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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Canada's New $100 Bill Made of Plastic

Polymer notes last longer, are harder to counterfeit

(Newser) - Starting this week, you can pay with plastic in Canada—without incurring any credit card debt. The Bank of Canada put a new $100 bill made out of polymer into circulation, the Globe and Mail reports, and banks stopped issuing the old paper notes Monday afternoon. Polymer $50 bills are...

NASA Puts Out Call for Astronauts

Though it'll be a looong time before you get into space

(Newser) - Bust out your resume, space cadets, because NASA wants you! Yes, despite the recent end of the space shuttle program, and the fact that everyone and their brother once dreamed of being an astronaut, a September report concluded that the space agency needed to recruit fresh astronauts or face a...

Benetton Ads Have World Leaders Smooching

Photoshopped images have Obama, the pope, Hu Jintao, others kissing

(Newser) - If Benetton hoped its new ad campaign would generate buzz, mission accomplished. The fashion label's "Unhate" campaign features photos of world leaders digitally altered to make it look like they're kissing each other, notes the Wall Street Journal . President Obama, for example, is lip-locked with China's...

PETA's New Target: Nintendo's Mario

When he wears the Tanooki suit, he promotes fur, it claims

(Newser) - PETA's latest target isn't exactly a celeb with a penchant for hitting the red carpet in fur. It's Mario. From the Nintendo game. No, seriously. PETA explains that in the game Super Mario 3D Land, the graphic character will do anything it takes to conquer his enemy...

Starbucks Closing Public Bathrooms in New York

Because employees are sick of waiting in lines for them

(Newser) - Many New York Starbucks are closing their bathrooms, because they’re sick of the long lines that tend to form outside of them. Though it’s “not a stated policy” of the corporation, many of the chain’s 190 Manhattan locations are making the move, sources tell the New ...

Obama to Get Crocodile Insurance

A gift from the fine people of Australia

(Newser) - Barack Obama will soon be free to wrestle alligators with peace of mind: Should tragedy befall him, Michelle and the girls will be provided for, by way of a $51,000 insurance payout. The new insurance policy—which covers crocodile attacks—will be presented to him tomorrow on his visit...

Lululemon's Ayn Rand Bags Irk Customers

Libertarian author seen as a poor fit for Lululemon

(Newser) - An upscale yogawear chain isn't the most likely place you'd expect to find promoting the works of free-market libertarian author Ayn Rand, say some Lululemon shoppers. Since late October, the chain has been using shopping bags with the words "Who is John Galt?" in reference to Rand'...

Surgeon Makes Back Brace... for Whale

Rescued SeaWorld pilot whale has scoliosis

(Newser) - A whale nicknamed “300” beached herself in the Florida Keys this spring—but her troubles didn't end there. The pilot whale, transported to SeaWorld for care, developed curvature of the spine, which prevented her from using her tail correctly. Fortunately, an orthopedic surgeon and a prosthetics expert came...

Love Milk? Now You Can Wear It

German designer makes eco-friendly clothes from drink

(Newser) - For the fashion industry, cows provide more than just leather. Combining her knowledge of biochemistry and clothing design, a German designer has begun making clothes from a textile that’s made of pure milk, the AP reports. It feels like silk, is as washable as cotton, and is good for...

Author: Arsenic Poisoning Killed Jane Austen

She may have gotten it as medicine

(Newser) - A crime writer poring over Jane Austen's letters thinks she knows what killed the author at age 41: arsenic poisoning. Lindsay Ashford sees telltale hints in Austen's own words, written just months before she died, including this line: "I am considerably better now and am recovering my...

World&#39;s Priciest Tea Made Using Truly Gross Ingredient
World's Priciest Tea Made Using Truly Gross Ingredient
hint: it involves pandas
Nov 15, 2011 10:18 AM CST

World's Priciest Tea Made Using Truly Gross Ingredient

Wildlife expert plans to use panda poo to make $36K-per-pound tea

(Newser) - If you thought the world's most expensive coffee was disgustingly weird, you haven't seen anything yet: A wildlife expert in China is trying to make the world's priciest tea. The costly ingredient? Panda poop. An Yanshi plans to use the feces he has collected from a panda...

Girl Survives 2 Days Trapped in Car With Dead Dad

Jordan Landon, age 9, was stuck upside down

(Newser) - A truly astonishing tale of survival out of North Carolina: A 9-year-old girl managed to survive for more than 43 hours stuck upside down after the car her father was driving crashed. Jordan Landon was trapped by her seatbelt from about 10pm Friday until her Sunday night rescue, reports the...

Colbert Shines Light on Vodka Tampon Trend
 Colbert Shines Light on 
 Vodka Tampon Trend 
KIDS THESE DAYS...
Nov 15, 2011 8:36 AM CST

Colbert Shines Light on Vodka Tampon Trend

And by 'shines light on' we mean 'mocks mercilessly'

(Newser) - Parents, do you know what your teenagers are doing with their vodka? How about their feminine hygiene products? Because odds are they’re soaking the latter in the former and sticking them in their you-know-wheres, high school security cop Chris Thomas tells KPHO 5 in Phoenix, saying the phenomenon is...

Copper Thieves Raid Lincoln's Tomb

Police suspect statue's sword ended up as scrap metal

(Newser) - Police in Illinois are looking for a thief who emancipated a 3-foot copper sword from a statue of a Civil War artilleryman at Abraham Lincoln's final resting place. Investigators believe the sword—which replaced a bronze one stolen from the same statue at Lincoln's tomb in the 1890s—...

Judge 'Humiliates' Breastfeeding Mom

Laws don't apply in courtroom, he says

(Newser) - A Michigan mother says she was humiliated by a judge who told her breastfeeding in his courtroom was inappropriate. Natalie Hegedus, who was fighting a boating ticket, says she brought her 5-month-old son, who was getting over a fever, to court with her and fed him discreetly in the back...

South African Farmer Marius Els Killed by Pet Hippo
 Farmer Killed by Hippo 'Son' 
Nov 15, 2011 12:36 AM CST

Farmer Killed by Hippo 'Son'

Dangerous pet turns on South African

(Newser) - They tried to tell Marius Els that a hippo couldn't be domesticated. Unfortunately for the South African farmer, they were right. The 40-year-old army major was killed by Humphrey, a 6-year-old "pet" hippo he considered one of the family, the Guardian reports. The 2,600-pound animal bit Els,...

Yale QB Ditches Rhodes for 'The Game'

Patrick Witt will miss finalist interview Saturday

(Newser) - Given what one might think would be a fairly straightforward choice between a Rhodes Scholarship and a football game, Patrick Witt chose the football game. It's not just any game, but rather a game known as "The Game": The Yale senior will lead his team Saturday in their...

Brits Killing Pets for Insurance Money

Association of British Insurers pegs 2010 insurance fraud at $3M

(Newser) - How bad is the economy? Some people are trying to make a buck by killing their pets to rake in the insurance money, says the Association of British Insurers. In a detail that doesn't really do much to restore one's faith in humanity, the insurers note that some...

Gadhafi Slept With 'Four or Five Women Each Day': Aide

And he was addicted to Viagra, former manservant claims

(Newser) - You may want to wait until after breakfast to read on: A chef who once cooked for Moammar Gadhafi shared some pretty sordid tales about the late dictator in yesterday’s Sunday Times, the Daily Mail reports. The chef, Faisal, recalls that while he was cooking dinner for Prince Andrew...

Dog Scarfs $1K in Cash
 Dog Scarfs $1K in Cash 
Nov 11, 2011 2:04 PM CST

Dog Scarfs $1K in Cash

Owners induce vomiting, get $900 back

(Newser) - Teachers rarely accept the excuse “my dog ate it”—but it seems banks are more forgiving. A Florida woman left 10 $100 bills in an envelope at home for her husband to deposit, but when he came home from work, the money was nowhere to be found. There...

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