Strange Stuff

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. More »

A rag-tag group of forensic investigators, a gold miner, and a corpse-sniffing dog say they have turned up evidence of long suspected killings by the Manson family in the California desert, AP reports. Using the tools and techniques of chemistry and archeology, the group has concluded that there may be bodies in the ground—and suggested that the cops get digging. More »

Math lovers, rejoice, for today is Pi Day, celebrated in classrooms around the country—preferably at 1:59, which, on 3/14, nearly matches 3.14159, the famed irrational number’s first six digits. “What’s fun about pi is that everyone knows the number,” a math professor tells the Daily Princetonian . “People feel they have an appreciation for what it means.” More »

A power-mad elite is secretly rigging the system so their offspring rise to power, LiveScience reports. That’s the situation a team of researchers has discovered in ant society—not exactly the epitome of community collaboration once thought. Until now, it appeared that any properly-fed larvae could hatch into a queen, but now researchers have found a secret ant elite, which has evolved a DNA strand more likely to produce ruling offspring. More »

Crafty Oregon urologists are boosting their vasectomy clinic business at a time of year when a lot of men are on the sofa anyway, the Oregonian reports. A weekend of NCAA basketball tournament action allows just about enough time to recuperate from the surgery. "When March Madness approaches, you need an excuse to stay at home in front of the big screen," says a radio ad for the clinic. More »

A former New York attorney is suing seven casinos for $20 million, claiming they helped woo her to the tables, and let her continue to play and lose despite an obvious gambling addiction. Workers at Atlantic City and Las Vegas gambling dens should have stopped her from blowing $1 million and destroying her career, she argues. "They knew I was going for days without eating or sleeping," she told AP. "I would pass out at the tables. They had a duty of care." More »

Italian adulterers have made their bed, and now the country’s top appeals court says they can lie in it: The Court of Cassation has ruled that married women can tell fibs to cover up an affair to protect their honor, the BBC reports. The judgment stems from the case of a woman who was convicted of giving false testimony to police. More »

Scientists have reviewed the research Japan uses to justify hunting whales, and they've concluded that it is mostly useless—and very weird, Sydney's Daily Telegraph reports.   Researchers tried to fertilize cow and pig eggs with whale sperm, and to create test-tube whales from frozen sperm.  "It's totally esoteric, very strange research," an Australian scientist said. More »

A Chicago-area construction boss trying to work a life-insurance scam killed another man, used the body to fake his own death, then killed himself as police converged, the Chicago Tribune reports. Authorities are now looking at whether the killer and his wife, who had email contact after his “death,” conspired to cash in his policy. More »

Danes are hopping mad about a discovery that Swedish furniture giant Ikea uses Danish place names for its doormats and floor coverings, while reserving Swedish and Norwegian monikers for higher-end items, Der Spiegel reports. Some Danish academics argue that this reinforces Sweden’s perception of Denmark as a “doormat” for its larger, wealthier neighbor, and have accused Ikea of “Swedish imperialism,” however metaphorical. More »

Moses was high on mind-altering drugs when he heard God’s word on Mount Sinai, an Israeli researcher said this week. He contends that hallucinogenics were key to Jewish ceremonies and explain Moses' reception of the Ten Commandments and his vision of the burning bush. Benny Shanon, who teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, admits he's dabbled in such drugs himself. More »

Perhaps it was inevitable: The 8 to 10 million members of the user community for Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft multiplayer game now have porn tailored specifically to the details of their escapist world, the Village Voice reports. Entering its second season, the “Whorelore” web-series (originally “Whorecraft,” before Blizzard complained) depicts roleplaying’s salacious side. More »

There is something worse than forgetting Valentine's Day—being a tightfisted husband. An Iranian court has ordered a man to immediately send his wife 124,000 roses or risk imprisonment, the BBC reports. The roses were promised to his wife as part of her dowry, which she can legally claim at any time. She's demanding the roses to punish her "stingy" spouse. More »

Indiana Jones' whip. The gun that killed JFK's assassin. Madonna's Like a Virgin wedding dress. All are up for grabs at a massive memorabilia auction scheduled for March 15-16 in Las Vegas, Reuters reports. Billed as the best pop-culture collection ever assembled, the 850-lot treasure trove could fetch more than $5 million, says the president of the auction house. More »

When a British beachcomber brought police a wheelbarrow full of 50 lbs. of pure Colombian cocaine the other day, Cornwall police weren’t stunned. In the last 3 weeks, five other such packages have washed up on Cornwall’s beaches, with a total street value of $1.2 million. “Luckily I’m one of the good guys,” said the upright citizen, “but you wonder how many of these packages” haven’t been reported. More »

Under fire from environmental groups in Germany, McDonald's plans to replace lids on its McFlurry dessert so as not to threaten hedgehogs—which were getting their heads trapped in the lids and starving to death, Der Spiegel reports. "We needed to find an opening that was big enough for a spoon but small enough that a hedgehog could not get inside," a spokesman said. More »

Being a bit on the chubby side probably saved Meatloaf the cat's life, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The year-old feline wandered into a man's moving container in Florida and was rescued three weeks later when an employee at a Phoenix warehouse heard meowing coming from a crate. Meatloaf, emaciated but alive, emerged when the container was unlocked. More »

Amy Winehouse is about to release a line of clothing and makeup for the many, many people who want to look like her, the Sun reports. Prepare for Winehouse-brand leopard-print headscarves, hairspray, and, of course, liquid eyeliner. “I think this stuff would sell very well,” said a fashion industry source. “She has become a fashion icon despite not always looking too fresh.” More »

Alcalde is one in a million: The hulking black bull's sons have struck fear in the hearts of Spain's bravest matadors for more than a decade. But now, in his waning years, his famed breeder has commissioned a US company to make him two in a million—with the cloned bull taking Alcalde's place as sire to champions. More »

The Florida Marlins are currently holding tryouts for new male cheerleaders—the chubbier, the better. Though the Marlins already have lean pompom girls rooting on the sidelines, the AP reports, they're looking to create a rotund 10-man squad called the Manatees to boost record-low attendance at home games. But these big boys will be chosen just like the girls, officials say: based on how well they shake their, uh, booty. More »