The Odd Truth, Jan. 7, 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.
Castro Crank Calls Chavez
MIAMI - Two radio show hosts who use jumbled recordings of Fidel Castro to trick callers into believing they're talking with the Cuban president say they have duped another victim — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Venezuelan officials said Tuesday they could not immediately verify the call, but a recording provided by the Cuban-American radio announcers contains a voice that sounds like Chavez.
The tape appears to have Chavez, who is struggling to end a month-old national strike by opponents, happily answering what he thought would be a friendly call Monday morning from Castro, one of his closest allies.
But on the other end of the line were WXDJ-FM disc jockeys Joe Ferrero and Enrique Santos, who ended the conversation by calling Chavez "terrorist" and "animal," along with a few expletives.
On Monday, Ferrero said, he and a woman told a Chavez secretary that they needed the president's personal phone number to connect him with Castro, who supposedly was in a hidden location and could not receive calls.
"Hello Fidel?" Chavez answered, according to a copy of the call provided by the announcers.
"Yes. Did you receive my letter?" Castro asked.
After greeting Castro, Chavez said: "Yes, I received everything fine."
"I am ready to cooperate with you," the voice of Castro replied.
After an exchange about the day of the week, Santos broke in and said they were calling from Miami.
"Get out of Venezuela, (expletive) terrorist! ... Animal, assassin, (expletive)!" Santos said before hanging up.
Ferrero said the station was inundated with congratulatory phone calls, but Santos said WXDJ owner Raul Alarcon Jr. was "not very happy."
However, the pair said they will not be disciplined. Alarcon did not return a call seeking comment.
When Store Clerks Attack!
ANDERSON, S.C. — Three store clerks and a paint can were enough to stop an armed robber last weekend.
A Florida man, armed with a gun, walked into the Family Dollar store at a shopping center Saturday and told two workers to give him the cash in their registers.
They complied, and the robber ordered them to lock the door. But then a third clerk in the back charged the thief and hit him in the head with a paint can, according to an Anderson County Sheriff's Office report.
The burglar was stunned and another employee tackled him and held him down until police got there.
Richard James Foster, 57, has been charged with armed robbery, police said.
Phone Message Prompts Hostage Fears
COPENHAGEN - Witty, clever messages on answering machines are supposed to make a caller chuckle.
But one Danish family's recorded greeting prompted police to rush to the house because of fears of a hostage situation.
"We have been taken hostage by two children. Hurry. Please bring some help after the tone," the droll message recorded by Lene Becker said, according to Monday's edition of the Politiken newspaper.
But when family relatives called long distance and heard the recording, it sounded like "We have been taken hostage WITH two children." They called the police.
The police in Gladsaxe, a Copenhagen suburb, where the family lives, listened to the answering machine several times and decided to err on the side of caution. Two police cars went to the two-story home and crept around it, using flashlights. Finally, a neighbor living on the ground floor came outside and let the four police officers into the Becker's apartment on the second floor.
The Beckers have since changed the outgoing message on their answering machine. "We're doing fine. Please don't call the police."
Former Mayor On Trial For Attacking Herself
EAGLE, Colo. - The stripper-turned-mayor is getting her day in court. Ex-Georgetown, Colorado, mayor Koleen Brooks went on trial yesterday for faking an attack on herself. Brooks claims she's the victim of her political enemies. She is charged with evidence tampering and filing a false police report. It's not the first time she's gained national attention. The one-time mayor was once accused of flashing her breasts in a bar. She lost her mayor's job in a recall election -- but went on to pose for Playboy.
Every Kid's Fantasy For Sale On eBay
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Look! Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No -- it's a guy in a strap-on flying machine. Designers of the SoloTrek XFV will debut the aircraft on eBay this week. The SoloTrek is worn like a backpack and has two fan-like propellers above the pilot. The designers say the Solotrek can fly at nearly 70 miles an hour, has a range of 100 miles -- and can hover like a helicopter. But there is a catch to the Internet auction. The Solotrek isn't approved by the government for flight, so the winner of the bidding war must promise to keep it on the ground. Officials of the California-based company expect the prototype to sell for about $1 million. The buyer will likely be a museum or aviation collector.
An Island To Go With Your Flying Backpack
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, Virgin Islands — A small Caribbean isle in the U.S. Virgin Islands is being offered for sale on the Internet.
Bidding opened on eBay Monday for Thatch Cay, an undeveloped 237-acre island located about 1/2 mile off the island of St. Thomas.
The sellers are marketing it as the "last truly virgin" isle in the U.S. territory. The island is split into three parcels, and bidding on each one started at $2 million.
"No one's ever lived there, at least not legally," said Scott McIntyre, president of Idealight International, a San Diego-based company that is offering the island for sale.
McIntyre said the U.S. territorial court sold the island in 2001 to a company set up by him and another investor. It once had a small fishing camp, and its coastline offers prime scuba diving, McIntyre said.
With an elevation of 500 feet, the island has unobstructed views of the other islands in the chain.
Bidding is to run through Jan. 15. John Foster Real Estate, a Sotheby's International affiliate, is handling the sale.
Jilted Man Sues Fiancee For Ring
DES MOINES, Iowa - The wedding is off -- and stockbroker Joseph Bisignano wants the ring back. The jilted man is suing Mary Toon, claiming he spent more than $330,000 wooing her. Bisignano says he bought his fiancee a fur coat, a Vera Wang wedding dress and a nine-plus-carat diamond ring. In the lawsuit, Bisignano accuses Toon of fraud, breach of contract and "unjust enrichment" if she gets to keep all the gifts. Toon's lawyer says they'll file a response to the lawsuit by Friday.