A Few Quirky News Stories

Lately it seems we’ve had a lot of bad news in this country and overseas.

There was the sad shooting at Fort Hood, Texas last week, the Malaysian airplane mystery, back and forth talks and threats from both sides with Russia in a way we haven’t had in years.

Of course, there is always good news stories too, but what about quirky news stories? We decided to see what else has been making the news lately. We found a few odd ones, even a couple of humorous stories.

A nine-month-old boy was accused of planning murder in Pakistan, according to a BBC report.

Yes, the baby appeared in court recently with his father on charges of planning murder, threatening police and interfering with state affairs. He and his dad were among 30 people facing those charges.

The father said he and his child were with a group of people protesting an electricity shortage. Some rocks were thrown at police, hence the murder charge and threatening police. But, seriously, could a baby really throw a rock?

Apparently Pujab’s Chief Minister Muhammed Shahbaz Shariff didn’t think it was possible. The news report said Shariff became alarmed by the charges against the baby, saw to it they were dropped and the assistant superintendent who filed the charges was suspended, according to the news report.

NBC reported last week that a father in Mainz, Germany, wanted to name his baby boy “WikiLeaks,” but a court ruling said the name could endanger the baby’s welfare and refused the father’s wish.

The father, Hajar Hamalaw, formerly of Iraq, said the organization founded by Julian Assange had a deep impact on him.

“This is not only a simple name for me — it has a big meaning,” Hamalaw told NBC News. He said, despite the court ruling he and his family continue to call the baby “WikiLeaks.”

Beauty contests are not just for people. Believe it or not, there are beauty contests for chickens — Ayam Serama chickens that supposedly strut their stuff on a runway, according to TODAY.com.

Breeders of these chickens are usually men and the chickens are groomed the day before a competition, which takes place in Asian countries such as Malaysia. The chickens are bred for their beauty not for their meat, according to the report.

The chickens not only strut down a runway but flap their wings and put on a big show much to the delight of the owners.

Oops! Indiana Senator Dan Coats appeared at a wrong U.S. Capitol subcommittee hearing last month, according to the Washington Post.

Not aware of being in the wrong place he gave a very lengthy introduction to a question and then commended the witness David Cohen, undersecretary of treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, for his department’s quick response to a letter Coats had sent.

After an aide slipped him a piece of paper, Coats interrupted himself, saying “I just got a note saying I’m at the wrong hearing.”

Cohen responded, saying “Well, that would explain why I didn’t know anything about this letter.”

Coats went on to say that “this is the first time this has ever happened to me,” adding that “I saw some familiar faces and I thought this is where I should be,” and “I’ll go try to find out where I’m supposed to be.”

A humorous tweet from Coats later said the Russians had evidently tampered with his schedule.