This week’s weird news include over-careful City councils (no hot drinks for grannies), outrageous claims by criminals, a widower selling her husband’s final resting place and someone who is serious about the weather.

Government in action

In June the Peterborough City Council ordered retirees who come together for weekly coffee at the public library to give up hot drinks, in case one accidentally spilled on a child.

In July the Dagenham Pool in Essex, citing (according to the manager) drowning risks, banned swimmers from doing “lengths” and forced them instead to swim “widths.”

In June the Brighton and Hove City Council ordered nature-lover Hilaire Purbrick, 45, out of the cave that has been his residence for 16 years, citing its lack of a “fire exit.”

No way!

In August, Jorge Iglesias petitioned a judge in Madison, Wis., to regain custody of his 66 roosters and hens that police confiscated in a suspected cockfighting raid. Iglesias said he feared that the Dane County Humane Society, temporarily holding the animals, was treating them with “cruel and barbaric” abuse.

Afghan refugee Fridoon Sadiqi filed a lawsuit against Britain’s Home secretary in August after being turned down for political asylum because he had presented a forged passport to enter the U.K. According to Sadiqi, the rejection made him clinically depressed.

Crypt sold

Elsie Poncher decided reluctantly in August to go back on a promise she had made to her late husband. Richard Poncher had purchased a crypt (for himself) just above the one in which the body of Marilyn Monroe rests in a Los Angeles memorial park, but Elsie now needs money and thus offered the crypt for sale in August, planning to move Richard to a less prominent place. Richard had been assured by Elsie that he could spend eternity lying face down “over Marilyn.” [Los Angeles Times, 8-14-09]

People Different From Us

Geography professor Melanie Patton Renfrew, 54, was convicted in Burbank, Calif., in August of violating a judge’s order to stop stalking KNBC-TV weatherman Fritz Coleman. Renfrew had badgered Coleman for two years, via e-mail and telephone calls, about his “error” in terminology, confusing “onshore” winds with “offshore” winds. Coleman, she insisted, needed to apologise. “Offshore” winds blow out to sea; “onshore” winds blow in.

Source: newsoftheweird.com

This week’s weird news of the week includes a underwear dress code for municipal employees , a politically over-correct translating policy and old classic.

Dress code: Underwear compulsory

The city council of Brooksville, Fla., by 4-1, adopted an appearance policy in June that requires all municipal employees to wear underwear while on the clock and to make sure it is not visible.

Politically over-correct

An investigation by the U.K. TV channel More4 revealed in June that local U.K. councils spend the equivalent of R600 million a year translating their documents into dozens of languages in the cause of “fairness,” even obscure languages that few residents speak, and even given evidence that, in dozens of cases, no one has ever tried to access the documents. Translations were found in Albanian, Bengali, Kurdish, Somali, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Sierra Leonean Creole, Karen (eastern Burma) and Ga (Ghana), among others.

An old Classic

In early 1995, Chesapeake, Va., inmate Robert Lee Brock filed a $5 million lawsuit against Robert Lee Brock — accusing himself of violating his own religious beliefs and his own civil rights by getting himself drunk enough to engage in the various crimes that put him behind bars. He wrote: “I want to pay myself five million dollars (for being made to suffer from this breach of rights) but ask the state to pay it in my behalf since I can’t work and am a ward of the state.” (The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.)

Source: newsoftheweird.com

Sometime around the turn of this century, guys began buzzing over a proposed showdown between the two biggest icons in comic book history

This debate has drawn a lot of intrest and a website has been created for this debate.

Some comments include

#1: The batman would lose very badly against superman un less ,batman has a piece of kyptonite of planet kypton on hand to negate the powers of superman

#2: Batman would beat Superman every time! The greatest superpower is always intelligence. Batman has beaten Superman on every occasion where they’ve met as adversaries. Superman, from the Lords of Justice, took a serious beat-down from Batman

#3: Superman would totally win! Why? He would win because he can face any challenge or anyone at anytime! He has all the right powers a super hero need while Batman only has a few gadgets and can’t really “fly” at all he may have that hot car but Superman could definitely catch in one “whoosh” of his cape.

My call is that it will be the bat by a whisker. Both guys will be pretty knocked up but Lex will give the bat some kryptonite and that will be the final straw.

You can even vote on this site. Check it out. Superman VS Batman

The world’s most popular and largest online travel community, TripAdvisor, has announced the top five germiest world attractions.

Wall of Gum

According to a recent poll on the tripadvisor.com site of more than 4 600 travellers, 34 percent of holidaymakers reported being more “germaphobic” by washing and disinfecting their hands more frequently when travelling since the swine-flu outbreak.

Additionally, its forums indicate travellers have germs on the brain, with use of the words “germs”, “sanitiser” and “disease” up 97 percent, 182 percent, and 112 percent, respectively, between March and May of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008.

1. Kiss Me, I’m Filthy

Blarney Stone, Blarney, Ireland

Legend says those who kiss the Blarney Stone – a block of stone built into Ireland’s Blarney Castle – are rewarded with eloquent speech. But given that up to 400 000 mouths from all over the world touch the stone each year, putting your own to the grimy attraction (no easy task in itself) may be too high a price for the promised “gift of the gab”.

2. Sticky Situation

Wall of Gum, Seattle, Washington

A bizarre tradition at Seattle’s Market Theatre in Post Alley has turned into a fascinating yet very germy attraction – a giant wall of gum. In the 1990s, visitors began sticking their gum to the wall while waiting in line, resulting in a colourful and somewhat stomach-turning sight after more than a decade of gum gathering. Some intrepid visitors have even moulded shapes and faces out of their masticated gum.

3. Lip Reading

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb, Paris, France

It is a testament to the love and respect felt by book-lovers and admirers the world over – Oscar Wilde’s tomb in Paris’s Père-Lachaise cemetery is famously covered in lipstick prints. But with a rainbow of hundreds of visible kiss marks adorning the grave, and countless more planted every year, one can’t help but wonder… isn’t there a cleaner way to show your literary appreciation? One holidaymaker said: “The tombstone of Oscar Wilde is… well, wild – excuse the pun.”

4. Foul Fowl

St Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy

A place of immeasurable beauty, Venice’s famed St Mark’s Square has a dirty side – thousands of hungry pigeons. While vendors no longer sell food to tourists to give to the birds, they still flock in countless numbers, with many visitors choosing to touch and even hold the pigeons. Be careful – these dirty fowl have been known to leave foul unexpected gifts on tourists. One visitor recalls: “I know it does seem a little bit disgusting, but it’s so totally hilarious to see your friend/partner being attacked by birds.”

5. Grubby Mitts

Forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (Handprints and Footprints), Hollywood, California

The forecourt of this historical Hollywood landmark features the hand and footprints of some of the biggest stars in history. But this intimate look at Hollywood’s hands can get a bit grimy, given millions of fans place their fingers in the moulds of their favourites. You may think about bringing some gloves or hand sanitiser before comparing your own paws with those of the greats. One visiting fan said: “You couldn’t help comparing your feet and hands, too (with those of the stars).”

Source: ioltravel.co.za

In the English city of Liverpool, home of The Beatles, a woman is prohibited by law to walk around topless, unless she is selling exotic fish at the market.

So if you plan a trip to Liverpool and for any reason want to take off your top, the fish market is the place to go. The smell might not be easy to handle but at lest you’ll be able to walk around topless legally.

In San Salvador drunk-driving is punishable by death. The sentence is carried out immediately by a hastily-assembled firing squad.

I guess tourists that pick San Salvador as a holiday destination should use taxis as much as possible to avoid some potentially fatal accident. Drunk-driving is stupid and irresponsible but perhaps this is a bit too much?

In Scotland the law obliges citizens to allow whoever knocks on their door to use their toilet.

So when in Scotland don’t bother looking for public toilets, just knock on the first door that you can find and ask to use the facilities. If they have a firm handle on the law, they’ll welcome you right in. This law may be stupid but it does keep the city streets clean; who would want to go in a dark alley when they can use any toilet they want?

In the state of Alabama people are not allowed to drive while blindfolded.

This is one of those laws that raise questions like “can they get any more pointless?” and “what heinous event brought this law on in the first place?”. If you want to fulfill a dream of driving thorough Alabama wearing a blindfold, you’ll just have to let it go.

In London people are not allowed to catch a cab if they are infested with the plague.

It’s understandable I guess. London suffered a lot during the time of the “Black Death” so perhaps they just figured if the disease struck again, this time they’d be prepared. Still, it really doesn’t get much dumber than this.

Throughout Great Britain, pregnant women are allowed to deliver their babies in any public place and even use a policeman’s helmet if necessary.

This would be one unforgettable experience wouldn’t it? Some people travel to England just to get a photo with the famous royal guardsmen, but actually using a helmet to facilitate baby delivery…priceless.

In the state of Florida if a single woman parachutes out of an airplane on a Saturday she risks doing jail-time.

Single women traveling to sunny Florida should stay away from airplanes and parachutes on Saturdays. Skydiving may be fun, but not when there’s a police car waiting for you on the ground.

In Kentucky people are prohibited from withholding firearms if they are longer than 6 feet.

So if you’re a tourist/serial-killer traveling through Kentucky, you’re perfectly okay unless your weapon of choice is longer than 1.8 meters. If it is, you’re in trouble. The Kentucky police force won’t rest until they bring you down.

Source: travelcrossings.co.za

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but duck when you throw a revolver at him?

Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

Why do banks charge a fee on “insufficient funds” when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but feel they have to check when you say the paint is wet?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection? Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an “S” in the word “lisp”?

What is the speed of darkness?

Are there specially reserved parking spaces for “normal” people at the Special Olympics?

If the temperature is zero outside today and it’s going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?

If it’s true that we are here to help others, what are the others doing here?

Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?

Do you cry under water?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money into binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Did you ever stop and wonder…… Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?”

Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken there… I’m gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it’s bum.”

Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don’t point to their bum when they ask where the bathroom is?

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from ?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons ?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

Source: myblog.blat.co.za

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigleys gum

Pinocchio is Italian for “pine eye”

The sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.” uses every letter of the alphabet

The average life span of a major league baseball is 5-7 pitches

The Mint once considered producing doughnut-shaped coins

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is “uncopyrightable”

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds

Most lipstick contains fish scales

Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands when typing

One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen

No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times in half

A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, a group of geese in the air is a skein

Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people

There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building

If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion

Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive

A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth

The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth

Clinophobia is the fear of beds

A ‘jiffy’ is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second

Porcupines float in water

Source: strangefacts.com

In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes.

There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo.

Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution.

Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second.

The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache on a standard playing card.

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for every eight inhabitants.

 In the US- Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500.

The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad.

Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating.

Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult.

In the US- One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year.

Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.

The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts three naked men with their hands on each other’s shoulders.

When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 4800 km per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot at a millionth of a second.

A lightning bolt generates temperatures five times hotter than those found at the sun’s surface.

A violin contains about 70 separate pieces of wood.

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times.

Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.

Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada.

There was a time when people thought George Michael was straight

Source: www.strangefacts.com

People give their pets all sorts of wacky names, but have you ever wondered what are the most bizarre? An American veterinary company has named what it thinks are the most unusual 100 cat and dog monikers after research conducted among 465,000 animals across the USA.

Here are the Top 10

Top 10 Weird Cat Names

Edward Scissorpaws Sir Lix-a-Lot Optimus Prrrime Buddha Pest Snoop Kitty Kitty Miss Fuzzbutt 80 Bucks Sparklemonkey Rosie Posie Prozac Toot Uncommon

Top 10 Weird Dog Names Rush Limbark Sirius Lee Handsome Rafikikadiki Low Jack Meatwad Peanut Wigglebutt Scuddles Unterfuss Sophie Touch & Pee Admiral Toot Spatula

Has your pet dog, cat or rabbit got a weird and wonderful name? Just add it to the list (comments)

Source: thepetextraordinarium.co.uk

Think your job is dull? Check out some of the bizarre things people do for a living in this list of jobs you probably didn’t know existed. You’ll either wish you were doing one of these, or you’ll be thankful for the job you do have. And now, the top 10 weirdest, most ridiculous jobs out there:

Pet Food Taster

Not only do these people eat dog food all the time, some actually enjoy it! It’s kind of like wine connoisseurs enjoying a new wine, except its stuff your dog or cat eats. To each their own…

Gross stunt producer

If you’ve ever seen a show where people have to do disgusting things for money (like wade through rat-infested sewers or eat living bugs), rest assured it’s because someone’s job is to come up with such twisted concepts. A surprising amount of research is necessary to make sure that your ideas are not only gross, but also safe.

Bad Breath Smeller

How else would you figure out if your company’s chewing gum is getting the job done? This also implies there are people whose job it is to chew gum and breathe in people’s faces.

Whiskey Ambassador

Getting paid to drink whiskey- a job college kids everywhere can only dream of. These lucky people’s responsibilities include selecting the best whiskeys and teaching clients how to fully appreciate each whiskey’s nuances.

Ufologist

As the name implies, ufologists are all about the study of UFO’s. History, recent reports, government conspiracies, it’s all included, so if the unknown is your passion this might not be a bad start.

Cryptozoologist

These are the people you see on television explaining so convincingly why Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster are real. It’s all about using your science skills in less conventional ways.

Chicken Sexer

 The actual job responsibilities for these guys are relatively mundane- chicken sexers just have to figure out what gender baby chicks are and sort them accordingly. Still, nothing quite spices up your resume like a job with that title.

Pathoecologist

You’d be surprised how much you can learn from…poop. Pathoecologists study feces from thousands of years ago, learning much about the lifestyles and diets of our ancestors.

Foley artist

You probably hear their work all the time and don’t even realize it- foley artists are responsible for making those everyday environmental sounds in movies and shows on television. They often utilize whatever objects they please (from watermelons to flare guns) to accentuate sounds.

Queen Bee Producer

If bees aren’t your thing this is probably the least desirable job out there, as these people work with bees everyday. But not just any bees- they specifically raise the most impressive of them all: the queens.

Source: ezinearticles.com

Love Machine, Bessey and Muscles – these are just some of the nicknames drivers choose for their cars, reveals a UK survey from HPI, an independent vehicle information provider. The HPI survey revealed that over 50% of participants admitted to giving their vehicle a pet name.

A similar survey by HPI in 2003 revealed that celebrity names were top favourites for drivers to give their cars. However, the likes of Kylie and Charlie have had to move over for Buster, Moocher and Boomzilla in 2008, as drivers are getting more creative with names.

To show just how attached some drivers are to their cars, HPI asked participants to indicate whether they think their vehicle is male or female. 40% of respondents said their car is female while only 27% referred to it as male.

Looking for ideas on what to name your new ride? Check out the top pet names for cars in 2003 – 2009 for a little inspiration: 2009: Bessey Casper Lucky Love Machine Beauty Muscles Buster Speedie Moocher Boomzilla

2003: Rover Betsy Lovebug Kylie Herbie Queenie Bessey The Heap Yellow Peril Kevin

Does your car have a pet name? Let us know, and explain the juicy details behind it’s unique name.

Source: wheels24

It’s not easy being green. Just ask some of our purportedly environmentally conscious celebrities like Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio. Despite their best efforts to raise awareness, even they have a hard time leading by example.

See which of your favorite stars have been called out as environmental hypocrites.

ivillage.com

The word “queue” is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and worms  like fried bacon.

Of all the words in the English language, the word ‘set’ has the most definitions

What is called a “French kiss” in the English speaking world is known as an “English kiss” in France.

“Almost” is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.

“Rhythm” is the longest English word without a vowel.

In 1386, a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child

A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off

Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.

You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath

There is a city called Rome on every continent.

Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day

Horatio Nelson, one of England’s most illustrious admirals was throughout his life, never able to find a cure for his sea-sickness.

The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present at all important meetings of the University of London

Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people

Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, everytime you breathe!

The elephant is the only mammal  that can’t jump

One quarter of the bones in your body, are in your feet

Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only ONE testicle. Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different

The first known transfusion of blood was performed as early as 1667, when Jean-Baptiste, transfused two pints of blood from a sheep to a young man

Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin

The present population of 5 billion plus people of the world is predicted to become 15 billion by 2080.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Source: world-english.org

Friday the 13th is said to be an unlucky day. The modern reason for this is said to come from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant Against “the Knights Templar”. The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. There Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified.

There are however many other stories behind it, some true and some urban legends. The number 13 has been considered unlucky for a long time. Early Romans thought 13 was a sign of death and destruction.

The fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Fascinating Facts about Friday the 13th

• In French Lick Springs, Indiana, a law was once passed requiring all black cats to wear bells.
• Greek philosophers called 13 an ‘imperfect’ number.
• Friday was the common day for people to be hanged in the past.
• Hangmen were once paid thirteen pence halfpenny.
• Some Texans say never to cut any kind of garment on a Friday because it will not be completed.
• Many hotels have no room number 13
• Many than 80% of high-rise buildings do not have a 13th floor.
• Many airplanes do not have a 13th row.
• Many airports don’t have a 13th gate.
• Many ships will not start a voyage on the 13th, particularly, Friday the 13th.
• Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
• On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
• Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
• If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil’s luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.
• There are 13 witches in a coven.

Sources: urbanlegends.com ;

kidsturncentral.com ;

corsinet.com

Zimbabwe is in the news for all the wrong reasons: 231 million % inflation rate, unsuccessful elections and, of course, dictator Robert Gabriel Mugabe who just can’t accept defeat.

Here are some other record achievements by Zimbabweans, documented in the Guinness Book of World Records: Largest game of pick up sticks The largest game of pick up sticks is 9.10 m long and 14.5 cm in diametre and was played by the pupils of St. Johns Preparatory School in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 21 July 2007.

Longest kept diary Col. Ernest Loftus of Harare, Zimbabwe kept a daily diary for over 91 years. He began his daily diary on 4 May 1896 at the age of 12 and continued it until his death on 7 July 1987 aged 103 years 178 days.

Most bee stings removed The greatest number of bee stings sustained by any surviving human subject is 2 443 by Johannes Relleke at the Kamativi tin mine, Gwaii River, Wankie District, Zimbabwe on 28 January 1962. All the stings were removed and counted.

Medication – most pills taken The highest recorded total of pills swallowed by a patient is 565 939 between 9 June 1967 and 19 June 1988 by C.H.A. Kilner (1926-88) of Bindura, Zimbabwe.

Olympic success

Zimbabwe won four times more medals than its neighbor, South Africa, at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Source: Guinness World Records

Czech artist Andrzej Dragan played around in Photoshop to see what celebrities would look like had they lived to a ripe old age.

Marilyn Then

While a blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe – who was voted the ‘Sexiest Woman of the Century’ by People magazine – turned heads in her youth, she would certainly have lost some of her appeal if Mother Nature and Father Time had their way with her.

Granny Marilyn

While hardly dashing and dapper in his youth, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler would have looked even worse for wear if he hadn’t committed suicide on 30 April 1945.

Hilter in the 40ties

Worst boss?

A British poll indicated that employees believe that bosses with the name John or Anne are the worst to work for.

An online poll of 4 000 workers saw more complaints about people by those names than any other.

Male bosses named Steve, Paul, Alan and Chris are also to be avoided, while the worst-behaved female managers tended to be Catherines, Debbies, Lindas and Janes.

Among stories of bad behaviour reported to the website www.YouThinkYourBossIsBad.co.uk, are some which would make The Devil Wears Prada magazine editor Miranda Priestly appear low-maintenance.

One manager asked an employee to organise his mother-in-law’s funeral, while another requested a single, peeled orange to be delivered to her desk at the same time each day.

One asked an employee to provide him with the alibi of a business event so he could enjoy a dirty weekend with a colleague, and another called her PA in the UK from a hotel room in the US to ask her to book a table at her hotel restaurant.

One boss dictated an important letter to his secretary while urinating in an office toilet and another asked an employee to research colonic irrigation as a possible present for his wife.

The lists: WORST MALE BOSSES 1. John 2. Steve 3. Paul 4. Alan 5. Chris Followed by: David, Mike, Simon, Barry, Andrew

WORST FEMALE BOSSES 1. Anne / Ann 2. Catherine 3. Debbie 4. Linda / Lynda 5. Jane / Jayne Followed by: Liz, Fiona, Andrea, Pam, Michelle

Tell us about your boss-from-hell.

For the full lists: The Telegraph