Weird But True

[NJFFSA16]

Nude fountain bather defies police
BERLIN (Reuters) - A homeless woman refuses to stop bathing
naked in Munich's public fountains despite being repeatedly
fined for breaking public nudity laws.
Bild newspaper reported Thursday the 44-year-old woman
named "Bille," who weighs more than 300 pounds, can be seen
almost every day with her bottles of soap and shampoo bathing
in one of the Bavarian capital's 183 public fountains.
"She's already been charged on 21 occasions for such things
as causing public disturbance as well as breaking and
entering," a Munich police spokesman said.
A social worker told Bild that Bille keeps rejecting a room
in a homeless center.
"We can't force her," he said.

[NJFFSA16]

Vietnamese robber hid for 20 years as policeman
HANOI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A convicted Vietnamese robber who
escaped from prison 20 years ago chose a sly way to hide from
the law -- inside the police force and as a member of the
ruling Communist Party.
A police newspaper reported on Friday that Ngo Thanh Tam,
51, was re-arrested on Tuesday, two decades after joining the
police under a false identity in the Central Highlands province
of Dak Nong.
The An Ninh Thu Do (Capital Security) newspaper described
Tam as a "dangerous criminal" on the national wanted list.
After his arrest he was purged from the party, which he joined
in June.
It was unclear how Tam's real identity was discovered.
Tam was sentenced to four years in jail in 1984 for a
series of robberies, but he escaped from prison in 1986, the
newspaper said. In 2003 Tam was promoted to police chief of Dak
Ru commune.
He had also been elected to the Dakru People's Council for
the 2004-2009 tenure.

[NJFFSA16]

BEIJING, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A 25-year-old auditor in China
apparently ate and drank himself to death while he was supposed
to be inspecting a government department, a state newspaper
said on Friday.
Zhang Hongtao went to many banquets organised by a power
company in northern China's Hebei province in April, and
instead of working did little else but eat, drink, play cards
and enjoy massages, the official China Daily said.
He collapased and died following one of the banquets, after
which "his team and two officials from the electricity bureau
travelled for a sightseeing tour around east China", the report
said.
"Zhang's colleagues said most of them were too upset over
the death to stay in the office, so they went to Yangzhou to
relax," it added, referring to a city in eastern Jiangsu
province renowned for its gardens.
The National Auditors' Office said the incident had "marred
the image and influenced the public's trust" of the government
body, which is supposed to be at the forefront of a
high-profile campaign against corruption.
Auditors are not allowed to be entertained by departments
or companies they are inspecting, according to a 2000 rule, the
report said.

[E40FDNYL35]

August 25, 2006 -- A deputy sheriff questioned two elderly homeowners after spotting a 5-foot marijuana plant growing between their driveways in a senior housing development just outside Prescott, Ariz. They told him they thought the plant was "just an attractive weed, and they had been watering it because it looked so nice," said a sheriff's spokesman. The deputy confiscated the plant, and asked the homeowners to call if other "attractive weeds" popped up.

[MalahatTwo7]

Just a couple unrelated stories....

Forbes Lists America's Drunkest Cities

POSTED: 12:55 pm EDT August 24, 2006

MILWAUKEE -- Is the Brew City getting a bad rap?

Milwaukee has been ranked by Forbes.com as "America's Drunkest City," based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 70 percent of adult Milwaukeeans reported that they had at least one alcoholic drink within the past 30 days. That compares with 45 percent in Nashville, Tenn., which ranked last among the 35 cities on the list.

Officials at Visit Milwaukee, the area's convention and visitors bureau, contend that the city has come a long way in ridding itself of its beer-guzzling image. A spokesman said Milwaukee has gone from Brew City to new city with the Milwaukee Art Museum expansion, the convention center and baseball park.

To do the study, Forbes ranked each city in five areas: state laws, number of drinkers, number of heavy drinkers, number of binge drinkers and alcoholism.

Coming in second on the Forbes list is another cold metropolitan area: Minneapolis-St. Paul. The twin cities ranked No. 2 for adults who reported having had a drink in the last month, No. 3 for binge drinkers and No. 12 for heavy drinkers, according to Forbes.

Completing the list of the top five drunkest cities are Columbus, Ohio; Boston; and Austin, Texas.

Forbes pointed out some surprising results. Some stereotypically "partying" cities didn't rank high on the list. Las Vegas came in at only No. 14; New Orleans, home to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, only ranked in 24th place. And a town known for spring-break revelers, Miami, was only No. 33 on a list of 35 cities.

Forbes.com's Top Drinking Cities

1. Milwaukee
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul
3. Columbus, Ohio
4. Boston
5. Austin, Texas
6. Chicago
7. Cleveland
8 Pittsburgh
9. Philadelphia
9. Providence, R.I. (tied)
11. St. Louis
12. San Antonio
13. Seattle
14. Las Vegas
15. Denver/Boulder
16. Cincinnati
16. Kansas City (tied)
18. Houston
19. Portland, Ore.
20. San Francisco-Oakland
20. Washington-Baltimore (tied)
22. Phoenix
23. Los Angeles
24. New Orleans
24. Tampa (tied)
26. Norfolk
27. Dallas-Fort Worth
28. Atlanta
28. Detroit (tied)
30. Indianapolis
31. Orlando
32. New York
33. Miami
34. Charlotte, N.C.
35. Nashville

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-------
VFW Post Finds Site For G-String Fundraiser

POSTED: 2:29 pm EDT August 24, 2006
UPDATED: 5:26 pm EDT August 24, 2006

O'FALLON, Ill. -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in O'Fallon, Ill., said it didn't mean any harm, but it has agreed to move a "G-Strings For GIs" strip show featuring male dancers.

A nightclub in the nearby town of Sauget, Ill., has agreed to host the fundraiser Saturday night.

Members of the VFW post said they figure the striptease event would raise more money in a single night than a month of fish fries.

More than 150 women have plunked down $18 each for the event. The proceeds will go toward supplies such as sunscreen, books and bug spray.

City officials in O'Fallon said the ladies-night show would have violated town decency codes, and they threatened to yank the VFW's liquor license.

The city administrator notes the town has been picking up the cost of mailing packages to the troops. He said the VFW crackdown was not about what's patriotic, but what's appropriate.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

From today's edition of the MetroWest Daily News...

Cats alert sleeping family to burning rags in garage
by Danielle Williamson, Daily News staff

Mendon - A local couple credits their cat with warning them yesterday of a garage fire that officials said caused about $5,000 in damage.

"He woke me up to with a loud meow to the point where I thought he had gortten hurt" , Lynn Patrick said of her 12 year old black and white cat, Sammy. "When he woke me up, I immediately smelled the smoke".

Neither Patrick or her husband, Jim were injured in the fire, which broke out about 3:30 AM in their attached two car garage at 85 Park Street.

Fire officials said that the fire started when a bunch of rags, soaked in mineral spirits and linseed oil spontaneously combusted. Patrick had used the rags to polish her hardwood floors.

[E40FDNYL35]

August 26, 2006 -- This police dog didn't take a bite out of crime, he took a bite out of a crime-fighter - a police chief. Pat Miller, the top cop in Ventura, Calif., had just jumped from his car to join in the pursuit of a suspect when the K9 squad arrived. Mistaking the lawman for a bad guy, Beemer, a Belgian Malinois shepherd, went for Miller's leg. "The dog literally picked me off the ground. He ripped my pants and bloodied my leg," said the chief.

[NYSmokey]

China cracks down on striptease funerals
Thu Aug 24, 10:13 AM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - China may be giving striptease funerals the last rites after officials arrested five people and ordered an end to the practise, state media said.

Strip shows have been commonly used to attract more mourners to funerals, as villagers believe a crowded send-off brings more honor to the deceased, Xinhua news agency said.

But police took action after state television exposed the "obscene performances" at a funeral in Donghai county, Jiangsu province, with 200 people including children in attendance, it said.

"When the performance reached a climax, two performers started stripping and to show their charm. They even dragged audiences onto the stage to join them," Beijing News said, citing the television report.

Wealthier families in villages often employ two troupes of performers to try to draw a crowd at the funerals of their loved ones.

After the television report, the local government quickly issued an order to stop the practice and demanded that village committees have to report details of each funeral plan within 12 hours after a villager dies.

A hotline was also set up for residents to report on "funeral misdeeds," it said. The funeral striptease is also a popular custom in parts of Taiwan.

[E40FDNYL35]

August 27, 2006 -- Maybe these guys should answer to the names Drunk and Drunker. Two brothers from Brentwood, L.I., tied on a few at separate parties, Suffolk County cops said - then got into their separate cars, and ended up colliding into each other yesterday. David Murphy, 22, and Michael Murphy, 21, got into the soused-up sibling smashup at the intersection of Radcliff Drive and Plunkett Street about 4:10 a.m. yesterday near their home.

Despite major damage to the vehicles, both of which required a tow truck to remove them from the scene, there were no injuries. Air bags deployed in both, said cops.

[MalahatTwo7]

Somehow I don't really think that a woman needs to be career driven to cheat on her husband/companion.

Forbes Article: 'Don't Marry Career Women'. Magazine Pulls Article Then Replaces It

POSTED: 2:23 pm EDT August 25, 2006

A magazine that usually sticks to drumming up lists of the world's richest men and exploring every angle of the American rat race is causing quite a stir on the Internet.

In a controversial article by Michael Noer, the writer breaks it down to unmarried men: "Whatever you do, don't marry a career woman."

Why?

"To put it bluntly, the more successful she is, the more likely she is to grow dissatisfied with you," Noer said. "A word of advice -- marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career."

This isn't a conclusion that would make all men happy, given that men are often attracted to women who have similar aspirations.

Noer cited studies in various journals that say the professional woman is a woman who has a college degree, works at least 35 hours a week and therefore earns more than $30,000 a year. He said she's more likely to get divorced and cheat on her husband with co-workers. She will be either angry about having kids or angry about not having kids, Noer said.

Noer argued that marriage is hardest when both partners work outside the home, and that research shows divorce is more likely the more hours a woman works.

Conversely, the same is not true of a man's workload.

Many are calling the article outrageous. The response online was quick, and in most cases, brutal.

Hundreds of postings popped up in online chat rooms.

"I can't even imagine what would make someone say that. It's a throwback to the '70s, '60s or '50s and it's mindboggling," said one woman.

One blog called it "blood-boilingly misogynistic."

Forbes.com removed the article, later reposting it, accompanied by another article, from a happily married female Forbes writer who's worked for more than 20 years.

But for many, the damage was already done.

"This article highlights the epitome of male insecurity," another woman said. "I guess there are still men out there who want their women to just sit and look pretty. How prehistoric and irresponsible of Forbes to perpetuate this ideal."

www.nbc4.com/family/9738807/detail.html for a survey (if you wish)

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting.
--------
The article from Forbes:

Opinion/Careers and Marriage/Forbes.com

Forbes.com published a story Aug. 22 by editor Michael Noer on two-career relationships that provoked a heated response from both outside and inside our building. Elizabeth Corcoran, a member of our Silicon Valley bureau and principal author of the magazine's current cover story on robots, sent in this rebuttal. Here's a link for reader discussion.

Point: Don't Marry Career Women

By Michael Noer. How do women, careers and marriage mix? Not well, say social scientists.

Guys: A word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career.

Why? Because if many social scientists are to be believed, you run a higher risk of having a rocky marriage. While everyone knows that marriage can be stressful, recent studies have found professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to cheat, less likely to have children, and, if they do have kids, they are more likely to be unhappy about it. A recent study in Social Forces, a research journal, found that women--even those with a "feminist" outlook--are happier when their husband is the primary breadwinner.

Not a happy conclusion, especially given that many men, particularly successful men, are attracted to women with similar goals and aspirations. And why not? After all, your typical career girl is well-educated, ambitious, informed and engaged. All seemingly good things, right? Sure…at least until you get married. Then, to put it bluntly, the more successful she is the more likely she is to grow dissatisfied with you. Sound familiar?

Many factors contribute to a stable marriage, including the marital status of your spouse's parents (folks with divorced parents are significantly more likely to get divorced themselves), age at first marriage, race, religious beliefs and socio-economic status. And, of course, many working women are indeed happily and fruitfully married--it's just that they are less likely to be so than non-working women. And that, statistically speaking, is the rub.

To be clear, we're not talking about a high-school dropout minding a cash register. For our purposes, a "career girl" has a university-level (or higher) education, works more than 35 hours a week outside the home and makes more than $30,000 a year.

If a host of studies are to be believed, marrying these women is asking for trouble. If they quit their jobs and stay home with the kids, they will be unhappy (Journal of Marriage and Family, 2003). They will be unhappy if they make more money than you do (Social Forces, 2006). You will be unhappy if they make more money than you do (Journal of Marriage and Family, 2001). You will be more likely to fall ill (American Journal of Sociology). Even your house will be dirtier (Institute for Social Research).

Why? Well, despite the fact that the link between work, women and divorce rates is complex and controversial, much of the reasoning is based on a lot of economic theory and a bit of common sense. In classic economics, a marriage is, at least in part, an exercise in labor specialization. Traditionally men have tended to do "market" or paid work outside the home and women have tended to do "non-market" or household work, including raising children. All of the work must get done by somebody, and this pairing, regardless of who is in the home and who is outside the home, accomplishes that goal. Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker argued that when the labor specialization in a marriage decreases--if, for example, both spouses have careers--the overall value of the marriage is lower for both partners because less of the total needed work is getting done, making life harder for both partners and divorce more likely. And, indeed, empirical studies have concluded just that.

In 2004, John H. Johnson examined data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and concluded that gender has a significant influence on the relationship between work hours and increases in the probability of divorce. Women's work hours consistently increase divorce, whereas increases in men's work hours often have no statistical effect. "I also find that the incidence in divorce is far higher in couples where both spouses are working than in couples where only one spouse is employed," Johnson says. A few other studies, which have focused on employment (as opposed to working hours) have concluded that working outside the home actually increases marital stability, at least when the marriage is a happy one. But even in these studies, wives' employment does correlate positively to divorce rates, when the marriage is of "low marital quality."

The other reason a career can hurt a marriage will be obvious to anyone who has seen their mate run off with a co-worker: When your spouse works outside the home, chances increase they'll meet someone they like more than you. "The work environment provides a host of potential partners," researcher Adrian J. Blow reported in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, "and individuals frequently find themselves spending a great deal of time with these individuals."

There's more: According to a wide-ranging review of the published literature, highly educated people are more likely to have had extra-marital sex (those with graduate degrees are 1.75 more likely to have cheated than those with high school diplomas.) Additionally, individuals who earn more than $30,000 a year are more likely to cheat.

And if the cheating leads to divorce, you're really in trouble. Divorce has been positively correlated with higher rates of alcoholism, clinical depression and suicide. Other studies have associated divorce with increased rates of cancer, stroke, and sexually-transmitted disease. Plus divorce is financially devastating. According to one recent study on "Marriage and Divorce's Impact on Wealth," published in The Journal of Sociology, divorced people see their overall net worth drop an average of 77%.

So why not just stay single? Because, academically speaking, a solid marriage has a host of benefits beyond just individual "happiness." There are broader social and health implications as well. According to a 2004 paper entitled "What Do Social Scientists Know About the Benefits of Marriage?" marriage is positively associated with "better outcomes for children under most circumstances," higher earnings for adult men, and "being married and being in a satisfying marriage are positively associated with health and negatively associated with mortality." In other words, a good marriage is associated with a higher income, a longer, healthier life and better-adjusted kids.

A word of caution, though: As with any social scientific study, it's important not to confuse correlation with causation. In other words, just because married folks are healthier than single people, it doesn't mean that marriage is causing the health gains. It could just be that healthier people are more likely to be married.

Counterpoint: Don't Marry A Lazy Man
By Elizabeth Corcoran. Studies aside, modern marriage is a two way street. Men should own up to their responsibilities, too.

Girlfriends: A word of advice. Ask your man the following question: When was the last time you learned something useful, either at home or work?

If the last new skill your guy learned was how to tie his shoes in the second grade, dump him. If he can pick up new ideas faster than your puppy, you've got a winner.

I'm not usually a fan of dipstick tests, particularly when it comes to marriage and relationships. But a downright frightening story written by my colleague, Michael Noer, on our Web site today drove me to it. According to the experts cited by Michael, marrying a "career girl" seems to lead to a fate worse than tangling with a hungry cougar.

OK, call me a cougar. I've been working since the day I graduated from college 20-odd years ago. I have two grade-school-aged children. Work definitely takes up more than 35 hours a week for me. Thankfully, I do seem to make more than $30,000. All of which, according to Michael, should make me a wretched wife.

In spite of those dangerous statistics, my husband and I are about to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. You'll see us snuggling at a mountain-winery concert this month, enjoying the occasion. I don't think I'm all that unusual--so it seemed like a good time to test Michael's grim assertions.

The experts cited in his story think that professional women are more likely to get divorced, to cheat and to be grumpy about either having kids or not having them. But rather than rush to blame the woman, let's not overlook the other key variable: What is the guy doing?

Take, for instance, the claim that professional women are more likely to get divorced, because they're more likely to meet someone in the workforce who will be "more attractive" than that old squashed-couch hubby at home.

Women have faced this kind of competition squarely for years. Say you marry your college heartthrob. Ten years later, he's working with some good-looking gals--nymphets just out of college, or the more sophisticated types who spent two years building houses in Africa before they went to Stanford Business School. What do you do? A: Stay home, whine and eat chocolate B: Take up rock climbing, read interesting books and continue to develop that interesting personality he fell in love with in the first place.

Note to guys: Start by going to the gym. Then try some new music. Or a book. Or a movie. Keep connected to the rest of the world. You'll win--and so will your marriage.

There is, of course, the continual dilemma of who does the work around the house. But if both spouses are working, guess what? They've got enough income to hire someone else to fold laundry, mop floors, etc.

Money is a problem? Honestly, the times money has been the biggest problem for us have been when we were short of it--not when one of us is earning more than the other. When we have enough to pay the bills, have some fun and save a bit, seems like the rules of pre-school should take over: Play nice, be fair and take turns.

In two-career couples, Michael frets, there's less specialization in the marriage, so supposedly the union becomes less useful to either party. Look more closely, Mike! Any long-running marriage is packed full of carefully developed--and charmingly offsetting--areas of expertise.

For us, the list starts with taxes, vacation planning and investment management. My husband likes that stuff, and it leaves me yawning. Bless him for doing it. Give me the wireless Internet system, the garden or just about any routine home repairs and I'm suddenly the savant. Tear us apart, and we'd both be pitiful idiots trying to learn unfamiliar routines.

Michael is right that longer work hours force two-career couples to try harder to clear out blocks of family time. When we do, though, we get to enjoy a lot more. We understand each other's career jokes and frustrations. We're better sounding boards on what to do next. And at dinner parties, we actually like to be seated at the same table.

The essence of a good marriage, it seems to me, is that both people have to learn to change and keep on adapting. Children bring tons of change. Mothers encounter it first during the nine months of pregnancy, starting with changing body dimensions. But fathers have to learn to adapt, too, by learning to help care for children, to take charge of new aspects of a household, to adapt as the mothers change.

So guys, if you're game for an exciting life, go ahead and marry a professional gal.

[MalahatTwo7]

Umm ok.....

Camel's Milk An Aphrodisiac? Elderly Dad Says Yes. Man's Wife Recently Gave Birth

POSTED: 8:15 am EDT August 30, 2006

NEW DELHI -- Camel's milk is hot stuff in India because of its supposed effect as an aphrodisiac.

The run on camel's milk was prompted by 88-year-old Virmaram Jat, who fathered a child. The Times of India newspaper reports the man attributed his virility to the drink.

Virmaram's third wife, Gammo Devi, who is 45 years younger to him, delivered male twins on July 19, according to the Times. One of them was stillborn. The hospital said the surviving child is healthy, the Times reported.

He told the paper that a secret to his good health, besides having never touched alcohol or smoked cigarettes or bidis, is that he drinks camel's milk. He said that is the true secret to his vigor and vitality.

"Apart from all this, there should be an urge within you to enjoy a full life. I don't want to live for 100 years, but my desire is that as long as I live I should be able to enjoy my sexual life," Jat said.

"I do it daily and the best time for intercourse is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.," he told the paper.

He said he's not worried about his son's upbringing.

"I had adopted my nephew Sera Ram, who is now 60, and he has promised that he will bring up my son as his own child," Jat said.

Jat said he would also continue trying to conceive more children.

The paper reported prices for camel's milk have now doubled.

But don't bother walking a mile for this camel. Indian medical researchers dismiss the notion that camel's milk could be the Viagra of the desert.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[NJFFSA16]

3-year-old child spends hour in cage with 30 poisonous snakes:
report
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - After almost an hour locked in a
cage with 30 poisonous snakes, 3-year-old Siti Amirah had just one
thing on her mind: her milk bottle.
Siti, whose father is a snake handler in northeastern Kelantan
state, chatted calmly with the deadly cobras and other snakes
Thursday as they curled around her neck and hands, The Star
newspaper reported.
"You OK?" she was quoted as playfully asking one of the
serpents.
Siti's father, Sayuti Harun, said his daughter was first exposed
to snakes when she was a year old. She showed no fear and was
comfortable around his 112 pet snakes, among them pythons, cobras
and rattlesnakes.
Sayuti, 61, said he planned to pass on to Siti the
snake-handling skills that he learned from his father 35 years ago.
After spending nearly an hour in the cage, Siti ambled out and,
unfazed by cheers and applause from a watching crowd in Kuala
Terengganu town, reached for her milk bottle.
Staff at the resort hotel where the show was held were not able
to provide a contact for Sayuti and declined to comment on what
safety precautions were taken.
The hotel's public relations department, which organized the
event, was closed on Friday for a public holiday.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

One thing airplane passengers don't want to see
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The pilot of a Canadian airliner who
went to the washroom during a flight found himself locked out
of the cockpit, forcing the crew to remove the door from its
hinges to let him back in, the airline said Wednesday.
The incident occurred aboard a flight from Ottawa to
Winnipeg Saturday. The regional jet, capable of carrying 50
people, was operated by Air Canada's Jazz subsidiary.
Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stewart said that with 30 minutes of
the flight to go, the pilot went to the washroom, leaving the
first officer in charge. But when he tried to get back into the
cockpit, the door would not open.
"The door malfunctioned ... this is a very rare
occurrence," Stewart said, adding that the crew's decision to
remove the door had been in line with company policy.
A report in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper said that for
about 10 minutes "passengers described seeing the pilot bang on
the door and communicating with the cockpit though an internal
telephone, but being unable to open the door."

[NJFFSA16]

Hedgehogs humble McDonald's
LONDON (Reuters) - Hedgehogs have finally humbled burger
giant McDonald's after years of campaigning, forcing the
company to redesign its killer McFlurry ice-cream containers.
Up to now the opening in the container has been large
enough for hedgehogs to get their heads into for a lick of the
left-over dessert -- a trap they have then been unable to
withdraw from, so dying of starvation in untold numbers.
But from September 1, the wide-mouthed opening in the lid
of the McFlurry containers will be reduced in size, making them
too small for the sugar-loving animals to get their heads into.
"This is excellent, it is long overdue news," said Fay
Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation
Society. "We have been in touch with McDonald's about this
problem for over five years and are delighted that they have at
last solved the problem."
McDonald's said in a statement the design change had
resulted from pressure from the society which prompted
"significant research and design testing" to develop new
packaging.

[E40FDNYL35]

September 2, 2006 -- It's not the kids who are driving teachers batty at Mansfield Elementary School in Mansfield, Ark. It's the bats. They're in the classrooms, on the ceilings and, according to animal-control officers, behind the walls. School officials have set up a bat funnel, hoping the nocturnal nuisances will fly out and not find their way back in. Wonder if they've tried ringing the school bell.

[E40FDNYL35]

September 3, 2006 -- He wasn't old enough to have a license, but authorities said an 8-year-old deaf boy got a traffic ticket for taking a family car for a joyride in Brooksville, Fla. Kobie Stires, who has been deaf since birth, was ticketed for driving without a license after he took the keys from his mother's purse while she slept. Witnesses said he drove about two miles and ran over a street sign.

[E40FDNYL35]

September 4, 2006 -- Rescuers in Appleton, Wis., will now be able to save Fido and Fluffy, along with the burning house. Six firetrucks and 13 ambulances will be equipped with oxygen masks designed for dogs and cats. Alderman Richard Thompson - who owns one of each - came up with the idea after seeing a newspaper photo of a firefighter giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a cat rescued from a fire.

[tfpd109]

September 4, 2006 -- Rescuers in Appleton, Wis., will now be able to save Fido and Fluffy, along with the burning house. Six firetrucks and 13 ambulances will be equipped with oxygen masks designed for dogs and cats. Alderman Richard Thompson - who owns one of each - came up with the idea after seeing a newspaper photo of a firefighter giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a cat rescued from a fire.

Engine 14, Medic 4... Respond to 1234 main st for a 7 year old feline not breathing. CPR instructions being given.

[E40FDNYL35]

September 5, 2006 -- A British sicko who hates women but loves their high-heel shoes is going to prison for a long time. James Lloyd, 50, was convicted of raping four women and attempting to rape two more in the early 1980s and sentenced by a Sheffield Crown Court to 15 years behind bars. When cops caught up with him - thanks to DNA evidence - they found 100 stilettos at his home and print-shop office. Cops believe he took the high heels from his rape victims and many other women to satisfy his fetish for ladies' shoes.

[NJFFSA16]

.....fetish for ladies' shoes......

I know some ladies that have a fetish for ladies shoes.