > bird feeder on his balcony of his condominium apartment in
    > > this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his
    > > death, police said Monday. Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on
    > > a wheeled chair Sunday when the accident occurred, said
    > > Inspector D'Arcy Honer of the Peel regional police. "It
    > > appears the chair moved and he went over the balcony," Honer
    > > said. "It's one of those freak accidents. No foul play is
    > > suspected."
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #4 [Hickory Daily Record 12/21/92]
    > >
    > > Ken Charles Barger, 47, accidentally shot himself to death
    > > in December in Newton, N.C., when, awakening to the sound of
    > > a ringing telephone beside his bed, he reached for the phone
    > > but grabbed instead a Smith&Wesson 38 Special, which
    > > discharged when he drew it to his ear.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #5 [UPI, Toronto]
    > >
    > > Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in
    > > a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with
    > > his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death. A police
    > > spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of the
    > > Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was
    > > explaining the strength of the building's windows to
    > > visiting law students.  Hoy previously had conducted
    > > demonstrations of window strength according to police
    > > reports. Peter Lauwers, managing partner of the firm Holden
    > > Day Wilson, told the Torontom Sun newspaper that Hoy was
    > > "one of the best and brightest" members of the 200-man
    > > association.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #6 [AP, Cairo, Egypt, 31 Aug 1995 CAIRO, Egypt (AP)]
    > >
    > > Six people drowned Monday while trying to rescue a chicken
    > > that had fallen into a well in southern Egypt.  An
    > > 18-year-old farmer was the first to descend into the 60-foot
    > > well.  He drowned, apparently after an undercurrent in the
    > > water pulled him down, police said.  His sister and two
    > > brothers, none of whom could swim well, went in one by one
    > > to help him, but also drowned.  Two elderly farmers then
    > > came to help, but they apparently were pulled by the same
    > > undercurrent. The bodies of the six were later pulled out of
    > > the well in the village of Nazlat Imara, 240 miles south of
    > > Cairo.  The chicken was also pulled out.  It survived.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #7 [Bloomburg News Service, 25 March]
    > >
    > > A terrible diet and room with no ventilation are being
    > > blamed for the death of a man who was killed by his own gas.
    > > There was no mark on his body but autopsy showed large
    > > amounts of methane gas in his system. His diet had consisted
    > > primarily of beans and cabbage (and a couple of other
    > > things).  It was just the right combination of foods.  It
    > > appears that the man died in his sleep from breathing from
    > > the poisonous cloud that was hanging over his bed. Had he
    > > been outside or had his windows been opened, it wouldn't
    > > have been fatal. But the man was shut up in his near
    > > airtight bedroom. He was ". . . a big man with a huge
    > > capacity for creating [this deadly gas]." Three of the
    > > rescuers got sick and one was hospitalized.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #9 [18 May 93, San Jose Mercury News]
    > >
    > > A 24-year-old salesman from Hialeah, Fla., was killed near
    > > Lantana, Fla., in March when his car smashed into a pole in
    > > the median strip of Interstate 95 in the middle of the
    > > afternoon. Police said that the man was traveling at 80 MPH
    > > and, judging by the sales manual that was found open and
    > > clutched to his chest, had been busy reading.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #10 [1/29/96 The News of the weird.]
    > > JOINT NOMINEE
    > >
    > > Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously
    > > in 1989. He had spent several years awaiting South
    > > Carolina's electric chair on a murder conviction before
    > > having his sentence reduced to life in prison.  In March
    > > 1989, sitting on a metal toilet in his cell and attempting
    > > to fix his small TV set, he bit into a wire and was
    > > electrocuted.
    > >
    > > On Jan. 1, 1997, Laurence Baker, also a convicted murderer
    > > once on death row, but later serving a life sentence at the
    > > state prison in Pittsburgh, Pa., was electrocuted by his
    > > homemade earphones as he watched his small TV while sitting
    > > on his metal toilet.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > >  NOMINEE #11["The Indianapolis Star", Wed., Dec. 4, 1996].
    > >
    > > Cigarette lighter may have triggered fatal explosion
    > > Dunkirk, Indiana. A Jay County man using a cigarette lighter
    > > to check the barrel of a muzzleloader was killed Monday
    > > night when the weapon discharged in his face, sheriff's
    > > investigators said.  Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his
    > > parents' rural Dunkirk home about 11:30 p.m. Investigators
    > > said Pryor was cleaning a .54-caliber muzzleloader that had
    > > not been firing properly.  He was using the lighter to look
    > > into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #12 [AP, Mammoth Lakes]
    > >
    > > A San Anselmo man died yesterday when he hit a lift tower at
    > > the Mammoth Mountain ski area while riding down the slope on
    > > a foam pad, authorities said. Matthew David Hubal, 22, was
    > > pronounced dead at Centinela Mammoth Hospital. The accident
    > > occurred about 3 a.m., the Mono County Sheriff's Department
    > > said. Hubal and his friends apparently had hiked up a ski
    > > run called Stump Alley and undid some yellow foam protectors
    > > from the lift towers, said Lieutenant Mike Donnelly of the
    > > Mammoth Lakes Police Department.
    > >
    > > The pads are used to protect skiers who might hit the
    > > towers. The group apparently used the pads to slide down the
    > > ski slope and Hubal crashed into a tower. It was not clear
    > > if the tower he hit was one with its pad removed.
    > >
    > > "With the cold temperatures, the snow was probably pretty
    > > fast," said Donnelly.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #13 [Reuters, Warsaw, Poland, 5 May 1995]
    > >
    > > A poacher electrocuting fish in a lake in central Poland
    > > fell into the water and suffered the same fate as his
    > > quarry, police said Thursday. The 24-year-old man was one of
    > > four who went fishing with a cable, one end of which they
    > > attached to a net and the other to a high-voltage
    > > electricity supply line, the PAP news agency quoted a police
    > > official in Wloclawek as= saying. "For a while everything
    > > went according to the poachers' plan and they had fish in
    > > their bags. But at a certain moment the man holding the net
    > > tripped and fell into the water," the agency said. The other
    > > poachers tried in vain to revive him, it said.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE #14 [AP, St. Louis]
    > >
    > > Robert Puelo, 32, was apparently being disorderly in a St.
    > > Louis market.  When the clerk threatened to call police,
    > > Puelo grabbed a hot dog, shoved it in his mouth, and walked
    > > out without paying for it. Police found him unconscious in
    > > front of the store: paramedics removed the six-inch wiener
    > > from his throat, where it had choked him to death.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE 15 [Unknown]
    > >
    > > To poacher Marino Malerba, who shot a stag standing above
    > > him on an overhanging rock -- and was killed instantly when
    > > it fell on him.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > NOMINEE 16 [Associated Press, Kincaid, W. VA]
    > >
    > > Blasting Cap Explodes in Man's Mouth at Party.  A man at a
    > > party popped a blasting cap into his mouth and bit down,
    > > triggering an explosion that blew off his lips, teeth and
    > > tongue, state police said Wednesday.
    > >
    > > Jerry Stromyer, 24, of Kincaid, bit the blasting cap as a
    > > prank during a party late Tuesday night, said Cpl.
    > > M.D.Payne. `Another man had it in an aquarium, hooked to a
    > > battery, and was trying to explode it,'' Payne said.  ``It
    > > wouldn't go off and this guy said, `I'll show you how to set
    > > it off.
    > >
    > > ``I just can't imagine anyone doing something like that,''
    > > Payne said.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > AND FINALLY, NOMINEE #17 [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1-1-93]
    > >
    > > In December near Mineral Wells, Tex., three men who were
    > > attempting to steal copper wire off live electrical lines
    > > for resale were electrocuted.  Copper wiring is a valuable
    > > scrap metal in Texas but is usually stolen from electric
    > > cables that are not being used.
    > >
    > >
    >
    **********************************************************************
    >
    > >
    > > Here are some people that may be future nominees/winners,
    > > but still haven't made it to the "Big Leagues"
    > >
    > > [UPI, Portland, OR]
    > >
    > > Doctors at Portland's University Hospital said Wednesday an
    > > Oregon man shot through the skull by a hunting arrow is
    > > lucky to be alive, and will be released soon from the
    > > hospital.
    > >
    > > Tony Roberts, 25, lost his right eye last weekend during an
    > > initiation into a men's rafting club, Mountain Men
    > > Anonymous, in Grants Pass, Ore. A friend tried to shoot a
    > > beer can off his head, but the arrow entered Roberts' right
    > > eye. Doctors said had the arrow gone 1 millimeter to the
    > > left, a major blood vessel would have cut and Roberts would
    > > have died instantly.
    > >
    > > Neurosurgeon Dr. Johnny Delashaw at the University Hospital
    > > in Portland said the arrow went through 8 to 10 inches of
    > > brain, with the tip protruding at the rear of his skill, yet
    > > somehow managed to miss all major blood vessels.  Delashaw
    > > also said had Robert tried to pull the arrow out on his own
    > > he surely would have killed himself. Roberts admitted
    > > afterwards he and his friends had been drinking that
    > > afternoon.  Said Roberts, ``I feel so dumb about this.''
    > >
    > > No charges have been filed but the Josephine County district
    > > attorney's office said the initiation stunt is under
    > > investigation.
    > >
    > >  ------------------------------------------
    > >
    > > from The Calgary Sun Saturday, December 28, 1996: Low blow
    > > for gunman VANCOUVER (CP) -
    > >
    > > A man arguing over a love triangle accidentally shot himself
    > > in the groin, taking off his testicles and part of his
    > > penis. Police said the man was waving a .357 Magnum revolver
    > > around during the shouting match early yesterday. But when
    > > he stuffed it back in his pants the gun went off.  Police
    > > were called to the hospital after the man in his 20's was
    > > brought in by friends. Charges are pending against the
    > > victim, who is expected to survive.
    > >
    > >  --------------------------------------------
    > > Arkansas Democrat Gazette, July 25, 1996:
    > >
    > > Two Local Men Injured in Freak Truck Accident, Cotton Patch,
    > > Ark. Two local men were seriously injured when their pick-up
    > > truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on
    > > State Highway 38 early Monday morning.  Woodruff County
    > > deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after
    > > midnight Monday.
    > >
    > > Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of
    > > Little Rock are listed in serious condition at Baptist
    > > Medical Center.  The accident occurred as the two men were
    > > returning to Des Arc after a frog gigging trip. On an
    > > overcast Sunday night, Poole's pick-up truck headlights
    > > malfunctioned.  The two men concluded that the headlight
    > > fuse on the older model truck had burned out.  As a
    > > replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the
    > > .22 caliber bullet from his pistol fit perfectly into the
    > > fuse box next to the steering wheel column.  Upon inserting
    > > the bullet, the headlights again began to operate properly
    > > and the two men proceeded on east-bound toward the White
    > > River bridge.
    > >
    > > After traveling approximately twenty miles and just before
    > > crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated,
    > > discharged and struck Poole in the right testicle. The
    > > vehicle swerved sharply to the right exiting the pavement
    > > and striking a tree.
    > >
    > > Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the
    > > accident, but will require surgery to repair the other
    > > wound.  Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated
    > > and released.  "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when
    > > Thurston shot his nuts off or we might both be dead" stated
    > > Wallis.
    > >
    > > "I've been a trooper for ten years in this part of the
    > > world, but this is a first for me. I can't believe that
    > > those two would admit how this accident happened", said
    > > Snyder.
    > >
    > > Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia, Poole's wife
    > > asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get
    > > them from the truck.
                            
79.4201She's SUING?POWDML::HANGGELIWe'll meet you there!Thu May 29 1997 19:0532
    
    Miami boy travels in style to Jamaica for free
    
    MIAMI - Dressed in a T-shirt and cut-off jeans, a 12-year-old boy walked 
    through Miami airport security, boarded an American Airlines plane and 
    flew first-class to Jamaica.
    
    The boy had neither a ticket, money nor a passport. Now his mother,
    Darlene Livingstone, is seeking to sue American Airlines, the airport and 
    U.S. government agencies.
    
    "It is a very amusing yet dangerous story," lawyer Ellis Rubin told a
    news conference on Wednesday.
    
    The boy, whose name was not disclosed, began his adventure on May 19
    when he walked out of a children's care centre to visit the airport. 
    Without a dime in his pocket, he hopped aboard public transport and an 
    airport shuttle bus.
    
    At the airport he went through security with no one checking for a
    ticket or passport.
    
    "He didn't intend to fly," Rubin said.
    
    But he joined a passenger line and was ushered on board to a
    first-class seat on a Jamaica-bound flight. It was only when he
    landed and tried to get to a resort that he was found out and flown
    home.
    
    "I don't think he understands the seriousness. He thought it was a fun
    thing," his mother said. 
    
79.4202SUBSYS::NEUMYERHere's your signThu May 29 1997 19:086
    
    	Re .4201
    
    	I sure hope she sent him the money to buy a ticket to get back.
    
    ed
79.4203NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 02 1997 18:00139
WEIRDNUZ.481 (News of the Weird, April 25, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORIES

* The Times of London reported in March that when an employee
of the James Beauchamp law firm in Edgbaston, England, recently
killed himself, the firm billed his mother about $20,000 for the
expense of settling his officework.  Included was a bill for about
$2,300 to go to his home to find out why he didn't show up at work
(thus finding his body), plus about $500 for identifying the body
for the coroner, plus about $250 to go to his mother's home, knock
on her door, and tell her that her son was dead.  (After unfavorable
publicity, the firm withdrew the bill.) 

* In April, commenting on the breakthroughs in cloning, Ann
Northrop, a columnist for a New York lesbian and gay publication,
argued that cloning could give women total control over
reproduction:  "Men are now totally irrelevant," she wrote.  "Men
are going to have a very hard time justifying their existence on the
planet."  And a week later, two Rutgers University researchers
reported confirming that an alternative nervous-system route to
sexual arousal exists, from the cervix to the neck to the brain, thus
accounting for why some spinal-cord-injured people can
nevertheless have orgasms.  One of the researchers said it might
thus be possible to induce orgasm chemically by stimulating the
specific neurotransmitter. 

* University of North Carolina law professor Barry Nakell, 53, a
nationally-known expert on death-penalty law, was fired in
February after pleading guilty to shoplifting food and a book from
a store in Chapel Hill.  He had also been charged with shoplifting
in 1991, but the charge was dismissed after he performed
community service. 

GOVERNMENT IN ACTION

* The Los Angeles Times reported in December that nearly 2,000
criminals, "hundreds" of them violent or repeat offenders, have
escaped in the last two years from a lackadaisically-run work-
release program of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. 
In most cases, inmates were merely asked if they preferred work-
release, with no examination of their criminal records. 

* In a September statement, Joseph Sniezek, an official of the
Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Injury
Prevention, lamented the serious injuries suffered by rodeo bull
riders and suggested a solution might be to require helmets. 

* In November, as part of a growing trend to micromanage school
curricula, the New York legislature required that all public school
students age 8 and above receive formal instruction in the Irish
potato famine of the 1840's.  That follows a requirement that
students be given instruction weekly on how animals fit into "the
economy of nature."  (New Jersey already requires instruction on
the potato famine, via amendment to its law requiring instruction
on the Holocaust.) 

* In January in an experiment to exercise better crowd control over
opposition-party demonstrations in Jakarta, Indonesia, the local
police chief put seven cobras in a glass case in front of the main
police station and said they would be used to intimidate protesters.
He said police would wave the cobras at the crowd, but it was not
clear whether officers relished handling the snakes in the first place
or that such crowds would allow the officers to get close enough
for the snakes to strike. 

* The National Wilderness Institute charged in January that the
Department of the Interior has failed to remove several plant and
wildlife species from the government's endangered list despite the
common knowledge that they (such as the "Maguire daisy")  do not
exist.  The government resists because it says it costs $37,000 to
remove a name from the list but meanwhile has added hundreds of
new ones in recent years. 

* The governing commercial body of Europe, the European Union,
ruled in February that despite a six-century tradition, wooden shoes
manufactured in the Netherlands would no longer be permitted in
the workplace unless they could meet the same standards as steel-
toed safety shoes.  Shoe manufacturers warn that Dutch clogs
might soon disappear altogether.  As one shoe executive said, "It
would be like Paris without the Eiffel Tower." 

* In December, the Canadian Defence Department issued a 17-
page set of guidelines for manufacturers who wish to compete for
new contracts to supply underwear to the military.  Among the
most challenging requirements are that one pair must be able to be
worn for six-month stints in the field and that the garment must be
invisible to night-vision goggles so that a skivvy-clad soldier does
not offer a target to snipers. 

SEEDS OF OUR DESTRUCTION

* The Sunday Times of London reported in December that 300
tons of humanitarian aid from Western countries was sitting in
Bosnian warehouses because it is useless.  Included were birth
control pills with an expiration date of 1986, weight-reduction
tablets from Britain, mouthwash from the U. S., and chemical
waste from Germany.  According to the Times, some war-zone
drivers have been killed transporting these supplies, and the
German chemicals by law cannot be returned, thus creating a
hazardous-waste disposal problem for Bosnians. 

* The Associated Press reported in February on Ms. Myassar Abul-
Hawa, 52, the first female taxicab driver in Jordan.  Her business is
brisk, in part because some devout Muslim men ask for her by
name to chauffeur their wives and daughters so they won't be alone
with male drivers.  (As is sometimes the case in the U.S., Abul-
Hawa turned to taxi-driving when she could not put to use her
degree in English literature.) 

* In the last six months, several reports have surfaced from the old
Soviet Union countries that nearly-bankrupt factories have been
forced to pay their workers merchandise instead of cash.  Included
were eggs paid to farm workers in Klyuchi, Siberia; old train cars
given to railroad workers in Ukraine; salaries of from 33 to 42
brassieres a month by an underwear factory in Volgograd, Russia;
and, from another Volgograd factory, rubber dildos (which are in
surplus, according to The Economist magazine, because the market
has turned to electronic vibrators). 

UPDATE

* Carrying on a 40-year tradition, Filipinos in the village of San
Pedro Cutud recently conducted their Easter audience-participation
crucifixion ceremonies, with 12 volunteers nailed to crosses with
sterilized 4-inch spikes in a show of absolution.  As News of the
Weird reported in 1990, for several years the Philippines
Department of Tourism was an official sponsor of the event. 

IDENTICAL ALL THE WAY

* In March in Lipovljani, Croatia, twin brothers Branko Uhiltil and
Ivan Uhiltil, 57, committed suicide in separate incidents within
hours of each other, apparently with utterly no knowledge of each
other's plans.   And in January, Jim Hare, 65, driving his identical
twin brother, Tom, near Bellefontaine, Ohio, lost control of the car,
and in the ensuing crash, both were killed instantly, at the same
moment. 
79.4204NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Mon Jun 02 1997 18:0186
WhiteBoard News for Friday, May 30, 1997 [excerpts]

Santa Ana, California:

Correen Zahnzinger claims there was a missing
ingredient in her marriage: a husband. 

Antonio Marciano, whom she married a year ago in Las
Vegas, turned out to be a woman named Valerie Inga,
Zahnzinger claims in a lawsuit. 

The suit filed last week says that Inga is refusing to
pay installments on a $300,000 mutual settlement, the
bride's compensation for being hoodwinked. It asks an
Orange County Superior Court to order Inga to honor the
agreement. 

Zahnzinger, 24, married Inga, 29, in March 1996 and
separated seven months later, according to court
papers. The marriage was annulled last March. 

They "did have a sexual relationship, but I'm not
allowed to say how it was perpetrated," Steven Zwick,
Zahnzinger's lawyer, said Tuesday. "It was explained to
me, and I thought it was realistic." 

They dated for nearly two years before they got
married, according to the filings. 

Zahnzinger, who has since remarried - to a real man,
claims fraud, battery, infliction of emotional distress
and breach of contract. 

Inga didn't honor the agreement because it was based on
"blackmail," her attorney said in a letter to
Zahnzinger's lawyer. Inga already had paid $5,250. 
==========

Green Tree, Pennsylvania:

In a scene straight out of a movie, a man tumbled four
stories but walked away with just a sprained thumb
after a pile of foam scraps cushioned his fall. 

Jackie Holmes, 42, was working on a roof in a suburban
Pittsburgh office complex when the edge of the building
cracked, witnesses said. 

Two rows of concrete blocks broke off Tuesday,
shattering windows and damaging cars below, but Holmes
fell straight into a 30-foot container used to collect
foam plastic insulation that roofers were dropping down
a chute. 

"If he hit anywhere else, he was going to be hurting,"
said co-worker Ray Miller. 
==========

Fayetteville, North Carolina:

Little Gage Cheatem knew he needed to call 911 to help
his mother when she passed out on the kitchen floor.
Big Bird on "Sesame Street" had showed him how.

The 2 1/2-year-old stacked books on a kitchen chair,
pushed the chair to the wall where the telephone was
high above him, climbed up and called for help. He told
a dispatcher his mom was sick, his name, his dad's name
and his mom's name -- "Mommy."

Jordan Fitzpatrick, Gage's mother, said she had been
feeling sick and collapsed May 20 while getting her son
a cup of milk. Fitzpatrick, 14 weeks pregnant with her
third child, had a kidney infection and was going into
septic shock. She ended up spending four days in the
hospital.

She said Gage's call saved her unborn child from
infection.

Gage didn't stop helping after dialing 911. While his
mom was unconscious, Gage fetched a bottle from the
refrigerator for his infant sister, Hannah, and fed
her.

"We're very proud of him," Fitzpatrick said.
79.4205What did she use, a strap-on?LUNER::BIRDTue Jun 03 1997 12:054
    re: .4204
    
    	I think most people would notice if their husband was a woman. This
    lady should be sued for being plain stupid.  
79.4206NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 03 1997 13:331
Yeah, except this is hardly the first time something like this has happened.
79.4207NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 03 1997 13:34160
WhiteBoard News for Monday, June 02, 1997 [excerpts]

Los Angeles, California:

An organization that includes prostitutes and advocates
of legalizing all consensual sex between adults is
offering an unusual inducement for people who help them
get teen-age hookers off the streets. Big donors, in
fact, could get more than a letter of thanks from the
National Sexual Rights Council.

"If you are a kind-hearted philanthropist who
contributes $150,000 to our favorite charity, you can
sleep with a whole committee of pretty women
fund-raisers," said Teri Goodson, a San Francisco call
girl overseeing the council's seven-member Pretty Women
Committee.

"We believe you should be rewarded with more than the
fun of sleeping in some dead president's bed," she
said, referring to a Clinton administration's practice
of treating some donors to a night at the White House.

"We believe we can raise more money than the political
parties, without their dull old campaigns," Goodson
said.

In addition to its charitable intent, the council's
offer is part of the national organization's drive to
legalize prostitution and to improve the lot of sex
workers.

"You can take this as a joke, but we're serious," said
National Sexual Rights Council Chairman Elliot Shaw, a
Florida attorney challenging that state's sex laws in
court. "It's time to get the state out of the bedroom."

The National Sexual Rights Council will consider all
donations. Shaw says $250 would net "a T-shirt, a
membership and a kiss from Teri."
==========

St. Catharines, Ontario:

Never mind snapping pitbulls and snarling dobermans -
letter carriers have a new nemesis to worry about.

The thing is, it only weighs about 17 grams.

Canada Post informed Niagara Falls resident Vince
Marinelli earlier this week that his letter carrier
would no longer deliver mail to his front door, because
robins living in a nest on Marinelli's porch light had
become a menace.

"I've never heard of anyone being scared of a robin,"
Marinelli said Friday. 

"I can understand a dog, but a bird?"

Rose Noonan, a supervisor with Canada Post in Niagara
Falls, said Marinelli's letter carrier complained about
the bullying birds.

The nesting robin parents were going on the offensive
when the carrier tried to place mail in the mail chute,
she said.

"They knocked his hat off - they were attacking him,"
she said.

Noonan called Marinelli's home to say that the mail
would have to be picked up at the post office until the
nest was empty. As a compromise, the carrier began
delivering Marinelli's mail to his brother's house next
door. 

It's the second year in a row that the robins have
nested on the porch light. Marinelli said he wouldn't
dare risk moving the nest, which had two chicks in it.

"It's got young in it - I'm not going to kill them."

Mary Ellen Hebb, a field naturalist, said humans could
be hurt by the talons of a large hawk or owl but a
featherweight like a robin isn't much of a threat. 

But after all the fuss, the problem appears to have
been solved: one of the chicks left the nest Thursday,
and the other one flew the coop Friday.

Marinelli said he would contact the post office to have
mail delivery restored.
==========

Halifax, Canada:

A naval vessel got an unexpected dress rehearsal for
its official launch next month when it accidentally
slipped into the harbor.

HMCS Yellowknife was being readied Saturday at Halifax
Shipyard for its June 5 christening when something gave
way and the ship slipped about eight meters into the
water. No one was hurt.

"The hydraulic system that holds the ship in place on
the rails failed in some way, which we're analyzing
now," shipyard spokesman Ross Langley said Monday.

"Everything has been fine since then. So the ship was
essentially launched on Saturday."

There was no damage to the 55-metre Yellowknife, the
seventh of 12 coastal defense vessels being built for
the Canadian navy.

The 950-tonne vessel was brought to a drydock on the
weekend, where workers found no damage to its hull.

Langley said the official launch is still scheduled,
but now will take place at wharfside with the ship
already afloat. 

"It will be a slightly different launching ceremony,"
he said.
==========

Bogota, Colombia:

Candidates in Colombia's forthcoming local elections
are being offered insurance against run-of-the-mill
political risks -- assassination, mutilation and
disability.

La Previsora S.A. outlined its "Insurance for
Democracy" policy to government representatives Sunday
amid growing threats of electoral violence by leftist
guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries.

"The policy protects candidates against death,
dismemberment, disability, funeral costs and medical
costs ... The idea behind this is to maintain and
protect the rights of Colombians to vote and stand for
election," La Previsora chairman Yolanda Guerra said.

Elections for provincial governors and town mayors are
scheduled to be held in October. But already Colombia's
main guerrilla groups have said they will not allow
political campaigning in areas under their influence,
threatening to shoot those who flout the ban.

At least six mayors have been murdered in Colombia this
year and more than 20 have been killed since January
1996.

Company representatives were unavailable to comment on
the cost of the policy and the likely size of the
pay-out in the event a candidate was murdered or
permanently disabled.
79.4208NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 03 1997 17:5421
Bethany, Conn. (AP) -- A young trio's plan to impress a girl with a cow
turned into an utter disaster.

The caper reportedly began early Sunday morning when three young men
decided to put a cow in the middle of the girl's living room, police
told the New Haven Register.

They tried to fit the cow into a pickup truck, only to realize the
creature was too big, police said.  So a school bus was stolen from
the driveway of an independent driver, they said.

Unfortunately, the bus crashed into a utility pole, causing a brief
power loss in the area and preventing the cow from being picked up
and delivered, police said.

Hibbard T. Smith and Joseph Gervasio, both 20, and Antonio Germana,
19, were each charged with second-degree larceny and conspiracy to
commit second-degree larceny.

Each was released in lieu of $500 bail and scheduled to appear in
New Haven Superior Court on June 13.
79.4209ACISS1::BATTISYou name it, I probably screw it up regularlyTue Jun 03 1997 18:122
    
    reckon there ain't much to do in Bethany.
79.4210NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Tue Jun 03 1997 19:42125
**********************************************************************
   Ovi's World of the Bizarre - E-Mail edition- #50 June 03, 1997 [excerpts]
            http://www.ovis.com/          ISSN 1092-9940 (c)     
**********************************************************************
>>>Man had tweezers inside stomach for 47 years
Source: Reuters

BOGOTA (05-30) - Doctors discovered a pair of surgical tweezers 
inside a Colombian man's stomach, apparently misplaced during a 
1950 surgery. 
Silivio Jimenez, 67, felt fine until about two months ago when he 
experienced abdominal pains. X-rays revealed a pair of surgical 
tweezers left there by a doctor who operated on Jimenez 47 
years ago. 
"Despite everything I'm grateful to the doctor who operated on 
me in 1950 because I'm still alive," Jimenez said. "But I'm upset 
because he left me with the tweezers. I'm not sure if it was an 
oversight." 
Jimenez has been scheduled for surgery in an attempt to remove 
the tweezers.
------------------

>>>Courthouse toilet blows up
Source: UPI

SANFORD, Fla. (05-30) - Imagine sitting on a toilet and doing 
your 'business' when the toilet ... blows up. That's exactly 
what happened to a man using a Seminole County Courthouse 
restroom.  
Officials claim the explosion occurred as a result of a fire 
hose pressure test conducted throughout the building. The 
unidentified victim did not suffer any serious injuries. The 
incident marks the second toilet explosion at the Seminole 
County Courthouse in the past two years.
-----------------

>>>Angry man throws salary out the window
Source: Nando Times

SEOUL, South Korea (05-28) - A South Korean man, upset 
over the latest corruption scandals, threw $4,488 out of a 
hotel room window as pedestrians scrambled to grab the cash. 
"If you politicians need the money that badly, take it," the 
unidentified construction worker shouted. "This money would 
keep my wife and children alive, but I've sprinkled it for you." 
The man was later detained by police. 
South Korea is facing a political corruption wave that resulted 
in the arrest of several leading politicians accused of bribery. 
------------------

>>>Dead woman's ashes gone with the wind
Source: Reuters

LARGO, Fla. (06-02) - The ashes of a dead woman were 
thrown away by janitors while preparing an apartment for 
new tenants. 
The woman's daughter, Kimberly Main, was outraged by the 
incident. "My husband went through four dumpsters but 
couldn't find the ashes. Now, I've lost my mother for the 
second time," she said. 
The management of the Compass Pointe apartment complex 
sent out the cleanup crew one week before Main's lease ran 
out. The janitors threw out household items on the assumption 
the apartment had already been vacated. 
Kimberly wanted to scatter the ashes at the Grand Canyon 
where her mother always wanted to go.

+++    An Australian science student is impressed with McDonald's 
preservatives. He stored a cheeseburger in his desk drawer for 
one year and had this to say: "Not a skerrick of mould." Although 
the burger is dry, the student assumes it would be as good as new 
if microwaved with a glass of water.

+++ The city of Calgary bans the use of fake flowers at city-operated 
cemeteries claiming they can become ... dangerous weapons. Silk 
roses and other fake flowers can be easily scattered by wind or 
children and could damage lawnmowers and even hurt people. 
"The lawnmowers go over them and shoot out the wires at people," 
said Bob Browning, superintendent of cemeteries.

+++ RIO DE JANEIRO (R, 05-30) - Osmi Moreira, 24, was arrested 
for shooting and killing a bus driver because he missed his stop. 
Driver Jose Hermogeno, 62, was fatally shot in the chest after he 
drove past the stop at which Moreira wanted to get off. 

+++ TAMPA, Fla. (UPI, 05-30) - An 89-year-old woman defended 
herself against an intruder who forced his way into her house and 
threatened her into giving him money. Ruby Bozzell "beat him with 
an umbrella, clawed at his chest and punched him in the groin." 
The suspect somehow managed to get away.

+++ U.K. (BBC, 05-28) - Rupert Allison, the Conservative 
MP for Torbay, went for an Italian meal on the eve of a recent UK 
General Election. Unfortunately for Rupert he didn't leave a tip and 
all 14 staff at the restaurant decided to switch their votes to the 
Liberal Democrat candidate. The next day Rupert lost the election 
by ... 12 votes.

+++ ANSONIA, Ohio (NT, 05-30) - Jamie Hines, 18, flashed the 
audience at Ansonia High School during the graduation ceremony. 
"After he got his diploma, he raised his gown and depending on 
where were you sitting in the gym, you either got a northern 
exposure or a southern exposure (of his private parts)," said Jesse 
Green, assistant county prosecutor. Hines was sentenced to two 
days in jail, fined $100 and has to serve 100 hours of community 
service. "I wouldn't do it again," he said. "I didn't expect trouble."

+++ CHRISTIANSBURG, Virginia (AP, 06-02) - Michael Knowles, a former postal
worker who told Ann Landers he had killed his wife, was convicted of 
murder. Knowles sued the famous advice columnist for $100 million 
for publishing his letter. In the letter Knowles said his wife was 
having an affair with a man she met on the Internet. "The court 
ordered me to give her $410 every two weeks. I thought about 
how unjust this was and decided to kill her." In her newspaper 
column Landers replied: "Blaming the Internet is a cop-out. You 
killed your wife because she left you."

+++ JERUSALEM (JP, 05-27) - The Palestinian Authority accused 
Israel of manufacturing and exporting sexually stimulating 
chewing gum into Palestinian controlled territory. "Laboratory 
tests made on seven brands of Israeli gum smuggled into the 
West Bank and Gaza showed they contain a sexually stimulating 
adrenaline substance," said Saleh Abdulal, director of the 
inspection department of the PA Ministry of Supplies. Israeli 
officials call the accusations "ridiculous."
79.4211NOTIME::SACKSGerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085Thu Jun 05 1997 19:2059
Man who threw pig into bar association office avoids jail

By Paul Langner, Globe Staff, 06/05/97

A Waltham man who attacked the Massachusetts Bar
Association office in Boston with a 55-gallon drum, a
pickax and a live pig has pleaded guilty to one of three
charges arising from the attack.

After a hearing yesterday, Judge Charles R. Johnson
ordered the defendant, Kevin Callahan, to pay restitution
and perform 20 hours of community service for the
February 1996 attack.

The assault, and the items Callahan hurled, inspired
numerous quips about the legal profession. But Benjamin
Fierro, general counsel for the bar association, was not
amused by the sentence.

``It was nothing less than an act of domestic terrorism
against lawyers and the legal system,'' Fierro said.

Callahan ``called it a `peaceful act of protest.' A
peaceful act is carrying protest signs, writing letters -
not throwing a 55-gallon drum through the MBA office's
plate glass window and throwing a pickax in after it,''
said Fierro.

Callahan, 29, had been charged with malicious destruction
of property, breaking and entering and cruelty to
animals. Prosecutor Mark Hallal declined to accept a plea
bargain, insisting that Callahan plead guilty to all
three charges.

But Johnson accepted a proposal by defense attorney
Andrea C. Stanton that Callahan admit to only one charge
- malicious destruction of property. Johnson dismissedes]
the other two charges.

In addition to restitution and community service, Johnson
placed Callahan on one year's probation, on condition
that the guilty plea would not go on his record if he
stays out of trouble.

Fierro said if Callahan were to commit another offense,
he would have to serve six months in the house of
correction.

Callahan, according to police reports, had rented a van
the day before the Feb. 21 attack, and had driven it to
the offices at 4:30 a.m. A witness later reported that he
saw Callahan go to the back of the van, pull out an oil
drum and hurl it through the window. He then threw the
pig in after it.

It could not be learned what it was about lawyers that
offended Callahan, although a handwritten note in his van
said the American Bar Association operates in its ``own
best interest.''
79.4212HIGHD::FLATMANflatman@highd.enet.dec.comThu Jun 05 1997 19:589
>had rented a van the day before 

    A rented van?  Ryder trucks at OKC ...  obviously we have a pattern of
    wacos here.  Should we outlaw renting vehicles larger than a compact or
    merely conduct extensive surveillance of business that rent such
    vehicles?  Maybe we should just brand everyone who rents such a vehicle
    an extremist nut case.

    -- Dave
79.4213POLAR::RICHARDSONMilk carton candidateThu Jun 05 1997 19:591
    sounds reasonable.
79.4214someone had to say it....EVMS::MORONEYTis but a flesh wound...Thu Jun 05 1997 20:141
Ban assault Ryder trucks and vans!