Strange but True

[skippy]

Australian woman cashes winning lottery ticket 14 years late

Fri Jan 20, 9:59 AM ET

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - In a case of better late than never, an Australian woman has collected 100,000 Australian dollars (about $86,500 Cdn) after cashing in a lottery ticket more than a decade after it was bought, an official said Friday.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, collected her winnings this week after discovering the ticket lodged in a greeting card she found in her home, a spokesman for New South Wales state Gaming Minister Grant McBride said on condition of anonymity that he said was departmental policy.

The lottery ticket - known in Australia as a scratchy because gamblers have to scratch the ticket to see if they have won a prize - was bought in 1992.

The winner was doubly lucky as lottery officials are in the process of reining in the length of time people have to claim their winnings.

"Phased in over the next 10 years the government will be introducing a six-year time limit from which all prizes not claimed go straight back to New South Wales Lotteries for future prize winners," the spokesman said.

The largest unclaimed lottery prize in New South Wales is a A$3.3 million ($2.85 million) which has been gathering dust since 1997.

[skippy]

Hot rock: $25,000 for star's kidney stone

Thu Jan 19, 9:13 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Going maybe where no other actor has gone before, "Star Trek" star William Shatner has sold a piece of his body for charity.

Shatner, famed for playing Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series, sold his kidney stone to online casino GoldenPalace.Com for $25,000. The money will be donated by Shatner to Habitat for Humanity to build houses for the poor.

But Shatner said it wasn't easy parting with a kidney stone, even if it had already left his body. He also said he would never sell unless he had visitation rights.

"When I was contacted about selling my kidney stone to GoldenPalace.Com for an original price of $15,000 I turned it down, knowing that my tunics from Star Trek have commanded more than $100,000," Shatner said, adding that he countered by offering to sell the ring-sized stone for $25,000.

By privately selling his kidney stone, Shatner gave up an offer to sell it at auction on television. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Shatner about his painful stone on November 14 and immediately called it "the ultimate Star Trek collectible" and offered to sell it on his show.

GoldenPalace.Com plans to send the stone on tour with a collection of other unusual items.

A spokesman for Shatner said he didn't knew if the Emmy-winning actor would consider selling any other body parts.

"We are very pleased to own this piece of TV history and to be able to help a worthy charity like Habitat For Humanity," said GoldenPalace.Com Chief Executive Officer Richard Rowe.

[skippy]

UCLA students urged to expose 'radical' professors

Fri Jan 20, 1:54 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A conservative alumni group dedicated to "exposing the most radical professors" at the University of California at Los Angeles is offering to pay students $100 to record classroom lectures of suspect faculty.

The Web site of the Bruin Alumni Association also includes a "Dirty Thirty" list of professors considered by the group to be the most extreme left-wing members of the UCLA faculty, as well as profiles on their political activities and writings.

UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale Thursday denounced the campaign as "reprehensible," and school officials warned that selling or distributing recordings of classroom lectures without an instructor's consent violates university policy.

News of the campaign prompted former Republican congressman James Rogan, who helped lead impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton in the U.S. House of Representatives, to resign from the group's advisory board.

"I am uncomfortable to say the least with this tactic," Rogan, now a lawyer in private practice in California, said in an e-mail resignation made public by the Los Angeles Times. "It places students in jeopardy of violating myriad regulations and laws."

At least two other members of the group's advisory board, which consists of more than 20 individuals, also have quit over the group's efforts to have students record their professors.

The group, which is not affiliated with UCLA or its official alumni association, is the creation of Andrew Jones, a 2003 UCLA graduate who said he runs the organization mostly on his own with $22,000 in private donations.

Jones told Reuters he is out to "restore an atmosphere of respectful political discourse on campus" and says his efforts are aimed at academics who proselytize students from either side of the ideological spectrum, conservative or liberal.

"We are concerned solely with indoctrination, one-sided presentation of ideological controversies and unprofessional classroom behavior," Jones said on his Web site.

Jones' site describes his campaign as "dedicated to exposing UCLA's most radical professors" and his list of the university's "worst of the worst" singles out only professors he says hold left-wing views.

Jones said he would only accept recordings from students whose professors consented in writing to have their lectures taped. And students would only be paid $100 if they furnished complete recordings of every class session, as well as detailed lecture notes and all other teaching materials from the class.

Jones, who also is offering to pay $50 for notes and materials only, said one student has signed up to participate and two others have expressed interest so far.

UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said the university planned to send Jones a letter warning him that faculty hold copyrights to all their course materials and that his campaign encouraged students to violate school policy.

[skippy]

Hamster, Snake Best Friends at Tokyo Zoo

Thu Jan 19, 8:03 PM ET

TOKYO - Gohan and Aochan make strange bedfellows: one's a 3.5-inch dwarf hamster; the other is a four-foot rat snake. Zookeepers at Tokyo's Mutsugoro Okoku zoo presented the hamster — whose name means "meal" in Japanese — to Aochan as a tasty morsel in October, after the snake refused to eat frozen mice.

But instead of indulging, Aochan decided to make friends with the furry rodent, according to keeper Kazuya Yamamoto. The pair have shared a cage since.

"I've never seen anything like it. Gohan sometimes even climbs onto Aochan to take a nap on his back," Yamamoto said.

Aochan, a 2-year-old male Japanese rat snake, eventually developed an appetite for frozen rodents but has so far shown no signs of gobbling up Gohan — despite her name.

"We named her Gohan as a joke," Yamamoto chuckled. "But I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's company very much."

The Tokyo zoo also keeps a range of mostly livestock animals, and promotes "cross-breed interaction," according to Yamamoto.

But Gohan and Aochan's case was "was a complete accident," Yamamoto said.

[skippy]

Islamic court in Malaysia fines senator for divorcing wife by text message

Thu Jan 19, 10:08 PM ET

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - An Islamic court in Malaysia has fined a senator the equivalent of $170 Cdn for divorcing his wife by cellphone text message and voice mail.

Senator Kamaruddin Ambok, 52, an official of the ruling party, confessed Thursday to committing the offence against Mahani Hussain, 50, in October 2001, and paid the fine. Under Islamic law in Malaysia - applied only to the majority Muslims in this multiethnic country - it is illegal to divorce outside the Shariah court and without its permission.

"Cases such as this are happening often these days as reported by media," prosecution lawyer Mohammed Yusof Sulaiman told the court.

"The court must ensure that Islamic laws are adhered to, and give a proper punishment to deter him and others from committing such an offence again."

He said Kamaruddin's wife was left on her own for two months, until the affirmation of divorce was filed in December 2001.

Delivering his sentence, Judge Zainor Rashid Hassin said when Kamaruddin married he went through several Islamic rituals, as mandated by law. "Now, why can't you divorce someone properly as well?"

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/060120/p...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[skippy]

On call, firefighters return to station in flames in Virginia

Thu Jan 19, 3:57 PM ET

BLOXOM, Va. (AP) - Volunteer firefighters in this small town were battling a house fire when they got a second call - that their own firehouse was ablaze.

By the time they raced back to their two-storey station early Wednesday, fire had destroyed much of the structure. Firefighters were also unable to save the other house.

"People were crying," said Kimberly Midgett, a department member. "Everyone was walking around hugging each other."

The half-century-old firehouse was a gathering place for the town of about 400 people, about 140 kilometres northeast of Norfolk on the state's Eastern Shore.

State Police are investigating the cause of the station fire, said Capt. Raymond Scott of the bureau of criminal investigation's Chesapeake field office. The damage was estimated at $1.5 million US.

[BigNuttsSpartanFan]

In Michigan we have a 1-year time limit on cashing in lottery tickets.

I quit my job at Alltel by text message.

[skippy]

Originally Posted by BigNuttsSpartanFan

In Michigan we have a 1-year time limit on cashing in lottery tickets.

I quit my job at Alltel by text message.

Yes.....but did you text "I QUIT" 3 times???

[BigNuttsSpartanFan]

Originally Posted by skippy

Yes.....but did you text "I QUIT" 3 times???

If I remember correctly, it was "I can't take this sh** anymore. I quit" and I sent it to my three bosses. It felt awesome...until they turned off my phone.

[skippy]

Originally Posted by BigNuttsSpartanFan

If I remember correctly, it was "I can't take this sh** anymore. I quit" and I sent it to my three bosses. It felt awesome...until they turned off my phone.

In that case.....you don't have to wonder if they received your messages LOL.

[skippy]

Wife attacks hubby's genitals

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - A Cambodian man received 25 stitches to his penis after his wife attempted to sever the organ with scissors after a domestic dispute, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Khay Kaing, 40, returned home early Saturday after a night of drinking and karaoke with friends in Kampong Cham province, 80 kilometres northeast of the capital Phnom Penh, the Koh Santepheap newspaper reported.

An argument ensued and he allegedly slapped his wife. As the man got into bed his wife came at him with the scissors and attempted to cut off his penis, the newspaper reported, not detailing whether she succeeded.

Kang Sakhan, the provincial police chief, confirmed the incident but did not provide details.

The newspaper said after being attacked, the man walked some 500 metres to a relative's home to seek help and was later taken to a village doctor who administered the sutures.

[skippy]

Man with 11-woman commune had stun gun

Fri Jan 27, 9:41 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - Police found a stun gun and tear gas Friday at the Tokyo home of a man who said he persuaded 11 younger women to live with him by chanting a spell, media reports said.

Police suspect he used the weapons to prevent the women, mainly in their 20s, from leaving, the reports said.

Hirohito Shibuya, 57, was arrested Thursday for allegedly threatening a 20-year-old woman who was reluctant to join the commune by telling her that if she left she would be turned to mincemeat, they said.

He denied threatening the woman, Kyodo news agency said, adding that he also allegedly told her he was a former senior officer in Japan's military with secret agents around him.

Shibuya, a bald, rotund man with bags under his eyes, has attracted heavy media attention this week after claiming he chanted a spell to attract the women.

He had married and divorced several of the women, who continued to live with him, the reports said.

Asked what the incantation was, he told a newspaper: "When you say it, even unattractive men become attractive. But I won't say it because if I do, I'll die."

Police confiscated several books on hypnosis from his home, Kyodo said.

[skippy]

Twins detained for loincloth outrage

Fri Jan 27, 9:41 AM ET

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean twins who became media celebrities for appearing in public wearing nothing but traditional African goatskin loincloths have been detained pending trial for indecent exposure.

Harare magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe also ordered the 22-year-old brothers, dubbed the "Terrible Twins" by local newspapers, to undergo psychiatric evaluation, the official Herald newspaper said Friday.

The men, Tafadzwanashe and Tapiwanashe Fichani, raised eyebrows last month when they went to an upscale Harare shopping mall clad only in brief loincloths -- leading several shocked shoppers to call the police.

The twins said they were making a statement by appearing in traditional African clothing dating back to pre-colonial times.

State prosecutors disagreed and lodged a case of indecent exposure against them, a position the Herald said was backed by the head of Zimbabwe's National Traditional Healers' Association.

"We have failed to see how their actions conform to our culture," association president Gordon Chavunduka told the newspaper. "Dressing of that nature is now reserved for special traditional and cultural occasions, not everywhere."

The twins were denied bail and ordered back to court for trial on February 2.

[skippy]

If a car can survive Katrina, it must be good

Fri Jan 27, 9:39 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Unscrupulous dealers have been selling automobiles flooded in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as far away as California, the state's insurance commissioner said on Thursday.

John Garamendi warned that some dealers and salvage yards were selling cars water damaged in places such as New Orleans, which was hit by both hurricanes last year. The cars had been dried out and cosmetically cleaned for resale, he said.

"We actually know of about just a handful at the moment. We came across seven in Los Angeles at an auto auction," he said in an interview. "We know of at least one here at an auto auction yard in northern California."

"We suspect that this is the very tippy top of the proverbial iceberg."

His office said flood-damaged vehicles had shown up in other states including Arizona, Florida and New York.

The insurance commissioner estimated that as many as 600,000 vehicles were damaged by floods along the Gulf Coast states last year.

"Many of those are being shipping out of there, reconditioned, and we now see at least a few of them showing up in California and there is probably many, many more," Garamendi said.

[skippy]

Is there a new member of the Bush family

Sun Jan 29, 3:03 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush says Bill Clinton has become so close to his father that the Democratic former president is like a member of the family.

Former President George Bush has worked with Clinton to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami and the hurricane disaster along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Asked about his father and Clinton, Bush quipped, "Yes, he and my new brother."

"That's a good relationship. It's a fun relationship to watch," Bush said in an interview with CBS News broadcast on Sunday.

While attending Pope John Paul's funeral, Bush said, "It was fun to see the interplay between dad and Clinton. One of these days, I'll be a member of the ex-president's club. ... I'll be looking for something to do."

He said ex-presidents share rare experiences that others cannot understand. "And so I can understand why ex-presidents are able to put aside old differences," he said.

Bush said he checked in with Clinton occasionally.

"And you know, he says things that makes it obvious -- that makes it obvious to me that we're kind of, you know, on the same wavelength about the job of the presidency. Makes sense, after all, there's this kind of commonality," he said.

Bush jokingly referred to speculation that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former president's wife, will seek the Democratic nomination for the presidency. He had earlier referred to the former first lady as "formidable."

"Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton," he said, referring to how Bill Clinton had followed his father, and Hillary Clinton could follow him.