| Singing hymns and praying for peace and luck, thousands of Buddhists
greeted a holy tooth believed to have belonged to Buddha when it arrived in Taiwan. Monks in saffron robes escorted the tooth, encased in a miniature golden pagoda, off a flight from India. Dozens of women prostated themselves and spread their long hair over a red carpet. Others knelt in rows, clasping their hands in front to express their reverence. Buddhists say the tooth brings blessings for those who live where it is housed and keeps them from disaster. |
| Jail officials in Linn County, OR, have banned underwear for male inmates, explaining that it costs too much money to replace T-shirts and drawers, which keep disappearing. Sherrif Dave Burright said some items were flushed down the toilet, resulting in a $200 bill to unclog the sewer lines. Also, this summer an inmate tried to hang himself with the elastic waistband from his briefs. So far, only one prisoner has complained, claiming it is a constitutional right for inmates to have underwear, according to Burright, who noted, "I don`t remember Thomas Jefferson putting anything about underwear in the Constitution." |
| A custody battle in Santa Ana, CA, took an unusual turn when the mother of a 3-year-old girl claimed the girl`s father is actually a woman. Kristie Vecchione, 27, said her husband became a man through sex-change operations more than 20 years ago. Vecchione, who was impregnated by artificial insemination, wants sole custody of her daughter on claims that same-sex marraiges are not recognized in the state of California. |
| A husband and wife pulled guns on each other and shot it out at church
during a marriage counseling session after he arrived late, drinking a beer. Both were wounded. With a beer in one hand and a gun in the other, Michael Martin shot his wife as she tried to walk out of the meeting at St. James Episcopal Cathedral, their counselor said. A bleeding Bonnie Martin pulled a pistol from her purse and shot her husband in the shoulder. The two took the gunbattle outside, where Bonnie Martin collapsed and was fired on again. Michael Martin allegedly hit his wife at least once more before he ran out of bullets. "They were arguing. It was your typical domestic dispute. Then the fireworks started. It`s a good thing that he had been drinking because he could have hit her more," said the Rev. Bud Searcy. He was a lousy shot." |