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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Mexican State Bans 'Rambo,' 60 Other Odd Names

'Facebook,' 'Circumcision' also off-limits in Sonora

(Newser) - Parents in the Mexican state of Sonora will no longer be allowed to name their children "Facebook," ''Rambo," or 59 other now banned given names. The weird names have been found at least once in state registries and the list could grow because officials are...

Michael Jackson Fans Win 1 Euro Each for Distress

5 prove their case against Conrad Murray in French court

(Newser) - Lots of people around the world were distraught when Michael Jackson died, but only five have proven it in court. As AFP reports, the five won damages of 1 euro apiece against Jackson doctor Conrad Murray in a French courtroom today. They convinced the judge of their trauma in part...

Burger King Experiments With Apples in Burgers

Tomato-less burgers seem to be going over well in Japan

(Newser) - USA Today picks up on an odd food story out of Japan, where the burgers at Burger King tend to taste like apple pie. The reason? The new BK Ringo and the NY Whopper ditch tomatoes for slices of grilled apple. It also helps that the mayo is infused...

Cops Bust Banana Toting an AK-47

When PR stunts go wrong...

(Newser) - A Beaumont, Texas, gun shop got a little more attention that it had bargained for with a rather unusual promotional stunt—a teenager in a banana costume standing by the road with an AK-47 on Saturday morning. Police briefly detained the 18-year-old after fielding calls from concerned citizens who saw...

Man Electrocuted While Taking Facebook Photos

California resident died after snapping pics in family's tree

(Newser) - A California man met a tragic end over the weekend when he climbed a tree to take photos of the sunset and electrocuted himself. David Strohm Jr., 27, climbed a tree in his parents' backyard Saturday in Tustin, Calif., snapped the sunset pics, and posted one on Facebook shortly after...

Couple Die Hours Apart, Unaware of Other's Death

Olympia and Michael DeNittis had been married for 67 years

(Newser) - A New Jersey couple that was married for 67 years died just a day apart even though each didn't know of the other's death, Huffington Post reports. Olympia DeNittis, 95, died last Sunday in Edison, NJ, after a bout with pneumonia, the Asbury Park Press reports. Michael DeNittis,...

Locked in Bathroom, US Bobsledder Bashes Door

Sochi bathrooms are just not getting a ton of good press

(Newser) - Johnny Quinn found himself yesterday in a position we can all relate to: On the wrong side of a locked door. But the door in question was to one of Sochi's now-storied bathrooms , and Quinn is an American bobsledder and former NFL player in possession of more than a...

Bank of America Sends Offer to &#39;Lisa Is A Slut&#39;
Bank of America Sends
Offer to 'Lisa Is A Slut'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 9, 2014 8:00 AM CST

Bank of America Sends Offer to 'Lisa Is A Slut'

Feminist writer wasn't amused

(Newser) - Feminist writer Lisa McIntire was shocked to receive a credit card offer from Bank of America with "Is A Slut" added to her name. "Lisa Is A Slut McIntire, you've earned this special offer," read the mailer that arrived at the home of McIntire's mother,...

Future Car Accessory: A Drone?

Renault's concept car Kwid envisions 'flying companion'

(Newser) - A new Renault concept SUV comes with a buddy: a drone that soars out of a roof hatch to investigate traffic conditions or maybe off-roading hazards. Were the "flying companion," as the company calls it, to be produced, it would be about the size of a small bird,...

Band Bills Military $666K for Using Its Song at Gitmo

Skinny Puppy says its music was used as a 'weapon'

(Newser) - Some bands are "proud" when their music is used to interrogate Guantanamo Bay detainees; other bands, not so much . You can count Skinny Puppy among the latter group. The Canadian industrial rock band says it has invoiced the US military for $666,000 after finding out its music was...

Big Mouth Billy Bass May Have Foiled Burglary

Singing novelty fish fell from his perch during alleged would-be crime

(Newser) - Remember when Big Mouth Billy Bass, a motion-activated, singing bass, was all the rage? It seems the nearly inanimate object is now being lauded as a bit of a hero by authorities in Rochester, Minn., who say the novelty bass thwarted a robbery on Sunday night. The owner of Hooked...

Man Could Get 18 Months in Jail for Peeing on Alamo

Texan pleads guilty, will have to pay hefty fine, too

(Newser) - On April 14, 2012, Daniel Athens just couldn't hold it any longer, so he ducked under a chain and relieved himself on the big building behind it. Because that building happened to be the Alamo—as in, the Alamo—the 23-year-old found himself in a San Antonio court yesterday...

Maine Police Investigate Screams, Find Amorous Pig

Neighbor thought it was domestic violence; it wasn't

(Newser) - Police responding to reports of screams coming from a home in Maine didn't find a victim of domestic violence as they feared. Instead, they found an amorous pig. State police say a woman called last week after hearing what she believed to be a fight coming from a neighbor'...

Man's Incredible Year-at-Sea Story Is 'Plausible'

Mexican officials seem to back some details of Jose Salvador Alvarenga's tale

(Newser) - A mysterious man drifted ashore in the Marshall Islands last week, and his story is almost unbelievable—but is it too unbelievable? A refresher : Jose Salvador Alvarenga says he and a teen named Ezekiel set out from Mexico in December 2012 and ended up adrift at sea; Ezekiel perished, but...

Calif. Man Pulls Gun on Girl Selling Cookies

Cops say he opened door to Girl Scout with gun in his hand

(Newser) - No more Thin Mints for this guy: A California man has been arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at a young girl who was selling cookies door-to-door. Police say that when the girl knocked on the door of John Dodrill, 59, he answered with a gun pointed at her, the...

In Antarctica, a Waterfall Runs Red

Inside the wonders of Blood Falls

(Newser) - It's as eerie as it is breathtaking and surprising: a waterfall in Antarctica that runs blood-red. The appropriately named Blood Falls drops five stories from the Taylor Glacier and into Lake Bonney, its bright red hue like a wound through the glacier. The Smithsonian digs into the story behind...

Couple Die Having Sex in Car
 Couple Die Having Sex in Car 
Feb 3, 2014 2:33 AM CST

Couple Die Having Sex in Car

They left engine running inside garage

(Newser) - A Pennsylvania couple apparently overcome by passion made the fatal mistake of leaving the engine running after they pulled into a Williamsport garage and had sex in their car, police say. The bodies of the partially clad couple, both 40 years old, were found inside the vehicle, which had run...

Meet the Guys Building World's Tallest Flagpoles

Trident Support makes them for governments in Middle East, Asia

(Newser) - Marc Summers and David Chambers got their start in defense logistics, but their company, Trident Support Corporation, now focuses on something rather different: Building really, really big flagpoles. They built the tallest one in the world, a 541-footer in Dushanbe, Tajikistan; they also built the prior record-holder in Baku, Azerbaijan,...

To Scratch That Itch, Get a ... Mirror?
 To Scratch That Itch, 
 Get a ... Mirror? 
STUDY SAYS
Feb 2, 2014 10:45 AM CST

To Scratch That Itch, Get a ... Mirror?

Scientists hit upon unusual solution for hard-to-reach itches

(Newser) - Scientists have come upon a trick to battle hard-to-reach itches—and it doesn't require any medical gear. All you need is a mirror. The researchers in Germany injected 26 men's right arms with histamine, which causes an itch and a red mark. They then painted a similar mark...

Why 3 Women Ditched Toilet Paper


 Why 3 Women 
 Ditched Toilet Paper 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 2, 2014 6:50 AM CST

Why 3 Women Ditched Toilet Paper

They tell Huff Post Live of their switch to reusable cloths to help the environment

(Newser) - There's going green—dutifully recycling, switching to Al-Gore-approved light bulbs, reusing your grocery bags—and then there's this: going without toilet paper. Three women explain to Huff Post Live why they made the switch to reusable cloths and discuss the logistics of the choice that even they admit...

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