the Odd News Awards

Uplifting Odd News - Be part of a virtual choir of thousands!

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:08:00 +0000

Often the Odd things awarded on this site are weird, silly, or even sometimes kind of gross. The Odd News Awardee this time is none of those things. It is cool and uplifting and I encourage musicians everywhere to try and duplicate the efforts of Eric Whitacre in their favorite form of music. Here is a brief explanation of what Mr. Whitacre did to assemble a huge virtual choir.

If I read and heard correctly elsewhere, Eric Whitacre's virtual choir for his piece "Sleep" was something around 2,000 members strong! Way to Go! This deserves an Odd News Award because it is so unique and utilizes "out-of-the-box" thinking, technology, and a bit of a glimpse into an interesting possible aspect of our near future. Here is a video of "Sleep" :

Wouldn't this be cool to duplicate to create all kinds of music?!

Odd Thought: Is American Idol Contestant, Paul McDonald, Really Yes Lead Man, Jon Anderson?

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:23:00 +0000

A lot of friends have commented that American Idol contestant Paul McDonald sounds like Rod Stewart and I agree: he does sound somewhat like Rod Stewart. I happened upon this Hulu Yes Unplugged video and realize that McDonald is much more like Yes lead singer Jon Anderson. If you are a Yes fan you or if you are just a fan of really good musicians playing complicated stuff, you will want to watch the about 30 minute Yes Unplugged video. If neither of those appeal to you, at least watch until Anderson sings the first song and then think about it the next time you watch McDonald sing on American Idol. In my opinion, the resemblance is uncanny.

At first, I was thinking about giving an Odd News Award to Yes for unplugging because let's face it, Yes for many has been defined by their electronic sound. I did not realize how really good these guys were as musicians. The Odd News Award, however, is shared by both Yes and AI contestant Paul McDonald because while I was watching the Yes unplugged show, I kept imagining that Jon Anderson and Paul McDonald were somehow closely related, if not the same person. Maybe the two men have a closer genetic match than most people. Who knows? Hope you enjoy the Hulu video as much as I did.

Tossing Around the Odd News Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:54:00 +0000

Here are some odd news items that caught my eye which is enough to qualify for an Odd News Award. Congrats to all the winners!

New Stretchable Solar Cells Will Power Artificial Electronic 'Super Skin' from Science Daily
"ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2011) — "Super skin" is what Stanford researcher Zhenan Bao wants to create. She's already developed a flexible sensor that is so sensitive to pressure it can feel a fly touch down. Now she's working to add the ability to detect chemicals and sense various kinds of biological molecules. She's also making the skin self-powering, using polymer solar cells to generate electricity. And the new solar cells are not just flexible, but stretchable -- they can be stretched up to 30 percent beyond their original length and snap back without any damage or loss of power." Read More

You have to admit that this is kind of odd news. What energy crisis?

Minnesota couple wake up to deer in bed from azcentral.com
EAGAN, Minn. - "A deer smashed through a window, skittered across a couple's bed and landed in the bathroom. Colleen Slattery and her partner, Beau Williams, were sleeping in Saturday and immediately thought someone was breaking into their first-floor apartment here.

"The glass shattered as the deer galloped across us in bed," Colleen Slattery said." Read More

Wonder if the wolf pack chasing the deer followed?

Magnetic Boy! Wonder if a bath could fix this problem?

Addictive TV - Odd Approach to Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 03:48:00 +0000

I have run across a group called "Addictive TV" that are ahead of their time. It reminds me of the dawn of rap. Addictive TV takes movies and does the equivalent of what the guys working the turntables in rap do. It is only a matter of time before what Addictive TV does evolves into a new kind of vid/music grammy category. Who knows, maybe what Addictive TV does will fade away like the music from the group "Art of Noise" of the 1980s. Still, what these guys do is unmistakably Odd. Here are some sample music videos:

While this is interesting and Odd stuff, I think this type of video/music entertainment still has a few steps to evolve into something more substantial. Still, it is cool the way it is now.

Odd News Reminders of College

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:22:00 +0000

Two articles that I noticed remind me of being a goofy college kid.

In college I ran with a group of guys that thought a little too much. Like most college guys we had limited objectives and almost all of those objectives centered around attracting the almighty college babe. Because of something I read in a psychology article me and a couple of my buddies walked around a bar tucking our chin in and making direct eye contact with women. That plan did not totally achieve the desired results. Many women did notice us but for some peculiar reason were not totally attracted to us. For those still seeking to attract women (I'm happily married.), finally, a study has been released that gives men the scoop on how to dance in a way that women find irresistible. Today's first must read Odd News Award goes to:

Men seeking to impress on the dance floor, move that body by Belinda Goldsmith
"CANBERRA (Reuters) – Men hoping to impress women on the dance floor now have science to help them. A European study has found that men who move their necks and trunks more to the beat are most likely to attract women." Read More

The other Odd News Award article reminded me of a common fraternity initiation rite back in the day.

Russian circus cancels 'inhumane' fish-swallowing act

"SYDNEY (AFP) – A Russian circus performer who swallows a live fish and then regurgitates it has been forced to cancel the act after cruelty complaints in Australia." Read More

No tribute to college would be complete without Otis Day and the Knights "Shout"

Odd News Tribute to the Big Bang!

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:36:00 +0000

The tribute to Stephen Root was a great success! I also learned that Stephen Root does the voice of Bill on King of the Hill. Root is quite the talent. Because of the success of the tribute and because great odd news is kind of slow these days, this week we will feature The Big Bang Theory.

In this clip Penny makes it clear to Sheldon that they can remain friends after her break-up with Leonard.

Odd News Awards Videos: A Tribute to Stephen Root and a Back-To-School Special

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:17:00 +0000

I know almost nothing about American actor Stephen Root other than two of his roles as multimillionaire Jimmy James in the sitcom News Radio and Milton in the movie Office Space. This has almost nothing to do with odd news other than the coincidental inclusion of the word "News" in the sitcom title. But I hope you enjoy these odd news award videos as a tribute to the two things I like that involve Stephen Root.

First up is a minisode of one of my favorite News Radio episodes "Super Karate Monkey Death Car."

Next is mashup Root's portrayal of Milton in Office Space.

Since I have seen the entire episode of News Radio and Office Space, I cannot be sure if these were funny to those of you that have not seen the News Radio episode and Office Space. If you don't get it, find some time to watch at least Office Space. It's a classic movie. Even if you can't do that right away, maybe you can get a kick out of my back-to-school video choice. You gotta love "the Bean"! Mr. Bean's going back-to-school.

A Sort of Tribute to Odd Animal Stories, Plus a Bonus Video

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:58:00 +0000

Bonus! - I have found a super Odd News Award worthy video and I just can't wait to post it. So,
Here's the video slapped right above the tribute to Odd Animal Stories. This is a mashup of Toy Story 3 and Inception - It's freakin' great!!!

Since this is the Odd News Awards, I think it is only right that we should change up our format whenever we feel like it. So, in keeping with that idea, instead of providing a bonus or extra video after awarding the best odd news, we will put the video at the beginning.
The Video
I have seen this video a few times on TV and it is really weird. After seeing this commercial, I cannot imagine what the Kia people must think of us. Maybe they know us better than we know ourselves. I would have loved to be in the sales meeting when the ad people pitched this commercial to the Kia people. The longer version of the commercial does nothing but make the commercial even stranger but, in an odd sort of way, it's inexplicably cool.

Now to the odd news stories that inspired this sort of tribute to odd animal stories. The stories that we found award worthy both involved animals otherwise we would not have had anything to do with this theme.

Teenage Iowa Girl wipes out 5 deer this year using motor vehicles
Our first Odd News Award story involves a 17-year old Iowa girl that for some odd reason keeps demolishing deer with her car(s). Clearly, something is up here. I have a few ideas about what could be going on here. I could imagine some teenaged boys thinking that the absolute funniest thing to do would be to put deer scent on the car of an unsuspecting peer. That could explain why deer keep leaping in front of this young ladies' car. On the other hand, maybe this teen deer slayer just hates deer or gets some sort of weird thrill out of chasing deer through the woods in her mom and dad's minivan. Of course a third option, as improbable as it may seem, the deer could be in on this activity. Could this be the beginning of a deer uprising in America's midwest? Maybe there is something about this 17 year old girl that causes deer to leap to their death in front of her vehicles. Well, that is about all I have got for this one. Feel free to read the article linked below.

Iowa teen known as 'Deer Magnet' after hitting 5
DES MOINES, Iowa – A central Iowa teen has earned the nickname "The Deer Magnet" after hitting five deer in the past year. Seventeen-year-old Kacee Larson of Conrad said her string of bad luck began last July when she was driving home from her job at an ice cream shop. " Read More

The second, or third if you count the Kia video/commercial, Odd News Award goes to this story:

Black Bear breaks into, steals Colorado Teen's Car - Apprehended after two hours of joy riding

This is so unbelievable that I feel obligated to include the video from Rueters. This teen and his sister think that the bear that stole his car may have first been attracted by the opportunity to swipe a peanut butter sandwich that had been left on the back seat and then one thing led to another. It is unclear whether the bear got the sandwich but, this simple petty theft quickly ramped up to grand theft larceny and felony destruction of property in the wenk of an eye. Don't judge all bears by this one. I can name one very popular bear that tirelessly crusades for the noble and practical cause of preventing forest fires. Does the name "Smokey" ring a bell? And other bears like Winnie-the-Pooh, despite having a name that is often associated with crude bathroom humor, is a great example for our children of how to be accepting of others and how to treat others with kindness and respect. Unfortunately, this Colorado black bear in his selfish pursuit of a peanut butter sandwich has given cause for humans everywhere to keep a close eye on their valuables when they see a bear. I know what some of you are thinking: "If this had been a polar bear, it wouldn't have even made the local news. Why is it always newsworthy when it is a black bear?" Sorry if that last one offended. It was meant in good fun. Before I get into more trouble, watch the Reuters video for the second Odd News Award winner.

I know that those of us in Louisiana are looking forward to the re-population of the Louisiana black bear that is already taking place.

New Odd News Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:42:00 +0000

Tassey, the bulldog, had had enough of her owner Chris neglecting her while paying attention to all those two legged females and she saw her chance. Tassey thought to herself "That fool Chris has left the door open on his running truck. Finally, the time has come to teach that guy a lesson. 'No more eating out of bowls on the kitchen floor!'" she wanted to yell as she shifted the truck into drive. Chris had just been run over by his dog in his own truck but managed to stop the truck and limp into the house. Chris waited for several hours to go to the doctor because Chris was a "real man," a real strong Southern man. Finally, when Chris gathered enough strength to bend down and gather some dirt to rub on his wounds, he decided that even though he was still every bit a "real man;" he might just pop into the emergency room and let them take a look. Tassey, the bulldog, spent the rest of her night defeated in the tight confinement of her kennel lamenting her failure at what may very well be her one and only chance to teach Chris a lesson.

I think you can understand why this had to be an Odd News Award:

Man run over by truck after dog puts it in gear (Associated Press)

"RIDGE MANOR, Fla. – A man was reportedly run over by his own truck after his dog put it into gear. The sheriff's office reported that 43-year-old Christopher Bishop was checking under his Ford F-150 for oil leaks Sunday evening." Read More

Three peculiar articles with virtually nothing in common except, all three are worthy of note as Odd News Awards winners. This rendition of the Odd News Awards salutes a new technology that can predict your actions even better than you can, New York City's iconic Naked Cowboy telling Naked Cowgirl to stop copying him, and thieves that steal two camel's and a tiger from a motel parking lot in Canada. Weird stuff is going on these days. Stuff you might want to know about.

Now scientists read your mind better than you can
by Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) "Brain Scans may be able to predict what you will do better than you can yourself, and might offer a powerful tool . . . ." Read More

If you want to learn a lot more about functional brain scans, where to get a brain scan of this type and how it has changed people's lives you might want to pick up a copy of one of these book:(note if you do not see book covers below, the two books that you should see are by Daniel G. Amen.)

New York City's Naked Cowboy is widely known among those familiar with New York City. He is a street performer that plays guitar wearing only shorts and a cowboy hat. It seems now he has some competition: Naked Cowgirl. My wife and I agree that the two will probably not attract the same crowd and so it might be interesting to find out how this issue will be resolved.

NYC Naked Cowboy to Naked Cowgirl: Stop copying me
"Burck (Naked Cowboy) says if Kane's (Naked Cowgirl) going to make money by posing for photos, he wants her to sign a "Naked Cowboy Franchise Agreement." Most of his licensed franchisees are required to pay $5,000 a year or $500 a month and go through a screening process." Read More

Life is certainly stranger than fiction. This next Odd News Awardee reminds me of a scene from the movie "The Hangover" where a Tiger winds up in a hotel bathroom. What is even stranger in this real life happening is that Thieves actually steal two camels and a tiger from a hotel parking lot. These animals were inside an enclosed trailer and were being transported to a Candian zoo. I would have loved to have been there when the thieves discovered what they had actually stolen.

Thieves steal a Tiger and two Camels from a Canadian Motel parking lot

"OTTAWA (AFP) – Canadian police tracked down a tiger and two camels stolen last week while en route to a zoo in Ontario province, an official told AFP Tuesday." Read More

Good Odd News for Today

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:12:00 +0000

Thanks to Wendell, Cindi, Sam and the people at Toyota I have a fun video that is also odd. We happen to own a Toyota Sienna Minivan and I do not ever recall anyone saying that we have a cool "Swagger Wagon" or is it "Swagga Wagon" ? Cindi commented that it looked like the Toyota people had hired the Budweiser marketing team to do their new commercials. When I mentioned this to my wife at dinner tonight one of our kids accused me of cussing. Perplexed, I asked exactly which word was the offensive word. To make a long story short, my child thought I said "Buttwiser". I cannot believe that the year I worked for a Miller and Coors beer distributor I did not think of this childish name for our main competition. The "King of Beers for smart asses" - "Buttwiser." Below is the cool Toyota video that will make all you soccer moms feel as cool as gansta rappers or is it "gangster" rappers. I guess my wife's van just hasn't raised me to that peak of understanding "cool."

A news story worthy of another Odd News Award is the story of Sheila Radziewicz, a Massachusetts woman that is about to test for her black belt in taekwondo. As if it wasn't enough of an accomplishment to be testing for a black belt, Shelia has no arms or kneecaps. Wow! no arms and no knee caps and clearly she has not let her limitations limit her. Shelia works as an advocate for victims of domestic violence. Wouldn't you love to be there with a video camera the day Shelia meets up with some cocky jerk that has just smacked his girlfriend and tells Shelia to keep her nubby self out of his business. I would love to see her open up a can of whoop ass on that guy. That guy will not know what happened to him for weeks and what is he going to tell his cell mates when he is carted off to jail? If that happens, let me know about it. I will be glad to just hear about it.
If you would like to read more and see a picture of Sheila, here is a link:
Mass. woman with no arms preparing for black belt
PEABODY, Mass. – A Massachusetts woman who was born without arms or kneecaps is preparing to test for her black belt in taekwondo. Sheila Radziewicz was scheduled to take her test next month at Bruce McCorry's Martial Arts in Peabody. Read More

Apple's Next Big Thing and Prisoners Escape Disguised as Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:45:00 +0000

There will be no unifying theme to this edition of the Odd News Awards unless you have a really strange way of looking at things. Today with our first award we honor an article about what looks like Apple's next big thing after the iPad. The iPad is a cool concept and future generations of iPads will develop into the quality product that most of us expect from Apple. It appears that an even cooler product is on the horizon. Right now several articles that I have read are calling Apple's future product "iSpecs". iSpecs are reported to be glasses that will allow iPhone, iTouch and Nano users to plug in and watch movies hands free. We gave this article an award because if this future Apple product catches on, things are going to get kind of weird for a while. This is not going to be like when blue tooth headsets first came out and you got into a conversation that made no sense because you hadn't realized that the person that you thought you were having a conversation with was really having a conversation with someone else on the phone. There are going to be some really strange, funny, and maybe even dangerous things that happen when people first begin using and trying to adapt to iSpecs.

iSpecs: Apple eyes up 3D future with projection glasses that will play films on the move
from MailOnline
"Apple could soon be venturing into the world of 3D, after they filed a patent application for electronic spectacles that would show films on the move. The head-mounted gadget would have a slot for an Apple iPhone or iPod. A special 'smart' lens in the device, nicknamed iSpecs by gadget fans, would project the images from the screen so they could be viewed comfortably." Read More

I suppose the 3D iSpecs article and this next Odd News Awardee have to focus your attention on the imperfect way we humans behave. We will have to wait to see what peculiar things happen as a result of the iSpecs hitting the market but this next article is already strange. I could imagine this sort of thing happening in an old Looney Toons cartoon - that one with the sheep dog and the coyote. I suspect these two Argentine criminals must have been watching the cartoon. In the cartoon the coyote dresses up as a sheep so that he can steal sheep. The sheep dog always catches and pummels the coyote. The guys in this next article either have not seen the cartoon all the way to the end or they just got an idea from that old saying: "a wolf in sheep's clothing". Who knows? What is odd about this next article is that this crazy scheme of escaping prison dressed as sheep seems to be working for these two escaped convicts. Here is the article already:

Ewe will Never Get Us Back to Prison
by Virginia Wheeler for The Sun
"Two escaped convicts have dodged a huge manhunt - by disguising themselves as SHEEP. The pair dressed in full sheepskin fleeces, complete with heads, to lie low among farm flocks. Robbers Maximiliano Pereyra, 25, and Ariel Diaz, 28, stole the sheep hides from a ranch after breaking out of an Argentinian maximum security prison a week ago. And they have managed to evade the 300 cops on their trail - despite locals seeing them running through fields at night." Read More

It-may-be-just-crazy-enough-to-work by Golly. Can you imagine the uninformed sheep herder (Shepard?) that one night thinks he hears somebody talking among his flock (the two criminals) and then goes to try to figure out where the conversation is coming from only to see two of his sheep stand on their hind legs and start running across the field? That Shepard will be telling that story to his grandchildren or maybe it will be the beginning of some future Monster Quest show - Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Dancing Talking Sheep-men of Argentina. That escape will definitely make it into a scene in some future comedy movie. Could be in a remake of Raising Arizona or some future rendition of Brother Where Art Thou.

Getting Naked For a Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 23:39:00 +0000

In the last two or three years I have seen articles pop up here and there over Maine's support of people's right to nudity in public. I am from the deep South and have always imagined that it was particularly peculiar that anyone residing that far North would want to take their clothes off outside. These types of articles are long overdue for an Odd News Award.

Equal time: Women hold topless march in Maine
"PORTLAND, Maine – About two dozen women drew a crowd of onlookers when they shed their shirts and marched downtown in Maine's largest city to promote what they call equal-opportunity public toplessness." Read More

While tracking odd news I have noticed this sort of protest more and more. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is becoming notorious for using naked or half naked women to promote their cause. Whoever is advising these women to get naked for a cause is either naively not thinking this thing through, or is an exhibitionist themselves, or is some sort of chauvinist who has devised a way to get liberal chicks to show off their privates.

If this socio-political strategy of getting naked for a cause is a serious attempt to promote a cause, then it is not well thought through. Yes, men will pay attention to just about any topless or fully naked women. Some of my gender have even been known to have wrecks while surveying sorority car wash fundraisers where everyone is technically legally dressed appropriately. The comedian, Ron White tells a humorous story about an older biker chick offering to show him her breasts. White comments that he accepted the offer because "once you have seen one pair of breast, . . . you feel like you got to see them all." So clearly, many men take note of and are attracted to the female form. That part of the analysis is accurate - people, particularly men, will stop whatever they are doing to pay attention to female nudity.

However, this socio-political strategy falls completely apart immediately after that part. When women get naked for a cause, men notice the women but, usually don't have a clue that there is some sort of cause that goes with the nudity. Ladies if the men seem supportive, they are supporting the fact that you are naked, not your cause. Before you PETA ladies start calling men pigs, you need to remember that disrobing in front of men tends to shut down higher cerebral functions in favor of our more primitive "animal" brain. I might also note that PETA is all about protecting animals and hey, pigs are animals too.

So getting naked for some causes, like PETA's projects, is probably not good strategy. Unless your cause is "your right to get naked in public," like those Maine women in the Odd News Awarded article above. Even if "your right to get naked in public" is your cause, my personal experience tells me that you ladies may be getting the men on board, so to speak, but their wives and girlfriends often are ready-made opponents of your cause.

While this socio-political strategy of getting naked for a cause seems to be more and more popular, I doubt that it will achieve the desired results. But hey, if it makes people happy, maybe it's not all that bad.

Odd News Awards - Great Jump Off Points for Fiction

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Each of the following four Odd News Awards are great starters for writing a fictional story.

For a B&B That Doesn’t Exist, the Online Reviews Keep Coming

by Stuart Miller

"One recent TripAdvisor review of the agrotourism destination Schrute Farms awarded four stars, lavishly praising the food, while another yielded just one star, casting aspersions on the owners’ sanity. This wild disparity is especially odd because Schrute Farms doesn’t even exist. The farm “belongs” to Dwight Schrute of the NBC series “The Office” (and his eccentric cousin Mose)." Read More

What if buried within TripAdvisor.com there were places that got great reviews but did not really exist?

Storyline 1: Anti-hero geek leader exploits a flaw in trip advisor to promote a non-existent travel place. Others catch on to the joke and really start building up this non-existent travel place. What happens next? Someone could create a real place based on the description. (that path needs much more work)

or The non-existent place gets such a following that Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc all want a piece of the potential travel dollars, figure out where the place must be based on where the "geek leader" posted the original listing from and travelers start heading to the "geek leader's" location in search of this "wonderful" travel location. What will happen when the travelers arrive? Will they figure that by some mistake of their own they somehow took a wrong turn and got lost on an adventure? or Will the "geek leader" scramble and somehow pull together a creatively concocted great place to visit? or Will people take the trip, return and praise the mythical travel place figuring that they lacked some quality that would allow them to truly enjoy this travel place that everyone has been raving about?

Storyline 2: These great travel places are mythical places that can only be seen by people that have a "need" to see them. This storyline may sound kind of flimsy but a whole lot of science fiction/fantasy works from a very similar foundation. Anyway, somehow individuals are singled out to visit magical mythical places. Wouldn't it be cool to book a trip to someplace that was created by the mind of some great fictional writer? This could be a children's story where instead of standing in line at Disney World your family goes to the places depicted in Disney's stories. Or maybe you could travel to some place and time in history. The magical mythical travel locations could be anywhere. The real question is: "Why are some people chosen?" . It could have a dark twist - maybe the vacation is a one way trip. This storyline has a lot of potential!

Police: Drunk Pa. man tried to revive dead opossum

"PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - Police say they charged a Pennsylvania man with public drunkenness after he was seen trying to resuscitate a long-dead opossum along a highway." Read More

Odd coincidence - Punxsutawney, Pa. is the hometown of "Punxsutawney Phil" - The Groundhog. That aside - how drunk do you have to be to kneel down on the side of the road and give mouth-to-mouth to a long dead possum?! Time to join AA Pennsylvania man.

Storyline : Drunk guy is drunk because he just lost his job and has had a unimaginably bad week - wife died in a car accident with their young children or some other really life altering event. He has given up hope when he passes a TV with a faith healing evangelist. Drunk guy would not normally pay much attention to such things but, because he is drunk, is riveted. The televangelist prays and says just enough that drunk guy thinks he is talking about him when the televangelist says that God will confer healing powers on this guy - "drunk guy." Drunk guy believes and vows that the very next dead thing he comes across he will use his new gift to heal.

Drunk guy walks out of the bar sees a dead possum in the road and kneels down to revive the possum. The police are on the drunk guy pretty quickly and arrest him. As drunk guy is leaving with the police he says something about the police not having any evidence. One of the policemen points over his shoulder and says that the recently molested possum is right there. The drunk guy and two police officers turn to look and there is no possum. The possum has come back to life and wandered off. The drunk guy still gets booked into jail but this is where the cool story begins.

Feds: Woman posed as FBI agent, 'hired' neighbors

"ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Authorities say a Virginia woman pretended to be an FBI agent and conned her neighbors into taking jobs as her assistants." Read More

In the real world there are people pretending to be something that they are not. If you look back in the Odd News Awards archives there is at least one guy that pretended to be a waiter in more than one upscale restaurant just long enough to collect payment and tip for the meals. Also in the Odd News Awards archives is an illegal immigrant that got tired of waiting in the system and started pretending that he was an immigration lawyer. I have overheard more than one person say that when they first started a new job that they had to pretend to know what they were doing until they figured out how to do their job. "Catch Me If You Can" is a pretty good movie about a guy, Frank Abagnale Jr., who in real life pretended to be a number of different people and had an adventure of life until the FBI caught up with him.

Storyline: A whole TV series could be written on the premise of people that decided to be something that they weren't. Who knows maybe this could be yet another "Law and Order" instead of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" it could be "Law and Order: Identity Disorder". I am sure there is a better series title but, you get the idea. The crime story lines could develop just like each of the "Law and Order" stories of police and legal system discovering the crime and examining the all sub plots through the eyes of detectives and lawyers. Or forget the detectives and police - just tell short stories about what causes people to change who they are and how they pull off the transformation. Sometimes the pretend profession/identity change is discovered when an innocent is victimized or when some tragic event blows the cover and sometimes the reader/watcher/audience is left not knowing whether or not the new identity is ever discovered. The lady in the article above would have a very difficult time not being discovered as a fake FBI agent but maybe there is a pretend Doctor that is a General Practitioner that refers every single real problem to some Specialist or a pretend lawyer that has a bunch of legal forms that he is able to fill out correctly enough of the time where nobody notices. These Odd News articles of pretend professionals sure pop up enough to where you have to wonder if the reported pretenders are just the tip of the iceberg.

Southern California Family Mysteriously Disappears Into Mexico

I put a link to just the title of this article because this one did not come from the Odd, Strange, or Weird news section of any news source. A San Diego couple with their two young children researched places to visit in Mexico, got in the SUV without even leaving food and water for their family dog, drove to the U.S.-Mexican border, parked the SUV got out and were last seen on border surveillance video walking across the border into Mexico in the dead of night.

I would bet that the family must be in danger and have decided to disappear. But think of the possibilities for fiction based on this news item.

Storyline 1: The couple have had several strange experiences with illegal immigrants either complaining about how easy Americans have it compared to life in Mexico, or telling the couple that they (the illegal immigrants) now own the U.S. and if they want a different life, they can go to Mexico; or illegal immigrants regretting coming to American when the real dream and opportunities could really be found in Mexico. Maybe the couple could witness/experience each of these stories that all add up to them committing to pack up and head south. We could track the couple either discovering the opportunities that really do exist in Mexico or maybe even further south in some place like Costa Rica and being changed by their experience and starting a movement that ends up changing the culture just a bit in their new country. Maybe even helping native Mexicans or Costa Ricans to see opportunities that they had previously overlooked.

Other possible story lines: Maybe the couple is on a mission to smuggle an immigrant friend's family into the U.S. Maybe the couple is a deep plant by the CIA to infiltrate terrorist groups gathering at border. Maybe the couple has just decide life is too short not to experience as adventurers.

Using these Odd News stories as sparks for fictional writing has been an idea from the inception of the Odd News Awards blog. Probably the more I begin to tap out a few story line ideas in posts, the better they will get. Who knows, maybe there is a best selling novel, a movie or TV series in some of these Odd News articles.

Not So Odd, Odd News Awarded

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:18:00 +0000

Some of the odd news awards collection will end up in a book or possibly a television series. Some of these articles are great starting point to build a short story/TV segment around. The Odd News Awards with a little luck and a lot more work could be today's "Twilight Zone" like series.

76-year-old mystery Valentine's card surfaces at Duke University

"Earlier this month, as Mike Trogdon was going about his routine as director of operations for postal services at Duke University, he ran across something rather startling: a letter from Salem, Va., postmarked Feb. 12, 1934." Read More

"I check the breasts of my workers on my own" Cancer Hospital Slogan Seen as Sexist
"WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish feminists have objected to a hospital's breast cancer prevention slogan which they say encourages workplace harassment, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily said on its website on Monday.

The slogan "I check the breasts of my workers on my own" was devised by a cancer hospital in the southern town of Opole and aimed at convincing employers to encourage their female workers to have their breasts checked regularly for cancer symptoms." Read More

No kidding?! A cancer hospital in Poland thought that this is a good slogan?! I'm beginning to rethink whether or not Polish jokes are wrong?

One Day they will hold an election and no one will run.

No Names on Mass. Town's Ballot

"HAWLEY, Mass., March 23 (UPI) -- Officials in a small Massachusetts town said a deadline passed without a single resident filing to run in the May 3 election." Read More

You know those people in Massachusetts may be on to something.

Harold Lloyd is the best! Hope You Enjoy the Video.

The "Bird is the Word!" Odd News Awards Theme

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:08:00 +0000

Imagine you are sitting at home quietly watching TV and POW! a live Turkey crashes through your window and starts wrecking the place. How are you going to react?! "Crazy," you say? "That will never happen in a million years," you say? Don't be so smug - it could happen. It did happen to a man in Illinois. Don't believe me? Just take a look at this Odd News Award winner:

When Wild Turkeys Attack: An Illinois Home Forcibly Entered by Wild Turkey!
from UPI via Snopes.com
"NEW BADEN, Ill., March 18 (UPI) -- An Illinois man said he was bewildered when a wild turkey crashed through the front window of his home and covered the living room in broken glass." Read More

Birds are doing strange things all over the place. According to this next article several chickens turned up on the prestigious Carnegie-Mellon University campus in Pittsburgh, PA painted hot pink, with silver checks, all sorts of strange ways.

Spray-Painted Chickens Found Wander Carnegie-Mellon Campus
from UPI via Snopes.com
"PITTSBURGH, March 18 (UPI) -- Campus police at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh are investigating the mystery of the spray-painted chickens." Read More

At last report, an elderly man with a white goatee, mustache and calling himself "the colonel" was seen on campus with a cleaver in his hand and a glint in his eye hollering "Y'all got chicken troubles?!" No matter how the police end up dealing with this guy it will pale in comparison to how the police have been dealing with this law abiding elderly Brooklyn couple.

Elderly Couple Visited by the Police 50 Times in the past 8 years
from : Yahoo!News/Reuters and the NY Daily News
"NEW YORK – An elderly Brooklyn couple say they're tired of hearing the phrase, "Police! Open up!" World War II veteran Walter Martin and his 82-year-old wife, Rose, said police have come looking for criminals at their house about 50 times in the past eight years. It's not clear why." Read More

The quote above is from Yahoo!News/Reuters but the links lead to a New York Daily News article. The NY Daily News article is a better article. The NY Daily News article tracked down the former owner of the house and I think that guy may be the subject of some future Odd News Award. Almost forgot - "Bird is the Word Theme" - OK, ummmm - two old birds constantly mistaken for future jail birds. Now that's some creative thinking!

And finally, a way to hide my shame over writing something so goofy and trying to tout it as "creative" -

Invisibility Cloak Created by German Scientist
"LONDON (Reuters) – German scientists have created a three-dimensional "invisibility cloak" that can hide objects by bending light waves." Read More

That last one has nothing to do with the "Bird is the Word" theme but, we just couldn't leave the creation of a working invisibility cloak hanging there without an Odd News Award. Here's the Family Guy with a recovery to the theme -

Darwin Award-like Odd News Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:55:00 +0000

Odd News Awards tries to stay away from Odd News in which people do stupid stuff that takes them out of the gene pool. That is the clear niche of the Darwin Awards. Still we cannot ignore clear Odd News Awards candidates just because someone dies in the process of doing something odd. So here they are - two fatal Odd News Awards and one Odd News Awardee that believes that he may never die.

Couple Dies While Having Sex in Car
from msnbc.com
"A man and a woman retreated to their Volkswagen to have sex. Most likely the lovers turned on the engine to get warm, . . . ." Read More

Guys the next time your lady tells you that she is cold, think twice before turning on the Car. Are you in a tiny enclosed garage? If so, tell her that you will warm her up.

Plane Kills jogger in SC beach emergency landing
by Russ Bynum
"HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - A 38-year-old father of two was jogging and listening to his iPod when he was hit from behind and killed by a small plane making an emergency landing on the beach, officials said Tuesday." Read More

I always thought that there was something oddly dangerous about jogging on a beach. Can you imagine this guys situation - he is huffing and puffing thinking "well at least all this exercise is going to give me a few more good years" and BAM, an airplane hits him and that's the end. And now we all have a second reason to look up when we are jogging on the beach.

Florida Vampire to Run for President
"TAMPA, Fla. - Not satisfied with living in Florida, Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey wants to move to Washington, D.C., to become the nation's first vampire president.
Sharkey, 45, spent Friday on a Greyhound bus with his new fiancee, Audrianna Foster, a 19-year-old girl from Ohio he met online. She too believes she is a vampire, or vampyre." Read More

After you just finished doing your taxes, you could have sworn that vampires were already in high places in government and it is little solace that short of a stake through the heart this guy at least believes that he will never die. Ok that even sounded really odd when I explained it just then.

Some More Odd News Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:25:00 +0000

My expectations of the medical community must be different from what other people expect. This article is a good example of what I'm talking about.

Nurses' union: Care does not include sex

from Yahoo!News

"AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A union representing Dutch nurses will launch a national campaign Friday against demands for sexual services by patients who claim it should be part of their standard care." Read More

Does Holland have National Health Care?

The second article that has earned an Odd News Award today concerns the Godfather of Soul - James Brown. James Brown is probably still dead but, his body is missing. While James Brown was alive he would have most certainly garnered many Odd News Awards for his unique performances, songs, and his life style. James Brown's body missing from the crypt will probably send odd minds racing with speculation. Brown's daughter already suspects that his body has been hidden to avoid a scheduled autopsy that she believes would reveal that his death was anything but natural. Who knows maybe he and Elvis are still alive and giving secret high dollar concerts. Or maybe Brown was really an alien that has returned to his home planet. I warned you that wild speculation was about to begin. I have become long winded. Here is the link to article for your inspection:

James Brown's Body is Missing from theDailyMail

And finally a video in honor of the soon to be released new Tron movie. Yep, Tron is being released and the 3D movie trailer can be seen at the beginning of the 3D Alice in Wonderland movie. From Hulu and Family Guy

Three Odd News Awards and a Video

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:24:00 +0000

All three of the following Odd News Awards have two things in common - first they are all a bit beyond in terms of grossness/vulgar than what we usually award and secondly, they are so peculiar that they cannot be ignored by any site claiming to award odd news.

I have seen and feared women who drive while putting their makeup on but, this is well beyond simply putting makeup on in the car. I have seen some odd things going on in moving cars. Thank goodness this is not one of those things.

Crash Blamed on Motorist Shaving Privates
from UPI odd news
"KEY WEST, Fla., March 7 (UPI) -- The Florida Highway Patrol alleges a two-vehicle crash in Cudjoe Key, Fla., was caused by a female motorist trying to shave her private parts." Read More

If for some really strange reason you were found yourself in this woman's predicament, would you in a million years not try to makeup a story about how you caused the wreck? The only thing I can figure is that maybe this woman was in some way injured in the accident. I can only imagine that it could be dangerous to have a razor near your privates during a car accident. It is unclear from the article if the woman was injured. It is simply speculation on my part. Maybe they person covering the story did not want to embarrass the lady. Yeah, right.

I'm not sure that in some places in the south that this would be newsworthy at all. Still, we have to give this official an award for shear creativity in punishing crime.

Teen's Bottom Spray-Painted as Punishment for Graffiti
from azcentral.com
"MEXICO CITY - A mayor in central Mexico says he has fired one of his town officials for spray-painting the buttocks of a teenage boy as punishment for graffiti tagging." Read More

I'll bet graffiti crimes plummeted shortly after.

And finally, we were just about to award an odd news article about a woman assaulting a police officer with breast milk when this article finish slightly ahead in the weirder category.

Wife's Breast Milk in Chef's Cheese Recipe
by Lachlan Cartwright and Jeremy Olshan for the N.Y Post
"This Chelsea restaurant has gone from brasserie to brassiere.
Chef Daniel Angerer is letting diners at Klee Brasserie munch on cheese made from his wife's breast milk.
"It tastes like cow's-milk cheese, kind of sweet," he told The Post." Read More

That is really gross to me but what do I know about fine cooking. I guess this is a limited time menu item? Is this somehow child neglect? The article has a picture of the Chef, his wife and their baby.

Finally, a video of a peculiar but not vulgar thing. Although I suspect the price on this item will be vulgar.

Finally! Some Odd News to Award

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:43:00 +0000

I think it is cool that Ancient Egyptian Queens are still being discovered in this day and age. It kind of revives the "curse of the mummy" and King Tut hoopla. Definitely worthy of an Odd News Award.

Burial chamber of ancient Egyptian queen unearthed
From Yahoo!News
"CAIRO – French archaeologists announced Wednesday the discovery outside Cairo of the burial chamber of a mysterious queen from Egypt's Old Kingdom more than 4,000 years ago." Read More

This next Odd News Award pick is more unsettling the older I get. I wonder if there is something that lengthens a day? The other thing that is odd fact in this next story is that the Chilean Earthquake actually permanently moved the Earth off of its axis by 3 inches. How do they know that stuff? I should have paid more attention in Science.

Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth
from Space.com
"The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday." Read More

This is just good stuff from Robot Chicken. I had to include an odd video.

Criminal Break dancing?! Bring back "Safety Dance"

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:14:00 +0000

In the 80s there was a song called "Safety Dance." The first few times I heard the song I thought the song was called "Safe To Dance." That song came to mind as I was looking over the selections for the odd news awards. In today's selection for an odd news award a teenager in New York has been arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief for break dancing.

When I noticed this article my first thought was: "I wonder if there is any statue of limitations for these felony dancing laws?" I wasn't sure whether to start packing my bags for a life on the lamb or start making a list of known offenders so that I could make a deal. I was relieved to find that the New York teen had not been arrested for his dance moves, but for the damage he did to some wood floors while dancing. I cannot ever recall literally taring up "wood" floors. Oh, and that thing about "cutting a rug" -for the record: I cannot recall seeing any actual rugs "cut" at any dance that I attended either as a participant or as chaperon.

Here's the article about the Felony Break Dancer:

Police: Dancing Teen's Belt Buckle Gouge's Floor
from Yahoo!News
"CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. – Police said they've arrested a teenager who caused thousands of dollars in damage to a western New York home's hardwood floor by break dancing on it while wearing a large diamond belt buckle." Read More

Here is another late breaking odd news award. I am not sure whether this is something we should all look forward to or fear, but it's really cool from where I sit. Hope you enjoy it too.

Nursing Home Residents Form a Biker Gang
by Andrew Greiner for NBC Chicago
"Lydia Scheltes woke up in her bed at Bethesda Retirement Center one morning with pinkish hair, a tattoo on her arm and a hangover. Not a typical morning for the 90-year-old." Read More

OK, one more thing - this guy is probably the best flute/beat box guy I have ever seen, but you have to admit it is really odd. "Beatboxing flute inspector gadget remix" from freedomworksfilms on YouTube.

Time to Clean House and Tiger Woods - Odd News Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:15:00 +0000

You never know when you might just find $17,500 lying around in a draw. Here's the motivation that you needed to start sorting out and cleaning up your mess.

Woman Finds Unclaimed Insurance Check from 1978

from Yahoo! News

"An 85-year-old South Florida woman who went looking for a photo of her ex-husband says she found a $17,500 insurance claim check from 1978 instead." Read More

The next item just seems to become more and more relevant as the Tiger Woods situation continues. Golf would not be the same without Tiger Woods, but this is a funny video.

Odd News Awards: And the Winners are . . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:13:00 +0000

Peter Griffin, the Family Guy, is psychic and here is the proof!

South Carolina Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Federal Currency

by Brian Montopoli from CBS

"South Carolina Rep. Mike Pitts has introduced legislation that would mandate that gold and silver coins replace federal currency as legal tender in his state." Read More

Odd News Awards Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:47:00 +0000

Now here's real winter athletic competition!

This is creative genius. Buy a nearly worthless vacant lot and sell it online for a dollar an inch and do something wonderful with the proceeds.

Web designer sells Detroit lot for $1 per sq. inch

"A Web designer is hawking square inches of an empty lot in Detroit for a dollar each to show what can be done with vacant spaces." Read More

Wednesday's Weird News

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:11:00 +0000

One of my favorite clips from Family Guy - The broccoli must die.

If a killer whale and a great white shark fought, which one would win? Orca or Jaws? In this article with an accompanying video from treehugger.com the answer is clearly Orca.

Ocean Film Fest 2010: A Killer Whale Takes Down a Great White Shark??
by Jaymi Heimbuch for treehugger.com
"Killer whales are fierce apex predators of the ocean. But fierce enough to take down a great white shark like it's no problem at all? Apparently so." Read and See More

Tuesday's Odd News and a bonus video

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Wynn) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:23:00 +0000

Did you ever think that the people at Sesame Street were kind of odd? I didn't, but after watching this old clip, I am reconsidering. Have fun with this one.

Senior Sexting Gaining Steam
from azcentral.com Offbeat
"AARP reports more and more seniors are sexting one another. They claim it's fast, easy and fun." Read More