PREMIUM This is True #810: 20 December

post from This is True on 25 December 2009 11:51:44 PM. © This is True

SINCE 1994 and reaching more than 107,000 subscribers in over 200   countries, this is the 810th weekly issue of...THIS is TRUE: 20 December 2009        Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com-------------------------------------------------------------------------WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? Santa Claus is welcome in Raleigh, N.C. Mrs.   Claus, not so much. The jolly fellow's wife was banned from the city's

To read the full text of this week's issue seeThis is True's --weird news stories.

Large portions of True are archived on the web, including theThis is True story archive,the Honorary Unsubscribe, andthe Bonzer Web Site of the Week.

This is True coversbizarre-but-true stories from newspapers from around the world. Trueis also the source of the (in)famous Get Outof Hell Free cards, the well-edited humor siteJumbo Joke, and is the publisher of theTrue Stella Awards, featuring case write-ups ofcrazy lawsuits.

Special Note from True's 13 March 2005 issue:

Bad News, Good News: The bad news is, the RSS feed for True's free edition was being abused: people were using scripts to postthe text to their web sites automatically, despite very clear prohibitionsagainst that. Since people wouldn't stop that abuse, I stopped it --by not putting the full text in the RSS feed anymore. It sucks that a fewidiots spoiled it for everyone, but that's the way it is. Truedepends on its copyright to stay in business, and I just can't have peoplestealing it like that. I offer all sorts of neat things for free, includingthe "True-a-Day" service for you to put a story on your own web sites thatautomatically changes every day, a free archive of past stories, this freesubscription, and lots more. Yet some just can't be satisfied with that andtake more than what's offered. That is indeed stealing, folks, and those ofyou who post stories on your web sites, post them to Usenet, print them innewsletters, and more threaten True's very existence. And thatmatters to me. It's not a "victimless crime"! I'm very generouswith my work, but I must draw the line somewhere. The "where" is up to me,not you, and if you're one who's stealing it and can't deal with that fact,then stop reading my stuff.

The GOOD news is, I'm very sympathetic to the vast majority -- those whowant to stay within the rules, to not cross the line, to not steal. A lotof you try hard to subscribe and get the issues by e-mail, but havedifficulty, either because you only have a work e-mail address and are notallowed to subscribe to e-mail publications, or your ISP filters out thee-mail you asked to get, even while you still get loads of spam.Thus, as of last week I have started posting the current issue on the True web site so you can read it via the web. Not only that, butbecause very often the letters in the current issue refer to the previousone, I'm also posting the previous issue on the True website. They automatically rotate, and the RSS feed is now a notification ofthe new postings, keeping the RSS option a useful feature. To find thecurrent issue, look in the Navbar on the True site. The previousissue is linked from the current one's page. (That Navbar is pretty handy:it has links to the True-a-Day service, the archive, the Reader Forum, theBonzer and Honorary Unsubscribe archives, site search and a lot more. Thesite is pretty big, but it's well organized -- if you take the time toexplore it and use the tools provided to find what you want.)

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ThisIsTrue/~3/FKJ-UsXvPYU/

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Christmas prank: Merry Christmas! Here's your
stuff back

post from Offbeat News on 25 December 2009 11:42:36 PM. © Offbeat News

A Chicago man could be unwrapping the hundreds of Christmas gifts spread around his apartment for days, even weeks.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.topix.net/news/weird/2009/12/christmas-prank-merry-christmas-heres-you
r-stuff-back?fromrss=1

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Share Your Areas Rare Bird Sightings

post from Cryptomundo on 25 December 2009 10:03:42 PM. © Cryptomundo

What "accidental" species were reported in your area? Image.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/rare-birds/

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On Christmas Eve, Salvation Army Worker Killed In
Front Of His Children

post from Offbeat News on 25 December 2009 07:16:29 PM. © Offbeat News

'Tis the season for the Salvation Army to try to get as many donations as possible, in those old familiar red kettles. Sadly, on Christmas Eve, no less, a Salvation Army worker was shot and killed in front of his three young children by a man who was attempting to rob him. The incident took place outside the charity's community center in North Little Rock, Arkansas, a Salvation Army official said Friday.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.topix.net/news/weird/2009/12/on-christmas-eve-salvation-army-worker-ki
lled-in-front-of-his-children?fromrss=1

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