strange stuff

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

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Taliban Commander Turns Self In, Asks for Reward

Mohammad Ashan is out of luck

(Newser) - Last week, mid-level Taliban commander Mohammad Ashan walked up to a police checkpoint, pointed to the wanted poster featuring his face, and asked for the $100 finder's fee noted on the poster. For some reason, officials arrested him rather than delivering the reward, the Washington Post reports. US troops...

Oops: Player's Dad Trips, Breaks $30K BCS Trophy

National champion Alabama is down a pricey bowl

(Newser) - Fummmmble! National champion Alabama was showing off its $30,000 crystal bowl trophy over the weekend when a player's father tripped on a rug near the display and sent it crashing to ground, reports the AP . It is now in "thousands of tiny pieces," notes AlabamaLive . The...

Man Sues Hospital for Circumcising Him as Baby

Dean Cochrun only recently learned he had undergone procedure

(Newser) - A South Dakota prison inmate is suing the hospital where he was circumcised as a newborn, saying he only recently became aware that he'd undergone the procedure and that it robbed him of his sexual prowess. Dean Cochrun, 28, is asking for $1,000 in compensatory and punitive damages....

Newt Gingrich Bit by Penguin
 Newt Gingrich Bit by Penguin 
Apr 17, 2012 6:28 AM CDT

Newt Gingrich Bit by Penguin

It only sounds made up...

(Newser) - At least one penguin at the St. Louis Zoo appears to be a feisty opponent of Newt Gingrich. The GOP candidate is sporting a bandage on his finger after getting nipped by a small penguin during his tour of the zoo on Friday. Gingrich was in St. Louis to speak...

Physicist Gets Out of Ticket With 4-Page Paper

Dmitri Krioukov proves offense impossible

(Newser) - Dmitri Krioukov is a physicist at UC San Diego, so when he got pulled over for failure to stop at a stop sign, he knew what to do: write a four-page paper explaining how his alleged offense was simply not possible according to the laws of physics. Krioukov's paper...

New Zealand Building $4.1M Cathedral ... From Cardboard

Will be 82-feet high and seat 700

(Newser) - A cathedral made from cardboard. The idea may sound flimsy, but in the earthquake -devastated city of Christchurch, Anglican leaders believe it will deliver both a temporary solution and a statement about the city's recovery. Albeit a pricey one: The plans call for an 82-foot high cathedral constructed with...

Kayaker Dies After Tussle With Angry Swan

Anthony Hensley drowned after swan swam at him

(Newser) - A Chicago-area man who took care of swans was killed after apparently angering one of them, the Sun-Times reports. The company that Anthony Hensley, 37, worked for uses swans and dogs as goose deterrents around properties, and the dad of two went to check on a group of swans near...

Only in Vermont: Naked Governor Fends Off Bears

... while protecting his bird feeders

(Newser) - Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is not going to let little things like a lack of clothes and four hungry bears get in the way of saving his bird feeders. The Burlington Free Press recounts a doozy of a tale from Montpelier this week: Shumlin spotted four bears chowing down on...

Escape Doomsday in a Luxury Missile Silo


 Escape 
 Doomsday 
 in a Luxury 
 Missile Silo 
in case you missed it
Apr 14, 2012 7:22 AM CDT

Escape Doomsday in a Luxury Missile Silo

Developer Larry Hall selling Kansas condos to those worried about survival

(Newser) - If you happen to be both a survivalist and a millionaire, have we got a find for you: luxury condos that are being built in Kansas … inside abandoned missile silos. The $1 million to $2 million condos feature top-end appliances, walk-in closets, high ceilings, and your other basic necessities...

Scientists Count 600K Penguins From Space

That's double the number of emperors thought in Antarctica

(Newser) - It's a pretty nifty science story to begin with: Scientists used a new technique to conduct what National Geographic calls the "first-ever penguin census from space." They pored over satellite images of Antarctica with resolution sharp enough to count about 600,000 emperor penguins on the continent....

Baboon 'Readers' Pick Out Real Words

Points to instincts behind reading

(Newser) - Don't expect him to pick up a novel anytime soon—but Dan the baboon and five buddies know real English words when they see them. For instance, if Dan sees the letters BRRU, ITCS, and KITE, he'll pick out the last one as the real word, even though...

Bank Robber Leaves a Tip
 Bank Robber Leaves a Tip 
Apr 13, 2012 10:40 AM CDT

Bank Robber Leaves a Tip

Firefighter turned criminal says he was off his medication

(Newser) - If you're going to go off your meds and become a bank robber, you might as well be polite about it. That's what Texas firefighter Jesus Ventura did this week. According to a federal complaint, Ventura, 37, walked into a Chase Bank on April 10, asked where the...

Behold: Herman Cain's Weirdest Ad Yet

Apparently the government is like chickens pecking you to death

(Newser) - Herman Cain has released another stunningly weird ad, the latest in a message campaign characterized by bizarre metaphors and a girl creepily asking if we've got any questions. But this one might take the cake. In it, a mild-mannered farmer is attacked and viciously pecked to death by a...

KFC Thailand: Sorry 'Bout the Quake, Have Some KFC!

Chain is really, very sorry about ill-thought-out Facebook post

(Newser) - In hindsight, maybe it wasn't so smart to suggest that yesterday's massive earthquake was finger-lickin' good: KFC Thailand has issued an apology after being criticized for a Facebook message that urged people to rush home during yesterday's tsunami scare and order a bucket of KFC chicken. As...

Scottish Taste Testers Sample Gas Leak Fish

Declare them not tainted

(Newser) - Scotland has called in taste testers to sample the fish found near the site of a North Sea gas leak , an unusual gastronomic exercise intended to provide reassurance to Scottish seafood lovers. The government says specially trained "sensory testers" at the Aberdeen-based Marine Scotland Science organization sniffed and tasted...

Florida Town Bans Dance Clubs, Skating Rinks

They draw 'unlawful and/or undesirable activities,' city manager explains

(Newser) - Somebody get Ren McCormack on the phone. The town of Weston, Fla., has passed an ordinance that specifically bans nightclubs, dance halls, and skating rinks, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. None of those establishments has ever existed in the suburban town, and the mayor says they want to keep it...

NC Police Chief Fails Gun Test, Loses Badge

Thomas Bennett turn on his police lights, make a traffic stop

(Newser) - The police chief of a North Carolina town has been prohibited from carrying a badge and gun because he can't shoot straight. Thomas Bennett was suspended as a law enforcement officer after failing his recent annual firearms qualification exam. He has been police chief in Richlands, near the Atlantic...

'Stillborn' Baby Found Alive in Coffin

Baby showed no signs of life, but 12 hours later was fine

(Newser) - A premature baby pronounced stillborn was found alive and well 12 hours later—in her coffin in the hospital morgue, reports the BBC . Analia Bouter was six months pregnant when she gave birth in a northern Argentina hospital, but the baby showed no signs of life. "That night I...

City Sparrows Sing Louder to Trump Cars

 City Sparrows 
 Sing Louder 
 to Trump Cars 
study says
Apr 10, 2012 2:38 PM CDT

City Sparrows Sing Louder to Trump Cars

Pitches are higher today than decades ago: Study

(Newser) - Sparrows who live in the big city have learned to speak up in order to be heard: Researchers examined the songs of those that live around the Golden Gate Bridge and found that the calls are in a higher pitch now than they were in 1965, according to an Animal ...

Mom Charged With Pepper Spraying Baby

Accidentally...

(Newser) - Your Honor, it's really not as bad as it sounds. Or so might go the defense of Janee Young, who is charged with pepper-spraying her infant son in the face. But it seems that Young isn't just another case of a bad parent taking out anger on an...

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