UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News - July 9, 2007 : General

Sevens align for baby girl's birth
BIRMINGHAM, England, July 9 A girl born in Birmingham, England, was delivered shortly after 7 a.m. on the seventh day of the seventh month of 2007, and she's her family's seventh child.

Elizabeth Elie was born in delivery room seven at Birmingham's Good Hope Hospital.

Serge and Herbethe Elie, Elizabeth Elie's parents, said they consider the alignment of the sevens to be a sign of good luck, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

"I hope she's a good luck charm when she grows up and wins us lots of money on the lottery, bingo or the horses," Serge Elie said.

"There are sevens everywhere. This must be a good omen; it's a gift from God.

"I can't wait to tell her that she was born on such a memorable occasion. It is absolutely amazing. I'm a delighted and very happy man."

"We were aware Elizabeth was due on this special date but to be delivered at that time and in that room is just absolutely incredible," Herbethe Elie told The Daily Mail.

"Serge and I already feel like the luckiest parents in the world, but to have our seventh child born on this day is brilliant.

"I hope Elizabeth will be lucky in life and have lots of good fortune."

Samaritan effort costly for Texas woman
ROUND ROCK, Texas, July 9 A woman in Round Rock, Texas, who attempted to save an injured man earlier this year, is facing nearly $3,000 in related medical bills.

The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman Monday said when 38-year-old Wendy Lee stopped to help Juan Vega after he had been hit by a car last May, she came in contact with the dying man's blood.

The medical staff who responded to the accident had the mother of two tested for communicable diseases and Lee received a nearly $3,000 medical bill.

The human resources manager said that while she was pleased with the negative results, she cannot afford to pay for the tests.

Williamson County, where Lee was treated, covers blood tests only when alcohol or drugs may be involved in a deadly accident.

Lee told the newspaper that despite her current situation, she did not regret her decision to try to help someone.

"I could never regret what I did (for Vega) because I know it was right," she said. "I just wish someone could tell me what to do."

Residents complain of phallic posts
KEIZER, Ore., July 9 Some Keizer, Ore., residents complain that cement posts designed to protect pedestrians closely resemble phallic symbols.

There have been multiple complaints to the city that the 52 posts installed at a busy intersection to guard pedestrians from cars resemble male genitalia, KATU-TV, Portland, Ore., reported Monday.

"I can't disagree with that," said City Manager Chris Eppley. "They certainly did not turn out the way we anticipated."

Eppley said the posts, which were ordered from a catalog, looked different on paper.

"They are a standard style," Eppley said to KATU-TV. "I think in the right context they look fine. They just happened not to (look fine) here."

Eppley said the city is looking to outfit the posts with metal collars and connecting chains to change their appearance. He said the posts will be removed if they still appear phallic.

"If that fix doesn't work and I still think they look inappropriate, we'll have wasted $20,000 and we'll have to do something different," Eppley told the television station.

Eagles saved by Israeli paratroopers
HEBRON, Israel, July 9 Israel used a platoon of elite paratroopers to recover a pair of rare golden eagles from a pet shop in the West Bank town of Hebron.

The paratroopers were called in after the Israel Nature and Park Authority received information the endangered birds were being held in a house in the town, the BBC reported Monday.

Because Hebron is a frequent target of Israeli-Palestinian violence, 30 paratroopers backed up by helicopters were assigned to accompany a park ranger in charge of recovering the birds.

They were eventually found in cramped cages in a pet shop in the town center and transported to a local zoo.

Only six pairs of golden eagles exist in the wild in Israel, authorities say.

The birds are facing extinction due to illegal hunting, destruction of their habitat and a dwindling food supply.