Weird Universe Archive
January 2010
January 11, 2010
Cold Weather Effects IQ
Does reading the following stories make you wonder if the average IQ drops during cold weather?In St. Petersburg ,Florida a family was hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning. This following 12 hours in which the family used a charcoal grill in the living room for heat as their electricity was not working.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/family-becomes-ill-from-fumes-while-using-grill-to-stay-warm/1064443
In Charlotte, North Carolina another family must move in with relatives due to $150,000 worth of damage to the home. This due to a fire which started as a result of a male occupant of the home using gasoline to start a fire in the fire place. The man and one firefighter were injured.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/1172748.html
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 11, 2010 -
Comments (8)
Category:
Bad Boys Blue
Well, at least the "bad" part was accurate in the name of the group Bad Boys Blue.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 11, 2010 -
Comments (1)
Category: Music, 1980s, Europe
News of the Weird / Pro Edition (January 11)
Heroin for Dummies, Plus Cop Milks Woman, the Coke Machine Wrangler, and a Bag of TeethNews of the Weird/Pro Edition
"You're Still Not Cynical Enough"
January 11, 2010
(datelines January 2-9)
New York City has taken an unequivocal position against smoking cigarettes (and has even banned trans fats in restaurants). Heroin, not so much. Its Department of Health's 16-page pamphlet actually suggests ways to find a vein and recommends the "safer" way if you miss the vein slightly (pull out and try again!). (But, there are various admonitions in the booklet urging junkies to just say no, so . . problem solved!) New York Post /// "Take Charge, Take Care" [pdf]
Australian Olympic hurdler Jana Rawlinson has made the ultimate sacrifice for her country. To improve her speed for the 2012 games in London, she had her breast implants removed. Agence France-Presse: She "said she enjoyed having larger breasts but did not want to 'short-change Australia.'" Agence France-Presse via Yahoo News
Leading Economic Indicator: In Tokyo, the equivalent of $640 will let you rent a nice-sized piece of real estate: 32½ square feet (even worse, 130 cubic feet). Seriously. It's an "apartment" house of lie-down lockers with thin mattresses, tiny TV sets, flimsy walls, and bathroom and kitchen down the hall (free wi-fi, though). For Japan's unemployed who need convenient downtown access to job interviews, it's big. New York Times [with slideshow]
The War Will Be Over Sooner Than You Think: In Afghanistan's Kunduz province on Tuesday night, 14 terrorists riding to their target were killed when their bombs blew up prematurely. And in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday, an explosion at a terrorist "safe house" killed 8 terrorists. [Ed.: So, if we assume there are 10,000 super-rabid jihadi terrorists in the Afghan-Pakistan theater, at this rate, they'll have completely wiped themselves out by December 2014.] CNN /// Associated Press via Voice of America
More People Who Can't Connect Dots: After several years of bits and pieces of accusations, some by patients' parents, some by colleagues (one openly calling Dr. Earl Bradley a pedophile), pediatrician Bradley, 56, of Lewes, Del., was finally charged with sexually assaulting patients. According to a probable-cause affidavit, when one 12-year-old girl went in with a sore throat and pink eye, he didn't take her temperature, nor a urine sample, nor a throat culture—just gave her a vaginal exam. New York Times
More in extended >>
Posted By: Chuck - Mon Jan 11, 2010 -
Comments (5)
Category:
The Ministry of Silly Walks
Whether this is comedy for comedy's sake or political satire I'll leave up to you.
Posted By: Expat47 - Mon Jan 11, 2010 -
Comments (3)
Category:
January 10, 2010
How Much Affection?
When petting goes too far.....
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 10, 2010 -
Comments (2)
Category: Sexuality, Teenagers, Documentaries, 1950s
Unclaimed Baggage
Did you ever wonder what happens to lost luggage? Most people eventually get their bags, even if there is a delay because the stuff travelled to a different destination and had to be shipped back. In some cases people don't get their bags back until they get home. But what happens to the ones that are never returned? What of the luggage that the airline is unable to find and so compensates the traveller for it. I mean it has to go somewhere, right? Well as it turns out there is just one place where unidentified and unclaimed luggage from all airlines ends up. The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scotsboro, Alabama. It is a 40,000 square foot retail outlet full of nothing but items lost by travellers. Nearly 1 million items a year are bought and sold here. The usual items like cameras and laptops but some unexpected treasures as well. A 40.95 carrat natural emerald, a suit of armor, even some high tech equipment from NASA (returned) and the Navy (also returned). It sounds like shopping there is a cross between the Flea Market and a treasure hunt. One woman bought a Barbie doll for her little girl and discovered $500 dollars inside. Another person bought a painting for $60 that turned out to be worth $20,000. Not all the finds are good though, one bag contained a live rattlesnake. Still, it sounds like a fun way to spend a day.
http://travel.aol.com/travel-ideas/articles/weirdest-unclaimed-luggage?ncid=AOLCOMMtravdynlprim0761&icid=main|aim|dl4|link3|http://travel.aol.com/travel-ideas/articles/weirdest-unclaimed-luggage?ncid=AOLCOMMtravdynlprim0761
picture from Yahoo images
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 10, 2010 -
Comments (5)
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January 9, 2010
Once Bitten…
The Oatmeal web site has a zombie bite caculator. Input your information and it calculates how long it would take for you to become a zombie after being bitten. Of course this is just an estimate and real times could differ. As always it's best that you avoid all contact with zombies and those having been bitten.
http://theoatmeal.com/quiz/zombie_bite
For those of you who have already been bitten or turned there is a social site just for you! No more hunting for and eating brains alone. Find companionship and similar tastes here.
http://www.zombiefriends.com/?vi=5249
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 09, 2010 -
Comments (3)
Category:
Royal Doulton Lucky Cat
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 09, 2010 -
Comments (4)
Category: Horror, Statues, Monuments and Memorials, Cats
Tales of the Riverbank
No hamsters were harmed in the making of TALES OF THE RIVERBANK--or were they?!?
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 09, 2010 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Television, 1970s, Europe
January 8, 2010
Ice Sculptures
Submitted for your enjoyment. The 26th annual Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin, China began on January 5th and will continue until some time in February. There are pictures at the link and they are all magnificent.http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/harbin_ice_and_snow_sculpture.html
updated-
Originally posted with a picture that turned out to be too large for the page. My apologies.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 08, 2010 -
Comments (2)
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
