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Marathon man heads for 100,000-mile mark

SAN ANSELMO, Calif., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A 56-year-old California marathoner says he is close to a major milestone, 100,000 miles of running.

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Mike Fanelli of San Anselmo expects to reach his goal Sunday when he runs the Philadelphia Marathon in his hometown, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Fanelli, who grew up in Philadelphia and began running cross-country in high school, ran his first marathons there.

Fanelli says he has slowed down a bit with age. He has halved his weekly distance to 50 miles.

But he starts most days with a 5-mile run near his home in San Anselmo.

His wife, Renay, who met him at the 1996 Boston Marathon, said he once almost missed a plane to London because he was doing his run.

"Some people say I'm compulsive," Fanelli said. "But I say it's more just competitive."

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Email flub exposes Taliban address list

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Hundreds of addresses on the Taliban email list were accidentally revealed when a spokesman for the insurgents hit the wrong button on his computer.

Qari Yousuf Ahmedi meant to click on "bcc" while preparing to send a routine press release last week, Khaama Press reported Saturday. That would have hidden the names and email addresses of all the people receiving the release.

Instead, he clicked "cc," which let everyone who got the email see the approximately 400 other people on the list.

While many on the list were journalists, it also included a provincial governor, an Afghan legislator, academics and activists, a consultative committee in Afghanistan and a representative of an Afghan warlord.

No secrets were exposed, but least one recipient wasn't happy about the revelation, ABC News reported.

Mustafa Kazemi, a journalist with 9,500 Twitter followers, tweeted: "Taliban have included all 4 of my email addresses on the leaked distribution list. Quite reassuring to my safety."

Ahmedi, the Taliban PR guy, did not respond to an email asking for comment about the error.


Ticket machines reject new Canadian bills

TORONTO, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Transit officials in Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia, say they're working on a software fix so ticket machines will accept Canada's high-tech $20 bills.

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The dispensers have been spitting back the new currency, which is made with a polymer material to foil counterfeiters but is unpalatable to many vending machines.

Officials at GO Transit in Toronto and Translink in Edmonton, Alberta, told CBC News the upgrades were already under way.

Bank of Canada told CBC News such glitches can occur when new bills are put into circulation.

"It's a natural thing when we change series," said senior bank analyst Julie Girard. "Even when we've changed from one paper series to the next before polymer was introduced we still had to upgrade the machines."

CBC said the transition to polymer bills began this year with new $100 and $50 notes. The widely used paper $5 and $10 bills will convert to polymer next year.


Broken heart, beer, inspired Fla., gunman

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A man accused of firing a rifle randomly from his boat at a Jacksonville, Fla., marina, told police a combination of beer and a broken heart made him do it.

James Wayland, 51, was locked up this week on $55,000 bail after he allegedly took pot shots from his boat docked at a marina near the Main Street bridge, police said.

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The arrest report said Wayland told arresting officers he was upset over his relationship with a woman and had been drowning his sorrows with about 16 beers before he decided to squeeze off a few rounds into the air and in the general direction of the bridge.

Wayland responded to demands for his surrender by making a rude gesture at the officers onshore, but then reconsidered and rowed ashore without his weapon. He was arrested on charges of firing a gun while under the influence, The Florida Times-Union said.

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