Weird Universe Archive
March 2010
March 15, 2010
The Bagel Has Landed!
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap... to infinity and beyond!"
In a survey of 1000 primary and secondary school pupils by Dr Pam Waddell of Birmingham in England, Buzz was the top incorrect answer given to the question of who was the first man on the moon, though other incorrect responses included Richard Branson, Lance Armstrong and Luke Skywalker. Another question, who invented the telephone, drew answers of Charles Darwin, Noel Edmunds and the Queen, while Isaac Newton was variously credited with discovering fire, DNA and America. The results, released just ahead of a British "National Science and Engineering Week" to promote science to schoolchildren, shows that educators there still have a long way to go (Telegraph).
(Image Source: FreeClipArtNow.com)
Posted By: Dumbfounded - Mon Mar 15, 2010 -
Comments (14)
Category: Education, Humor, Science
News of the Weird / Pro Edition (March 15, 2010)
News of the Weird/Pro Edition"You're Still Not Cynical Enough"
Exceptionally Inexplicable Dispatches from Last Week
March 15, 2010
(datelines March 6-March 13) (links correct as of March 15)
Snail-Mucus Worshipers, Plus Cosmetic Caulking, the Wages of Bullying, and Fun with Door Locks
More Uncomplicated Americans
Guru Charles Stewart, 48, was arrested in Miami for smuggling in Giant African Snails, which if caressed by the sick could, according to his preaching, heal (provided that the afflicted believe). However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture knows for sure that the snails carry bacteria in their mucus that provoke violent vomiting. Nonetheless, it's a lifestyle choice. WFOR-TV (Miami)
Shhhhhh, Don't Tell the Jury!
The truck driver took his family with him on a day-plus hauling job, but at a rest stop, he accidentally ran over his little daughter, who now probably needs total care for the rest of her life. Since the driver was "on the job," his company's insurance must pay $24 million. But the judge never told the jurors that it was not any old company driver, but the girl's own ridiculously careless daddy who ran her over. The judge didn't want to "prejudice" the jury. They didn't find out about daddy until they got home and saw it on the news. Sacramento Bee
More Texass Justice
More evidence that Texas simply does not accept the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment: 60 years in prison for possession of 1.3 grams of crack (about half the weight of a U.S. dime). 35 years for possession of 4.6 ounces of marijuana (lenient; the prosecutor had demanded 99). Houston Press /// Tyler Morning News
The Vatican Is Not Safe, Says Its Chief Exorcist
Satan is in the house! Father Gabriele Amorth has done 70,000 exorcisms (batting average undisclosed) and so should know better than anyone where the devil hangs out. The Times (London)
Only in the Netherlands
The NU'91 union feels the need to organize a public campaign in support of nurses, who fear their job descriptions are in immediate danger of being expanded to include providing onanistic assistance to disabled patients. Suppository-insertion still OK. Reuters
More in extended >>
Posted By: Chuck - Mon Mar 15, 2010 -
Comments (5)
Category:
March 14, 2010
Banksy’s Meat
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 14, 2010 -
Comments (8)
Category: Art, Surrealism, Food, Europe
Just Passin’ Through
Pictured above is the Gate Tower Building in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Japan. The tennent for the 5th-7th floors of the 16 floor structure is the Hanshin expressway. Reminds me of part of a children's song, 'Can't go over it, can't go under it, gotta go through it."
http://caveviews.blogs.com/cave_news/unusual_news_stories/index.html
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 14, 2010 -
Comments (6)
Category:
March 13, 2010
Professor Music’s Weird Links (again, singular)
Since you enjoyed ekranoplanes so much, here's the Mother Lode.
Posted By: Professor Music - Sat Mar 13, 2010 -
Comments (7)
Category:
14 People in a Smart Car
I remember the good old days when a Volkswagen Beetle was the standard, but now it's official -- get 16 people in a Smart Car and you may break the world record.Here's a shot of the world's smallest car, which is street approved and goes about 40 mph. At 52 inches long, not much back seat action is going to happen in this car.
This tiny car is officially known as the Peel 50 (about 50 were built) and has two front wheels and one in back.
Posted By: gdanea - Sat Mar 13, 2010 -
Comments (4)
Category: Transportation
World Record Bamboo Dance
Watch this video. Now picture ten thousand people doing it simultaneously.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 13, 2010 -
Comments (2)
Category: World Records, Dance, Asia
March 12, 2010
Teeth Cleaning
At the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland a number of visitors were charmed and amazed today. In an enclosure housing a zebra and a mother and baby hippopotamus the strangest thing was observed. The mother hippo opened her mouth wide and allowed the zebra to reach his head in and clean her teeth. This went on for 15 minutes while visitors observed and took pictures. Never once did the hippo attempt to harm the zebra and the zebra showed no fear while his head was in her mouth. The second link has more pictures.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/162634/Zebra-and-hippo-Open-wide-and-I-ll-clean-your-teeth
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1257204/Zebra-puts-head-hippos-mouth--escapes-unhurt-cleaning-predators-teeth.html
Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 12, 2010 -
Comments (6)
Category:
Just Imagine!
I can almost believe that I myself, starting from scratch and given several years, might be able to handcraft the 433 parts of a 1940s phone and assemble them into a working unit.
But how could I build the billion-dollar computer-chip fabrication plant in order to create one chip or hard-drive for an iPhone?
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 12, 2010 -
Comments (14)
Category: Technology, Cartoons, Documentaries, 1940s
March 11, 2010
Professor Music’s Weird Link (Singular)
Some Weerdos disdain the terseness of my Postings.Therefore, I present:
The People's Glorious Death-to-the-Capitalist-running-dog-boot-licking-lackey-tools-of-the-Wall Street-Imperialist-war-mongers-who-wallow-in-the-honest-sweat-of-the-enslaved-masses Flying (maybe) Boat-Tank-Attack Bomber-Torpedo Launcher of the Soviet Socialist Republics!!!
Bonus loquacity
Posted By: Professor Music - Thu Mar 11, 2010 -
Comments (15)
Category:
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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 |
