Offbeat News - Weird News from Around the World

Oddly Enough another week has whizzed by, Wednesday has come around again, and that means it's Offbeat News Day!

It's time to reveal to you more weird news stories, more of the oddball stories that sound so far fetched and bizarre, but oddly enough turn out to be completely true.

Offbeat news stories are those weird news items that make you realize that fact is stranger than fiction. These are the odd but true bizarre news stories that make you wonder how, why, what on earth were they thinking, and that's just amazing!

Just how many things happen in our modern world that are Odd But True or totally Bizarre defies belief, but yet they still happen.

But before we begin this issue of Offbeat News, I just wanted to determine whether you are a first time reader of Offbeat News, or if you read these articles every week. I would also like to get your feedback on what you think of Offbeat News, do you enjoy the articles, or by the time you read them here are they already old news etc. If you do have any feedback, please feel free to leave a comment using the form at the bottom of the page. You don't have to be a member of Associated Content to leave a comment.

My reason for asking is that some weeks, it seems that Offbeat News falls flat with a low readership, despite a number of comments from people that say they enjoy it and look forward to it every week.

If you do enjoy Offbeat News, I wonder if you might be so kind as to let other people know about it, which you can easily do using the Sharing buttons in the black bar at the bottom left of the page. These allow you to share Offbeat News with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or other social networking sites. You can even share the article by email. Any help to get the word out would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help, and now back to the News...

This is a selection of Offbeat News stories from the past week that had me rolling on the floor laughing...

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Nan's Wicked Sense Of Humor Stays True To The End

Doreen Legg had a wicked sense of humor and was always pulling practical jokes on her family.

She was sadly killed in a car crash on 23rd December last year, and this past weekend 18 members of her family, including great-grandchildren, came from all over the UK to scatter her ashes off Old Harry Rocks, a scenic location near Swanage in Dorset, on the South Coast of England.

The family took a trip on board a pleasure boat, and as they were scattering the ashes, the boat got stuck on the rocks.

The family couldn't but help see the funny side of things, and wonder if their Nan was still playing tricks on them.

This is just the latest spooky event that has happened since Doreen passed away.

On the day she died, the skies were black, and there was a terrific thunderstorm. Then when she was cremated there was a blizzard, and half the family were unable to make it to the event.

It seems that Doreen Legg wasn't quite ready to depart this life, but I am sure that the family won't ever forget her.

As for the stuck pleasure boat - the passengers had to be rescued by the Swanage Lifeboat, and luckily nobody was hurt.

Read the full story HERE

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Harrow To Horrorwood - Prease No Hitting

Visitors to a horror themed park in Taiwan called "Horrorwood" have been so terrified by actors dressed in costumes, that they have hit out at them in fear.

The park, which features scenes from 10 classic horror movies, are allowing actors who have suffered attacks by visitors, leave of absence and even transfers to other parks.

One worker, who was dressed as a zombie, ended up being hit in the face by the boyfriend of a woman who was literally scared out of her wits, and another male worker was hit in a tender place by a woman carrying an umbrella.

I guess even horrible monsters still have their soft spots...

Read the full article HERE

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This Is Your Cell - Here Is The Key

When a local television station in Brazil was investigating allegations that prisoners at the Polinter Penitentiary in the north of Rio De Janeiro were bribing the guards, they found more going on than they expected.

Not only did the 150 prisoners have keys to their cells, they also controlled who could visit the prison, and which magazines were delivered there.

Needless to say, officials are investigating corruption charges against the guards.

I am left wondering however, what type of prisoners are being held in this facility, and being in control of their lives there, were there fewer incidents of problems that you usually find in prisons, or was this actually a place with little or not problems.

Read the full story HERE

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Judge Places Diaper Man Under House Arrest

Oh the joys of living in Florida, where you can always be guaranteed the security of knowing that you are relatively normal compared to some of the people that live there...

This is the story of a 40 year old man named Sean Kelly (see article for creepy picture).

Sean was charged with two counts of organized fraud in Brevard County back in February, and this week he was sentenced to house arrest for a year, plus four years of probation, and ordered to undergo a psychological examination.

Sean had been using web sites such as Craigslist to contact women, who would be led to believe that he was the younger brother of a mentally disabled and incontinent man who needed a caregiver.

He would then pose as the older brother, and received "care" from the women, which included having his diaper changed, and being fed like a baby.

It was only when a woman's husband became suspicious and followed her one day, that Sean was seen leaving the house and driving away in a car.

The women who came forward to the police in connection with this case, said that they were also never paid for their services.

Read the full story HERE

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Gun Toting Robber Fumbles And Bumbles

Some days things just don't go your way, and this was just one of those days for 25 year old Raymond Shepard (see full article for scary picture).

Together with an accomplice, Shepard followed an elderly woman to her car as she left a Walmart in Daytona, Florida.

While the accomplice blocked her car in, preventing her from driving away, Shepard got up on the front of the car, and began banging on the windshield with his gun, since the woman had locked the car doors.

Needless to say, he made a hole in the glass with the gun, which came out of his hand, and landed in the woman's lap.

Carol Costello, who is 69, quickly grabbed the gun, and pointed it at the robber's head, causing him to drop his cell phone and run away.

The woman then tried to drive away herself, but ended up hitting the robber's car while trying to drive around it.

She successfully made a note of the license plate before the robbers drove off, and then notified the police.

Raymond Shepard is now under arrest and on a warrant for attempted armed robbery.

I hope that they put him away where he can't get up to more mischief. Maybe they ought to make him wear diapers and feed out of a bottle...

Read the full article HERE

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Great Grandma Has A Shock When Charged For Porn

Well Cathi Frattini of Ocoee in Florida certainly had a shock when her latest cable bill arrived. Not only was the total higher than normal, but the extra charges were for pornographic movies.

Cathi, who is 60 and a great grandmother, claims that she never ordered the movies "Naughty Girl Roommate" or "Celeb Nympho 4-Pack" that she was charged with viewing, and she told the local television news that the movies were ordered at the same time, at 3am on Sunday mornings.

Apparently Cathi has now been reimbursed for the charges, but you never know just what some woman might get up to in the middle of the night these days do you...

Read the full story HERE

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Florida Woman Gets Taken For An Unexpected Ride

This is a weird and wonderful tale, and Judy Fischman is lucky to be alive and able to re-tell it. I doubt she will ever forget it, that's for sure.

Judy was swimming off Bethune Beach in Florida one evening last week, when all of a sudden she was lifted up out of the water and being carried along on the back of a large dark creature.

She instantly thought "I hope this is a Manatee", but quickly realized when she saw the creature's tail that it wasn't a Manatee that she was riding on, it was a shark.

Not only that, she looked around and there were other sharks swimming around her.

Meantime, another couple who had gone to the beach to look at the ocean, had just got out of their car when they saw the lone woman swimming a few hundred feet from the shore, and that there were sharks swimming parallel to the beach.

Suddenly the swimmer was lifted up, with arms and legs everywhere, and they feared the worst, but luck was on her side that day, as Judy remembered advice she had been given on how to deal with a shark, and began to punch it in the face.

The next think she knew, a large wave hit her, the sharks were gone, and she was able to swim to shore.

If this isn't a miracle, I don't know what is. Not only could Judy have been killed or at least badly bitten, but she could also have gone through her ordeal without a living soul having seen it, and who would have believed her I wonder.

In case this comes in handy for any of you thinking of swimming in the ocean, here is a tip I learned about how to deal with sharks when I was learning to scuba dive in New Zealand.

If a shark decides to attack you and swims towards you, stab it with your dive knife. If you don't have a knife, your best defense is to punch the shark hard in the nose.

That usually does the trick, however if the shark decides to come back and have another try, punch it again with your stump...

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, 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.

For more fun at the expense of victims around the world, take a look at the previous editions of Offbeat News:

4th August 2010

28th July 2010

21st July 2010

14th July 2010

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

5th May 2010

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

ABC News Australia

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The Bournemouth Echo