strange stuff

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

Stories 3501 - 3520 | << Prev   Next >>

Magician's Head Set on Fire on Dominican TV

No, it was not an illusion

(Newser) - An American magician was recuperating yesterday in the Dominican Republic after a local television show host lit his head on fire with a flammable cologne. California native Wayne Houchin said he is receiving treatment for burns that doctors are cautiously optimistic will not result in scars. A statement on his...

To Save Troops From Deadly Snakes, US Relies on ... Iran

Despite sanctions, we buy antivenin through middleman

(Newser) - The US leads the charge when it comes to economic sanctions against Iran—but when American soldiers' health is at stake, the military is willing to do a little business with the Islamic republic. Iran produces antivenin against the poisonous snakes of Afghanistan; our own antivenins are toothless against such...

This Exists: Mustache Surgery
 This Exists: Mustache Surgery 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 2, 2012 7:00 PM CST

This Exists: Mustache Surgery

And it's increasingly popular among Mideast men

(Newser) - As Movember has proved , not all mustaches are the bushy stuff of legend. That's apparently a bit of a problem in the Middle East, where the facial hair signifies both wisdom and virility, and it's leading more and more men to undergo mustache surgery. Seriously. CNN reports that...

Gunmen Steal $11.5M in Gold From Fishing Boat

Curacao police say robbers posed as customs officials

(Newser) - Here's a fishy one: Police on the Caribbean island of Curacao say they are investigating after armed men robbed a fishing boat of $11.5 million in gold bars on Friday, the AP reports. The alleged robbers wore police jackets and told the boat's crew they were customs...

Man Blind From Vodka Is Cured by Whisky

New Zealander says doctors saved him with Johnny Walker Black

(Newser) - Talk about a hair of the dog that bit you: A New Zealand man went into surgery after literally drinking himself blind this summer, and doctors cured him with a healthy dose of Johnny Walker Black, the New Zealand Herald reports. Denis Duthie, 65, was celebrating his parents' 50th wedding...

John McAfee: I&#39;ve Been Captured
John McAfee:
I've Been Captured
Dec 2, 2012 2:27 PM CST

John McAfee: I've Been Captured

But Belize authorities don't agree

(Newser) - Another weird twist in the John McAfee story: A website he set up claims he's been captured, but Belize authorities say it's not true, the Guardian reports. "We have received an unconfirmed report that John McAfee has been captured at the border of Belize and Mexico,"...

Strange and Scary Things We Do While Sleeping

Sleepers have been known to eat, text, and make whoopie

(Newser) - So you think mumbling in your sleep is weird? Hold on to your pillow, because the BBC reports on some of the truly weird things people do while sleeping:
  • Sleep texting: If you're glued to your smartphone during the day, you may end up sending incomprehensible texts while sleeping.
...

Man Gets Ticket After Running Himself Over
Man Gets Ticket After
Running Himself Over
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 2, 2012 11:13 AM CST

Man Gets Ticket After Running Himself Over

Brakes on his pickup failed

(Newser) - In the and-you-thought-you-had-a-bad-day department: A driver in Salem, Massachusetts, managed to run himself over when the brakes on his pickup truck failed, reports the Boston Globe . Brian Reynolds tried to slow his truck by sticking out his foot and driving up a hill, the result being that he fell out...

'Highway House' Owner Finally Caves

Chinese farmer Luo Baogen lets officials demolish his home

(Newser) - A symbol of resistance in China has finally bit the dust. An elderly couple had refused to give up their house even though a highway was built around it—and the quirky image became an Internet sensation, the Guardian reports. But duck farmer Luo Baogen, 67, and his wife eventually...

North Korea: We've Found a Unicorn Lair

And Serbians say a legendary vampire is on the loose

(Newser) - North Korea not only has a sexy leader —it also lays claim to a bona fide unicorn lair, the Daily Mail reports. The very serious-sounding History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences released a report about it, saying the unicorn's refuge was outside a temple in...

Shooting Victim: My Breast Implants Saved Me

They 'took the brunt of the force,' she testifies

(Newser) - Critics of breast implants like to cite possible side effects , but now advocates can mention their life-saving potential: A woman in Canada says hers protected her in a shooting. "My implants took the brunt of the force," Eileen Likness testified at the trial of an ex-boyfriend accused of...

Romney Face-Tattoo Guy Changes His Mind

Eric Hartsburg bugged by Romney's 'gifts' comment

(Newser) - If you ask us, it seems a little two-faced. Just two weeks after he said he had no regrets about his Mitt Romney face tattoo, Eric Hartsburg has decided to accept an offer to have it removed for free, reports Politico . What's behind the change of heart? He apparently...

A Zebra and Pony Running Wild in Staten Island? Yep

They escaped from a petting zoo

(Newser) - A Staten Island business owner shot video today of a decidedly weird scene: A Shetland pony and a zebra were galloping through a strip mall parking lot, reports the Staten Island Advance . Turns out Razzi (the zebra) and Casper (the pony) escaped from a nearby petting zoo, and both are...

Protesting EU Farmers Spray Cops With ... Milk?

They're protesting low milk prices

(Newser) - Thousands of enraged dairy farmers converged on the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday, and sprayed the building, and the cops who showed up to contain them, with their stock in trade: milk. The protesters arrived on tractors, blocked traffic along many of the city's main streets, then pulled out...

The Latest Student Craze: 'Milking'

British students like pouring milk on their heads

(Newser) - What an udder delight: Students in England have taken to pouring entire bottles of milk on themselves in apparent protest against "being milked by the government," the Guardian reports. And they've filmed themselves doing it all over—in hotels, shopping malls, roundabouts, and gas stations. It's...

'12 Days of Christmas' Gifts Will Set You Back $107K

Hey, swans-a-swimming aren't cheap

(Newser) - The perfect gift for that person who seems to have everything? How about 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, and, well, you get the idea. This year, if you tried to buy all 364 items from the "12 Days of Christmas" song, including that partridge in...

Drunk Driver Dangles Off Overpass

Matthew Hamilton had a .50 blood alcohol level

(Newser) - Need a reminder about the dangers of driving at .50 blood alcohol level? An inebriated Oregon man dangled off an overpass in his truck for nearly an hour yesterday while rescue crews struggled to save him, the Oregonian reports. Matthew Hamilton, 38, had driven his pickup off an overpass in...

Woman Arrested After Riding a Manatee

Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez says she didn't realize it was illegal

(Newser) - Not a good idea: Riding an endangered sea animal. Really not a good idea: Allowing yourself to be photographed while doing so. After pictures surfaced of Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez, 53, riding a manatee in Florida two months ago, she was arrested yesterday at the Sears where she works, the...

Whoops: Much-Mapped Island Doesn&#39;t Actually Exist
 Whoops: 
 Much-Mapped 
 Island Doesn't 
 Actually Exist 
in case you missed it
Nov 25, 2012 9:40 AM CST

Whoops: Much-Mapped Island Doesn't Actually Exist

Scientists head to Sandy Island, find nothing

(Newser) - Planning an island vacation? A word to the wise: Don't visit Sandy Island, supposedly off Australia's northeast coast. It's simply not there. Scientists at the University of Sydney journeyed to the spot where the island is supposed to be according to many maps (including Google's). Between...

How the Nose Really Does Give Away Liars

 Why the Nose 
 Heats Up 
 When We Lie 
study says
Nov 24, 2012 6:05 PM CST

Why the Nose Heats Up When We Lie

Spanish scientists call it 'The Pinocchio Effect'

(Newser) - So Pinocchio wasn't that far-fetched after all: The nose may not grow when we lie, but two Spanish scientists say it does get noticeably warmer. Using thermal imaging cameras on volunteers, Emilio Gómez Milán and Elvira Salazar López found that nose temperature changed depending on their...

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