The Odd Truth, April 20, 2005

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

Yawn's $100 Price Tag

LOS ANGELES - Call it a rude awakening.

A juror was cited for contempt and fined $1,000 by a judge for yawning loudly while awaiting questioning in an attempted murder trial. The fine later was reduced to $100.

The yawn came after the man, identified as Juror No. 2386 in an April 1 court transcript, had been sitting in a courtroom for two days as part of jury selection.

"You yawned rather audibly there. As a matter of fact, it was to the point that it was contemptuous," Superior Court Judge Craig Veals said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really bored," the juror said.

"I'm sorry?" the judge responded.

When the juror repeated his statement, he was admonished by the judge for having a "lousy" attitude.

"Your boredom just cost you $1,000 I'm finding you in contempt," Veals said. "Are you quite so bored now?"

"I can't run a court when I have someone behaving the way you did," Veals said.

The juror paid the fine after it was reduced to $100. Ultimately, he was questioned but not selected for the trial.

Chrysler Faces Firing Squad

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. - A man with car trouble is in trouble after shooting five rounds into the hood of his Chrysler "to put my car out of its misery."

John McGivney, 64, shot his 1994 LeBaron with a .380-caliber semiautomatic, Broward County sheriff's deputies said.

When the property manager at his apartment complex asked what he was doing, McGivney said, "I'm putting my car out of its misery." He tucked his gun in a pocket and went back inside.

He was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in public. He posted $100 bail Saturday.

McGivney said the car has been giving him trouble for years and had "outlived its usefulness." He called the shooting "dumb" and worries he will be evicted. But he doesn't regret it.

"I think every guy in the universe has wanted to do it," McGivney told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It was worth every damn minute in that jail."

Piercing A Religious Experience

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A woman who was fired by Costco in 2001 for refusing to remove her eyebrow ring has accused the company of religious discrimination, saying she is a member of the Church of Body Modification.

Kimberly M. Cloutier said she wears her eyebrow ring as a sign of faith. She has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider hearing the case.

The church, established in 1999, counts about 1,000 members who participate in practices such as piercing and tattooing, according to a December ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a trial judge's finding in Costco's favor.

Lynn A. Kappelman, a lawyer for Costco, declined to comment. The company has argued that Cloutier's beliefs are political or social instead of religious.

Dry Town Will Drink Up, Sort Of

ROCKPORT, Mass. - This seaside town that was the site of a "revolt against rum" by hatchet-wielding women in 1856 is ready to pop the cork after nearly 150 years of being alcohol-free.

Residents on Tuesday voted to allow the sale of alcohol by restaurants, but to ban liquor stores and bars from opening. Last year, the Legislature approved a home rule petition allowing the measure to be placed on the town ballot.

Except for a brief period in the 1930s, the sale of alcohol has been forbidden in Rockport since 1856, when Hannah Jumper and her gang of 200 women swept through town and destroyed anything containing alcohol in "Rockport's revolt against rum."

There were 1,939 votes for the proposal and 1,562 against, Town Clerk Fred Frithsen said.

Pope Bets Pay Out

DUBLIN, Ireland - The newly elected pope is hardly the only winner.

Thousands worldwide placed bets on Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger through the Web -- and a few hundred even correctly guessed he'd take the name Benedict.

Paddy Power, an Internet-based bookmaker in Ireland, has taken bets on John Paul's successor for the past five years. After the selection of Ratzinger, Paddy Power was collecting -- or paying out -- on more than 10,000 bets totaling more than $260,000.

The biggest winner was someone who put down more than $1,000 on a Ratzinger victory at odds of six to one, which meant a $7,300 payout.

Somebody else scored $1,000 after correctly guessing the new pontiff would take the name Benedict.

Stolen Lake, Stolen Summer

SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va. - Vandals have drained a lake at a Salvation Army camp where hundreds of underprivileged children go canoeing and fishing every summer.

Camp Happy Valley caretaker David Stover returned from vacation Saturday to find only about two feet of water in Lake Mary Beth, which normally is 12 to 14 feet deep.

State police are investigating.

Whoever drained the lake used a temporary pipeline installed over an earthen dam between the lake and a creek. Stover says an estimated 250,000 gallons of water were pumped into the creek. The deluge led to the collapse of a nearby road.

About 900 youngsters are expected to attend camp this summer when it opens June 13th. Camp officials hope to get enough rain to fill the lake by then. Otherwise, water could be brought in from another lake.

Political Prisoner

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - The porn star who ran for California governor has been busted. Mary Carey was among those arrested at a new strip club in Washington state. Five people, including Carey, were taken into custody, while eleven others were given citations. The busts were made at Club Paradise in a Tacoma suburb. Police charge there were violations of the local adult cabaret law. Authorities say Carey was among those who were illegally touching themselves in a sexual manner. Carey, whose real name is Mary Cook, ran for California governor in the 2003 recall election.

Tips For When Your Co-Worker Stinks

B.O. is an office NO, but who's going to break the news to an odoriferous offender? In most companies the unpleasant chore is falling to the HR staff. Nearly three-quarters of the human resource professionals who responded to an online survey said they've had to confront an employee over a body odor issue. The poll was conducted by an online subsidiary of Business and Legal Reports. Editor Kevin Flood has compiled a list of suggestions for companies. He says B.O. has to be dealt with in a private, discreet conversation. An anonymous note, e-mail or leaving deodorant on someone's desk just won't cut it.

Senior Citizen Beats Bobcat

WYMAN TOWNSHIP, Maine - Did you hear the one about the 90-year-old woman who grabbed a bobcat by the tail? No, it's not a joke but a real-life act of heroism. Mildred Luce came to the rescue of her beloved cat Smudge when it was attacked by a wildcat at her home in Maine. Luce says the bobcat had Smudge's head in its mouth and wouldn't let go. She tried pressing a snow shovel down on the bobcat's neck. When that didn't work, the elderly woman says she yanked the wildcat's tail and Smudge's head popped right out. The pet cat ran into the house, with the wildcat right behind. Luce managed to lock the bobcat in a bathroom until a game warden arrived. Luce recently lost another pet cat to a mauling. She says her only interest was in saving Smudge and says she felt no fear.

Mall Will ID Minors

NASHUA, N.H. - Kids who want to hang out at a New Hampshire mall now have to bring mom or dad along. The Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua is enforcing a code of conduct. The rules come in response to what mall officials call recent disorderly incidents. Now, teens who come to the mall Friday and Saturday evenings must be accompanied by a parent or someone over 21. Some types of clothing are also banned at the mall, like chains that fall below the knee and studded collars. But one mother notes that the mall is selling the stuff they're now trying to ban.