The Odd Truth, Oct. 21, 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.
Back Massage And Root Canal
BOCA RATON, Fla. - During those dreaded moments when her dentist drills and scrapes, Nancy Rubenstein enjoys a back massage, a manicure, a cool mask for her eyes and slippers to warm her feet.
If that isn't enough, Rubenstein can slip on virtual reality glasses and escape to Hawaii or another exotic locale. Meanwhile, the smell of chocolate-chip cookies wafts from a nearby oven.
"Can I come here on vacation?" Rubenstein jokes after her dentist, Dr. Kenneth Mogell, peered into her mouth during a recent checkup.
Mogell started adding the cozy touches - aromatherapy candles, warm pillows and spa services - to make dental appointments less frightening and even enjoyable.
The concept is becoming more popular nationally, with dental offices making simple additions, such as massage-padded chairs, to complete transformations that make the office look like luxurious day spas.
We Don't Want Your Stinkin' Money
JANESVILLE, Wis. - Hooters' money isn't good enough for some charities. When a Hooters opened in Janesville, Wisconsin, the restaurant wanted to donate the proceeds to a nonprofit group. But the YWCA said no thanks, as did SpotLight on Kids, a children's theater group, and ECHO, a church-sponsored food pantry.
All three groups worried Hooters racy image and scantily clad waitresses would offend long-supporters. Eventually, the local chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation accepted Hooters' dough. Hooters' isn't saying how much money was raised by sale of fried-chicken wings at last week's grand-opening.
One-Cent Madness
HOMEWOOD, Ill. - A penny for your thoughts? How about more than 26,000 pennies? Many folks have penny jars, but Mark Horowitz had a penny crate. He's been hoarding the Abe Lincolns since he was three -- that's 50 years-worth.
But now Horowitz and his wife are trying to simplify their lifestyle. With their children in college, Horowitz decided to put those one-cent pieces back into circulation.
He called his bank in the area,to warn that a lot of spare change was coming. Coin-counting machines handled the hard work. When it was all tallied, the author-historian had 26, 461pennies. For those a little slow in math, that's $264.61.
Long Distance Phone Service Gets Gonged
Apparently, we aren't much impressed by the service we're getting as consumers.
When asked about which industries try to please us the most, hotels ranked as the best, with 30 percent reporting good service, followed by banks, reported by 28 percent.
Airlines were third, but only 11 percent said they provide the best service. Worst? Long-distance telephone companies - only 4 percent were pleased by the service.
The poll was conducted with 997 randomly selected adults by St. Louis-based Maritz Research in May.