Hidekazu Kakoi was looking for a fishing spot about six miles off shore when he noticed something bobbing on the horizon. He pulled his boat closer and discovered a man, grasping a duffel bag. That was just the start of the mystery. Now recovering on the tiny island of Tanegashima, off Japan’s southern coast, the […]
A match made in.. um… Wal-Mart?
Somewhere between the junk food aisle and the automotive department, Pat Byrd and Bill Hughes fell in love. (CNN/AP: “Longtime customers wed at Wal-Mart” [August 24, 2004])
Posted by Ben on September 24, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/a-match-made-in-um-wal-mart/
Tunguska, your secrets are mine
Remember the 1908 explosion above Tunguska, the one that inexplicably flattened like 800 square miles of trees? Well, okay, you don’t remember it—but you’ve heard of it, right? It’s fairly mysterious, though the general consensus seems to be that it was caused by some form of meteorite or other exploding in the air. Of course […]
Posted by Ben on September 14, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/tunguska-your-secrets-are-mine/
Innocent underground picnics
Police in Paris have discovered a fully equipped cinema-cum-restaurant in a large and previously uncharted cavern underneath the capital’s chic 16th arrondissement. … After entering the network through a drain next to the Trocadero… officers came across a tarpaulin marked: Building site, No access. Behind that, a tunnel held a desk and a closed-circuit TV […]
Posted by Ben on September 12, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/innocent-underground-picnics/
Bye Aliens, Hello World (Aliens, Stains, Books, Chicken Livers, & Atrocious Bad Luck)
Bye E.T.! Any chances of aliens finding Earth may soon disappear. Which isn’t to say that there ever was a chance, really, but if there was, it’s soon to be gone, mostly thanks to the decrease in signal leakage from the technology around us. Television broadcast antennas—which put out a fairly significant amount of radio-waves—are […]
Posted by Ben on September 8, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/bye-aliens/
I’m so proud
Hogzilla, as it turns out, isn’t the only giant feral pig in town. (Well, country.) (Lancaster New Era: “Our very own Hogzilla,” by Ad Crable [August 11, 2004])
Posted by Ben on September 6, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/im-so-proud/
Hogzilla… or Hogadilla?
You may or may not have heard of the legendary Hogzilla. You may or may not have known it was called Hogzilla, depending on what parts you’re from. “Around these parts,” the article states, “they are calling it Hogzilla.” Hog-zilla. Anyway, it’s a great headline-maker, as far as quirky news stories go. And it’s also […]
Posted by Ben on August 27, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/hogzilla-or-hogadilla/
Wallet-size or 5×7?
It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it: Immigration officers are having to pore through naked pictures of hundreds of exotic dancers to keep imposters out of Canada, the Toronto Sun reported Tuesday. Foreign strippers planning to table dance in clubs must now provide photos of themselves with no clothes on to qualify […]
Posted by Ben on August 23, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/wallet-size-or-5x7/
More freak accidents
In the same vein as this earlier post on a freak vending machine accident, here is freak portable toilet accident #1 (still waiting for word of #2): A portable toilet exploded Tuesday after a man who was inside it lit a cigarette. Emergency workers said the man was not severely injured and drove himself to […]
Posted by Ben on August 12, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/more-freak-accidents/
Unpleasant imagery
Marysville police say they arrested a 23-year-old man wearing nothing but cheese early Sunday. (AP: “Police arrest cheese-covered naked man” [July 19, 2004])
Posted by Ben on August 9, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/unpleasant-imagery/