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.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - SARS fears have stopped the Chinese from eating civet cats. But that hasn't turned off others from sipping the strangest of brews - one they insist is made from coffee beans eaten, partly digested and then excreted by the weasel-like animals.

The story goes like this: Civets live in the foliage of plantations across Southeast Asia. These fussy foragers pick the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system break down the flesh of the fruit before the animals expel the bean.

Workers collect beans from the plantation floor, wash away the dung and roast them to produce a unique drink that devotees might say is good to the last dropping.

Skeptics, though, dismiss it all as a weird and unverifiable marketing gimmick.

Still in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, the owner of three fashionable cafes, Agus Susanto, sells what he claims is a mix of regular beans and those that have passed through civets. The blend and the cafes are both called "Kopi Luwak" - in English: "Civet Coffee."

"Our coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma," Susanto said by telephone from his factory in central Java.

The beans are also marketed internationally. Several U.S. Internet based coffee traders claim to offer them for up to $150 a pound, making among the world's most expensive beverages.

However, many in Asia's coffee trade doubt whether the beans are truly produced in significant quantities, if at all.

"There are maybe a few bags here, a few bags there, but mostly its just a myth," said Victor Mah, a Singaporean who has been selling coffee from Southeast Asia for more than 25 years.

Pretty In Pink (Underwear)

PORTLAND, Ore. - This inmate might do well to find himself another nickname.

For the second time in a year, Keith "Lucky" Stratton tried to escape from a work crew - only to be collared under humiliating circumstances.

On Tuesday, the Multnomah County jail inmate doing time for auto theft jumped from a truck carrying a prisoner work crew through Portland's Parkrose neighborhood to Sauvie Island.

He threw open the door, did a barrel roll out and took off, said Multnomah County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Bryant, the work crew supervisor.

Last April, the 32-year-old inmate escaped from a community transition program. Police found him hiding under a pile of dirty clothes and blankets in an apartment.

They spotted his feet poking out from under the pile.

This time around, it was the jail-issue pink underwear that gave him away. Someone called 911 and reported seeing a suspicious-looking man with pink underwear running behind a furniture store.

"The inmate was wearing brown work crew pants, but apparently they kept falling down," said sheriff's Lt. Michael Shults.

Stratton was still having trouble keeping his pants up when officers cornered him.

He was tackled, screaming, after refusing to surrender, Shults said.

Deputies were mystified as to why Stratton would flee, since he was to be released May 2 and now may face substantially more jail time for the escape.

Shults had one possible explanation: It was Stratton's birthday.

Blurring The Line Between Cops And Robbers

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A senior Malaysian police officer who was about to be charged with corruption was shot dead as he tried to rob a bank, a news report said Wednesday.

Musa Hassan, chief of police in southern Johor state, said Chief Inspector Ahmad Shukri Hamid was one of two men killed by a security guard on Monday as they attempted to rob the bank, the national news agency Bernama reported.

Ahmad was on duty at the time of the robbery, he said.

Ahmad had been under investigation for allegedly extorting 5,000 ringgit ($1,315) four years ago from a Sri Lankan couple who were in Malaysia without valid travel papers, and was due to be charged Wednesday, Musa said.

Musa said police had no idea why Ahmad, 31, who was married with two children, had tried to rob the bank.

Concerned about the police's reputation for corruption, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi this month ordered a wide-ranging inquiry into pay rates and other factors that could cause officers to accept bribes.

Shrimp Stuffed Down Pants, Stolen

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania - Not many guys would admit to having a shrimp in their pants. But Johnny Rodriguez did. He's pleaded guilty to stuffing $73 worth of shrimp down his pants. According to records in a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, court, a store worker saw Rodriguez with his trousers undone October 12th last year. The clerk confronted Rodriguez and told police that Rodriguez began removing bags of shrimp from his unbuckled pants. But he ran before police arrived. Authorities say he made off with four bags of the seafood. The judge in the case has deferred sentencing.

Say 'Goodbye' To Those Pesky Blood Stains!

BOULDER, Colorado - Got something really gross to clean up? Your salvation could come in the form of a super-soaker-upper called Zorbent. Company president Daniel Gill says it's great for stuff like oil, vomit, blood and dog pee. Zorbent got its start during the effort to clean up the contaminated Rocky Flatts nuclear weapons plant near Denver. Gill says seven pounds of the very absorbent granular material will soak up the same amount as 200 pounds of kitty litter. But it's not for the cat box. Zorbent could dry out kitty's digestive system. It was created for the industrial market, but it's now available at some home centers. It costs about $5 a bag.

Patrick Ho Doesn't Feel Lucky

HONG KONG - After a year of SARS, recession, and political turmoil, Hong Kongers may be relieved to hear Home Affairs Secretary Patrick Ho is bowing out of a Lunar New Year ceremony to predict the territory's fortunes.

That's because during last February's event at a famous Taoist temple, Ho picked an unlucky number among 100 numbered sticks in a bamboo container believed to hold the keys to Hong Kong's future.

Hong Kong was soon mired in problems.

Ho said Monday he would not take part in this year's ceremony, but didn't explain his reason. Some locals blame his inauspicious draw for the troubled times that followed.

One angry woman heckled Ho in public on Monday, telling him "don't go this year," according to the Apple Daily newspaper.

Ho last year drew No. 83, which means "nothing will be good."

Hong Kong soon was embroiled in the SARS crisis, which killed 299 people, devastated the economy and pushed unemployment to a record high.

After SARS ended, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's government ran into unprecedented political problems that are still reverberating.

Will This Guy Ever Learn?

SCOTT DEPOT, West Virginia - The winner of a record Powerball lottery jackpot and his money seem destined to part.

For the second time in several months, Jack Whittaker's vehicle was broken into and thousands of dollars were taken.

The latest incident occurred Saturday morning when someone broke the window of his SUV and took a bank bag from the front seat containing more than $100,000. The vehicle was parked at Whittaker's house in Scott Depot, West Virginia.

In August, more than $500,000 in cash and checks got stolen from his vehicle while it was parked at a Charleston-area strip club. That money was later recovered.

Whittaker claimed a $113 million cash option after winning a nearly $315 million jackpot on Christmas 2002.