Strange Days's topics - tribe.net

Tongue-eating bug

2008-05-31T22:19:51Z

Tongue-eating bug found in fish

A gross creature which gobbles up a fish's tongue and then replaces it with its own body has been found in Britain for the first time.
The bug - which has the scientific name cymothoa exigua - was discovered inside the mouth of a red snapper bought from a London fishmonger.
The 3.5cm creature had grabbed onto the fish's tongue and slowly ate away at it until only a stub was left.
It then latched onto the stub and became the fish's "replacement tongue".

Scientists are very excited by the find.
Dr Jim Brock of the Horniman Museum in south London told Metro newspaper: "I have not seen this species in all my 13 years at the museum so it's a remarkable find."

The bugs are usually found off the coast of California, so it's possible the fish was imported to the UK.

But don't be too freaked out - scientists say the creature does not pose any threat to humans and only attaches itself to fish tongues.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4200000/newsid_4209000/4209004.stm

posted in Strange Days - 2 replies

9/11 strangeness

2008-05-27T00:31:02Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Human remains thought to be from victims of the September 11 attacks have been discovered by utility workers removing rubble from manholes where the World Trade Center once stood, a city official said on Friday.

"Human remains were recovered. We will be trying to do what we can to try to identify those remains," said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the chief medical examiner. She said the office will run DNA tests in hopes of matching the parts with existing profiles gathered since the attacks.

Local media reports said a few arm and leg bones had been found, but Borakove would not confirm that.

More than five years later, only 1,150 of the 2,749 victims of the New York attack have been identified.

THE 21st CENTURY IN PICTURES

Patterns of Belief
View Slideshow

Families of victims have called repeatedly for a thorough search of the grounds.

"We can no longer rely on accidental discoveries," the WTC Families for Proper Burial said in a statement. "May this awful news be the catalyst needed to go back and do the job well."

The manholes had been covered by a temporary road paved soon after the attacks to allow cranes in to remove debris.

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

German Cannibal gets new sentence

2006-05-09T16:29:41Z

fRANKFURT (Reuters) - A German court Tuesday handed down a life sentence for murder to Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal jailed for killing a man and feeding on his flesh, overturning a previous manslaughter conviction.

Meiwes, 44, was on trial for the second time after Germany's top criminal court ruled his 2004 conviction was too lenient.

Meiwes severed the penis of computer engineer Bernd-Juergen Brandes in a bizarre pact hatched over the Internet. Both men tried to eat the severed organ, but without success. After heavy bleeding, Brandes finally fell unconscious.

Believing him to be dead, Meiwes laid his victim on a bench and plunged a knife into his neck while videotaping what he was doing. He later froze parts of the body and ate some of it.

The Frankfurt court ruling means Meiwes could be eligible for parole after serving a mandatory 15 years in jail.

Last week, prosecutors demanded Meiwes' original eight-year manslaughter sentence be overturned and that he be jailed for life, arguing that he could murder again and this time without his victim's agreement.

Prosecution lawyers argued that Meiwes had killed to satisfy his sexual urges but his defense team said he had acted on his victim's request, a crime similar to euthanasia which in Germany carries a maximum prison term of five years.

During the trial, the court heard how Meiwes made contact with Brandes over the Internet and then met him at his home in the western town of Rotenburg in 2001.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

You can offer, but no thank you.

2005-11-04T02:59:38Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A handful of hardy souls will descend on a quiet English village this weekend to stuff their mouths full of stinging nettles in a bizarre competition which started as an argument in a pub.

Combatants will gather at The Bottle Inn in Marshwood, southwest England, Saturday night to take part in the 9th annual World Nettle Eating Championship.

It is a mouth-watering prospect. Competitors must pluck and eat as many leaves as they can from the feathery, stinging plants in the space of one hour. Their achievement is measured in feet and inches -- the combined length of the bare stems they discard.

"You have to adopt the correct technique to stand any chance of winning," said Shane Pym, landlord of the Bottle Inn. www.thebottleinn.co.uk. "The art is to fold the top of the leaf inwards, get it past the lips, crunch it and then get it down the neck. You can't let your mouth get dry or you will get stung."

The championship has a short but colorful history. It started in 1986 as a heated argument in the pub between two farmers who both claimed that the nettles at the back of their silage pits were the longest. The landlady of the Bottle Inn intervened and declared an competition to resolve the dispute. Other farmers were also invited to take part.

Three years later, local man Alex Williams threw down a gauntlet to his rivals in the shape of a nettle measuring 15 feet 6 inches. If anyone could produce a longer one, he boasted, he would eat it. For the next eight years, Williams was forced -- almost literally -- to eat his words. Each year, someone would step forward with a longer nettle and, each year, Williams would dutifully chomp his way though it.

In 1997, the event evolved in to a straight fight to eat the most nettles, a format which has endured until now.

The rules are strict. Competitors cannot wear gloves and must eat the leaves of ordinary "Urtica Dioica" stinging nettles supplied by the pub. Beer is allowed but mouth-numbing drugs are strictly forbidden.

Around 40 entrants are expected to take part this year and while most of them are local farmers from rural Dorset, a few are coming from Ireland and Belgium to take part.

Last year's winner ate 42 feet's worth of nettle leaves while the world record is an impressive 74 feet.

"We've never had any serious injuries but we do have ambulance men standing by, just in case," Pym said. "It can sometimes get a little bit contentious."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050617/od_nm/britain_nettles_dc;_ylt=ApAe5T.f458iGJ_n6bMMPQvtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

Arrested Cows

2005-07-31T16:51:23Z

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4725737.stm

Stray Nigerian cows face arrest

A number of accidents have been caused by stray cattle
Officials in a northern Nigerian city have announced they will arrest stray animals after a number of accidents. The animals' owners will also be fined by the mobile squad set up in Kaduna.

A Kaduna official said any owners who did not pay the fine will see their beast auctioned off. The fine for a stray cow will be $15.

In July, an Air France plane ploughed into a herd of cows as it landed. In May, 25 people died when a lorry swerved to miss a cow and hit a bus.

Kaduna state's environment commissioner, Mohammed Musa Baba, told AFP news agency that strays were "a serious menace and a health hazard".

"The state government has established mobile courts, backed by law, to arrest and detain any animals seen roaming the streets, especially cows, sheep and goats, which move in herds," he said.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

WAR GAMES

2005-07-24T03:44:00Z

Gary McKinnon, 39, of London, England, faces extradition to
the United States, which says he perpetrated the "biggest military
computer hack of all time." McKinnon admits he penetrated U.S. military
and NASA computers trying to get information on UFOs -- and learned all
sorts of secrets. Like what?, a reporter asked him. "I found a list of
officers' names, under the heading 'Non-Terrestrial Officers'," plus "a
list of ship names. I looked them up. They weren't U.S. Navy ships.
What I saw made me believe they have some kind of spaceship, off-
planet." What sort of names did the ships have? "I can't remember. I
was smoking a lot of dope at the time."

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

What was that I almost hit?

2005-07-13T21:51:13Z

DALLAS - The body of a Louisiana man strapped to a gurney fell from the back of a pickup truck Tuesday onto a south Dallas highway and into the path of oncoming traffic. "I didn't think it was possible for that to happen," said Mary Ellen Douglas, who was driving to work when she saw what she initially thought was a package that had fallen from a truck. "I wanted to get out of there. It was too freaky for me," she said in a story in Wednesday's editions of The Dallas Morning News.

Authorities said the driver was carrying the body to a Shreveport, La., funeral home after the man died Monday at a Mesquite hospital. "The driver of the truck was not aware that he had lost the body," Dallas police Lt. Rick Andrews said. "He saw the open door. He stopped and looked. He turned around, went back and retraced his steps and found the body." Drivers swerved to avoid the corpse and gurney.

Dallas police Senior Cpl. Max Geron said no charges are expected to be filed.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Bigfoot Gone Bad

2005-07-13T14:34:54Z

Mt. Pleasant/Alma, Michigan
The Morning Sun
Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Not Bigfoot, just a guy in a shaggy outfit
By MARK RANZENBERGER
Sun Staff Writer

It wasn't Bigfoot.

That big, hairy creature spotted by Clare County sheriff's deputies on
Harding Road north of M-115 wasn't the mythical, frightening stalker of
the North Woods. But the deputies weren't quite sure what they had for a while.

It was, according to Lt. Richard T. Miller, a man dressed in a serious
camouflage outfit called a ghillie suit. Those suits add to the camouflage effect by adding strings of jute or burlap, breaking up the outline of the wearer. They are useful in hunting and surveillance, according to manufacturers.

"Apparently, the man was playing with his two nephews and decided to put
on this stringy outfit, Miller said. "He got next to the road to play
jokes on passing cars. One car passed. Then the plan started to come apart. The next two cars down Harding Road were sheriff's department patrol cars. Deputies ordered Bigfoot to put his paws in the air.

Two other people were spotted running into the woods toward a log cabin,
Miller said. The deputies called for backup. "State Police, along with another sheriff's car, arrived shortly afterward, Miller said. The deputies and trooper wanted to make sure the people running into the woods weren't breaking into residences, a problem in rural Clare County. "It was confirmed that the people running in the woods and the man dressed in the stringy outfit belonged there", Miller said. He said deputies explained that seeing a large, hairy creature standing by the road might prove distracting for passing drivers, and that wasn't a good idea.

Bigfoot "left with his tail between his legs, Miller said and "stated
there will not be a sighting of him again."

The names of the people involved were not released.

via http://www.lorencoleman.com

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

Astrologist sues NASA over Deep Impact comet collision

2005-07-04T15:39:05Z

Astrologist sues NASA over crash

Monday, July 4, 2005; Posted: 4:45 a.m. EDT (08:45 GMT)

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- A Russian astrologist who says NASA has altered her horoscope by crashing a spacecraft into a comet is suing the U.S. space agency for damages of $300 million, local media has reported.

NASA deliberately crashed its probe, named Deep Impact, into the Tempel 1 comet to unleash a spray of material formed billions of years ago which scientists hope will shed new light on the composition of the solar system.

"It is obvious that elements of the comet's orbit, and correspondingly the ephemeris, will change after the explosion, which interferes with my astrology work and distorts my horoscope," Izvestia daily quoted astrologist Marina Bai as saying in legal documents submitted before Monday's collision.

A spokeswoman for a Moscow district court said initial preparations for the case were underway but could not say when the hearing would begin. NASA representatives in Moscow were unavailable for comment.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

A New Sport....Condom catching?

2005-05-23T20:14:04Z

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/weird_news/11660057.htm

Milwaukee confident on catching condoms

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE - After spending more than $1.8 million for a temporary system to catch stray condoms slipping through a sewage treatment plant, a Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District spokesman says officials are fairly confident a majority of condoms are now being caught before they can reach Lake Michigan.

Bill Graffin commented Thursday, more than two years after a fisherman reported seeing what he called a slick of thousands of condoms floating in the lake following a heavy rainstorm in April of 2003.

Initially, a single laborer armed with a swimming pool skimmer was posted at the chlorine tanks at the Jones Island treatment plant to capture condoms that survived earlier phases of screening at the plant.

The manual scooping was supplemented during the summers of 2003 and 2004, when MMSD also had the crew of the district's 43-foot research boat fishing for condoms that made it through the plant and into the harbor.

A system of 24 large nets to catch condoms was installed early last year, but officials say they clog with algae and other debris, requiring them to be changed every two or three weeks. But district officials say the net system is meant to be only a short-term fix.

They say "bar screens" with three-quarter-inch spacing which act as a sieve at the front of the plant, where raw sewage enters, will be replaced with screens with quarter-inch spacing, but that $23 million effort is not expected to be completed until 2009.

"If we need to take more steps, we don't know what they would be," Graffin said.

posted in Strange Days - 2 replies

Now I know people will collect anything....

2005-05-21T03:40:06Z

http://www.weirdfortunecookies.com/

"The greatest danger could be your stupidity."

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Way eeewwww!!

2005-04-29T02:38:58Z

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Doctors found around 50 maggots in the ears of an 84-year-old Thai man after he went to hospital complaining of an itch.

Wednesday's Nation newspaper said Anan Temtan, who lives in the tsunami-hit southern resort island of Phuket, had used cotton buds to relieve the itching, but had scratched so hard his eardrums ruptured and started bleeding.

"We believe flies might have gone inside his ears to lay eggs, which hatched into larvae and caused the itching," said Somsak Nonthasri, the doctor who treated him.

Somsak, who used tweezers and a small suction device to remove the maggots, said Anan would be kept in for observation for a while to make sure no more eggs hatched.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Envirionmentally friendly death

2005-04-29T02:36:48Z

CANBERRA (Reuters) - It will be standing room only for those being buried at a new Australian cemetery that aims to provide cheap, environmentally friendly burials.

Australia's Victoria state government has approved plans for the cemetery at Darlington, 200 km (125 miles) southwest of the Victorian capital Melbourne, where corpses will be buried vertically in body bags -- instead of caskets -- on grazing land. "When you die, you are returned to the earth with a minimum of fuss and with no paraphernalia that would affect the environment," a spokesman for Palacom, which will establish the cemetery, told Australian Associated Press on Thursday.

"You're not burning 90 kg of gas in a crematorium and there's no ongoing maintenance costs."

He said burials would cost about A$1,000 ($781), with bodies held in a morgue in Melbourne and transported to the cemetery in batches of up to 15 in a bid to reduce costs. Animals would be allowed to graze on the land again once it was stable.

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

Doll mistaken for alien

2005-04-23T02:57:51Z

Hey, it was the logical conclusion. What else could it have been?

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1327504.html?menu=news.quirkies.quirkygaffes

A burnt rubber doll was mistaken for a badly injured alien and taken to a hospital in Brazil.

It happened after people in Aracruz found a burnt 'body' on the ground after seeing a fireball fall from the sky.

A police spokesman told Terra Noticias Populares: "Many people were terrified thinking that an alien invasion was taking place.

"They thought the doll was a burnt ET and more than 50 people called the station."

The 'alien' was taken to the local hospital where doctors soon confirmed it was a burnt rubber doll.

A hospital spokesman said: "It was obviously a practical joke but we wonder who would do that in such a small and quiet town."

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Just To Prove Minnesota Can Be a Back Water...

2005-04-23T00:51:45Z

School Suspends 2 Over 'Vagina' Buttons

Fri Apr 22, 7:48 AM ET Strange News - AP

WINONA, Minn. - The off-Broadway hit "The Vagina Monologues" has gotten two high school students into trouble. The students were admonished for wearing buttons inspired by the show that say "I (heart) My Vagina." The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has offered to help students fight any consequences from their actions.

The trouble started last month after student Carrie Rethlefsen saw Eve Ensler's play about female sexuality and sexual violence against women. Rethlefsen and fellow student Emily Nixon soon began wearing the buttons. "We can't really find out what is inappropriate about it," Rethlefsen, 18, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "I don't think banning things like that is appropriate." As a show of support, more than 100 students have ordered T-shirts bearing "I (heart) My Vagina" for girls and "I Support Your Vagina" for boys.

Principal Nancy Wondrasch said some in school find the buttons offensive. "We support free speech," she said. "But when it does infringe on other people's rights and our school policies, then we need to take a look at that."

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Monkey needs to kick the habit!

2005-04-23T00:47:32Z

Zoo Tries to Get Chimp to Kick the Habit

Fri Apr 22, 2:02 PM ET
Strange News - AP

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - A South African zoo wants a chimpanzee to quit smoking cold turkey.

Keepers say Charlie the chimpanzee picked up the habit from visitors at the Bloemfontein Zoo who sometimes toss him cigarettes. "It looks funny to see a chimp smoking," a zoo spokesman said, but Charlie's trick could cost him his health. The zoo is asking people to stop tossing cigarettes and contributing to the chimp's habit. A zoo official says Charlie "acts like a naughty schoolboy" and hides his cigarettes when workers are around.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

My sister lives near San Antonio....

2005-04-23T00:41:33Z

Candidate Admits Using Twin as Stand-In

Fri Apr 22, 9:04 AM ET
Oddly Enough - Reuters

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - The leading candidate for mayor of San Antonio admitted on Thursday using his twin brother as a stand-in at a civic event without telling anyone it was not him.

Julian Castro, a 30-year-old city councilman, said brother Joaquin, his identical twin, rode for him in the annual River Parade through downtown San Antonio on Monday.

Videos showed Joaquin smiling and waving to the crowd as he floated along the San Antonio River in a barge for city council members.

"He was standing in the River Parade because I had to host a neighborhood leaders meeting," said Castro.

The others on the barge knew it was Joaquin riding with them, but most of the onlookers in the crowd of about 250,000 did not, city council members said.

Polls show that Castro, who went to Stanford University and Harvard Law School, has a double-digit lead in the mayoral race that will be voted on May 7.

Castro said his brother, who is in the Texas legislature, was not impersonating him and would not have been mistaken for him.
"He's not as good looking," he joked.

But a television anchorman moderating the event identified the man on the barge as Julian, as did the River Parade announcer.

The two appeared together at a press conference on Thursday in T-shirts making light of the event. "I am Julian," read the one worn by Julian. "I am not Julian," said Joaquin's. Julian said Joaquin has been out on the campaign trail for him in other events, but always identified himself as Joaquin.

Julian's mayoral opponents attacked his use of a stand-in as "deceitful" and "immature."

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Lucky the turtle: demonic spawn of Satan?

2005-03-22T17:57:07Z

I always figured the Devil would appear in the form of something a little more menacing and shimmering in an aura of evil--say, a salamander.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/21/evil.turtle.ap/index.html

An Indiana pet store owner says he sees the image of Satan on the shell of a turtle that was the only survivor of a store fire in October.

The palm-sized red-eared slider turtle, named Lucky, was the only animal to survive the fire at Dora's A-Dora-ble Pet Shop in nearby Frankfort, about 40 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

Owner Bryan Dora now says he sees Satan's face on the critter's shell. He can spot lips, eyes, a goatee, shoulders and a pair of pointy horns on Lucky's back.

"The marking on the shell was like the devil wanted us to know he was down there," Bryan Dora said. "To me, it's too coincidental that the only thing to come out unscathed would have this image on it."

The image was not visible before the fire and Dora speculates the intense heat might have caused the shell's color to change. The turtle is healthy and there was no change in its behavior, he said.

The cause of fire that destroyed nine businesses or offices in the 1912 building in downtown Frankfort has not been determined.

"Turtles can hold their breath quite awhile," Dora said. "He may have taken one breath just before and held it through the fire. Except that the fire went on and on for hours."

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Jesus stink

2005-03-17T20:29:50Z

A couple in Burbank, South Dakota, are making and selling Christ-scented candles. That's right. They believe they have come up with a formula that approximates how Jesus smelled. You know, given the frequency with which people bathed back then...

http://www.nbc10.com/news/4287825/detail.html

Couple Sells Candles That Smell Like Jesus

You can find candles with just about every fragrance imaginable, from blueberry to ocean mist to hot apple pie.

Now there's a candle that lets you experience the scent of Jesus, and they've been selling out by the case.

"We see it as a ministry, " says Bob Tosterud, who together with his wife came up with the idea for the candle.

Light up the candle called "His Essence" and its makers say you'll experience the fragrance of Christ.

Bob Tosterud and wife Karen say the formula is all spelled out in Psalm 45.

"It's a Messianic Psalm referring to when Christ returns and his garments will have the scent of myrrh, aloe and cassia," says Karen Tosterud.

Wondering what that must smell like, Karen Tosterud ordered those oils, a combination that produces sort of a flowery, cinnamon aroma. Then she called on a friend who just happened to be a candle-maker.

"And in October, we got our first batch of 768 candles. We had no idea how it would go," Karen Tosterud says.

But once word got out they went through 10,000 candles.

"It's the only one on the market and everyone tells us it's very unique and nothing like it," says Karen Tosterud.

"We wanted people to be able to experience Christ in new ways and to be able to read a bible and have that scent and that candle as a reminder that he is with us all the time."

"You can't see him and you can't touch him," says Bob Tosterud. "This is a situation where you may be able to sense him by smelling. And it provides a really new dimension to one's experience with Jesus."

The candles never stay on the shelves for long. The Tosteruds say each one that goes out is like a ministry in itself.

The candles sell for about $18. They are sold in about 150 stores around the country. Or you can order them online at www.hisessence.com.

You can also call this phone number: 877-psalm-45.

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

Mice with human brains

2005-03-15T02:14:49Z

This only convinces me that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is all true.

http://www.keralanext.com/news/indexread.asp?id=139686

" It will look like any ordinary mouse, but for America's scientists a tiny animal threatens to ignite a profound ethical dilemma.

In one of the most controversial scientific projects ever conceived, a group of university researchers in California's Silicon Valley is preparing to create a mouse whose brain will be composed entirely of human cells.

Researchers at Stanford University have already succeeded in breeding mice with brains that are one per cent human cells. "

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

Israeli army doesn't like D&D players

2005-03-10T16:26:12Z

It's ironic, given that the goal of most basic training camps is to detach soldiers from reality.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles//0,7340,L-3052074,00.html

'Does the Israel Defense Forces believe incoming recruits and soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons are unfit for elite units? Ynet has learned that 18-year-olds who tell recruiters they play the popular fantasy game are automatically given low security clearance.

'“They're detached from reality and suscepitble to influence,” the army says.'

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

"Cursing stone" saved by council

2005-03-09T02:49:47Z

My initial thought was that it was a rock that swears at you as you walk by. Alas.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/4331381.stm

A granite artwork blamed for bringing misfortunes of "biblical proportions" to a city has been saved.

Carlisle City Council rejected a proposal to destroy the stone, commissioned to mark the millennium.

Since the Cursing Stone was placed in Carlisle, the city has suffered floods, foot-and-mouth disease, job losses and a goal famine for the football team.

But council leader Mike Mitchelson said the decision proved the citizens of Carlisle were rational people.

Rape and pillage

The 14-tonne artwork - which stands between the city's castle and the museum - is carved with a 1,069-word curse invoked by the Archbishop of Glasgow in 1525.

At the time, the area around Carlisle was torn by fighting.

The archbishop is said to have placed the curse on cross border families - known as the "reivers" - who lived by stealing cattle, rape and pillage.

It begins: "I curse their heads and all the hairs on their head; I curse their face, their brain, their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their forehead..."

The stone was designed by artist Gordon Young, whose own family was among the "reivers".

'Floods and pestilence'

Last week city councillor Jim Tootle blamed the Cursing Stone for the recent floods and the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001.

"We have had floods, pestilence, a great big fire in the city - it is of biblical proportions," he said.

He wanted the stone destroyed and tabled a motion to discuss it, but the council voted overwhelmingly to keep it. All but two councillors voted to save the stone.

The city council said it had previously consulted Christian groups who were in agreement that the stone should stay.

The groups pointed out that a blessing was also included within the artwork.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Is it wrong that the 1st sentence kinda made me flustered?

2005-02-16T02:23:02Z

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050213/od_uk_nm/oukoe_australia_interrogation&e=4

posted in Strange Days - 2 replies

Ascension mail descending

2005-01-11T01:50:01Z

Postal Geography Mix-Up Hits Island

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Ascension Island has been without mail since October because the Royal Mail has been sending its mail to South America.

"The trouble is virtually nothing has made it here since October," IT consultant Paul Knowles told the Daily Mirror.

A British dependency with a population of just over 1,000 people, Ascension Island is 703 miles northwest of St Helena in the South Atlantic.

The Mirror said the mail had been mistakenly sent to Paraguay's capital Asuncion as well as Guyana's capital Georgetown, which shares the same name as the Ascension Island's capital.

"Steps have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again," a Royal Mail spokeswoman told the Mirror.

"The number of flights we can use is limited, so it is taking time, but this mail is not all lost."

Providing an important communications staging post, the island is used as a relay station for cables between South Africa and Europe and during the Falklands conflict in 1982 was used as a halfway-house for the British task force.

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

No drinking allowed....

2004-12-19T03:00:51Z

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&e=5&u=/nm/life_mexico_cannibal_dc

Don't Read This One...

Thu Dec 16,10:01 AM ET
Oddly Enough - Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican man killed his lover in a drunken, drugged fight then cooked the man's body in tomato and onion sauce and ate it over three days.

Police found Gumaro de Dios Arias grilling rotting human flesh for his breakfast, including part of a heart, when they raided a shack he lived in near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen, a police chief said on Wednesday.

"He was preparing stews. There was a grill where he was cooking part of the heart and bits he had cut off the body. It was terrible, terrible," said local police chief Martin Estrada, who was among a dozen police who raided the shack.

Arias told police the victim, a young man, arrived at his cardboard hut in a wasteland area with a mutual friend who then left the two of them drinking and taking drugs.

The pair had sex and afterward a fight broke out during which he killed the man with blows to the head, police said.

Police arrested Arias, 25, on Tuesday after a tip off.

"They said there was a person eating a person," Estrada said.

"We found him lying on a folding bed and to one side was the corpse which had been torn apart and which it seems he had been eating for three days," he told Reuters.

The corpse, which had its back ripped open and its innards pulled out, was missing various parts, like a thigh, he said.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Oink.

2004-12-14T06:33:38Z

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/14/npig14.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/12/14/ixnewstop.html

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Strange Days

2004-12-12T19:51:17Z

I've changed the format of the tribe slightly. It's now called Strange Days and is open to all variety of oddball news, not just stupid crooks and bizarre deaths.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

And I thought my marriage was short...

2004-12-11T07:46:39Z

Scott McKie, 23, and Victoria Anderson, 40, were married in Manchester, England, but they didn't make it to their honeymoon. McKie offended his bride with his "drunken toast" to the bridesmaids at the reception, and she hit him over the head with an ashtray. He responded by throwing a hat stand "like a javelin,"witnesses say. A melee ensued that took several police officers to calm down, during which time McKie head-butted one constable and socked another in the face. The bride and groom were arrested, and Anderson said she wanted a divorce. Total elapsed marriage time: 90 minutes.

(London Telegraph)

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

safety belts are oficially good for you

2004-12-11T02:27:55Z

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=7052871&src=rss/oddlyEnoughNews

posted in Strange Days - 2 replies

No Snow?? Ski Alfalfa!?!? You people are weird.

2004-12-11T02:26:26Z

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) -- From snowmobiling on alfalfa to strapping on cross-country skis with wheels, Minnesotans are finding ways of coping with a frustrating lack of snow.

It's been a mostly brown December in the southern half of the state, and northern Minnesota hasn't recorded snow depths of more than 8 inches this season.

"We're not living up to our winter reputation," said Joan Hummel, a spokeswoman for Explore Minnesota Tourism, the state's tourism office.

It snowed Friday morning in southern Minnesota, but the flakes were quickly melting, so residents will have to keep waiting for thick snow cover. In the meantime, they'll keep pretending it's there.

"People are getting creative," said Bob Sass, manager of Midwest Mountaineering.

At the Minneapolis outfitter, winter sporting equipment has taken on a snowless twist: People are skijoring (cross-country skiing behind your dog) with mountain bikes and roller skiing (cross-country skiing on wheels).

Also growing in popularity is Nordic walking, which involves using polls and basically imitating a cross-country ski stride.

"People just need to get out of the house in the winter," Sass said. "They'll find ways to do that even if the weather's bad."

According to state climatologists, brown Decembers aren't all that unusual.

"December's usually not your best snow month anyway," said Pete Boulay, assistant state climatologist.

Peak snow depths rarely occur before late January, and Boulay likes to remind people that winter doesn't officially start until December 21.

Still, Boulay gets e-mails from depressed snowmobilers and other winter-lovers who have high (and maybe too high) expectations for a white December.

Others have prepared for dreary days of brown and gray while waiting for the snow to fall. Hummel said Minnesota businesses and tourist resorts have made themselves "weatherproof," offering such things as dog-lovers' weekends, wine tasting and other snowless activities.

In northern Minnesota, where there's less snow than usual, people are learning to cope with a little less.

"As soon as they see a couple of flakes fly, they really get excited," said Jenny Moorman, director of Lake of the Woods Tourism. Most of northeastern Minnesota has 3 to 6 inches of snow. A foot is needed before snowmobile trails can be groomed, but people are out there anyway, she said.

In southwestern Minnesota, some snowmobilers have decided they don't need snow at all.

Snowmobilers raced on alfalfa at Luverne's Winterfest last weekend. It's coarser than grass and doesn't cause the snowmobile to dig into the dirt, said Lyle Stroeh, president of the Rock County Sno-Masters club that hosted the drag race.

"They were ready for winter, so we did it anyway," Stroeh said. The club had already bought insurance to race during Winterfest and couldn't postpone it. Keeping the race short prevented the slides on the bottom of the snowmobiles from overheating and melting.

If history gives any hint of what's to come, Stroeh and his crew won't be running sleds on alfalfa for much longer.

"The bottom line for snow lovers is that we're still in early December," Hummel said. "Anything can happen."

posted in Strange Days - 3 replies

Why you should always wear clothing to a burglary

2004-12-11T02:25:01Z

From yesterday's St Paul Pioneer Press:

K-9 bites nude man in groin during arrest

Police had to use Tasers and a police dog to subdue and arrest a man spotted running nude and trying to enter homes in South Minneapolis on Tuesday.

It was about noon when the man was spotted in the 5400 block of Park Avenue South. When an officer with a dog arrived, the man was found in a house in that block, police said. The man then attacked the officer, striking him, prompting the officer's dog to bite the nude man in the genital area.

Even after the bite and being struck several times with the Taser jolts, the man continued to fight police, officers said. Several officers eventually subdued and arrested the man, who was taken to a hospital for treatment.

posted in Strange Days - 1 reply

...I wish...

2004-12-09T07:00:08Z

http://www.world-cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/11/30/bush.arrest/index.html

posted in Strange Days - 3 replies

Toilet corpse

2004-12-08T04:29:09Z

The hospital only cleans its toilet stalls every two days??

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4076049.stm

MP's concern over body in toilet

John Taylor said he was shocked by the incident
An MP is calling for a statement from the House of Commons on why a woman's body lay undiscovered in a hospital toilet possibly for up to two days.

The woman in her 30s had discharged herself from Solihull Hospital. Her body was discovered inside a locked toilet cubicle on 11 November.

Birmingham Heartlands & Solihull NHS Trust is investigating the incident. Police say her death is not suspicious

MP for Solihull John Taylor says he is surprised at what has happened.

"I think it is really quite shocking.

"I'm sure my constituents think it is shocking.

"It is not good enough to say it should not have happened. It really should not have happened at all."

Suspected overdose

A hospital spokesperson said the woman was a former patient who had discharged herself during treatment.

It is believed she was being treated for a suspected overdose.

Birmingham Heartlands & Solihull NHS Trust are to hold an inquiry to determine whether she had lain undiscovered in the toilet for two days or whether she left and then returned.

An inquest is due to be held into her death.

posted in Strange Days - 3 replies

Follow the Doughnuts

2004-12-05T05:11:07Z

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/strange/120304_ap_sn_donut-trail.html

Police follow doughnut trail, solve crime
Dec 3, 2004 (HARRISBURG, Pa.) — Police followed a trail of doughnuts to find a stolen Krispy Kreme delivery truck.

"It has a happy ending," Swatara Township Sgt. Robert Simmonds said. "The evidence was brought back to the police station, and the cops are eating the doughnuts."

It was 12:45 a.m. Thursday when Krispy Kreme deliveryman Tim Trostle stopped at a Swatara Township convenience store and left the engine running as he made the delivery. Someone fled with the truck, but since Trostle had left the back doors open, police were able to follow a trail of doughnuts.

The doughnut trail ended before long, but police in a nearby township found a doughnut cart near the Harrisburg city line. City police found the truck near a downtown bar.

No arrests were immediately made. The truck was returned to the company.

Although Simmonds had been joking about police taking the contents of the truck, he acknowledged seeing Krispy Kreme doughnuts in a station conference room Thursday.

"I suspect that the manager from the Krispy Kreme might have given us a little thank you for our efforts," he said.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME:

2004-12-04T05:50:12Z

Michael Parks, 49, of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, donated some clothing to Age Concern, a charity for the elderly. When he realized that one of the coats in the pile had 1,200 pounds (US$2,250) in a pocket, he asked for the cash to be returned. "They said they had taken legal advice and the money was considered a donation so they were keeping it." A spokeswoman for the charity says they "hope that this isolated incident doesn't deter members of the public from donating to their local Age Concern shop." (AFP)

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

ON THE WRONG TRACK:

2004-12-04T05:48:33Z

Patricia M. Frankhouser says she was walking along the railroad tracks in Pittsburgh, Penn., when a train passed by and clipped her, injuring her finger. Rather than curse her own stupidity, she sought out a lawyer; Harry F. Smail Jr. filed suit against Norfolk Southern Corp., charging that the railroad failed to put up warning signs to notify pedestrians "of the dangers of walking near train tracks and that the tracks were actively in use" which "negligently provided plaintiff with the belief she was safe in walking near the train tracks." The suit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $30,000. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

...And here all her friends thought she was untrainable.

posted in Strange Days - 0 replies

Death by lava lamp

2004-12-01T04:44:58Z

http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/police/pressreleases/index.asp

Death caused by exploding lava lamp ruled accidental

Kent, WA - November 29, 2004

At about 8:00 p.m., Sunday, November 28, 2004, an Auburn couple found their 24 year old son dead in his south Kent trailer home. Kent Police Detectives examined the scene. It appeared that something had exploded on the stove top sending shards and splinters of glass in all directions. Remnants of a lava lamp were found around the kitchen area. It is believed that for some unknown reason the deceased placed a lava lamp on the stove top to heat it up which led to the explosion of the fluid container part of the lava lamp. The deceased has several lacerations and one large shard of glass embedded in his chest.

The young man talked to this father on the phone about 9:00 a.m. Sunday. His parents were called by his girlfriend about 7:30 pm when she had not been able to contact him all day. His parents drove from their home in Auburn to south Kent to check on him. On entering the trailer home they turned off the burner on the stove and then discovered their son in the bedroom.

The medical examiners office determined that the flying shard of glass caused his death and ruled it to be an accidental death.

posted in Strange Days - 6 replies

Man kills self with own electric chair

2004-12-01T04:41:25Z

Enterprising!

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/11/23/726894-ap.html

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) - A 74-year-old Lithuanian man apparently killed himself by using a homemade electric chair he put together, police said Tuesday.

The man, who was not identified, was discovered Monday by his relatives who, concerned that they had not heard from him, broke down the door to his apartment in Kaunas, Lithuania's second-biggest city. Police said they found the man sitting in the chair, which had been rigged with wires and electrodes and was plugged into an electrical outlet in the wall.

The daily newspaper Respublika reported that the man had been a senior engineer for a local company that gone bankrupt, but didn't say which company it was.

posted in Strange Days - 2 replies