Wide World of Weird

A weekly roundup of unusual news from around the globe, compiled from Times wire services:

Young Faithful: A New Zealand woman said she’s looking for a new home after a rogue geyser erupted on her front lawn in Rotorua, sending up a 40-foot spout of water, mud and rocks the size of small television sets.

Wino Rodents: Rats are guzzling fancy Burgundy for research on the French paradox, the theory that wine helps counteract a high-fat diet.

50-50 Odds on Being Valedictorian: Brian Sorensen and Craig Schurman won’t get lost in the commencement crowd when they graduate from Karval High School in Colorado this year: They are the only graduating seniors. “When it comes to sports, I definitely like the smaller school better,” said Schurman, who played with Sorensen on the school’s basketball team, which also included two girls. “Here, if you want to be on the team, you’re going to be on the team, and you’re going to get some playing time.”

Stupid Lawsuit of the Week: Two Philadelphia Phillies baseball fans filed a class-action lawsuit against a stadium concessionaire for not filling their $5 glasses of Miller Lite to the brim. They say each cup is two ounces less than what was advertised. Ogden Entertainment Services, which has been selling beer at the stadium for 13 years, said the suit is more foam than substance. “This whole thing is absurd. We’ve served millions of cups of beer--all filled to the brim and never had one complaint,” a spokesman said. The company contends that it advertises beers as large or regular; the number of ounces isn’t given.

Miss Manners on the Bus: Pittsburgh bus drivers are attending etiquette classes designed to make public transportation a kinder, gentler experience. The classes teach drivers how to handle fare-dodgers, drunks, chatterboxes and passengers with body odor. Instructor Ronald Francis said dealing with an often unruly public is the hardest part of the job, which pays up to $18.48 an hour.

“It’s $4 an hour to drive,” he said. “It’s another $14 to deal with the public.”

Ranch Essay Update: For information about the win-a-ranch essay contest mentioned in last week’s column, call (541) 383-5292 or visit the Oregon rancher’s Web site at https://www.winaranch.com.

News McNuggets:

* A silver-plated pistol that belonged to Wild West sharpshooter Buffalo Bill Cody sold for $123,500 Tuesday at an auction of historic guns and Western memorabilia. Auctioneers Butterfield & Butterfield in San Francisco also sold a skinning knife once owned by American Indian warrior Sitting Bull for $11,500.

* An Elvis Presley credit card adorned with pictures of the King is being launched in Britain. The Elvisly Yours card is backed by the Bank of Scotland and entrepreneur Sid Shaw, who won a court case allowing him to use Elvis’ name to sell memorabilia.

* A 73-year-old Massachusetts woman rummaging through her dresser drawer came across a frightening keepsake: her husband’s World War II hand grenade. Officials used a Highway Department dump truck to transport the pineapple-shaped grenade to a landfill, where a bomb squad detonated it.

* Teenage girls involved in sports are less likely to get pregnant; have had fewer sexual partners; postpone sex until later; and are more likely to use contraceptives once they do have sex, according to a study by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

* The world championship of barbecuing is under way in Memphis, Tenn. The event bills itself as the world’s largest pork cooking contest and is recognized as such by the Guinness Book of World Records.

* Wide World of Weird is published every Friday. Off-Kilter appears Mondays through Thursdays.