UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Donkey-in-a-well rescue a first

UNDERWOOD, Minn., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Firefighters in a Minnesota community have rescued cows from frozen lakes but they admit saving a donkey from a well was a first.

Underwood, Minn., Fire Department personnel used a frontloader and dismantled an abandoned well block by block to free the animal from its cramped quarters, The Fergus Falls (Minn.) Daily Journal reported.

Bryan Nelson, noticing boards covering the well on his property were moved, saw the animal when he peered into the well. He called his neighbor, Warren Gundberg, to ask if he was missing a donkey.

Turns out, Gundberg was, the Daily Journal said.

After being hoisted to terra firma with a harness, the donkey didn't seem any worse for the wear as he meandered in Nelson's yard, eating grass, the newspaper reported.

“If you would have stayed home you wouldn’t be in this trouble,” Gundberg told the miscreant after it rescued.

Man alleges he took car to turn himself in

GENEVA, N.Y., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A man allegedly told police in a New York community that he stole a car so he could surrender to authorities.

Police say Vincent Estrada Jr., 29, of Geneva, N.Y., was wanted on a Family Court warrant and arrived at the Ontario County, N.Y., Sheriff's Office in Canandaigua, apparently to turn himself in, the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle reported Friday. He got tired of waiting and left, officials said.

Soon after, a car reportedly stolen from a parking lot passed several deputies, who followed it, said Sheriff's Sgt. Rick Jaus. When finally stopped in Seneca, Estrada, who reportedly was driving the vehicle, told deputies he was going to Geneva to surrender, Jaus said.

"I guess he was tired of waiting and he just took off," Jaus told the newspaper. "He wanted to get our attention -- and he did."

Estrada was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

British foods date back thousands of years

CARDIFF, Wales, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Archaeologists said that ancient Britons had a diet that included delicacies like roast hedgehog and nettle pudding.

Researchers from the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff said that the nettle pudding is, in fact, the earliest one known in the British Isles, dating back 8,000 years. Nettles were mixed with barley flour, salt and water and added to the stew pot to cook like dumplings.

Ruth Fairchild, who heads the research team, told The Times of London that another pre-Roman dish was a stew of bacon, fish, milk and cream. About 6,000 years ago, Neolithic cooks prepared a mix of meat and fat cooked in intestines that is the ancestor of haggis, blood pudding and similar dishes.

“We were surprised how far back people’s favorite dishes go,” Fairchild told The Times. “Britons made versions of stews, soups and pancakes thousands of years ago.”

The Romans, who conquered England about 2,000 years ago, introduced the dinner party. They also added sweets, sauces and more varied spices to the island diet, The Times article stated.

Florida Goths fight school dress code

TITUSVILLE, Fla., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A group of students at a Florida high school argue that they have a right to wear Goth styles of clothing and makeup.

They have been challenging the rules in the Brevard school district by wearing black clothes and thick eyeliner to Rockledge High School. This week, they also appealed to the school board, Florida Today reports.

At least one board member thinks they might have a case.

"They seem like a good group of kids," Larry Hughes said. "Clearly, their dress is a little bit different. But if you were to discount some of the things they are wearing that are not allowed, like piercings and wild makeup, then I really don't have a problem with wearing dark clothing. There might be some wiggle room in our policy to accommodate them."

Amaris Mulhauser, who has been pulled out of class twice recently because of her makeup, says that her clothing is part of her Wiccan religion.

"I think basically it is a ploy against people who are different,” she said of the dress code. “I am very tired of the unfair treatment that we've been given."

'Devout Dozen' Mormons pose shirtless

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Filmdom had "The Dirty Dozen," but the Mormons have the "Devout Dozen," 12 male missionaries posing shirtless for a 2008 calendar.

Twelve good-looking Mormons missionaries defied the stereotype of suit-wearing, bike-riding, door-to-door disciples by posing bare-chested in the inaugural "Men on a Mission" calendar, Mormons Exposed announced Thursday.

“Behind the eye-candy, this calendar has a deeper story -- one that can reshape perceptions ... and perhaps inspire a broadened acceptance of human and religious diversity,” says Chad Hardy, co-founder of Mormons Exposed, based in Las Vegas, and producer of the Men on a Mission calendar.

The "Men on a Mission" calendar highlights missionary work the models performed, such as helping the poor, feeding the hungry and building schools and homes, Hardy said. Each missionary who posed for the calendar can donate a portion of the proceeds to a cause in the area he served.

“The calendar is more about people than it is about religion," Hardy said.