UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

John o' Groats named Scotland's ugliest

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- John o' Groats, on northern mainland Britain, is to receive the Carbuncle Prize as the ugliest village in Scotland, Urban Realm magazine announced.

The village of about 300 people will be honored with the award, also known as "Plook on the Plinth," The Scotsman reported. It finished ahead of a number of other beauty spots, including Inverness, Lochgelly and East Kilbride.

"Home to Britain's most northerly derelict building, this windswept outpost was marked down by our judges for its reliance upon tourist tat and its over-commercialization, evidenced most prominently by the famous John o' Groats signpost," Urban Realm said in its announcement Thursday.

The sign should point to New York, the North Pole and other notable places. But the magazine said tourists who want to get a picture must pay more than $25 to get the directional signs put in place.

Local residents said they hope that a scheme to renovate the remains of the John o' Groats Hotel into a visitors' center and tourist apartments will add to the village's attractiveness.

'Ten Commandments' up for auction

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A New York auction house said the "Ten Commandments" tablets from the film of the same name and a piece of Lady Liberty's nose are headed for the block.

Guernsey's Auction House said its Sept. 24 Iconic Objects Auction will include the tablets from the Charlton Heston film, a piece of the Statue of Liberty's nose made but not used during a 1980s restoration and other items, including a falcon statuette made for the Humphrey Bogart film "The Maltese Falcon" and sunglasses once worn by James Dean, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

"Any of these things would be the star of a normal auction," Guernsey's owner Arlan Ettinger said.

The 100 historical and pop culture artifacts up for auction also include blankets from President John F. Kennedy's Dallas limo, a hat Michael Jackson wore on stage in 2002 at New York's Apollo Theater and an IOU for $4,800 written by Frank Sinatra.

Nude gardener fears for privacy

STEETON, England, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A British man who says he prefers to garden in the nude says his local council is breaching his rights with plans for homes overlooking his property.

Leslie Howard, 70, of Steeton, England, said he put a fence around his home so he could tend his garden in the naturist fashion but he fears new homes approved by the Bradford Council will have windows that can see into his garden and possibly lead to his arrest, the BBC reported Friday.

"For 17 years I have been walking around with no problem whatsoever, you know, sunbathing, doing the garden," Howard said. "The first I knew about it was when a planning notice went up on a telegraph pole next to my house.

"I objected (to the council's decision) on the grounds that the houses would overlook my garden but the planning officer said they had acted with due and proper regard to privacy," he said. "People should be informed that they may see somebody naked."

"I think it's disgusting. Human rights legislation says that I should have the right to control who sees my body," Howard said.

Ian Wilson, planning casework manager for Bradford Council, said officials "took into account the privacy of residents surrounding the site in Coppy Road, including Mr. Howard, and the high degree of screening around Mr. Howard's own garden was noted."

"The council's planning process and procedures are compatible and balanced with the Human Rights Act and we are confident this application complies with these standards," Wilson said.

Fried margaritas made with real tequila

DALLAS, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- One of the creators of a deep-fried margarita that will be at the State Fair of Texas said he received permission to use real tequila in the dish.

Jake Levy said the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission awarded him permission to use real tequila in the dish, which also includes funnel cake batter, margarita mix and whipped cream in a salt-rimmed plastic glass, The Dallas Morning News reported Friday.

"We are so elated," said Levy, owner of Desperados restaurant. "We have multiple awards for our margaritas at the restaurant and we figured if we are going to do margaritas at the fair, we're going to do them all the way."

The deep-fried margarita, which will be available for anyone over the age of 21 when the fair begins Sept. 24 in Dallas, was one of the eight finalists in the Big Tex Choice Awards for the top new fair foods of the year.