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Started by Imperator; Last updated Feb 28, 08 11:51 AM CST by K Schwartz | View history

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Strange Stuff

"There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on." - Rod Serling

The world can be a wacky place. From the mysterious to stomach-churning to the just-plain-wacky, the best of the weirdest

Stories

Stories 261 - 280 of 477

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April 2008
- France Finally Wins Bread Battle
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 2, 08 2:40 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - It's been a dozen years since France won the Baking World Cup, but the baguette's homeland took home the gold today, reports the Wall Street Journal. The drought was odd, because, as America’s coach says, “It's a French competition. And it's bread.” America has won two of the last three, but their coach said this time the French came “ready to kill." More »
- Kinky Octopus Sex Startles Scientists
  
  Associated Press | Apr 2, 08 11:06 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Octopuses are sexier in the wild than in the aquarium, report stunned researchers who snorkeled among the frisky cephalopods for several weeks in Indonesia. Some Abdopus aculeatus males employ deceit, mimicking females with their changeable colors and sneaking up on them from the reef bottom. Others jealously guard their mates, fending off competition with a fatal multi-armed stranglehold. More »
- 10 Ways to Play the Fool at Work
  
  CNN | Apr 1, 08 11:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A good April Fools' prank can really liven up the office, and 32% of us have been on the giving or receiving end. CNN draws 10 of the best workplace gags from an annual CareerBuilder survey. Put pants and shoes in a men’s room stall to make it look as if there’s someone in there . . . for hours Stock the soda vending machine with beer More »
- Thief Nabs Tiny Croc From Norway Aquarium
  
  Reuters | Apr 1, 08 9:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A thief has managed to walk out of a Norwegian aquarium with a croc stuffed in a bag, Reuters reports. The 2.3-foot long Schneider's dwarf caiman named "Taggen" was spirited away sometime over the weekend while the aquarium was busy. Police are investigating, and a $5,000 reward is being offered for help finding the animal. More »
March 2008
- The Secret Life of Surrogate Moms
  
  Newsweek | Mar 30, 08 8:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - More women are carrying babies for dollars, despite opposition from Christians, feminists, and medical ethicists—not to mention some states and most EU nations. So why do they do it? A $20,000 to $25,000 paycheck doesn't hurt, Newsweek reports, but many also do it for love. "I felt like, 'What else am I going to do with my life that means so much?'" one surrogate mom said. More »
- Particle Collider Prompts Doomsday Suit
  
  New York Times | Mar 30, 08 2:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A particle smasher in Switzerland could suck up Earth and possibly the whole universe, a US lawsuit claims. The suit warns that the $8 billion Large Hadron Collider near Geneva could spark a matter-sucking black hole or a "strangelet" that turns our planet into "strange matter." But one Princeton scientist dismisses the claim, saying the Collider is as likely to "make dragons that might eat us up," the New York Times reports. More »
- Long Island Talks Secession From New York
  
  Newsday | Mar 28, 08 5:36 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Officials on Long Island have initiated a study on the economic feasibility of its secession from New York state, Newsday reports. While acknowledging the difficulties of establishing a 51st state, Suffolk County Comptroller Joseph Sawicki said the proposal is really about examining what Long Island contributes to greater New York, and what it doesn’t get in return. More »
- Dr Peppers All Around If GNR Finishes 17-Year Album
  
  New York Post | Mar 26, 08 12:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Not only will Guns N’ Roses fans rejoice if Axl Rose and company deliver “Chinese Democracy” in 2008—they’ll also be sipping a free can of Dr Pepper, the New York Post reports. The soda-maker promises every American a free can if the 1980s rock icons complete their 17-year-old project before the year is through. More »
- Equine Visitor Not Quite What Doctor Ordered
  
  Honolulu Star-Bulletin | Mar 24, 08 3:22 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Hawaii hospital ejected the relative of a man recovering from surgery after he tried to bring the patient’s favorite pet—a full-grown horse—to visit, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports. Security staff stopped the visitors before they could get to the patient's room; the man was intoxicated, and the horse turned out not to belong to the patient at all. More »
- Man Eats Man's Best Friend
  
  Salon | Mar 24, 08 1:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - While you're busy worrying about human rights in China, author and journalist Ted Kerasote argues, add animal rights to the list. After a trip to a ski camp in China where he was befriended by a "dead ringer for Lassie," he was appalled to find his canine pal served as the main dish at a feast in his honor. More »
- Bamboo Invades Suburbia
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 24, 08 10:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Suburbanites are fighting to keep bamboo at bay in backyards all over America, but the tropical grass is winning. The Asian import grows fast and has become a popular, environmentally friendly way to screen out the neighbors. But with roots like steel cables, the relentless spreader resists pesticides, pickaxes, and metal barriers, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »
- World's Holy Days Converge
  
  Time | Mar 21, 08 8:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - This Good Friday is not simply the most solemn day in the Christian calendar but a convergence of movable feasts that doesn't occur more than once in a century. March 21 is also the first day of the Jewish festival of Purim and the celebration of the birth of the prophet Muhammed. The three holidays have fallen on the same day only nine times in 800 years, Time reports. More »
- Stingray Kills Boater off Fla. Keys
  
  CNN | Mar 20, 08 2:54 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A stingray leapt out of the water and struck a 55-year-old Michigan woman who was sunbathing on the deck of a boat off the Florida Keys yesterday, CNN reports. The woman, who was with her husband and children, was knocked to the ground and pronounced dead at a local hospital. No word on the specific cause of death yet, but local reports say she was impaled through the neck by the 75 lb. ray's barb. More »
- In Spain, Parents Divorce to Get Kids Into Top Schools
  
  Guardian (UK) | Mar 19, 08 3:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Spanish couples will do anything to get their kids into top schools—including break up, the Guardian reports. Thanks to a point-based admissions system that favors children of single parents, Spain has seen a staggering spike in divorces, suspiciously filed just ahead of the upcoming application deadline. Judges think many are “fake” splits, designed to net the all-important points. More »
- Broken-Hearted Brit Posts His Life on eBay
  
  ABC News (Australia) | Mar 18, 08 2:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Good news for anyone who's ever wanted to be someone else: You can be Ian Usher of Perth, Australia. The native Brit went through a nasty divorce and has decided to put his whole life on the eBay auction block: house, friends, motorcycle, car, even his job. The total cost? Upwards of $390,000, roughly the value of the house, ABC News reports. More »
- German Boars Run Wild
  
  Der Spiegel | Mar 17, 08 4:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Wild boars wreaked havoc in a German town this weekend, attempting to shop for hardware, go to church, and do some gardening, Der Spiegel reports. One of the beasts, acting like "an elephant in a porcelain store," was eventually cornered at the checkout of the home-improvement center, police said. They shot that boar, and the others escaped to the wild. More »
- Irked Irish Bar Bans 'Danny Boy'
  
  ABC News | Mar 17, 08 6:31 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - That annual Guinness-fueled serenade led by green-hat-and-bead-clad Yanks wearing "Kiss me, I'm Irish" pins won't be heard at Foley's Pub in New York today; barkeep Shaun Clancy has banned the maudlin lyrics of "Danny Boy" during the month of March, and especially on St. Patrick's Day. "Everybody thinks that after three pints, you're entitled to get up there and butcher the song," says Clancy.