On a hot summer the ice cream vendor is the modern Pied Piper of Hamelin and various states are not about to let sex offenders use the trade as their way to lure children. Several states are now working on bans against allowing sex offenders. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in California, as one example, is planning to draft an ordinance that would prohibit convicted sex predators from driving ice cream trucks after one was found last summer in Perris.

A fishing town in Japan has declared its all-out support for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and for good reason too; the city and the senator share the same name. The Illinois senator took time to send city leaders a letter thanking them for their support, according to Mayor Toshio Murakami. "I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the city of Obama for your support and encouragement and thank you for your thoughtful gift. We share more than a common name. We share a common planet and common responsibility. I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and shared commitment to a better, freer world," Obama wrote in the letter.

A map obtained by police from a convicted burglar led to the discovery of buried treasure near the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Los Angeles. The unearthed treasure was a collection of antique watches, necklaces, and diamond rings, including a canary diamond ring suspected to be worth $400,000. Authorities Tuesday followed the directions on a map taken from Robert Caveda, who was imprisoned on December 18 for several charges including residential burglary. The map, police said, was hand-sketched, and had an "X" marking the area where the treasure was buried.

Japan's penchant for robots is coming to the aid of allergy sufferers. Weathernews Inc has created 12-inch spherical robots with eyes that flash colors to alert of the presence of cedar or cypress pollen. The eyes flash white, green, blue, purple or red depending on pollen concentration.

Britain's Prince William is to be guest of honor at an alien concert. Michael C. Luckman, author of 'Alien Rock: The Rock 'n' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection', says the 24-year-old prince has a strong interest in alien activity and is "infatuated" with his book. William is such a follower that Luckman plans on inviting him to his 'Signal to Space Concerts', aimed at establishing peaceful contact with UFOs through music.