Unusual News
President of Senegal Criticized for $27 Million Statue Built by North Koreans
By the time it is completed atop a hill in Senegal, the statue “African Renaissance” will have cost $27 million and stand taller than either the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower. But the investment is well worth it, argues the county’s presi... read more
Job Offer: Grateful Dead Archivist
For those who just can’t get enough of everything related to the Grateful Dead, the University of California, Santa Cruz has the perfect job. The university’s library currently is seeking an archivist to organize and maintain two football fields w... read more
Indian Election Commission Allows Eunuchs to List Gender as “Other”
Members of India’s transgender community have won recognition from state election officials who agreed to add the category “other” to forms and web pages asking for gender identity. Until now, hijras (eunuchs), hermaphrodites, transvestites and tr... read more
Robbery Suspect Saved by Facebook Post
Social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace aren’t just for communicating. They’re also for catching bad guys and freeing the innocent. Recently, Facebook came to the rescue of 19-year-old Rodney Bradford, who was accused by local authori... read more
Should Detroit be Turned into Farmland?
If the collapse of the U.S. auto industry has turned Detroit into what some say is an “urban prairie,” then why not do with this vacant land what settlers once did with the original American prairie: farm it. Some agricultural pioneers have alread... read more
Two-Thirds of Men Don’t Read Manual Before Calling Tech Helpline
Men’s desire to dominate their technology does not include simply reading the instructions first. A survey conducted by the Gadget Helpline in the United Kingdom found 64% of its male callers didn’t bother to check the manual before phoning for as... read more
5 Plants That Best Counter Indoor Pollution
Indoor pollution is increasingly becoming as much a concern as the outdoor kind, thanks to a host of chemicals used in building materials, clothing and appliances. But researchers have discovered ordinary house plants can help neutralize indoor po... read more
Virginia Man Sues Walmart and Drug Company Over 2-Day Erection
Robert G. Leonard of Richmond, Virginia, got more than he wanted from taking the antidepressant Trazodone. One day after taking the medication, Leonard awoke with an erection that would not stop. After two days, he finally sought emergency medical... read more
CIA Releases Documents…20 Years After Requested
The end result was not worth the wait for the National Security Archive at George Washington University. Twenty years ago, archive officials filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the CIA to learn more about a shady Iranian character name... read more
Two Terrorists Killed by a Bear
Perhaps anti-terrorist campaigns in rugged South Asia need to begin employing bears to do the dirty work. Reports out of India say two members of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen were killed by a Himalayan Black Bear in Kashmir after they soug... read more
West Virginia Leads Nation in Sleeplessness
More than 10% of Americans may suffer from poor sleep, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). After getting feedback from 403,981 respondents, CDC researchers found that West Virginia had the high... read more
Replacing Government-Speak with Clear Words—U.S. Edition
A government by the people and for the people should also be understood by the people, which is why a movement is underway to get federal employees to start communicating differently. For too long federal agencies have used jargon in written commu... read more
Billy Carter’s Gas Station May Become Historic Site
Gas stations don’t often become historic landmarks, unless they were once owned by the colorful brother of a U.S. president. Congress is preparing to expand the historic site honoring former President Jimmy Carter by adding 30 acres that includes ... read more
Pole Dancing Seeks Olympic Status
With pole dancing having moved outside the strip club and into mainstream fitness programs, supporters argue it’s time for the event to move to the big stage: the Olympics.
Pole dancing is now taught at 200 different studios spanning 50 countr... read more
Male McCain Voters Saw Testosterone Levels Drop When He Lost
While it may not quite reach the level of biological imperative, men do feel a physiological need to see their candidate win the presidency. The results of the 2008 election caused men who voted for Republican John McCain to experience a loss of t... read more
World’s Longest Golf Course Holds First Tournament
If Crocodile Dundee had decided to take up golf, he probably would have created something like Nullarbor Plain. Touted as the world’s longest golf course, Nullarbor is currently staging its first tournament in Australia’s outback, which requires p... read more