The Odd Truth, Nov. 30, 2004

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

'Food Porn'

ST. LOUIS - Two weeks since serving up its Monster Thickburger packing 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat, Hardee's looks to beef up sales with a new multimillion-dollar ad campaign.

Some may wonder whether that's even needed, given the St. Louis-based restaurant chain's claims that the self-described "monument of decadence" has done fine by free word of mouth.

Just a day after the Monster's rollout Nov. 15, Jay Leno quipped on "The Tonight Show" that the megaburger "actually comes in a little cardboard box shaped like a coffin." On David Letterman's "Late Show," an actor playing the chief of Hardee's corporate parent in a sketch clutches his chest, then keels over dead when asked of any health risks of a burger that size.

Media outlets from Japan, Spain, England, France and Australia have reported about the Monster. Some newspaper editorial pages have weighed in, one suggesting that Hardee's — despite those poking fun at, even mocking, the Monster — may have the last laugh.

"I don't think any of us anticipated anything like the media uproar we've seen," says Andy Puzder, president and chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc., the California-based parent of Hardee's Food Systems Inc.

While McDonald's, Wendy's and other rival fast-food giants are offering salads and other lower-calorie fare, Hardee's appears comfortable going against the grain, staking its future — at least near-term — on behemoth burgers.

Hardee's has big hopes for the Monster — two 1/3-pound slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. Add fries and a soda and a single meal would involve more calories and fat than most people should get in a day.

Hardee's already was offering five sandwiches with 1,000 calories or more, and eight overall that have more calories than what was once the big-burger standard — the 600-calorie Big Mac.

"Not every product has to be aimed at the health-conscious," Puzder said, noting that since the introduction of the Thickburger family in April 2003, sales for the 2,067-restaurant chain have risen steadily.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based advocate for nutrition and health, dubbed the Thickburgers "food porn," the Monster "the fast-food equivalent of a snuff film."

RIP: Pinto The Cocker Spaniel

A 4-year-old cocker spaniel died Tuesday, a day after coming under attack by a swarm of bees nesting in discarded backyard tires, authorities said.

Pinto was treated by a veterinarian after Monday's attack and released but died at his home in this suburb 25 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, apparently from the bee stings, said Capt. Aaron Reyes of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority.

"What a sad ending," Reyes said.

Pinto's owner was cutting brush in the yard when she disturbed the bee colony, according to Capt. Rick Tiberio of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

A bee expert who went to the scene estimated there were about 20,000 bees.
The dog tried to hide under a woodpile and bags of recycled cans.

A beekeeper used smoke on the bees to calm them. Children at a nearby school were called indoors until the bees could be removed, Reyes said.

Pinto was retrieved, his fur and tail still full of bees. Reyes said an animal control officer counted roughly 100 bee stings.

The dog was treated and released but went into convulsions early Tuesday and died, Reyes said.

The bees appeared to have been European rather than the more aggressive Africanized "killer" bees, he said.

Swiss Conductor Misses Own Train

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Even employees of the famously punctual Swiss railroads can miss a train.

Last week, a train left the station at Aigle, in the French-speaking west of Switzerland, without its conductor and with its doors wide open, the Swiss railroad company confirmed Tuesday.

The conductor, an unidentified woman, hailed a cab and was finally able to rejoin the train at Bex — some 6 miles further down the track — where it had stopped to wait for her, the Swiss daily Le Matin reported.

The taxi driver said he laughed when the conductor explained what had happened.

"This pretty young lady with curly blonde hair was still carrying her machine for selling tickets," Joel Gillieron told Le Matin. "In 10 years of taxi driving, I've never seen anything like that!"

Gillieron said he charged the conductor $29.15 for the journey to Bex.

I Left My Stent In…Whoops

LOS ANGELES - A gallstone the size of a golf ball — about 16 times the size of a normal one — has been removed from a 56-year-old man, doctors say. The massive growth was the result of a stent inadvertently left in his body from a pancreatic operation more than a decade ago.

Gonzalo Medina underwent surgery Monday at a hospital in Los Angeles. The procedure "went fine," according to his doctor, Ian Kenner.

"In 30 years of treating gallstones, I have never seen one of this size," Kenner said, adding it was amazing that Medina wasn't killed by it. "It's a tribute to the human body, and in this case, a particularly resilient one."

More than a year ago, Medina began suffering from chills, stomach pain and fever. A scan taken in October revealed a stent had been left in his body during surgery 12 years ago, officials said.

Medina previously underwent a procedure that sends shock waves to the gallstone to fragment it while the patient is submerged in water. He will likely face more operations, doctors said.

"It took 12 years getting into this state, and now we are trying to get him free of problems," Medina's doctor said.

Wait, There's A Town Called 'Embarrass?'

TOWER, Minn. - You betcha it gets cold up here, but how will we know how cold this year?

This small northeastern Minnesota town that recorded the state's record low in 1996 - a pretty nippy 60 degrees below zero - is without an official weather observer.
The woman who previously held the post left in mid-October; she'd reported Tower's daily temperature and precipitation since 1972.

In the meantime, highs and lows are being recorded at a building in town that stands at a higher elevation than the official weather station. Colder air typically drains into the valley.

Tower, about 35 miles south of the Canadian border, and nearby Embarrass usually vie for Minnesota's daily low, forecasters say. Both towns are generally apart by a degree or two.

Mike Stewart, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Duluth, said the agency is searching for a replacement to fill the spot in the valley.

"It's not going to go by the wayside. It's very important to keep that going there," Stewart said Monday.

Embarrass still has an official observer, Stewart said. The low there was 8 below zero Monday.