The Odd Truth, Aug. 14, 2003

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.

'Flash Mob' Hits Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil - In a bizarre stunt, a crowd of about 100 people converged on a busy street corner, each removed one shoe and beat it on the pavement several times, before putting their shoes back on and leaving the scene.

The so-called flash mob phenomenon, in which crowds organized by e-mail lists and Web sites perform harmless stunts for a few minutes in prearranged public location before abruptly disappearing, apparently took place in Brazil for the first time. Similar acts have recently occurred in cities such as New York, Tokyo and Vienna.

According to the Estado news agency, the crowd converged on the corners of Paulista and Augusta avenues - one of the city's most crowded crossings.

At 12:40 p.m. local time, members of the crowd ran into the street, removed one shoe, beat it on the pavement several times, and then dispersed peacefully.

It was unclear who organized the stunt.

Skeleton In Her Closet

NARBONNE, France - A French woman is suspected of keeping her elderly mother's skeleton hidden at home for more than three years while she continued to collect her pension checks, police said Wednesday.

Police burst into an apartment in Narbonne, southern France, on Monday and discovered the skeleton on a bed in a room that had been sealed off to prevent odors from escaping.

The woman was in her early 90s when she is believed to have died, in February 2000. Health officials grew concerned about her when they realized she was not filling her prescription medication. They alerted authorities, who opened a missing persons investigation.

The woman's 62-year-old daughter was in police custody after returning home from vacation Tuesday to turn herself in. She told police that her mother died while under hypnosis, authorities said.

For more than three years, the daughter continued to pick up her mother's pension checks and cash them, authorities said.

Police did not reveal the mother and daughter's identities.

Drunk Firebreather Catches Fire

CHARLOTTE - Play with fire and you are apt to get burned.

A North Carolina man who's a self-described fire-breather is hospitalized with burns to his face and throat. He's in serious condition.

Police say Walter McKinney had been drinking with neighbors and was showing them pictures of his fire-breathing act. He decided to do a demonstration and poured lighter fluid into his mouth.

He then reportedly put a burning stick up to his face - and his face caught fire.

One neighbor says he helped extinguish the fire with some beer - saying it was the only thing close at hand.

Police are considering charges against McKinney and will decide once he's out of the hospital.

All In The Name Of Charity

KETCHUM, Idaho - "Sun Valley Exposed" will be just that. The Ketchum, Idaho, Sun Valley Historical Society is publishing a benefit calendar with some citizens exposing all. Calendar organizer Millie Wiggins says firefighters, real estate agents, chefs, and bikers have all expressed interest in dropping their drawers for charity. The 2005 calendar will be published next March. Wiggins says they'll be auditioning models over the summer.

Murderous Dictator To Be Honored On 'Walk Of Fame'

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Jakarta's governor is planning to add former dictator Suharto's footprints to a Hollywood-inspired "Walk of Fame" in front of the presidential palace, a report said Thursday.

Governor Sutiyoso, who like many Indonesians has only one name, will add the former strongman's footprints to the planned promenade alongside those of other former presidents and military generals, the Jakarta Post Daily reported.

Suharto - a five-star general - ruled Indonesia with an iron hand for 32 years before he was ousted in 1998 amid pro-democracy protests and riots. Hundreds of thousands of his political opponents were killed or exiled to penal colonies during his rule.

Following his ouster, Suharto was accused of embezzling $600 million through a complex web of tax-free charitable foundations under his control. But a Jakarta court ruled that the ailing 82-year old autocrat was too feeble to stand trial.

Sutiyoso, himself a former general, was appointed governor of the Indonesian capital by Suharto in the final year of his rule.

The new walk will inspire young people to be more patriotic and "follow in the footsteps" of Indonesia's leaders, city parks director Mauritz Napitupulu said.

Your Own Little Piece Of Mars

LINCOLN, Neb. - If you have ever wanted a souvenir from Mars without the hassles of traveling there, here's your chance.

A Lincoln company is auctioning off part of the famous Mars meteorite Zagami, which fell to Earth Oct. 3, 1962, in central Nigeria.

Bids for the fragment, which weighs about 6.6 ounces and is about the size of a soda can, begin at $450,000 when the online auction starts Sept. 5 on the Internet site eBay.

It is the largest known fragment from the meteorite, said Sell2All, the Lincoln company coordinating the auction for a private individual.

The meteorite, which the company said was authenticated two years ago, was displayed for several years at Nigeria's Kaduna Museum.

One side of it is cut to display the natural layers.

The other side was left natural, and shows the effects of the burning and melting it experienced as it flew through Earth's atmosphere.

Beginner's Luck For Lotto Winner

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Beginner's luck struck for a Miami man from Haiti, who says his half of a $80.9 million Lotto jackpot came the first time he ever played the Florida Lottery.

Jacquelin Ferdinand, 55, claimed his price Monday, choosing a lump sum of $21,601,782.48 over 30 annual payments of about $1,349,000 a year.

"This was the first time I ever played Lotto, and the numbers I chose were at random," Ferdinand said at Florida Lottery headquarters.

Ferdinand said he didn't check his numbers until two weeks after the July 26 drawing. He went to the suburban Miami gas station, where he bought the tickets to jot down the winning numbers.

"I then drove down I-95 checking my numbers when I realized I had all six numbers," Ferdinand said. "I had to pull over because I was stunned, and had to wait 15 minutes before heading off."

Ferdinand said he will meet with his family to decide what to do with his winnings. He said he plans to keep working, but told Lottery officials that he didn't want to disclose his occupation to help protect his privacy.

It was the 10th largest jackpot in Lotto history.

'Miracle Dog' Finds New Life Mission

ST. LOUIS - Now that his own life has been saved, Quentin the "miracle dog" will be trying to save the lives of other pets.

The 30-pound basenji was supposed to be euthanized at a St. Louis shelter. But somehow, he survived the gas chamber. And the founder of a St. Louis group that tries to rescue stray dogs says he figures Quentin was meant to serve some greater good.

So Randy Grim is joining with an animal advocacy group in California - to make Quentin the star of a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the millions of dogs killed each year because they don't have homes.

After the story of Quentin's survival was told, about 700 people expressed an interest in adopting him. Grim says he couldn't pick one person from the 700 - so he ended up taking Quentin home himself.

The founder of the California group, called In Defense of Animals, says the first goal will be to eliminate the gas chamber as the primary way of euthanizing stray dogs in St. Louis.