Weird news stories

[Sudeep]

Share 'em all here.

Here's one from CNN:

California to ban hunting over Internet

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- Wildlife regulators took the first step Tuesday to bar hunters from using the Internet to shoot animals, responding to a Texas Web site that planned to let users fire at real game with the click of a mouse.

The Fish and Game Commission ordered wildlife officials to prepare emergency regulations to ban the practice. A period of public comment will follow.

"We don't think Californians should be able to hunt sitting at their computers at home," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game.

A bill passed by the state Senate two weeks ago would prohibit use of computer-assisted hunting sites and ban the import or export of any animal killed using computer-assisted hunting. The measure now moves to the state Assembly.

At least 14 other states and Congress are considering similar bills.

Groups including the California Sportsmen's Association, Safari Club International and the Outdoor Sportsman's Coalition of California support the ban, saying hunting over the Internet is unethical and unsporting.

Supporters have suggested the remote hunting could be beneficial for hunters with disabilities and questioned why Californians should be barred from patronizing a legitimate Texas business.

[Agent TBY]

What the hell?????

[andyc]

smh (the sydney morning herald) has a whole section of unusual stories like this one...

http://www.smh.com.au/specials/strange/


some examples are:

All for nought

An Indian who became a man to marry a female relative was dumped after the surgery.

Kuttiyamma, 29, born with both male and female genitals, was in love with a relative, Laura, 25, for 15 years before having surgery to become a man and change her name to Binu, the Hindustan Times said.

Laura became engaged to another man and Binu is suing her for breach of trust after spending 50,000 rupees ($1470) on the sex change.

Laura's fiance backed out of the wedding after hearing of Binu.

and

Exploding toads in the 'pond of death'

Hundreds of toads have met a bizarre and sinister end in Germany in recent days: they exploded.

According to reports from animal welfare workers and veterinarians as many as a thousand of the amphibians have perished after their bodies swelled to bursting point and their entrails were propelled for up to a metre.

It is like "a science fiction film", according to Werner Smolnik of a nature protection society in the northern city of Hamburg, where the phenomenon of the exploding toad has been observed.

"You see the animals crawling on the ground, swelling and then exploding."

He said the bodies of the toads expanded to three-and-a-half times their normal size.

"I have never seen such a thing," said veterinarian Otto Horst.

The death toll has been so bad that the lake in the Altona district of Hamburg has been dubbed "the pond of death".

Access to it has been sealed off and every night a biologist visits it between 2am and 3am, which appears to be the peak time for batrachians to go bang.

Explanations include an unknown virus, a fungus that has infected the water, or crows, which in an echo of the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds, attack the toads, literally scaring them to death.

[Sudeep]

I can't find this story I read a few days back.

But it was about an Indian bride marrying a plant or something, after the bridegroom failed to show up.

[Agent TBY]

Reminds me of "Hulk" which is a bad thing,since it was horrible.

I really think a majority of these stories are made up,especially in Indian newspapers,because nobody's bothered to check up on the facts,they just fill pages with them.

And Sudeep,was it a carrot plant by any chance??

[Sudeep]

Originally Posted by Agent TBY

And Sudeep,was it a carrot plant by any chance??

[andyc]

Originally Posted by Agent TBY

Reminds me of "Hulk" which is a bad thing,since it was horrible.

I really think a majority of these stories are made up,especially in Indian newspapers,because nobody's bothered to check up on the facts,they just fill pages with them.

And Sudeep,was it a carrot plant by any chance??

hahaha couldve been a banana plant. but one would hope it wasn't a watermelon plant. or pineapple...

[Craig]

One of my favourites was about 17 months ago when I read an article that in Adelaide two robbers decided to rob a pizza deliever and take his pizza, not his money. Corey will probably correct me on the details if he reads this if I am mistaken.

Sounds like they had the munchies.

[andyc]

I posted this a while back, but here it is again…

Gang 'steals escalator'
A subway station in southern China has been forced to delay its opening after an armed gang broke in and stole the escalator, a news report said today.
A gang of 24 men held up builders and looted the construction site at Gouwugongyuan station in Shenzhen, stealing an entire escalator and six steel pillars.
Terrified security guards stood by as the robbers went back and forth, carrying materials to trucks waiting outside, the South China Morning Post reported.
The station, next to the Shenzhen Exhibition Centre, was due to open on December 28 but will not now be finished on time, the newspaper said.
One construction worker quoted by the newspaper said looting was rife at subway construction sites.
"A few days ago they robbed another (subway) site a few kilometres from here," he said. "They even sent in a crane to lift their loot onto trucks. It's completely lawless."
Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, is one of China's fastest-growing cities and has a reputation as a city where crime and robberies are rife.

[Craig]

Weird.

But is the whole point in stealing an escalator?

[Agent TBY]

Originally Posted by Craig

Weird.

But is the whole point in stealing an escalator?

What?

[nikhil1772]

There are many funny news stories in the Bizarre section of The Pune Times of India...l dont remember many but there was this thief in Rio or somewhere who broke into a house in the night and while stealing fell asleep and was caught in the morning....
Another thief story was that while the thief was robbing a house,the whole kitchen was due to catch fire because of a burning stove and to prevent the fire the thief woke up the people living in that house.

[Agent TBY]

Originally Posted by nikhil1772

Another thief story was that while the thief was robbing a house,the whole kitchen was due to catch fire because of a burning stove and to prevent the fire the thief woke up the people living in that house.

If my memory serves me right,thats not a story,thats a public service advertisement to switch off the gas,by Bharat Petroleum.

[_Ed_]

http://www.theregister.com/2005/05/1...ting_knickers/

The following cautionary tale must surely rate in the top five of "most embarrassing things that can happen to you in public - ever". According to UK tabloid the Sun, a 33-year-old Welsh housewife ended up in hospital after wearing Ann Summers vibrating Passion Pants to her local Asda supermarket in Swansea.

Unfortunately, she became "so aroused by the 2½-inch vibrating bullet inside that she fainted" then "fell against shelves and banged her head". This prompted the attendance of the paramedics who "found the black leatherette panties still buzzing". Having disabled the orgasmatronic underwear, they then whisked the senseless shopper to hospital where she made a complete recovery. Staff handed her back the Passion Pants upon discharge, discreetly concealed in a plastic bag.

To its credit, the Sun does not name the woman. We assume, however, that she will be shopping at her local Tesco for the next ten years or so, or until everyone in the Asda who witnessed her ordeal is dead or has succumbed to total amnesia - whichever comes soonest.

For the record, Ann Summers notes that Passion Pants are "Not for internal use". Now we know why. ®

[andyc]

Originally Posted by _Ed_

http://www.theregister.com/2005/05/1...ting_knickers/

pasion pants, hey? gotta get me some of those