xxxNews Of The Weirdxxx
Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.
To publicize the use of fat as an alternative method of harvesting stem cells to grow new human tissue, Austin, Texas, plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ersek, who is overweight, called in reporters in August to watch as he liposuctioned 1-1/2 pounds of his own fat from the left side of his abdomen. As Ersek (under local anesthetic) moved the vacuuming wand inside his body, he urged people to save their fat for the time (maybe five years from now) in which stem-cell work will be routine. (Ersek said he would leave the right side of his abdomen as is, to show liposuction candidates a “before” and “after.”)
Judging by sales figures for two recent products, Japanese men and women have either too much free time or not nearly enough because now selling briskly in pet shops are ants and shrimp. The Antquarium is a six-ant farm that uses a self-sustaining nutritional gel instead of sand, and the Holo Holo is basically a plastic box containing five deep-water scarlet shrimp packaged in nutritional algae-water. Each sells for the equivalent of about US$30. One satisfied customer told the Japan Times, “As I live on my own, I wanted to have pets that are easy to take care of.”
With cameras from the “Cops” TV show rolling, an Evansville, Ind., police dog chasing a gunman in a retirement home suddenly leaped on innocent bystander John Terry and bit his right arm before he was pulled off (August).
A 10-year-old Komodo dragon in heat accidentally plunged to her death off a wall in the London Zoo trying to get to her mate (August).
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
