UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News - November 6, 2007
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Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:12:05 GMT |
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 6
Man sets record for bathing with snakes
DUBLIN, Texas, Nov. 6 A man has set a world record in Dublin, Texas, by spending 45 minutes in a bathtub filled with 87 rattlesnakes.
Jackie Bibby, dubbed "The Texas Snake Man," shattered the record he previously set of 12 snakes, and a Guinness World Records official certified the feat as a world record, KWTX-TV, Waco, reported Tuesday.
Bibby said the snakes spent their time slithering under his arms, between his legs and anywhere else they could fit themselves, but none of them decided he was worth biting.
The snake fan said he also plans to break his previous Guinness-certified record of holding 10 rattlesnakes by their tails in his mouth at one time by adding an 11th Tuesday.
"I do it for the attention," Bibby said of his motivations for performing the dangerous stunts. "I like being on television."
Campus newspaper condom giveaway nixed
FULLERTON, Calif., Nov. 6 California State University-Fullerton administrators have vetoed the distribution of free condoms in the campus newspaper after receiving complaints.
The student health center worked with the newspaper, The Daily Titan, to include about 4,500 condoms in the Nov. 14 issue to encourage safe sex, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reported Tuesday.
Dean of Students Bob Palmer said a poster of stick figures engaged in sex to promote the giveaway offended some students, leading to complaints that resulted in the decision against distributing the condoms.
Instead, Palmer wanted the paper to print a coupon that students could clip and take to the student center to redeem for a free condom.
"If I'm picking up a paper to read it, I would not necessarily want to have a condom there," Palmer said. "You know how newspapers are; we would probably have condoms out all over campus."
Student punished for hugging friends
MASCOUTAH, Ill., Nov. 6 The parents of a Mascoutah, Ill., middle school student who was punished for hugging her friends say they plan to ask the school board to clarify the rule.
Eighth-grader Megan Coulter said she was given a two-day after-school detention by Assistant Principal Randy Blakely after she hugged two friends goodbye, the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat reported Tuesday.
"I feel it is crazy," the student said. "I was just giving them a hug goodbye for the weekend."
Superintendent Sam McGowen defended the decision, saying Blakely and Principal Bob Stone were following rules in the student handbook that forbid displays of affection.
"The principal and assistant principal who handled this were following the policy set out in the handbook," he said.
Melissa Coulter, the girl's mother, said she and her husband, Dean, wanted to contest the punishment, but they did not want to risk incurring further penalties for Megan if she missed detention.
She said they are planning to ask the school board at its Nov. 15 meeting to either reword the policy banning affectionate displays or to be more specific about what actions are barred by the rules.
San Diego tries ban on beach booze
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 6 The San Diego City Council has approved a one-year ban on drinking at public beaches and in coastal parks.
Many residents who like to watch the sun set into the Pacific while sipping wine oppose the ban. But council members were inspired to act by a fracas on Labor Day between beer drinking college students and police, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Councilwoman Donna Frye said San Diego's image is now as "the place to come and get drunk."
During a four-hour debate on the bill Monday night, one pro-ban group showed videotape of a "beer luge" -- beer poured down an ice block and into the throats of waiting students -- and of students with hoses in their mouths.
"This is not a good picture for our community," Frye said.
The council approved bans on beach boozing in 1991 and 2002 but later reversed itself.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
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