News of the Weird, October 4, 2009
11 views
Skip to first unread message
Chuck Shepherd
Oct 4, 2009, 6:22:08 PM10/4/09
to newsoft...@googlegroups.com
WEIRDNUZ.M130 (News of the Weird, October 4, 2009)
by Chuck Shepherd
Lead Story
* What is believed to be the world's only commercial lounge
openly serving cocaine operates in La Paz, Bolivia, though the
owners of "Route 36" have to change locations from time to time,
depending on the moods of the bribed authorities. An August
dispatch in London's The Guardian reported that a nearly-pure
gram costs the equivalent of about $14 ($22 for "premium"),
served by waiters in an empty CD case, with straws, but bar drinks
are also available. Route 36 is well-known to backpacking
tourists. Recalled one waiter, "We had some Australians; they
stayed here for four days. [T]he only time they left was to go to the
ATM." [The Guardian, 8-19-09]
Police Follies
* Small Town: In Jericho, Ark., alleged harassment by cops got so
bad, according to an Associated Press report, that the fire chief
went to court twice in the same day in August to complain about
speed traps. The chief's charge angered the seven officers
attending the hearing, and a courtroom scuffle ensued, resulting in
the chief's being shot in the back and hospitalized. WMC-TV
reported that the shooter has not been charged but that an arrest
warrant has been issued for the chief, who was then fired by the
mayor. The police force has been disbanded by the Crittenden
County sheriff, and all firefighters have resigned. [MSNBC-AP, 9-
3-09; WMC-TV (Memphis), 9-22-09]
* Big City: George Vera, who weighs nearly 600 pounds, was
booked into jail in Houston, Tex., in August and was in custody for
more than 24 hours before he casually informed cops that they had
missed finding the 9mm handgun and two clips that were hidden in
his rolls of fat. [KPRC-TV (Houston), 8-6-09]
The Entrepreneurial Spirit!
* Questionable Business Model: In September, in downtown
Longview, Wash., a 23-year-old man held up a sign offering to be
kicked in the groin for $5. He made one sale before police, acting
on a complaint, made him move on. [The Daily News (Longview),
9-10-09]
* Fierce Competition: (1) Police in Broome, Australia, reported in
September that a five-year feud between two rival camel-ride
vendors in the Cable Beach resort area had erupted again, this time
involving allegations of camel theft and tossed camel dung. (2) In
July, as the legal brothel business declined precipitously in
Germany, owners adopted such gimmicks as free shoe-polishing
and discounts for retirees. However, when several brothels began
offering flat-rate plans (based on restaurants' all-you-can-eat
model), police cracked down, judging them as a little too
excessive. [Australian Broadcasting Corp. News, 9-8-09] [The
Times (London), 7-28-09]
* Questionable Products: (1) The Spanish toymaker Berjuan has
introduced a doll that suckles from a halter worn by young girls
who want to mimic their breastfeeding mothers. The Bebe Gloton
is not expected to be available in the U.S. until 2010 but is being
shown worldwide on YouTube. Americans appear to regard
breastfeeding, in general, as much more provocative than
Europeans do. (2) The Brazilian company Petsmiling has created a
prototype DoggieLoveDoll in three sizes, designed as a
"mountable," anatomically-correct sex partner for male dogs. It
was introduced at the Pet South America fair in Sao Paulo in July,
according to Associated Press photos. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9-2-
09] [Baltimore Sun-AP, 7-27-09]
Science on the Cutting Edge
* Sharron Thornton had been blinded nine years ago from a severe
reaction to medication that caused her mucus membranes,
including the eye's lens, to die and shed (and caused her also to
lose hair, skin, and nails, though the latter three grew back). In a
revolutionary procedure, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the
University of Miami (Fla.) had the bright idea to shore up her eye
with a piece of her tooth and jawbone (the cuspid, or "eye tooth")
so that a prosthetic lens could be implanted. That was only part of
it: The tooth portion, with the implanted lens, had to be micro-
sculpted and implanted first into Thornton's chest for access to
nutrients. Thornton's vision is now 20/70 without eyeglasses.
[CNN, 9-16-09]
* Recent Inexplicable Side Effects of Brain Injury: (1) Malcolm
Darby, 70, awoke from surgery following a stroke in Oakham,
England, last year to find that he had near-perfect vision (after
having worn eyeglasses since age 2) but later discovered that he no
longer spoke or understood French. (2) A 37-year-old German
woman, who had been treated for epileptic seizures in 2006,
reported recently that among the side effects were occasional
feelings that she had undergone a sex change and was a man. [BBC
News, 9-2-09] [MSNBC-Live Science, 9-3-09]
* Calvino Inman, 15, is not part of the gothic subculture at his high
school in Rockwood, Tenn., but he would be a natural. He has an
annoying case of what one opthalmologist called "Haemolacria," or
bloody tears. The boy seems to bleed uncontrollably from the eyes,
up to three times a day, according to a September ABC News
report, but so far, specialists, employing ultrasound, an MRI, and a
CT scan, are unable to determine the cause. [ABC News, 9-1-09]
Bovine Madness
* (1) Britain's National Farmers Union issued a general alert in
August, after four fatal attacks on people by cows, that dogs should
not be walked near grazing fields. "The cattle are interested in the
dog, not the walker," said an official. (2) During a three-day period
in August near the village of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, "dozens"
of cows killed themselves by leaping off of a particular cliff.
Officials discounted accidents as the cause since cows in the area
generally become familiar with the dangers of cliffs. [Reuters, 8-
25-09] [Daily Mail (London), 8-28-09]
News That Sounds Like a Joke
* (1) Japan's principal organized-crime Yakuza gang, the
Yamaguchi-gumi, was reported in September to be giving written
tests to its members to improve their knowledge of the law. The
leaders were said to be trying to reduce the number of lawsuits
against the group. (2) A prominent British Catholic organization
recently issued a 64-page book of spousal prayers targeted to
various marital events and even has one pre-coital offering
emphasizing that the act to follow must be selfless and not
undertaken for personal pleasure. [Mainichi Daily News, 9-5-09]
[Daily Mail, 9-2-09]
Least Competent Criminals
* Recurring Themes: (1) Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office is
looking for the man who robbed the Citi Trends store in Oakland
Park in September and has released the surveillance video,
showing the man removing his mask. However, the man continued
trying to shield his face, using only his hands, but the video makes
him appear to be playing peek-a-boo, according to a WFOR-TV
report. (2) David Perticone, 46, was arrested in Severn, Md., in
August and charged with stealing about $25,000 worth of items
from a woman's house just down the block. The woman
discovered the items in Perticone's front yard, part of a yard sale he
was conducting. [WFOR-TV (Miami), 9-16-09] [WBAL-TV
(Baltimore), 8-11-09]
The Classic Middle Name (all-new!)
* Charged recently with murder and awaiting trial: Michael
Wayne Limley, St. Joseph, Mo. (August); Timothy Wayne
Sanders, Suffolk, Va. (September); Marcus Wayne Barber, Port
Arthur, Tex. (September); Robert Wayne Howell, Longview, Tex.
(September); Barney Wayne Keizer, Salmo, British Columbia
(September). Murder trial ordered: Bryan Wayne Hulsey,
Glendale, Ariz. (charged in 2007, trial rescheduled for October
2010); Benjamin Wayne Holcroft, Goulburn, Australia
(September); Billy Wayne Hall, Sparta, Mo. (trial site changed,
September). Sentenced for murder: David Wayne Alexander,
Pittsburgh, Pa. (September); Benjamin Wayne Watta, Seal Beach,
Calif. (January). Committed suicide after (according to police)
murdering his girlfriend: Jason Wayne Strickland, Gilbert, S.C.
(August). Confessed to murder: Billy Wayne Wallace, Fort
Worth, Tex. (confessed to police in August in cold-case murders
from 1986 and 1994 but had yet not been charged at press time).
[Limley: News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.), 9-2-09]
[Sanders: Suffolk News-Herald, 9-5-09]
[Barber: KFDM-TV (Port Arthur), 9-4-09]
[Howell: Tyler Morning Telegraph, 9-5-09]
[Keizer: Canadian Press, 9-13-09]
[Hulsey: Arizona Republic, 9-17-09]
[Holcroft: Australian Broadcasting Corp. News, 9-17-09]
[Hall: KYTV (Springfield, Mo.), 9-12-09]
[Alexander: Philly.com-AP, 9-16-09]
[Watta: Orange County Register, 9-16-09]
[Strickland: Charlotte Observer, 8-24-09]
[Wallace: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8-28-09]
A News of the Weird Classic (August 1998)
* Golf Imitates Miniature Golf: In May 1998 at Beaver Brook
Golf Course in Haydenville, Mass., Todd Obuchowski was
credited with a hole-in-one on a par 3 hole after his tee shot went
over the green and onto a highway, hit a passing Toyota driven by
Nancy Bachand, ricocheted back to the green, and rolled into the
cup. At least eight golfers witnessed the shot. [Newsday, 5-24-98]
Thanks This Week to Alan Abair, Dave Brown, Tom
Barker, Heather Forsyth, Stephen Taylor, Gary Abbott, Sam
Gaines, Justin Warner, Albert Clawson, Jenny Aus, Mike
Mendenhall, Neil Gimon, and Roger Meiners, and to the News of
the Weird Senior Advisors (Jenny T. Beatty, Paul Di Filippo,
Geoffrey Egan, Ginger Katz, Joe Littrell, Matt Mirapaul, Paul
Music, Karl Olson, and Jim Sweeney) and the News of the Weird
Editorial Advisors (Paul Blumstein, John Cieciel, Harry Farkas,
Fritz Gritzner, Herb Jue, Emory Kimbrough, Scott Langill, Steve
Miller, Christopher Nalty, Mark Neunder, Bob Pert, Larry Ellis
Reed, Rob Snyder, Bruce Townley, and Jerry Whittle).
* * * * *
Are you ready for News of the Weird / Pro Edition? Every
Monday at http://NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com and
http://www.WeirdUniverse.net. Other handy addresses:
WeirdNews at earthlink dot net, http://www.NewsoftheWeird.com,
and P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679.
by Chuck Shepherd
Lead Story
* What is believed to be the world's only commercial lounge
openly serving cocaine operates in La Paz, Bolivia, though the
owners of "Route 36" have to change locations from time to time,
depending on the moods of the bribed authorities. An August
dispatch in London's The Guardian reported that a nearly-pure
gram costs the equivalent of about $14 ($22 for "premium"),
served by waiters in an empty CD case, with straws, but bar drinks
are also available. Route 36 is well-known to backpacking
tourists. Recalled one waiter, "We had some Australians; they
stayed here for four days. [T]he only time they left was to go to the
ATM." [The Guardian, 8-19-09]
Police Follies
* Small Town: In Jericho, Ark., alleged harassment by cops got so
bad, according to an Associated Press report, that the fire chief
went to court twice in the same day in August to complain about
speed traps. The chief's charge angered the seven officers
attending the hearing, and a courtroom scuffle ensued, resulting in
the chief's being shot in the back and hospitalized. WMC-TV
reported that the shooter has not been charged but that an arrest
warrant has been issued for the chief, who was then fired by the
mayor. The police force has been disbanded by the Crittenden
County sheriff, and all firefighters have resigned. [MSNBC-AP, 9-
3-09; WMC-TV (Memphis), 9-22-09]
* Big City: George Vera, who weighs nearly 600 pounds, was
booked into jail in Houston, Tex., in August and was in custody for
more than 24 hours before he casually informed cops that they had
missed finding the 9mm handgun and two clips that were hidden in
his rolls of fat. [KPRC-TV (Houston), 8-6-09]
The Entrepreneurial Spirit!
* Questionable Business Model: In September, in downtown
Longview, Wash., a 23-year-old man held up a sign offering to be
kicked in the groin for $5. He made one sale before police, acting
on a complaint, made him move on. [The Daily News (Longview),
9-10-09]
* Fierce Competition: (1) Police in Broome, Australia, reported in
September that a five-year feud between two rival camel-ride
vendors in the Cable Beach resort area had erupted again, this time
involving allegations of camel theft and tossed camel dung. (2) In
July, as the legal brothel business declined precipitously in
Germany, owners adopted such gimmicks as free shoe-polishing
and discounts for retirees. However, when several brothels began
offering flat-rate plans (based on restaurants' all-you-can-eat
model), police cracked down, judging them as a little too
excessive. [Australian Broadcasting Corp. News, 9-8-09] [The
Times (London), 7-28-09]
* Questionable Products: (1) The Spanish toymaker Berjuan has
introduced a doll that suckles from a halter worn by young girls
who want to mimic their breastfeeding mothers. The Bebe Gloton
is not expected to be available in the U.S. until 2010 but is being
shown worldwide on YouTube. Americans appear to regard
breastfeeding, in general, as much more provocative than
Europeans do. (2) The Brazilian company Petsmiling has created a
prototype DoggieLoveDoll in three sizes, designed as a
"mountable," anatomically-correct sex partner for male dogs. It
was introduced at the Pet South America fair in Sao Paulo in July,
according to Associated Press photos. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9-2-
09] [Baltimore Sun-AP, 7-27-09]
Science on the Cutting Edge
* Sharron Thornton had been blinded nine years ago from a severe
reaction to medication that caused her mucus membranes,
including the eye's lens, to die and shed (and caused her also to
lose hair, skin, and nails, though the latter three grew back). In a
revolutionary procedure, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the
University of Miami (Fla.) had the bright idea to shore up her eye
with a piece of her tooth and jawbone (the cuspid, or "eye tooth")
so that a prosthetic lens could be implanted. That was only part of
it: The tooth portion, with the implanted lens, had to be micro-
sculpted and implanted first into Thornton's chest for access to
nutrients. Thornton's vision is now 20/70 without eyeglasses.
[CNN, 9-16-09]
* Recent Inexplicable Side Effects of Brain Injury: (1) Malcolm
Darby, 70, awoke from surgery following a stroke in Oakham,
England, last year to find that he had near-perfect vision (after
having worn eyeglasses since age 2) but later discovered that he no
longer spoke or understood French. (2) A 37-year-old German
woman, who had been treated for epileptic seizures in 2006,
reported recently that among the side effects were occasional
feelings that she had undergone a sex change and was a man. [BBC
News, 9-2-09] [MSNBC-Live Science, 9-3-09]
* Calvino Inman, 15, is not part of the gothic subculture at his high
school in Rockwood, Tenn., but he would be a natural. He has an
annoying case of what one opthalmologist called "Haemolacria," or
bloody tears. The boy seems to bleed uncontrollably from the eyes,
up to three times a day, according to a September ABC News
report, but so far, specialists, employing ultrasound, an MRI, and a
CT scan, are unable to determine the cause. [ABC News, 9-1-09]
Bovine Madness
* (1) Britain's National Farmers Union issued a general alert in
August, after four fatal attacks on people by cows, that dogs should
not be walked near grazing fields. "The cattle are interested in the
dog, not the walker," said an official. (2) During a three-day period
in August near the village of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, "dozens"
of cows killed themselves by leaping off of a particular cliff.
Officials discounted accidents as the cause since cows in the area
generally become familiar with the dangers of cliffs. [Reuters, 8-
25-09] [Daily Mail (London), 8-28-09]
News That Sounds Like a Joke
* (1) Japan's principal organized-crime Yakuza gang, the
Yamaguchi-gumi, was reported in September to be giving written
tests to its members to improve their knowledge of the law. The
leaders were said to be trying to reduce the number of lawsuits
against the group. (2) A prominent British Catholic organization
recently issued a 64-page book of spousal prayers targeted to
various marital events and even has one pre-coital offering
emphasizing that the act to follow must be selfless and not
undertaken for personal pleasure. [Mainichi Daily News, 9-5-09]
[Daily Mail, 9-2-09]
Least Competent Criminals
* Recurring Themes: (1) Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office is
looking for the man who robbed the Citi Trends store in Oakland
Park in September and has released the surveillance video,
showing the man removing his mask. However, the man continued
trying to shield his face, using only his hands, but the video makes
him appear to be playing peek-a-boo, according to a WFOR-TV
report. (2) David Perticone, 46, was arrested in Severn, Md., in
August and charged with stealing about $25,000 worth of items
from a woman's house just down the block. The woman
discovered the items in Perticone's front yard, part of a yard sale he
was conducting. [WFOR-TV (Miami), 9-16-09] [WBAL-TV
(Baltimore), 8-11-09]
The Classic Middle Name (all-new!)
* Charged recently with murder and awaiting trial: Michael
Wayne Limley, St. Joseph, Mo. (August); Timothy Wayne
Sanders, Suffolk, Va. (September); Marcus Wayne Barber, Port
Arthur, Tex. (September); Robert Wayne Howell, Longview, Tex.
(September); Barney Wayne Keizer, Salmo, British Columbia
(September). Murder trial ordered: Bryan Wayne Hulsey,
Glendale, Ariz. (charged in 2007, trial rescheduled for October
2010); Benjamin Wayne Holcroft, Goulburn, Australia
(September); Billy Wayne Hall, Sparta, Mo. (trial site changed,
September). Sentenced for murder: David Wayne Alexander,
Pittsburgh, Pa. (September); Benjamin Wayne Watta, Seal Beach,
Calif. (January). Committed suicide after (according to police)
murdering his girlfriend: Jason Wayne Strickland, Gilbert, S.C.
(August). Confessed to murder: Billy Wayne Wallace, Fort
Worth, Tex. (confessed to police in August in cold-case murders
from 1986 and 1994 but had yet not been charged at press time).
[Limley: News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.), 9-2-09]
[Sanders: Suffolk News-Herald, 9-5-09]
[Barber: KFDM-TV (Port Arthur), 9-4-09]
[Howell: Tyler Morning Telegraph, 9-5-09]
[Keizer: Canadian Press, 9-13-09]
[Hulsey: Arizona Republic, 9-17-09]
[Holcroft: Australian Broadcasting Corp. News, 9-17-09]
[Hall: KYTV (Springfield, Mo.), 9-12-09]
[Alexander: Philly.com-AP, 9-16-09]
[Watta: Orange County Register, 9-16-09]
[Strickland: Charlotte Observer, 8-24-09]
[Wallace: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8-28-09]
A News of the Weird Classic (August 1998)
* Golf Imitates Miniature Golf: In May 1998 at Beaver Brook
Golf Course in Haydenville, Mass., Todd Obuchowski was
credited with a hole-in-one on a par 3 hole after his tee shot went
over the green and onto a highway, hit a passing Toyota driven by
Nancy Bachand, ricocheted back to the green, and rolled into the
cup. At least eight golfers witnessed the shot. [Newsday, 5-24-98]
Thanks This Week to Alan Abair, Dave Brown, Tom
Barker, Heather Forsyth, Stephen Taylor, Gary Abbott, Sam
Gaines, Justin Warner, Albert Clawson, Jenny Aus, Mike
Mendenhall, Neil Gimon, and Roger Meiners, and to the News of
the Weird Senior Advisors (Jenny T. Beatty, Paul Di Filippo,
Geoffrey Egan, Ginger Katz, Joe Littrell, Matt Mirapaul, Paul
Music, Karl Olson, and Jim Sweeney) and the News of the Weird
Editorial Advisors (Paul Blumstein, John Cieciel, Harry Farkas,
Fritz Gritzner, Herb Jue, Emory Kimbrough, Scott Langill, Steve
Miller, Christopher Nalty, Mark Neunder, Bob Pert, Larry Ellis
Reed, Rob Snyder, Bruce Townley, and Jerry Whittle).
* * * * *
Are you ready for News of the Weird / Pro Edition? Every
Monday at http://NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com and
http://www.WeirdUniverse.net. Other handy addresses:
WeirdNews at earthlink dot net, http://www.NewsoftheWeird.com,
and P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages