week-in-review

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The Weird Week in Review

Email from Beyond the Grave Jack Froese of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, died suddenly last year at age 32. Six months later, his friends and family began to receive mysterious email messages from Froese's account. Childhood friend Tim Hart got a message warning him to clean his attic, a subject Froese had teased him about before his death. Cousin Jimmy McGraw got an email from Froese referring to an ankle injury McGraw sustained after Froese's death. No one knows who the messages came from, but Froese's mother... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Tuba Thefts Linked to Banda Music A rash of tuba thefts may be attributed to the popularity of a genre of music called banda. High schools all over Southern California report thefts of Sousaphones and concert tubas, which may be sold on the black market to banda musicians. Mexican banda music has been growing in popularity over the past twenty years, and the tuba is the most important instrument for the distinctive sound. Banda bandits are suspected because other instruments that are easier to carry off... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Famous Photo on Fake I.D. Police in Recife, Brazil, arrested Ricardo Sergio Freire de Barros on charges of fraud after he tried to open a bank account using a fake identity. The name on the fraudulent identification card was Joao Pedro dos Santos, but the picture clearly showed an image of American movie star Jack Nicholson. The 41-year-old Barros apparently does not look that much like the infinitely-recognizable 71-year-old Nicholson. Barros was charged with falsification of a public document. Tazer... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Chuck Norris May Connect Austria and Slovakia It looks like people wanting to pass between Slovakia and Austria in the future may have to cross Chuck Norris to do it. A new bike and pedestrian bridge spanning the Morava river international border will be named by an internet poll, and so far, American TV and movie star Chuck Norris has 74% of the vote. Trailing far behind are Maria Theresa Bridge (after a former empress) and Devinska cycling bridge (after a nearby town). The regional governing assembly... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Man Suffers Heart Attack at Heart Attack Grill The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas is a themed restaurant that serves large-serving high-calorie cuisine. It even offers free food for those who weigh over 350 pounds. The staff dress up as nurses and emergency workers, but they had to call the real paramedics last Saturday night. A customer was eating a "Triple Bypass Burger" when he suffered an apparent heart attack. The unnamed man was taken to a hospital, and was later heard to be alive and recuperating.... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Police and Zookeepers Chase Papier Mâché Rhino The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, holds annual escaped animal drills for zookeepers and emergency responders. However, there is no way to hold these drills using rare and possibly dangerous zoo animals. This week, the drill was held to train workers in how to deal with a rhinoceros on the loose, using a rhino made of papier mâché with two men underneath to provide the action. The rhino even attacked a zookeeper and had to be pushed away with sticks. Zoo... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Police Chase Ends as Car Lands on Sleeping Man Police in Hamden, Connecticut, tried to pull over an SUV for outstanding violations after midnight Tuesday, but were instead led on a five-mile chase. The driver sped through a college campus and into the town of New Haven. Police laid "stop sticks," but the driver avoided them. The car finally stopped when it slammed into a house, landing on top of 34-year-old Michael Sweat, who was asleep in his bed. The suspect fled the scene. Paramedics responded and an... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Bank Robber Shoots Himself in the Foot Three armed men entered a bank in Parana, Brazil, and took 30,000 Brazilian reals ($16,000). Security cameras recorded three of the robbers, but police believe six were involved. The surveillance video clearly shows one of the men accidentally shooting himself in the foot. He limped away with the others, but was arrested at a hospital the next day. Cat in Cockpit Delays Flight Air Canada Flight 603 to Toronto was scheduled to leave Halifax International Airport on... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

New Species is Really Faux Hawk A farmer in New Zealand is in trouble for painting hawks. Grant Michael Teahan was found guilty of animal cruelty after a YouTube video showed him capturing a bird in a paint-laden trap. Teahan had apparently been coloring hawks pinkish-red since at least 2009 as a prank. The prank worked, as bird watchers thought they had discovered a new species. Their excitement was crushed when one of the birds was later found dead, hit by a car, and an examination found that it was a... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Drunk Driver Speeds in Wrong Direction Victims of near-misses say it was a miracle that no one was hurt when a woman drove 18 miles north in the southbound lane of Washington State's I-5 expressway. Pamela Drawsby of Olympia, Washington, was arrested after police set a spike strip to stop her vehicle. She was observed driving up to 100 miles per hour at 2AM -against all oncoming traffic. Amazingly, there were no collisions as other drivers swerved to avoid the northbound vehicle. The 60-year-old Drawsby... READ ON