Offbeat News : Weird News Stories 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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Prisoners Escape Jail While Dummy Guard Watches

Oh dear... This doesn't say much for the prison system in Argentina...

Two prisoners reportedly escaped from a prison in Argentina, while a guard just watched them leave.

Unfortunately, due to lack of resources at the prison, only two of the 15 guard towers were actually being manned.

The rest of the towers had footballs with baseball caps on, making it look as if they were manned.

It just shows that you can't fool a felon, but the most amazing thing is - only two escaped!

Read the full story HERE

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The Soup Nazi Returns

Everyone who has watched the hit American sitcom "Seinfeld" knows of the Soup Nazi, a seller of wonderful soups, who laid down strict rules for his customers:

Pick the soup you want!
Have your money ready!
Move to the extreme left after ordering!

If you did not stick to the rules, it was a case of "No soup for you!"

Well the REAL New York City soup vendor on who the Seinfeld character was based, has re-opened his stall in Manhattan, on the corner of 55th Street and 8th Avenue, six years after he sold the rights to the business.

Al Yeganeh, who apparently despises the Soup Nazi character, and who banned Jerry Seinfeld from his stall after the Soup Nazi episode aired in November 1995, retained the rights to his famous soups, and was asked to return, as he is the heart and soul of the business.

We actually passed the location when we were in Manhattan several years ago, and I did get off a quick snap of the building, but alas you know what it's like on a tour bus...

Read the full story HERE

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Sleeping Passengers Robbed By Air Stewardess

A stewardess working for Air France has been arrested for stealing from more than 150 Business Class passengers while they were sleeping, according to officials from the airline.

A case file was opened at the weekend, after the woman was arrested at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, and admitted to the thefts.

She apparently had been going through passengers hand baggage on long haul flights from Paris to Asia, according to the Paris newspaper Le Figaro, and amongst items she had stolen were money and jewelery.

Police were initially alerted back in January, after five passengers on a flight from Tokyo to Paris reported the loss of 4,000 Euros.

Well I know the airlines are always finding novel ways to fleece their passengers, but this sounds a bit too much like the old time Highwayman approach.

Read the full story HERE

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Ambassador Leave Wife Behind But Takes 40 Cats

According to the Israeli website YNet, an ambassador to Israel from one of the Latin American countries, made a telephone call to his wife while she was traveling in Europe, to tell her that he was returning home.

The ambassador's wife rushed home to Israel, where she found their home completely empty.

Her husband had taken all the furniture, and even her clothing and jewelery were missing.

In addition he had taken their 40 cats and 2 dogs, and canceled her credit cards and medical insurance.

It makes you wonder just what was going on in their relationship, to make him leave just like that.

Was he the center of an investigation or scandal, and this forced him to leave?

Could he be disconnecting himself from a wife who was bleeding him dry financially?

But the strangest thing is the 40 cats and 2 dogs. Now that's just weird for anyone, especially an ambassador. Maybe he was forced to leave because visitors complained the embassy smelled of pee!

Apparently his wife is missing their pets.

I have a feeling that we will be hearing more of this story...

Read the full story HERE
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Baltic Bubbly Booty Bottles Break Bank

A shipwreck in the Baltic Sea has provided divers with a haul of the oldest drinkable champagne in the world.

The divers, who are from Sweden, picked up one bottle from the wreck, so that they could tell the age, since there was insufficient evidence on the wreck itself to tell which ship it was.

Judging by the shape of the bottles, experts are 98% certain that this is Veuve Cliquot Champagne and that it was made between 1772 and 1785. The ship with it's cargo was probably sailing to the port of St. Petersburg, which at that time was the capital of Russia.

It is not yet known how many bottles of wind and champagne are on board the wreck, but a champagne expert said that if it did prove to be 18th century Veuve Cliquot, the bottles could be worth as much as $78,500 each.

However, because the wreck lies off Aland, which is part of Finland, local authorities will need to decide what will happen to the wreck - and of course the champagne.

Read the full story HERE

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Food Bank Pate Is For The Dogs

A volunteer at a food bank in Clearwater, Florida, recommended a donated product to an elderly customer who was interested in eating healthier foods, having seen that the label read "Senior Holistic Superfood".

The label promised joint health, a strong immune system, added glucosamine, and sharp vision, according to the St. Petersberg Times.

However, a second look at the label showed additional information, such as "Healthy skin and coat". What the....

It seems that someone had donated dog food to the food bank, which unfortunately doesn't take donations of pet products.

I wonder if the man had actually eaten it if it would make his hair curl. That might be good, but it might have made his lip curl if he found out what he was eating!

Read the full story HERE

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Ladies Night Ban Prompts New Rulings

The city of Gainsville in Northern Florida issued a ban on Ladies Night drink specials, claiming that this was a violation of the city's anti-discrimination policies.

In spite of the ban, which was issued to the over 100 bars in the city three months ago, a number have found new ways to promote their drink special nights.

At bars like The Grog House, and others that belong to Rob Zeller, there is no longer a Ladies Night. Instead there is "Shaved Leg Night". At The Rue Bar, it's "High Heels Night".

No longer are the free drinks restricted to ladies. Men too can get free drinks - provided they have shaved legs or are wearing high heels.

Apparently 5 men have turned up so far at The Grog House with shaved legs.

Actually, since many swimmers and cyclists in particular shave their legs these days, I find the number surprisingly low.

Read the full story HERE
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Man Accused Of Having Sex With Christie Brinkley

"So what's wrong with that?" you might ask, thinking of Christie Brinkley the model.

Well in this case, the 64 year old man from the Miami area of Florida was not having sex with the well known model. It was in fact his Great Dane, who goes by the same name.

Armand Pacher, the dog's owner, was booked into a Miami Dade jail this week, and charged with animal cruelty.

Apparently the man took the 2 1/2 year old dog to the veterinarian, and talked to him about sex, discussing how the dog didn't appear to enjoy it as much as she used to.

The veterinarian found evidence of forced sexual activity on the dog and called the police.

I suppose this does give a whole new meaning to the phrase "doggy style" if nothing else.

The scary thing is that people like this walk among us... Especially in Florida...

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:

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