News from a Weird World : Offbeat News 13 April 2011

In this edition of News From A Weird World, you can find some really weird stories that include joining the US Army to become a US Citizen, the PM Pen Snatcher, the actor who died 5 times in a day, attack of the flying vacuum cleaners, beware of giant flying fish and more.

News From A Weird World (previously known as Offbeat News) is a selection of weird stories that have appeared in the news during the past week, which have been tracked down by scouring news sites from around the world while wearing my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat.

The stories to be found on News From A Weird World are the kind that are just so bizarre, they make you realize that fact is often stranger than fiction, and make you wonder what on earth people were thinking to get into the news in this way.

This is a selection of weird news stories from the past week that I hope you enjoy, and if you do, please can you help spread the word by sharing the stories with your friends.

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Join The US Army And Become A US Citizen

It sounds too good to believe doesn't it, and like most things that sound too good to be true, this was just another scam.

A Chinese man who lives in Los Angeles convinced a number of immigrants that if they joined a special squad of US Army recruits, that they would be able to become US Citizens.

The problem is that not only was the idea fake, so was the squad itself, which by the time he was arrested consisted of over 100 Chinese nationals, who were charged as much as $450 to join the special unit.

The Chinaman gave his recruits uniforms, and they went on special events, like parading through a suburb of Los Angeles and visiting the aircraft carrier USS Midway, which is decommissioned and in a San Diego museum.

It sounds like something out of Red Dawn doesn't it, a Chinese army in the USA!

The squad leader has thankfully been arrested, and has been charged with theft by false pretenses, manufacturing deceptive government documents, and counterfeiting an official government seal.

He could face up to eight years in jail for his offenses. Given that he could be out in less than half that time, it doesn't sound very long considering the nature of his offense does it.

Read the full story HERE .

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The Czech PM Snatches Pen

It's something we have all done when staying at a hotel or at other locations where pens are lying around isn't it, snatching a pen to save us having to buy one, or to add to our collection of pens from different places.

The Czech Prime Minister was attending a press conference in Chile last week, and was seated next to the Chilean President.

What happened while the Chilean President was speaking can be seen in a video that has gone viral on YouTube , and that shows the Czech PM opening a pen case on the desk in front of him, taking out the pen, hiding it under the table and then sneaking it into his pocket.

It's not something that he is going to easily be able to live down, that's for sure.

Read the full story HERE .

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Police Attacked With Vacuum Cleaners During Clean Up Operation

Police in the Northern Territory of Australia were in hot pursuit last week of a stolen van that belonged to a cleaning company.

The van had been stolen by teenagers, and as it got onto the highway and the police tried to stop it, the thieves tried to lose them by throwing the contents of the van at the police car.

That included vacuum cleaners, buckets, and even ladders.

After a chase that went on for 70 miles, the teenagers lost control of the van and it rolled over.

The thieves, a 19 year old and a 14 year old were taken to hospital, and later discharged and placed under arrest.

What's the betting that they are charged for a menial offense and are in trouble again within a few months?

Read the full story HERE .

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He's Dead Five Times In One Day!

You know what it's like when you watch the soap operas, you either see the same actors playing different roles, or you see similar scenarios being played out in different soaps.

A well known veteran actor from Hong Kong had his character die in no less than five soap operas last week, in a 24 hour period.

Actor Law Lok-lam said that he didn't mind his character dying, if that was what the story line said, but apparently his daughter was upset having seen reports of her father's death posted everywhere on the internet.

A spokesperson for the television channel stated that the fact that he died five times in such a short period of time was purely a coincidence. Yeah right!

Read the full story HERE .

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Beware Of Flying Fish

When we read of flying fish we normally think of the sparrow sized flying fish that are so cute to see in tropical waters, and they also make a great sandwich when fried.

Boaters on the Suwanee River in Florida sometimes have to deal with a different kind of flying fish, a much bigger one, and guess what? They are back in town!

The signs have been posted everywhere, warning boaters to watch out for Gulf Sturgeon, which can grow to up to eight feet long and weigh as much as 200lbs.

when it's spawning time and the fish are likely to leap out of the water, they can really do some serious damage if they hit someone on a boat, or even if they hit a boat itself.

So if you are thinking of going out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, be on the lookout for flying fish.

Read the full story HERE.

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I hope you enjoyed this edition of News From A Weird World as much as I enjoyed compiling all the stories.

You can now also find links to all of the News From A Weird World and Offbeat News editions at Squidoo, and if you do enjoy these weekly Offbeat News articles, please could you help share them with your friends etc. I am sure they could use a good laugh too.

News Reports Are Taken From The Following Sources:

ABC News Australia
Courthouse News
Demotix
Digital Spy
Football 365
Metro UK
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Bournemouth Echo
The Daily Mail
The Daily Telegraph
The London Evening Standard
The Sun

You Can Read Previous Editions Of News From A Weird World Here

For more fun at the expense of victims around the world, take a look at the previous editions of News From A Weird World:

6_Apr_2011
2_Mar_2011 - 9_Mar_2011 - 16_Mar_2011 - 23_Mar_2011 - 30_Mar_2011
2_Feb_2011 - 9_Feb_2011 - 16_Feb_2011 - 23 Feb 2011
5_Jan_2011 - 12_Jan_2011 - 19_Jan_2011 - 26_Jan_2011
1_Dec_2010 - 8_Dec_2010 - 15_Dec_2010 - 22_Dec_2010 - 29_Dec_2010
3_Nov_2010 - 10_Nov_2010 - 17_Nov_2010 - 24_Nov_2010
6_Oct_2010 - 13_Oct_2010 - 20_Oct_2010 - 27_Oct_2010
1_Sep_2010 - 8_Sep_2010 - 15_Sep_2010 - 22_Sep_2010 - 29_Sep_2010
4_Aug_2010 - 11_Aug_2010 - 18_Aug_2010 - 25_Aug_2010
7_Jul_2010 - 14_Jul_2010 - 21_Jul_2010 - 28_Jul_2010
2_Jun_2010 - 9_Jun_2010 - 16_Jun_2010 - 23_Jun_2010 - 30_Jun_2010
5_May_2010 - 12_May_2010 - 19_May_2010 - 26_May_2010
21_Apr_2010 - 28_Apr_2010
3_Mar_2010 - 10_Mar_2010 - 17_Mar_2010 - 24_Mar_2010 - 31_Mar_2010
2_Feb_2010

As always, your comments on any of these news stories are appreciated, and if you enjoy News From A Weird World, please share this edition with your friends.