UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Royal Navy bans newspaper's hotties

LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Days before Christmas, British sailors have been ordered to take down pictures of pretty girls aboard their ships, The Sun reported Thursday.

The tabloid newspaper was particularly indignant over the order by Royal Navy Vice Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugen, which specifically mentioned the paper's notorious "Page 3" girls, who often appear topless in full color.

The admiral reiterated the longstanding policy on pin-ups -- regardless of the source -- are forbidden.

To further dampen the holiday spirit, the Navy also ordered an end to all bragging about sailors' sex lives, the newspaper said.

Cloned cat turns out to be a live ringer

DALLAS, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The first commercially cloned housecat appears and behaves exactly as its late cell donor, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.

For $50,000, a Dallas-area woman identified only as Julie received her copy-cat kitten Dec. 10 from Genetic Savings & Clone of California.

The company took a tissue sample from Julie's late 17-year-old beloved Maine Coon cat named Nicky, and "produced" a clone over about a 6-month period.

"I see absolutely no differences between Little Nicky and Nicky," Julie said. "When Little Nicky yawned, I even saw two spots inside his mouth, just like Nicky had."

This year, Genetic Savings & Clone launched its "Nine Lives Extravaganza," offering clients the chance to clone their cats. Five feline lovers signed up this year, company spokesman Ben Carlson said, adding the other four are in various stages of "production."

However, Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, was critical of the process, saying cloned animals often have physical abnormalities and aren't likely to live as long.

Mexican city bans indoor nudity

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Villahermosa, Mexico, is cracking down on nudity, imposing fines and jail time for walking nude inside the home -- or outside.

Beginning in 2005, residents will face a $121 fine or 36 hours in jail for taking their clothes off.

Also banned are spying on neighbors, protesting without permission from the authorities and siccing dogs on people, La Jornada reported Thursday.

The city council is going for zero tolerance.

"We are talking about zero tolerance ... for a lack of morality," said city councilwoman Blanca Estela Pulido of the Revolutionary Institutional Party, which governs the city and Tobasco state.

One opposition member noted a Catch 22 to the law: If people report their neighbor for walking around maked, they can be prosecuted for spying on them.

Model sues dentist over ugly teeth ad

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Missouri model says he was stunned when he saw a magazine ad with his face alongside an insert of crooked, yellow and blackened teeth.

So, Kevin Kavanaugh filed a federal lawsuit against Milwaukee dentist Peter Badalamenti, saying the photo of "highly offensive, unsightly and loathsomely diseased teeth" caused him "income loss, as well as mental anguish, pain and suffering."

The libel suit was transferred from Missouri to Milwaukee this week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal reported.

Kavanaugh says he agreed to let the dentist use his picture for an ad campaign, but it was only supposed to be for brochures in 1998. He said he never imagined his face and those nasty teeth would show up in Midwest Airlines' in-flight magazine.

Kavanaugh is suing on several grounds, including libel, invasion of privacy and injurious falsehood. He is asking for damages in excess of $75,000. A trial date has not yet been set.