Top 10 oddball news stories of 2011

Every year Time Magazine releases its top ten list for the best of everything that happened during the year. We particularly enjoyed this recap of the oddest news stories of 2011:

1. Harold Camping Predicts the End of the World — Twice

When the world didn’t come to an end on May 21 at 6:01pm, Camping was in shock, hiding out for a few weeks before returning with a revised date — this time in October. When life continued on well into November he stepped down from his role at Family Radio.

2. Lego Man Emerges from the Ocean

Publicity stunt — or not? When an eight-foot-tall fiberglass Lego man lookalike wearing a shirt that read “NO REAL THAN YOU ARE” emerged from Siesta Key Beach in Florida, residents and tourists alike were perplexed.

3. Ophiucus Redefines the Zodiac

Everyone remembers the uproar after it was announced that there were now 13 Zodiac signs instead of 12.

4. A Fake Facebook Tattoo Fools the Media

In June, a Dutch woman posted a video on YouTube that featured her arm supposedly tattooed with a 152 of her Facebook friends. Of course, it went viral and spawned reports on major news outlets about the extent to which our world is obsessed with social media. Turned out it was all a publicity stunt — the tattoo was a fake that washed off in a few days.

5. Mom Tries to Sell Kids on eBay

In July, an Australian woman listed her two kids, a boy and a girl under the age of 10, for sale on eBay as a joke. Strangers actually placed bids and the police were contacted by a concerned surfer. The ad was taken down immediately, and although she was threatened to have her children taken into protective custody, no charges were filed. However, an investigation into the identity of the bidders continues.

6. Ron Artest Changes Name to ‘Metta World Peace’

In an attempt to tone down his reputation for brawling, NBA star Ron Artest changed his name to Metta (a Buddhist term for friendship, love and kindness) World Peace.

7. Occupy Denver Elects Dog as Leader

In a vote that took all of five minutes, Occupy Denver elected Shelby — a 3-year-old Border Collie — to be their leader.

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8. City Collects $4,000 in Fines By Enforcing Ban on Sagging Pants

The decision to ban the wearing of low-riding pants that hit below the waistline — and expose undergarments — means good money in Albany, Georgia, where a first offense requires a $25 fine and a second offense costs $200.

9. Don Gorske (Super Size Me) Eats 25,000th Big Mac

The man who has eaten one Big Mac a day since 1972 made it to his 25,000th burger in May.

10. Facebook Birthday Party Invite Results in 1,500 Guests

When a German girl created her 16th birthday party invite on Facebook, she forgot to make the invite private — and ended up with 15,000 people on the guest list and 1,500 people showing up to her party.

Read the full story here.

Source: time.com

Photo: Pat Flood/The Reporter

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Photo: Pat Flood/The Reporter