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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PM Loses Shoe in Australia Day Protest

Julia Gillard stumbles as she tries to pass through indigenous right supporters

(Newser) - It sounds perfectly routine: Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott appeared at a restaurant in Canberra today—which just so happens to be Australia Day—to preside over an awards ceremony. What it turned into was an ugly mess, as some 200 supporters of indigenous rights...

Got $2.5M? This Emerald Is for You

25-pound record-breaker goes up for auction

(Newser) - The biggest cut emerald in the world will be auctioned Saturday and is expected to go for up to $2.5 million. The gigantic green stone weighs 57,500 carats—or 25 pounds—and was discovered at an undisclosed location in Brazil, reports Pravda . The emerald, dubbed Teodora, meaning God'...

Uzbekistan Bans Valentine's Day

Nation cancels concerts, other official events

(Newser) - Lonely hearts rejoice: There's at least one place in the world where you'll feel at home. The central Asian state of Uzbekistan will not observe Valentine's Day this year. Russia's RIA-Novosti news agency reports the unofficial ban on the romantic holiday follows years of irritation with...

Museum Reports Stolen Painting, 12 Years Later

Gallery wanted to make sure it hadn't been misplaced first

(Newser) - When a $200,000 painting went missing from Australia's National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the gallery wanted to be sure it did not falsely accuse a staff member of theft when the painting could simply have been misplaced. So it searched for Richard Parkes Bonington's Low Tide...

Porn Star Mayor Candidates Hosting Pole Dance Night

Election issues will also be discussed, of course

(Newser) - Only in Italy: Two porn stars are running against each other for mayor in the city of Taranto. And as if that's not wacky enough, one of their campaign events will be … a pole dancing night. Apparently Amandha Fox and Luana Borgia will also discuss civic issues, the...

Teen Killed by Toy Cannon
 Teen Killed 
 by Toy Cannon 
Jan 25, 2012 2:00 AM CST

Teen Killed by Toy Cannon

Replica cannon held shot, fired accidentally

(Newser) - A 14-year-old Utah boy playing with a small replica of an 18th-century cannon was killed Monday when the toy accidentally fired and struck him in the face, reports the New York Daily News . The cannon may be a toy, but it can hold a 0.50-caliber round and black powder...

Dentist Used Paper Clips —in Root Canals

Michael Clair also charged with Medicaid fraud

(Newser) - Paper clips and stainless steel posts: Basically the same thing, right? A former Massachusetts dentist has pleaded guilty to a host of charges, including the accusation that he used parts of paper clips rather than stainless steel posts to support root canals in an attempt to save money. Michael Clair'...

Girl Hears Mom Having Sex, Calls 911

Tells police she felt 'disrespected,' asks for children's shelter

(Newser) - Plenty of people get creeped out by the thought of their parents having sex. But few are as extreme as one Florida teenager, who called 911 and asked to be placed in a Christian children's shelter because she heard her mother having sex. The 15-year-old girl said she had...

Aretha Franklin Calls Off Her Wedding

Singer worried relationship was moving too fast

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin won't be getting fitted for a wedding gown after all: She's called off her engagement . A statement released yesterday by her rep said Franklin's wedding to Willie Wilkerson wasn't going to happen. "Will and I have decided we were moving a little too...

Warren Buffett Jams on Ukulele for Chinese New Year

 Warren Buffett 
 Jams on Ukulele 
chinese new year
Jan 23, 2012 8:54 AM CST

Warren Buffett Jams on Ukulele

Sings 'I've Been Working on the Railroad'

(Newser) - Festivities for China's biggest holiday are in full swing, and Warren Buffett is getting in on the fun. The 81-year-old billionaire played ukulele and sang "I've Been Working on the Railroad" for one of the most-watched TV programs in the world—China Central Television's New Year'...

Brit Busted for Hawking the Butt of Saddam Statue

Brit firm founder an ex-soldier who removed section of toppled Baghdad statue

(Newser) - A British company official has been arrested after auctioning a buttock section of the massive Saddam Hussein bronze statue toppled when US forces stormed Baghdad in 2003. The arrest was made after the Iraqi government issued a complaint to British police following an auction in Derby, where the two-foot hunk...

Portions Too Big? Change Your Plate Color
Portions Too Big?
Change Your Plate Color
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 22, 2012 7:00 PM CST

Portions Too Big? Change Your Plate Color

Dish colors that match food lead to larger meals

(Newser) - Trying to cut back on calories? Pay attention to the color of your plate. A new study reveals that people who use a dish that matches the color of the food they're eating will pile on more grub than if the plate is a different color, reports Scientific American...

High School to Teams: No, You Can&#39;t Be &#39;Cougars&#39;
 High School 
 to Teams: No, 
 You Can't Be 
 'Cougars' 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 22, 2012 10:42 AM CST

High School to Teams: No, You Can't Be 'Cougars'

Yes, it's because of the reason you're thinking

(Newser) - Students at a high school near Salt Lake City will be cheering on their Chargers next season, even though they picked "Cougars" as the school mascot. It seems some well-meaning school board members overruled the results of the student vote because they thought Cougars would be offensive to women...

In South Korea, Human Ashes Become ... Beads

South Korea firm turns human ashes into pretty beads

(Newser) - South Korea, with its Confucian heritage, has long honored the dead, but these days there's little space for outdoor burials and many people find the thought of stowing a loved-one's ashes in an urn distasteful. That's where a company called Bonhyang comes in: It transforms the ashes...

Oops: Plane Mistakenly Warns Passengers of Crash
Oops: Plane Mistakenly Warns Passengers of Crash
in case you missed it
Jan 21, 2012 12:16 PM CST

Oops: Plane Mistakenly Warns Passengers of Crash

False alarm panics people on British Airways flight

(Newser) - It's 3am and you're snoozing on an overnight flight to London when a message plays over the PA: This plane may be about to crash. That's what happened to passengers on a British Airways flight from Miami last week, before the cabin crew told everyone it had...

Nail Gun Fail: Yes, He&#39;s OK
 Nail Gun Fail: Yes, He's OK 
Jan 21, 2012 7:25 AM CST

Nail Gun Fail: Yes, He's OK

Victim Dante Autullo even posted the X-ray photo onto Facebook

(Newser) - It's not your typical nail-gun-shoots-nail-into-guy's-head story: This one involves a proud Facebook upload on the way to the hospital. Dante Autullo was building a shed on Tuesday and unknowingly shot a 3-inch-plus nail into his brain, reports AP . He thought it had just nicked him while whizzing by...

For Your Next Trip, a $123 Towel

Or you could just buy a microfiber one for $10...

(Newser) - No suitcase is completely packed without TravelTeq 's Travel Towel, an apparent wonder that promises to absorb more and dry faster … all for the low, low price of $123. That's more than your actual plane ticket might cost, Wired points out. The Travel Towel is also highly...

Iraq Seeks Return of Saddam's Bronze Butt

British soldier's cheeky keepsake is 'cultural property,' Iraq says

(Newser) - Iraq is fighting for the return of Saddam Hussein's giant bronze buttock. The 2-foot cheek was brought back to Britain by former special-forces solder Nigel Ely, who, with the help of US Marines, pried it off a toppled statue soon after the fall of Baghdad in 2003. Iraq's...

More Body Parts Found Near Hollywood Sign

Cops collect hands, feet

(Newser) - A day after dogs came upon a severed human head near the Hollywood sign , police have amassed several more body parts. Some 30 officers and dogs combed seven acres in a homicide probe yesterday, and a cadaver dog discovered two hands. Then, just before police called it a day, they...

Gossip Is Good for You
 Gossip Is Good for You 
study says
Jan 18, 2012 4:06 PM CST

Gossip Is Good for You

And it helps society, too, says a new study

(Newser) - Dishing dirt behind someone's back is a beneficial activity, say scientists. Spreading gossip—defined as alerting others that a person has behaved badly—helps maintain social order and even lowers the stress of the gossiper, according to a new study out of UC Berkeley and reported by the San ...

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