Calif. man creates deluxe toilet seats

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Scott Pinizzotto is used to the giggles whenever he brings up high-tech toilet seats that rinse and warm people’s bottoms. But he believes he’s sitting on a potential gold mine.

“This is the next evolution of the toilet,” Pinizzotto said of the Swash, an upscale seat made by his startup, Brondell Inc. “We are trying to educate people that there is a more hygienic and comfortable way to go to the bathroom.”

Introduced nearly a year ago, the Swash is designed to transform a run-of-the-mill toilet into a bidet – a device that cleanses with a spray of warm water. The Swash features heated seats, too, and its top-of-line model also comes with a warm-air dryer and a remote control.

Pampering the posterior isn’t cheap – the Swash retails for $429 to $549. Sales have risen by nearly 50 percent every three months, said Pinizzotto, the company’s co-founder and chief executive.

Texas teacher debunks Santa

RICHARDSON, Texas (AP) – Guess what, kids? There’s no such thing as Santa Claus!

That was a suburban music teacher’s holiday message earlier this week to first-graders. The remark angered parents and prompted the school district to issue a pro-Santa statement, KDFW-TV reported.

Several parents made angry phone calls to Richland Elementary School in this Dallas suburb afterward.

“When you take a 6-year-old and tell him, you got to spend how much time to get him to believe again? The damage is done,” parent Michael Millett said.

Later, however, Richardson school district spokesman Tim Clark said he had good news.

“The teacher did hear from Santa Claus himself, who heard about the situation and let the teacher know that the spirit of the holidays is alive and well and to pass that message along to the students,” Clark said.

The teacher will face no disciplinary action, Clark said.

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AP Photo TOK801

TOKYO (AP) – Penguins at a zoo in northern Japan are on a winter weight-loss program.

They’re taking 500-yard walks twice a day, said Asahiyama Zoo spokesman Tetsuo Yamazaki. The first walk of the season was Thursday.

“Just like in humans … the fat accumulates during the winter months, and the blood-sugar level rises,” Yamazaki explained from the zoo, 570 miles northwest of Tokyo.

The zoo’s 15 king penguins aren’t exactly obese. But to fend off obesity, the zoo instituted the winter exercise program in 2003.

“In order to withstand the cold, the penguins have a habit of standing very still during winter months,” Yamazaki said.

The penguins have tender webbed feet and can only walk significant distances on snow, so the program can only take place during the colder months.

The zoo takes the penguins on strolls from December until April.

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OSLO, Norway (AP) – With no heirs, the late Gunnar Bergsrud found another way to pass his beloved farm on to a new generation – with a lottery among the young people of his village.

Bergsrud died earlier this year at the age of 89, and asked in his will that his farm be passed on to a young person in Hedalen.

About 30 people between aged 15 to 35 signed up, with the drawing held Wednesday in the local district court.

“I’m stunned. I never dreamed it would be me,” the 35-year-old winner Monica Aasli told the Oslo newspaper Verdens Gang. She said she signed up at the last minute Tuesday on impulse, and now has to discuss the idea of becoming a farmer with her husband.

The farmhouse lacks electricity and water, and the entire farm needs refurbishing. However, it is seen as a local cultural treasure because of its old buildings and idyllic location. It is surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest that now also belong to Aasli.

The farm is about 135 miles northwest of Oslo, and is near popular national parks. Local media estimated the farm’s value to be at least $150,000.

AP-ES-12-15-05 0600EST