Unusual News
Freezing Assets of Arab Dictators Gets Lost in Transliteration
The Arabic language has no transliteration standards, few vowels and myriad pronunciations for names, adding up to a real nightmare for banks trying to comply with government sanctions against Middle Eastern dictators.
Economic sanctions com... read more
57-Year-Old to be Charged with Murder in Juvenile Court
Michael Ferreira, who is now 57 years old, will be arraigned in juvenile court in Massachusetts for a murder he is charged with committing more than 40 years ago, when he was 16. He was arrested in New Hampshire and is awaiting extradition.
... read more
Graceland Replica Opens…in Denmark
Fans of Elvis Presley living in Europe need not travel to Tennessee to get a glimpse of Graceland.
A replica of the King’s home has been built in Randers, Denmark, although this Graceland is actually twice the size of the original so it can ... read more
Chinese Government Halts Time-Travel Movies
China’s government has had it with movies in which protagonists go back in time and fall in love. Such films have become popular lately with Chinese television watchers, leading cultural authorities to scrutinize the trendy entertainment. Li Jin... read more
Idaho Republicans Bill Taxpayers for Lawsuit between Republicans
Wanting no part of the state’s new open-primary law, leaders of the Idaho Republican Party successfully sued to keep their nominee-selection process closed to all non-GOP voters. Now, even though it was Republican legislators who changed the sys... read more
Shopping May Improve Health for Seniors
Shopping is good for you, if you’re elderly. That’s the conclusion reached by researchers in Taiwan who found that “retail therapy” can improve the lives of senior citizens.
Getting out to stores means more walking, a low-impact exercise tha... read more
MIT Lab Creates Artificial Leaf…“Holy Grail of Chemistry”
Hailed as a scientific breakthrough, scientists at MIT say they have developed the first artificial “leaf” that could revolutionize solar energy production and positively impact lives in the developing world.
The advanced solar cell, no bigg... read more
Army Holds First Bomb Disposal Contest in 10 Years
With the military situation in Iraq no longer requiring the same demand for explosives experts, the U.S. Army is back to finding out the best bomb disposal soldiers it has.
This week, the Army conducted its Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team o... read more
Obama Receives Transparency Award…in Private
In a move described as “crazy stupid” by one supporter, President Barack Obama decided to accept an award for government transparency—behind closed doors.
Obama was supposed to receive the honor from good-government advocates a couple weeks ... read more
Trouble in the Bat World Means Trouble for U.S. Food Supply
Bats deserve better. So say federal and university researchers from the United States and South Africa who have pointed out the economic advantage bats provide in protecting agriculture by eating insects that are harmful to crops—and the potenti... read more
Russian Spies in U.S. Demand Return of Possessions…Including Computer Data
Exposed as spies and kicked out of the country, two Russian agents are seeking the return of their personal property from the United States, including computer equipment that may have aided their spying.
Vladimir and Lidia Guryev (aka Richar... read more
Tasered 86-Year-Old Wins Excessive Force Trial
Three police officers from El Reno, Oklahoma, will face trial for repeatedly shooting an 86-year-old woman with a Taser gun, a local judge has ruled.
The officers went to the home of Lona Varner on December 22, 2009, after her grandson and a... read more
German on Trial for Murder in France after Being Kidnapped by Victim’s Father
André Bamberski is finally getting what he has sought for 28 years: the trial of his daughter’s accused killer, Dieter Krombach of Germany. What makes Krombach’s case unusual was how he came to be in the custody of French law enforcement.
Kr... read more
TSA Accused of Firing Agent for Being a Witch
Carole A. Smith does not fly around on a broom, wear a black pointy hat or cast spells. But the misperceptions of what constitutes a witch—someone who practices Wicca—was more than enough to get her fired from her job with the Transportation Sec... read more
Virginia First State to Sell Naming Rights to Rest Stops
The 33 million travelers who visit Virginia rest stops each year may soon notice the floral landscaping or vending areas “sponsored by” familiar business names.
Tight for cash, the state government has decided to sell the naming rights to it... read more
Is Space Solar the Solution to World Energy Problems?
In light of recent energy-related disasters (the nuclear plant in Japan, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico), advocates are calling for a new approach to generate electricity: space solar power.
First proposed in 1968 by Dr. Peter Glaser... read more