In 2011, Florida was weird as only Florida can be

Lego man that washed up on Siesta Key beach? What about the man who walked into a bar, ordered a beer and disappeared for 30 minutes to rob a bank, only to return and finish his drink? Or how about ...In 2011, Florida was weird as only Florida can be

Police: Man ransomed purse for $200

CLEWISTON, Fla., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Florida authorities said they arrested a man who allegedly stole a woman's purse and demanded $200 for its return.Police: Man ransomed purse for $200

Free crack pipe program for addicts

Canada – Crack addicts in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside have started receiving free crack pipes as part of a Vancouver Coastal Health Authority harm reduction strategy aimed at curbing the spread of disease. Part of a $60,000 trial project, the pipes are just one piece of drug paraphernalia found inside kits that have been distributed to users. The glass pipes are heat-resistant and shatterproof, which experts say should reduce injury to the users’ lips and mouth.  Full Article

Children bound with duct tape, hung upside down

Williams, Arizona – A northern Arizona couple have been arrested on suspicion of child abuse after allegedly posting pictures on Facebook of their children bound with duct tape. The 2-year-old and 10-month-old children were bound around their wrists and ankles and had their mouths closed with tape. One child was hung upside down on an exercise machine. Frankie and Kayla Almuina were arrested at their home in Williams, Ariz., after an anonymous tipster saw the photos on the mother’s Facebook page and called the Arizona Child Abuse Hotline. more

Whale sperm, orgasmic feet top 2011 bad science list (Reuters)

Reuters - From whale sperm to colon cleansers to the shape of a woman's foot when she has an orgasm, celebrities did not disappoint during 2011 with their penchant for peddling suspect science in the world's media.Whale sperm

Gun in purse goes off in Wyo. Starbucks

CHEYENNE, Wyo., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Police in Wyoming said a gunshot reported at a Starbucks cafe was found to have originated from a juvenile's purse.Gun in purse goes off in Wyo. Starbucks

Beauty cream with bee stings in great demand

As bizarre as it may sound, beauty creams that contain bee stings are in huge demand in Britain as they reportedly prevent ageing by smoothing out wrinkles.Beauty cream with bee stings in great demand

Moms Plan “Nurse-In” at Target Stores

Chicago, Illinois – Nursing moms upset with breastfeeding preferences at Target stores will stage a “nurse-in” at locations in Chicago and across the country. Local moms say the demonstration is meant to raise awareness about controversies over nursing in public. This latest outcry, they say, stems from a recent incident in Texas. Houston mom Michelle Hickman apparently was nursing in a remote area of a Target store when staffers told her to move into a fitting room. Full Article

Man shot himself while sitting on toilet

New Haven, Connecticut – Police in Connecticut said a convicted felon will face charges after he admitted to accidentally shooting himself while on the toilet. New Haven police said they responded around 10 p.m. to an address where Darrel Johnson, 51, claimed to have been shot during a robbery attempt. However, Johnson admitted during questioning he accidentally shot himself in the leg when the gun fell from his waistband while he was using the toilet and fired off a round when it hit the floor.  Full Article

Multiple fights, 200 people, at Mall of America

Bloomington, Minnesota – Police arrested nine people at the Mall of America after multiple fights broke out. Mall of America officials released a statement saying that around 4:20 p.m. 50 juveniles caused a large disturbance in the north food court. Witnesses said the fights started after there were reports that rappers Lil’ Wayne and Drake were visiting the Mall. Police said as many as 200 were involved the fights.  Full Article

Creek won't be named for 'horse meat'

KALONA, Iowa, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Officials in an Iowa city said naming rights for a creek will be resold on eBay after the original winner tried to name it Japanese for "horse meat prohibited."Creek won't be named for 'horse meat'

Relative dressed as Santa Claus kills family

Grapevine, Texas – Six members of a Texas family apparently opened Christmas presents just before a relative dressed as Santa Claus showed up, opened fire and killed them before killing himself. Grapevine police spokesman Sgt. Robert Eberling said the shooter showed up in the Santa outfit shortly before gunfire erupted and was a member of the family. Police, after a 911 call, found four women and three men, aged 18 to 60, dead.  Full Article

Woman punches 70-year old Walmart greeter

Batavia, New York – A woman spent her Christmas in jail, after she allegedly punched a Walmart greeter as she left the store on Christmas Eve. Jacquetta Simmons, 26, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, State Police Trooper Tracy Patterson said. She faces a second count because the victim, Grace Suozzi, 70, is older than 65. Patterson said Simmons is accused of punching and knocking down Suozzi after the employee asked Simmons to see receipts for items the customer was carrying in store bags.  Full Article

No Christmas Card For First Time In 61 Years

Whitehouse, Texas – A Christmas card that has crisscrossed the country as part of an old joke between two Texas men will rest this holiday for the first time in 61 years. Acker Hanks said he mailed the card to his former neighbor and good friend Lee Kelley in 1950. Kelley, a prankster, mailed it back a year later. And so began a tradition that continued even after Kelley died; his widow loyally put the tattered message in the post for more than a decade. Last year, though, the card returned to Hanks unread. He believes Kelley’s widow, Rose Ann, has moved to a nursing home.  Full Article

Firearms on more wish lists this year

USA – Little Ralphie from the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story” might have been onto something with his dreams of unwrapping a shiny new Red Ryder BB gun. Turns out, many Americans share the bespectacled, tow-headed boy’s desire for firepower. And they have made out their wish lists for Santa accordingly. FBI personal background checks, which are required before an individual can buy guns, hit an all-time high of 129,166. That figure shattered the previous record of 97,848, set in 2008, by 32 percent.  Full Article

Mother throws daughter’s corpse out with trash

Cleveland, Ohio – A woman was being held on $10,000 bond after reportedly telling police she threw her daughter’s body out with the trash. India Parker, 35, of Cleveland, Ohio, is facing a charge of abuse of a corpse.Parker is at the centre of an investigation into the disappearance of her daughter, Kaliyah, 10. Relatives and friends have told police they haven’t seen Kaliyah since she was five in 2006. Parker had previously had at least one child taken away from her by social workers and subsequently returned to her.  Full Article

Gynecologist faces charge for secret photos (Reuters)

Reuters - A German prosecutor said on Monday that 700 women had agreed to press charges against a gynaecologist who is suspected of secretly taking thousands of pictures of patients during check-ups in his practice.Gynecologist faces charge for secret photos (Reuters)

Woman suspected of killing, cooking husband

Islamabad, Pakistan – A Pakistani woman is being held on suspicion of killing her husband, cutting him up and trying to cook the pieces, Karachi police said. Zainab Bibi, 32, was arrested in connection with the murder of her husband Ahmad Abbas. Her 22-year-old nephew, Zaheer Ahmed, is accused of helping Bibi stab Abbas to death and carve his body into small pieces. Police said she wanted to cook her husband’s body parts so she could dispose of them without being caught. Full Article  

Jack Daniel’s gives $100,000 for soldiers to travel home

 Nashville, Tennessee – Tennessee whiskey maker Jack Daniel’s is donating more than $100,000 to pay for plane tickets and travel funds for soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky., to spend the December holiday season with their families all over the country. The distiller is also asking the public to make additional contributions that could help hundreds of cash-strapped soldiers who otherwise would be stuck at the post on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. Donations can be made to the Operation Ride Home campaign online.www.jdoperationridehome.com. Full Article

Man mistakes neighborhood for a nearby airport landing strip

Spring Hill, Florida – It appears the pilot of a single-engine plane mistook a Pasco County neighborhood for a nearby airport landing strip. According to deputies, the 22-year-old student pilot said his GPS indicated that Citation Road in the Pasco Trails subdivision was a Pilot Country Airport landing strip. The airport is less than three miles from where he actually landed. His Cirrus SR20 plane hit some mailboxes, small trees and a fence. No one was injured in the landing. A neighbor said he spoke with the pilot afterwards and the pilot was a Chinese national and did not speak English well.  Full Article  

Nurse worked six days in nine years

Bologna, Italy – Italian police said they arrested a nurse with the National Health System accused of using bogus excuses to work only six days in nine years. Police said the 45-year-old Bologna woman, whose name was not released, used work-avoiding “tricks” including two false pregnancies and obtaining fraudulent sick notes from doctors, ANSA reported.  Full Article

Man charged with attempted murder in forklift attack

 Apopka, Florida – Deputies say a man tried to kill the occupants of a trailer by repeatedly driving a front-end loading forklift into it. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, John Miller intentionally drove the forklift into the mobile home he owns on West Ponkan Road, knowing people were inside. The tenant told Local 6 that Miller was trying to evict her, and when she refused to leave, he got behind the wheel of the forklift and rammed into the home. According to the Sheriff’s Office report, the woman pleaded with Miller to stop and told him someone else was inside, but he still proceeded to ram into the home a second time.  Full Article

Four-year-old: Daddy shot mommy with a gun, bang bang

Michigan – An Isabella County (Michigan) man’s conflicting statements led to an Amber Alert and ultimately the discovery of his wife’s body in a crawl space of their home. Jason Lantz Fish’s claim to his mother-in-law that Stephanie Fish ran off with another man was not consistent with what he told his wife’s boss: that he was taking her to rehab after finding needles in her purse, according the affidavit that let to Jason Fish being charged with murder. The couple’s 4-year-old son, Brody, was with his father when he was found by police at a rest area in Genesee County and later told police that “daddy put mommy in the bathtub and shot her with a gun, bang bang.”  Full Article

Woman arrested for silicone butt implants

 Washington DC – Silicone implants that enlarge the buttocks are illicit and potentially deadly. A woman accused of offering just that service was recently arrested in a downtown D.C. hotel. Federal authorities say women wanted 45-year-old Kimberly Smedley (picture) to give them injections of liquid silicone to increase the size and shape of their buttocks.  Smedley usually performed the injections in hotel rooms and was arrested. At her last treatment, the woman asked for injections in her hips. She was hospitalized two days later from shortness of breath and a computed tomography scan found silicone inside her lungs.  Full Article

City Bans Fake Grass

California – The city of Glendale is imposing a ban on artificial grass. Notices are going out to homeowners whose front yards are covered in turf. Geneva Dotson says she was forced to pay crews $3,000 to rip up her brand new front yard after receiving a notice from city hall. “There’s enough drama in life without having the city breathing down my back,” says Dotson. “I’m very angry about it, to tell you the truth.” City officials say they plan to press criminal charges against those who do not comply with the ban.  Full Article 

Stripper arrested for lingerie theft

Florida – An Orlando woman was arrested on charges of theft and child cruelty after she was caught shoplifting lacy lingerie in the presence of her children, deputies said. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Ashley Fleischmann, 24, was stopped by a plain-clothes loss prevention officer at the Burlington Coat Factory on East Colonial Drive after she passed all points of sale with no point of returning her clothing items. In the loss prevention office, Fleischmann produced the stolen items from concealed places on her body. Fleischmann told deputies that the articles of clothing were for her to wear at Crystal Cabaret Gentleman’s Club, her place of employment.   Full Article  

Dog chases burglar hours after being adopted

Hillsboro, Ohio – A southwest Ohio couple who adopted a Saint Bernard to save him from being put down say he saved their home from burglary a few hours later. Rubert Lee Littler says he was taking Hercules outside at night when the 135-pound dog started growling, then charged after a man running out of their basement. The dog bit into the man’s ankle as he climbed a fence and got away. Police say the home’s phone and cable lines had been cut. Lee and Elizabeth Littler brought the dog home from Highland County’s pound less than seven hours earlier.   more

Egypt closes pyramid to avoid 11/11/11 rituals

Egypt – Egypt will close the Great Pyramid of Giza to avoid any rituals by a group rumoured to have plans to mark the date of 11/11/11 at the site, an official said. The decision came after much pressure from Egyptian Internet users that strange rituals were going to be held within the walls of the pyramid on November 11, 2011, Atef Abu Zahab, head of the Department of Pharaonic Archaeology, said. The Supreme Council of Antiquities confirmed the closure Friday of the tourist site, in a statement that only referred to the need for maintenance following a busy period during Muslim holidays.

Man runs out of toilet paper, destroys motel

Charlotte, North Carolina – One man made sure a Charlotte motel was going to pay for him running out of toilet paper. Upset about the lack of toilet paper that was available in his room, a man destroyed $2,090 worth of hotel property. The man grew irate after learning he didn’t have toilet paper and proceeded to walk upstairs to a vacant room that was being renovated. Upon entering the room, he proceeded to clog the toilet, causing water damage to the room, totaling about $2,000 in carpet and ceiling charges. The man would go on to break a blow dryer and several lights, accounting for an extra $90 in charges.  more  

Bank Robber Armed With Pesticide

 San Diego, California – A San Diego-area teller was confronted by a bank robber carrying not only a semi-automatic pistol but also a white plastic pesticide sprayer. FBI agents and San Diego County Sherif”s Department investigators released images of a bank robbery suspect carrying an unusual weapon. The man, believed to be about 30 years old, entered a Pacific Western Bank in Rancho Santa Fe carrying the pesticide sprayer, the pistol and demanding money. The suspect, described as white, unshaven with wavy brown hair and approximately 5’11″, was wearing a yellow rain jacket, jeans, a black baseball cap and a dust mask covering his nose and mouth. more

Prisoner Suing Over Cruel And Unusual Meals

 Clermont, Florida – A Florida inmate is suing the state’s prison system for pulling the pork from his meals. Eric Harris, a 32-year-old convicted pedophile who is serving a life sentence, suggests Lake Correctional Institution’s policy of serving a vegan diet is seriously affecting the quality of his life sentence. The Weston A. Price Foundation, a special interest group against soy products, will pick up the case’s legal expenses, and announced it has class-action ambitions including other prisoners, prison guards and taxpayers.  Full Article

Dog poop on shoes among bizarre cases handed to accident and emergency

People in England go to accident and emergency for a number of "inappropriate" reasons including women not being able to remove false fingernails or a man wanting his sick dog treated, a new research....more

Resort Offers $25,000 'Ultimate Ski Pass'

iStock / Creativaimage The Aspen Skiing Co. is offering an "Ultimate Ski Pass" that will let you have unlimited first tracks before chairlifts open to the public -- for a cool $25,000.The ...Resort Offers $25,000 'Ultimate Ski Pass'

Stolen antique Colt .45 returned

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The owner of an antique, pearl-handled Colt .45, stolen in Florida and missing for more than a decade says he has gotten the heirloom gun back.Stolen antique Colt .45 returned