strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

Stories 4701 - 4720 | << Prev   Next >>

Odd Theft Leaves Village in the Dark

Repeated cable robberies halt trains in Britain

(Newser) - A rash of power line thefts is dogging Britain. An entire English village lost electricity for several hours on Friday after thieves stole some 3,000 feet of cable—and it’s the second such theft in that county alone since August, This Is Lincolnshire reports. It’s a running...

Queen-Obsessed American's Body Lay Near Palace for 3 Years

Skeleton found on island 100 yards from Buckingham Palace

(Newser) - The body of an American man obsessed with Queen Elizabeth II lay undiscovered for three years on an island in sight of Buckingham Palace, an inquest has determined. Robert Moore, who was in his late 60s, arrived in Britain in 2007 and appears to have lived in the undergrowth on...

World's Strangest Doritos Flavors

From seafood to sweets, some tastes just don't go with Doritos

(Newser) - The founder of Doritos chips may have passed away last week , but his crunchy legacy will live on in a myriad of flavors all over the world. And while many Doritos are indulgently tasty, others are just plain scary, says the Frisky :
  • Pizza-LA Winter Crab: "These sound classy, but
...

Japan Firm Builds 'Noah's Ark' For Next Tsunami

Giant tennis ball also functions as toy house

(Newser) - It’s Noah’s Ark for the 21st century: A Japanese firm has built a tiny, floating shelter that can hold four adults, the AP reports. Called the “Noah,” the enhanced-fiberglass contraption looks like a huge tennis ball and doubles as a toy house for kids. Cosmo Power...

Cat With 2 Faces Sets Record
 Cat With 2 Faces Sets Record 
Sep 29, 2011 5:10 PM CDT

Cat With 2 Faces Sets Record

'Frank and Louie' has survived for 12 years

(Newser) - The cat is named Frank and Louie. Yep, Frank and Louie. That's because it was born with two faces, mouths, and noses (but just three eyes, the middle of which can't blink). And he almost didn't make it. Marty Stevens rescued the cat from being euthanized, and...

School Official: Sorry for Playing Bra Trick in Meeting

Russell Fitzgerald thought his magic move would delight...

(Newser) - One for the "what was he thinking?" file: A school committee chairman in Abington, Massachusetts, has apologized for kicking off Tuesday's meeting with a magic trick, in which he seemingly removed a woman's bra. “My intention was to begin a purposeful school committee business meeting in...

Census Memo: Please Stop Napping at Work
 Census Memo: 
 Please Stop 
 Napping at Work 
ALSO, EXPLODING TOILETS
Sep 28, 2011 12:19 PM CDT

Census Memo: Please Stop Napping at Work

Another government memo warns of exploding toilets

(Newser) - The Federal Eye blog at the Washington Post picks up on two memos to government employees not of the usual variety (we hope):
  • Nap time: Census Bureau officials fielding increased complaints about workers "sleeping in public areas" of its Maryland headquarters cracked down: “Sleeping on the premises is
...

Hallmark Launches Unemployment Sympathy Cards

Cartoon creatures tell jobless to cheer up

(Newser) - If unemployment figures don’t depress you enough, try this news: Hallmark now has a line of sympathy cards specifically directed at those who’ve lost their jobs, Mediaite reports. One features a dog suggesting that the recipient not “think of it as losing your job.” Instead, “...

Doc Sends Woman to Morgue—Alive

Seems like there really should be checks for this type of thing....

(Newser) - Some of us have bad days at work, and then some of us mistakenly send perfectly alive people to the morgue: Such is the case of 62-year-old Brazilian Rosa Celestrino de Assis, who made the grave mistake of showing no vital signs while being treated for pneumonia, reports the AFP...

Dead Man Spontaneously Combusted: Coroner
 Dead Man 
 Spontaneously 
 Combusted: 
 Coroner 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 25, 2011 7:43 AM CDT

Dead Man Spontaneously Combusted: Coroner

No cause found for highly localized blaze

(Newser) - On Dec. 22, 76-year-old Michael Faherty burned to death in his home in a blaze that, firefighters say, had no cause and was restricted to his body and the area immediately surrounding it. This week, a coroner ruled that Faherty died of spontaneous human combustion, the Irish Times reports. The...

Family Fined Over Home Bible Studies

Nonprofit willing to fight case if fine not reversed

(Newser) - A California family has been fined $300 for violating city zoning codes … by holding Bible studies in their house. Charles and Stephanie Fromm have appealed the fine, but were told that more fines would be levied if the regular study groups continue without the Fromms obtaining a permit. A...

Kids Who Won Somali Radio Contest Awarded ... AK-47s

Third-place had to settle for grenades

(Newser) - A Somali radio station run by al-Shabab held an, er, interesting trivia contest for kids this weekend. Kids aged 10-17 were quizzed on Islam and al-Shabab minutiae (example: “Which war was al-Shabab warrior Sheik Timajilic killed in?”), with the lucky winner and runner-up both walking away with a...

Vegemite Nearly Causes Diplomatic Incident

Customs officials try to confiscate Aussie Kevin Rudd's jar

(Newser) - Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had to put his diplomatic powers to use this weekend … when US Customs officials tried to confiscate his Vegemite. What’s Vegemite, you ask? The Telegraph calls the popular Australian breakfast spread, made from yeast extract, a “mystery brown paste” and a cousin...

11 Weird Things Banned by Governments

You might be annoyed by emo clothes, but Russia actually banned them

(Newser) - It's not just San Francisco that likes banning weird things : Oddee rounds up 11 notable examples from around the world:
  • Porn with small boobs: No A-cup porn films are allowed in Australia. Why? Because, lobbying groups argued, men who prefer such films are secretly into child porn.
  • The two-dimensional
...

Revealed: The True Story of Willow the Cat

Stray was picked up on ski trip, flown to NYC

(Newser) - The mystery cat who took the media by storm this week isn’t such a mystery anymore: An alert reader of Gothamist wrote in to reveal the secret biography of Willow, who turned up in New York years after going missing in Colorado. Turns out the New York Times ’...

Guys Take Dead Buddy for Night Out

Denver men paint the town red with corpse in back seat

(Newser) - A Denver man wasn’t going to let a dead roommate ruin his night. When Robert Young, 43, arrived home to find his roommate unresponsive last month, he called on a still-living friend—and the two of them hauled Jeffrey Jarrett’s body into the backseat of a car, police...

Soda Fountain Gas Blamed for McDonald's Death

Carbon dioxide left woman, 80, unable to breathe

(Newser) - A soda fountain is to blame in the death of an 80-year-old woman who was found unconscious last week in a McDonald’s restroom in Georgia, police say. Carbon dioxide, used to carbonate the beverages and normally harmless, was accidentally piped through leaky gas lines in the walls between the...

'Return Trip Effect' Study Explains Why the Way Back Seems Shorter

 Why Return Trips 
 Seem Shorter 
study explains
Sep 15, 2011 5:02 PM CDT

Why Return Trips Seem Shorter

It's not about familiarity with the route, study suggests

(Newser) - Ever noticed how the trip home from your destination always seems shorter than the trip there? The standard explanation is that on the way back, you’re familiar with the route. But scientists in the Netherlands are contesting that view, offering a different explanation centered on expectations, MSNBC reports. On...

Tennessee Has Issue With 'ILVTOFU' License Plate

Whitney Calk loves bean curd, not f-ing people

(Newser) - Whitney Calk loves her bean curd, so much so that the Tennessee woman wanted to proclaim her vegetarian ways by way of a personalized license plate: ILVTOFU. That's I-LV-TOFU. The state, and its less-pure mind, read her message as I-LV-TO-F-U, and denied it because of its "vulgarity."...

Cage: Naked Guy Broke Into My House, Ate Fudgesicle

And no, it was not funny

(Newser) - Add this to your file of weird Nicolas Cage stories : While promoting his new movie Trespass, a home invasion thriller, Cage told the Toronto Film Festival quite a story about a home invasion he actually went through. "It was two in the morning. I was living in Orange County...

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