Taking liberties with open home register A reader writes: "I went to an open home last weekend and filled in my name and phone number on the open home register. Two nights later, a telemarketer from a finance company phoned and asked if Ihad visited that home. When I said yes, she then asked if I was interested in purchasing a mortgage or organising finance from them. I said I wasn't interested and was so shocked at being contacted by her that I never thought to ask how she got my details. She phoned again about an hour later, forgetting she had already contacted me. So I asked how she got my details and she said the finance company was 'in house'. The next day I complained to the manager of the agency who seemed surprised that I was unhappy about my details being given to a finance company without my authority. Has anyone else been targeted by this practice? It is very deceitful and open-home visitors should be asked if their details can be given to a third party."
Catastrophe at the RSA "Funniest thing happened at our local RSA last week," writes a reader. "One of the old boys came in about 4pm and while waiting to be served helped himself to a handful of snacks from a bowl on the bar. When he joined his mates at their table there was much hilarity and meowing because he had eaten a handful of dried cat food (kept for the club's resident cat)."
Elephants get no help from antique gun collectors The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species estimated nearly 50,000 African elephants were killed for their tusks in the last two years, continuing the drastic decline in wild pachyderms. The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed new rules to curb ivory imports into the US, to discourage American buying. However, in July, the National Rifle Association warned the FWS rules would be "disastrous" for America's collectors of antique pearl-handled guns and urged members to fight the regulations (even though, as NRA advocates acknowledged, few gun owners would be affected). (Source: Weird Universe)
An Arkansas police department received a disturbing call that someone had seen a dead tiger on the side of the road. The caller said she stopped to take pictures of the animal but was too scared to get near it.
