Strange but True Stories

[JayDee]

Originally Posted by Mythor

They didn't, JayDee paraphrased. They "only" said whale vomit.

No I didn't, it's right there in the headline. "Whale spew find may net $1m for family"

[susanjacobs]

This made me laugh. "But Mum, all the other kids are blowing up things!":

'Supremacist' has to stick with mum

27jan06

BAIL has been continued for an alleged white supremacist facing charges linked to Sydney's race violence.

Andrew Scott Sanders, 25, today made a brief appearance in Penrith Local Court charged with prohibited weapons offences and possessing a disguise with the intent of using it to commit an indictable offence.

He was ordered to live with his mother and not leave her side while in public.

His mother also had to pay $1000 surety.

The former Sydney security guard was arrested on December 19 when police who raided his Willmot home, in Sydney's west, allegedly found smoke grenades, mace, capsicum spray and an unlicensed pistol.

The previous day police had stopped Mr Sanders at a roadblock in Brighton-le-Sands, when his car was allegedly carrying a 25-litre drum of petrol, gloves, a first aid kit, riot helmets, a utility belt and knife and literature from a white supremacist website.

They also found two ventilator masks, a two-way radio and portable radios tuned into a supremacist broadcast.

After his first court appearance in December, Mr Sanders was granted conditional bail despite newly legislated tough bail laws introduced after the December 11 Cronulla race riot and the retaliatory attacks that followed.

A magistrate found police did not have a sufficiently strong case to keep Mr Sanders in custody but ordered strict bail conditions.

Sanders bail was continued and he was ordered to appear again in Penrith Local Court on February 24, when the prosecution is expected to deliver the brief of evidence.

[JayDee]

I want to know what his mum thinks about it.

[Gutter Monkey]

Penis in Microwave turns out to be fake

Link

(CBS) McKEESPORT, Pa. Police investigating a report that a customer handed a clerk a severed penis to heat up in the store's microwave have since learned that it was not a real body part.

Instead, it was part of a couple's alleged plan to pass a drug test, reports KDKA-TV.

According to McKeesport's police chief, a man and a woman had inserted urine into a fake penis that the woman was planning to use to pass a drug test.

One of them then went into the store and asked the clerk to microwave the object, which they had wrapped in a paper towel, so the urine could reach body temperature.

When the clerk noticed an unusual odor, she unwrapped the item to discover what she thought was a severed body part.

"Hands down the most bizarre. I've never come across anything like this before," said Chief Joe Pero.

Upon hearing media reports about the incident, the couple contacted police to explain the situation.

The couple could face charges of harassment, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Previous reports that the penis had been real set some to worry about the organ's source.

"Hopefully, they're looking for the person this belongs to," said Sandy Furman, of McKeesport.

"I think that's the one they ought to look for - the one who may be hurt," said Denny Adler, of McKeesport. "It's shocking that I'm not (surprised). It's just the nature of the beast."

Giant Eagle, the company that owns Get-Go, says the microwave involved in the incident was immediately removed from service and will be discarded.

Awesome.

I still suspect that their explanation for microwaving the fake penis is bogus - the woman was going to use it to pass a drugs test??? - but they get points for originality.

[Gutter Monkey]

Henry Rollins vs John Howard

Link

February 16, 2006

AMERICAN rocker and writer Henry Rollins was reported to the National Security hotline during his recent Australian tour because of a book he was reading on a flight to Brisbane.
A furious Rollins was informed he was "nominated as a possible threat" for reading Jihad: The Rise Of Militant Islam In Central Asia, writes Kathy McCabe.

The incident happened on a flight from Auckland on the recent Big Day Out tour.

Rollins told Australian fans during his tour that he received a letter from a "nice woman" who worked "in one of those government areas that deals with anti-terrorism matters."

He posted the letter on his website.

"Please tell your Government and everyone in your office to go f... themselves. Baghdad's safer than my hometown and your PM is a sissy," he wrote.

Go Hank!

[Renee_Turner]

May have popped up when it was current - http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05166/521991.stm

[sooty]

Yeah in regards to Hank, he told that story as part of his BDO spiel here in Adelaide, I thought he would have done it for the other states too? Interesting that she's publishing the article now, I guess he only just posted the letter on his site or something.
For sure one of the highlights of the BDO for me, especially his bit about how Iggy was undeniably the King of rock and roll....ahh just imagining the look on Robert Smith's face....

[Gutter Monkey]

Snakes on a mothafuckin' bank!!
Link

You can come back when you just have a cat...
Wed Apr 12, 2006 01:49 PM ET

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African judge on Wednesday barred a dissatisfied customer from entering any Absa bank branch after his pet snakes bit one person when he released them inside the headquarters of the country's largest bank.

Absa had requested the restraining order against Jan Abel Manamela, who released five poisonous Puff adder snakes at the bank's Johannesburg headquarters in 2004, the South African Press Association (SAPA) said.

Manamela was sentenced to three years in prison following the incident but was released on parole in February.

Manamela had accused Absa of defrauding him after it sold his pickup truck following what it said was his failure to pay off a loan.

He later threatened to blow up the bank, demanded payment of 10 million rand ($1.6 million) and eventually released what he described as his "pet" snakes in the bank, SAPA said.

Judge Eben Jordaan's order forbade Manamela from contacting, threatening or molesting Absa employees, customers and attorneys and bars him from entering any bank office or branch, SAPA said.

[hails]

this isn't really on topic, but i had to do it, given the title you gave this article. found it on livejournal

[Gutter Monkey]

Condemned man to tell joke at execution

Link

By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 26, 6:37 PM ET

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A condemned prisoner planned to tell a joke Tuesday as part of his final statement before being executed for the abduction and killing of a couple who lived next door to him.

Patrick Knight has been soliciting jokes in the mail and on a Web site, sometimes receiving as many as 20 a day. He said his humor is intended to raise the spirits of other inmates.

"A little bit of levity is needed," Knight said of the mood on death row. "And it seems to be working. I just want to go out laughing. I'm not trying to disrespect anyone. I know I'm not innocent."

District Attorney James Farren, whose office prosecuted Knight at his 1993 trial, said Knight's plans were another example of his recklessness.

"It just shows he has no respect for human life, including his own," Farren said.

Knight told prison officials Tuesday afternoon when he arrived at the death house that he had as many as 1,300 jokes delivered to his cell on death row. He said he narrowed the list to seven, then to five, and ran those finalists past his condemned buddies to pick which one they liked the best.

And the follow up:

Texas inmate executed; doesn't tell joke

Link

By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 26, 9:09 PM ET

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Condemned prisoner Patrick Knight was executed Tuesday evening for the deaths of an Amarillo-area couple without delivering on a promise to tell a joke in his final statement.

Patrick Knight has been soliciting jokes in the mail and on a Web site, sometimes receiving as many as 20 a day, saying his humor was intended to raise the spirits of other inmates. He said he received as many as 1,300 proposals.

But when the moment came, Knight thanked God for his friends and asked for help for innocent men on death row. He named several he said were innocent. His voice shaking and nearly in tears, he said, "Not all of us are innocent, but those are."

After expressing love to some friends, he said, "I said I was going to tell a joke. Death has set me free. That's the biggest joke. I deserve this."

"And the other joke is that I am not Patrick Bryan Knight and y'all can't stop this execution now. Go ahead, I'm finished."

Nine minutes later at 6:21 p.m. CDT, he was pronounced dead.

Prison spokeswoman Michelle Lyons disputed Knight's mistaken identity claim.

"We fingerprint them when they come over," she said.

Whoa, tough gig.

[Renee_Turner]

Badgers badgers badgers

Mushroom mushroom

Sadly, they're not in order...#353 was the snake story.