Weird News

Everything that might be happening in our world today, tomorrow, or yesterday.

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VisibilityMissing
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Postby VisibilityMissing » Mon Aug 04, 2008 4:43 pm

Make sure to check the spellings on those diplomas . . . if you find a "Sanford" or a "Harverd", there might be a problem :P
Bogus diploma ring busted with help from U. of I. professor

Thousands of buyers may have participated in fake diploma scam

By Russell Working | Chicago Tribune reporter
12:41 AM CDT, August 4, 2008

The network of bogus universities was a family-run venture based in rural Washington state, but the criminal enterprise spanned the globe, with its operators allegedly paying bribes to Liberian officials and selling fake PhDs and MDs as far away as Iran.

They were busted by state and federal officials—among them a Secret Service investigator posing as a shadowy Syrian seeking a bogus chemistry degree—with the help of a local physics professor.

For the last four years, U. of I. at Urbana-Champaign professor and Fermilab physicist George Gollin helped unravel the scheme that has resulted in eight guilty pleas this year and could spark further charges against hundreds of people who may have bought and used bogus diplomas.

Dubbed Operation Gold Seal by federal investigators, the case exploded into the national news last week with the publication of the names of some 9,600 possible buyers of junk degrees from the phony "St. Regis University" and at least 120 affiliated institutions operated by Dixie and Steven Randock Sr.

Claims to advanced degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited schools are burgeoning, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year as state and federal employees use phony credentials to bump up their salaries, Gollin said, citing estimates based on a number of sources, including the Justice Department.

In the Colbert, Wash.-based scam, buyers included people with U.S. government e-mail addresses—such as NASA and the military—and one man who reportedly works in the control room of a nuclear power plant in Wisconsin. At least five people on the list had e-mail addresses indicating they worked for one Chicago-area suburb.

The customers were based in 131 countries, and at least 140 of them reported Illinois addresses, federal investigators stated.

The scheme generated $7.3 million for the owners by selling degrees from phony institutions and unsuspecting real schools, including Chicago Technical College and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The list of possible buyers, first published in the Spokane Spokesman-Review and also obtained by the Tribune, includes names of people who may have inquired about the degrees but had not actually bought them or used them as an unfair boost in getting promotions, federal officials said. Because of this, the Tribune is not naming the individuals.

In any case, officials are marveling at the strange twists in a scheme worthy of a Graham Greene novel.

"It should be a movie," said Jack Zurlini, an assistant attorney general in Washington state.

"I mean, this one guy went to Liberia to bribe officials. Holy cow! You take your life in your hands to go there in the first place, and you're carrying sacks of money, and you're asking them to do these illegal things. And they did! It's just amazing."

The Liberian Embassy in Washington did not return a reporter's calls and e-mails seeking comment.

Gollin primarily researches technical issues relating to the design and utilization of the International Linear Collider. But he became the unlikely bulldog who latched onto the scam in 2004 when, irritated by the spam from diploma mills clogging his in-box, he began investigating and posting information about St. Regis and other diploma mills on the Web.

The owners had been paying Liberians to accredit them, even though they were located in the U.S., and they didn't take kindly to Gollin's meddling.

"The folks in Spokane, claiming to be Liberian diplomats, wrote to [the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign], threatening to sue me, threatening to sue the university," Gollin said. "The university really freaked about this, and we had a bit of a dust-up."

Officials in Washington began investigating the Randocks' operations when they were alerted that some teachers in Indiana had been claiming the bogus degrees. Zurlini soon learned that Gollin had amassed a great deal of information about the scheme.

"With his help, it became clear to us that it was a criminal enterprise," Zurlini said. "We had this huge data pool out there which is this intricate criminal enterprise, and he was able to make some sense out of it and connect the dots."

Degrees were sold in areas like oncology, dentistry and engineering, and some buyers reportedly worked for state and federal governments, according to the Spokane, Wash., U.S. attorney's office.

That office has distributed the list to federal agencies and state attorneys general around the country so they can decide whether to prosecute anyone.

"There are degrees in areas where you really don't want the practitioner to be incompetent because it would be dangerous," said Gollin, also a board member with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

It is a crime for federal employees to gain advantage in hiring and promotion by using phony degrees, said Thomas Rice, a senior assistant U.S. attorney in Spokane, whose office prosecuted the case.

In the St. Regis case, degrees may have been sold to people with e-mail addresses from NASA, the military, the Social Security Administration and the National Endowment for the Humanities, according to the list. All might potentially face federal charges, Rice said.

In one case, "We had to recuse ourselves because a deputy United States marshal obtained a degree and allegedly attempted to use it to get a promotion in this district, and he was prosecuted for that in this district," he said.

Gollin said that when he began, he had no idea how far the case would go.

"I was just trying to make information available so that someone would be able to tell that something like St. Regis was not a real school," he said. "And that they shouldn't go to a physician who bought one of the MDs at St. Regis."

rworking@tribune.com
"The beauty of this is that it is only of theoretical importance,
and there is no way it can be of any practical use whatsoever."
- Sidney Harris


"Perhaps they've discovered the giant whoopee cushion I hid
under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." http://ozyandmillie.org/2002/01/03/ozy-and-millie-819/

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Postby Tom Flapwell » Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:57 pm

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Baconsticks
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Postby Baconsticks » Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:17 pm

So close, almost a darwin award.
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VisibilityMissing
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Postby VisibilityMissing » Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:04 pm

File this one under "Future Criminal Masterminds"
Cops follow Cheetos trail to nail burglar suspects

Thu Aug 7, 7:54 PM ET

ST. PAUL - St. Paul police followed a trail of Cheetos in order to nab three teenagers suspected of burglarizing a vending machine. Officers were called to the Arlington Recreation Center on July 29, where they found a vending machine's glass had been broken with a chair.

Most of the candy and chips were missing, according to a criminal complaint in Ramsey County District Court.

The officers followed the orange, dusty trail from the rec center, around the side of the building and to a nearby home. Inside, they found numerous vending-sized bags of Cheetos and other snacks.

Police arrested three males aged 17, 18 and 19 who soon arrived at the home by car. The two adults are charged with third-degree burglary, while the 17-year-old is charged with criminal damage to property.

All three denied being involved, the complaint says.

___

Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
-----------------------------------------------------------

Wait, there's a problem with that?
Grandma arrested for driving with child on roof

Thu Aug 7, 7:54 PM ET

MARATHON, Fla. - Authorities say a grandmother was arrested for driving around the parking lot of a Marathon grocery store with her 3-year-old child sitting on the roof of the car.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to the Publix store Tuesday and arrested a 54-year-old woman after she was driving around with her three-year-old granddaughter on the roof of her car.

The grandmother was released from jail 15 hours later.

The woman said Thursday she would never let anything hurt her granddaughter. She says she was driving at "snail-speed" and holding the child's leg.

Authorities say the woman told police she was giving the child some air and letting her have fun.

She faces charges of child abuse. The child is back with her mother.
"The beauty of this is that it is only of theoretical importance,
and there is no way it can be of any practical use whatsoever."
- Sidney Harris


"Perhaps they've discovered the giant whoopee cushion I hid
under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." http://ozyandmillie.org/2002/01/03/ozy-and-millie-819/

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A dude named Vince
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Postby A dude named Vince » Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:59 pm

Can you imagine what that would look like? A babby on top of a car with some old lady holding it's leg. I wish there were some pictures. It's definitely a stupid thing for her to do though. I wonder what she's gonna say to the mother if she ever wants to take the little girl somewhere? "I promise I won't put her on the roof of my car, will you stop reminding me of that incident!"
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Like Shredder emerging from the ooze, I've returned for a while!
Gary's mod?
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VisibilityMissing
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Postby VisibilityMissing » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:46 pm

The eternal question once again raises its ugly head . . .
Chicken crosses the road, then abandoned by thief

Fri Aug 8, 9:18 PM ET

KENNEWICK, Wash. - Why did the chicken cross the road? In the case of Jerry Sleater's 5-foot, 400-pound bright blue rooster, that's apparently as far as whoever was trying to steal it could get it.

When the 76-year-old Eastern Washington man went to get his newspaper Thursday morning, the big bird named Rudy was lying beside the road.

Sleater has kept the MEHTUL rooster perched on his property south of Kennewick for two years and says, "Rudy is a family pet. He doesn't go anywhere, but he's part of the family."

Sleater said he thinks that whoever was trying to steal Rudy got spooked after pushing the oversized rooster down a dirt embankment.

He said he purchased Rudy two years ago from a yard ornament store that was going out of business.

___

Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com
-----------------------------------------------------------

Well, he could have had a cheesecake in the box!
Man accused of trying to rob store with empty box

Fri Aug 8, 5:13 PM ET

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Charleston police said a man tried to rob a movie rental store with an unusual weapon — an empty cheesecake box. Earlier this week, the suspect placed the box on the counter of the Movie Gallery with a note saying it contained a bomb. He told the clerk the bomb would be detonated remotely if he wasn't given cash.

The clerk refused and the suspect fled.

Police arrested 43-year-old Paul Parrish II of Charleston on Wednesday.

Sgt. Aaron James said Parrish allegedly confessed after he was shown a store video of the attempted robbery. Parrish allegedly told police he needed money for gas and cigarettes.

Parrish is charged with first-degree robbery. He's being held at South Central Regional Jail and doesn't yet have an attorney.

___

Information from: The Charleston Gazette, http://www.wvgazette.com
"The beauty of this is that it is only of theoretical importance,
and there is no way it can be of any practical use whatsoever."
- Sidney Harris


"Perhaps they've discovered the giant whoopee cushion I hid
under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." http://ozyandmillie.org/2002/01/03/ozy-and-millie-819/

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Postby Steve the Pocket » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:20 pm

Inflatable dog turd sculpture escapes Swiss museum, wreaks havoc

Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 11:54 AM ET

A powerful gust of wind recently swept a house-sized sculpture of dog feces from its display outside a Swiss museum, an art official in Berne said Monday.

The incident took place on the night of July 31, but details of the artwork's escape — and the havoc it caused before its eventual landing — emerged just this week.

The massive inflatable sculpture, created by U.S. contemporary artist Paul McCarthy and titled Complex Shit, is part of the Paul Klee Centre's exhibit East of Eden: A Garden Show.

McCarthy's piece was displayed outdoors, among "weird and wonderful objects [forming] an animated kind of front garden," according to the museum website.

The sculpture is usually contained by a safety system that deflates it during instances of bad weather. However, the system failed on this occasion and the work escaped from the Klee Centre's garden, museum director Juri Steiner told Agence France-Presse.

The wind carried the work away, knocking down a power line and breaking a window at a nearby orphanage before falling to the ground about 200 metres from the centre.

The museum had yet to contact McCarthy about the incident, Steiner said. Officials are also contemplating whether to return the piece to display.

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Tom Flapwell
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Postby Tom Flapwell » Sun Aug 17, 2008 4:03 am

I don't suppose the gust of wind came from a fan, possibly seeking revenge for a previous hit?
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Postby Tom Flapwell » Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:36 pm

A Japanese expert says North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died of diabetes in 2003 and world leaders have dealt with body doubles ever since, the Sunday Times reported.
Sure about the "expert" part?
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Baconsticks
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Postby Baconsticks » Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:15 am

Police arrest man for car wash vacuum sex
THOMAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash.

The Saginaw News reports the 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was arrested Thursday in Saginaw County's Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

Police Sgt. Gary Breidinger says a resident called to report suspicious activity at the car wash about 6:45 a.m. An officer approached on foot and caught the man in the act.

The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, is being held in the Saginaw County Jail.
So, who's up for some vacuum sex?
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osprey
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Postby osprey » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:10 am

You can filter my allergens any time babby.
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OK. pants it. I lied. It's drum and bass. What you gonna do?

rabid_fox
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Postby rabid_fox » Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:00 am

Man, that sucks.

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Tom Flapwell
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Postby Tom Flapwell » Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:29 pm

"She needed help. That was it. I just happened to be there, and anybody else would have done the same thing."
--Marilyn Mock, who bought a foreclosed house at auction after talking to the distraught former owner. Mock plans to let the residents stay put.
Maybe it's not exactly weird, but her last independent clause betrays an endearing yet highly delusional faith in humanity. And possibly the economy. Too bad about her last name, too.

In other news, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom had an elephant and a donkey select between a photo of McCain and a photo of Obama. Ironically, the elephant chose Obama and the donkey chose McCain.

It occurs to me that elephants are among the smartest animals. :wink:
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VisibilityMissing
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Postby VisibilityMissing » Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:33 pm

Hundreds flock to toilet to see art

Thu Oct 30, 10:36 am ET

BERLIN (Reuters) – A public toilet in Munich which has been transformed into an art museum has attracted hundreds of people in the first days after opening, a spokesman for the city's tourism agency said on Thursday.

Built in 1894, the toilet house was originally constructed to serve nearby households which lacked necessary facilities.

After being in use for over a hundred years, the toilets were locked up in 1992 because they were very rarely used.

"On the night we opened, around 800 people came to see our work," initiator of the museum project, Mathias Koehler told Reuters.

He said that a toilet was a great place for artistic expression because art is a form of relief in the same way that going to the toilet is.

The art exhibited is mainly graffiti often with a political theme. Examples include images of Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel flanking a urinal in the corner of the room. Four artists contributed their work to the exhibition.

Although the 70-square meter museum is only temporary, Koehler said he could not rule out making it permanent if public interest remains high.

(Reporting by Josie Cox)
"The beauty of this is that it is only of theoretical importance,
and there is no way it can be of any practical use whatsoever."
- Sidney Harris


"Perhaps they've discovered the giant whoopee cushion I hid
under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." http://ozyandmillie.org/2002/01/03/ozy-and-millie-819/

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Tom Flapwell
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Postby Tom Flapwell » Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:41 pm

Lost in Translation: Wales officials mistakenly posted a Welsh sign that read, "I am not in the office at the moment," Agence France-Presse reported Saturday. The sign originally said in English, "No entry for heavy goods vehicles," but when officials e-mailed the phrase to translators, they received an automated reply in Welsh.
If anyone took a picture of one of those signs, it should show up on FAIL Blog.
See other much-maligned creatures in my webcomic: http://downscale.comicgenesis.com


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