Karl's Weird News

Charles Manson had a cellphone? California prisons fight inmate cellphone proliferation:

Contraband cellphones are becoming so prevalent in California prisons that guards can’t keep them out of the hands of the most notorious and violent inmates: Even Charles Manson, orchestrator of one of the most notorious killing rampages in U.S. history, was caught with an LG flip phone under his prison mattress.

Manson made calls and sent text messages to people in California, New Jersey, Florida and British Columbia before officers discovered the phone, said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections.

Asked whether Manson had used the device to direct anyone to commit a crime or to leave a threatening message, Thornton said, “I don’t know, but it’s troubling that he had a cellphone since he’s a person who got other people to murder on his behalf.”

Although officials say inmates use smuggled cellphones for all manner of criminal activity, including running drug rings from behind bars, intimidating witnesses and planning escapes, it is not a crime to possess one in a California prison.

Fear of elves made Montreal man get powerful guns

A man charged with uttering death threats on Facebook armed himself with high-powered weapons because he feared he was being stalked by elves, a Montreal court was told Wednesday.

Quebec provincial police told David Abitbol’s bail hearing that he told a friend on the Internet that his .12-gauge shotgun was just what he needed to kill the mythical creatures.

A disturbing portrait emerged of the 28-year-old Abitbol during Wednesday’s proceedings in which the Crown reported that an initial evaluation indicated that he was fit to stand trial.

“There’s nothing at this point to make us doubt his ability to appear or his fitness to stand trial,” said prosecutor Steeve Lariviere.

DC Woman Evicted From Home Was A Hoarder:

An eviction in D.C. turned into a bigger job than anyone could have ever expected.

The woman being kicked out is a hoarder.

What was in her home was enough to fill ten houses.

All of it wound up piled up on both sides of her street and a block down another. It took a small army to move it all.

A moving company hauled away about half of it.

The city loaded up seven dump trucks and took the rest to a storage facility.

“I’ve never, never, never seen anything like this in my life,” said neighbor Rhonda Carter.

Furniture, old electronics, box after box of stuff by the thousands were piled up on both sides of the street for two blocks, stacked four feet high.

“My thought was maybe about 15 people had just gotten set out,” said Donnell Thompkins, who came by to visit his brother.

$1m to streak in front of Obama

A British billionaire has offered $1 million to the first person who manages to streak naked in front of Barack Obama.

Alki David, ranked 45th in the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £1.15 billion, made the pledge as part of a publicity stunt for a new website.

The Nigerian born businessman, 42, set up the Battlecam site, which offers people thousands of pounds if they perform, and video, crazy stunts live through the site.

Mr Alki, who is also an actor, initially offered $100,000 to the person who successfully streaked in front of the US President, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But now he has raised the stakes to $1 million (£639,000) after being told the prize money was “not enough” to warrant such a daring prank.

The only catch is the person has to have the website’s name scrawled across their stomach.

Astonished police in Hungary stop group of Afghan refugees who claim they have spent three years WALKING to Britain

Astonished police in Hungary stop group of Afghan refugees who claim they have spent three years WALKING to Britain

It was January 2007 and the four teenagers decided they would walk to London – home, they thought, of the best music in the world.

Unfortunately, they lived in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, and faced an almost 4,000-mile trek to get to Britain.

Three years and three months later, the foot-sore refugees have been arrested in Hungary. Some 1,200 miles short of their destination, they may now be deported back to their homeland.

French Leader Sarkozy Slams Obama, Warns He Might Be Insane

A new report circulating in the Kremlin today authored by France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) and recently “obtained” by the FSB shockingly quotes French President Nicolas Sarkozy as stating that President Barack Obama is “a dangerous[ly] aliéné”, which translates into his, Obama, being a “mad lunatic”, or in the American vernacular, “insane”.

According to this report, Sarkozy was “appalled” at Obama’s “vision” of what the World should be under his “guidance” and “amazed” at the American Presidents unwillingness to listen to either “reason” or “logic”.

Sarkozy’s meeting where these impressions of Obama were formed took place nearly a fortnight ago at the White House in Washington D.C., and upon his leaving he “scolded” Obama and the US for not listening closely enough to what the rest of the World has to say.

Apparently, as this report details, the animosity between Sarkozy and Obama arose out of how best the West can deal with the growing threat posed by rising Islamic fundamentalism.

Patients try to keep appointments with with psychiatrist jailed in sword attack

Patients of a northern Kentucky psychiatrist jailed on a charge he stabbed a woman with a sword have tried to keep appointments with him in jail.

Kenton County jail Chief Deputy Scott Colvin said deputies have had to turn away several patients of Douglas Rank, charged last month with first-degree assault in an attack on 32-year-old woman.

Colvin told the Kentucky Enquirer that some patients have asked if they could drop off Rank’s prescription pad at the jail so he could write their prescriptions.

Colvin said the requests have been denied, as prisoners are not allowed to practice their trade in jail.

South Carolina Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Federal Currency

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.

As the Palmetto Scoop first reported, Pitts, a Republican, introduced legislation this month banning “the unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin” in South Carolina.

In an interview, Pitts told Hotsheet that he believes that “if the federal government continues to spend money at the rate it’s spending money, and if it continues to print money at the rate it’s printing money, our economic system is going to collapse.”

“The Germans felt their system wouldn’t collapse, but it took a wheelbarrow of money to buy a loaf of bread in the 1930s,” he said.

“The Soviet Union didn’t think their system would collapse, but it did. Ours is capable of collapsing also.”

Skydiver to break records with space dive

Austrian-born Felix Baumgartner will plummet 125,000 feet in a fall that will see him break the sound barrier.

His jump, which is being assisted by former Nasa and US Air Force engineers, will feature in a documentary to be shown on BBC

It is 50 years since American Joe Kittinger made history by leaping from a balloon at 102,800ft.

Mr Baumgartner, who is known for stunts such as jumping off the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will travel up to 125,000ft in a specially designed capsule suspended beneath a helium balloon.

His freefall will last for more than five minutes and he will have to wear a specially made pressure suit and helmet to protect his body in the extreme cold and thin air.

It is hoped that the jump will answer a number of important scientific questions.

Reaching speeds of over 690mph (Mach 1) in just 35 seconds his body will experience some of the most arduous conditions ever experienced in freefall.

His team also hope to use the “space dive” to gather data about the stratosphere and how the body copes with the extreme conditions.

Brooksville plane forced down near Everglades by military

A man who allegedly took a plane from a Brooksville airport was forced down by a military aircraft Wednesday afternoon.

According to Wendell Stephens, a supervisor at American Aviation in the Hernando County Airport, the owner and pilot of the plane was a French citizen who was licensed to fly the plane.

A Federal Aviation Administration-certified instructor who flew with the man recommended that he not fly the plane because he could not communicate in English with anyone on the ground or in the air.

This was explained to the pilot through an interpreter, and the pilot became indignant and took off in the plane anyway, Stephens said.
…
Salac said she wasn’t sure who called authorities at the North American Aerospace Defense Command — the military agency that handles airspace threats — but jets responded quickly to pursue the small plane. Two F-15s forced the plane down at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Collier County.

Woman Knocks Down Pope At Christmas Eve Mass, Says Vatican

A woman has been arrested after jumping over barriers and knocking down the Pope at Christmas Eve Mass.

Pope Benedict Pope Benedict XVI was attacked as he walked down the main aisle to begin service at St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Ciro Benedettini said the 82-year-old quickly got to his feet and was unhurt.

Mr Benedettini said the woman appeared to be mentally unstable and was being questioned by Vatican police.

He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check-up.

Colombian farmer castrates himself:

It is a man’s worst nightmare but for Colombian farmer Luis Alfonso Sanchez it seemed the logical thing to do.

The 40-year-old decided to castrate himself to avoid cheating on his wife who refused to have sex with him. Mr Sanchez had performed the act on many of his animals in the past and believed the procedure would be as easy for him saying: “I’ve castrated pigs, cats, dogs and three days later they are healed.

“I thought that’s what it was going to be like with me. I had practice with animals, so I went ahead, put some pressure on it, and cut them to remove them by force!”

“When I saw that I could no longer count on her (his wife), so that I would’t keep bothering her, I made the decision to cut my testicles off because I am a Christian and did not want to go look for another (partner).”

Man leaves money to towns that share his name

A man has left around £220,000 in his will to towns across the world that share his surname.

Solicitors acting on behalf of Eric Gordon Douglas from Edinburgh, have sent a cheque for £10,887.73 to Douglas Borough Council on the Isle of Man as part of the bequest. But the council for the island’s capital have appealed for more information on Mr Douglas in order to recognise his donation.

Council leader David Christian said today: ”There was around £220,000 left to 20 places across the globe that shared his surname.

”If we can get more information then that would be excellent. We literally know nothing about the gentleman apart from his name and that we were told by his lawyers that he was from Edinburgh.

‘Angry Neighbors With Paintball Guns’ amazed at reaction

A group of Durham residents taking aim at speeders with the threat of a paintball gun said Tuesday that they are “amazed and gratified at the reaction.”

The group, Angry Neighbors With Paintball Guns, posted signs at strategic locations throughout the city, warning motorists to slow down or risk being shot at with a paintball gun.

The group does not say if the signs are meant to serve only as an attention-grabber or if it plans to shoot paintballs at vehicles.

“We received top story coverage on local television news, more than half a dozen requests for interviews from local media outlets, and generated hundreds of comments on blogs, media websites, and Facebook,” according to an e-mail from a group member, who declined to release his or her name. “We received numerous requests from individuals who wish to receive their own copies of our sign. We inspired the creation of a Facebook group. We clearly touched a nerve in the city of Durham.”

Shopaholic died under purchases:

The body of an elderly shopaholic was found underneath a pile of clothing and other items after she died of natural causes, an inquest heard.

Joan Cunnane’s bungalow was so crammed with purchases it took five visits to the house before she was found.

She had refused to let her friends into the house in Heaton Mersey, Stockport Magistrates’ Court was told. Her friend Roy Moran said the 77-year-old started shopping to escape youths who once plagued her home.

Mr Moran told the court: “She said it gave her pleasure to buy things, she only bought things she really liked.” Mr Moran last saw his friend on Christmas Day 2008 when they had lunch together. ‘

He visited her bungalow in Rosgill Close four days later and found the side door ajar, but the premises was stacked from floor to ceiling with “bric-a-brac”.

“He couldn’t see her anywhere and got no response,” said coroner John Pollard.

Ex-tax worker: I stole $11 million for love

A former Colorado Department of Revenue supervisor says love for her ex-boyfriend led her to steal $11 million in unclaimed tax refunds from the state.

The ex-boyfriend, Hysear Randell, is on trial in Denver this week on charges of theft, forgery, computer crime and racketeering.

On Wednesday, Michelle Cawthra testified that she deposited unclaimed tax refunds and other money in Randell’s bank accounts over two years by forging documents and creating fake businesses.

She said she frequently used computer passwords of other workers so she wouldn’t be detected.

Crossbow-Wielding Stalker Attacks Actress

A stalker obsessed with a young Spanish actress shot at her with a crossbow before being wrestled to the ground and arrested outside a Madrid theater, police said Monday.

The official says the arrow from the crossbow aimed at Sara Casasnovas hit a male bystander, who was not seriously hurt in the attack Sunday evening.

The suspected attacker is a 39-year-old German, who became obsessed with Casasnovas after seeing her a year and a half ago on Spanish National Television’s international channel.

 The official told The Associated Press the man had been sending the 25-year-old actress love letters and attacked her outside a theater where she had just finished a performance of “Night of the Iguana,” after she told him she wanted nothing to do with him.

The man was carrying a military-style backpack that contained a second crossbow, arrows with harpoon-style tips, a can of gasoline, handcuffs, rope, a canister of mace and a poster from a play in which Casasnovas had performed a few months ago, the official said.

Couple fined for strolling naked in Singapore:

A Swedish man and a Singaporean woman have been fined for strolling naked through a busy upscale bar and restaurant area for a stunt after a few drinks, local media reported Friday. Jan Philip, 21, an exchange student with a local university, and Eng Kai Er, a 24-year-old Singaporean studying in Sweden, were each fined 2,000 Singapore dollars (1,300 US) for committing an obscene act, the Straits Times said. In January, the two attracted much attention when they strolled naked through Holland Village, a place popular among expatriates for its bars and al fresco restaurants, apparently after drinking beer.

“Star Trek” Fortune Goes to the Dogs

The Star Trek fortune is going to the dogs.

 Just before Majel Roddenberry, wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, died in December 2008, she put a clause in her trust that provided lavishly for her beloved pups, according to TMZ.

The trust documents, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, stipulate that Roddenberry’s dogs will be able to live in one of the family’s mansions until they cease to live long and prosper.

 The dogs also are entitled to a $4 million fund to upkeep their swanky dog house, and their own highly paid attendant.

The trust provides $1 million for Reinelda Estupinian, who cared for the dogs for the last few years. In the paper Rodennberry said Estupinian “did an excellent job of caring for my animals (giving them comparable or better care than that which I gave them during my lifetime).”

Scoop: Scientology Spokesman Confirms Xenu Story:

After years of dismissing the story as false, Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis has confirmed that the story of mankind’s origins involving an alien overlord named Xenu is indeed authentic Scientology teaching.

In the exclusive interview with KESQ News Channel 3 reporter[1], Nathan Baca, Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis was asked about the story of Xenu, known to senior Scientologists as part of “Operating Thetan Level III”, or “OT III” for short.

Davis denied the story at first (as he has done in the past), stating that these were claims “forwarded by anti-Scientologists.”

When Baca began reading from a book written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard that mentions the Xenu story, Davis became defensive, admitting that the story is indeed authentic, but confidential. He then accused Nathan Baca of religious hate, saying that a non-Scientologist asking about Scientology’s core beliefs is an “offensive concept”, and that Baca was “just forwarding an agenda of hate.”

Stranger Hits Dead Man:Officials Release Report and Tickets

Tammy Fausel said that she and her family were shocked at what happened during her uncle’s funeral in Gray Court.

A Candler, N.C., woman danced in front of the service, waved a wand around the casket, opened the lid, laid her hands on the deceased’s head and struck the body with a wand, according to an incident report from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office.

Nicole Marie Loretta Leonard, 25, has been charged with disturbing a funeral and public disorderly conduct in Tuesday’s incident, according to tickets.

Man jumps off taxiing airliner from Charlotte

A 26-year-old passenger on board an American Airlines jet from Charlotte to Dallas opened a door and slid down an inflatable emergency chute Tuesday as the aircraft waited to taxi to its gate at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The man, who had not been identified Tuesday night, reportedly ran into the first class section of American Airlines Flight 1343 and opened the exit door, according to an airport advisory. The plane, an MD-80, had just arrived from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport about 1 p.m. and was parked on a ramp when the incident happened.

After opening the door, the man deployed the inflatable slide and slid down to the Aircraft Operations Area, where he was held by American fleet service clerks until airport public safety officers took him into custody.

Death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it:

A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye, authorities said Friday.

Andre Thomas told officers he ate it.

Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Their hearts also had been ripped out. He was convicted and condemned for the infant’s death.

 While in the Grayson County Jail in Sherman, Thomas similarly had plucked out his right eye before his trial later in 2004. A judge subsequently ruled he was competent to stand trial.

A death-row officer at the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice found Thomas in his cell with blood on his face and had him taken to the unit infirmary.

“”Thomas said he pulled out his eye and subsequently ingested it,” agency spokesman Jason Clark said Friday.

Hoarder Dies After Becoming Lost in Maze of His Own Trash

An eccentric loner in Britain hoarded so much trash he had to burrow through it to get around his home — then got lost in the maze of tunnels Friday and died of thirst. Human mole Gordon Stewart, 74, had filled his rooms up to the ceiling with 10 years’ worth of garbage and clutter, making it impossible to walk around. The compulsive hoarder is believed to have become disorientated inside the walls of rotting trash and unable to find a way out — then collapsed with dehydration.

Vegetarian Gluttons for Punishment Pursue Pain in Phuket

Doctors in Phuket, Thailand, are warning vegetarians at the annual Chinese Vegetarian Festival that piercing their faces with knives, axes, spades and beach umbrellas could expose them to health risks. Each year, health authorities warn devoted Buddhists that ?Ma Song,? the ritualistic self-infliction of pain, could cause HIV/AIDS and hepatitis infections. And every year, adherents walk barefoot over smoldering coals, climb ladders with rungs made of knife blades and bathe in hot oil?all in pursuit of spiritual trance which will earn good luck for themselves and their neighbors.

Hat tip to Kara!

Black Japanese watermelon sold at record price

A jumbo black watermelon auctioned in Japan on Friday fetched a record $6,100, making it one of the most expensive watermelons ever sold in the country.

In a society where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon’s hefty price tag followed another jaw-dropping auction last month, when a pair of “Yubari” cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

The 17-pound, black-skinned “Densuke” watermelon, a variety grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased Friday by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture, according to Kyodo News agency.

Man calls emergency number 6,442 times

A Romanian man has been fined for making 6,442 profane phone calls to an emergency number, police said Thursday.

The 24-year-old man, who lives in a village in southern Romania, was identified in February and fined $223 in April after a checkup showed he was mentally sound, said Daniela Salaoru, police spokeswoman for Ialomita county police.

Police did not identify the caller. But the Evenimentul Zilei newspaper said he was a well-digger, and reported that he called the 112 emergency number from November to January to swear at the operators. He used a prepaid mobile phone, which does not immediately make it possible to identify the caller, police said.

Farmer takes literal appraoch to divorce settlement
A Serb farmer used a grinding machine to cut in half his farm tools and machines to comply with a court ruling that he must share all his property with his ex-wife, local media reported on Thursday.

Branko Zivkov, 76, told Belgrade daily Kurir he had been ready to give his wife Vukadinka her equal share of everthing earned during their 45-year marriage, but was furious at being asked to give away half his farming equipment.

Instead, he bought a grinder and cut in two all his tools, including large items such as cattle scales, a harrow and a sowing machine.

Restraining Order Issued for Woman Who Sent Ex-Boyfriend 10,000 Text Messages in Two Months

Timothy Mortimore’s Valentine’s Day may be less than romantic this year. Mortimore, 37, tells the UK’s Daily Mail he has been unable to lead a normal life since his bitter ex-girlfriend, Lee Amor, 23, bombarded him with 10,000 abusive phone and text messages in two months — an average of one every eight minutes.

Mortimore took Amor to court after she followed him and his current girlfriend, approached him at work demanding they talk, sent a piece of glass she had used to cut herself and tried to convince him he was the father of her unborn child.