Bizarre News

[ScarlettP]

Not unusual news for us locals... this house goes up for sale every ten years or so...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337790,00.html

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A mountainside house being auctioned in Tennessee is perfect for anyone tolerant of gawkers and fascinated with outer space: It's built like a flying saucer.

The home "landed" on a twisting road leading to Chattanooga's Signal Mountain in 1970 — just after television executives grounded the run of the original "Star Trek" series. It will be sold to the highest bidder Saturday.

The circular house — ultramodern when it was built — is ringed with small square windows and directional lights and perched on six "landing gear" legs. It has multiple levels, three bedrooms, two baths and an entrance staircase that retracts with the push of a button.

[Elvin]

Sounds fun

[Kalah]

Cows on the mooo-ve

They were on the way to be slaughtered, and seemed to nkow what was going on, since the four bovines staged a breakout in the city of Toronto.

Mar. 21 - Four cows escaped an overturned trailer and found themselves loose in a Toronto suburb.

Three of the cows were caught after about four hours of freedom, but one had to be shot when it charged a crowd of onlookers. No people were injured.

This video is slightly different, with interviews and such; never mind the Norwegian commentary.

[asandir]

Outback mayor drawn out of a hat

The election of a mayor in Queensland's central west has been likened to a "chook raffle" after the new mayor was chosen by drawing a name out of a hat.

At the close of counting last night contenders Ed Warren and Butch Lenton were equal on 423 votes in their race to be mayor of the town of Winton.

Returning Officer Bob Hoogland says under the electoral laws the winner needed to be selected randomly - so both their names went in to the hat.

Councillor Warren won the draw, but said it was not the way he hoped to win the race.

"That's the way it's turned out .. it's extraordinary," he said.

Cr Warren called for a review of the way postal ballots are run amid concerns that flaws in the postal voting system could have affected the outcome of the election.

"Whether it is (fair) or it isn't - it's what the regulations say. If it is a draw, it is to be drawn out of a hat," he said.

"But I think it would be opportune for the State Government and local Government and the Electoral Commission to sit down and talk about how the system can be improved."

Cr Lenton said he was very disappointed to miss out.

"It's so serious and then at the end of it there's a chook raffle. It just seems so strange," he said.

Cr Lenton also said flaws in the postal ballot system could have had an impact.

[ThunderTitan]

'Hypnotist' thief hunted in Italy

Police in Italy have issued footage of a man who is suspected of hypnotising supermarket checkout staff to hand over money from their cash registers.

In every case, the last thing staff reportedly remember is the thief leaning over and saying: "Look into my eyes", before finding the till empty.

In the latest incident captured on CCTV, he targeted a bank at Ancona in northern Italy, then calmly walked out.

A female bank clerk reportedly handed over nearly 800 euros (£630).

The cashier who was shown the video footage has no memory of the incident, according to Italian media, and only realised what had happened when she saw the money missing.

CCTV from the bank showed her apparently being hypnotised by the man, according to the reports.

Italian police believe the suspect could be of Indian or North African extraction.

[Jolly Joker]

http://news.aol.com/newsbloggers/2008/0 ... gnant-man/

Meet Thomas Beatie, The First Pregnant Man

For real. A man named Thomas Beatie is going to have a baby. And no, not in some Gloria Steinem alternate reality.

Beatie, Popular Fidelity reports, was born a woman, but had gender reassignment surgery. His wife couldn't get pregnant, but he still could. So now the child's father will be the one to give birth.

And now a word from Thomas:
How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am. In a technical sense I see myself as my own surrogate, though my gender identity as male is constant. To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child-I am so lucky to have such a loving, supportive wife. I will be my daughter's father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family.

More power to them. People are sure to call this situation freakish, but the family actually sounds pretty suburban and normal except for this one challenge to traditional new-baby protocol (we see Miss Manners adjusting her baby shower etiquette chapter). We know families way wackier, and in far less ground-breaking ways.

[Muszka]

I saw this in the news this night. It's horrifying, amusing, and good at the same time, that men can be pregnant nowdays.

[Elvin]

Unemployed Japanese finds 10,000 dlrs in mailbox and turns them over to the police.

I seriously don't get that. If you find money in your mailbox with the message "Please make use of this in your everyday life" while being unemployed would you even think of doing that..?

[Pol]

Err, it's not so easy. But I'm not inclining to say yes.

[Muszka]

You know... that's the difference between Japan and the rest of the world.

[Elvin]

I see it as something different than finding these money in a public place where someone may have lost and be sorely missing these money. If someone leaves a letter in a so specific place that means he intended you to get them.

[Muszka]

Still I have some respect for those thin-eyes. But still there is somekind of stupidity. I mean honesty and idiocracy are inseparable

[Ethric]

It's not inconcievable that money that show up from an unknown source are the proceeds of illegal activities. Confering with the police trying to figure out where they came from isn't silly if you are a through and through honest person.

And referring to Japanese as "those thin-eyes" seems in quite poor taste.

[Muszka]

And referring to Japanese as "those thin-eyes" seems in quite poor taste.

I didn't meant it in an offensive way. They indeed have thin eyes. Anyhow, such actions prove, how honest they are. You can't really say that of too many another nations.

[ThunderTitan]

Dude... everyone knows that Japanese people have huge, disproportionate to their head, oval-ish eyes, see:

[Corribus]

Dude, how many posts are you going to start with "dude" today? 100?

[Muszka]

I guess, today must be the World's call-everybody-Dude day ...

Dude... everyone knows that Japanese people have huge, disproportionate to their head, oval-ish eyes.

That's the effect of those slow motions... just as your dude is the effect of the movie "Dude where is my car"

[ThunderTitan]

Dude, how many posts are you going to start with "dude" today? 100?

I don't know... how many did it take to piss you of?! So next time i'll know... dude.

[ThunderTitan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7416120.stm

US car dealer in free gun offer

A car dealership in the United States is offering a free handgun with every vehicle sold.

Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, says sales have quadrupled since the start of the offer.

Customers can choose between a gun or a $250 (£125) petrol card, but most so far have chosen the gun.

Owner Mark Muller said: "We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to."

The dealership sells new and old vehicles, including General Motors and Ford cars and trucks, and its logo shows a cowboy holding a pistol.

It has sold more than 30 cars and trucks in the past three days, an increase which the owners put down to their promotional offer.

Inspiration from Obama

Mr Muller said that every buyer so far "except one guy from Canada and one old guy" chose the gun, rather than the gas card.

He recommends a Kel-Tec .380 pistol, which he describes as "a nice little handgun that fits in your pocket".

He added that the promotion was inspired by recent comments from one of the Democratic nominees for the presidential election, saying: "We did it because of Barack Obama.

"He said all those people in the Midwest, you've got to have compassion for them because they're clinging to their guns and their Bibles. I found that quite offensive. We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns."

The website advertisement for the offer, which continues until the end of the month, mentions that an approved background check on gun ownership is required.

I love how they admit to deciding to prove Obama right... political activism at it's best....

[PhoenixReborn]

Beer as motivation to score goals:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... 84&cc=5901
But will it work?