Strange News Stories (Post Here)

[rainylady]

NY-born twin friars die on same day at age 92
Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.
"It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.
They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.
Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/U...TE=DEFAULT

They must have been very close.

[PonderThis]

Hypnotist David Days knocked out during Dorset show http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13653944



Three people were left hypnotised on stage when a hypnotist knocked himself out during a show in Dorset.

David Days was performing at Portland's Royal Manor Theatre on Friday when he tripped over a participant's leg.

His team could not rouse him and the audience was asked to leave while the people were still "asleep" on stage.

They were "woken up" soon after when Mr Days recovered. His manager said the performer has a voice recording which can be used to bring people round.

Mr Days, who has hypnotised members of the pop band Blue on television, did not require hospital treatment, his manager Tara Nix said.

She added: "He was out for a little while and that is why we asked the audience to leave.

"Three people were left on stage but we always have a back-up tape and a back-up hypnotist to step in if needed.

"Luckily, it wasn't too long until he recovered and he and the guests are fine.

"To be honest I think this is the first time it has ever happened to a hypnotist."

Audience member Fiona Faye said: "He was pulled from stage and there was loads of commotion from a number of people backstage including one man who ran to the other side of the stage to get a first aid kit.

"At first the audience, including us, found it very funny and thought it was part of the act, but as time went on we began to realise that it was not part of the show and he had actually hurt himself.

"At this point we become very worried not only for David Days but also the guests that were onstage oblivious to anything as they were still hypnotised.

"They simply just sat there 'asleep'."

[PonderThis]

Don’t Have Loud Conversations About the Warrant for Your Arrest
http://gawker.com/5807222/

"If you're a fugitive, it's probably in your best interests to keep that a secret from people you encounter. Like Richard R. Vermalyea, 32, of Rehoboth, Delaware, who kept the two warrants out for his arrest a secret when he checked in to the Traveler's Motel in Delmar, Maryland. Unfortunately for Vermalyea, however, his secret did not last for very long. Because his neighbors "heard a man yelling during a phone conversation that there was a warrant for his arrest and called police."

Vermalyea was soon collected by the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office, and is now being held on the two warrants (one "for failure to appear in a theft case," the other "for violation of probation"). He will probably keep his phone conversations at a reasonable volume going forward."

[PonderThis]

Russian who buried himself alive dies by mistake
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-1...um=twitter

"A Russian man has died after persuading a friend to bury him alive for a night, hoping it would bring him "good luck".

The victim dug a hole in a garden in the eastern city of Blagoveshchensk and climbed into an improvised coffin, with holes for air pipes, taking a mobile phone and a bottle of water with him.

His friend covered the coffin with earth and then left, after the buried man phoned to say he was fine.

The next morning, he returned to find his friend dead, investigators said.

The 35-year-old victim had believed that burying himself alive for a night would bring him luck the rest of his life.

"According to his friend, the man wanted to test his endurance and insistently asked his friend to help him spend the night buried," said Alexei Lubinsky, a senior aide to the region's chief investigator.

"We know that the victim was a computer programmer and that he has a small child."
Internet craze

The coffin was covered with soil to a depth of about 20cm (eight inches), Mr Lubinsky said.

He speculated that heavy rainfall overnight could have blocked the air supply to the man trapped inside.

The superstitious victim was probably influenced by reading stories about self-burial on the internet, investigators said.

In a bizarre trend, numerous Russian bloggers write of undergoing supervised self-burial. State newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta has even run a feature on the practice.

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg, in Moscow, says it is not the first time this has happened in Russia.

Last summer a man in the north-western Vologda region persuaded his friend to bury him in the ground - to help him overcome his fear of death.

He was found dead an hour and a half later, crushed by the weight of the earth."

[chuck white]

Did he have children? , Darwin award committee needs to know

[rainylady]

Did he have children? , Darwin award committee needs to know

The article said he had one.

[chuck white]

OK he get an honorable mention.

[Valuesize]

Fat cats get all the breaks.

Ohio animal shelter puts fattest cats on discount

HILLIARD, Ohio (AP) -- A central Ohio animal shelter with an abundance of chubby cats is having a sale on its fattest felines, hoping a discount entices potential owners to take one home.
The Capital Area Humane Society says the fat cats are on sale this summer for $15 each or two for $20, instead of the usual $70 adoption price.
Development manager Mary Hiser says the cats packed on the pounds before arriving at the shelter, and the extra weight can cause them health problems.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that nine of the shelter's 55 cats are overweight. Volunteers keep them in an area that offers extra room to run and burn off calories.
The largest cat is a 6-year-old black-and brown shorthair named Zebe, who weighs 23 pounds.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/U...TE=DEFAULT

[TennisMom]

Oregon woman develops foreign accent after surgery

SALEM — Karen Butler has a British-sounding accent, but she's never been to Europe. She woke up from dental surgery one day talking funny.

A year and a half later her "foreign" accent remains, and her story has traveled around the world.

The 56-year-old tax consultant from Toledo, Ore., has found her life transformed by the dental procedure, which left her with dentures, and — depending on whom you ask — an Eastern European, Swedish or British accent.

Butler had all her top teeth and front bottom teeth removed in November 2009 because of gingivitis. A week later the swelling had gone away, but she still sounded strange. Her dentist told her she just had to get used to her new teeth.

But as weeks stretched on with no change, Butler did some online research. She diagnosed herself with Foreign Accent Syndrome, a medical condition with only a few dozen documented cases.

The syndrome is often the result of brain injury; though it is uncommon, most neurologists will see at least one case in their career, said Dr. Helmi Lutsep, professor and vice-chair of the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University. Sometimes a person just sounds slightly off; other times there may be a more dramatic-sounding accent, Lutsep said.

"We don't know exactly how or why it happens, but it simply affects rhythm of language," Lutsep said. "I'm absolutely convinced this is a real phenomenon. These people are not making it up."

Butler believes she hasn't had a stroke or any brain trauma. She said she has tried, but hasn't been able to get a brain scan because she said her medical insurance will not cover it.

"There's nothing wrong with having an accent," said Butler, who was born in Bloomington, Ill., and moved to Oregon before she turned one.

In Toledo, a small town of about 3,500 people, Butler is a novelty with her exotic accent. And that was before she went on the "Today" show and was featured on more than a dozen other television shows, newspaper articles and radio stations from Europe to Australia.

Josica Tichert, 58, of Newport, has had Butler prepare her taxes for five years but didn't realize what happened until she saw her on TV.

"I just kind of thought ... well, maybe she did speak that way before," Tichert said. "And then, when I was watching the news, they had her on there, and I go, `Oh my gosh, she does my taxes.'"

Butler's co-workers at H&R Block noticed the change, but most didn't ask her directly; they didn't want to be rude. Some presumed she was taking voice lessons or had "visited (her) homeland."

Since mid-April, when a client put her in touch with a local news station, Butler has been engaged in a swirl of media activity. The grandmother who has five children of her own had never been to New York until NBC flew her out for the "Today" show.

The Butlers said most of their time was spent fielding interviews and going from one meeting with reporters to the next.

Aside from the media attention, Karen Butler said her life hasn't changed much. She's less shy because of all the questions she's been asked. For a while her family treated the accent like a "new toy," asking her to say certain words or phrases.

She can't hear her own accent when she speaks, but Butler said she can feel herself forming words differently. She talks about her daughter, Jamie, as a "twenty-VUN" year old. She said the accent has softened over time and was initially strongly "Transylvanian" sounding.

Every now and then, Butler's daughter Cindy Miller, 36, calls her mom's cell phone just to listen to the voicemail. Butler hasn't changed it since the procedure.

"After all this time I like to hear it. I like to remember what it was. What my voice sounded like," Butler said. "I don't feel different inside at all. I'm the same old me I ever was."

[TennisMom]

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia woman is suing Dunkin' Donuts, saying a worker mistakenly put sugar in her coffee, which ultimately caused her to go into diabetic shock.

Danielle Jordan's lawsuit claims she asked for artificial sweetener to be added to her coffee during a June 2009 visit. Jordan claims she downed the drink and experienced dizziness, light-headedness and ended up making an emergency trip to the hospital.

A legal liaison for the Canton, Mass.-based doughnut chain told the Philadelphia Daily News she couldn't comment on the case.

But she says employees only provide customers with the order they ask for. Jordan's lawyer, Kenneth Rodgers, says his client couldn't tell from the taste of the coffee that she got sugar instead of her preferred artificial sweetener.

He says she didn't finish the drink before she fell ill. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

[TennisMom]

Graveyard Sex May Have Caused A Tombstone To Roll Over On A New Jersey Woman's Leg

A 39-year-old woman was rushed to a New Jersey hospital after a gravestone rolled over her leg while she may have been engaged in a sexual act, according to local police.

"There may have been some extracurricular activities," Capt. James Stevens of Hamilton Township police told AOL Weird News.

He added that he didn't think the woman was seriously injured in the accident around 7 p.m. on May 31 while she visited a relative's grave with a man.

Stevens didn't know how the tombstone toppled. Nor did he know if the headstone belonged to the relative that the injured lover was visiting.

Commenters on the Times of Trenton website, which first reported the incident, immediately added humorous insults to her injury.

"Laid to rest," wrote one comedian.

"Gives new meaning to the word boneyard," quipped another.

But authorities at Adath Israel Congregation aren't laughing. The synagogue's administrator said they're waiting to see ta completed police report before deciding if they'll press charges against the passionate pals.

"The information will be more clear after we have the police report," said the administrator Linda, who didn't give her last name before hanging up. "We'll decide after that."

She wouldn't say if the marker was damaged in the heat of the moment.

Her statements conflict with statements from Capt. Stevens who said that no crime took place and that the synagogue already declined to open a criminal complaint.

"We received a 911 call for an emergency," Stevens said. "It's not a crime."

[hillclimber]

TennisMom, I really like your sig..
When in Jr. High, my friend and I went through an old graveyard ( IOOF) sometimes when going to or from town.. And twice came across this very thing.. We knew the car, and the family of this guy , and that was not his wife. Wouldn't have known that, but for running into her at Blind Georges about 15 minutes later.. Watched that family for many years with that knowledge and the marriage apparently lasted till his death about 20-25 years ago..

[Valuesize]

'Why are you carrying a weasel?'
HOQUIAM, Wash. -- Police say a man was carrying a dead weasel when he burst into an apartment and assaulted a man in Washington state.

The victim asked, "Why are you carrying a weasel?" Police said the attacker answered, "It's not a weasel, it's a marten," then punched him in the nose and fled.

The attacker was apparently looking for his girlfriend and had gone to her former boyfriend's apartment Monday where the victim was a guest.

KXRO reports he left the carcass behind.

Police later found the 33-year-old Hoquiam man arguing with his girlfriend at another location and arrested him after a fight.

He said he had found the marten dead near Hoquiam, but police don't know why he carried it with him.

A marten is a member of the weasel family.

– The Associated Press

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northw...sault.html

[Valuesize]

Australian camels could be shot to curb methane
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Kill a camel, earn cash for cutting greenhouse gases: That offer may be coming soon in Australia, where vast numbers of the nonnative, methane-belching animals have been trampling the Outback for more than a century.

The government has proposed that killing camels be officially registered as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Australia has the world's largest population of wild camels - an estimated 1.2 million - and considers them to be a growing environmental problem.

The proposal, released for public comment this week, would allow sharpshooters to earn so-called carbon credits for slaughtering camels. Industrial polluters around the world could buy the credits to offset their own carbon emissions.

Each camel belches an estimated 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of methane a year, which is equivalent to a metric ton (1.1 U.S. ton) of carbon dioxide in its impact on global warming. That's roughly one-sixth the amount of CO2 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says an average car produces annually.

Lots more to the story here:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/A...TE=DEFAULT

[PonderThis]

http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/06/08/kr...sts-steal/

Note: It's worthwhile to click on this link for a handy diagram of this story (even though it's in spanish), it's a .pdf file and unfortunately I don't know how to show it here (if someone knows maybe they'd tell me): http://estaticos.elperiodico.com/resourc...433648.pdf

A Polish contortionist and his accomplice were arrested in Spain on Friday for stealing valuable items from travelers' checked luggage after gaining entry to the cargo of an airport transit bus by hiding himself in a small suitcase.

Krzysztof Grzegorz and Jouoastaw K were arrested after a bus company employee noticed a man struggling to retrieve his heavy luggage from the Girona Airport to Barcelona bus. When officers checked the case, they noticed it was warm and opened it only to discover a very sweaty 5'8" thief holding a laptop and a GPS device that didn't belong to him.

The contortionist was using a head lamp to root through the bus's cargo hold while his partner rode in relative luxury above.

A Catalan police spokesperson told the press: "I believe this is what the British call an open and shut case..."

[PonderThis]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/09...73907.html

Angela Voelkert Uses Fake Teen Facebook Profile To Trick Ex, Uncover Murder Plot: REPORT



"Angela Voelkert thought she could get a little dirt on her husband using a fake Facebook profile. She uncovered something far more sinister, say authorities.

The 29-year-old Indiana woman created a faux Facebook account that appeared to belong to a teenage girl. Using the profile, she began conversing with her soon-to-be ex-husband, who seemed more than ready to put an end to an already messy divorce. According to the New York Post, David, 38, allegedly confessed through Facebook that he had not only planted a GPS tracking device on his wife's van, but was using it to pinpoint the perfect location where he would have her killed.

"I am going to find someone to take care of her and now it will be easier because I know where she is at all times," he allegedly wrote.

He reportedly asked the "girl" on Facebook if she knew any "gang-bangers" at her school that would do the job for $10,000, according to the Post.

Fox News reported that the identity of the girl Voelkert used for the profile picture, and from where she obtained the the photo, is unknown.

"Once she is gone, I don't have to hide with my kids," Voelkert's husband wrote, according to court papers. "I can do what I want and not have to worry about not seeing my family anymore. You should find someone at your school. There should be some gang-bangers there that would put a cap in her ass for $10,000. I am done with her crap!..."

UPDATE: It seems David has been released from custody after proving he knew the profile was Voelkert, reports the Smoking Gun.

To support this contention, Voelkert provided FBI agents with a May 25 notarized affidavit in which he describes receiving a friend request from “Jessica Studebaker,” whom he suspected was his ex-wife. “I am lying to this person,” he stated, “to gain positive proof that it is indeed my ex-wife trying to again tamper in my life.” He added, “In no way do I have plans to leave with my children or do any harm to Angela Dawn Voelkert or anyone else.”

The allegedly incriminating Facebook messages sent by Voelkert came on May 31, six days after his sworn affidavit was notarized. Voelkert kept one copy of the affidavit, and gave a relative a second copy for safekeeping.

[bbqboy]

jeez, my facebook friends are pretty boring compared to that.

[Valuesize]

'Deer with wings' causes power outage in Montana
HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- A Montana resident says an energy company has identified the cause of a brief power outage as "deer with wings." Lee Bridges says she was outside with her dogs around the time the power went out when a NorthWestern Energy truck pulled up, giving her a chance to ask the driver what caused the problem.
She says he pointed up and said, "Apparently, we've got deer with wings."
Bridges looked up and saw a dead fawn on a power line.
It's unlikely the animal had an accident while trying to make like distant-cousin Rudolph. Bridges suspects that an eagle dropped its prey and couldn't retrieve it.
The lineman who removed the carcass from the power line said he'd never seen anything like it.

[mixpix]

Kyle Pearce of Florida was flying from Spokane to Denver on May 19, when he shocked fellow passengers by masturbating in his coach-class United Airlines seat, according to an FBI affidavit filed in Denver on May 20, The Smoking Gun reports.

He was, not surprisingly, arrested when United flight 340 touched down in Denver. Pearce was charged with "obscene and indecent exposure of his person by exhibiting his penis and masturbating in plain view."

Tucked into seat 18D, Pearce allegedly started masturbating before he was caught in the act by his fellow passengers, according to paperwork filed by Special Agent Martin Daniell, III, an 11-year FBI veteran.

A passenger seated in 19D right behind Pearce told police "I hit him with my book in the arm, which caused him to stop and leave to the bathroom."

A woman unlucky enough to be seated next to Pearce in 18E told cops he was masturbating and that he, "ejaculated and got some on the seat."

After he ducked into the lavatory, passengers wondered aloud if Pearce was "stoned on marijuana," say court papers posted to The Smoking Gun.

For his in-flight masturbatory shenanigans, Pearce faces a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail with a year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000.

http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/05/24/ky...e_facebook

Did he make the “Mile High Club”?
Not too far from the topic breaking the news, is this one on Anthony Wiener . Is Pay Pal required?

[Yeshuah Hamashiach]

Vancouver Riots 2011: Kissing Couple Identified



http://mashable.com/2011/06/17/kissing-v...-couple-2/