Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Washington man charged with bestiality TACOMA, Wash., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A man in Spanaway, Wash., has become the first to be charged under the state's new bestiality law. Advertisement The Seattle Times reported that 26-year old Michael Patrick McPhail was charged Thursday after his wife allegedly caught him having sex with the family's 4-year old pit bull. His wife allegedly snapped pictures of the act with her camera phone before dialing 911, the report said. McPhail, who was charged with one act of first-degree animal cruelty, was bailed out of jail Friday. McPhail is the first person to be charged under the new law, which makes bestiality a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Times reported that the law was enacted after a Seattle man died last year after having sex with a horse at a farm in Enumclaw. Advertisement OMG: Texting distracts teen drivers DETROIT, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Just what a parent wants to hear: U.S. teens behind the wheel of a vehicle say they are most distracted by exchanging text messages, a survey reports. In the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety study, 37 percent of teens said text messaging was extremely or very distracting, the Detroit News said Sunday. Another 20 percent said they were distracted because of their emotional state, while 19 percent chose friends in the car. While teens texting and driving may raise goose bumps, they aren't doing anything illegal, the News said. Nearly 50 countries restrict or ban cell phone use while driving, but the United States isn't one of them. Three states have imposed bans, while 13 others outline restrictions on their use. Traffic safety experts said lawmakers may be pressured to respond to increased road cell phone usage and their increasing role in car crashes, the News said. One study said driver inattention was cited in almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes within three seconds of the crash, the News said. The most common distraction was talking on a cell phone, followed by drowsiness. Auctioned artifact found to be $94 fake Advertisement LONDON, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- An artifact attributed to Lawrence of Arabia that was sold by Christie's auction house in London has been revealed to be a simple $94 pocket compass. Experts have found that the compass, which was supposedly once used by the famed explorer during the Arab revolt against Turkey, never belonged to T.E. Lawrence -- and Christie's faces a mountain of bad publicity, The Sunday Mail reported. The compass was sold with a cigarette case and a watch which were also reportedly given to Lawrence by his former chauffer, Corp. Albert "Taffy" Evans -- who may have not actually existed. "There are a number of awkward questions to answer," Lawrence's authorized biographer Jeremy Wilson said. "I have never come across a Taffy Evans working for Lawrence. Also, why would Lawrence, having spent some months in the (United Kingdom) during the winter of 1918-19, have taken his wartime marching compass to the Paris Peace Conference?" Christie's has said it has no reason to doubt the items' authenticity and that their seller, Colin Humphreys, has promised to refund the buyer's funds if it is proven they truly are, the newspaper said. Space tourist offers up big prize Advertisement MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Iranian-born Anousheh Ansari, the world's first female space tourist after a Russian flight, is offering a $9.1 million prize to encourage moon tourism. The Times of London said Ansari, 40, is hoping the prize will encourage entrepreneurs to develop commercial space flights and so tourists can experience the "unique beauty" of space travel. "I am confident that in 20 years' time, private orbital flights will be a reality," she said. "Once a shuttle capable of making the trip to the moon is developed, I want to be one of the first people to fly on it." Ansari left Tehran as a teenager and arrived in the United States knowing no English. However, she managed to make a fortune in telecommunications after earning a degree in electrical engineering. She says she hopes her ambitious flight into space will inspire women, particularly those in her homeland of Iran. She paid the Russians 10 million pounds (almost $19 million) for a round-trip flight to the International Space Station last month.
