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Fla. GOP wants money back for Crist art

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 4 (UPI) -- The Republican Party of Florida made good on its promise to auction an oil painting of Gov. Charlie Crist, now running for the U.S. Senate as an independent.

State party officials posted the framed portrait on eBay Monday under the banner "Help the Republican Party of FL Get Our Money Back!" CNN reported Tuesday.

The product listing was heavy on sarcasm and disdain for the first-term governor who bolted from the Republican Party in his bid to become one of Florida's two U.S. senators.

"Canvas is naturally sensitive to changes of temperature and humidity, just as the Charlie Crist's political convictions are subject to fluctuations in poll numbers," one disclaimer on the auction page reads.

A Florida GOP spokeswoman said the party spent several thousand dollars on the painting.

'Star Wars' fans: May the 4th be with you

SAN FRANCISCO, May 4 (UPI) -- U.S. and British fans of the "Star Wars" movie trilogy are celebrating a holiday Tuesday stemming from a botched interview transition.

The Daily Telegraph reported Britons were posting hoards of tributes to the films and celebratory messages for the unofficial holiday Tuesday on Twitter and Facebook while ABC News said U.S. users of the Web sites were following suit.

Star Wars Day, one of the main "trending topics" on Twitter Tuesday, began after George Lucas, the creator of the films, gave an interview on German TV and the famous catchphrase "may the force be with you" was mistranslated into the German equivalent of "we are with you on May 4," ABC News reported.

The phrase has evolved into the day's motto, "may the fourth be with you."

"It's nice that this particular date seems to observe and celebrate the power of the force, and we're thrilled that 'Star Wars' fans continue to find new ways to connect with a galaxy far, far away," a spokesman for California-based Lucasfilm told the Telegraph.

The original film, "Star Wars: A New Hope," premiered May 25, 1977.

Officials target Paris female pants law

PARIS, May 4 (UPI) -- A group of French lawmakers wants to repeal an "obsolete" law banning women from wearing trousers while outdoors in Paris.

The 10 members of the French parliament suggesting the "obsolete" law, introduced by the city's police chief in 1799, be "de-legislated" said it is already trumped by 1946 legislation making men and women equal under the French constitution, The (London) Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

The draft bill follows President Nicolas Sarkozy's suggestion that parliament take time during the second half of the year to repeal laws.

The law banning women from wearing trousers was relaxed in 1892 to exempt women "holding the reins of a horse" and again in 1919 to exclude women "on a bicycle or holding it by the handlebars."

Roller coaster riders stuck for 20 minutes

MALTON, England, May 4 (UPI) -- A group of roller coaster passengers at a British theme park spent about 20 minutes trapped upside down when the ride jammed, witnesses said.

Nigel Warburton, who photographed the incident at Flamingo Land, near Malton, England, said the Mumbo Jumbo roller coaster stopped functioning Monday afternoon and left a train full of passengers suspended upside down about 50 feet above the ground, The Northern Echo, Darlington, reported Tuesday.

He said employees freed the trapped passengers after about 20 minutes.

The Mumbo Jumbo is billed as the steepest roller coaster in the world, featuring a 112-degree drop.

Flamingo Land officials could not be reached for comment, The Northern Echo said.