Weird news thread....

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is this world comin to?

The government of France announced that, starting next year, it will regulate the booming business of country-western line dancing, by, among other measures, requiring licenses of teachers, after 200 hours' instruction. Inexplicably, at least 100,000 people in the country line dance weekly, and the popularity is growing, according to a May dispatch in The Times of London. A French Dance Federation official said he guesses the preference of line dancing over square dancing is the French preference for no physical contact. [The Times (London), 5-31-08]

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Questionable Judgments: Dr. Frederick Lobati, 47, was charged last year with felony abuse of his daughter in Ozark, Mo., but in June 2008 offered the defense that, being of African heritage, he was merely applying a "konk" (a bare-knuckle punch), which is an acceptable punishment in his culture. [Springfield News-Leader, 6-24-08]

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In June, police in Spokane, Wash., arrested Calvin Robinson, 19, who had set up inside the lockable family restroom at a mall because he needed an electrical outlet to run the color printer he had just bought for $100 (in real money) in order to make counterfeit $10 bills. Police recovered a sheet of uncut, poorly made copies, which Robinson said he had intended to use to buy "90 dollars" worth of marijuana. [Spokesman-Review (Spokane), 6-6-08]

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DALLAS - Police said two burglars struck a Texas store that sells high-end security equipment, and the whole thing was caught on tape by 17 cameras rolling in the store.

"The point is, nobody is safe; there is always a stupid criminal out there," said Kris Webb, owner of Spy Supply.

The thieves broke into Webb's surveillance gear store in North Richland Hills, Texas, last week.

"I've got them on no less than 17 cameras," Webb said. "We are a security business."

And if the name of the business wasn't telling enough, multiple warning signs on the store should have given the burglars a clue that they would be on camera.

"It is absolutely astounding that these people have the audacity to steal from us and not expect to get caught," Webb said.

The surveillance cameras caught several clear images of the two men who broke in through the store's front door with a crowbar early Friday.

Police said the duo filled a trash can with close to $10,000 worth of spy equipment.

Authorities said the video even showed a clear shot of their getaway car.

Webb said he's taking the robbery in stride.

"I'm pretty confident they will get caught," he said. "I'm not confident we'll get our equipment back."

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NEW YORK, - An ex-con allegedly tried to rob two people in New York, police said, but didn't notice his intended victims were police officers -- in uniform.

Police said 33-year-old Jermaine Washington allegedly was so intent on robbing someone Saturday that he pulled a fake handgun on the two armed police officers as they walked through Riverside Park, The New York Daily News said.

"It was stupid criminal tricks," a police source said. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."

After Washington allegedly pulled his fake gun, the two officers drew their real weapons and Washington surrendered after a short but tense standoff.

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[FAIRFIELD - It's a theft that just doesn't add up.

A short balding man who tried to steal cash from the Dunkin' Donuts outlet on the Post Road on Monday night fled with an adding machine that he apparently mistook for a cash register.

Police said the unidentified man walked into the doughnut shop about 10:28 p.m. and handed a clerk a note stating that he had a gun and a bomb. The man's note said he would use both if he didn't get cash, police said.

The man then grabbed an adding machine, which had no cash drawers, from the counter and ran from the shop.

The thief fled in a black car, possibly a Pontiac, police said.

Jaison??? Was this you?

[DUBB]

A human foot has been found on a beach near the west-coast city of Vancouver, Canadian police say.

It is the fifth human foot to wash up on beaches in the area in the past year. The latest find is a left foot, whereas the other four were right feet.

Walkers spotted the body part floating in water off the suburb of Westham Island in British Columbia on Monday.

Police and coroners are trying to identify the foot and discover if it is linked to the others found in the area.

All were wearing shoes and had been in the water for some time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7458468.stm