Page 26 - 200303 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2003

26 Strange But True Strange But True 26 No munchies for bears seized Travel of Spring, Texas, is touting the trip draws thousands of people each year, an in pot arrest as the world's first flight for nude anxious crowd shivered in near freezing passengers. The crew will be dressed and temperatures as Punxsutawney Phil the temperature inside the plane's cabin emerged from his burrow and saw his ARLINGTON, Wash. (AP) - Two will be regulated to accommodate the shadow, suggesting another six weeks of overweight black bears that were seized nudists, says Castaways co-owner Jim wintry weather. in a marijuana arrest of a Canadian man Bailey. Many of those gathered were still at the B.C. border have been placed on a "People are looking for stress preoccupied with thoughts of Saturday's diet. relief," Bailey says. "In a nudist space shuttle tragedy in which seven Brenda Kolb, a clinic director at environment, everyone is the same." astronauts were lost. the Sarvey Wildlife Center, about 65 The travellers will stay at a nudist Kathleen Perdy, 50, a teacher from kilometres north-northeast of Seattle, resort for a week, then return to Miami on Alliance, Ohio, was among those braving said Corky and Pumpkin each weigh 135 May 10. Rooms start at $910 US weekly, the predawn chill. Her 26-year-old son to 180 kilograms - rather than the normal plus $499 for the flight, according to the was deployed to the Middle East on 90 to 115 kg - because they had been fed company's Web site. Saturday. high-calorie diets of raw turkey. Federal Aviation Administration "Life goes on. You learn you have "The bears are really large," Kolb spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says to value your time, and you have to said. there are no regulations specifically respect each other. Most importantly, you The two seven-year-old sows, banning nudity aboard an aircraft. have to have fun," she said. decoys in what U.S. Customs spokesman "It's not a safety issue," Bergen The crowd watched fireworks and Michael Milne said was "a sophisticated says. danced to stay warm. They then sang the smuggling scheme," now chow down on Some issues are being addressed, U.S. national anthem, with flags set at dry dog food, fruit, vegetables, berries however - no hot drinks or food will be half-mast. and bread - more like what they would served to nude passengers, who will be Groundhog Day organizers in eat in the wild, Kolb said. asked to keep a towel between themselves Punxsutawney estimated the weekend Seemingly playful on Monday, and the plane seat. crowd at a record 40,000. Attendance has they are actually less active and lack ballooned since the 1993 movie normal stamina, she said. Canada's groundhogs predict early Groundhog Day and shuttle buses now "They have very bad teeth and spring; but U.S. unsure bring visitors to Phil's home at Gobbler's some are broken out," Kolb said. "It's Knob. Last year, Phil also saw his probably because of bad nutrition." But (CP) - The groundhog chorus has shadow. she added they are otherwise in good spoken, but its members appear divided The Groundhog Day tradition is condition. on whether we should put away our rooted in a German superstition that if an Corky and Pumpkin were woolly sweaters for another year. animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the impounded and taken to the Sarvey Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam Christian holiday of Candlemas, bad centre a week ago after Customs agents at left his hole early Sunday morning and weather is coming. Blaine, alerted by a drug-sniffing dog, his shadow was nowhere in sight. found about 75 kilograms of marijuana Gathered townsfolk began celebrating, Toy story: Lego Stanley Cup found in worth an estimated $500,000 in a hidden since legend has it that no shadow means Arizona compartment in the trailer in which they spring is just around the corner. were riding. In Wiarton, Ont., another Duane Christopher Bradley, 23, of celebrated Canadian woodchuck agreed. Abbotsford, B.C., was arrested and Wiarton Willie left his den and did not see $180,000 in cash was seized. He was his shadow, to the delight of cheering charged Monday in U.S. District Court in onlookers. Seattle for possession of marijuana with But there was no joy in intent to distribute. Punxsutawney, Pa., where Sam and Bradley, who remained in custody Willie's fellow forecaster Punxsutawney pending a detention hearing, faces a Phil did see his shadow, meaning six maximum sentence of 20 years in prison more weeks of winter. WOW! What a business package! 100 and a $1-million fine if convicted. Other prognosticating rodents had Megabytes of disk storage... 5 page varied opinions Sunday. In Ohio, website... e-commerce.... e-mail Travel agency plans nude flight Buckeye Chuck emerged from his burrow addresses... graphics... they submitted my website into over 1,000 internet outside a Marion, Ohio, radio station search engines, and they even MIAMI (AP) - Lost luggage won't Sunday, and did not see his shadow. registered my domain name for me exactly be a problem on this flight. An In Nova Scotia, about 100 people FREE! adult travel agency that specializes in gathered at Shubenacadie Provincial clothing-optional vacations has chartered Wildlife Park, many with painted-on All this for $600.00 (Cdn) for the first a 172-seat Boeing 727 for a flight from groundhog faces. A park spokesman said year.. and $199.90 every year after that! Miami to Cancun in May. Once the plane Sam was rewarded for his efforts with an reaches its cruising altitude, passengers extra portion of carrots, his favourite Way To Go REL-MAR.COM! will be invited to disrobe. vegetable. The travel agency, Castaways At the Pennsylvania event, which www.rel-mar.com