Unusual News
Largest Seizure of Illegal Cigarettes in History
Law enforcement officials in Mississippi seized the largest quantity of black market cigarettes in U.S. history last month. Totaling 200 million cigarettes, and valued at $20 million, the bust represented three times the value of all cigarettes se... read more
8 Tuition-Free Colleges
With tuition fees rising throughout the country, it’s worth taking a look at a report done by Mental Floss’ Scott Allen on eight colleges that offer tuition-free educations.
1. College of the Ozarks
Students attending College of the Ozar... read more
Emma Dethrones Emily as #1 Baby Name for U.S. Girls
The U.S. Social Security Administration has released the top 1000 names for boys and girls born in the United States; in fact, its website provides the rankings of each name from as far back as 1882. In 2008, Emma finally hit #1, dethroning Emily,... read more
Subsidizing a Flight for One Passenger Per Day
When the federal government decided to deregulate the airline industry in the late 1970s, it had to ensure that small town America wasn’t left behind once commercial carriers were given the right to decide where they flew and how much to charge.... read more
Top 10 Suggestions from American People to President Obama
The American people have spoken. As President Barack Obama’s transition team wrapped things up before he officially took office in January, staffers compiled a list of the most pressing issues facing the country, based on feedback from the populac... read more
Kenyan Sex Boycott Update
The sex boycott in Kenya is over, but the litigation has just begun. Two weeks ago several prominent women called for a week-long sex strike to get Kenya’s male leaders to resolve their political differences and avoid bloodshed between supporters.... read more
Drug Cartels Aim for Remote Control Smuggling
High-tech unmanned drones aren’t just a growing part of the U.S. military arsenal. Drug lords in South America also are trying to utilize modern technology to automate their smuggling of drugs from Colombia to the United States, and even Europe. S... read more
Germany Cracks Down on Long Names
In Germany, the government is still allowed by law to regulate its citizens’ names. This right was recently challenged by a couple from Munich. A dentist, Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim, wanted to add to her name the last name of her husband, Hans Pete... read more
Sikh Police Ask for Development of Bulletproof Turbans
The 500 Sikhs in the British police force are tired of not getting into the action and want to be able to carry firearms and handle tough assignments, such as public demonstrations. But until now they have been prevented from doing so because poli... read more
If You Think Times Are Tough for Pigs, Try Being a Bat
The U.S. Forest Service is closing thousands of caves and former mines in national forests in thirty-three states in an effort to suspend the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fatal fungus that has already killed an estimated 500,000 bats. Bats, al... read more
From Identity Theft to Medical Data Kidnapping
The world of computer hacking and identity theft took on a new element recently when Virginia officials were told to pay a ransom in order to reclaim personal data and prescription records for millions of residents. The site of the break-in was th... read more
Hard Drive Bought on eBay Contains Missile Launch Info
Whatever it is, you can get it on eBay, and that even applies to top-secret information on America’s missile defense system. A study sponsored by BT and Sims Lifecycle Services, and involving university researchers in the U.K., U.S. and Australia,... read more
Last of the Dinosaurs…Lived in U.S. Southwest
Scientists in the United States are discounting the widely believed theory that 65 million years ago dinosaurs were brought to extinction when an asteroid collided with the Earth. Recently, experts discovered that a few creatures survived for anot... read more
Worst Job of the Week: Pork Lobbyist
The inside of the National Pork Producers Council office in Washington, DC, resembled a war room last week as pork lobbyists almost pulled their hair out trying to contain the political and, most importantly, culinary fallout from “swine flu” hyst... read more
Transgender Veteran Wins Discrimination Lawsuit against Library of Congress
Diane Schroer, after retiring as a colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces, found herself on the frontline of a new kind of battle, right on American soil: the fight against transsexual discrimination in the workplace. The veteran sued the Library... read more
Hugo Chávez Donates Island to New Jersey
To hear the speeches of Hugo Chávez and ex-President George W. Bush, you’d think that the United States and Venezuela were mortal enemies. In fact, while Bush was president, trade between the two nations increased for six straight years.
Since... read more