weird

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The Ames Window - A Bizarre Illusion

The Ames Window is an optical illusion, in which a strangely-shaped window (with a stick running through it) is rotated slowly. Because we assume it to be a normally-shaped window, our brains perceive the window and the stick interacting in strange ways, seeming to change shape in ways that don't align with normal perspective shifts. The illusion was designed by Adelbert Ames, Jr., an American artist and psychologist. Ames also created the Ames Room, a similar perspective illusion that was later used to... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Man Loses Hand in Tug-of-war A bizarre accident during the Dragon Boat Festival in Shenzhen, China has left a man with a severed hand. The 34-year-old man named Shi was participating in a tug-of-war contest and had wrapped the rope several times around his hand. During the competition, spectators joined in and pulled the slack rope rope behind Shi. When the rope suddenly tightened, his hand was cut off. Shi underwent surgery at the Guangzhou Peace Hand Surgery Hospital to reattach the hand. It is not yet... READ ON

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Live, Breaking News: Steve Wiebe Tries to Recapture Donkey Kong Record

Steve Wiebe, the hapless hero of the video game documentary King of Kong, is trying once again to beat Billy Mitchell's record on Donkey Kong. Why is this news? (After all, he's been going back and forth with Mitchell for years.) Well, it's news because Wiebe is doing it right now (mid-day Tuesday, June 2, 2009). You can watch Wiebe play Donkey Kong live right now! This morning, his first attempt ended at a respectable (but not record-breaking) 923,400 points. Reports suggest that we will make two... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

No More Butt Hole Road The residents of Butt Hole Road in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England are tired of the jokes, the tourists, and the constant questions. At least one family moved out over the embarrassment of their address. So the neighbors collected Â£300 and had the name of the street changed to the innocuous Archers Way, named after a nearby castle. Already an internet petition has sprung up to change the name back to Butt Hole Road. Bullet Removed After 42... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Woman Stuck in Toilet at Mets Game An unidentified woman attending a Mets game Wednesday lost her gold tooth, which fell into a toilet at Citi Field. She reached into the toilet to retrieve the tooth, but then her arm became stuck. Security guards heard her screaming and entered the restroom, but they couldn't free her. A plumber was called in from the company that installed the new field's toilets. As the woman waited with water flushing over her arm, a crowd of baseball fans gathered around to watch.... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Office Fridge Sends Seven to Hospital An office worker in San Jose, California decided to clean out the workplace refrigerator on Tuesday. The old food was taken out and placed on a table. The smell of the rotting food, combined with disinfectants used to clean the refrigerator were no noxious that the building was evacuated and a hazmat team was called! 28 people were treated for nausea and vomiting. The worker who was doing the cleaning was unaware of the sickening fumes. She can't smell because of... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Lonely Pig in Quarantine Due to fear of swine flu, Afghanistan has quarantined its pig. Yes, the nation's only pig, normally on display with other exotic wildlife at the Kabul Zoo. In accord with Muslim dietary restrictions, pork and pork products are illegal in Afghanistan. Some visitors to the zoo expressed concern that the zoo pig could spread the new strain of swine flu. "For now the pig is under quarantine, we built it a room because of swine influenza," Aziz Gul Saqib, director of Kabul Zoo, told... READ ON

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Winston Churchill Getting Funky

In 1941, Winston Churchill delivered his "Great Declaration," a famous speech about the Nazi threat. He said (in part, and with emphasis added): What tragedies, what horrors, what crimes has Hitler and all that Hitler stands for brought upon Europe and the world! The ruins of Warsaw, of Rotterdam, of Belgrade are monuments which will long recall to future generations the outrage of unopposed air bombing applied with calculated scientific cruelty to helpless populations. Here in London and throughout... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Stranger in the Garage Homeowner Don Bain of Spokane, Washington says there's a woman living in his garage who he doesn't know, and he wants her out. Bain had granted permission for his stepson to live in the garage three months ago. "He moved different people in, he had as high as eight people in here at different times and we told him no you stay there and no one else," Bain said. A confrontation led to the stepson being jailed, but one woman continues to live in the garage. Police say they can't... READ ON

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The Weird Week in Review

Perry Mason Not a Lawyer A man named Perry Mason was arrested in Houston Tuesday. The offense? Practicing law without a license. The 43-year-old man was charged with barratry, which is a third-degree felony. No one named Perry Mason is licensed to practice law in Texas, according to bar records. The TV character Perry Mason was an excellent lawyer, winning almost all his cases when the show aired from 1957 to 1965. Laundry Retrieved from... READ ON