MAGPIE:AS THE countdown to the US presidential election on November 4th continues apace, enthusiasm for the poll has few boundaries.
Among those whose name appears on the electoral register in Chicago is Princess Nudelman.
Princess is a fish. A dead fish as it happens . . .
Beth Nudelman, who owned the fish, said Princess may have landed on a mailing list because the family once filled in the pet's name when they got a second phone line for a computer.
"There was no fraud involved," said Ms Nudelman, a Barack Obama supporter. "This person is a dead fish."
But Lake County clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, was having none of it. "I am just stunned at the level of people compromising the integrity of the voting process," he said.
The paperwork sent to Princess Nudelman probably came from Women's Voices, Women Vote, which sent almost one million mailings to Illinois households in August using a list that mistakenly included some pets, according to Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit group.
The mailing list, purchased from a vendor, included names from warranties, magazine subscriptions and other sources, but the group attempted to screen out obvious pet names.
"Fido's not going to be left on there, but if a cat is named is Polly, she may be," Ms Johnson said.
Princess could be a person's name, she insisted. "I went to high school with two Princesses."
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Cash-strapped Irish property magnates and bankers seeking to offload any surplus- to-requirement helicopters may have a customer in Ashley Parsons (20), a new homeowner from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England.
Having just snapped up an old watertower to convert into a house, Mr Parsons discovered he could only reach it by air.
The medieval-style 46m (150ft) tower was bought for a bargain £33,000 (€42,000). However, the firm that owns the surrounding land is refusing to give him access rights, so he cannot reach it on foot or by car.
"The only way I can access my home legally would be by jumping from a helicopter on to the roof. The nearest public road is 30m away, but even though there is a connecting path I'm not legally allowed on it," said Mr Parsons.
"It's a pathetic decision but they won't stop me. I'm not going to walk away quietly."
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Mr Parsons has presumably cursed his bad fortune. Lucky he's not in Scranton, Pennsylvania. There, a woman who was arrested and prosecuted for swearing at her toilet has won almost £12,000 (€15,000) in compensation.
Dawn Herb was arrested last year after a neighbour, an off-duty police officer, heard her swearing at her overflowing lavatory through an open window. She was charged with disorderly conduct and faced a possible 90 days in jail.
But the judge at her trial found her not guilty, saying swearing was not illegal and her language was constitutionally protected free speech.
"It's clear the city was wrong," Ms Herb said. "However, I'm glad that I was able to fight for my rights. In the end, I found justice." Scranton mayor Chris Doherty voiced polite dissatisfaction at the verdict.
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Elsewhere in the US, however, the law runs its course.
An 89-year-old woman has been arrested in Cincinnati for refusing to return a ball to a child who had kicked it into her garden.
Police Capt James Schaffer said Enda Jester was warned twice to return the ball.
"I said go ahead and handcuff me," said Ms Jester.
The police obliged, and she will appear in court next month.