News you had to have

The last post

Daniel — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:33:42 +0000

Since July 1999, I’ve been finding and posting quirky stories from around the web. (Sadly, the oldest link, to the Woodstock Platinum MasterCard, is no longer current, though happily you can see it courtesy of Archive.org.)

But this is the last News You Had To Have. It’s going on indefinite hiatus. Sorry, I know some people enjoy it (and I have an ever-loyal small crowd of people who regularly send in stories). But this isn’t anything you can’t read on any number of “Strange news” sections of web sites all over the place, and it’s taking me too much time to sort through it all. Time I don’t have at the moment.

So, one last time for now…

Real estate agent looking through home for sale finds owner dead, hanged in wardrobe.

William Shatner says he never watched Star Trek. (Thanks Nancy)

A woman weighing 215 kilograms dies after emergency workers try to move her from the couch she’d been sitting on for six years. I guess they should have left her there? (Thanks Dan)

Assault charge over a rough handshake.

Red roses banned in Saudi Arabia.

Thank you to all the contributors over the years. Maybe I’ll resume at some stage in the future… time will tell.

Finally, here are some other places you can get strange news stories:

The Age Oddspot
CNN Offbeat
This Is True has been put out weekly since 1994
Groxx — associated with This Is True, is a Digg-like place for weird news

Woof!

Daniel — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:18:44 +0000

Discrimination! Man leading girlfriend around by dog lead asked to get off bus. (Thanks Amanda)

Polish post office slower than a snail. (Thanks Shell)

Family hides mock castle behind hay bails to avoid having to apply for planning permission. (Thanks Debbie)

Some viewers of the movie Cloverfield feeling sick from the wobbly camera work.

Wrong in so many ways

Daniel — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:17:49 +0000

Wrong in so many ways: Man finds wife working in brothel. (Thanks Pratap)

Police declare “Dumbest criminal” — a man who claimed his mobile phone was stolen, but when the police rang it, they found it in his own pocket. (Thanks Amanda)

Brain tumour patient gets knee surgery — man with knee problem has brain surgery. (Thanks Debbie)

Bad dog!

Daniel — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:32:04 +0000

A classic Aussie outback tale: kangaroo attacked by shark.

You’ve heard of snakes on a plane… how about scorpions.

Bad dog! Let go of that man’s danglies! (Thanks Shell)

Man told he can’t take a litre of Vodka onto an aeroplane… drinks it instead, almost dies of alcohol poisoning. (Thanks Noel)

Coach driver relying on satellite navigation ends up in the wrong country. (Thanks Marie)

Impressing the locals

Daniel — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:55:45 +0000

Developer who wants to set up a 24 hour car wash and petrol station tells a public meeting that “(You) have shit people with a shit area. I can’t see the problem; we are doing something nice for the area.”

Man pulled over for drink driving on a disqualified licence and in an unregistered vehicle, gets back in his car and drives away (with his headlights off) before being booked again.

The headline says it all: Kangaroo farts could ease global warming. (Thanks Marie)

Automated Santa chat bot taken down by Microsoft after it started talking about oral sex. (Thanks Pratap)