The Odd Truth, Jan. 3, 2005

Lengthy Loophole; Fight For Your Right To Colon Cleanse; More

(CBS/AP)  The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Joey Arak.

Rare Snow For Sale

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A 23-year-old man has put a three-pound snowball he collected during an unprecedented Rio Grande Valley Christmas snowfall on the eBay auction block.

Brownsville received 1.5 inches of snow Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning, its first measurable snowfall since Feb. 14, 1895, according to the National Weather Service.

"It's an amazing historical event," seller Oscar J. Garza told The Brownsville Herald. "They've been selling so much stuff on eBay I thought I'd get a good laugh and if I make a little money out of it, oh well. That's why I put a 'buy it now' price of $5,000."

Garza's ball of snow was going for $5.50 — plus a $20 shipping charge — with five days of bidding remaining. Six people had placed bids so far.


Lengthy Loophole

ALBION, Ind. - Republican Diann Bortner and Democrat Bonnie Summe were once notorious office swappers. Those days have now ended.

Bortner and Summe traded treasurer and clerk jobs in Noble County every eight years to skirt a state law on term limits. But Summe, 73, retired last year after more than 33 years in government.

Summe and Bortner, who now takes over as treasurer after eight years as clerk, were elected for years with and without opponents.

Because state law limits treasurers and clerks to eight years of continuous tenure in each elected position, they informally arranged to switch offices every eight years.

From 1981 to 1988, Bortner served as Noble County clerk, Summe served as county treasurer. For the next two terms, Bortner served as treasurer while Summe served as clerk. In 1996, they swapped again.

Although Summe and Bortner aren't really friends and are from different political parties, they said their office-swapping arrangement just sort of worked out.

“It's a compliment that the people think enough of you to re-elect you,” Bortner said.


Fight For Your Right To Colon Cleanse

LOGAN, Utah - The fight over a woman's desire to run a colon cleansing service out of her home has gotten down and dirty.

Colette Yates says she has invested two years and roughly $40,000 on her home business, which focuses on removing waste from the large intestine by injecting water into the colon, where it loosens and softens waste.

But while colon hydrotherapy is a licensed procedure in other states, it is considered only a homeopathic method in Utah.

The Providence Planning Commission recently recommended denial of Yates' request for a permit. Commissioners said they wanted to avoid setting a precedent of allowing medically oriented businesses in residential neighborhoods.

Yates said last week that commissioners are wary because they're not familiar with the procedure, though she provided them with detailed videos and literature.

But commissioners questioned Yates on how she would safely monitor the water pressure and how she would dispose of waste.

“I haven't heard anything negative about it - and I've been asking - but I think it belongs in a chiropractic office,” said Commissioner Kristina Lamborn, who voted to recommend denying the permit. “I feel very strongly about that.”


Advertising Breakthrough: Magnets

BOSTON - That's not a forgotten cup of coffee on the roof of that Boston cab. It's an advertising campaign.

The ad campaign, a creation of Clear Channel Taxi Media, is a Starbucks cup magnetically attached to the roofs of about 100 city cabs. It is the first advertisement of its kind in the nation.

Larry Meister, vice president of the Independent Taxi Owners Association, says people point and beep and yell at cab drivers to tell them about the cup on their roof.

The ad is a departure from the city's normally conservative taxi advertising policies and is for a limited time.


Invasion Of The Pouch Rat

KEY WEST, Fla. - The Florida Keys have some unwelcome visitors. The region now dealing with invasive exotics like iguanas has another pest to contend with: the African Gambian pouch rat. Biologists and conservationists in the Keys say the rodent needs to be eradicated, before it increases its range and harms native species. It won't be easy. The rats can eat almost everything, and can grow as big as raccoons. So far, there are no takers to eradicate the rat. Government agencies haven't stepped up. One expert says even cats won't mess with the Gambian pouch rat. One resident on Grassy Key says that besides frightening the cats, the rats are pretty friendly because they're not afraid. Sometimes the rats eat out of the same dish as her cats and dogs.