strange stuff

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

Stories 4901 - 4920 | << Prev   Next >>

US Bumblebee Populations In Freefall

Half of species studied are in steep decline

(Newser) - The collapse in honeybee populations has been getting all the attention, but bumblebees are also in serious trouble, according to a new study, Populations of four common species of bumblebee in the US have dropped by up to 96% over the last few decades, according to a nationwide census of...

Witchcraft Now a Legal Profession in Romania

...which means they have to pay income taxes

(Newser) - Romania's witches aren't happy about a change in the country's labor laws that makes witchcraft a recognized profession. The move, part of a crackdown on tax evasion, will make it harder for witches to avoid paying income tax, AP reports. One witch has threatened to cast a spell using black...

Rare 'Panda Cow' Born in Colorado
Rare 'Panda Cow'
Born in Colorado
Jan 2, 2011 6:20 AM CST

Rare 'Panda Cow' Born in Colorado

Ben could fetch up to $30K

(Newser) - The tiny calf was born Friday with a white belt and a white face with black eyes—bearing a striking resemblance to a panda, and now one of only 24 so-called panda cows on the planet. "Ben" was delivered by a lowline Angus cow named Bella in northern Colorado,...

Balcony Jumper Interrupts Romanian Parliament

While wearing a T-shirt reading: 'You killed our children's future'

(Newser) - One way to register your disgust with government: Jump off a balcony and into the middle of parliament. That's what Adrian Sobaru did in Romania today. The father of two, a public television employee, suffered face wounds after he flung himself from the balcony, apparently in protest over government austerity...

The 10 Strangest Stories of 2010
The 10 Strangest
Stories of 2010
Dec 20, 2010 5:21 PM CST

The 10 Strangest Stories of 2010

You know, like an octopus prognosticator....

(Newser) - There were a lot of strange stories in 2010. The DAFTA Awards give a little recognition to the world's odd events. Here are the winners:
  • The Penis Tattoo (Crazy Crime)—A man wanted to get a yin - yang tattoo. His former friend and tattoo artist decided that a footlong
...

UBS's Bizarre Dress Code: Easily Washable Underwear

Also, no short skirts, flashy accessories, and keep that gray hair

(Newser) - Swiss bank UBS AG really, really cares how its retail banking staff looks. Details from its new 43-page dress code, part of a campaign meant to re-establish confidence in the brand, via the Wall Street Journal :
  • Colors: Dark gray, black, and navy blue “symbolize competence, formalism, and sobriety.”
...

NYU Prof Implanting Camera in Head

Back-of-head camera project raises privacy issues

(Newser) - New York University photography professor Wafaa Bilal is turning his own head into a camera. The professor plans to have a camera surgically implanted into the back of his head, which will record an image every minute for an artwork commissioned by a Qatar museum, the Wall Street Journal reports....

McCain, Snooki Still Creepily Tweeting

She's calling him 'Johnny' now...

(Newser) - The John McCain-Snooki Twitter lovefest continues. The Arizona senator tweeted a happy birthday message to the Jersey Shore star yesterday, to which she quickly replied , "Thabk you Johnny ! :) xox." She later defended McCain from some apparently negative publicity that resulted from his tweet: "Everyone get real...

Plane Crash Blamed on Crocodile

Congo survivor says smuggled reptile caused stampede

(Newser) - The sole survivor of a plane crash in the Congo says an escaped crocodile is to blame for the tragedy. The crocodile had been smuggled on board in a sports bag and sparked panic after it freed itself, causing a stampede of passengers which destabilized the plane and caused the...

Man Swept Through Sewers, Rescued on Golf Course

Daniel Collins survives one-mile sewage-filled trip

(Newser) - A Missouri man was swept a mile down a sewer line before finally finding himself rescued … at the 15th hole of a golf course. Daniel Collins, 30, was working on a team reinforcing city pipes yesterday when he entered the sewer system and was caught in the current. Because...

Man Finds 4-Foot Snake Under Hood of Car

He has no idea how it got there

(Newser) - How's this for car troubles: A Massachusetts man found a four-foot-long boa constrictor curled around the engine of his car. Neighbors reported seeing the snake under a car yesterday afternoon, My Fox Boston explains. When police investigated, they found the snake clutching the engine for warmth; it took 30 minutes...

Dive-Bombing Bird Stops Mail in Canadian Town

(Newser) - Residents of a Calgary suburb will have to pick up their own mail, since it seems that a hawk in the area has a personal grudge against the local mail carrier. The bird, identified as a Swainson's hawk, started terrorizing the post office worker in June, once diving with such...

'Grand Prince of All Russia' Claims Ownership of Kremlin
'Grand Prince of All Russia' Claims Ownership of Kremlin
wacky lawsuits dept.
Aug 19, 2010 3:50 PM CDT

'Grand Prince of All Russia' Claims Ownership of Kremlin

Rurik descendant sues to get historic complex back

(Newser) - The descendants of a dynasty that ruled Russia for 600 years are suing for ownership of the Kremlin, AOL News reports. The claim is being made by Valery Kubarev, a man who can trace his family back to the Rurik dynasty, and is in fact its designated "Grand Prince...

Toad-Kissing Chef Fined
 Toad-Kissing Chef Fined 
Aug 12, 2010 5:10 AM CDT

Toad-Kissing Chef Fined

Inspectors not charmed by chef's toad-licking video

(Newser) - There's no place for toad kissing in restaurant kitchens, health inspectors warned an Iowa chef. The man was fined $335 after inspectors saw a video of him licking and kissing two small toads before putting them in his mouth, then placing them on a prep table, the AP reports. The...

Pea Plant Grows in Man's Lung

Mass. man survives after half-inch pea sprout removed

(Newser) - Massachusetts man Ron Sveden had been coughing for months and was braced for bad news when doctors told him they'd discovered a growth sprouting in his lung. Weeks of tests, however, revealed that it wasn't cancer, but a pea plant that had sprouted after apparently being swallowed the wrong way....

15 Unusual Allergies: Water, Vibration, Sex

(Newser) - Adverse reactions to water, vibration, and sex are just three of the weird allergies some people have. Or maybe it's just Californians. Los Angeles TV station KTLA also includes exercise (those with "cholinergic urticaria" may find themselves covered in hives after braving the StairMaster) and electromagnetic fields (sufferers of...

12 Craziest Plastic Surgery Procedures
 12 Craziest 
 Plastic Surgery 
 Procedures 
get dimples like these
Jul 5, 2010 2:10 PM CDT

12 Craziest Plastic Surgery Procedures

Dimpleplasty, eyebrow transplants, and other wacky stuff

(Newser) - Think Heidi Montag, with her laundry list of plastic surgery procedures, is a wackadoo? Her boob job and brow lift may seem downright pedestrian compared to these 12 totally crazy kinds of plastic surgery, compiled by the Daily Beast :
  1. Dimpleplasty: It sounds just like what it is: a procedure that
...

Utah Police Bust Naked Carjacker
Utah Police
Bust Naked
Carjacker
Jun 23, 2010 2:30 PM CDT

Utah Police Bust Naked Carjacker

Woman jumped out of one car and into another (then another)

(Newser) - Crime stories don’t get much stranger than this, folks: A woman was arrested in Utah yesterday after stealing a car in the nude—and the lack of clothes is barely the weirdest part. According to police, a man had parked his van on the side of the road to...

12 Craziest eBay Offerings
 12 Craziest eBay Offerings 
Jun 20, 2010 5:10 AM CDT

12 Craziest eBay Offerings

A little girl's grandma, some tart's knickers, and more

(Newser) - You can get some pretty strange stuff on eBay—like someone's grandma, for instance. The 10-year-old seller noted she was "cuddly" but also "annoying and moaning a lot." Oddee runs down 11 more really weird items that have gone up for auction:
  1. The Meaning of Life: Someone
...

Woman Dug Up, Lived With Remains of Husband, Twin

The 91-year-old had help, say police

(Newser) - A bizarre and sad case from Pennsylvania: Police say a 91-year-old woman retrieved the bodies of her late husband and twin sister after their burials and lived with their mummified remains. The body of Jean Stevens' husband, who died in 1999, was found in a rug in the garage, and...

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