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Odd News From Around The World - Page 2

Mexico Livens Up Subway with Literature Handouts

Feb 26, 8:13 am ET

By Catherine Bremer
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Between the taco stalls and scratchcard booths that line Mexico City's subway stations, volunteers in bright orange shirts are handing out free books of short stories to entice Mexicans to read more.


Seventy out of every 100 books are returned, an admirable figure in a city notorious for petty crime. Some readers, who sneaked the books home for the evening, returned them with notes praising the project.

"I decided the worst thing that could happen was for none of the books to be returned -- but even that would be a success because it would mean we had got people reading," Saiz said.

About 4.5 million people pack into Mexico's Metro each day, taking advantage of one of the cheapest rides in the world but suffering sweaty, crowded trains and pickpockets.

Saiz wants to create an atmosphere closer to New York or European subways where books and newspapers abound.

International Level: Ambassador / Political Participation: 595 59.5%

World The From News Odd

I almost put this in the Jokes board, but it's a real event.

Handyman Nailed with His Own Nail Gun
Mar 8, 8:51 am ET
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian handyman admitted he was stupid to shoot himself in the head with a nail gun in a misguided prank that left him with a nail lodged in his brain.
Brad Shorten, a father of three from Victoria state, was enjoying a few beers with friends after working on his house when they began joking about industrial accidents.

Shorten, 33, picked up a nail gun that he thought was empty, pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger.

He later said he had turned off the gun's compressor and taken out its nail cartridge but did not realize there was still enough pressure in the gun to fire a nail.

"My mates and I were talking about construction site accidents and taking your eye out with a nail gun, and I foolishly put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger," Shorten told the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper.

"I did a very stupid thing," he said.

The bizarre mishap left him with a 1.25-inch nail counter-sunk through his skull just behind his temple.

Royal Melbourne Hospital neurosurgeons removed the nail in a delicate four-hour operation even though Shorten, who was expected to make a full recovery, had offered to take the nail out with a pair of pliers.

www.reuters.com

Edited: FarSeer on 9th Mar, 2004 - 1:51pm

Odd News From Around The World History & Civil Business Politics

Now that is what you call 'stupid' to the highest degree. Plus his offer to take it out with a pliers shows what intelligence level we are on. If you did not put it here I would of said this goes well with the thread... 'Another reason not to drink'

Page 2 World The From News Odd

Yep, that is another reason not to drink Also, another reason not to hang out with people who drink...

World The From News Odd

Red iceberg causes a stir in Greenland
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:36 p.m. ET March 25, 2004
COPENHAGEN, Denmark - An artist with 780 gallons of red paint, three fire hoses and a 20-member crew at his disposal went to Greenland in search of a blank canvas large enough to accommodate his creative impulse.

The result is a blood-red iceberg now sitting off the country's western coast.

"We all have a need to decorate Mother Nature because it belongs to all us," Danish artist Marco Evaristti said Thursday. "This is my iceberg; it belongs to me."

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4602285/

Odd News From Around The World

Briton to bet it all on one spin of the wheel
Man sells all of his possessions, heads to Las Vegas

Reuters - Updated: 6:30 p.m. ET April 08, 2004

LOS ANGELES - A British man who has sold all his possessions, including his clothes, will stand in a rented tuxedo on Sunday and bet everything on a single spin of the roulette wheel.
If he wins, he doubles his money. If he loses, he will be left with only the television crew documenting his every move.
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4696187/
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Can I pass judgment here? What an idiot.

IMO
Roz

Odd News From The World - Page 2

My father was once a professional dealer and he said that only idiots bet on double or nothing. That it was a losers bet. Even if this guy wins, he loses. Because the chances of him continuing to bet is high, the longer you stay the more you lose. Yep, I have to agree 100% with you FarSeer ~ What an Idiot.

Odd News From The World Politics Business Civil & History - Page 2

As a follow up...


Double or nothing: which was it?
April 12, 2004

The wheel was spun, a crowd of supporters including his Mum and Dad from London went wild, the ball bobbled over the slots and landed on Red '7' -- and Revell walked away with $270,600.

https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/12/1081621840996.html
Incredible.