Woman charged with breast milk assault
UPI

OWENSBORO, Ky. — Police in Kentucky said a woman arrested for public intoxication was issued an additional charge for squirting breast milk on a deputy at the jail.

Daviess County sheriff's deputies said Toni Tramel, 31, of Owensboro, was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor count of public intoxication and while changing into a jail uniform she allegedly sprayed a stream of breast milk into the face of a female deputy, WYMT-TV, Hazard, Ky., reported Monday.

The sheriff's office said the deputy went through a biohazard decontamination process and Tramel was booked on an additional charge of third degree assault on a police officer, a felony. She was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

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NYC chef creates breast milk cheese
Associated Press

NEW YORK — Breast milk cheese, anyone?

A Manhattan chef has posted a recipe on his blog for what he calls "My spouse's mommy milk cheese."

Daniel Angerer co-owns Klee Brasserie with his wife Lori Mason. A photo on his blog features the cheese encrusted with maple caramelized pumpkin and Concord grapes.

They had an overabundance of milk for their newborn, Arabella Caroline. When their small freezer ran out of space, Angerer decided to experiment.

Angerer says his cooking instincts tend toward things natural. But even he admits: "THIS is a whole other level of 'natural.'"

Check out the video report:

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Time for a quick survey:

• ODDest recipe made?
• Any desire to try breast milk?
• Breastfeeding in public? Yay or nay?
• Milk of choice? 2%, fat free, homogenized, soy, chocolate? Any others?

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O&E ODD image of the day: Barbie-Q...

I say hands down Hawaii. Of course, my driving on the Mainland is a bit limited. However, it seems locals are either too nice on the roads or just lack common sense.

Whether you’re on the freeway, a back road, a stop sign or parking, you’re bound to see some idiot doing something a bit ODD.

Keeping up with traffic or gracefully merging onto the freeway seems difficult for many. Then you also gotta deal with the guy who won’t even let you merge when traffic is nearly at a standstill and every other car is waved in to cut.

Just the other night, a van was exiting a paid parking lot and proceeded to make an awkward U-turn as if he was going to enter the lot again. Instead, the driver stops, blocking the entrance and lets someone out. The van sits there for a while instead of pulling to the side of the road to wait. Of course the guy then reverses as other people are trying to exit the lot. Alrighty then...

But apparently even the pathetic can get their 15 minutes of fame...

Show seeks 'America's Worst Driver'
UPI

LOS ANGELES — The executive producer of the upcoming U.S. cable TV show "America's Worst Driver" said he found bad motorists in eight major cities to be "equally pathetic."

Charlie Parsons, executive producer of the Travel Channel series, said each episode features four drivers from the city of the week, including Chicago, New York and Dallas, competing in a number of controlled situations to see who has the most bad habits behind the wheel, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday.

The "winner" gets to see his or her car demolished in a theatrical fashion before going to the show's finals in Los Angeles, where "America's Worst Driver" will be crowned and awarded a bicycle and a bus pass. The runners-up will each receive a new car, Parsons said.

The producer said filming revealed that bad driving behaviors were not limited to specific areas of the country.

"They were all equally pathetic," he said.

"We weren't looking for anybody who was a very reckless driver — who had multiple violations and run-ins with the law," Parsons said. "We were more trying to find people who were in denial about certain things, like being a distracted driver, or poor parkers. Every one of the people who were nominated didn't feel they should be here. They are on the show to prove their nominators wrong."

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Here's a sneak peek at the show:

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O&E ODD image of the day: Thanks for the warning!

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Imagine all those freaky-looking cats circling you in an enclosed space... Wonder what this claustrophobic deputy would've done if he also feared cats...

Kentucky deputy tries to shoot his way out of cell
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Ky. — A Kentucky sheriff says a claustrophobic deputy has lost his job after accidentally locking himself in a jail cell and trying to shoot his way out of it.

Adair County Sheriff Ralph Curry tells WKYT-TV that no one was hurt when Charles Wright fired his weapon.

It happened Monday, the first day a new $12.4 million county judicial center was open to the public after more than a year of construction.

Curry says the former deputy has claustrophobia and has agreed to pay for the damage he did to the cell.

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What phobias do you have? What about some ODD ones? Here's a list I found online. Have any of these? This is a funny word: hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing
Aerophobia- Fear of swallowing air
Ambulophobia- Fear of walking
Anablephobia- Fear of looking up
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers
Barophobia- Fear of gravity
Basophobia- Fear of walking
Batophobia- Fear of being close to high buildings
Blennophobia- Fear of slime
Bogyphobia- Fear of the bogeyman
Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting
Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors
Chaetophobia- Fear of hair
Chionophobia- Fear of snow
Chronophobia- Fear of time
Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks
Cibophobia- Fear of food
Clinophobia- Fear of going to bed
Deciophobia- Fear of making decisions
Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body
Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors
Eleutherophobia- Fear of freedom
Eosophobia- Fear of daylight
Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge
Ergophobia- Fear of work
Geliophobia- Fear of laughter
Geumaphobia- Fear of taste
Heliophobia- Fear of the sun
Helmintophobia- Fear of being infested with worms
Hemophobia- Fear of blood
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words
Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep
Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish
Ideophobia- Fear of ideas
Kainophobia- Fear of anything new
Levophobia- Fear of objects to the left side of the body
Logophobia- Fear of words
Metrophobia- Fear of poetry
Mnemophobia- Fear of memories
Mottephobia- Fear of moths
Neophobia- Fear of anything new
Nephophobia- Fear of clouds
Nomatophobia- Fear of names
Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams
Ophthalmophobia- Fear of opening one’s eyes
Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish
Panophobia- Fear of everything
Paraskavedekatriaphobia- Fear of Friday the 13th
Peladophobia- Fear of bald people
Phengophobia- Fear of daylight
Phobophobia- Fear of fear
Photophobia- Fear of light
Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking
Sciophobia- Fear of shadows
Scolionophobia- Fear of school
Trichopathophobia- Fear of hair
Triskadekaphobia- Fear of the number 13
Verbophobia- Fear of words
Xanthophobia- Fear of the color yellow

But how do you feel about a singing contest for inmates? And see what other ODD headlines made news this week...

Prisoners sing for Corrections Idol
UPI

DORAL, Fla. — Corrections officials in Florida's Miami-Dade County said a prisoner won his second consecutive Corrections Idol competition.

Andrew Cashmere, 38, who sang a self-written song entitled "Jesus," was chosen as the winner of Sunday's contest by a judging panel of high-ranking corrections officers at the Metro West Detention Center west of Doral, Fla., The Miami Herald reported Monday.

"It's a pleasure to be able to be here and perform," said Cashmere, who also won first place at last year's event.

Officials said 15 prisoners and detainees participated in Corrections Idol — with entries including songs, rap and poetry. They said the event, organized by the Inmate Special Events Committee, is intended to give prisoners an outlet for their creativity and build their self-image through positive activities.

"When they come here, they feel like they belong," Chief of Operations Manny Fernandez said. "They're part of the solution, not the problem."

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Shark aquarium in Dubai Mall starts leaking
news:lite

Shoppers at a Dubai mall were left fleeing from sharks yesterday, when a massive aquarium sprang a leak.

Water started pouring into the Dubai Mall shopping centre when one of the walls of the giant 2.6 million gallon "indoor ocean" tank cracked.

Amateur video footage shows the shopping centre being evacuated as staff rushed to secure the tank which is home to 33,000 fish and hundreds of sharks.

Bosses insist the fish were not in any danger… except from the near-by sushi chef who was hoping the 75cm-thick viewing panel was going to break.

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Fog from music video shoot spurs fire report
Associated Press

JAMESTOWN, Pa. — Northwestern Pennsylvania fire officials say fog being made for a music video prompted a restaurant to report a fire.

The video was being shot Saturday afternoon at a teen dance club in the basement of a 19th century building in Jamestown. A restaurant on the third floor was hosting a 70th wedding anniversary party for a couple in their 90s.

Jamestown Assistant Fire Chief Tom Luckock says people at the restaurant called the fire department when the manmade fog filled the building. Firefighters determined it was innocuous.

The businesses are located about 75 miles northwest of Pittsburgh in a building called Mark Twain Manor. The building is named for Twain because he was friends with the physician who constructed the home in the mid-1800s.

Information from: The Herald, www.sharon-herald.com

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Driver in doghouse after walking pet while in car
Associated Press

LONDON — An English dog-owner has been fined after taking his pet for a stroll while driving next to him in his car.

Prosecutors said Paul Railton was spotted driving at low speed along a country lane in December, holding his dog’s leash through the car window as the animal trotted alongside.

Railton pleaded guilty Monday to not being in proper control of a vehicle. His lawyer, Paul Donoghue, said 23-year-old Railton acknowledged “it was a silly thing to do and there was an element of laziness” while exercising his lurcher.

Railton was ordered by magistrates in Consett, northeast England, to pay a 66 pound ($100) fine, plus costs.

He also received three penalty points on his license and, due to existing points, is now barred from driving for six months.

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O&E ODD image of the day:

The headline of the story below caught my eye. And if that's the case, does that mean far, far in the future that a date on the calendar really won't be that day? I'm scratching my head at this one...

Chile earthquake may have shortened Earth’s day
By MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer

NEW YORK — Earth’s days may have gotten a little bit shorter since the massive earthquake in Chile, but don’t feel bad if you haven’t noticed.

The difference would be only about one-millionth of a second.

Richard Gross, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and colleagues calculated that Saturday’s quake shortened the day by 1.26 microseconds. A microsecond is one-millionth of a second.

The length of a day is the time it takes for the planet to complete one rotation — 86,400 seconds or 24 hours.

An earthquake can make Earth rotate faster by nudging some of its mass closer to the planet’s axis, just as ice skaters can speed up their spins by pulling in their arms. Conversely, a quake can slow the rotation and lengthen the day if it redistributes mass away from that axis, Gross said Tuesday.

Gross said the calculated changes in length of the day are permanent. So a bunch of big quakes could add up to make the day shorter, “but these changes are very, very small.”

So small, in fact, that scientists can’t record them directly. Gross said actual observations of the length of the day are accurate to five-millionths of a second. His estimate of the effect of the Chile quake is only a quarter of that span.

“I’ll certainly look at the observations when they come in,” Gross said, but “I doubt I’ll see anything.”

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What theories, studies or even established facts confuse or intrigue you?

Are there any burning questions you have for the Einsteins of the world?

Do you apply math or physics to your everyday life? Or do you go about your life by what "feels right"?

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O&E ODD image of the day: How do you kill time?

But I’ve heard stories about all kinds of ODD things dropping from the sky. We know that some planes even lose an engine while making their cross-country trek.

And we’ve heard the phrase it’s raining cats and dogs...well, imagine it literally did rain fish in your town. I think I might faint if some floppy, slimy fish randomly hit my head or unexpectedly went down my shirt!

Fish rain on Australian town
UPI

LAJAMANU, Australia — Weather experts said the fish that fell on a remote Australian town for two days had likely been sucked up by a thunderstorm before falling to the ground.

Residents of Lajamanu said hundreds of small white fish, believed to be common spangled perch, fell from the sky during the weekend despite the town's location 326 miles from the nearest river, The Sun reported Monday. Locals said many of the fish were still alive when they hit the ground.

Mark Kersemakers, a senior forecaster with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, said the fish could have been transported by a storm system.

"It could have scooped the fish up 40,000 to 50,000 feet in the air," he said. "Once they get up into the system they are pretty much frozen. After some period they are released."

Locals said it has rained fish in the town twice before, in 1974 and 2004.

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Have you ever gotten hit by something that fell out of the sky? Wonder what the ODDs of that happening are. Anyone ever got struck by lightning?

Have any stories to share about other freaks of nature?

Do you know people who have bad luck with bird poop falling on them?

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ODD images of the day: In the theme of freak accidents and more...

(For those who remember, I ran this image once before.)

But I’m grateful I don’t have one of those “unfortunate” names that people can make fun of, as the story below details.

However, regarding usernames or screen names, I would prefer going with sgoya than shaunag...

Site lists 'unfortunate' names of Britons
UPI

LONDON — A British parenting Web site said its research uncovered the "Most Unfortunate Names in Britain," including Barb Dwyer, Justin Case and Stan Still.

TheBabyWebsite.com said its online research discovered Britons bearing the names Hazel Nutt, Barry Cade, Chris Cross and Paige Turner, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

"When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn't even realize the implications at the time," a spokesman for the Web site said. "There must be tremendous embarrassment every time they have to introduce themselves to anyone, especially to a crowd. Even their teachers must have had to hold back their smiles sometimes. Parents really do need to think carefully though when choosing names for their children."

The Web site said strange names are not limited to Britain — some of the more odd monikers it found for U.S. residents include Carrie Oakey, Anna Prentice and Bill Board.

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What are some “unfortunate” names that you have never forgotten? Were you ever teased about your name in the past?

How did you go about naming your kid? Did you also look at initials to ensure it doesn’t spell a bad or funny word?

What other ODD name combos can you think of that can serve as a warning to future parents?

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O&E ODD image of the day: A name you would NOT want!

If you haven't already heard, Advertiser staffers learned yesterday that the paper was being sold to the owner of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The immediate concern was about our jobs and benefits and there still seems to be a lot of unanswered questions. I hope more news comes in soon so we can all make the best decisions about our future.

In the meantime, I just received one of my favorite types of forwarded e-mail: reflections on life through popular adages. Whether it's a clever saying in a fortune cookie or well-known proverb, such observations give me the opportunity to reflect on my life and help me prioritize the things that really matter. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do.

APHORISM: A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE EXPRESSING A WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATION OR A GENERAL TRUTH; ADAGE

1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.

2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.

3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.

4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.

6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?

7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.

8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?

9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.

10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.

11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.

12. There are worse things than getting a call for the wrong number at 4 a.m. — it could be the right number.

13. No one ever says "It's only a game" when their team is winning.

14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.

15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.

16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.

17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of little old men and ladies running around with tattoos? And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!

18. Money can't buy happiness — but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than in a VW.

19. After 60, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead!

20. Always be yourself. Because the people who matter don't mind, and the ones who mind, don't matter.

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What lessons in life do you want to pass on?

And any tips for me following yesterday's big announcement? As I mentioned before, The Advertiser is the only full-time job I had since I was fortunate to become a copy editor immediately after my summer internship. This year marks my 10th year at the paper. And seriously, I'd be really upset if I lost my four weeks of vacation that I have been looking forward to for the past five years!

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O&E ODD image of the day:

City tells woman her $1,600 water bill is correct
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman has received a $1,600 water bill, a bill the city believes is accurate even though it's 20 times the woman's usual bill. Erica Kocur said her bill is generally $70 to $80 per month. She said her "heart just dropped" when she got her latest bill. The city said she must have a running toilet or dripping faucet.

But KSTP-TV said the bill is charging for almost 200,000 gallons of water. That's three times the volume of her entire home. A shower would have to run nonstop for almost two months to use that much water.

The city's director of treasury is LeeAnn Stagg. She said the city believes the bill is accurate, but the city will check Kocur's meter one more time.

Information from: KSTP-TV, www.kstp.com

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Cow gets its head stuck in washing machine
news:lite

The RSPCA have noticed a growing problem of animals getting stuck in fly-tipped rubbish which is dumped in public… and they have released the photos to prove it.

For example, this cow somehow managed to get its head stuck in the drum of a washing machine which had been dumped in a field in Cornwall.

RSPCA say the heifer was probably curious and looking for food when it got stuck — luckily officers were able to free the cow without injury.

There was no comment on whether the cow came away with a cleaner face... but whoever dumped the washer was clearly a stupid moo.

Other released images of trapped animals include a duck in a pair of glasses, a fox cub with its head stuck in a rusty old tin can and a deer with its antlers caught in black tape.

But these are not isolated incidens and the RSPCA warn that not disposing of rubbish properly can easily lead to accidentally harming animals.

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Police: Break-dancing teen's belt gouges floor
Associated Press

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — Police said they've arrested a teenager who caused thousands of dollars in damage to a western New York home's hardwood floor by break dancing on it while wearing a large diamond belt buckle.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard said the 18-year-old apparently was intoxicated when he arrived at a house party held by the victim's daughters in Elma, a small town just east of Buffalo. He said when the teen repeatedly tried to break dance he gouged the floor and caused about $3,000 worth of damage.

Police said the victim was on vacation at the time.

A sheriff's deputy arrested the teen Sunday night at his home in neighboring Cheektowaga, a Buffalo suburb.

The teen faces a felony criminal mischief charge and a misdemeanor trespassing charge. He's been jailed pending arraignment.

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Woman says her love handles saved her life
Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A Florida woman said her love handles saved her life when she was shot entering an Atlantic City bar. Samantha Lynn Frazier said she heard two pops when she walked into Herman's Place early Saturday. The 35-year-old then felt pain and saw blood on her hand after she grabbed her left side. Atlantic City police said Frazier was an innocent bystander.

Detective Lt. Charles Love said the gunman was aiming for a man who escaped with a bullet hole in his down jacket.

The suspect remains at large.

Frazier told The Press of Atlantic City that 'I could have been dead. They said my love handles saved my life."

Frazier also told the newspaper that she had been "hollering" that she wanted to lose weight. She now said "I want to be as big as I can if it's going to stop a bullet."

Information from: The Press of Atlantic City, www.pressofatlanticcity.com

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The importance of usernames in online dating
news:lite

Picking the wrong username on a dating website can be more detrimental to finding a partner than using a dodgy photo, it has been claimed.

A survey of online daters found that a bad username is the greatest turn-off when it come to picking a potential partner.

It was found that people with adjectives in their username were significantly less likely to be chosen for a date, as were people who used overly descriptive language.

Examples of the bad dating usernames quoted in the study included; Sad&Lonely1, Big’n’bubbly, Sweet&Shy, XXXratedguy and Cuddle Monster.

In other odd news (which might be particularly useful to Ashley Cole), using words like 'millionaire' or 'PremFootballer' in your username didn't tend to hinder people from getting selected.

"Choosing a username is the first step to creating an online dating profile," says Lexi Proud (yes really), founder of ArrangeMeADate.com which conducted the study.

"It might be tempting to give this a personal touch, but without potential suitors seeing this in the context of your personality it can come across as weird.

"Adjectives such as shy, sexy, wild and lonely can typecast people rather than draw in admirers. While putting words like wacky, zany and quirky in front of your name does little more than make you seem odd.

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Quick survey:

• What is the biggest bill (not in your wallet!) you pay each month?
• Ever got a part of your body stuck somewhere it shouldn't be?
• If you had to pick a new screen name for the blog, what would it be?

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O&E ODD image of the day:

So thanks to an anonymous reader who sent in this highly informative and entertaining graphic, here's a closer look at what's coming out of your butt. How many of these facts did you already know?

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So what fart stories can you share? Are you often the offender or the victim?

I still can't believe a fart can start a fire! Can someone please test this theory and report back to us?

Do you avoid certain foods because you know it makes you gassy? And would you intentionally fart in front of someone to either get them to go away or let them think badly of you?

And in the theme of farts, here's your ODD story of the day:

Web site markets glow-in-the-dark TP
UPI

LONDON — A British Web site specializing in unusual goods has unveiled its latest specialty — glow-in-the-dark toilet paper for nighttime trips to the bathroom.

The rolls, which sell for about $8 apiece on the Web site I Want One of Those, resembles a standard roll of white toilet paper when viewed in the light but takes on a florescent glow in dim to dark lighting, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

ChipChick, a female-oriented technology blog, called the luminescent rolls "the most useful glow-in-the-dark product ever."

"If you plan on going camping, make sure you take a couple of these rolls with you. This way you'll be properly prepared, should you find that the call of nature visits you in the middle of night in the cold dark woods," the blog said.