Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[ganbaru]

Indiana dog that crashed half-marathon gets medal
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-08-18-44-32

Old cast-off: Mastodon tooth found in donation box
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-09-09-26-43

[MrTerrorist]

Happy Birthday to Naruto and Gintoki!

[AnimeFan188]

Stan Lee Explains the Ludicrous "Science" Behind Superheroes:

"Superheroes don't make a lot of scientific sense. They're better than science; that's
half the fun. But you've gotta try and keep a little believability in there, and Stan Lee
explains exactly how to do it.

This two minute clip is just a teaser for a full PBS special, SUPERHEROES: A Never-
Ending Battle coming out the 15th. Consider us super pumped about it. [PBS]"

See:

http://gizmodo.com/stan-lee-explains...erh-1443444503

[ganbaru]

Autoerotic asphyxiation possible in Castro death
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-10-17-54-33

[Cosmic Eagle]

I really got to stop thinking of Cuba's leader each time I see this name....

[AnimeFan188]

The U.S. Military Once Proposed a “Gay” Bomb:

"It proposed a bomb “that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to
become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became
irresistibly attractive to one another”. While the laboratory also came up with similarly
questionable ideas, such as bad-breath bombs, flatulence bombs and bombs designed
to attract swarms of stinging insects to enemy combatants, one has to admit that the
gay bomb is certainly the most novel."

See:

http://gizmodo.com/the-u-s-military-...omb-1443813176

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

The U.S. Military Once Proposed a “Gay” Bomb:

"It proposed a bomb “that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to
become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became
irresistibly attractive to one another”. While the laboratory also came up with similarly
questionable ideas, such as bad-breath bombs, flatulence bombs and bombs designed
to attract swarms of stinging insects to enemy combatants, one has to admit that the
gay bomb is certainly the most novel."

See:

http://gizmodo.com/the-u-s-military-...omb-1443813176

I am glad this is never developed.

Saudi cleric says women who drive risk damaging their ovaries

(Reuters) - A conservative Saudi Arabian cleric has said women who drive risk damaging their ovaries and bearing children with clinical problems, countering activists who are trying to end the Islamic kingdom's male-only driving rules.

A campaign calling for women to defy the ban in a protest drive on October 26 has spread rapidly online over the past week and gained support from some prominent women activists. On Sunday, the campaign's website was blocked inside the kingdom.

In an interview published on Friday on the website sabq.org, Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan said women aiming to overturn the ban on driving should put "reason ahead of their hearts, emotions and passions".

Reuters earlier wrongly identified him as Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammed al-Lohaidan, a member of the Senior Council of Scholars, one of the top religious bodies in the birthplace of Islam.

By contrast, Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan, the person quoted in the sabq.org report, is a judicial adviser to an association of Gulf psychologists.

His comments reflect the extent of opposition to women driving among some conservatives in Saudi Arabia.

"If a woman drives a car, not out of pure necessity, that could have negative physiological impacts as functional and physiological medical studies show that it automatically affects the ovaries and pushes the pelvis upwards," he told Sabq.

"That is why we find those who regularly drive have children with clinical problems of varying degrees," he said.

He did not cite specific medical studies to support his arguments.

The ban on women driving is not backed by a specific law, but only men are granted driving licenses. Women can be fined for driving without a license but have also been detained and put on trial in the past on charges of political protest.

Sheikh Abdulatif Al al-Sheikh, the head of the morality police, told Reuters a week ago that there was no text in the documents making up sharia, or Islamic law, that barred women from driving.

King Abdullah has pushed some cautious reforms aimed at expanding women's freedoms in Saudi Arabia, including opening more employment opportunities for them, but he has not addressed the issue of driving.

Maybe if they had some law prohibiting men from having children with their own cousins, that would reduce the cause.

[Anh_Minh]

He should just own his prejudices. "Women shouldn't drive because fuck women, that's why". Why does he have to invent medical reasons and pretend it's for their own good?

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

With all the crazy shit they come out with it's only a matter of time till they get one thats actually true.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

He should just own his prejudices. "Women shouldn't drive because fuck women, that's why". Why does he have to invent medical reasons and pretend it's for their own good?

Probably just to sae the appearance, trying not to look like asshole

[Ridwan]

Saudi women drive in rural areas anyway

[Ithekro]

It is pretty bad when two jeeps drive from different cities crash into each other in the middle of nowhere in the desert. No road yet they just happened to be in the same place to have a head on collision.

[willx]

This is a bit dated, but I thought I'd bring it to people's attention:

The world's oldest profession is facing hard times..

http://www.economist.com/news/britai...ex-doesnt-sell

[ganbaru]

German groom forgets bride at gas station
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-11-09-10-35

Kansas man is hit by train, gets up and walks away
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-11-09-23-58

[Xefi]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

German groom forgets bride at gas station
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-11-09-10-35

and 2 1/2 hrs. later, he finally realizes she wasn't in the car. oh dear...silly husband,
you can't just keep your eyes off her for 2 1/2 hrs.!

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by willx

This is a bit dated, but I thought I'd bring it to people's attention:

The world's oldest profession is facing hard times..

http://www.economist.com/news/britai...ex-doesnt-sell

That is because of this.

When you can call for services in the comfort of your own home, why take to the streets for a private affair?

[Jinto]

Originally Posted by Xefi

and 2 1/2 hrs. later, he finally realizes she wasn't in the car. oh dear...silly husband,
you can't just keep your eyes off her for 2 1/2 hrs.!

Driving on the Autobahn can be... uh very demanding and requires all the attention (especially for young drivers).

[SaintessHeart]

Swazi king to wed 14th wife

Swaziland's King Mswati III has chosen an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant as his 14th wife, a palace spokesman said Tuesday, days before a much-criticised parliamentary vote.

"I can confirm that the king has introduced to the nation a new liphovela (royal fiancee)," said Ludzidzini palace governor Timothy Mtetwa.

Mswati, a 45-year-old who is sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, introduced Sindiswa Dlamini at a Reed Dance celebration over the weekend, Mtetwa told AFP.

She wore red feathers on her head -- a sign of royalty.

The young woman graduated from Mbabane's St. Francis High School last year and is a finalist in the Miss Cultural Heritage beauty pageant. The winner will be announced on September 28.

The king has come under fire for his household's lavish lifestyle while the tiny mountain kingdom's 1.2 million people struggle to make a living.

Mswati reportedly has a personal fortune of around $200 million (152 euros) and the UN estimates that 70 percent of his 1.2 million subjects live below the poverty line.

He has steadfastly resisted reforms.

The new engagement was announced at a festival which also counted regional delegates who will observe parliamentary elections on Friday.

Critics have slammed the polls as a sham, partly because political parties are banned and candidates are hand-picked by traditional leaders.

The weekend's celebrations were a smaller repeat of last month's official annual Reed Dance, where young virgins from across the kingdom gather and dance for the king.

"It just happened that the international community was there to witness the event," said Mtetwa.

The wedding only takes place once the fiancee falls pregnant. Dlamini will then become Mswati's 14th wife.

The monarch's colourful private life is off-limits in local media, but has drawn a lot of international interest.

Three wives left the household in recent years. The latest, Queen LaGija, fled the palace in 2012 claiming years of physical and emotional abuse.

Another queen, LaDube, was reportedly abused after she was caught in bed with the justice minister, a close friend of the king.

Mswati had kidnapped and married the queen when she was 16 in 2005.

[JokerD]

Well, not news per say but...
Life-size Homura and 2-meter Goddess Madoka statue to be displayed in the Tokyo Observatory

The Tokyo Observatory in Roppongi Hills will be holding a very special exhibit featuring the Magical Girls from the hit anime, Madoka Magica, and it will not only feature a 2 meter statue of Goddess Madoka but also a life-size statue of Homura Akemi.

The exhibit is scheduled to begin October 19, 2013 and it will display both statues proudly and this will be the very first time Homura’s life-size statue will ever be seen on public.

It will also display an estimated 800 pieces of Madoka Magica artworks as well as the transformation sequences of the five magical girls because no magical girl anime will ever be complete without a transformation sequence.

There will also be a photo booth where visitors can snap a photograph with some of the work pieces from the anime for 500 yen.

Some limited edition cafe menu items will also be served during the event such as the Kyubey ampan bun with Madoka tart, and the Charlotte Candy curry. Both limited edition menu items cost 980 yen.

The Roppongi Hills exhibit will last from October 19 until November 4. After that, the Madoka Magica exhibit will be hitting the road to visit Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo and Fukuoka. There is a 1,500 yen general entrance fee, 1,000 yen high school student fee and a 500 yen middle school student fee.

I wonder where it will be when I visit Japan...
(And some people take this anime way too seriously )

[Cosmic Eagle]

They should make it permanent fixture to rival the Odaiba Gundam