Have you had your dose of strange news stories lately? I have. I make it a point to visit websites that carry such news stories just to amuse myself and get a 'balanced' view on what other members of our planet are up to. Once in a while, though, I find stories that aren't amusing at all - weird and disgusting antics by some misguided individuals - as you will see from the collection I found this week.
Illegal Tender. The financial crunch is making life very difficult for many. Many are short on cash or have maxed out their credit cards, leaving them with nothing to buy basic necessities. I', sure that's the excuse this guy gave the police:
A McDonald's cashier called 911 after a Vero Beach drive-thru customer allegedly offered to pay for his meal with marijuana. The Indian River County
Sheriff's Office said the cashier called Monday with a description of the vehicle the suspect had been riding in.
A deputy spotted the vehicle, found marijuana in the car and arrested its occupant, 27-year-old Shawn Alexander Pannullo. Pannullo was charged with possession of cannabis and posted $500 bail. It was unclear if he had an attorney.
A Sheriff's report did not say what the suspect ordered at McDonald's or if he ultimately purchased the meal using something other than marijuana.
Burger Maniac. Just yesterday I was watching a feature on TV about the 15-pound burger of Denny's Beer Barrel Pub. It was humongous, and even four guys were not able to finish it. I don't blame them. Just looking at that huge beef patty was enough to make me feel full. I'm a confessed burger lover but Denny's gigantic serving is ridiculous! No one, the TV feature said, could finish the sandwich in one sitting.That was yesterday. Today I found the following article on the web:
It took Brad Sciullo 4 hours and 39 minutes to finish a marathon. A meat marathon. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound western Pennsylvania chef is the first person to eat a monstrosity called the Beer Barrel Belly Bruiser: a 15-pound burger with toppings and a bun that brought the total weight to 20.2 pounds. The mountain of beef is the product of Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Clearfield. This is the same place that had the six pound burger we first featured three years ago.Sciullo, 21, of Uniontown, said he was surprised he finished the sandwich Monday. "About three hours into it, things got tough," he said. When asked what possessed him to eat a burger that big, Sciullo said: "I wanted to see if I could."
The burger included a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, mild banana peppers and a cup each of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish, pub owner Dennis Liegey said. For completing the challenge in the under-five-hour time limit, Sciullo won $400, three T-shirts, a certificate "and a burger hangover, as I call it," Liegey said.
The Best Debater? The Sarah Palin craze has not died down a bit. And this time, strippers are joining the fray. There's a Sarah Palin look-alike contest in Las Vegas:
A Sin City strip club says it plans to host a lookalike contest in honor of the GOP vice presidential nominee, and is bringing in women from gentlemen's clubs all over the country to compete. They'll be judged by club guests on how they resemble Palin while wearing a swimsuit and how well they debate.
A vote will determine the winner. The prize? A $10,000 package including a trip to Washington for Inauguration Day in January.
Designated Driver. When the campaign against DUI encourages us to assign a designated driver to avoid road accidents and save lives, I'm sure this is not what they had in mind:
An Ontario woman was charged with a traffic violation after having her nine-year-old daughter drive her home following a night of drinking.
"The woman was concerned that she was unable to drive having consumed some alcohol at a social function," police said on Thursday.
The child was driving the car slowly along country roads in southeastern Ontario on October 12 when police noticed how tiny she was and pulled her over, police said.
Backyard Barbecue. This is disgusting, and shows just what some people will do for money:
The family of a dead elderly woman cremated her remains on a makeshift barbecue and continued collecting her retirement checks amounting to more than $25,000, authorities in Northern California said. Ramona Allmond's daughter and grandson were arrested Sunday on suspicion of embezzlement, elder abuse and disposing of a body without a permit.
Allmond's daughter, Kathleen Allmond, 50, and Allmond's grandson, Tony Ray, 30, told investigators their relative died in December. They left her body on her bedroom floor for a week before cremating the remains in their backyard fire pit, Hosler said.
Investigators said the two kept collecting Allmond's monthly retirement checks, amounting to more than $25,000. Sheriff's Detective Richard Knox said they may have been trying to honor Allmond's desire to die at home and be cremated.
Thou Shalt Not Steal. In this time of financial difficulty, it seems nothing is safe from thieves. Not even in a church.
Authorities are looking for two people who allegedly stole a preacher's wallet and went on a shopping spree while he was giving a sermon about showing mercy to others.
The Rev. Rob Hamby was the guest preacher at Fort Worth Presbyterian Church on Sunday when his briefcase was stolen from the church office. Security cameras caught images of a man and woman.
"What troubles me is that they would go to the church, not for help but to steal. I am shocked and frustrated that these people did it. But more than anything, I feel kind of sorry for them," Hamby said in Monday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News.
The newspaper reported that about $2,000 in purchases were made on his credit and debit cards before he finished preaching, including the purchase of a $676 diamond ring. In addition to his wallet, Hamby's computer valued at $2,600 was taken.
These are just some of the strange and/or amusing stories I found lately. I'm sure there are plenty more out there, some even worse. He he. I'll try to find some more and maybe post them here as well.
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