Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe CASTRO TO CARTER: THANKS, BUT NO THANKS It's difficult to understand how would-be-pro-baseball-player-turned-dictator Fidel Castro could have allowed former President Jimmy Carter to come to his island and explain the process for overthrowing Castro on nationwide TV. Now we know what was on his mind ... embarrassing Carter, Bush and all Americans. Advertisement According to CNN, in response to Carter's call for Cubans to check out a national reform movement called the Valera Project, Castro has launched his own campaign, a nationwide petition drive to rubber stamp the current regime and add a proviso that reforms are illegal. After Carter's visit, the Valera Project delivered a formal petition to the Cuban government asking for a referendum on change. Now, if Castro has his way, the only thing in Cuba that will change is the weather. OPEN WIDE ... FILM AT 11! Advertisement The next time you visit your dentist you may think you're on "Candid Camera." An increasing number of dentists have installed video equipment that actually lets patients see what's going on in their mouth. Now, before you cringe or go out and rent "Little Shop of Horrors," remember that a lot of people need to know what's wrong with their smile, down to minute details, in order to understand proposed treatments and learn more about their own dental-care regimen. The South Bend Tribune says that the technology can be used to convince people of the seriousness of gum problems or the way a bridge will be attached. One doctor tells the publication that a close-up camera shot also helps the dentist and his assistant in seeing things that might be otherwise missed. So the next time you go into your local dentist and he tells you that you need a Maryland bridge to replace your missing No.10, you might go home with a video tape that explains what he means. IS THERE A VOLUME CONTROL ON THAT SHIRT? Got a loud shirt? Then quickly hop a plane for Denver, rent a car and drive to the Sand Dunes National Monument. While Denverites are worried about that 90,000-acre wildfire at its southwestern doorsteps, revelers there are smiling in the wake of a contest called the Big Loud Shirt Contest, sponsored by the Denver Post. Advertisement The publication says that Kenny Davis, a local architect, placed No. 1 in the competition and will be given a gift certificate to get more shirts. Davis and his Hawaiian shirt were a big hit. The winning shirt was indeed loud, featuring palm trees, hula girls and the word "Aloha" between the shoulder blades. The winner noted that even guys with a "spare tire" can hide it in a baggy shirt. They are, as you know, "men's muumuus." WHAT ... $100-AN-HOUR TO CUT THE GRASS? If you know anyone who lives in the northern Indiana city of Rochester, you better call them and ask them when was the last time they mowed their lawn. The reason is that the city council there has just passed an ordinance putting teeth in that city's rules about keeping property neat and clean. The Rochester Sentinel says that the council has announced that if a crew has to go out and "do it for the homeowner" the cost will be $100 an hour. A check with a local landscaping service shows that it would cost half that much to have it done professionally, not that the city is unprofessional. One lawn service even gave the paper an estimate of $40 an hour. Advertisement The problem would seem to be most severe for people who have let their property go for weeks. To knock down the major vegetation it takes what is called a "hedgehog." What's left is a lot of heavy grass that must then be raked and pulverized. Then the lawn should be given a final, clean cut. The moral: Don't let the grass grow under your feet in Rochester, Ind., unless you have deep pockets.
