The Weird News Thread

[Redders]

A 77-year-old Frenchman has spent a night in custody in Paris after attacking a plain porcelain urinal considered to be a major artwork.

The urinal - called Fountain - was slightly chipped after the man hit it with a hammer on Wednesday.

The piece by French-US artist Marcel Duchamp was on display at the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

Police said the man had urinated on the same piece at an exhibition in Nimes, southern France, in 1993.

The work, a replica of the 1917 original , is on display as part of a wider Dada exhibition, is believed to be worth some 3m euros (£2m).

Police said the man claimed the hammer attack was a work of performance art that Marcel Duchamp himself would have appreciated.

What the f&#k?!?!?! its a toilet!!??!!!!?

And hes a serial toilet attacker :yikes:

 

[beefster]

hehe well if they insist on putting a urinal in a museum they have to expect some pi$$head to come and pee in it one day.

 

[Gregor]

Wal-Mart Apologizes for Racist Software Glitch


Wal-Mart's attempt to mimic Amazon, NetFlix, and Blockbuster by providing an automated system that recommends movies based on the types of DVDs its customers previously ordered came to a crashing halt Thursday after blogs spread the word that the Planet of the Apes DVD was linked to "Similar Items" that included DVDs about Martin Luther King, Dorothy Dandridge, Jack Johnson and Tina Turner -- all notable African Americans. "We are heartsick that this happened and are currently doing everything possible to correct the problem," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams said in a statement. "We were horrified to discover that some hurtful and offensive combinations are being mapped together. ... We are deeply sorry that this happened." The company gave no explanation for how the software program managed to select only films about African-Americans for the recommendations.

 

[Fletcha]

wtf lmao

 

[Douy]

haha...

In Women's Own a while ago, there was a story about a guy who found his wife and his best man having *** in the toilet during their wedding. The best man suffered penile cramps and couldn't get his doo lally out of the women

 

[Daire]

What were you doing reading Womens Own

 

[Douy]

there was nothing else to read at the dentists, honest.

 

[Grant]

Thats what I was thinking. Heres another bit of wierd news. CLYDE BEAT CELTIC ON KEANE'S DEBUT.

 

[Douy]

HOUSTON (AP) - Edward Allen's reaction to being on the government's "no-fly" list should have been the tip-off that he is no terrorist.

"I don't want to be on the list. I want to fly and see my grandma," the 4-year-old boy said, according to his mother. Sijollie Allen and her son had trouble boarding planes last month because someone with the same name as Edward is on a government terrorist watch list.

"Is this a joke?" Allen recalled telling Continental Airlines agents Dec. 21 at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. "You can tell he's not a terrorist."

She said it took several minutes of pleading and a phone call by the ticket agent to get on the plane to New York.

Allen, a Jamaican immigrant, said workers at La Guardia Airport were even more hard-nosed before their Dec. 26 flight home. She said a ticket agent told her: "You're lucky that we're letting you through instead of putting you through the other process."

The Transportation Security Administration's "no-fly" list was established immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to prevent people who may have terrorist ties from boarding commercial flights.

"I know the government is trying to protect because of the terrorist attacks, but common sense should play a role in it," Allen said. "I don't think he should go through the trouble of being harassed and hindered."

TSA regional spokeswoman Carrie Harmon said the agency tells airlines not to deny boarding to children under 12 or select them for extra security checks even if their names match ones on the list.

"We do not require ID for children because there are no children on the list," Harmon said. "If it's a child, ticket agents have the authority to immediately de-select them."

Continental spokesman Dave Messing said Thursday that the airline would not discuss its security policies.

Other people with common names who have encountered "no-fly" list problems at airports include Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) and actor David Nelson from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has said he had to make several calls to federal officials before his name was separated from the one on the list.

This also happened to my Modern Studies teacher on his way to America, as he had the same name as an IRA Terrorist

 

[Redders]

A group of fans have filed a class action lawsuit against the Oahu Police Department for arresting "Lost" stars Cynthia Watros and Michelle Rodriguez on drunk driving charges. These fans say they're all still watching season 1 on DVD and haven't even gotten to season 2 yet, which is when Cynthia and Michelle's characters are introduced. They say they were all blind-sided by the news that these actors were arrested and they were horrified to hear they were from season two. Their attorney argues, "It was a massive spoiler to reveal these actors are in the show, and we blame the police department for creating such a tragic consequence...They were well aware that thousands of fans were still getting through season 1, and, yet, the irresponsible officers still went ahead with their arrests." They are seeking $350 million in damages for "cruel spoiler activities" and "pain and suffering."

wtf? :|

 

[beefster]

Only in America.....................the land of the free. :/

 

[Gregor]

Vicenza's Paraguay international striker Julio Gonzalez has lost his arm after a car crash in Italy.

The accident happened en route to Venice's Marco Polo Airport a month ago but the injuries were so severe that his left arm had to be amputated.

The 24-year-old has been hospitalised since the crash, which occurred three days before Christmas.

Gonzalez was a key part of the Serie B team's squad but his hopes of playing in the World Cup finals have been shattered by the dreadful accident.

His former clubs include Nacional from his birthplace Asuncion and Huracan, and he won a silver medal in the Athens Olympics.

It was reported that three different teams of surgeons had to work on his multiple injuries during an operation that lasted almost 12 hours.

 

[beefster]

that's not really wierd, more sad, I feel sorry for the guy. :'(

 

[Gregor]

More removals, closer to home

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hibernian/4627940.stm

 

[Grant]

I don't want to sound patronising but I hope he wears a patch or something when he plays because his eye might look unsightly. will they just stitch the skin flaps together or put plastic surgery on it. Hope he gets back to playing soon.

 

[Gregor]

Well the usual procedure is you get a glass eye which actually look very real.

I'd imagine though when hes playin he will were an eye patch

 

[Gregor]

A large whale has been spotted in the River Thames in central London by boaters and sightseers.
The mammal, thought to be a pilot whale which can grow to 20ft, was seen swimming past the Houses of Parliament.

"I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Tom Howard-Vyne, who works at the London Eye, on the other side of the river.

The whale is believed to have travelled upstream passing the Thames Barrier early on Friday morning.

'Breathing normally'

"It was on this side of Westminster Bridge and 10 minutes ago it was near the House of Commons, " said Mr Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sent a lifeboat to check up on the whale's condition.

Liz Sandeman, a medic of the Marine Connection, a whale and dolphin protection charity, accompanied the RNLI to examine the animal.

"It looks quite healthy and quite relaxed," she said. "It's breathing normally and its weight seems good."

She said boats in the river could be a danger to the animal.

"There's also the noise which could affect it - the Thames is extremely busy. The last thing we want to do is stress the animal out.

"Some people think it has lost its way or is not feeling well, but it's very hard to say why it is here."

 

[Redders]

A large whale has been spotted in the River Thames in central London by boaters and sightseers.
The mammal, thought to be a pilot whale which can grow to 20ft, was seen swimming past the Houses of Parliament.

"I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Tom Howard-Vyne, who works at the London Eye, on the other side of the river.

The whale is believed to have travelled upstream passing the Thames Barrier early on Friday morning.

'Breathing normally'

"It was on this side of Westminster Bridge and 10 minutes ago it was near the House of Commons, " said Mr Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sent a lifeboat to check up on the whale's condition.

Liz Sandeman, a medic of the Marine Connection, a whale and dolphin protection charity, accompanied the RNLI to examine the animal.

"It looks quite healthy and quite relaxed," she said. "It's breathing normally and its weight seems good."

She said boats in the river could be a danger to the animal.

"There's also the noise which could affect it - the Thames is extremely busy. The last thing we want to do is stress the animal out.

"Some people think it has lost its way or is not feeling well, but it's very hard to say why it is here."

lmao read about it this morning during my hours of trailing websites in frees at college. Imagine seeing that would of been mint.

 

[Gregor]

Isaw the whale that wa sin the Forth a few years ago, you could smeel it from like 500 yards

 

[Redders]

A large whale has been spotted in the River Thames in central London by boaters and sightseers.
The mammal, thought to be a pilot whale which can grow to 20ft, was seen swimming past the Houses of Parliament.

"I saw it blow, it was a spout of water which sparkled in the air," said Tom Howard-Vyne, who works at the London Eye, on the other side of the river.

The whale is believed to have travelled upstream passing the Thames Barrier early on Friday morning.

'Breathing normally'

"It was on this side of Westminster Bridge and 10 minutes ago it was near the House of Commons, " said Mr Howard-Vyne. "It was an amazing sight."

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sent a lifeboat to check up on the whale's condition.

Liz Sandeman, a medic of the Marine Connection, a whale and dolphin protection charity, accompanied the RNLI to examine the animal.

"It looks quite healthy and quite relaxed," she said. "It's breathing normally and its weight seems good."

She said boats in the river could be a danger to the animal.

"There's also the noise which could affect it - the Thames is extremely busy. The last thing we want to do is stress the animal out.

"Some people think it has lost its way or is not feeling well, but it's very hard to say why it is here."

Update on Whale Watch:

A possible sighting of a whale in the River Thames near Greenwich has given fresh hope that it may soon reach the sea and ultimately safety.

Fears had been growing for the 16-18ft (5m) northern bottle-nosed whale which came as far upstream as Chelsea.

But now rescuers searching the east London stretch of river hope the sighting was accurate and it will continue to swim downstream.

Experts feared the animal could put itself in danger by becoming beached.

Tony Woodley, of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue Group, said it was spotted by a member of public at around 2045 GMT in Greenwich.

"Our rescue boat is now in the area looking for it with our spotlights on and if we see it, we will check its health."

Teams had been becoming increasingly worried as there had been no sighting of the whale since 1815 GMT at Chelsea Bridge.

This latest development will give hope to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been following the progress of the whale, which is usually found in deep sea water.

It was first spotted at 0830 GMT on Friday by a man on a train and has since attracted massive public and media attention.

Crowds gathered along the riverbanks to witness the extraordinary spectacle.

But it soon became clear there was cause for concern, as the animal came within yards of the banks, almost beaching, and crashed into an empty boat causing slight bleeding.


It is a very long way from home and we don't know why it has ended up here
Alison Shaw, London Zoo


Alan Knight, of the British Divers Life Marine Rescue Group, said if the whale does go ashore, teams could then check its health.

He said if it appears thin, it may be coming in to die, and added: "In which case we will euthanize it and consider it a success because it has not caused more suffering."

If well however, a system of pontoons will be used to try to refloat it by lifting it into a boat and taking it out to sea, he said.

"It is a very unusual thing and we have never done it before with a whale this size. It might float, it might not."

He added that the whale was damaging itself by coming ashore.

The RNLI say it is the first whale rescue on the Thames. A spokesman said three whales were spotted east of the Thames Barrier on Thursday but only one managed to get upstream.

Alison Shaw, of the Marine and Freshwater Conservation Programme at London Zoo, said the northern bottle-nosed whale was usually found in groups of three to 10.

She told the BBC News website: "This is extremely rare in British waters as they are normally found in deep waters in the North Atlantic.

"It is about 16-18ft long, so is relatively mature. It is a very long way from home and we don't know why it has ended up here."

The whales usually weigh about seven tonnes, which will complicate any rescue attempt, experts said.

Over the years dolphins and seals have been spotted in the Thames.

Sperm whales have been seen in the Thames Estuary and porpoises have feasted on fish near Vauxhall Bridge, in central London.