strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

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Woman Upset Postal Service Crushed Her Canaries

The dead birds were supposed to be alive when they arrived

(Newser) - US Postal Service officials say they've apologized to an Alabama woman who says her package of six live canaries arrived, but the birds were crushed and dead. Rhonda King tells Al.com that the box containing the birds was marked with tire tracks when it arrived from Texas earlier...

This Ancient Vial of Blood Suggests 2017 Is Cursed

Saint's blood failed to liquefy, just like in 1939

(Newser) - And you thought 2016 was a rough year. Humanity is apparently in for a disaster equal to World War II or a cholera epidemic, based on an ancient vial of blood. According to legend, a woman collected the blood of Saint Januarius, or San Gennaro—the once pious bishop of...

Man's New Car Starts Rattling for Very Illegal Reason

A cautionary tale on buying drug-smuggling cars seized by cops

(Newser) - A northern Kentucky man bothered by a rattle in a car he'd recently bought at an Ohio auto auction has found 2 pounds—or about $130,000—of heroin in a secret compartment inside the vehicle, reports the AP . "We went out to dinner one night and the...

Woman Swipes Nativity Jesus, Reports Neglect: Cops

Woman in Bethlehem (Pa.) reports 'Joseph and Mary Christ' in joke

(Newser) - Police say a woman stole baby Jesus from a Nativity scene in Bethlehem, Pa., and dropped the figurine off at a hospital with a note explaining that the baby had been "neglected" by his parents, "Joseph and Mary Christ," reports the AP. "I did it. I...

Move Over, Pastafarians: Guy Wears Goat Horns to DMV

Pagan Phelan Moonsong wins argument with Maine that they're 'religious attire'

(Newser) - Phelan Moonsong has worn a pair of goat horns since 2009, and he's not about to take them off for you or for the Maine DMV—a religious attire argument he's recently won, reports the Washington Post . "As a practicing Pagan minister and a priest of Pan,...

Government Issues a Most Canadian Warning

Beware of moose who lick cars, warns the Alberta government

(Newser) - Oh, Canada! The Alberta government is warning motorists to beware of moose that lick. That is, don't physically try to stop them. The Peter Lougheed Provincial Park west of Calgary has experienced an influx of moose who enjoy sampling the salt caked to the windows and doors of parked...

Austria's Word of the Year Has 51 Letters

And it was born of a messy presidential election

(Newser) - For all those who don't speak German—and indeed for those who do—here is Austria's word of the year, adding to the challenges of reading and speaking the language. It's "Bundespraesidentenstichwahlwiederholungsverschiebung," or "postponement of the repeat of the runoff of the presidential election....

$85 for a Rock? Maker Explains Cost of Weird Nordstrom Gift

It's all about that leather pouch

(Newser) - It's not a lump of coal, but one of Nordstrom's stocking-stuffer possibilities this holiday season is in the same ballpark—it's a rock in a leather pouch. And many are confused, per People , which reports on the $85 "Los Angeles-area stone" clothed in "rich, vegetable-tanned...

Moose Tries to Move Onto Vermont Farm, Fails

'Molly' tried to befriend 2 cows, bemused owners eventually shoo her off

(Newser) - A Vermont couple has chased off a moose that appeared to be bonding with their two cows on a Sheldon farm because they didn't want it to get injured, stuck in their barn, or damage their fences, reports the AP . Sharyn Abbott and her husband Tim returned to their...

Retiring Manager Gives 2,000+ Employees a Piece of His Mind

'They asked for an honest exit interview...'

(Newser) - A retiring Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission manager filled out the exit survey workers are given when they leave the job—and sent his less-than-pleased answers to the questionnaire to all 2,000+ employees at the Commission. "When they asked for an honest exit interview, I gave them one," a...

Sweden's Flammable Christmas Goat Has Birthday, No Candles

Officials hope no one tries to torch the yule goat again this year

(Newser) - Sweden's Christmas Goat—a giant decorative goat made of straw and wood—is celebrating its 50th birthday, but revelers are being asked to keep the candles away, reports the AP . Every Christmas season since 1966, the city of Gavle in central Sweden builds a giant version of the straw...

And Now ... a Hipster Nativity Scene

All yours for $130

(Newser) - It's that time of year when stories about Nativity scenes begin making headlines, and in this case, it involves an oh-so-modern twist. It seems the website Modern Nativity is selling a "Hipster Nativity Set" for $129.99, and it's drawing some attention. Think "Joseph" taking a...

Lawmaker Railed Against Squirrels. One Fought Back

'It was like a suicide bomber, getting revenge'

(Newser) - At a city council meeting in October, Chicago Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. gave a heated speech about "aggressive squirrels" chewing through garbage bins at a big expense to the city, reported the Chicago Sun-Times —and perhaps the animals caught wind of it. On Nov. 13, Brookins was riding...

Motorist Stops to Help, Gets Dumped Into Icy River

Suffered broken leg, but survived

(Newser) - Steven Arrasmith stopped to help a driver who had spun out on an icy bridge in Oregon in the pre-dawn hours of Monday. As thanks from the universe for his good deed, he got out of his car to help and another car that also lost control on the black...

Man Gets Bit by Snake. Man Recovers. Man Gets Bit Again

Sigh

(Newser) - Australian kids today probably don't hear much late-'80s glam rock anymore, which may explain why Great White's "once bitten, twice shy" mantra didn't come into play in this story out of Queensland. Per the Brisbane Times and the AP , an 18-year-old contractor was clearing away...

A Storm Hit, Then 800 People Couldn't Breathe

4 deaths blamed on 'thunderstorm asthma' in Australia

(Newser) - Four people are dead after an intense thunderstorm in Australia—but flooding or even lightning aren't to blame, reports the Age . In a rare case of "thunderstorm asthma," strong winds near Melbourne on Monday sent massive amounts of rye grass pollen into the air, making it difficult...

Whoops: Deer Not as Dead as Motorist Thought

Wakes up in trunk, to driver's surprise

(Newser) - A 59-year-old Wisconsin man hit a deer with his car last week and put it in his trunk, thinking he'd soon be enjoying some venison for dinner. Instead, he was surprised to hear the deer moving around when he got home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. He called the...

Kansas Guy Is Pimping Cold War-Era Sub

Scott Waters is rehabbing Pisces VI submarine he found in Wisconsin

(Newser) - A Kansas man and 10 experts are refurbishing a Cold War-era submarine to put it back into the deep seas for exploration. Scott Waters, 29, of Salina, has a team that gathers a few times a year north of Salina to tear apart and modernize a submarine that is one...

After 6 Weeks, Cops Arrest Guy for Driving Neighbors Crazy

No one likes getting woken up by an air horn—least of all residents in El Segundo, Calif.

(Newser) - It may seem there's more fighting than rejoicing on Facebook lately, but for the residents of El Segundo, Calif., it's time to celebrate. "They found the air horn guy!" one local crowed online, per the Los Angeles Times , applauding a somewhat anticlimactic ending to the early-morning...

Why Cubans Fish With Condoms
Why Cubans Fish
With Condoms
Nov 16, 2016 11:12 AM CST

Why Cubans Fish With Condoms

The inventive practice makes use of limited resources

(Newser) - Juan Luis Rosello sat for three hours on Havana's Malecon esplanade as the wind blew in from the Florida Straits, pushing the waves hard against the seawall of Havana's coastal boulevard. As darkness settled and the wind switched direction, Rosello pulled four condoms from a satchel and began...

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