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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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...

Alec Baldwin and 7 Other Stalked Celebs

Genevieve Sabourin arrested at actor's home

(Newser) - Alec Baldwin met Canadian actress Genevieve Sabourin back in 2002 while filming The Adventures of Pluto Nash, on which she was working as a publicist, and apparently he made such an impression on her that she's been stalking him ever since. Sabourin, 40, was arrested yesterday at Baldwin's...

Driver Hangs Up Keys After 576K Miles in One Car
Driver Hangs Up Keys After 576K Miles in One Car
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 8, 2012 7:00 PM CDT

Driver Hangs Up Keys After 576K Miles in One Car

Rachel Veitch, 93, has failing eyesight

(Newser) - Her eyesight failing her, a 93-year-old woman is quitting the road—which means her 1964 Mercury could be yours. It's got 576,000 miles on it, but it seems to have served Rachel Veitch well: She's the only person ever to have owned it, Fox News reports. The...

Man Proposes —in Court— to Woman Who Stabbed Him

Tiffany Baillie weeps when Gregory Todd presents the ring

(Newser) - Now that's unconditional love. A man in Britain has asked for a woman's hand in marriage—not long after she stabbed him in the back with a 12-inch knife. And he did it in court, the Telegraph reports. Tiffany Baillie has admitted to stabbing her boyfriend while he...

Ryanair Asks Crews to Lose Weight to Cut Fuel Costs

Amid other desperate attempts to reduce weight on flights

(Newser) - With fuel costs on the rise, Ryanair is desperately trying everything it can think of to shave some weight off its planes—including slimming down its in-flight magazine, serving less ice, and even telling its flight crews to watch their weight, the Telegraph reports. "We cut costs wherever possible,...

Ex-Boyfriend Gets Lap Full of Bleach While Driving

Ex-girlfriend faces battery charges

(Newser) - A cringe-worthy item from the crime blotter, as spotted by the Gainesville Sun : Police say a woman grabbed a bottle of bleach and proceeded to soak her ex-boyfriend's lap with it—while he was driving. This, the police report helpfully points out, "produced a burning sensation in the...

Now Georgia Town Cancels Egg Hunt Over Nuts Parents

Kids were reportedly 'trampled on' in the past

(Newser) - First Colorado Springs , now this: An annual Easter egg hunt in central Georgia has been canceled after organizers say parents became violent while trying to collect eggs for themselves and their children in past years. This will be the first time in years that the Easter Bunny won't be...

Suspected Teen Rape Victim Jailed

'She's a victim, not a criminal,' says her lawyer

(Newser) - A 17-year-old suspected rape victim is being held in a California juvenile detention facility to ensure that she'll show up to testify against her attacker. She failed to turn up at a preliminary hearing for her suspected assailant, forcing prosecutors to refile the case. “The last thing we...

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