Voxant Newsroom Blog

Oddest stories of 2007

Have you ever been to a booty competition? Did you even know there was a worldwide booty competition? This year, a man and woman were both crowned as having the best rumps in the world in a rear end pageant. Other favorite oddities include the lonely, reclusive Japanese man who has hundreds of dolls. "Love" dolls, that is.  Speaking of sick fetishes, how about the robber who licked the ashy toes of his victim after robbing her? Ol' Dirty Bastard is smiling down on that disturbed individual from the great insane asylum in the sky. Throw some rumbling furry mascots and cat poo cafe, and you've got our Top Five Odd News Stories of 2007. It's just been that kind of year.

-Editorial Staff, The Odd Desk

Getting naughty on the subway

Some sweet young ladies in New York decided to take a chance and acted on a dare to vamp it up on New York City's subways. They broke out the sexy scarves, the hot pants and the sex appeal and turned the heat up on New Yorkers' morning commute. The skanky performance paid off, they won $10,000 for doing the stunt, filming it and posting it online. The subway performance was really similar to the Pussycat Dolls "Wait A Minute" video. Art imitating life or life imitating art? Watch the AP video below.

Oh, Internet. What would we do without you?
-Ricky

Idiot of the Week: Dumbass on sled

WCCO TV reporter John Lauristsen has a real scoop for us today: full-grown men look like morons when they try to use kiddie sleds on TV. Also, isn't that actually a pool toy in the first place? Keep reaching for that Peabody, John.

- Evan

And you thought your neighbor's Christmas decorations were tacky

What says 'spirit of Christmas' more than gaudy decadence? That's, right: nothing. (Sorry, folks, but the whole 'generosity' thing went out with leaded gasoline.)

This year, Japan has shown itself to be the most Christmasy place of all - and they did it without a single Salvation Army bucket or Bill O'Reilly rant. We're talking $2 million of jewel-encrusted holiday cheer, people. Now that's how you celebrate the...ah...uh...

Wait, what's Christmas about again?

- Evan

Caution: Kangaroos on the loose

Here on the east coast of the United States, I have to worry about deer prancing into the road, wrecking my car and ending up as roadkill. In Austrailia, they have to worry about kangaroos hopping, skipping, jumping, back-flipping, and double-dutching in the street. These bouncy suckers are craftier than gummi bears.

Check out this AP video of one kanga who wasn't going down without a fight.

Holy crap, that high jump the kangaroo did over the net was sick. Somebody sign him up for the NBA all-star game. Homie got ups!
-Ricky

Ladyboy Planeteers encourage people to go green

Everybody and everything is going green, and apparently transsexual pageant queens are no exception. Contestants for the Miss International Queen 2007 pageant did various eco-friendly activities such as releasing turtles into the sea and planting trees during the pageant. How touching. The AFP takes every opportunity to make a he/she pun in this video about the "Ladyboy" planeteers.

I'm sure Captain Planet is proud of these ladyboys and their concern for the planet. Gooooo planet!
-Ricky

Guinness World Record seekers

What do a bathtub full of snakes, a two-foot leg hair and fifty-one hot chilis have in common? They're all part of this year's Guinness record chase.

- Evan

 

A Boy and his Whale

Aren't there child labor laws against this? In China, a 4-year-old boy has been swimming with a beluga whale for the past year, in hopes of getting accustomed with the whale in time for a 2008 Olympics performance. I don't know what kind of tricks they're going to perform, but damn, that's one brave kid. They mention that Beluga whales can attack unexpectedly. The kid doesn't seem fazed at all. Maybe they'll attempt to outdo everyone's favorite whale, Willy.

Sidenote: Is it just me, or do the boy and his grandma look oddly orangish like the Oompa Loompas? Hey, I'm just saying.....

-Ricky

Return of Chocolate Jesus

A six-foot, 210 pound, naked statue of Jesus made entirely from swiss chocolate is stirring up controversy again in New York. 

The statue's creator, Cosimo Cavallaro, has found a new home for his confectionery Christ after having to close the original exhibit last Spring due to protests from the Catholic church and even some death threats.

I would love to hit this guy's house on Halloween just to see what he hands out.  "You sculpted a life-size chocolate Jesus and all I get is a Bit-O-Honey?!  What a joke..."

-Mike

Yoda in the workplace

Star Wars is a worldwide phenomenon, but sometimes people take their obsession with the series a bit too far. Bringing your Star Wars impersonations to work is a prime example of this.

 

Seriously? I know it's important for broadcasters to show personality and be entertaining, but is imitating Yoda really the best use of time on air? LOL! WTF?

-Ricky

Stupid pet tricks

Watching animals do strange things is an American pastime.  Hell, America's Funniest Videos was/is essentially an hour of animal clips (and people getting hit in the groin with various objects).  That said, please enjoy this playlist of animal-related ridiculousness:

OddlyEnough: Tased and Confused

For a non-lethal weapon, the taser is racking up kills at an astonishing pace lately. 

This weekend, a man died after being stunned twice by police in a Vancouver airport.  It was another in a string of taser-related incidents that has lead many to call for a ban on police use of taser guns.

Sadly, for every hilarious, non-fatal taser incident it seems we've seen just as many horrifying and tragic cases where police may have abused their power.

-Mike

It's Alive! (Sort of)

The future is here, people.  An inventor has spent the last two years developing an intelligent robot, dubbed iRobo, that can decipher human speech and complete household chores.  iRobo hopes to become a less expensive alternative to rival servant-robots.  Take a look:

No offense to Feroz, the robot's creator, but I've seen inanimate objects move faster than that.  It's an incredible individual accomplishment, to be sure, but it will clearly be some time before we have to worry about any Matrix-style AI revolution. 

Nice design, though.  Like a cross between Mega Man and Screech's robot from Saved by the Bell.

-Mike

Internet sugar daddies beware

Are you involved in steamy chat sessions with an overseas beauty? Does the sight of her e-mail address make your heart flutter? What about your bank account, have you emptied it in order to woo your foreign lady?

If so, I'd advise you to cease and desist! You could very well be wooing a Nigerian man. The BBC reports on yet another Nigerian scam.

It is unfortunate but Nigeria has a rep for scamming. Sorry to all my Naija friends, but there are some rats spoiling your reputation.

I remember I put something up for sale on Craigslist last Christmas, and I immediately got a response from an overeager buyer for my little brother's Xbox. The buyer sent me a scanned copy of a money order as proof of payment on its way. The buyer urged me to send out the item ASAP. The scanned money order looked funny to me and my suspicions were confirmed when the buyer informed me that I should ship the Xbox to Nigeria. I immediately threatened to report the buyer to FBI, cut off contact and moved on. In Nigeria they call these con artists 419ers. 419 is the penal code number for fraud in Nigeria. There's even a web site dedicated to busting these nefarious online Nigerian scammers.

My warning to all you online lovers: Be careful who you woo on the world wide web! You might end up with a broken heart and a wiped-out bank account.

-Ricky

OddlyEnough: Woman gives birth to own grandchildren

When was the last time you saw a headline like that outside of West Virginia?  That's right, a 51-year-old woman, who was the surrogate carrier for her own daughter, has given birth to a pair of healthy twin grandchildren in Brazil.  It is the first known case of such an event:

-Mike

Hospital worker mistakes boy for cheeseburger

A 3-year-old Indiana boy went in for a routine blood test and instead was bitten on the neck by the lab technician.  The woman was fired even though she insists it was "just a play bite." 

Can't people in this country stop eating for two seconds?  And what is a play bite anyway?  What were they playing, "Silence of the Lambs?"

-Mike

Most. Bikinis. Ever.

Over 1,000 women gathered on a beach in Sydney to be a part of the biggest swimsuit shoot in the history of time.  Enjoy.

- Mike

OddlyEnough: What a duckin' genius

OK you are a businessman that has gone out for some drinks.  You come back to your hotel and decide that you're hungry.  What to do?  Maybe see if room service is still available?  Nah.  Order a pizza, perhaps?  No, that's crazy talk.  Oh I know: Why don't you rip the head off a live duck and try to eat it? 

Yeah, that sounds like a plan. 

-Mike

Santa, you've been warned

Don't even try coming down this lady's chimney without a sack full of toys (or maybe a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon) lest you be pelted in the face by various objects.

This clip ends way too soon.  What would she have throw next?  She used the trash can and the empty 40 oz and was just finding her groove.  Rusted patio chair, maybe?  A car tire?  A loose board from that deck?

-Mike

Naked Japanese girls. Uh, I mean "a news story".

Reuters really takes on the hard-hitting issues of our world today, reporting on the growing controversy surrounding a naked Japanese newscast supposedly aimed at the deaf. Note : this video is slightly NSFW, with lady bits popping out at random intervals throughout.

Is this news? Is this fluff? Is this just the media playing to its base while leaving the important news unreported? I’ll get back to you after I finish reviewing this video another 30 times.

- Evan