Tag: Offbeat
British teacher suspended over push-up punishment
A British schoolteacher has been suspended after making his pupils do push-ups as a punishment for arriving late to class, Britain's main teaching union.[MORE]
Marmite lure for Bobbies to go home
The lure of Marmite and other things English are part of a UK police recruiting campaign aimed at Australia.[MORE]
MP mixes chloride and chlorine
A MP mixes up chloride and chlorine as he argues about water concerns in SA.[MORE]
New York journalist 'steals' Empire State Building
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A NY journalist has gone to drastic measures to highlight property deed fraud by 'stealing' the Empire State Building.[MORE]
Doctor performs SMS amputation after hippo attack
A British surgeon volunteering in the Democratic Republic of Congo has used text message instructions to perform a life-saving arm amputation, he said.[MORE]
Cane toad 'hitches ride from Brisbane to Perth'
A man says a cane toad hitched a ride in his golf shoe on a flight from Brisbane to Perth, surviving for six days before it was discovered on an Albany golf course.[MORE]
Hockey sans jockeys if Sydney airport built
Federal Opposition frontbencher Joe Hockey has pledged to walk naked through the streets of Sydney if the Federal Government delivers a second airport for the city.[MORE]
We'll work for $1 a year, say US car bosses
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The bosses of America's biggest car companies vow to work for $US1 a year in return for government loans.[MORE]
Fish sex change - it's in the ears
Australian researchers have discovered a new way to determine when a fish has changed sex, by looking at its ears.[MORE]
Kangaroo shirts land Singaporeans in jail
Three Singaporeans have been jailed after being charged with contempt of court for showing up at Singapore's Supreme Court wearing T-shirts depicting kangaroos in judges robes. [MORE]
Cash-strapped Brits choose sex over shopping
As Britons tighten their belts to cope with the credit crunch, a new poll showed their favourite leisure activity is whipping off their pants for a quick roll in the hay.[MORE]
Sydney PhD student turns thesis into dance
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A Sydney PhD student has won an award for setting her PhD to a dance routine.[MORE]
Colossal squid stops traffic in Wellington
A giant squid has brought traffic to a standstill in the New Zealand capital of Wellington.[MORE]
Italian truffle fetches $305k at auction
Defying the economic downturn, an Italian white truffle weighing just over one kilogram has sold at an international auction for $US200,000 ($305,000).[MORE]
French need biggest condoms: study
The French say they need the largest condoms in Europe while Greeks get by on smaller ones, according to a Europe-wide study by a German consultancy that provides advice on condoms.[MORE]
World's oldest person dies at 115
An American woman who held the record for being the world's oldest person for over a year has died at the ripe old age of 115 years, 220 days. [MORE]
Coast Guard resuscitates drowning koala
Victoria's Port of Portland Coast Guard had a rescue of a different nature last night, with volunteers giving CPR to a drowning koala.[MORE]
Man busted smuggling menagerie into Poland
Polish border guards said they had foiled an attempt to smuggle kangaroos, miniature ponies and 11 pheasants in a passenger bus across Poland's border with Ukraine.[MORE]
Teens charged over $55k sex shop theft
Two Alice Springs teenagers have been charged for stealing $55,000 worth of property from an adult store.[MORE]
Premier pledges to donate 'archive of leaks'
Premier Mike Rann pledges to donate an archive of 'leaks' he received when SA opposition leader.[MORE]
Bequeathed skull stars in Tennant's Hamlet
Dr Who realises pianist's dying wish by using his skull as a prop in Shakespeare's Hamlet.[MORE]
Barry Manilow music used as punishment
A US judge has hailed as a success a new form of punishment for people who go to court for being too noisy - an hour of listening to Barry Manilow or the theme tune from the children's TV show Barney And Friends.[MORE]
Court unzips fake penis drugs scam
Two men who sold prosthetic penises enabling drug cheats to give fake urine samples have pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the United States, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.[MORE]
Panda attacks man who wanted a cuddle
A panda at a zoo in southern China has attacked a student who snuck into its pen hoping for a cuddle with the endangered bear, state media have said. [MORE]
Billboards used to catch repairman thief
A New Zealand businessman has gone to great lengths to track down a person who stole electrical equipment from him.[MORE]
