Pastafarian

On the lighter side

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Niko Alm wanted to test an Austrian law saying that head coverings would only be allowed in official documents for religious reasons.

So the tongue-in-cheek atheist applied for a new driver's licence in his country with a photo of himself wearing a pasta strainer as headgear. Alm said he was a "pastafarian" and that the headpiece was required by his religion.

The application process took three years, but Alm said Thursday that he's now got his new licence.

Police officials in the mostly Catholic country did not sound amused.

They said religion was never an issue in Alm's case, and that he succeeded because he fulfilled the only criterion required: leaving his face fully visible in the photo.

Blank ballot

TAR HEEL, North Carolina (AP) — The races for mayor and three commission seats are wide open in the small North Carolina town of Tar Heel — because no one bothered to run.

No one has registered as a candidate for the fall elections in the Bladen County town. The story was first reported by WECT-TV.

The ballots will be printed with blank spaces for voters to write in their choices.

Current Mayor Ricky Martin says he's not surprised no one wants the jobs. Even in a town of 117, it's hard work with little compensation. And Martin says state budget cuts mean the next elected officials might have to raise taxes.

Cynthia Shaw, the director of the county's board of elections, says it's the first time she has seen an entire town without a candidate.

Tickled pink

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) — The Arizona sheriff famous for making prisoners wear pink underwear is introducing a Spanish-language version of the shorts he sells to the public.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio began issuing pink underwear to inmates more than 15 years ago to cut down on theft. He began selling them to the public after speaking about them on national television.

The versions that went on sale last week Monday are imprinted with "Vamos Jose!" The original shorts, also $15, feature a sheriff's star and a "Go Joe" logo.

"Vamos" translates to "We go" in English. A similar-sounding word, "Vamanos," means "Let's go!" in Spanish. A more accurate translation of "Go Joe!" would be "Andale, Jose!"

Litterbug fined

LEAVENWORTH, Kansas (AP) — A Kansas woman ticketed for tossing her empty tea bottles in the same yard nearly every day for two years insists there was no malice involved.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Carole Green, of rural Bonner Springs, entered a guilty plea last Friday to four counts of misdemeanour littering.

Green was ticketed after a man who lives about two miles east of her photographed her throwing empty tea bottles into the yard of his rural Leavenworth County home.

Green says the man's yard just happened to be where she finished her tea each time. She also told the judge that if she had to do it over again, "of course, I wouldn't do it."

Judge Gunnar Sundby imposed fines of $1,200 plus court costs — the minimum amount for first-time offenders.