■ United States
Render unto Rubottom...
Ezekiel Rubottom now has his left foot back exactly where he wants it -- in a bucket on the front porch. Police in Kansas have returned the amputated foot to him after seizing it during the weekend to check out just how it came to be there. The 21-year-old man's foot was amputated three weeks ago after a series of medical problems, and he started keeping it in a 20-liter bucket filled with formaldehyde. Officers who went to the home late on Saturday night found the foot, and unsure of what to make of the unusual discovery, confiscated it and put it into evidence storage. Rubottom, an artist, recovering methamphetamine addict and occasional hip-hop master of ceremonies, said that he was born with a clubbed foot and has dealt all his life with pressure sores and infections. An infection this summer had become so severe that doctors decided it should be amputated.
■ United Kingdom
Plumber busted for leaking
A plumber was fined and given a community service order on Tuesday after being captured on hidden cameras urinating into a vase in a customer's attic and pouring the contents into the central heating system. Roy Williams, 47, was caught in the act by trading standards officers who had rented the house in Leatherhead in southern England and rigged it with cameras as part of a sting operation to check on tradesmen. The plumber had been called out to fix a simple fault but instead missed it and charged ?203 (US$353) for unnecessary work, Steve Playle of Surrey trading standards said. Williams then urinated into a vase, poured the urine into the hot-water tank and rinsed the vase in the cold-water tank. The plumber denied the charges, claiming he had a medical condition which meant he needed the toilet regularly and had been overcome by the sound of running water. He was sentenced to 150 hours community service in addition to fines and costs incurred cleaning the water tanks.
■ United Kingdom
Take her out to dinner
Forget expensive presents or costly jewelry. Wining and dining is the best way for men to woo women, scientists said on Tuesday. Researchers at Imperial College London developed a mathematical formula and modeled courtship as a sequential game to find the best way to impress the ladies. Their results show that offering an expensive present signals the man's serious intentions, but he must be wary of being exploited by gold-diggers who will dump him after receiving the gift. The researchers said that giving gifts was a feature of courtship in humans and other species to impress females. Physical attraction is an important element in courting but offering gifts also helps, the researchers said.
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