The Odd Truth
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.
Fashion Disaster
LUDINGTON, Mich. — Orange stripes on blue pants? A 20-year-old man found out the hard way that he'd made an unfortunate fashion choice.
A man dressed in a blue shirt and blue pants with orange stripes down the side was walking along U.S. 10 on Monday morning when he stopped at a gas station.
His clothing caught the eyes of two off-duty Michigan Department of Corrections employees, as well as an off-duty Lake County reserve officer, who decided he looked like a prison escapee and detained him.
The officers bound the man's hands with duct tape and searched him for weapons before asking gas station employees to contact authorities.
Within 30 minutes, authorities determined the man wasn't an escaped convict and released him.
The Mason County Sheriff's Department was investigating. Sheriff's officials said they would send the case to prosecutors to determine if officers violated any laws when they detained the man. (AP)
Thinking Big, Too Big
NEWARK, N.J. - Utah auto mechanic Kevin Jackson was thinking big -- a little too big. Authorities say he tried to cash a fake $100 million U.S. Bond. But prosecutors note that no bond has ever been issued with a face value of more than one million dollars. Yesterday, Jackson was sentenced to more than four years in prison for the counterfeit bond scheme. According to prosecutors, Jackson tried to redeem the bond at a bank and claimed it was worth $200 million -- including $100 million in interest. (AP)
Telemarketer Saves Woman's Life
OAK PARK, Mich. - Police say it may be the only time someone was ever happy to hear from a telemarketer.
When Jamie Carter reached a Michigan home -- trying to sell the residents DirecTV service -- she reached a 75-year-old woman who had collapsed and blacked out, after her husband had a fatal fall.
The phone call made Shirley Weddle alert again -- and the ringing continued long enough for her to crawl toward the ringing sound and find the phone.
She told the telemarketer that her husband had a heart attack, and that he had hit his head on the tub and had no pulse.
Carter kept her on the line, while her supervisor called police in Arizona --where Carter was. They then notified police in Michigan, who broke into the woman's home. They found her on the living room floor -- and found her husband's body about 20 feet away.
Weedle is now hospitalized in fair condition. The telemarketers say they were glad to have helped. (AP)
Busboy Bandit
NEW YORK — A restaurant busboy pleaded guilty to stealing the identities of wealthy American celebrities and executives in a bid to loot their bank accounts. At the time of his arrest, authorities called Abdallah one of the most ambitious identity thieves they had ever seen.
Abdallah was arrested in March 2001 on charges he used the Internet and a dog-eared copy of Forbes magazine about "The 400 Richest People in America" to compile the Social Security numbers, home addresses and birth dates of 217 chief executives, celebrities and tycoons.
Prosecutors said he used the information to gain access to credit card accounts and attempted to transfer millions of dollars from such figures as Steven Spielberg, Warren Buffett, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Ross Perot and Ted Turner. Prosecutors say he attempted to steal more than $22 million, but was largely unsuccessful.
The career con artist, who served time in the 1990s for passing counterfeit checks in the Virgin Islands, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, credit card fraud and identity theft, blaming his crimes on mental illness and an overpowering compulsion to beat the system.
Abdallah used a combination of mail boxes, voice mail accounts and Web sites to pull the personal information together.(AP)
Teeny-Weenie Bikini Ban
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Spring-breakers won't be able to let it all hang out. Daytona Beach, Florida, city commissioners have approved a new anti-nudity ordinance. Thongs and teenie-weenie bikinis are now a legal no-no. The measure requires people to keep at least one-third of their butt covered and women can't expose more than one-quarter of their breasts. Authorities will also target nude nightclubs. Flashers risk fines of up to $500. (AP)
Run-In With The Law
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A man who pleaded guilty to trying to flee police said he would run as part of his punishment.
In a plea bargain, Chad M. Eschbach, 21, agreed to run in a 5-kilometer race that will benefit the Schuylkill-Carbon Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Eschbach, of Lower Towamensing Township, pleaded guilty on Thursday to fleeing and eluding police in a July 27 chase in downtown Palmerton. He also pleaded guilty to marijuana possession.
Carbon County Judge Richard W. Webb asked Eschbach during the hearing if he was a runner.
"He will be, your honor," said District Attorney Gary F. Dobias, who will also participate in the race.
Police said they tried to stop Eschbach for driving with a burned-out headlight. But Eschbach drove away and then got out of the car and ran a short distance before being caught, police said.
Police said they found the ends of two marijuana cigarettes and rolling papers in his car.
Webb deferred sentencing Eschbach and ordered the county probation department to do a pre-sentencing investigation. (AP)
Papa Smurf Runs For Senate
GREAT FALLS, Montana — Montana's Libertarian candidate for Senate has turned blue from drinking a silver solution that he believed would protect him from disease.
Stan Jones, a 63-year-old business consultant and part-time college instructor, said he started taking colloidal silver in 1999 for fear that Y2K disruptions might lead to a shortage of antibiotics.
He made his own concoction by electrically charging a couple of silver wires in a glass of water.
His skin began turning blue-gray a year ago.
"People ask me if it's permanent and if I'm dead," he said. "I tell them I'm practicing for Halloween."
He does not take the supplement any longer, but the skin condition, called argyria, is permanent. The condition is generally not serious.
Colloidal silver dietary supplements are marketed widely as an anti-bacterial agent or immune-system booster, but some consider it quackery.
Jones is one of three candidates seeking to unseat the Democratic Sen. Max Baucus in November. (AP)
Monstrous Pumpkins
JAMESTOWN, New York - A western New York man's pumpkin patch only produced three pumpkins this year -- but they're all whoppers.
One weighs 450 pounds, another about 800 pounds, and the third weighs 1,245 pounds. That's just 17 pounds shy of the world record.
Tim Bailey says he grew the pumpkins from "Atlantic Giant" seeds, and gave them a lot of water and organic matter.
He first became interested in large-pumpkin growing by talking with his brother-in-law -- giant watermelon grower Dave Fisher.
Bailey plans to sell and trade seeds from his biggest pumpkin with other growers.
His half-ton-plus pumpkin will be displayed in Elmira, New York, this Sunday. (AP)
Book Returned To Library 56 Years Late
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Winthrop University officials say they won't charge a man the estimated $4,088 late fee for a book checked out of the school's library 56 years ago.
The book, "The New Simms History of South Carolina," has been missing from the shelves at Winthrop University's Dacus Library since 1946.
Alex McFadden returned the long lost book Tuesday. He said he hoped the library would add it to its archival collection.
"Books are very dear to me," said McFadden, a native of Rock Hill and president of the Valdosta, Ga., Friends of the Library. "I thought this was interesting to discover."
McFadden found the history book 14 years ago while cleaning his aunt's house. It wasn't until he took it off the shelf three weeks ago that he realized it belonged to Winthrop.
The book's checkout slip had two names: Martha Holroyd, who was the first to borrow the book, and Elizabeth Leslie. McFadden believes Leslie, a former teacher, lent the book to his aunt, Kate Williams Murphy, also a teacher.
Library officials said McFadden did the right thing by bringing the book back.
"This will be another reminder for students to return the books," said Mark Herring, dean of library services. (AP)
The Long Road To St. Patrick's
NEW YORK - Prosecutors allege that a couple's public fornication in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral was just the end of a three-hour sexcapade. The court papers filed yesterday don't list all the stops the Virginia couple allegedly made. But law enforcement sources say they included the Disney store, the FAO Schwartz toy store, the Carnegie Deli, an ATM vestibule and a hotel lobby. Brian Florence and Loretta Lynn Harper were arrested August 15th. An officer made the bust after hearing about the public sex stunt on a local radio show. Sandy Levine, manager of the Carnegie Deli, says he saw the couple's privates as they finished a sex act just outside his eatery. He says the two never did anything inside the deli but did increase his business. The couple faces charges of public lewdness. (AP)
The Rural Treatment
LEBANON, Pa. — A judge gave a potentially smelly sentence to a man who drove through farmland.
Lebanon County Judge Bradford Charles ordered 19-year-old Jason Theirwechter to do community service, preferably on a farm, and said he hopes one of Theirwechter's chores is shoveling manure.
"I want him to see exactly what that farmer went through to grow those crops," said Charles. "Someone else put his own sweat and blood into creating it and you destroyed it maliciously ... I want you to experience how difficult it is to grow crops for a living."
Probation officers said they would try to accommodate Charles' order.
Theirwechter pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, agricultural vandalism, criminal conspiracy and corruption of minors.
In addition to the community service, Charles sentenced him to 48 hours to 18 months in county prison, and said he must spend the first 45 days of parole under house arrest.
Police said they saw Theirwechter drive through the field Aug. 31, 2001. (AP)
Kabul Zoo Gets Its Growl Back
KABUL, Afghanistan - It's starting to look like a zoo again.
Kabul's zoo has gotten a helping hand from China.
A Chinese company has sent a menagerie of animals to Afghanistan -- including two lions to replace Kabul's most famous beast.
Marjan the lion was the zoo's best-known animal -- with his one eye and defanged mouth.
The lion died earlier this year at age 25.
The Chinese also shipped over deer, bears, pigs and a wolf.
Kabul's zoo sits in an area of town that was devastated by the civil war during the 90's. The zoo degenerated into a huge complex of bullet-marked buildings and broken cages -- housing animals that are at times very ill and hungry.
The zoo boasted a wide variety of exotic creatures before the civil war -- when many animals died of starvation. (AP)
Gator Raider
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A tourist who captured a live alligator at a putt-putt golf course was himself nabbed in a hotel parking lot, clutching the alligator and holding its mouth closed.
Derrick Dale Cooper, 22, of North Carolina, was charged with animal poaching and petty theft after using a noose to catch a 3-foot alligator Monday at the Congo River golf park, police said.
The putt-putt course was the scene of a similar incident last year when a pair of tourists were arrested for taking a gator to their hotel pool. Wildlife officials caught the pair as they were watching the animal swim.
Cooper was released Tuesday from the Volusia County Branch Jail after posting $1,000 bail. It was unclear if he had a lawyer.
The golf park has a permit to keep the alligators, which were raised in captivity. (AP)
Real Skull Mistakenly Sold As Replica
YORK, England - A British museum has lost its head.
The York Dungeon Museum of Horrors accidentally sold a human skull that was being used as a prop.
The skull had been put on a bookshelf while an exhibit was being refurbished. It was presumably mistaken for one of the replica skulls sold to visitors.
The museum knows who bought the skull and is trying to track the woman down. Officials think she bought the skull for her son as a Christmas present.
No one is sure where the skull came from. Another human skull owned by York Dungeon is believed to have come from a pit where victims of the medieval plague were buried. (AP)
Goat On The Lam
MONACA, Pa. — A 20-pound goat on the lam for more than two weeks was captured during a weekend roundup.
"We had all the neighbors going 'Baaaa' in the woods last night, if you can imagine that," said Center Township Police Chief Barry Kramer. "I was finally able to get close enough to get the net over it."
The animal — believed to be a domestic pygmy goat — was being put up temporarily at Kramer's house until the chief locates the owner or finds it a new home.
Kramer was trying to track down the owner of the gray and white goat through a metal Ohio Department of Agriculture tag in its ear. (AP)
The Perfect Woman Contest
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Bar owner Stu Burt is hunting for the perfect woman. But his quest has nothing to do with how she looks in a bikini.
Burt's idea of a "10" is a woman who can mend a fence, change a tire and stack hay bales.
Those are just three of the tests for entrants in the "Perfect Woman" contest Burt is organizing later this month at his bar in the southern New Zealand town of Wanaka, he said Tuesday.
So far, 14 women have signed up for the contest at Burt's Bullock Bar, which features a $420 prize.
Among other tests for the women: backing up a car towing a trailer full of hay bales and then stacking the bails, changing a car tire and darning a sock.
"Publicans (bar owners) throughout New Zealand have been ringing in to see about entering a competitor," Burt said. (AP)
Bagels vs. Oranges
NEW YORK — It's bagels vs. oranges in the baseball playoffs.
The five-game American League series began Tuesday, and so did the friendly wagers between city officials.
If the New York Yankees win the American League playoffs, Mayor Tom Daly of Anaheim, Calif., will send New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg a crate of Anaheim oranges and chilies.
If the Anaheim Angels win, Bloomberg will send Nathan's hot dogs and H&H bagels.
Daly said he's looking forward to chowing down on fresh-delivered New York hot dogs and bagels. But Bloomberg sounded confident about the Yankees' prospects.
"The chilies will help keep our lineup hot as we move on to the pennant," he said. (AP)
Barbie's New Dream House
ROCHESTER, New York - Barbie is moving. So is Mister Potato Head, and Raggedy Ann, too. The toys are getting new homes, at the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York. The museum will now house the National Toy Hall of Fame. The hall outgrew its old home in Salem, Oregon. Officials of the Strong museum say they'll put the 26 toy "honorees" in a new wing. The Toy Hall of Fame will join the museum's extensive collection of toys, dolls and the history of toys in America. In case you're wondering, toys in the Hall of Fame include Legos, Silly Putty, Etch-a-Sketch, Frisbee, Slinky and Play-Doh. (AP)
10-Second Mid-Life Crisis
SAGINAW, Mich. — Baby boomer Jim Zimmerman's brief fling as a tough biker ended in pain very quickly.
The retiree's misadventure began when, facing 60, he gave into a youthful yen and got a local dealership to deliver a brand-new Harley-Davidson to his door.
"It was a mid-age crisis thing," Zimmerman admitted last week. "I'd see these dudes with women and thought a motorcycle would put me in like Flynn.
"I didn't look at the obvious, that I hadn't been on a bike in 30 years and probably didn't remember much about it."
Ten seconds after he climbed aboard for the first time, he struck a neighbor's utility trailer at 40 mph and broke several ribs. The odometer logged a tenth of a mile.
"It was so fast, and I didn't think fast enough," he said. "I probably panicked and throttled the gas in a death grip.
"Oh my god, I hurt in places I didn't know could hurt. The cops said it's a miracle I'm alive."
After $2,000 in insured repairs on the bike — and more on the neighbor's trailer — Zimmerman sold his Harley for an $800 loss. But the experience isn't quite over. Until his complimentary membership in the Harley Owners Group runs out, "I get a mailing every two to three weeks, reminding me of how stupid I was," he said. (AP)
Man Bungees From Bridge To Ship, Bounces Off
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A Vancouver Island carpenter who hopes to become a movie stunt actor has been charged with mischief after trying to bungee-jump from the Lions Gate bridge and landing on a cruise ship.
Dean Sullivan, 36, a father of one from Nanaimo, was arrested Sunday, his second arrest in two years for attempting the same stunt.
Sullivan said Monday he found himself unable to control his descent, bounced off the tennis court on the ship, sprang back toward the bridge and settled a few yards over the water, nursing a few cuts and bruises.
He was picked up by a water taxi and arrested soon afterward.
Sullivan was released from jail on condition that he not stop on any bridges in the province or carry any of his bungee-jumping gear.
With movie executives from around the world in town for the Vancouver Film Festival, Sullivan said he thought the jump was his best chance to interest producers.
"They might talk to me now, hopefully," said the father of one. "I don't know how to get in the movie business."
He said he spent more than two years planning the jump, checking tide times, boat layouts and itineraries as well as lining up sponsors and half a dozen helpers, and insisted no one on the ship or the bridge was at risk.
"People on the boat loved it," he said. "They were screaming, yelling, waving." (AP)
Picking Pot For The Man
CANBY, Calif. — Here's your chance to pick pot plants — and not worry about being busted.
Local authorities have asked private citizens to help shovel out more than 6,000 marijuana plants found growing in a Modoc National Forest canyon.
The marijuana plants were found Friday in the Devils Garden section of the forest by Mike Crutcher, head of the Modoc County Drug Task Force, as he flew overhead on a routine reconnaissance flight.
Some local businessmen have pitched in to supply the manpower and equipment to help the Modoc County Sheriffs Office, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service pull the plants up.
About 1,200 plants had already been harvested and the remaining plants were mature and ready to harvest, police said. (AP)
Small Iowa City Resigns
LEWIS, Iowa — There'll be no city business conducted in this town until at least Dec. 3, and the reason is simple: There's no one left to conduct it.
Two City Council members and the city clerk resigned more than a week ago over personnel disagreements.
Former Council woman Linda South said she quit because she disagreed with how some local business was handled. "I'm just tired of a few individuals trying to hold the town hostage," she said.
Former Councilman Bill Worth said he felt members of the city's fire department were trying to get rid of the city clerk.
Clerk Shirley Ward also resigned.
A special meeting was called over the weekend to appoint council members to open seats and to find temporary help to act as city clerk in the town of 500 south of Atlantic.
Then, before the meeting could be held, a third council member resigned, leaving the city without a quorum to conduct business.
The remaining two council members approved the motion to have a special election Dec. 3, which was to elect people to all of the council positions and the position of mayor. (AP)
The World's Largest Enchilada
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Las Cruces came up with the perfect recipe for heartburn.
Combine 75 gallons of red chili, 50 pounds of onions, 175 pounds of cheese and 750 pounds of corn flour.
In Las Cruces, they call it an enchilada.
The three-layer enchilada, featuring 10-foot-wide tortillas, was fashioned Sunday as the culminating event of the annual Whole Enchilada Festival in Las Cruces.
Each huge tortilla was flattened, carried to a 500-degree oil bin and then put on a plate and topped with chili.
Roberto Estrada, who has built the giant enchilada for the festival for 21 years, and his crew of nearly three dozen men took nearly four hours to complete the main dish as festival-goers watched from metal bleachers.
Many in the crowd stood and cheered as the final layer was made. (AP)
Executive Panhandler
LONGMONT, Colo. - Ruby Stevens is dressed in a business suit but she's taking a page from the panhandler's book. She stands on a street corner every morning in Longmont, Colorado, holding a sign and handing out resumes. She's a former executive for Georgia Pacific and was laid off last November. Stevens says the more conventional job hunting tactics didn't yield anything, so she decided to try something different. She says it was her boyfriend's suggestion and has netted at least one interview. But Stevens isn't looking for just any job. She wants something close to her old salary of $56,000 a year. (AP)
Your Own His-And-Her Action Figures
DALLAS - A mere $3 million will buy you the most expensive item in this year's Neiman Marcus Christmas Book.
It's a series of ten original sports paintings by late artist Andy Warhol, called the "Athlete Series."
The least expensive item in the catalog is an $18 tin filled with pretzels, gingerbread or shortbread cookies.
The his-and-hers gifts this year are personalized action figures.
Recipients begin their adventure with a full-body, three-dimensional digital scene at a California studio. Artisans will then mold, cast, sculpt and paint lifelike six-inch action figures of the couple.
Each person will receive two figures.
The action figure package goes for $7,500 dollars.
The catalog was unveiled yesterday in Dallas.
Among its other offerings: a Burberry London taxi, at $58,900 and a 29-foot-long yacht, for $258,500. (AP)
Delay Getting Sex Museum Up And Running
NEW YORK - New Yorkers are going to have to wait a little longer for sex.
That's because the anticipated Museum of Sex has delayed its opening date while construction is completed.
The museum's manager of visitor services says there are wires on the floor and they didn't want anyone getting hurt.
The museum at 233 Fifth Avenue was supposed to open Saturday. Now, officials say they're hoping for a debut next Saturday.
The first exhibit at the museum is entitled, "NYC Sex: How New York City Transformed Sex in America." (AP)
Busted Boosting Cop-Occupied Van
CHICAGO - It was hard to say if the cops or the robbers were more shocked when two men tried to burglarize a minivan that was occupied by a police officer on an undercover surveillance.
The incident happened in a commuter parking lot. Transit police were watching the lot after commuters reported having stereos, cash, cell phones and CDs stolen from their cars.
The officer watched as the men got out of their car, looked in the windows of parked cars and pulled on door handles.
When the pair opened the van's sliding side door, Officer Jessie Watts Jr. jumped out with his gun drawn and told them to get down. Police said they later found stolen stereo equipment and burglary tools in the men's car. (AP)
Stressed Out Leaves
BURLINGTON, Vt. - You want to know why some leaves turn red?
It could be stress.
The U.S. Forest Service and the University of Vermont are about to publish a study that shows that the flaming red leaves on sugar maple trees are caused by tree stress.
Scientists have known for a while that leaves are green because of chlorophyll, a pigment that helps a plant capture light and create its own food. When there's less sun, the coloring is drained, and the leaves turn yellow.
But they wanted to find out about the red. And the report -- which will be published in a scientific journal called "Tree Physiology" -- says the color appears to result from low nutrient levels.
One researcher says "nitrogen stress" caused sugar maple leaves to turn red earlier, and in larger numbers. He says it could be that in times of drought, the low availability of water does the same thing. (AP)
Beating Tickets A Click Away
YAKIMA, Wash. - Tell it to the judge.
Or better yet, e-mail it to the judge.
County officials in Yakima, Washington are setting up a program under which people who get traffic tickets can e-mail their excuses and explanations to a judge. Up until now, they'd have to sit for hours in court, waiting for a hearing.
So far this year in the county, there have been more than 12-hundred people who want to explain to a judge the circumstances surrounding their traffic tickets.
After reading the e-mails, the judges will send their reply -- either by e-mail, or an old-fashioned postcard. (AP)