The Odd Truth, Dec. 30, 2004

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

Pig Porn Controversy

SNOHOMISH, Wash. - A mural of pink pigs painted on the side of a barbecue restaurant is apparently too spicy for officials in this city's historic district.

The city has denied a permit to Janelle and Steve Carpenter, owners of the BBQ Shack, and the painting has remained veiled behind a white tarp since the restaurant opened last week.

The mural features five pink pigs on a white concrete wall, unwilling participants in meal preparation. One is ready to be grilled as another attempts escape in a hot air balloon. The remaining three appear to be to enticing drivers to stop.

The Carpenters have appealed the decision.

"They think it's very out of place," Janelle Carpenter said of city officials. "It's barbecue. ... It's crazy."

The couple had planned to open their restaurant in October. At the time, Janelle Carpenter said, the City Council told her she wouldn't need a permit to paint the exterior of the 600-square-foot building.

So began the $3,500 painting of unclothed pigs, as well as one of a black 1957 Chevrolet convertible — the town is known for its classic car shows.

But as the painting's neared completion, Carpenter said she was told that while painting a building is kosher, pigs and other objects are considered murals and require a permit.

She said the city's Design Review Board, which makes recommendations about exterior changes to buildings in the district, objected to the painting because it doesn't fit the district's landscape and because naked pigs might lead to paintings of naked people.

"How offensive can a pig be?" said Tom Grissett of Snohomish, a customer eating barbecue pork at the diner on Wednesday. "When was the last time you saw pigs with clothes on?"

Bar's Finger Food

HARARE, Zimbabwe - A man allegedly bit off and swallowed another man's finger during a bar brawl, authorities said.

Alex Nyarubakora, 39, appeared in court in the town of Chitungwiza on Wednesday charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Prosecutor Isau Janhi said Nyarubakora was arguing with his wife in a bar last week when he allegedly became incensed by the second man's attempts to intercede.

After the two men began fighting, Nyarubakora is accused of biting off his opponent's finger and chewing and swallowing it. No remains of the finger were found at the scene, Janhi said.

CSI Not Needed

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - It didn't take Winnipeg police long to solve the great Christmas tree heist, a trail of pine cones from the scene of the crime led directly to a suspect's living room.

"It's got to be the dumbest crime of the century," apartment caretaker Cindy Peterson said Wednesday. "You could see where they dragged it into the house."

The Yuletide theft happened early Dec. 23 when someone cut down an 18-foot blue spruce from in front of Peterson's apartment building. The tree wasn't sawed at the base of the trunk, but about six feet up.

Peterson said she only noticed the tree had been lopped off when she went out to shovel the walk.

"A neighbour asked me if I couldn't afford a real tree," she said. "She pointed and I looked and thought, `What the ... ?"

Peterson and neighbor Ralph Mehmedov went to investigate and found a small cedar tree apparently discarded in favor of the larger spruce. A trail of pinecones, needles and broken limbs led directly to a residence across the street.

Police questioned the 22-year-old occupant, who told them he had bought the tree from an unknown door-to-door tree salesman for $5.

The man was charged with possession of stolen goods and released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Dog Ends Family Feud

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee police officer says when a brother and sister visiting from Indianapolis got into an alcohol-fueled family fight Christmas night, the family dog ended it.

Hawkins County Sheriff's Corporal Chad Gillenwater says when he first met 22-year-old Yvonne Lyman, she was drunk, bleeding from a hand wound and shouting profanities at him in the front yard. Inside, he found her sister Christina Lyman, who the report says was also drunk. She said she had been trying to break up a fight between Yvonne and their 19-year-old brother Nicholas, who also had been drinking, when the pit bulldog weighed in.

The dog nailed Yvonne and Nicholas' hands and Christina's chin.

Yvonne and Nicholas -- both of Indianapolis -- face domestic assault charges.

All the siblings were treated for dog bites at a local hospital.

A Cup Fit For A King

BELMONT, N.C. - You've heard of the water, now you can see the cup. A North Carolina man who sold water Elvis sipped in 1977 is now offering a chance to see the cup the King grabbed to quench his thirst during that concert. Wade Jones sealed the water in a plastic bag and sold it on eBay for $455. Now, for a minimum of $300, Jones will put the Styrofoam cup on view, and he wants travel expenses.