xxxNews Of The Weirdxxx
Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.
Several news organizations have recently profiled 70-year-old Charlotte Chambers, who is a reserve defensive back for the Orlando Starz of the Independent Women’s (tackle) Football League. Said the Starz’ chief executive: “Last year, I thought I should tell the other teams to go easy and not hit her too hard. But now I’m afraid she’s going to hurt somebody.” Said the 5-foot-4, 140-pound Chambers: “I say, ‘You better hit me (first), because I’m laying you out.'”
An industry has sprung up in the last year or two in New York City: advisers who counsel parents on how to get their 3-year-olds accepted at prestigious nursery schools (which gives them a leg up in being accepted at prestigious kindergartens and then prestigious private schools). According to a May New York Times report, advisers charge as much as $300 an hour or a flat $3,000 to give tips, which parents justify because a full, 14-year ride in private schools can cost $300,000. Top-of-the-line Columbia Grammar, for example (one of the “Baby Ivies”), recently had more than 500 kindergarten applicants for 34 open slots.
Recent Alarming Headlines:
(1) “From Hyenas’ Privates, a Potential Public Good” (a May Contra Costa Times report on how both male and female hormones flow through hyenas’ genitals, in part shaping them, which scientists say offers clues in how to treat potentially hermaphroditic humans).
(2) “Psychologists Dissect the Multiple Meanings of Meow” (a May Cox News Service report on how cats may display many alterations of their standard vocalization depending on why at that time they want humans’ attention).
(3) “15 Injured in Kite Contests” (a report from Britain’s Independent TV on competitions featuring contentious Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat, India, in which aggressive participants use twine coated with powdered glass).
Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla. 33679 or [email protected]
Copyright © 2001 by Chuck Shepherd
NEWS OF THE WEIRD