Unusual News
The Monkey Trial: A Flashback
On an afternoon in May 1925, two entrepreneurs sat scheming in a drugstore in Dayton, Tennessee. George Rappelyea and F. E. Robinson pored over a notice in the Chattanooga Times, placed by a little-known New York organization called the American C... read more
With Medical Marijuana Legal, When is Someone Too Stoned to Drive?
As more and more states legalize medical marijuana, law enforcement needs a new DUI standard, not to mention a Breathalyzer for pot.
Currently, there is no legally established limit for how high a driver can be before they’re a danger on the r... read more
Is Mars Bad for Hollywood Box Office?
It’s safe to say the one word not to say around Disney executives right now is “Mars.”
For the second year in a row, the biggest film flop could be about the “red planet.” Disney has a candidate for 2012’s largest financial mistake in John Car... read more
Why Rich People Live Longer than Everyone Else
It has been commonly assumed for a long time that the wealthy live longer than the poor. Now, some explanations are offered for why this might be true.
Education plays a critical role in the rich lasting longer. The better educated tend to liv... read more
Trenton City Government Averts Toilet Paper Crisis after Emergency Purchase
The Trenton toilet paper shortage has been solved…at least temporarily.
They scoured three floors at police headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey, but no toilet paper was found. The situation was the same at City Hall, the source of the TP short... read more
35% of Candidates in India Election Have Criminal Charges Pending, Including 47 for Murder
Voting for politicians in India can come down to choosing between a crook and a criminal, due to the preponderance of candidates who have broken the law.
Of the 2,000 candidates who ran for office on Tuesday in the northern state of Uttar Prad... read more
List of Words Dept. of Homeland Security Tracks on Facebook and Twitter
If not getting enough attention in your life is a problem, there’s one surefire way to get the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to notice you: Use any of its proscribed watch words on social media sites.
According to a DHS document, the a... read more
Has the Time Come to Start Taxing Online Game Currency?
If you’ve been making out like a bandit playing Farmville or Second Life or any other online game that awards prizes in the form of virtual currency, the IRS may want to talk to you.
Although the idea of taxing virtual currency may seem to mak... read more
The Man Who Owes the Most Taxes in California
Two of the top three tax avoiders in California are actually the same person. In 2007, despite cries of privacy invasion, the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB), in charge of income tax, and the Board of Equalization (BOE), in charge of sales an... read more
NFL Changes Start of Next Season to Avoid Conflict with Obama Convention Speech
One good turn deserves another when the country’s most powerful man has a scheduling conflict with the country’s most popular sport.
This week, the National Football League announced it will open its 2012 season on Wednesday night, September 5... read more
Building Great Pyramid Today Would Cost $5 Billion
Even with the advantage of modern technology, replicating the building of Egypt’s great pyramids would prove costly and time-consuming. Back in the days of the pharaohs, it took about 20 years and thousands of slaves to construct the Great Pyramid... read more
Robot-Driven Cars Given Okay in Nevada
A few select drivers in Nevada will soon be allowed to sit back and let their cars do all the driving.
With the encouragement of Google, the state has become the first to approve the use of robot-driven cars on its roadways beginning March 1. ... read more
Swiss Plan “Janitor Satellite” to Clean Up Space Junk
Having decided enough’s enough with all the manmade space debris floating around the earth, Switzerland plans to develop a special satellite that will clean up Swiss space junk.
Dubbed CleanSpace One, the project will employ a new kind of “jan... read more
Dallas TSA Accused of Body-Scanning Women with Attractive Figures
Screenings agents at Dallas/Fort Worth airport are being accused of making attractive women go through full-body scanners, according to numerous complaints.
A local CBS affiliate went through more than 500 records of complaints lodged against ... read more
4 Republican Candidates = 4 Brands of “Conservative”
While the four remaining candidates for the Republican presidential nomination all pitch themselves as the real “conservative” in the race, each one represents a different take on what it means to be conservative. It’s not surprising that they wou... read more
Pennsylvania University Offers Morning-After Pills in Vending Machine
Even as some conservative politicians and Catholic prelates create controversy over the availability of contraception in health insurance plans, Pennsylvania’s Shippensburg University has been making the so-called “morning-after pill” available to... read more