Wierd News

Fish out of water

noreply@blogger.com (Vash) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:46:00 +0000

A goldfish managed to survive for seven hours on the floor after jumping five feet out of it's bowl.

Paula Dunster, 46, noticed Sparkle was missing but assumed her partner was cleaning the bowl.

After a few hours she realised Sparkle was still nowhere to be found and decided to buy a replacement.

The store worker told her to check the vicinity to make sure the fish hadn't made a "bid for freedom".

Paula, of Redcar, Cleveland, went home - and found Sparkle covered in fluff and dog hair.

Just as she was about to flush it down the toilet, she noticed the fish was still alive.

She told the Daily Mirror: "I couldn't believe it."

Her daughter Kelly, 15, claimed the "miracle" was down to her mum's special powers as she works as a spiritual healer.

Man stole motorbike - part by part

noreply@blogger.com (Vash) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:18:00 +0000

A Chinese man was arrested for stealing a motorcycle - part by part over five years from the factory where he worked.

Zhang, an assembly line worker in a motorcycle factory in Chongqing, had always wanted his own motorbike but could never afford one.

He started stealing parts from the factory warehouse and assembling them at home in 2003, reports the Chongqing Times.

"I don't have that much money, so I came up with the idea of taking the parts home and assembling them on my own," said Zhang.

After five years, he had finally built himself a brand new SUV motorcycle and proudly started driving it on the road.

But, almost immediately, he was pulled up by police who discovered that he had no driving licence or paperwork for the bike.

Zhang admitted theft and was fined the equivalent of £440, put on probation for a year, and ordered to return the motorcycle to the factory.

Magazine with moving pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Vash) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +0000

The first ever magazine with moving pictures - like the Daily Prophet newspaper in the Harry Potter books - is to be published next month.

The video-in-print ads will appear in select copies of the US show business title Entertainment Weekly, reports the BBC.

They will show on slim-line screens - around the size of a mobile phone display - powered by rechargeable batteries.

The chip technology used to store the video - similar to that used in singing greeting cards - is activated when the page is turned.

Each chip can hold up to 40 minutes of video. The first clips will preview programmes from US TV network CBS and show adverts by the drinks company Pepsi.

CBS is promoting shows including The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and new comedy Accidentally on Purpose.

George Schweitzer, president of CBS's marketing group, said: "This is the first way we can get video samples into the hands of entertainment enthusiasts off the television screen."

The ads will appear in 18 September editions of the magazine distributed in Los Angeles and New York.

It is not the first time that publishers have experimented with digital technology in magazines.

Last year, men's lifestyle magazine Esquire published the first magazine using e-ink technology, with a cover that flashed in alternating patterns.

Is boy reincarnation of dead fighter pilot?

noreply@blogger.com (Vash) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +0000

An 11-year-old US boy could be the reincarnation of a Second World War fighter pilot, according to his parents.

James Leininger's parents Bruce, 59, and Andrea, 47, say they were initially sceptical about reincarnation, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But over time, they have become convinced their son has had a former life. From the age of two, he has suffered from nightmares about being shot down in a plane.

Mrs Leininger said: "In the throes of his nightmares you couldn't work out what he was saying.

"But two or three months in, I was walking down the hall and I heard him saying, 'Airplane crash, plane on fire, little man can't get out'. It chilled me to my bone hearing this.

"I asked him what happened to his plane and he said, 'It crashed on fire'. I asked how it crashed and he said the Japanese shot his plane."

Flicking through a book, the two-year-old pointed at a picture of Iwo Jima in the Pacific and said that was where his plane was shot down.

Mr Leininger found that just one pilot died during the battle of Iwo Jima, James M Huston Jnr, 21. He was shot down on March 3, 1945.

The Leiningers have since traced the relatives of the dead pilot who they say were impressed by James's apparent memories of the war.

James, from Lafayette, Louisiana, said: "I think the story is incredible. I don't remember any of it but hearing about what happened when I was two, it is incredible."

Hundreds join legend for bike ride

noreply@blogger.com (Vash) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:12:00 +0000

About 300 people joined an impromptu bike ride with Lance Armstrong after he issued an open invitation on Twitter.

The seven-times Tour de France winner alerted fans that he was coming to Scotland during a Tweet, reports the BBC.

He posted: "Hey Glasgow, Scotland! I'm coming your way tomorrow. Who wants to go for a bike ride?"

Up to 300 people are thought to have turned out for the event - including Scottish former cycling champion, Graeme Obree.

After the event, Armstrong posted the Tweets: "Thanks to everyone who turned up to ride in Paisley! I figured we'd have a nice ride for a dozen or so. But 100's came. Haha! Awesome!

"And yes, next time I'll try to bring some sun. You bring the translator (Scottish to Texan) and I'll bring the rays. Seriously, thanks again.

"And how great was it that the Flying Scotsman Graeme Obree came out? Legend."

Armstrong returned to competitive cycling this year after retiring in 2005. He finished third in the 2009 Tour de France.

Sleepwalker survives 55ft fall

noreply@blogger.com (Vash) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:07:00 +0000

A Romanian man escaped with only minor injuries after he fell from a fourth floor window while he was asleep.

Marius Purcariu, 32, from Arad, was found wrapped in a curtain on the bonnet of a car parked under his bedroom window.

He told doctors he could not remember how he got there.

He said: "I remember turning off the TV and going to sleep around 2am. Then I heard noises and my wife was calling my name from the window. I was very lucky I guess."

Doctors said it was a miracle he suffered nothing worse than a leg fracture and a broken rib in the fall.

They believe it was a clear case of sleepwalking and say the fact his body was relaxed during the fall because he was still asleep may have saved his life.