strange stuff

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

Stories 2641 - 2660 | << Prev   Next >>

Private Guards Watch Teen Criminal Around the Clock

German authorities find unusual solution for kid too young for jail

(Newser) - German authorities are dealing with a criminal so prolific and unrepentant that he warrants his own set of private security guards to watch him seven days a week. Also, he just turned 14. The Local picks up on a report in the German newspaper Bild about the unusual case: As...

Iowa Pair Orders McD's Burgers, Gets Pot With That

No, not Colorado, and no, it wasn't a happy meal

(Newser) - While many might hit their local fast-food joint to chase away the excesses of the night before, an Iowa couple found the excess itself tucked between the patties of their McDonald's double cheeseburgers. As they were chowing down one evening last month in Ottumwa, the couple noticed what the...

Danish Government Yanks Own Video Over Sex, Violence

'Voteman' character proved a little too graphic

(Newser) - It's a cartoon video made by the government designed to encourage young people to vote. Probably cheesy or hokey, you'd think? Try laden with sex (of the group variety, no less), violence (including a decapitation), and cartoon nudity. Meet "Voteman," a concoction of the Danish government....

Ill-Advised Selfie Leads to Guy's Arrest

He was bragging about what a good drug dealer he was, and then...

(Newser) - Pro tip: It may not be a great idea to post selfies on Facebook that show you dealing drugs ... particularly if you were doing so next to sheriff's deputies. That's what Taylor Harrison, a 21-year-old South Florida man, allegedly did before he was arrested last week, First Coast...

'Exploding Head Syndrome' Is Real: Experts

Sufferers hear loud noises before or after sleep

(Newser) - OK, it doesn't involve one's head literally exploding, but "exploding head syndrome" is no joke, say experts. "It's a provocative and understudied phenomenon," says psychologist Brian Sharpless of Washington State University after a review of studies. Sufferers experience explosive-sounding noises during transitions between waking...

Official Message to Boston Drivers: 'Use Yah Blinkah'

State DOT draws some attention to its safety push

(Newser) - Massachusetts' DOT wanted to make Boston drivers familiar with the foreign idea of signalling before lane changes, but they probably didn't expect this many national headlines as a result. The reason, as CBS Boston explains, is that the DOT's electronic highway signs have the message "Use Yah...

ATMs Learn Self-Defense From Acid-Spraying Bug

Beetle's spray system offers model for cash machines

(Newser) - The ATM is getting a lesson in self-defense—from a bug. Researchers in Switzerland were inspired by the bombardier beetle, which shoots out a gas that can burn skin, the Atlantic reports. The beetle's mechanism works by mixing two chemicals normally kept separate in its abdomen. When under attack,...

Woman Has Neighbors' Home Bulldozed: Cops

That's one way to deal with a person you don't like

(Newser) - Authorities say a northeast Florida woman who didn't like her neighbors had their mobile home demolished. According to an arrest report, Ana Maria Moreta Folch of St. Augustine told a heavy equipment operator that she owned the trailer and wanted it and its septic tank destroyed. The Florida Times-Union...

Flying Deer Kills New Mexico Man

Deer was hit by car before striking Ben Archibeque

(Newser) - Authorities in northern New Mexico say a 30-year-old man was fatally injured when a deer struck by another motorist was thrown into the car carrying the victim and his mother. Police say Benardino "Ben" Archibeque of Brazos was traveling north on US 64/84 near Chama when the accident occurred...

Newly Engaged Women Getting $1,200 'Hand Lifts'

Yes, this is a thing

(Newser) - So you just got engaged, and you want to show your fancy new ring off to the world ... but what to do about the sad state of your hands? That's apparently the thought process that goes through some women's minds, because, as the Daily Dot reports, "hand...

Man on Dating Show Reveals He's a Lady Killer—Literally

Sefer Calinak murdered two women, served short sentences each time

(Newser) - It's tough to find love when you've murdered multiple previous lovers. Perhaps that's what drove Sefer Calinak to appear on the Turkish dating show Luck of the Draw, where he cheerfully admitted killing his first wife and another woman, the Hurriyet Daily News reports. Calinak married his...

Another Rare Shark Is Caught
 Another Rare Shark Is Caught 
May 8, 2014 2:16 PM CDT

Another Rare Shark Is Caught

Megamouth is landed in Japan

(Newser) - First came the strange-looking goblin shark caught off the Florida Keys. Now comes another exceedingly rare creature from the deep: a megamouth shark caught in Japanese waters, reports the West Australian . Fishermen brought up the 13-foot-long, 1,500-pound shark from a depth of 2,600 feet, and about 1,500...

Spain Cops Bust Guy With 'Cocaine Sandwich'

Ham, cheese, 100g of coke—you know, the usual

(Newser) - In other circumstances, lunch might consist of a sandwich and a Coke, but Spanish police say they have arrested a Colombian national living in a resort town for his variant on the theme—the cocaine sandwich. As Sky News reports, the concoction "contained ham, melted cheese, and nine cylinders...

Man's Heart Moves to His Right Side, and Back

Motorcycle accident has 'unique' consequence

(Newser) - Talk about heart-wrenching: An Italian man’s heart rotated 90 degrees to the right after a motorcycle accident, placing it in the right side of his body in a case that’s understandably being described as "unique," LiveScience reports. The unidentified 48-year-old rider suffered punctured lungs, broken ribs,...

90-Year-Old Drug Mule Handed Prison on Birthday

Leo Sharp is also a World War II veteran

(Newser) - Leo Sharp turned 90 yesterday ... while sitting in federal court in Detroit, where he was sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in a drug smuggling operation. The Indiana man, a World War II veteran, was convicted of hauling cocaine between Mexico and Detroit for a Mexican...

Yawning? Your Brain May Be Overheated
 Yawning? Your 
 Brain May Be 
 Overheated 
study says
May 7, 2014 4:13 PM CDT

Yawning? Your Brain May Be Overheated

Tiredness can affect body temperature

(Newser) - If you're yawning a lot, check the temperature: Researchers say we may yawn when it's warm out because that cools down the brain. In the study , which agrees with earlier research , experts at the University of Vienna showed pictures of yawns to pedestrians in Austria and Arizona, ScienceDaily...

17% of Us Would Have Sex With a Robot

Well, 'us' being the Brits who took a poll

(Newser) - Roughly 17% of us would have sex with a robot—"us," in this case, being Brits. A survey conducted by the University of Middlesex asked 2,000 people their thoughts on a range of robot-related questions, and the copulation question in particular is getting a lot of attention....

Woman Busted for Loud Sex on Plane
Woman Busted for Loud Sex
on Plane
May 7, 2014 10:30 AM CDT

Woman Busted for Loud Sex on Plane

Oh, and her parents were also on the Vegas-bound flight

(Newser) - A drunk British woman decided it would be a good idea to join the mile-high club with a man she'd just met on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Las Vegas last week ... and the monumentally bad idea ended up getting her in serious trouble. Possibly the weirdest...

China Military's 'Secret Weapon': Trained Monkeys

But they go after birds, not humans

(Newser) - We've got military dogs and even military dolphins . But military monkeys? The Chinese army is on it, though the special unit is trained to go after birds rather than enemy soldiers, reports the People's Daily Online . The army has trained a small group of macaque monkeys to rid...

It&#39;s Normal to See Jesus in Your Toast
 It's Normal 
 to See Jesus 
 in Your Toast 
study says
May 7, 2014 8:23 AM CDT

It's Normal to See Jesus in Your Toast

The brain is hardwired to do it, study finds

(Newser) - Do you see Jesus in your morning toast or the Virgin Mary on a potato chip? Turns out that's perfectly normal, according to a new study by Canadian and Chinese researchers. “Our findings suggest that it's common for people to see non-existent features because human brains are...

Stories 2641 - 2660 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser