JUST ABOVE SUNSET offers, in special arrangement with Andrew J. Hewett and his site WEIRD, BIZARRE and UNUSUAL (chewednews.com), the best of the weird, bizarre and unusual. As noted at his site, Andrew publishes, via e-mail, a growing archive of true events compiled from a variety of sources, covering “every conceivable subject.” You can submit your own favorite “strange story” – including a verifiable source, of course. He’s sent over 1,200 of these out to the distribution list, and you too can sign up to be on the list. Here’s the latest. Visit his site for more, and the archives. And note that Volume I of Weird, Bizarre and Unusual [Kindle Edition] is available on Amazon.com – Volume II will be coming soon, with Volume III, IV and V to follow.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012 –
BELIEVE THIS? WEBSITE BELOW
John Davis, of Elyria, Ohio, was exiting a freeway off-ramp when he saw a man in a wheelchair with a sign requesting help. Having a brother who was paralyzed, Davis immediately reached from his car window and handed the man a couple of dollars. Problem was, a policeman saw one of the bills fall to the ground, causing Davis to receive a ticket, leaving him to face a $500 fine for littering. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/john-davis-faces-500-for-_n_1541096.html?ref=weird-news)
MAKE THEM PUKE UP THE EVIDENCE
On their very first date, Florida teenagers Devin Norling, 18, and Sydney Sanders, 19, quickly realized they had something in common. Both were thieves. Attempting not to pay a $25.16 tab at the Indian River Mall T.G.I. Friday’s, Sanders escaped to the parking area, while Norling was caught leaving through a fire exit. Last report, both teens faced charges of obtaining food with intent to defraud, while Sanders was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
IF THE SHOE FITS
Tuesday, May 22, 2012, University of Texas’ Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs apologized for a typo printed on their commencement program. Guests at the ceremony where given books reading “Lyndon B. Johnson School of Pubic Affairs.” Also, in their first apology using the words “egregious typo,” the word egregious was spelled “eggregious.” (Bet they can’t spell d-u-m-b-b-u-t-t-s either?)
Sunday, May 27, 2012 –
OLD BOXER GETS FINAL KNOCK OUT
BURBANK, Calif. - Mary Beaumont, age 91, was driving along on the evening of May 22, 2011, when she ran into retired boxer Otto “Bonecrusher” Jensen, age 101. To be more accurate, she ran over him, leaving Jensen dead.
LONELY SOLDIERS… AND A GOAT
From a May 2012 issue of the London Telegraph - In a rediscovered bomb shelter near Carspach, France, scientists found 21 dead German soldiers – some on benches, one in bed and another at the base of stairs where he’d fallen 94 years earlier when a bomb turned the converted tunnel into a soil-filled tomb. Found along with personal effects, the skeleton of a goat.
NO BABY BACK RIBS?
In early 2012 Oklahoma State Sen. Ralph Shortey proposed a statute which reads, ”No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.” (Reported by News Talk Radio KRMG.)
Friday, May 25, 2012 –
HE WAS A LOUSY MOTHER
New York – May 21, 2012, Thomas Parkin, 51, was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for impersonating his mother. After doctoring her death certificate, and dressing as a woman, Parkin collected her Social Security checks for six years before being caught.
WHAT COLOR IS A HUMAN SOUL
Sean King, a second-grader in Colorado Springs, Colo., drew strong criticism for participating in a class project in which students were requested to dress as some famous person in history. Problem was, Sean is white, causing him to use black face paint .. in order to appear as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
NEED TO UN-PARK THEIR BRAINS?
Parking one’s car in New York City can be expensive. Probably the most costly space, according to the New York Post, is inside “the city’s gaudiest garage.” This 12′ by 23′ slab of concrete is located high inside this eight-story building, located in Greenwich Village. (The Postestimates if that same driver parked on the street, instead, each-and-every-day, and paid a daily parking fine of $115 for each-and-every-day, it would still take 24 years to equal this parking spots purchase price … plus monthly maintenance fees.)
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 –
ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN
In March 2012, China News reported: Many villagers in Sandong Province are either too poor or too isolated to afford heating fuel, so many households use giant heavy-duty balloons, resemble 15-foot-long condoms to transport and store natural gas, easily purchased locally.
DOLPHINS ON DRUGS?!
MSN.com reported early 2011 two dolphins, named Chelmers and Shadow, died agonizing deaths because a zoo in Connyland, Switz., allowed thousands of young people to hold a rave near their training pool. For animals with sonar hearing certain loud music can become extremely painful. In this case, however, the dead animals’ urine samples proved they had died of heroin overdoses, obviously provided by partygoers.
NOW, HERE’S A RARITY
Readers: To be totally honest, today I found nothing worth wasting your time on in the news. Perhaps tomorrow’s events will improve?
Monday, May 21, 2012 –
“HANGING OUT” IN PUBLIC
When and while Alan Petrusson was being arrested for tying himself to a tree, naked and blindfolded, near a Ramsey, Minn. Park, he should’ve sung that old Waylon Jennings’ song: “I was looking for love in all the wrong places.” Apparently, fulfilling a fantasy of having anonymous sex with a stranger, Jennings claimed he was only “sleeping.” Ramsey Police Chief James Way told The Huffington Post, “We have had reports of sexual activity out there….”
NO DUMBBUTT, NORTH DAKOTA?
In April 2012, SmarterTravel.com posted a list of unusual names of U.S. towns: Why, Ariz., Whynot, Miss., Hell, Mich., Pig, Ky., Elephant Butte, N.M., Monkeys Eyebrow, Ky., and Embarrass, Minn. (Longest town name in the world -58 letters - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, New Zealand.)
WONDER WHO ROBBED HIS BRAIN?
Chuck Shepherd’s News of the Weird tells of Robert Strank, 39, who suddenly become ill while robbing a bank in Huntington, Ohio. First demanding the teller call 9-1-1, then feeling better, Strank handed her a pre-written holdup note demanding cash. Too late, though. That 911 call got him quickly arrested.
Saturday, May 19, 2012 –
THEY GAVE HIM THE FINGER
Arby’s fast food restaurants apologized to 14-year-old Ryan Hart for putting too much meat on his sandwich. After he purchased his meal at one of Arby’s outlets in Jackson, Mich., young Hart bit into something that didn’t taste like beef … because it was the fleshy, severed pad of an employee’s finger.
THIS WHOLE IDEA STINKS
The Windsor Star newspaper tells of arrestee Richard Mackenzie Matthews, 52, having his bowel movements, each-and-every one, examined by Ontario, Canada police for a week. They needed “solid” proof Matthews had swallowed a $20,000 diamond in an attempt to hide his theft of this 1.7-carat stone. A recent X-ray showed a pair of fake diamonds, or cubic zirconium, stuck in the man’s intestines but, because a diamond is translucent, it isn’t visible.
A DEADLY AROUSAL
Robert Gene White, 67, received and enjoyed several lap dances at an El Paso, Texas strip club the night of May 11, 2012, and got them all free. Free because, when workers tried to collect, they found White unresponsive, dead from a heart attack.
Friday, May 18, 2012 –
HE NEEDS A NEW HOBBY
Desmond Hatchett, 29, is a very “romantic” (i.e. prolific) fellow, according to The Huffington Post. Beginning at age 18, he’s fathered 21 children with 11 different women. In fact, he produced 4 babies in 1 year, twice. Add to that, in the state of Tennessee only 50% of his minimum wage income can go for child support, meaning some of these mothers only receive $1.98 a month. (What, no college fund?)
NO WONDER, HE FORGOT THE CANDY
Fellows, did you get your mother and/or “significant other” a gift for Mother’s Day? Clifton Barkin, 22, of Beaumont, Texas, probably felt he’d done a romantic thing giving his girlfriend, Paige Parkerson, 20, both a greeting card and flowers… but she stabbed him to death anyway.
VERY OBEDIENT CHILDREN
Port St. John, Fla. (5-14-12) – Tony Thomas, 33, proved her four children, ranging in age from 12 to 17, would always do what she told them. When three of the four youngsters ran next door trying to tell neighbors they’d been shot and wounded by their mother, she convinced them to return home, where she finished the job of killing all four… before committing suicide.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 –
“OFF WITH HIS … UH, DIAPER!”
To be elected President of the United States, one must be at least 35-years-old. When the King of France Louis Xlll died on May 14, 1643, his son became King Louis XlV – at the age of 4. (“A breast! A breast! My kingdom for a breast!”)
WHAT? NO ANTI-VENOM ON ISLE 4?
(5-15-12) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc., apologized to Mica Craig, 47, after he was bitten on his hand in the gardening area of their store in Clarkston, Wash., by a rattlesnake. Taken to a hospital, Craig, who legally grows medical marijuana, said he was attempting to brush a “stick” from a stack of mulch, when it bit him.
AIR FRESHENER? NO. GAS MASKS.
Sydney, Aust., May 14, 2012 – Reuters reports the opening of the Museum of Old and New art (MONA). Located in Tasmania, dubbed “the subversive adult Disneyland,” it has some very unusual displays. Prime example: A series of glass receptacles hung in a row, with the machine being “fed” twice a day on one end. The food is ground up “naturally,” the way it is in the human body, and the device produces feces at exactly 2:00 pm .. from the other end. The smell is so powerful many visitors leave.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 –
MAYBE HE’S JUST LAZY?
LUXOR, Egypt (5-11-12) – After Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi, age 28, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, grieving relatives took his body home and, according to Islamic tradition, washed and prepared his corpse for burial. But, when a doctor arrived to sign the death certificate, she found the body was still warm … and, therefore, alive. The “deceased’s” mother fainted upon learning her son was not dead. (Both were revived by the doctor.)
YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS GUY
Feeling apparently puny, Karl Albrecht, 88, made sure all of his friends had his new address before relocating, by having it printed in the Hamburger Abendblatt paper: Olhsdorf-Ruhewald cemetery, plot Bx 65/28C. (He also requested all “guests” enjoy schnapps while attending his funeral, and women wear only bright floral colors, no black.)
SNIFF THOSE SHEETS … FIRST!
The June 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro will attract about 50,000 visitors, yet Rio has only 30,000 standard hotel rooms. Meaning, officials have persuaded owners of short-time “love hotels” (usually rented for four hours) to remove fixtures such as “erotic chairs” to make room for average travelers. (Fortunately, the conference begins June 13. The night of June 12 {“Lovers Day”} is a big income-producer for short-stay hotels.)
Sunday, May 13, 2012 –
NO MORE ‘PEE/POO’ BREATH
Zephyrhills, Fla. (5-10-12) – An Associated Press report tells of 47-year-old Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp, who was suspended for forcing eight of her naughty ninth-grade students to wear “cones of shame” collars around their necks; the same type dog owners use to stop pets from licking their two rear orifices.
WHAT 18-WHEELER? … OOOH!!!
Do you think it is dangerous to ‘tweet’ while driving? Some cities and towns have outlawed it. CBS New York reports Fort Lee, N.J. has gone one step farther by ticketing pedestrians walking-and-tweeting, who appear to ignore their surrounds enough to put themselves and/or others in danger.
PHILANDERING WITH A 4-FOOTER
St. Louis Public Radio, 3-11-2012 – “The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in April that Joshua Coman, convicted of having sex with a dog, does not have to register as a sex offender. Activists had urged that the sodomy law on which Coman was convicted be declared unconstitutional, since it appears to equate human-animal sex with man-man and woman-woman sex. However, the Court declined, instead noting that Coman had been convicted of a misdemeanor and that only felons are required to register.”
Saturday, May 12, 2012 –
THIS JUSTICE: NO LAW REQUIRED
(5-10-12) – NBCWashington.com tells of Danny Lesh’s search on Craigslist for another bicycle, after his $600 Cannondale hybrid was stolen. And he found one … for only $100 … which he instantly recognized as his own bike. Unable to get an immediate response from police, Lesh met the “seller” alone in an alley, where he took the bike for a “test ride” and never returned.
BUTT CALLS
The New York Daily News reports a commission requested by New York City’s Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, released May 4, 2012, found 40% of all 911 calls operators received in 2010 were “butt calls” or “pocket calls,” made by accident from people’s pockets and purses. That means some 3.9 million butt calls were made in 2010, averaging about 10,700 false calls each and every day.
THAT’LL TEACH HER
Stephanie Ann Broten, 38, and her partner Darnell Alan Landrum, 34, of Fridley, Minn., were arrested May 7, 2012 on suspicion of gross-misdemeanor malicious punishment of Broten’s daughter. What punishment did they give this 12-year-old for getting an ‘F’ on her report card? When police arrived outside the apartment they found about 50 people, including dozens of young folks, watching this young girl cry hysterically, while running up-and-down, displaying a shaven skull, wearing nothing but a diaper and tank top.
Thursday, May 10, 2012 –
GOLF … STROKE OF LUCK
(5-02-12) – A Florida man, Albert Miller, 75, was playing golf on the 15th hole of Lake Ashton Golf and Country Club, when he stepped to the edge of a pond. That’s when, according to Miller, “He lifted me up three feet and slammed me down,” referring to a nine-foot alligator, which next dragged him into waist-deep water. Thanks to a tug-of-war between the reptile and two golfers, lucky Miller was taken to a hospital and received 40 stitches to his leg.
HE WENT “BATTY” OVER BASEBALL
The Chicago Tribune (4-18-12) tells of the arrest of Emanuel Kuvakos, 56, charged in April for sending two Chicago sports team executives emails threatening violence for stealing his ideas for winning championships. Even stranger, one of the emails went to a former general manager of the Chicago Cubs, a team which has not won a National League championship for 66 years, and won its last World Series 103 years ago (1908).
NO ICE WITH THIS DRINK
After his arrest early April 21, 2012 at a marijuana party in Universal City, Dan Chong, 23, was taken to the DEA’s office, where he was questioned, then told he could go home. In fact, one agent even offered him a ride, soon as the door was opened to his holding cell. And … that was the last human Chong saw for the next five days. KNSD-TV reported, he survived drinking his own urine, and lost roughly 15 pounds.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 –
A PREPUBESCENT PERVERT?
D’Avonte Meadows, a first grader at Sable Elementary School in Aurora, Colo., made the mistake of quoting the words from a popular song, “I’m sexy and I know it” to a female classmate. For this horrible act the 6-year-old was suspended for three days. School officials pointed out their policy “defines sexual harassment as any unwelcome sexual advance. There is no age limit.” (http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/318857/28/First-grader-suspended-for-sexual-harassment)
NON-KISSABLE LIPS
Women in the German town of Lüchow expressed disgust over the design of two urinals inside the men’s toilet of a museum dedicated to the Rolling Stones. These urinals, shaped like big, bright red lips, are similar to the legendary logo of the band, but look more feminine and lack tongues. (Originally these same “lips” were removed from a toilet in New York following complaints.)
STRAY BULLET? SUICIDE?
After Army Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark, 43, was sent to Afghanistan in March of 2012, he and his wife, with her back in El Paso, would communicate when possible. On May 4, 2012, while the couple video-chatted via Skype, this wife and mother of their two daughters (ages 9 and 3), witnessed his death. How did he die? At press time his wife was not available and the Pentagon said the death was under investigation. (NEWS at 10:00?)
Sunday, May 6, 2012 –
ANOTHER TYPE OF MEAT PACKING
March 3, 2012 - http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/ reported hikers inside Colorado’s White River National Forest found 6 dead cows stuffed inside a U.S. Forest service cabin (elevation -11,000 feet). A crew was ordered to hike 8.5 miles up to the cabin, then use “Wyoming Saws” (i.e. fancy hacksaws) to remove legs, and any other extremities required to remove the cattle’s corpses. (How cows get stuck in that cabin was not explained.)
ARRESTED OVER BIGGER BUMPERS
When Phoenix resident Jamie Lynn Toler, 27, told family and friends she’d been diagnosed with cancer and needed a double mastectomy, $8,000 was raised for her surgery … which she used to buy breast implants. (Apparently acting on a rumor, police obtained Toler’s medical records, before arresting her on fraud charges.)
NO TIRE TREAD WEAR THIS TRIP
When that tsunami hit Japan’s coast March 11, 2011, among the confirmed 15,854 killed were three members of Ikuo Yokoyama’s family, destroying their home and sending Ikuo’s crated Harley-Davidson motorcycle out to sea. And that was that, until April 18, 2012, when the crate and Harley were found on Canada’s Graham Island, 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean.
Friday, May 4, 2012 –
MIGHT BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES
While tiny Emmelyn Roettger was an infant, doctors thought she might have autism. And, by age 9 months, she’d still not made eye contact, reached for toys or tried to crawl. That is until her mother, Michelle, had “Emmie’s” eyes checked and got her glasses. (In March 2012, at the age of 2-years-11-months, Emmelyn became the youngest U.S. member of the high-IQ society Mensa. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47233631/ns/today-good_news/#.T6E3kLK0KuI)
ABOUT TO ‘LOSE HIS SHIRT’
Owner of the Fawlty Motel in Cocoa Beach, Fla., Paul Hodge, got so tired of the larger hotels/motels soaking up his tourists business, as of May 1, 2012, all guests may enjoy all activities totally nude. Though Hodge admits neither he or his wife will go naked, he still hopes their bartender will at least go topless. (Before booking, you might wish to learn if that bartender is male/female, depending on your personal “proclivity.”)
A BRIDGE ACROSS “HUH?”
According to www.huffingtonpost.com (4-30-12) – There’s a million-dollar gap in the Czech Republic’s railroad budget thanks to the theft of a bridge near the eastern town of Slavkov. With forged papers, a “train gang” convinced those in charge the railway bridge had to come down. And, long after these scrap metal thieves were found to be phony, railway spokesman Pavel Hanna admitted, “…replacing that bridge will run into the millions.”
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 –
NO RIN-TIN-TIN RERUNS HERE
Do you have a dog? Do you worry about “your best buddy” getting bored while you’re away at work? If so, good news. Thanks to Gilad Neumann, chief executive officer of DogTV, for only $4.99 monthly you’ll soon be able to provide your furry four-footer with eight-hours of on-demand cable TV programming. (Cameramen get on their knees to shoot dogs’-eye-views, and music is written and tailored especially for these animals’ hearing.)
MINI-TOWERS EARN MILLION$
Most folks know drug smugglers make millions, but would be surprised to know what contraband Paris Police “confiscated” April, 13, 2012. What it was, following several months of surveillance, was 13 tons of miniature Eiffel Towers, widely sold by a souvenir shop owner and family at tourist spots, including the Louvre and Eiffel Tower itself … without a permit. Police estimate the boutique illegally earned (Euro) 1 million ($1.31 million) each year.
MORE THAN PETAL-TO-THE-MEDAL
April 27, 2011 – The Chicago Sun-Times tells of Zachary P. Ramirez, 21, and his urgent need. After running a red light and a stop sign, and accelerating to 111 mph in 45 mph speed zone … he admitted to police he’d been in a hurry to “try to go have sex with a girl he liked.” (Bet she hopes he “slows down,” too.)
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Volume I of Weird, Bizarre and Unusual [Kindle Edition] is available on Amazon.com – Volume II will be coming soon, with Volume III, IV and V to follow.
