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.

Clash Of The Titans!

TBILISI, Georgia - Wrestlers Georgy Bibilauri and Dzhambulat Khotokhov had both hoped for victory, but they settled for ice cream instead.

The pair, two of the world's largest preschoolers, proved evenly matched Wednesday in an unusual contest in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

Khotokhov, a Russian weighing 123 pounds with a height of 3 feet 11 inches, is the world's largest 4-year-old, according to the match's organizers. Tbilisi native Bibilauri, who turned 5 on Wednesday is 4 feet tall and weighs 112 pounds.

After the boys tied on the mat, they went off to celebrate Bibilauri's birthday with ice cream and chocolate.

Georgian wrestling champion Levan Tediashvili, who refereed the match, said he admired the boys' sportsmanship.

"They are fantastic kids," he said. "These two giants give off such positive vibes. We Russians and Georgians should follow their example."

The match's organizer, Georgian journalist Tengiz Pachkoriya, said he came up with the idea after reading a newspaper article about Khotokhov.

"They became friends after spending the day together yesterday," he said. "I hope the friendship will last many years."

Man Awakens From 19-Year Coma

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. - An Arkansas family is enjoying their son's company again after he emerged from a 19-year coma.

Terry Wallis, now 39 years old, had been in the coma at the Stone County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center since a July 1984 car accident that left him a quadriplegic.

His mother, Angilee Wallis, calls her son's return to consciousness a miracle.

His father, Jerry Wallis, says Terry uttered his first word on June 12th, was able to talk a little June 13th and has improved ever since. He finds it ironic that his son went into the coma on a Friday the 13th and began to talk again on Friday the 13th — 19 years later.

Wallis says his son talks almost nonstop now, but it seems as though time stopped for him after the wreck. He says Terry is still living in 1984, even telling one person Ronald Reagan is the current president.

Lawyer Charged In Poisonous Snake-Mailing

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A lawyer and his son have been charged with making threats for allegedly mailing a live, poisonous snake to another man.

The federal indictment released Thursday charges Bob Sam Castleman and his son, Robert Jerrod Castleman, with mailing a threatening communication and mailing non-mailable matter with intent to injure or kill.

The package was opened by Kathy Staton, whose husband, Albert Coy Staton, was the target, the indictment said.

"It was on my lap when I opened it and the snake popped up and its head (was) within two inches of my face," she said.

The 3-foot snake did not bite anyone, and sheriff's deputies killed it.

The indictment did not explain what led to the alleged snake incident Sept. 29, and U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins declined to elaborate.

There was no answer Thursday at phone numbers listed for the Castlemans in their hometown of Pocahontas.

Kathy Staton said the younger Castleman had made previous threats.

Iraqi Puppies Rescued

LOS ANGELES - Four skinny puppies and their sad-eyed mother were delivered from Iraq to a woman who said she felt compelled to push for a rescue after spotting the dogs sitting forlornly in the desert behind a TV news reporter.

Marcy Christmas beamed as the 4-month-old puppies tumbled out of Air France cargo carriers into a warehouse hangar. They wrestled with one another and showed no signs of fatigue after surviving war, hunger and a 9,300-mile journey from the Jordan-Iraq border.

"I'm as amazed as you are that this happened," said Christmas, who spotted the dogs April 10 on a television news report. The woman, who lives with five adopted Chihuahuas in Camarillo in California, has been rescuing dogs for decades.

Christmas, 51, first tried to reach the TV news reporter in the area, then discovered an Amman, Jordan-based group called the Humane Center for Animal Welfare. She called the founders and asked if they could rescue the puppies.

In the Iraq village of Al Amanieh, the small convoy including a veterinarian and two U.S. military escorts spotted six puppies and the mother was so weak she could barely stand. One puppy was adopted by an Iraqi family and another by military personnel. Christmas agreed to pay the $1,000 cost of transporting the others to Southern California.

The dogs were flown Sunday from Amman to Paris, where they were walked, watered and checked by a veterinarian. They were flown from there to Los Angeles International Airport. Authorities checked their health certificates and they cleared customs Monday.

Axe-Wielding Swede Rampages Russian Embassy

STOCKHOLM - A Swedish man armed with an ax broke into the Russian Embassy in Stockholm and destroyed some furniture, an embassy spokesman said Wednesday. No one was injured.

"We have no idea how he got in," embassy spokesman Sergey Petrovich told The Associated Press. "He did not try to attack anybody."

After stealing a cell phone, the 37-year-old man made off in one of the embassy's cars and rammed the gates to get out of the compound. He was arrested Tuesday night, police spokeswoman Ingalill Fransson told the AP.

The suspect wasn't identified, in line with Swedish privacy rules, but police said he was a Swedish citizen with a criminal record.

"The man is suspected of gross unlawful intrusion, gross unlawful threat, damage and unauthorized taking of a vehicle," Fransson said.

The Darndest, Doggone Dog

BECKLEY, W.Va. - It was canine intuition when an injured black Labrador retriever did a doggone good job of getting medical attention.

The dog, apparently struck by a car on July 4, found his way to Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital, hobbled through the sliding glass doors and waited for assistance in the hallway.

"It's the darndest thing," said Ted Weigel, marketing director at Beckley. "The dog limped in and laid down where people could see it. It seemed to know exactly where to go for help."

Hospital workers gave the dog water, called a veterinarian and offered to pay the bill.

"There's no way they were going to put an injured animal back on the street," Weigel said.

Dr. Roger Ward treated the animal, and the vet said the canine suffered road burns, scrapes and an infected wound on his leg.

The 7-year-old male dog has been a model patient, Ward said.

"He is incredibly calm and patient," Ward said. "He has a wonderful temperament. He's very gentle and he's been easy to treat."

Ward and hospital officials are searching for the dog's owner.

Escaped Inmate Uses Prison ID At Hotel

HARRISBURG, Pa. - An escaped inmate made it easy for police to track him down: He used his prisoner ID card to check into a hotel after fleeing from a halfway house.

Shane E. Betts' decision to use the ID "isn't as stupid as it sounds," Comfort Inn manager Will Koonse said Monday. He said the hotel requires identification from any customer who pays in cash, and it isn't unusual for people who aren't fugitives to show prisoner IDs.

"Many times when they're released, that's all they have," Koonse said.

But Koonse said seeing the ID on Sunday helped the clerk remember a newspaper story about Betts' escape from the Harrisburg Community Corrections Center.

The clerk called police, who checked Betts' room and found only a woman inside. Police said the woman told officers that Betts had gone out for beer. Officers arrested Betts when he returned.

Betts, 29, was in the halfway house for a burglary conviction.

Calif. Man Goes To Court To Get His Pot Back

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. - Usually people go to court to fight a drug rap. But one man says he's going to court to get his drugs back.

Michael Celli, 42, who had a pound of medicinal marijuana seized by police, says he needs it to ease chronic migraine headaches.

Celli had hoped to receive his stash on Monday after a judge ordered Chowchilla police to return it, citing a 1996 California referendum legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.

But Police Chief John Robinson called the Drug Enforcement Agency instead. The freezer bag full of pot will remain in an evidence locker until federal agents pick it up.

"It was suggested by the district attorney's office to confer with the DEA," Robinson said. "If I release it to (Celli), I can be arrested for a felony, which is trafficking and distributing."

Celli was booked on suspicion of drug possession with intent to sell while being issued a citation for illegal parking April 25. He said an officer laughed when he showed a card to prove he had medical reasons for using marijuana.

Robinson said Celli had "one of these cards you can buy on the street corner in San Francisco," not a doctor's prescription as mandated by state law.

Robinson also said he's following a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared the state medical marijuana statute does not take precedence over federal drug laws.

Singapore Gets Foot Loose

SINGAPORE - Singaporeans out on the town will soon be able to drink until dawn and dance on the bars under new laws set to shake up this famously straight-laced, tightly controlled country.

Regulations that allow bars to stay open for 24 hours and let patrons dance anywhere within nightspots — including on previously out-of-bounds bar-tops — will be passed by the end of the year, police said in a statement Wednesday.

Singapore is aggressively trying to shake off its dull image and re-market itself as a media and arts center. Officials are taking small, cautious steps to spice up the nightlife, such as allowing some explicit language in plays.

This Southeast Asian island republic of 4 million people currently censors movies and television shows it considers too racy. It has banned Cosmopolitan magazine and HBO's "Sex and the City."

Most bars and nightspots in Singapore now close at 3 a.m., and dancing is restricted to specific areas. Courts routinely fine pub managers for allowing bar-top dancing.

"With (the new laws), the licensee can decide where he allows his patrons to dance," the police statement said. "This means that he can decide to let his patrons dance on a bar-top if he wishes."

Only bars in nonresidential areas will only be allowed to stay open for 24 hours, the statement said.