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Campaign 'robocall' at 2 a.m. riles 3,000

Tue, 11/06/2007 - 12:58 by MT Bureau

White Plains, N.Y. -- Some 3,000 people in a New York county were woken at 2 a.m. by an automated telephone campaign call for a county legislative candidate.

A Leesburg, Va., automated calling firm originated the calls, which had mistakenly been programmed to start at 2 a.m. instead of 2 p.m., the White Plains (N.Y.) Journal News reported Monday.

The early Thursday morning call was on behalf of Democratic candidate Domenic Volpe, who said he has received 150 complaints. However, the ad first mentions Republican incumbent George Oros, who said he received 40 complaints from people who hung up before hearing the whole message and thought he had sponsored it.

An embarrassed Volpe told the newspaper he had also been woken by the call and said he would be contacting everyone who had complained to apologize.

Satanic goat-killer says she was drunk

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:38 by MT Bureau

Brisbane, Australia -- An Australian woman who slaughtered a goat in a mock satanic ritual in a Brisbane church has been ordered to apologize.

The (Brisbane) Courier-Mail newspaper reported that Tracy Lee Arnold, 26, was sentenced to two years probation Monday for the killing of a pet goat named Maddie in the Bellbowrie Community Church, west of Brisbane, on Oct. 13, 2006.

Arnold had pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrate's Court to three counts of stealing and injuring an animal.

The magistrate also ordered that Arnold apologize in person to Maddie's owners and the Bellbowrie Community Church.

The court heard that Arnold and three other people had been drinking at a party in Bellbowrie when they decided to conduct a mock satanic ritual. The group dragged away a goat that was grazing in a nearby property, broke into the church and slaughtered the animal.

Downside of dentist office music?

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:25 by MT Bureau

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A dentist in Syracuse, N.Y., faces a lawsuit from a patient for injuries she suffered when he allegedly began dancing during a tooth extraction.

The lawsuit filed by 31-year-old Brandy Fanning alleged that while performing the procedure at the Syracuse Community Health Center, Dr. George Trusty began dancing to the song "Car Wash" and lost an inch-long drill bit inside her mouth, The Syracuse (N.Y.) Post-Standard reported Friday.

Fanning's suit alleged that the drill bit punctured her sinus cavity and the injury has caused nerve damage and facial swelling.

Fanning is seeking $600,000 for all past and future medical costs, along with related pain and suffering. However, the possible payout could be limited by the Health Center Act of 1992, the newspaper said.

Maggie the elephant happy with new home

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:19 by MT Bureau

Anchorage, Alaska -- A 25-year-old African elephant named Maggie is safe and apparently very happy to be in her new California home after traveling all the way from Alaska.

The Anchorage Daily News said that based on the enthusiastic actions of Maggie in her new home on Friday, "Operation Maggie Migration" was an unequivocal success.

Pat Derby, who runs the Northern California facility that Maggie will now call home, said that the pachyderm has had few problems adapting to the warmer climate and new surroundings.

"She's doing great," Derby said. "She's very calm."

Maggie's calm exterior is also striking due to the fact that the elephant had not seen another member of its species in a decade.

But Derby said Maggie immediately assimilated to her surroundings and in no time was playfully charging her fellow pachyderms.

Elvis poster worth $10,000 to collector

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:17 by MT Bureau

Norfolk, Va. -- A 42-year-old man who is trying to collect a poster from every concert Elvis Presley ever did has offered $10,000 for one from a 1967 concert in Norfolk, Va.

The Norfolk Virginian Pilot reported Sunday that, while Andrew Hawley's payment offer may seem outrageous to some, it is simply an indication of how dedicated he is to his collection.

"I'm trying to get a poster for every concert that he did," said Hawley. "But I really want to get the one from Norfolk, Newport News and Richmond. I've been chasing them for a long time. I'm sure that someone has one."

Other posters Hawley is willing to pay top price for include Bob Dylan's 1966 show at Norfolk Arena and rock 'n' roll icon Buddy Holly's 1958 Hampton Roads appearance.

"I figured if I put a big reward on it," Hawley said, "someone would go look in their attic and say, 'I got it!'"

Clooney, Pitt irresistible even in wax

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:16 by MT Bureau

London -- Hollywood heartthrobs George Clooney and Brad Pitt are apparently loved so much by their female fans even wax sculptures of them in London get grabs.

The Sun reported that wax sculptures of the "Ocean's Thirteen" stars were recently unveiled at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, but within a day were damaged by grabby female fans.

Within the first 24 hours that the celebrity doubles were accessible at the museum, young female fans coated the Clooney replica's face with lipstick, likely from a plethora of affectionate kisses.

Pitt's wax double was even worse for wear, as the figure's buttocks were damaged from a litany of pinches from adoring fans.

A spokesman for the museum said the damage clearly showed exactly how popular the celebrities are among female clientele.

Worms on the menu for white-collar women

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:10 by MT Bureau

Beijing -- Female professionals in China are increasingly embracing culinary dishes featuring a variety of insects from worms to grasshoppers, a report says.

Crienglish.com reported Sunday that while the insect-based dishes are traditional in certain parts of China, female white-collar workers have recently taken an increased interest in the unusual culinary fare.

"I've tried all kinds of worm dishes, and I've fallen in love with them," one unidentified young woman said recently.

"Why do we eat worms? Because they are good for our health, especially our skin," she added.

Research by the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Kunming Medical College research found that the insect dishes do contain nutritional components.

The Web site said that among those components are plentiful amounts of protein and vitamins, along with both amino and fatty acids.

Jammers take cell phone battle up a notch

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:03 by MT Bureau

San Francisco -- The development of cell phone jammers has opened a new front in the battle of indiscriminate cell phone usage in public places in the United States.

A San Francisco architect identified only as Andrew said he began using the technology to block cell phone reception once he could no longer stand hearing the endless chattering, The New York Times reported.

Andrew said that while he initially abused his new-found power, he has learned how to use it judiciously to ensure he can enjoy a quiet ride home on the train after work.

"At this point, just knowing I have the power to cut somebody off is satisfaction enough," he said.

But an official at Rutgers University told the Times that Andrew's point of view is simply based on the same inconsiderate world view that the problematic cell phone users embrace.

Age is state of mind to Fla. barrel racer

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 11:41 by MT Bureau

West Palm Beach, Fla. -- Florida resident Helen Foulke may be 72 years old, but that doesn't mean she has to act her age and stop taking part in the dangerous sport of barrel racing.

Also a grandmother, Foulke said that while barrel racing is typically a sport embraced by those less than half her age, she has no intention of ending her involvement in the rodeo sport any time soon, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Sunday.

"I just like doing it," she said of her unusual career choice. "I'm just going to keep doing it until I can't."

Foulke's loyalty to the sport comes even in the wake of a particularly harrowing incident in which her horse, Sassy, embraced its name by uncharacteristically throwing Foulke.

She said that incident, which occurred as she tried to round Sassy around three barrels, was certainly a wake-up call.

FBI agent: O.J. wanted to sell heist tape

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 11:38 by MT Bureau

Las Vegas -- O.J. Simpson planned to videotape his alleged holdup in Las Vegas as a fundraising venture, The New York Daily News reports.

The newspaper cites an FBI source who said David Riccio, a sports memorabilia dealer who was Simpson's alleged accomplice, told agents about their plans three weeks before the incident happened.

An FBI spokeswoman acknowledged that Riccio had mentioned plans to confront someone in Las Vegas that Simpson said was in possession of his property. But Laura Eimiller said Riccio did not say they would be armed or that anything illegal would happen.

Agents suggested that Riccio consult a lawyer to make sure he stayed within the law.

Riccio did make a recording of the alleged holdup that he has since sold. Three of the men involved have pleaded guilty and have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Man reappears day after his cremation

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 11:33 by MT Bureau

Manchester, England -- Tommy Dennison's cremation went on as planned this week in the English county of Greater Manchester, but the 39-year-old later showed up alive and well.

The Independent said Saturday that one day after Dennison's body purportedly was cremated in front of his mother, he was found alive Nottingham.

The shocking mix-up began when police found the body of an unknown person in October and asked an area mental health worker for help in identifying it.

While the healthcare worker had been treating Dennison for six months, she incorrectly identified the body as that of Dennison and chaos ensued, The Independent said.

Gina Partington said that after sitting through her son's cremation and funeral on Tuesday, the news that her son was indeed alive came as quite a shock.

E-mails can keep graves covered in flowers

Mon, 11/05/2007 - 11:33 by MT Bureau

Paris -- A new French company has launched a unique service in which individuals can have fresh flowers placed on loved ones' graves simply by sending an e-mail.

The Telegraph in London reported Saturday that Intersepulture has already been hired by 250 families who want to honor their late friends and family members, but can not or will not visit the cemeteries where they were laid to rest.

Laurent Yon said he decided to create the new company after he recognized the glaring number of graves that typically are left unadorned with flowers.

"It struck me long ago that many graves are left without flowers for whatever reason, and this is the perfect solution to the problem," Yon said.

Now by simply sending the company an e-mail with the graves coordinates, grieving individuals can have flowers placed on those graves a maximum of three times a year.