The Odd Truth, Dec. 12, 2002
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.
Man Bites Crocodile
BLANTYRE, Malawi - A businessman who was attacked by a crocodile in Malawi escaped by biting the reptile on its nose, police said Thursday.
Mac Bosco Chawinga, 43, went for a swim in a lake in the northern Nkhata Bay district of this southern African nation when the crocodile grabbed him, said Bob Mtekama, a senior police officer in the area.
"Both his arms were inside the full-size crocodile's jaws and the beast was dragging him into deeper waters when he decided to fight back," Mtekama said.
Chawinga sunk his teeth in the crocodile's nose, one of the few soft places on its body, and the reptile let go of him.
He was badly injured, but managed to swim to shore, where he was found by some fishermen, who took him to hospital, Mtekama said. He was reported to be in stable condition.
Mormons Baptize Ghengis Khan, Hitler
SALT LAKE CITY - The Mormon church is again promising to stop posthumously baptizing Jews.
Leaders from both faiths say an agreement made seven years ago has apparently been broken.
At a meeting in New York City, the church reaffirmed its commitment to removing Holocaust victims and other deceased Jews from its International Genealogical Index.
That's a list of about 600 million names Mormons use to perform ceremonies baptizing the dead into the faith. It's meant to offer salvation to the ancestors of Mormons, but many others are included.
An independent researcher says those baptized posthumously include Anne Frank, Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, Adolf Hitler and Buddha.
The founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center says the Mormons are not "the exclusive arbitrators of who is saved."
Luck Doesn't Even Begin To Describe This
BELMONT, Calif. — Angelo Gallina beat the odds and then some.
In a single day, he won the $17 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot and the $126,000 Fantasy 5 top prize.
"I think I'll eat cake," Gallina told lottery officials after his Nov. 20 wins. He said he would also buy a new car and a home for his grown children.
State lottery officials put the odds for the SuperLotto contest win at 1-in-41 million. The odds of winning the separate Fantasy 5 contest were 1-in-575,000.
Figuring out the odds of one person winning both draws on the same day requires a calculator and lots of zeros.
"One in 23 trillion," said Mike Orkin, a professor of statistics at California State University at Hayward, who arrived at the number by multiplying 41 million by 575,000.
A Likely Story ...
San Diego - A 19-year-old man who spent several hours trapped in the chimney of a house is behind bars on burglary charges. The man, Josh Perez, says he was stargazing when he fell into the chimney and got stuck. He spent five hours in the chimney until rescuers could free him yesterday morning.
Nine-Year-Olds Busted Selling Pot
Port St. Lucie, Fla. - Two nine-year-olds face felony charges after being found at their elementary school with 15 plastic bags of marijuana. School officials in Port St. Lucie confronted one of the third-graders, who readily showed them three bags of marijuana. He explained he got them from another third-grader on the school bus. The second boy was found with 12 bags. The boy with three bags faces a charge of possession of marijuana, which is a felony because it happened on school grounds. The second boy is charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Both boys have been released to their parents. They are automatically suspended for ten days and recommended for expulsion. It's not yet known where the boys got the marijuana.
Thief: 'Your Money Or Your Dog'
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Your money or your dog. That's the choice a bandit gave Linda Johnston at an Oklahoma City shopping mall. Johnston says it was an easy but expensive decision. She let go of her purse and held on to her Yorkshire terrier, Bailey. Johnston says she lost more than $1,000 to the crook. The confrontation occurred when Johnston was getting out of her car. She says she felt a man tugging on her handbag and saw he had a knife. Giving up her pet wasn't a consideration. Johnston says Bailey's become her family since her children have grown up and left home.
Good Deed Rewarded
OLATHE, Kan. - Waitress Heidi Tomassi says she feels a little like Cinderella. She found an envelope stuffed with 33 $100 bills in the Applebee's where she works in Olathe, Kansas. But she didn't keep the money. She turned all the cash over to the manager for safekeeping while the owner was located. Tomassi could have used the cash. She's $15,000 in debt because of heart surgery needed for her baby son. The man who lost the money gave her a $100 reward. As news of her honesty spread, the cash started rolling in. She says she's even been offered $25,000 from a total stranger impressed by her story.