Odd Stinky flower attracts records crowds to butterfly center

Houston - Anticipation of the soon-to-bloom stinky “corpse flower” drew record crowds to the Cockrell Butterfly Center this weekend. Visitors saw, but didn’t yet smell, the endangered species, which is expected to bloom by Wednesday. The flower, native to the Sumatran rainforests in Indonesia, is one of the biggest and most mysterious flowers in the world. It’s bloom is so rare that only 28 other bloomings have been observed in the United States. It gets its name from one of its more unique traits: When the “corpse flower” opens, the smell of meat flies’ meals permeates. Those flies - the plant’s primary pollinators - feast on rotting flesh. It’s one of the worse smells you will come across.
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Crocheting Beats The Reich For Odd Title Prize

(Reuters) - Defying grim predictions that the economic downturn would clobber specialist books, the annual contest for oddest title has had a bumper year, with the 2009 winner being named on Friday as...---...More

Odd:Woman Jumps Off Cliff to Flee Attacker

MALIBU, California - Authorities say a man tried to sexually assault a Malibu jogger who escaped by jumping off a cliff and sliding about 100 feet down a steep hillside. Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Derek Sabatini says the woman was taken to a hospital with cuts and bruises from the fall.
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Odd-Kiss Causes Diploma Denial

A Very Costly Kiss: Senior Denied Diploma

For teens, there is no greater joy than graduating high school. Shaking off the shackles of education and claiming that hard-fought diploma is truly an epic day. Unfortunately, for several students at Bonny Eagle High School in Maine, their natural exuberance has led to some surprisingly serious problems.

On Friday night, when the senior class was waiting to graduate, excitement began to grow. Students bounced a large inflatable rubber duck. The noise level rose. And then came "the kiss." When called, one student walked on stage to receive his diploma and blew a kiss to his family. The school administrator, clearly not the sentimental sort, sent the student back to his seat ... sans diploma.

The seemingly harsh punishment has sent the Web all aflutter. Searches on "student denied diploma" and "bonny eagle high school" are both through the roof. Additionally, blogs and news papers are chiming in with opinions on whether or not the administration overreacted. The student's mother has given interviews and is quite upset at her son's treatment. According to an article from Fox News the outraged mother said, "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior."

But the administrators feel they were just enforcing the rules that students agreed to. At a meeting following the debacle, school superintendent Suzanne Lukas said that "if a student doesn't adhere to the expectations, then the consequences are clearly spelled out."

This isn't the first time that rambunctious (dare we say "fun"?) behavior affected a graduation ceremony at Bonny Eagle. "Four years ago we had some issues with silly string and beach balls," said Lukas.

Odd State Laws

In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel.

California law prohibits a woman from driving a car while dressed in a housecoat.

In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman is not to drive a car unless a man warns approaching motorists or pedestrians by walking in front of the car that is being driven.

In Tennessee, it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping.

In New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile.

In West Virginia, only babies can ride in a baby carriage.

In Georgia, it is against the law to slap a man on the back or front.

A barber is not to advertise prices in the State of Georgia.

In Louisiana, a bill was introduced years ago in the State House of Representatives that fixed a ceiling on haircuts for bald men of 25 cents.

In Oklahoma, no baseball team can hit the ball over the fence or out of a ballpark.

In Rochester, Michigan, the law is that anyone bathing in public must have the bathing suit inspected by a police officer !

In Kentucky, it's the law that a person must take a bath once a year.

In Utah, birds have the right of way on any public highway.

In Ohio, one must have a license to keep a bear.