oddly enough

oddly enough

California woman offers home as prize in dessert contest

ANTIOCH, Calif.

A Northern California woman is offering a sweet deal on her 1906 Craftsman home in Jackson. She’s trading it for a great dessert.

The Contra Costa Times reports that Erin Allard is hosting a dessert contest with the 2,267-square-foot century-old home as the grand prize. The four-bedroom, two- bathroom home has been restored and is valued at $390,000.

She says she opted for the competition because it can take months to sell a home in rural Jackson.

Allard, who is a licensed real-estate agent, has spent weeks checking details and legalities to make sure the competition goes off without a problem.

The contest will be judged by a panel of food experts. Those looking to apply have until Sept. 7 to submit a $100 entry fee and a million-dollar recipe.

Romanian music fest gives free tickets in exchange for blood

BUCHAREST, Romania

Romania is tapping into the Dracula legend, offering concert-goers free tickets in exchange for their blood.

The campaign is part of a push to increase blood donations in a country where only 1.7 percent of the people donate blood.

Adrian Chereji, marketing director for the UNTOLD Festival, said Monday the “Pay with Blood” campaign, jointly organized with the National Blood Transfusion Institute, aims to raise public awareness.

Mobile blood-collection units will be set up in 42 Romanian cities for 10 days this month. Donors in Bucharest and Cluj will be eligible for free tickets for an electro-dance music festival in the Transylvanian city of Cluj. Cut-price tickets will be offered to donors elsewhere.

Transylvania is the home of the fictional blood-sucking Dracula featured in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel.

UK lawmaker defends making 14-cent expenses claim

LONDON

A British lawmaker is defending claiming 9 pence ($0.14) on expenses for a short car journey, saying such claims may look “odd” but the mileage adds up.

Conservative lawmaker Rob Wilson said the 352-yard journey in March 2014 was a “constituency engagement.”

He also made several other small claims for short journeys, including 13 pence for a trip in his car to attend a business meeting.

Wilson told Metro News on Tuesday he was an active lawmaker who often met with local voters. He said many of his trips are fairly short but add up because he takes a number of them each week.

Beginning the end of July, British lawmakers will get a 10 percent pay increase from $104,271 to $115,000 a year.

Associated Press