The Odd Truth, March 11, 2005
The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Joey Arak.
Wiping To Cost You?
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Legislature is flush with good ideas.
Sen. Al Lawson's latest involves a way to pay for wastewater treatment and help small towns and counties upgrade their sewer systems.
The Democrat from Tallahassee is proposing a two-cent-per-roll tax on toilet paper.
"We've got 17 million people in this state and all of them can contribute to protecting our underground water supply," he said.
In a Republican-dominated Legislature that doesn't like new taxes, the idea could end up in the tank pretty quickly.
Senate President Tom Lee said he didn't think it would get too far, but didn't rule it out. "We'll be getting to the bottom of it real soon," he said.
Even if the proposal passes the Legislature, it would need approval from Gov. Jeb Bush. The president's brother said if toilet paper is taxed, people might use less of it.
"That's not necessarily a good thing," he said.
Taxi Getaway Fails
OGDEN, Utah - Police said it seemed more like a movie plot than real life when a taxi driver became the reluctant wheel in for a suspected bank robber's getaway attempt.
The hunt for Donald Archambault, 53, who was suspected of robbing a Salt Lake City bank Wednesday, ended 30 miles north of Ogden. Archambault bailed out of the cab and was arrested by waiting police.
Cabbie Ali Ahmed didn't realize his customer was wanted until he got a call on his cell phone from a police detective.
"I was very scared," Ahmed said later. "Oh, man, was I scared."
Ahmed's fears escalated when the suspect allegedly told him "he would empty his gun" if Ahmed turned him in to police.
The suspect didn't know that Ahmed was talking to a detective throughout much of the Interstate 15 ride.
"I kept telling him it was my dispatcher wanting to know where we were going," he said.
Ahmed eventually pulled over and Archambault fled.
"There was an officer right by there, so I ran over and told him which way the guy went," Ahmed said.
Archambault, 53, was charged Thursday with aggravated robbery.
Biking For Bills
CONCORD, N.H. - Two seniors at the University of New Hampshire are putting the marketing skills they learned in college to work to try and pay off the $20,000 they each owe in student loans.
Josh Hutchins and Marc Hall, both 22, have requested bids of $40,000 or more on eBay to bicycle from New Hampshire to Florida and back promoting the winning bidder's name or product.
They'll do it in media interviews, on their clothes and on their bike helmets.
The two expect the ride to take as long as two months.
They also promise to donate some of the proceeds to charity.
Deep Down, Plant's a Star
JERUSALEM - One of the Holy Land's toughest plants has a unique link to Israel when examined under a microscope.
The cells of the Persian buttercup, known as "nurit" in Hebrew, look like a six-sided Star of David, a Web site reported Sunday.
The Israel 21C site showed a picture of the plant's cells as they appear under magnification. The result is a cell that resembles an almost perfect light blue, six-sided star, interlocked with similar cells.
Rina Kamenetsky, of Israel's Volcani Institute, which specializes in plant and agriculture research, said the discovery was made during examination into how the plant survives the harsh conditions of Israel's desert.
Controversial 'Spongebob' Tape Mailed
NEW YORK - A children's music video that conservatives say encourages acceptance of homosexuality is being distributed to more than 60,000 schools around the country.
The video shows SpongeBob SquarePants, Miss Piggy, Oscar the Grouch and many other children's TV characters singing the 1979 disco hit "We Are Family." It comes with a teaching guide that promotes tolerance of diversity.
The video is produced and distributed by the Anti-Defamation League and the We Are Family Foundation -- a nonprofit founded by a producer who co-wrote the original song.
Such conservative groups as the American Family Association and Focus on the Family have charged that the video has a pro-gay subtext. An editor who first criticized it calls the video "innocuous" but says the teaching guide "distorts the definition of family."
Disneyworld For Bikers
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Bikers soon will be able to hang their helmets at their own tourist spot: Destination Daytona.
The 150-acre complex in Florida is the brainchild of Bruce Rossmeyer, who owns ten Harley-Davidson dealerships.
He plans to offer some high-end touches, reflecting the changing demographics of bikers.
A growing number of motorcycle enthusiasts are older and wealthier, and more of them are women. They no longer settle for the tent lodging and T-shirt souvenirs of biker gatherings of years past.
As envisioned by its developers, Destination Daytona will eventually have hotel rooms, condominiums, a Harley-Davidson dealership, a motorcycle maintenance school and parts shop, restaurants, bars and a civic center.
The first phase opens in June.
Prison Prank Firing
PARAGOULD, Ark. - A prank has cost a northeast Arkansas jailer his job.
Jailer Johnnie Pruett is said to have given three pink tablets to an inmate who requested cold medicine.
The inmate took the pills, and Pruett allegedly started laughing and showed him a box of over-the-counter laxative pills.
Sheriff's Captain Jamie Martin says after an hour and a half, the inmate developed severe stomach pains, vomited and had severe diarrhea. He says Pruett taunted the prisoner throughout the night and asked if he needed a diaper.
The jailer has been fired and charged with battery.
Fingers Crossed For Panda Love
It's time for a little panda passion. At least zoo keepers hope so. It's panda mating season and officials at four American zoos are keeping their fingers crossed. There are panda pairs at Zoo Atlanta, the National Zoo in Washington, the San Diego Zoo and the Memphis Zoo. Experts at all four are closely monitoring their animals' behavior and hormone levels in hopes of hearing the sound of little panda paws this year. While the birds and the bees may do it, captive pandas are notoriously shy when it comes to the opposite sex. There have only been two successful panda births at U-S zoos. If nature doesn't take its course, the zoo keepers may try artificial insemination.
Teacher Misinterprets 'High' School
FRESNO, Calif. - Christopher Bochin is in trouble with the law for being a little too sharing with his students. Police in California charge the substitute teacher shared pot with students at Fresno High. According to authorities, Bochin asked two kids in his ninth-grade science class to get his pipe and weed from his car. Police say Bochin smoked the pot with about a half-dozen students from his class. He now faces felony drug charges and misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors. Bochin is free on bail and is to appear in court March 23rd.
Crook Laughed At
CRANBERRY, Pa. - What would you think if Pluto tried to rob you? A clerk at a Pennsylvania convenience store thought it hilarious. Police in Cranberry say a would-be bandit walked into Gordon's Mini Market wearing a mask of the Disney cartoon dog. According to officers, the clerk was laughing so hard, he didn't comply with the robber's demand to empty the cash register. The frustrated robber walked out. But police don't recommend trying to laugh your way out of a stick-up. Sergeant Dave Kovach says the clerk's response was dangerous.
Witches Must Pay Up
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida tax officials might find themselves under a spell. The Florida Department of Revenue has turned down a request by a witches' group for a religious exemption from the sales tax. Now, a federal appeals court has upheld the no-tax-break ruling. The Wiccan Religious Cooperative of Florida filed suit on Halloween 2000 after it was denied a tax exemption. The federal court didn't rule on the religious nature of the witches' complaint. The panel ruled on technical grounds, saying the Wiccans didn't show they had been hurt by the denial of a tax exemption. An attorney for the Wiccans says they're now considering their options.