The Inquisitr » Odd + Funny

U.S. Customs Agents Arrest Man With 15 Australian Lizards Strapped To Body

AHN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:22:59 +0000

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) – Customs agents at the Los Angeles International Airport have arrested a man found with 15 live lizards inside his money belt.

Possessing two geckos, 11 skinks and two monitor lizards worth $8,500 was enough for Michael Plank, 40, to be detained upon arrival at the airport, according to officials of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Friday.

Plank came from Australia.

Agents arrested Plank for not having a proper permit to carry the said lizards.

He posted a $10,000 bail for his release.

A Los Angeles federal court will hear his case on Dec. 21.

Skeptical Hippo

Duncan Riley — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:30:34 +0000

Skeptical Hippo is skeptical.

Baby pygmy hippo [cute overload]

Facebook listening fail

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:51:04 +0000

Facebook: no matter how sucky your life gets just remember- no one is listening there, either.

[Lamebook]

Disability claimant caught out working… on TV

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:07:40 +0000

Insurance companies work hard to root out claimants with false injuries and unreported secondary income.

It makes their jobs a lot easier when your secret source of income springs from appearing on HGTV. California disability recipient Ronald E. Hunt, 56, kept on working as a designer for the channel (the pic above is a dazzling redo of a tired A-frame courtesy of Hunt), and his dual source of cash flow remained intact until an insurance company employee spotted Hunt on the channel and snitched to the California Department of Insurance.

A statement by the California Franchise Tax Board says:

“An investigation confirmed Hunt intentionally and knowingly concealed his secondary employment from his disability insurance company by falsifying written statements and deceiving a company field representative.”

Official say that while on disability, Hunt earned in excess of $400,000 and did not pay income tax. Hunt was slapped with 60 months of probation and 200 hours of community service, as well as $180,000 in fines and restitution.

Uninsured Daniel Webb sent to La-z-boy to die

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:58 +0000

A 33 year-old morbidly obese man with no health coverage was returned untreated to a recliner in his home in March after a knee injury.

Daniel Webb became unable to walk or leave his home after the injury, for which he was unable to receive treatment. Webb’s wife Ada tried to no avail to obtain disability and medical coverage for her husband, who remained in the chair for nearly nine months, covered in sores and human excrement. Webb was removed from the home by EMS workers who had to cut a hole in Webb’s trailer to move his body. He died of cardiac arrest within hours of removal from the chair.

EMS workers have said that Webb weighed between 800-900 lbs, but his wife Ada puts the figure closer to 500 lbs. Ada Webb met her husband on MySpace, and Daniel Webb died on what would have been their second anniversary. While she told press it was the worst anniversary she could imagine, Daniel’s was far better because he was with Jesus. The clip below shows Ada Webb talking to a reporter about the difficulties the Webb family faced in treating Daniel.

[Source]

Cute Overload: Eat Humans

Duncan Riley — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:53:54 +0000

Look Cute, Eat Humans.

Wife Consistently Fails to Kill Husband…Three Times

AHN — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:49:19 +0000

Boynton Beach, FL (AHN) – Dalia Dippolito, 26, tried and failed three times to kill her wealthy husband, Michael, just months after they were married.

Dalia unwittingly hired two undercover cops to kill her husband. Her reaction to the news of her husband’s faked death was recorded by the crew of the popular police reality show COPS. Once the cameras were off, police told Dalia the whole scene was a set-up.

Dalia was arrested in August and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. However, that did not stop her from trying, again. She hired a hitman to finish the job. The hitman was an undercover cop.

A month earlier, Dalia had tried to poison Michael by putting anti-freeze in his coffee. That plan proved unsuccessful, with the exception of his stomach ache from the anti-freeze.

Michael has filed for a divorce from his ineptly murderous wife. Dalia is currently on house arrest at her mother’s home.

How Much For A 80,300 Seat Stadium? Silverdome Auction Nets $583,000

Duncan Riley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:32:02 +0000

The Pontiac Silverdrome, a 80,300 seat stadium on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan and previous home to a variety of teams sold at auction this week for $583,000.

The Silverdome Auction was won by an unnamed Canadian company that hopes to maintain it as a sports venue, city officials said. The stadium was costing the city $1.5 million annually in upkeep and had no major anchor tenant to offset costs.

The Pontiac Silverdrome was built in 1975 for an estimated cost of $55.7 million. Sitting on 127 acres (51 ha), it hosted the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975–2001, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA from 1978–1988, the Michigan Panthers of the USFL from 1983–1984, the college football Cherry Bowl in 1984 and 1985 and Motor City Bowl from 1997 until 2001, the MHSAA football state finals from 1976–2004, and four first-round games during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

The new owner is reportedly considering using the stadium as a soccer venue.

Pic: Homework accuracy

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:52:38 +0000

You know the teacher totally didn’t appreciate the effort.

[via Digg]

New shirts, stickers encourage Christians to “pray for Obama,” …to die

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:38:04 +0000

What on the surface looks like a simple Christian plea promoting prayer for President Obama (via Psalm 109,verse 8)-somewhat condescending, but in line with the whole “pray for them” concept- is actually quite sinister underneath.

At first, it seems critical, but not that bad:

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Okay, not a particularly altruistic concept, but check out what follows:

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

Rachel Maddow covered the trend on her show, unaware of the total context of the psalm, and former right-wing evangelical leader Frank Schaeffer informed her of the more “threatening” nature of the verse. Schaeffer went on to say the phrase was a veiled way of “trawling for assassins,” Schaeffer opined:

“This is the Old Testament biblical equivalent of calling for holy war. … And what surprises me is that responsible — if you can put it that way — Republican leadership, and the editors at some of these Christian magazines …. do not stand up in holy horror and denounce this.”

“I would just say to them, ‘Where the hell are you?’” Schaeffer concluded. “‘This is not funny any more, and be it on your head if something happens to our president.’ … There are not many steps left on this insane path.”

Over the last 8 years of heavy Bush criticism, I don’t recall seeing many sentiments more aggressive than something about a village missing their idiot. Coded calls for the President’s death were not commonplace on promotional items, and people hated that guy. Consider too, the implicit ill will is not just directed at President Obama, but lobbed at his wife and children as well, wishing not only the loss of their husband and father upon them, but poverty and starvation as well.

Personally, I think Gawker gets it right when they point out this bit, also from Psalm 109:

Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame; and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

[Gawker]

Miss Universe “S3x Tape” Heats Up The Internet

Duncan Riley — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:33:19 +0000

A sex tape showing a threesome between Miss Universe Japan, Miss Universe Trinidad and Tabago, and a third party is quickly being spread across the internet.

The “s3x tape” allegedly shows Hiroko Mima (Miss Universe Japan 2008) and Anya Ayoung-Chee (Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago 2008) getting up close and personal with each other, and a man identified as Anya’s boyfriend Wyatt Gallery.

The story is just hitting the media in Japan, and Miss Universe organizers don’t want to know about it, saying the tape “was apparently [taken] eight months after the pageant and neither were the reigning titleholder. The photographer is NOT a Miss Universe staffer so we have nothing to say or any involvement.”

Not surprisingly the Gawker Media porn site Fleshbot has the movie up. If you absolutely can’t resist, you can view the Miss Universe s3x tape here (seriously NSFW)

French Woman Marries Dead Partner

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:58:12 +0000

Paris, France (AHN) – A French law on posthumous marriage allowed a woman from eastern France to marry her dead partner on Saturday.

Mayor Christopher Caput of Dommary-Baroncourt village granted the request of 26-year old Magali Jaskiewicz to marry 25-year-old Jonathan George, who died in a car accident two days before their scheduled wedding in January.

The bride used a portrait of George during the wedding ceremony attended by family members and friends.

The two had been living together since 2004 until George’s untimely death. They have two daughters aged 18 months and three years.

Sarah Palin Claims Newsweek Cover is Sexist

Duncan Riley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:19:33 +0000

Failed GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin features on the cover of Newsweek this week, and the photo used has got the darling of the uber-right fuming.

The Sarah Palin Newsweek cover uses a photo originally taken for Runner’s World magazine and shows Palin posing in running gear including rather short shorts.

Palin took to Facebook to slam the cover, claiming that the photo selection was sexist and was engineered by the liberal media to distract attention from the release of her memoir Going Rogue.

“When it comes to Sarah Palin, this ‘news’ magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner’s World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness — a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation” Palin said on Facebook.

“The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention – even if out of context.”

Image: Newsweek under fair use

Darth Vader is full of hot air

Steven Hodson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:13:55 +0000

In this case quite literally.

hat tip to My Modern Metropolis

Early Christmas Fail

Kim LaCapria — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:00:02 +0000

Who gets better toys, the naughty list or the nice list?

[FailBlog]

Brazilian Police Search For Blogger Who Exposes Cheating Women

AHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:27:49 +0000

Lagoa da Prata, Brazil (AHN) – An anonymous blogger in Brazil is stirring up a storm by posting an online list of men whose lovers have strayed from their relationship.

More than 300 names of the alleged cheating victims have been posted on the social networking site Orkut, England’s The Guardian reported.

So far, police know the blogger is from the small town of Lagoa da Prata in the state of Minas Gerais, where the list has caused trouble in the normally tame town.

Several of those listed have spoken out against the claims, but some relationships have been damaged by the accusations.

Civil police in the former gold mining town questioned one suspect, who was spotted leaving a copy of “The List” at a local bank, The Guardian reported.

Lieutenant Marcondes Couto, of the Lagoa da Prata police force, advised the populace to remain calm and assured them they would find the muckraking suspect.

Franchise Sues Burger King Over $1 Double Cheeseburger, Claims It Costs $1.10 To Make

AHN — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:57:03 +0000

South Bend, IN (AHN) – A South Bend franchise of Burger King sued the company on Friday for introducing a $1 double cheeseburger that caused it to lose 10 cents for each burger sold.

Dan Fitzpatrick’s lawsuit said it cost him $1.10 to produce a double cheeseburger and the lower price of the mother company’s burger caused his franchises to lose money. Fitzpatrick runs 115 Burger King outlets..

Fitzpatrick claimed Burger King franchisees rejected the $1 double cheeseburger twice but the company pushed through with it. He cited the franchise agreement as prohibiting the corporation from setting the price.

The burger company considers the lawsuit without merit.

Pic: “Normandy Nessie,” Florida’s Loch Ness Monster?

Kim LaCapria — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:05:19 +0000

A retiree in Florida is reporting a Loch Ness style creature in a local canal- at first thought by the man to be a snake before he says he spotted a caudal fin.

Pictures of the creature are, as always, from a large distance and it’s almost difficult to spot the water, much less a water dwelling creature. But Russ Sittloh insists the creature is huge and potentially dangerous- and he’s concerned for small children and kayakers in the vicinity. (Pythons are a known invasive species in the South, and in July a toddler in Florida was strangled to death by a household pet python. )

Sittloh says when he last saw the beast, it did a double roll and came back toward Sittloh with a “mouthful of fish.” Whether the creature Sittloh is capturing on film is a python is up for some debate:

“I don’t know if we have a mutated species here or what,” Sittloh said. “Whatever he is, my God, is he big. He is some kind of big.”

Sittloh said he has warned his neighbors and called the city, but did not report the creature to the Sheriff’s Office.

“From the video, it appears most likely it is a manatee,” said Carli Segelson, media relations coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said no one else in Madeira Beach has reported seeing Nessie.

“It sounds like there is something out there, but we don’t know what it is,” she said.

Sittloh has invested nearly $400 in equipment to record the elusive creature, so perhaps better pictures will surface soon. The pic above was captured on November 8th, and allegedly shows the animal frolicking in Sittloh’s Madeira Beach canal,

Graph: Who was in your house, eating your cookies…

Kim LaCapria — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:30:29 +0000

Suspiciously absent: kissing your babymama under the tree.

[Graphjam]

Man Says Jesus To Blame For Drug Accessories

AHN — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:38:16 +0000

Louisville, KY (AHN) – A Kentucky man on house arrest told police Jesus set him up, leaving a burnt teaspoon in his home.

Louisville police were performing a home check on Craig A. Dunn when they found burnt tube of aluminum foil burnt on one end and a spoon with burn marks and possible drug residue, WLKY-TV reported.

When police asked Dunn about the items, he said they weren’t his-and told police that the spoon and foil belonged to Jesus, who he maintains is trying to set him up.

Police were checking on Dunn because he is under home incarceration because of a parole violation. He faces a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

No word from on high regarding the claims against Jesus.