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Dead man receives calls in grave

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- New York defense lawyer John Jacobs is still getting voicemail messages, three years after he was buried with his beloved cell phone.

Jacobs' family buried him with his fully charged Motorola T720 phone after he died of pancreatic cancer, the New York Post reported.

His wife, Marian Seltzer, also a defense lawyer, continues to pay his monthly $55 phone bill and his cell number is etched into his gravestone under the words "Rest in Peace."

The first call after death came during the funeral from Jacobs' son, Simon.

"The poor grave diggers. I thought they'd have a heart attack," Seltzer said.

Seltzer and her two sons, who regularly leave messages, hear this when they dial his number: "Hi. You've reached the voice mail of John Jacobs. After you hear the beep, leave a voice mail and I will return your call."

Seltzer said she keeps her husband up to date on sports news and how their sons are doing.

"Some people talk to God," Seltzer said. "I talk to my deceased husband."

Chocolate menorah for Hanukkah

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A group of Hasidic Jews in Palo Alto, Calif., planned to celebrate Hanukkah this year with a 6-foot, chocolate-coated menorah.

"We've already made a menorah out of ice and Legos. Why not chocolate?" said Mushky Baumgarten of Chabad of Greater South Bay, who melted 25 bags of kosher chocolate chips to coat the menorah.

The chocolate menorah was to be lit in front of Palo Alto City Hall as one of several Hanukkah-themed activities -- including bowling and ice skating -- sponsored by Chabad groups in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Cupertino and Palo Alto, the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News reported.

Chabad, an international outreach group of Hasidic Jews, has more than 3,700 centers worldwide. The eight days of Hanukkah celebrates the victory of Judah and the Maccabees over invaders who defiled the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,100 years ago.

Bride surprised by wedding

CINCINNATI, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A gymnastics coach who thought she was merely attending a tournament in Cincinnati found herself married before the day ended.

"It was really shocking," said Kara Patterson, 20, who married Army Staff Sgt. Ray Hignite in a surprise ceremony Saturday at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Hignite and Patterson's family planned the surprise, complete with horse-drawn carriage, when they learned Hignite would leave Jan. 1 to train for an engineering operation in Afghanistan, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

"She always wanted a nice wedding, something big," said Kara Patterson's father, Brett.

An estimated 1,000 people attending the tournament cheered as Patterson and her groom exchanged rings and then kissed at the end of the 10-minute ceremony in which they were pronounced husband and wife.

The couple had been engaged since February.

Facial hair a must at Christmoustache

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The annual Christmoustache event in San Antonio offers a rare chance for facial hair lovers to publicly flaunt their lip foliage, this year's host says.

Flight Gallery owner Justin Parr, who offered to host Saturday night's event, said the third annual event focused on allowing individuals to show off their mustaches, whether carefully manicured or fake, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

"It's always a wide swath of people, and everyone is wearing mustaches," Parr said. "It started just for fun, but this year, we decided it should benefit someone."

The $3 donations requested for this year's Christmoustache event will benefit a community garden overseen by the Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, Parr said.

"It's a totally organic garden, it's free produce and it builds community," he told the Express-News. "All of those things are important for our future."

The newspaper said event organizers keep fake mustaches on hand for each Christmoustache event for those who come with naked upper lips.