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Oddities

Judge: La. woman can flip finger in holiday lights
A Louisiana woman ran afoul of police when she gave her neighbors an unusual holiday greeting, hanging Christmas lights in the shape of a middle ...
Chinese toad in candlestick comes to South Africa
It's a real life Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Animal rescue officials in South Africa say they found a toad from China hidden inside a porcelain candlestick.
Spokane robbery suspect tackled, caught on tape
Instead of letting a robber get away, a witness to a convenience store stickup in Spokane, Wash., caught the armed man and held him for police.
$500 million in checks left at Jerusalem holy site
Worshippers usually leave notes to the Almighty at one of Judaism's holiest sites. But half a billion dollars? Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, who oversees ...
'Raiders of the Lost Ark' package mystery solved
First, there was "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Now, there's "Mailers of the Lost Package." Days after the University of Chicago announced it had received ...
Australian court: Worker's comp covers sex mishap
An Australian court has ruled that a bureaucrat who was injured while having sex on a business trip is eligible for worker's compensation benefits.
School stumped by mail addressed to Indiana Jones
University of Chicago officials are puzzled by a mystery piece of mail seemingly linked to the Indiana Jones movie series. The Chicago Tribune reports ...
Emu joins man on Va. jog, is reunited with owner
A man in Virginia Beach picked up an unusual jogging partner when an emu began following him. Animal shelter supervisor Wayne Gilbert says Virginia ...
Circus claims vodka saves elephants in Siberia
Circus trainers claim two of their elephants were saved from the deadly Siberian cold by vodka. Emergency ministry spokesman Alexander Davydov said ...
New-found tale could be Hans Christian Andersen's
For years, the somber fairy tale about a lonely candle that wanted to be lit dwelt in oblivion at the bottom of a box in Denmark's National Archives.
Spanish botched fresco artist sells work on eBay
The 80-year-old Spanish artist who became famous because of her botched restoration of a Christ fresco in a small-town church is auctioning one of her ...
Ariz. home: 'Ditto' to neighbor's Christmas lights
An Arizona woman who knew she couldn't compete head on with her neighbor's elaborate Christmas light display is attracting attention for her response.
Americans finding dozens of ways to mark 12-12-12
A Michigan sixth-grader will put aside her nerves and get her ears pierced on her 12th birthday. Two law-enforcement officials will exchange wedding ...
Vatican: World not ending, despite Maya prediction
The Vatican's top astronomer has some assurances to offer: The world won't be ending in 10 days, despite predictions to the contrary. The Rev.
Monopoly comes to Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city
Nigeria's largest city of Lagos is no boardwalk, but now Monopoly is taking inspiration from the city's sprawling chaos. Officials unveiled a ...
Man strips at Austrian art exhibition of nude men
An Austrian museum says a man took the concept of life imitating art to an extreme when he suddenly stripped at an exhibition of pictures and ...
9 Maine students suspended over pot-laced cookies
Marijuana-laced cookies taken by a student to a Maine high school on a day ethics and values were being discussed have sickened some classmates.
Dutchman launches life-sized replica of Noah's Ark
Just as the first storms of winter roll in, Dutchman Johan Huibers has finished his 20-year quest to build a full-scale, functioning model of Noah's ...
Father Frost gets cold shoulder in Uzbekistan
Taking a leaf out of a Dr. Seuss story, the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan is reportedly stealing Christmas by keeping the local version of Santa ...
Russian premier jokes about secret files on aliens
"Men in Black" agents K and J may be about to recruit a new Russian assistant: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev has spoken about top secret ...
WVU mascot told to stop firing musket at wildlife
The musket toted by West Virginia University's Mountaineer isn't just a prop — it's a bona fide weapon, and mascot Jonathan Kimble demonstrated that ...
Gun turns up in package of frozen ribs at NM store
New Mexico authorities say they're puzzled by what turned up in a package of meat at a Roswell grocery store. A worker at Albertsons opened a case of ...
Austrian bus driver finds, turns in about $500,000
Vienna's transport authority says a city bus driver checking a bag left behind by a passenger had the surprise of his life — €390,000 (more than ...
Thief returns cash from Ohio kettle with apology
A thief who made off with cash from a Salvation Army red kettle at a northern Ohio mall this week apparently has had a change of heart. Police near ...
Police save ancient Egyptian sculpture in Italy
An Egyptian granite sculpture of a sphinx that risked ending up on the black market for antiquities is destined instead for a Rome museum. Italian Tax ...