Offbeat News - Weird News from Around the World

It's time for some of those wacky weird news stories, those snippets of news that sound far fetched and made up, but oddly enough turn out to be true.

Offbeat news items are those weird news items that make you realize that fact is stranger than fiction, the odd but true bizarre news stories that make you wonder how, why, what on earth were they thinking, and that's just amazing! It's amazing just how many things happen in our modern world that are Odd But True or totally Bizarre.

This is a selection of Offbeat News stories from the past week that had me laughing and bemused.

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Cripes I've Got Stripes!

In a slapstick scene that could easily have been taken from a silent movie, two men stood up after having sat on a public bench, and found that they had striped backsides.

The benches had been painted by city workmen, however there were not enough WET PAINT warning signs to go around all the gates, railings and street signs that had been painted.

The two men were both waiting for their partners who were in a store shopping, and sat down on the bench to wait - as you do.

One man was left with six striped of brown paint on the back of his £50 (US$75) pair of jeans, and the other with stripes across the back of a £35 (US$55) pair of denim shorts.

It wasn't only these two who had suffered unfortunately. The bench showed signs of at least four people having sat on it, but the others didn't realize as soon.

Read the full article HERE

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Why Alfie The Pug Was Feeling Stoned

Alfie's owner was wondering why he was acting strangely, and then when she picked him up she noticed that he felt heavier than usual.

It turns out that Alfie has been out in their garden, and had swallowed half a pound of pea shingle (pea sized stones) that were laid out on the ground.

The family rushed their pet pug to a local vet, where x-rays showed something unusual in his stomach.

An emergency operation soon uncovered the cause, and his stomach was absolutely full of stones. It took two vets over an hour to remove them all.

Since Alfie only weighs 4 kilos (8.8lbs), that is a huge amount.

The good news is that he is now running around as if nothing happened.

Good job they didn't take him for a walk to the park and a swim in the lake...

Read the full article HERE

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Lovesick Llama Causes Autobahn Drama

Luisa, who is a shy lady Llama, tried to escape the affections of a male llama who took a fancy to her, and jumped over a fence, ending up in the middle of a busy highway.

The local police in Gifhorn, which is about 180 miles west of Berlin in Germany, had a number of strange calls from motorists who had seen the llama in the road.

The police managed to close the road, corner Luisa, and she was able to return to her paddock safe and sound, where she was greeted by her five llama colleagues and several donkeys.

If you remember the old 1960's song "Indiana Wants Me" by R. Dean Taylor, sing along with Luisa as she tells her story to the police...

Bob the llama wants me
Lord I can't go back there...

Read the full story HERE

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Pulpo Paul Is Invited To The Ball

The town of O Carballino in north western Spain has an annual octopus festival, and has requested the presence of Paul, the "psychic" octopus who accurately predicted the results of Germany's World Cup games.

Paul has already been given honorary citizenship of the town, which is offering to buy him, according to reports in the press.

The octopus shot to fame when it accurately predicted the results of every World Cup game that Germany played in, as well as the final.

A little know fact is that Paul originally came from an aquarium in Weymouth, a seaside town on the South Coast of England.

Traveling to Galicia in Spain could however prove to be dangerous for Paul, since the Galicians are partial to a bit of Calamari. Even though Paul is harmless, his owners don't want to risk him ending up armless...

Did you also know that "Pulpo" is Spanish for Octopus.

Read the full story HERE

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Bring A Pretty Girl And Let's Have A Whirl

The 73 year old Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who is known to be a bit of a playboy, has reportedly urged foreign ambassadors to bring "pretty girls" to the country.

Speaking at a gathering of diplomats and business executives from Mediterranean countries, Berlusconi made his request, adding that "We would appreciate them because we are Latins. But not playboys, as in my case, I've become a 'play-old'".

Berlusconi's wife files for divorce last year after reports that he attended the 18th birthday of a girl who called him "Daddy". He has also been implicated in a number of other playboy type incidents.

Read the full story HERE

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Tampa Sinkhole Swallows Car

A resident from Bordeaux Village Condominiums in Tampa, Florida, was driving home when the ground gave way beneath his car.

Fortunately he was able to get out, before the car was swallowed up by the hole, which is about 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep.

The sinkhole is also perfectly round, just like the one in Guatemala City that appeared a few weeks ago (SEE HERE).

It does make you wonder, all these sinkholes, and all perfectly round. Does anyone remember an old sci-fi movie about the Chinese tunneling under the Pacific to invade the USA? Scary thought...

Read the full story and see pictures HERE

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Cross Dressers Have The Balls To Steal Bridal Wear

A group of cross-dressers from the Fort Walton area of Florida have been caught stealing bridal gowns and other items from bridal shops in the area, to a value of about US$30,000.

The cross dressers have been operating as a ring, and while several of them distract staff at the stores, the others are stealing the clothing, which includes as many as 96 wedding gowns!

They apparently need lots of wardrobe changes, as they work in gay bars and clubs in Pensacola and Mobile.

I don't know about you, but I just got flashbacks of "The Birdcage" and "To Wong Fu Thanks For Everything", both excellent cross dressing movies.

Before you ask... NO I don't...

Read the full story HERE

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Well you heard these stories first on Offbeat News, and if these aren't proof enough that the truth is stranger than fiction, check the previous installments of this weekly series.

You can now also find links to all of the Offbeat News editions at Squidoo.

7th July 2010

30th June 2010

23rd June 2010

16th June 2010

9th June 2010

2nd June 2010

26th May 2010

19th May 2010

12th May 2010

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28th April 2010

21st April 2010

31st March 2010

24th March 2010

17th March 2010

10th March 2010

3rd March 2010

24th February 2010

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

Sources

Bournemouth Echo

ABC News Australia

South Florida Sun-Sentinel