The Odd Truth, Sept. 20, 2002

(CBS)  The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Brian Bernbaum. A new collection of stories is published each weekday. On weekends, you can read a week's worth of The Odd Truth.

The Naked Truth

TORONTO - Seven men who bared all in Toronto's Gay Pride Parade have been cleared of public nudity charges because they were wearing shoes, their lawyer says.

The men, from a social group calling itself Totally Naked Toronto Men Enjoying Nudity (TNT!MEN), were arrested and charged under Canada's Criminal Code after they marched in the annual festival wearing only footwear -- and sunscreen.

But prosecutors dropped the charges this week after conceding there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction, said lawyer Peter Simm, a TNT!MEN member himself.

Simm said his clients were technically not naked.

"The law is very straightforward if someone is absolutely and completely bereft of clothing," he said. But if there is a scrap of apparel anywhere on the body, things become more complicated.

"Because everyone wore at least footwear the Crown had to prove indecency and it couldn't." (Reuters)

Burger King Grilled After Junior College Crack

COEUR d'ALENE, Idaho — Community colleges had it their way. Burger King has decided to pull a television commercial that poked fun at students in two-year schools.

In the ad, two students are shown chatting with a talking menu, which decides they probably don't have a lot of money and likely never will because they attend a junior college.

A Burger King spokeswoman confirmed that the spot is being pulled because of complaints from numerous junior colleges and community college officials.(AP)

Evangelist Seeks License For 'Miracle Water'

DELAWARE, Ohio - A judge has ordered evangelist Leroy Jenkins to stop selling bottled "miracle water" until he gets a license.

The water - which Jenkins claims has healing power - comes from a well on his Healing Waters Cathedral property in Delaware, Ohio.

After the hearing, Jenkins said he'll apply for a bottling license, although he's been refused one in the past.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture says at least one of the bottles it tested contained coliform bacteria, which are found in human and animal waste. (AP)

Sex And The German Soldier

BERLIN - Germans mulling joining the army may think twice now thanks to a new regulation banning soldiers from having sex with each other while in active service.

The Defense Ministry said on Friday it had issued a decree stating that sleeping with fellow soldiers of either sex, or indeed their partners, would be bad for morale, threatening "mutual trust and soldiers' willingness to help each other."

The army originally laid out a series of proposals on how to behave with female colleagues when women were first allowed into active army service at the beginning of 2001. Now they have set them in stone.

Women soldiers will also have to take down their favorite pin-ups, as one clause, expressly formulated to include both men and women, prohibits them from hanging up pornographic images that might offend others. (Reuters)

A Sad Tale From Australia

SYDNEY - Australians bade farewell on Thursday to a German-born homeless man who died after living for 25 years in a Sydney bus shelter.

Karl Kulper died last weekend after living in the brick bus shelter close to Saint Vincent's hospital in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst for more than a third of his 66 years.

"In memory of Carl (sic), resident of this shelter for 25 years who passed away 14/9/02, God Bless -- Vinnys," read a note from the hospital's emergency department, placed among roses and orchids left on the blackened bench where Kulper lived.

The heavily bearded man's death made the front page of Australia's only national daily paper, The Australian. It was suspected that the man died of natural causes, it reported.

Hospital social workers said they believed that after Kulper's wife and child died he no longer felt the need to lead an orthodox life.

Hospital staff and locals would buy him coffee and give him cigarettes and send postcards addressed to "Karl at the bus stop outside St. Vincent's" when they went on holiday.

"Every morning he'd be sitting outside waiting for us to open...he was a very private person but very polite, we knew he was German but didn't no anything much about him really," said Winifred Campbell, a waitress at Una's Cafe where Kulper celled in each morning for his breakfast bacon sandwich.

A memorial service was held at the shelter Thursday, to be followed by the funeral Monday. (Reuters)