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SONG CHALLENGE!S FROM THE PAST
Part 51 through 75
Back to Song Challenges From The Past
SONG CHALLENGE! Part 51
(19–Mar–01)
Sheep shoots sleeping shepherd
–– Cairo, Egypt –– Shepherd Mokhtar Adam Fadl was
sleeping soundly beside his flock when he was shot dead. Hours later police
found his killer. It was one of his sheep, police officers said Thursday.
The sheep killed Fadl by kicking his gun and accidentally firing it, the
officers said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The shot hit Fadl in
the chest as the 20–year–old Bedouin slept in the desert near Sidi Barrani,
northwest Egypt. Police in the district of Marsa Matrouh said they
confiscated the locally made gun as it was not licensed. They took the
sheep away, but not to prison . . .
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 54
(11–Jun–01)
The Case of the Cheerio Highwayman
–– TACOMA, Washington (AP) –– Seven–year–old Perley King got into big trouble
for driving off in his sister's car in search of his favorite cereal. But he's
getting his Cheerios. Early on April 1, while other family members slept,
Perley and his dog, Bear, climbed into the car. Relying on skills learned at a
computer game, the boy drove three miles in search of a food store. In his
drive to fame, Perley navigated some of the city's busiest streets by
alternately stepping on the gas pedal, then climbing on the seat to steer,
chugging along toward the food store. The spin landed Perley in hot water,
but also earned him television appearances and buckets of newspaper ink. His
single–minded devotion to his favorite breakfast cereal will also have material
rewards. Representatives from Minnesota–based General Mills planned to
visit Perley, his parents, Dwayne and Jeanne King, and six brothers and sisters
at their Tacoma home this week. It means Perley can look forward to a year's
supply of Cheerios and other surprises. He also may receive a new bicycle.
"So he'll never have to drive to the store again," said General Mills
spokeswoman Liv Lane.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 55
(17–Jun–01)
He's A Long, Tall Surgeon –– (Indianapolis, IN) A spokesperson for the MidWest Medical Center
announced today that the hospital would remove all spittoons from its surgical intensive care unit,
following complaints by patients. "This has all been a colossal misunderstanding, and we want to put
it behind us", said hospital spokesman Henry O'Toole. According to O'Toole, the 19th century–style
saliva receptacles had been placed in the intensive care unit by Dr. Nick Testa, a staff surgeon.
Anonymous sources within the hospital described Dr. Testa's reputation as a surgical "cowboy", a part
he had increasingly tried to play to the maximum. "First people were just referring to him as a
'cowboy' because he basically took anyone to the OR, no matter what their problem was", said the source.
"Then about five years ago, he started wearing hand–tooled cowboy boots...OK, lots of surgeons do that."
Apparently several staff were upset when Dr. Testa tried last month to operate on a patient wearing a
Lone Ranger style mask, after earlier wearing a bandana pulled up over his handlebar moustache, instead
of a standard surgical mask. "He was just yelling: 'This IS my mask, this IS my mask', when they tried
to get him out of the OR", according to Sally Stevens, a MidWestern scrub nurse. Many staff members
regarded as amusing Testa's practice of carrying his stethoscope in a holster, drawing it with a rapid
motion when he intended to examine a patient. However, when Testa brought three large brass spittoons
into the surgical intensive care unit, patients and their families began to complain. Testa's habit of
chewing tobacco and spitting towards the spittoons reportedly became increasingly disruptive to intensive
care unit staff, who frequently had to change intravenous lines and dressings when Testa missed his mark.
According to O'Toole, Dr. Testa is currently on vacation in Montana, and so is unavailable for comment.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 56
(21–Jun–01)
Polly Want a Divorce? SHANGHAI (Reuters) – A Chinese housewife is seeking divorce claiming the family's
talking bird dropped clues on her husband's illicit affair, state media said on Tuesday. The woman from
southwestern Chongqing city said she uncovered the affair when their mynah began saying things like "Divorce,"
"I love you" and "Be patient" after it overheard the husband's telephone calls with his mistress, the Xinmin
Evening News said. The woman said she noticed the feathered tattle–tale's strange new vocabulary after
she returned from a month–long visit with her parents that started in May. Already suspecting her husband was
having an affair, she observed that the bird became particularly talkative whenever the telephone rang, confirming
her suspicions, the report said. Last week she brought the bird to a law office for consultation, hoping it
could testify in court. "Can my mynah be used as witness?" the newspaper quoted her as asking.
Lawyers were not optimistic. "The judges are unlikely to rule against your husband based only on the mynah's
words," attorney Wu Di was quoted as telling her.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 57
(28–Jun–01)
Let's Have Another Cup of Cat Cra . . . uh, Coffee – Well, it seems that the coffee market is being undermined
by runaway planting in Vietnam and Indonesia, flooding the market with cheap coffee. Meanwhile, consumption has been
relatively flat. A Starbucks on every corner doesn't mean people are drinking more coffee; thus, the proliferation of
gourmet offerings as customers' tastes continuing to get more rarefied. One coffee retailer in Atlanta sells something
called "luwak" coffee, which it claims is picked by the common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites), often described
as catlike, but probably better thought of as an Asian version of a raccoon, coati or kinkajou. The palm civet is also
known as the 'toddy cat,' for its fondness for the palm juice that is tapped to make a sweet liquor. On coffee
plantations, palm civets dine heavily on coffee cherries. However, they digest only the outer pulp of fruit,
passing the coffee beans unharmed through their digestive systems. And because palm civets repeatedly deposit their
droppings in piles at the same spots, the coffee beans are easily collected, roasted then brewed into kopi luwak––civet
coffee. Kopi luwak is reputedly the best of all coffees because palm civets pluck and eat only the most perfectly ripe
cherries! The price of a pound of kopi luwak coffee? $300.00. Whether the beans are affected as they go
through the animal's gut is also unknown. For that matter, there is some debate about whether coffee called kopi
luwak was ever anywhere near a palm civet. Asked how he knew the beans were really collected from civet scats, one
coffee company representative said, "We operate on trust." As for the taste, he described the brew as "gamey".
One dealer described the same scene being repeated every time he tells someone about luwak coffee: "At some point in
the story, when you explain how this cat eats only the perfectly ripe coffee cherries, the listener gets this cautious
look on his face, and says, "Are you telling me that..." and the dealer always nods and says, "Yes, that's exactly
right. Roasted cat–shit for $300 a pound."
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 58
(02–Jul–01)
Don't Ya Crawl Too Slow, Move Along Lil' Suckahs . . . – DULUTH, Minnesota (AP) –– Phil DeVore thinks of himself as a
rancher. But he doesn't ride the range tending his herd, he just drops meat scraps into the pond. DeVore
raises leeches on his farm south of Superior, Wisconsin. He says the little suckers are like black gold.
The leeches are prized by fisherman as bait. DeVore tells the Duluth, Minnesota, News Tribune he's working 20 hours
a day this time of year to keep up with demand. DeVore's jumbo leeches sell for about 16 dollars a pound –– more
expensive than steak. He says even if he wanted to eat leeches, he couldn't afford it.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 59
(06–Jul–01)
Alrightey, Challenge!rs –– Drop them leeches and pick up a steaming drumstick for the next Challenge! This one comes
from our own dear, sweet Kim C (somebody get this girl in counseling quick! ;–) Have fun . . . even though you Ren
Faire folks will think twice the next time you bite into a big hunky roasted turkey leg . . . If you start hearing voices with
every bite, call Kim, not me, OK? So, Challenge!rs pluck up your courage, do your thang, and GO FOR IT!!
Chicken Of The Living Dead? –– Kay Martin, a secretary to a New Zealand MP, got the fright of her life a few weeks ago.
According to the Auckland Sunday Star, she and a friend were chatting over a drink when they heard a chicken squawking.
The bird sounded in some distress, so they went outside to investigate, thinking perhaps that it had escaped from one of the
neighbors. But, there were no chickens anywhere. Then Martin realized with horror that the sound was coming
from her own kitchen – coming, in fact, from the oven, where she had put a chicken in to roast half an hour earlier.
"It was as if it was shrieking at me from its grave," she says. "It was so bizarre I just froze." As they
approached the oven, the squawking reached a crescendo. They took the tray out, and as the chicken began to cool,
the squawking died away. Martin chopped the neck off and threw it in the sink. She noticed that the vocal
chords were intact. "Steam was coming up the neck from the stuffing," says Martin, and this had caused the dead bird
to squawk. She has not cooked chicken since.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 60
(12–Jul–01)
This Challenge! idea comes from Challenge!r JenEllen; so, I'm quoting herself when I say:
Don't You Think They'd Get A Stiff Neck? –– Two University of Kentucky professors have been awarded a patent for an intranasal
for of Sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, which would produce almost instantaneous effects. Anwar Hussein and
Lewis Dittert, who filed for the patent in Dec'98 and received international media attention, were awarded the patent in March.
They said their delivery system would allow patients to get results in 5 to 15 minutes. In pill form, Viagra
takes about an hour to work. Somebody go and tell Catspaw to keep a squinty eye on this one . . . I think it's gonna be
good!!
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 61
(19–Jul–01)
I was going to wait until the morning to start this Challenge!; but, I figured I'd give the 'Catters across the pond an opportunity
to have the first crack(s) at this one –– it's just so atypically American ;–) So, close your eyes, get a good funk beat going in your
brains (circa 1970), hear those horns blaring and that humongous trap set making the stadium floor bounce, and in your mind's eye ––
Here comes The Soulman, James Brown, out to the center of the stage, grabbing that mic off the stand, twisting his toes into a blur
of black patent leather, and screaming at ya:
Whoa, HOT PANTS! Good Lawd, That's Where It's At! –– Colorado Springs, Colorado, Jun 27, 2001 –– If you're thinking
about going to the mall in that snappy aluminum–lined underwear in the back of your dresser drawer, think again.
Beginning Sunday, it will be illegal in Colorado to wear aluminum underwear. OK, there's a caveat. You can wear aluminum
briefs and lingerie as long as it's for personal amusement – but not if it is to help steal by foiling stores' anti–shoplifting devices.
The new law is no laughing matter ... really. "This is serious business," said Sen. Stephanie Takis, one of the bill's sponsors.
"We have laws against using crowbars as theft devices, but if you were lining your underwear with aluminum foil, that
was not a crime." And by golly, said Takis, it should be. She cited several Denver–area malls that have caught
shoplifters with aluminum–lined shopping bags and even the so–called "iron pants" and could do nothing to stop it.
Steve Miller, an attorney who helped draft the bill: "I don't know if it was the highlight of my career, but I got the
assignment." Miller said the bill went through several evolutions – "or devolutions depending on your viewpoint" –
before it received Gov. Bill Owens' approval. Essentially, it makes it a misdemeanor to make, wear or know others
are wearing aluminum underwear if they intend to use it to fool stores' theft–protection devices. Those devices
electronically sense when merchandise leaving the store hasn't been handled by a cashier, and foil can interfere with that detection.
Miller said the new law also gives store employees civil and criminal immunity if they stop shoppers who crackle
when they walk.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 62
(02–Aug–01)
Maybe it was the tin–foil panties, maybe it's the summer heat, maybe it's our brand new grill; but, I find myself
'lusting in my heart' for some barbequed spare ribs, don't you? That must be why I've picked this
Challenge! idea from Roger the skiffler this time . . . I can't help myself, I'd just love to see ––
Babe On The Block –– From Roger the skiffler (22–Jun–01) I offer this as a possible future challenge,
scope for sentimental song: (BTW the pig was saved by the judge). The owner of a
retired celebrity pig is fighting a legal battle to save him from the foot–and–mouth slaughter. Grunty, a rare
Maori kune kune pig, starred in a children's television film and has his own website. But his fame
did not stop an inspector from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from ordering
him to be culled under the foot–and–mouth regulations. Grunty's farm in Somerset was condemned
because his owner had visited another of her holdings, which turned out to be infected. Rosemary
Upton, of Hill Farm, Stawley, near Wellington, Somerset, is applying for permission to seek a judicial review.
Appearing for her, Stephen Smith QC, suggested that Grunty had a much stronger case for survival than Phoenix
the calf, saved after a blaze of publicity in April. Grunty starred in Pig at the Ritz on Channel Five
and in pleasanter times has accompanied Mrs. Upton on trips to the local village.
Mmmmmmmm –– this Challenge! sounds finger–licking good!! (now where did I put that
Worchester Sauce???).
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 63
(06–Aug–01)
Whilst cleaning up the old Song Challenge! files, getting ready for the Songbook's big move 'home', I found
several Challenge! ideas that seem to be tied together in some, like, ya know, cosmic way, man. ;–)
So, being that goddesses have to be cruel to be kind (oh behave, Amos!), I've decided to raise the bar
for the Whole Bag O' Chips by creating a new award –– The Double Dip Copper Cow Chip (with Sprinkles),
which will be awarded for connecting the dizzying dots between two or more Challenge! ideas in a song for any
Official Double Dip Dare from the Keeper of the Book. And for my first 'Official' Double Dip Dare, please do
not adjust your seat belts and consider the following . . .
Boys who play with their praties . . . –– (OSLO, Norway) Police have confiscated a potentially lethal
home–made cannon capable of firing potatoes up to 160 feet. Six youths in the seaside town of
Kristiansand in southern Norway used instructions on the Internet to build the weapon from everyday household
objects. "This home–made weapon is extremely dangerous both for those using it and those being
fired at," a police spokesman told the newspaper Faedrelandsvennen. The boys loaded potatoes down
a plastic tube, where an electric ignition device from a gas–fuelled barbecue was installed. By spraying
a flammable gas into the tube and sealing the open end with a cap, potatoes were converted into projectiles with
one push of the red ignition button. Police said the cannon was capable of launching any object
similar in size and weight to potatoes.
. . . grow up to be men with issues . . . –– London's Steve Bennett continues his quest to become the world's
most successful amateur rocket engineer, with all systems go for launching himself into space in a "test flight"
(to an altitude of 10,000 feet) in 2003 on a venture that most professional engineers called foolhardy, according
to a June story reported by the BBC. The more that is known about Bennett's mission (e.g., he
recently said it would be a rocket capsule made from a cement mixer, with modest installation and a small
computer), the more rocket scientists believe his launch will result in instant death. However, the
louder the criticism, the more certain of himself Bennett professes to be. He still rejects conventional
preparations such as wind–tunnel tests and g–force tests: "That is what the test flight is for," he said.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 64
(12–Aug–01)
Here we go again, dear Challenge!rs –– In celebration (not!) of yet another bloody slab leak under my new house
(ah, the fond memories of jackhammers come flooding back to me . . .), I've picked a story about love,
relationships, money, law enforcement, and toilets. So, roll up your pant legs, sharpen your crayons, and unwind
the TP to write your best song about –– The Love That Bites The Big One: Police in North Platte,
Nebraska, have a case with bite. They were called to the home of a 55–year–old woman who dropped her
false teeth in the toilet, after she had been partying and drinking with her boyfriend. The toilet backed up
and the boyfriend called a plumber. The plumber charged $50 to retrieve the dentures, which the boyfriend
paid. But the boyfriend refused to give the teeth to woman until he was paid back. That's where the cops
come in. The woman called police, saying she didn't have the money and couldn't eat without her teeth.
Police say they sat the two down and had the pair work out deal. She signed an IOU and he gave back
the choppers.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 65
(04–Sep–01)
'They're Giving It Up At The Hotel California' . . . British tourists held a Spanish hotel manager hostage in protest at
what they claimed were appalling conditions at their hotel. Police were called eventually to rescue the man, who had been
barricaded in his office for two hours. The 19 British families involved in the protest say that they wanted an
explanation for conditions at the Hotel Mallorca in the resort of El Arenal on Majorca, which they say included animal
bones, clothes and condoms floating in a filthy pool; hotel food that was crawling with ants; and bedrooms that were
infested with cockroaches. Breakfast consisted of stale bread. The families' all–inclusive holiday cost
almost £1,000. Louis Aristos, of the travel agents Sun Private Travel Ltd, said that the hotel and tour operators had
assured the company that the conditions were not as bad as was claimed. "We have not received complaints from
other people we have booked into the hotel." A spokesman for the 210–bed hotel said that it had been
ordered to carry out repairs last year to avoid the risk of being closed. He said that the hotel was old but of a good
standard and did not suffer from the problems raised by the tourists. The pool was cleaned daily, he added, and
ants were found in bedrooms because tourists took food into their rooms. The man held hostage was
a representative of the tour company, the spokesman said. He has since been treated for depression and is now
off work.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 66
(29–Oct–01)
The Day That Saji's Sari Slipped and Baji's Bobbin Got Buffed . . . India's health minister has banned the use of
condoms to lubricate bobbins used in weaving saris. CP Thakur has told parliament sari makers are using
condoms to speed up weaving because condom lubricant was also good at stopping yarn from snapping.
Mr. Thakur claims the use of so many condoms in the sari industry is affecting India's population control programme.
"Instructions have been issued to stop this practice," Mr Thakur said. Mr Thakur says the
use of condoms in weaving is causing shortages and instances of unscrupulous government health workers meant to
distribute free condoms to contain population instead selling the condoms to sari makers. Workers rub
the condoms on bobbins while they make their brocade saris. The industry is using an estimated half a
million condoms every day. Each of the 125,000 looms in the city of Varanasi uses an average four
condoms per day. It takes nearly 15 condoms to produce one Benarasi sari. The lubricant on the
condom smoothens the bobbin and makes it move faster between threads.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 67
(06–Nov–01)
Is That A Baby Budgie In Your Pants, Or Are You Just Glad To See Me? –– RIO DE JANEIRO,
Brazil (Reuters) –– With parrots and snakes in his luggage and bird eggs tucked into his underwear, an
Austrian tourist has been arrested and charged for animal trafficking, Brazilian police said on Wednesday.
"He put (the eggs) near his testicles so they would be at nest temperature," a police
spokesman said. Police discovered 21 parrots, four parakeets and two snakes hidden in
two large suitcases carried by Austrian botanist Johann Zillinger. hey also found Zillinger
had rolled five parakeet eggs into a sock and nestled them in his underwear. "Since some
of the parakeets that he had with him were newborns, we assume that some of the eggs had
already hatched." Tipped off by an anonymous call, Rio de Janeiro police arrested the
Austrian on Monday in front of his Copacabana beach hotel, as he climbed into a taxi on his way to
catch a flight to Europe. According to police, Zillinger bought the animals in the
Amazon port city of Belen and planned to take them to Austria to sell them in Europe.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 68
(09–Nov–01)
The Man Who Wanted To Be King . . . Of The Jungle, That Is –– (August 2001) SAN DIEGO, CA.
–– A San Diego computer programmer who has spent &#pound;100,000 on tattoos and plastic surgery to turn
himself into a 'tiger' wants a fur graft. (
Click here for his picture) Dennis Smith is tattooed from head to toe with orange
and black stripes and his teeth have been filed to needle point. His fingernails have
been crafted into sharp talons while his hands have tattooed markings like a tiger's paws.
He says he feels like a tiger. The short back–and–sides he sported at the University of
California has been replaced with a long orange mane. He has also swapped his glasses
for green contact lenses. He has also had latex whiskers implanted and surgery to his
lips so he has a permanent snarl. He now wants a surgeon to graft tiger fur on to his
skin, like a perma–wig. Mr. Smith, who has changed his name by deed poll to Cat Man,
said: "I have a collection of old tiger pelts from the days of hunting. I want these
grafted on to me. It will cost another $100,000 but will be worth it.
When I have the coat of a tiger, I feel I will have reached my goal in life." 'Cat Man'
admits "Of course people stare at me when I walk down the street, but that's the effect I desire.
For so long I have equated myself with the tiger that I decided to change myself
into one." "It's the real me. So many men cross–dress without their
partners knowing, or dress up and play cowboys or Civil War soldiers at weekends.
Me, I'm a tiger all the time and I love it. I had my first tattoos done 20 years ago
around my eyes and now my whole body is one pastiche of stripes and shading. I am
really proud of it all."
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 69
(14–Nov–01)
Yes, Challenge!rs, I'm announcing this as an Official Douple Dip Dare!! And you'll
be competing for The Double Dip Copper Cow Chip (with Sprinkles) (awarded for
connecting the dizzying dots between two or more Challenge! ideas in a song for any Official
Double Dip Dare from the Keeper of the Book). Do you think you can handle it? ;–)
As usual, if you choose not to accept the Double Dip Dare, you can pick just
one of the Dares to write about; or, you can write two songs about both of them.
Just have fun and tickle those little grey cells of creativity!
Dare One: When This Pig Gets Pumped . . . –– A pot–bellied pig sank his teeth
into the leg of a burglar who was trying to rob his owner. Arnold, who weighs 21
stone, also stopped a burglar from getting into a neighbour's house by biting him.
The animal has become a celebrity among police officers in his home town of Minneapolis.
Arnold first showed his crime fighting abilities when his owner Becky Moyer spotted burglars
in her garage. She told the Star Tribune: "There were two guys in there.
One of them put something in my back that felt like a gun, and they said they wanted my
purse. I said my purse was in the house. When we went in, I screamed
for Arnold, and he got up and grabbed the guy by the leg. He yelled, 'There's a
pig in here!' and ran. There was blood all over." She added: "The
police gave him that 'crime–fighter' name. When they're in the neighbourhood,
they like to stop by and pet him." Arnold was a present from her boyfriend.
"Some people get lingerie," she said. "I got a pig."
Dare Two: . . . The Police Get Pissed . . . –– A Florida policeman who caught
a trouble–making pig after a 300–yard chase had to call for back–up to help him keep it
under 'arrest'. Ocala officer Carl Dunlap managed to hold on to the 14–stone
pig's ears and hind legs but said he was afraid the pig would wriggle free.
Three fellow officers arrived on the scene and managed to herd it on to a trailer.
Residents had complained the pig had been destroying property. "He spotted the
hog, chased him for about 300 yards and finally was able to wrestle him to the ground,'' said
Captain Robert Douglas, who heard his shouts for help over the radio. Minutes
later, Captain Douglas, Captain Mike Deen and Deputy John Shivley arrived on the scene to
help Dunlap end the struggle. "The first thing Dunlap said was that he sure was
glad we showed up because he really didn't know how much longer he was going to be able
to hold on," Captain Douglas said. The four men loaded the pig on to a trailer
and took it to Marion County Animal Control buildings, where officials placed the pig in
a dog pen.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 70
(17–Nov–01)
Shoot For The Moon – If You Miss, You'll Still Land Among The Stars –– A horse who has lost 89 consecutive races has finally won one, against a human. Zippy Chippy holds the North American record for the number of races lost by a thoroughbred. But he finally ended his losing streak by taking on a two–legged challenger. The 10–year–old gelding beat a minor league baseball player in a handicap match race billed as Man versus Beast II. It was held before the International League game between the Rochester Red Wings and Ottawa Lynx in Rochester, New York state. He saw off Red Wings outfielder Darnell McDonald by a length in a 50–yard race. "I might have got him at 40 yards, but that extra 10 yards put him over the hump," said McDonald, who added he had never lost a race to a human. Last year Rochester outfielder Jose Herrera outran Zippy Chippy in a 40–yard race. "Zippy was ready today," jockey Jorge Hiraldo said. "Last year he was a little scared."
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 71
(28–Nov–01)
Thay That Again, You Thwollen Thongue Thevil –– A jury in Tavares, Florida, convicted Leal Fleming, 45, of drunk driving in
November, despite his insistence that the reason he slurred his words to a police officer, and couldn't breathe into a breathalyzer, was that he had just been bitten on the tongue by a rat snake and was on his way to a hospital to get treatment for the swelling. Said Fleming after the trial, "After the verdict came in, I had some second thoughts (about not taking an offered plea bargain), but I still think there was a point to our defense."
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 72
(02–Dec–01)
I thought that you all could stand a change from the 'creature' oriented Challenge!s this time –– So, I went a found this little tale that reminded me of that commercial with the tree–catching competition in it . . . and besides that, I just couldn't pass up any story that had the words Pashan Pud in it (could you?)!! ;–) Go for it, Challenge!rs –– They Sure Know How To Pitch A Party In Pashan Pud! . . . (August 2001, Uttar Pradesh, India) –– Thousands of Indian villagers have celebrated an annual festival by throwing stones at each other. Nearly 250 people were injured during the Pashann Pud stone–throwing event near Nainital in Uttar Pradesh. Doctors report mainly head and eye injuries. Villagers arranged themselves into two groups to throw the stones. The tradition dates back several hundred years to when one member of the community was sacrificed each year to appease the village's goddess. The injured were given first aid on the spot and many were transported to hospital. The victims described their injuries as a "kind of blessing from the goddess", United News Of India reports. In past times, when a chosen young man's parents appealed to the king to spare his life, villagers were ordered to compensate with their blood. There are no rules about the size of stones that can be used during the festival.
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 73
(05–Dec–01)
What A Fella Will Do For A Good Irish Stew! –– A house burglar in South London ignored a video recorder, mobile phones and other valuables – but stole a pan of Irish stew. Clare Wilson, from Mitcham, made the dish for the next day's dinner, then left it on her oven and went to bed. The next morning it had vanished, but nothing else had been taken. Ms. Wilson, a mum of four, told The Sun: "I know my cooking is good but this is ridiculous. It's unbelievable someone would just take a stew when all that stuff was lying about the place. I'm considering putting out reward posters asking people if they've seen my stew pot. I've been making stew for over 20 years in that pot, and I'm a bit annoyed. I've got several others, but it was my favourite. It's just the right size for all the family. The thief must have tasted the food first because I found dollops of it around the top of the stove." Ms. Wilson's sons, Brian, 20, and Scott, 19, swear they did not eat the stew after getting in from the pub – they had a kebab on the way home. The back door had been forced open, so Ms. Wilson reported the crime to Mitcham police. She said: "The thief should have just knocked on the door. I'd have invited them along for dinner. There would have been enough for everyone."
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 74
(08–Dec–01)
It's time to get a little 'seasonal' around here, so let's start things off with a 'proper' little tale:
Kiwis Put The Kebash On Santa's Ho –– Father Christmas has been told to stop saying: "ho ho ho" in New Zealand because it frightens children. Sian Barber, of Westaff Recruitment, which is finding Santas for shopping malls, told The Dominion newspaper that the traditional shout was scary. "We're trying to divert them off going 'ho ho ho'. . . for some children it can seem a bit ferocious," she said. Instead, in this new, sensitive age, Santas are being taught that talking to children the right way was important, as was the ability to listen, show patience, warmth and understanding. "We need someone who has an affinity with children, someone who can really understand the importance of what they represent," Ms Barber said. "That's important for the children, and for the mall owners because they are big drawcards." Let's see what all you sensitive, new age, Santas can come up with!
SONG CHALLENGE! – Part 75
(12–Dec–01)
Here's a Challenge! idea that JenEllen sent me a few months ago. It was tough, but I held it back until the appropriate moment -- and this is the moment! So, my darlin's, sharpen your knives - uh, I mean quills - uh, dang it, I mean pencils, and fire up your ovens - uh, I mean smokers - uh, I mean imaginations, and take a bite - uh, I mean a poke - uh, I mean a turn at this wonderful sad tail - uh, I mean tale -- Gobbler's Gone For Good: Cemetery Turkey Is Laid To Rest - Death Is Not Due To Fowl Play -- (Spokane, WA) When a tom turkey strutted onto a cemetery just before Thanksgiving, people figured he was either a farm escapee trying to avoid ending up the centerpiece of a holiday dinner ir a wild bird just passing through. But the bird that became known as Martin A Gobbler remained for good, and he hardly overstayed his welcome. The turkey - eventually determined to be wild - took up residence for seven months, adding unsuspected levity to graveside services. The gobbler also attracted gawkers who came to see him chase cars in the parkinglot and fend off the ducks who invaded what he considered his turf. Martin died June 24th, and got a farewell fit for a creature far higher on the food chain. The bird, believed to be around a year old, was found dead on the grounds with no obvious signs of trauma. The memorial drew about 50 people and featured an altar, photo, and flowers with an attached note "Your gobble will be missed." The turkey's cremated remains are stored in a small blue urn in the office of the funeral director while they plan to incorporate them into a monument featuring a bronze turkey statue placed near the office entrance. The cemetery owner believes Martin's biggest burden in life was his apparent inability to find a mate. Staff never saw a hen on the grounds, and Martin's flamboyant displays of strutting and pecking car tires were merely for human consumption. "He didn't enjoy his life of celibacy at all" stated the groundskeeper "He would get all fluffed up and parade around here like he owned the place. He was trying to attract a mate and there were none to attract."