Offbeat

Offbeat Hospital: Man had pencil in head for 15 years

By Associated Press Published: May 29, 2013 at 9:12 AM PDT Last Updated: May 29, 2013 at 9:12 AM PDT

German doctors say a man spent 15 years with a pencil in his head following a childhood accident.

Offbeat Rare twin giraffes born in Central Texas

By Associated Press Published: May 28, 2013 at 5:01 PM PDT Last Updated: May 28, 2013 at 5:02 PM PDT

Officials with a Central Texas wildlife refuge say twin giraffes have been born, marking just the second time such a birth has occurred in the U.S.

Offbeat Canadian snowplow operator pleads guilty to drunk driving

By Associated Press Published: May 28, 2013 at 9:31 AM PDT Last Updated: May 28, 2013 at 9:31 AM PDT

A Winnipeg snowplow operator has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Offbeat Romania unfurls largest flag in the world (Photo Gallery)

By ALISON MUTLER, Associated Press Published: May 27, 2013 at 8:53 AM PDT Last Updated: May 27, 2013 at 8:53 AM PDT

A Romanian village on Monday unfurled what is the largest flag ever made, Guinness World Records said.

Offbeat Ohio man, 87, skydives to aid sick great-grandson

By Associated Press Published: May 26, 2013 at 5:41 PM PDT Last Updated: May 26, 2013 at 5:41 PM PDT

Clarence Turner of Fairfield made the jump Saturday with an instructor. He says he wanted to generate attention for the plight of 10-month-old Julian Couch, who suffers from a lung disease that could require a transplant.

Offbeat Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

By SSTEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press Published: May 24, 2013 at 2:55 PM PDT Last Updated: May 24, 2013 at 2:55 PM PDT

It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.

Offbeat After 13 years on the run, fugitive busted for peeing on wall

By TAMI ABDOLLAH, Associated Press Published: May 24, 2013 at 1:15 PM PDT Last Updated: May 24, 2013 at 1:15 PM PDT

A man wanted for 13 years on attempted murder charges in Los Angeles was captured in Colorado after someone called police to report he was urinating on a wall outside a KFC restaurant.

Offbeat Manila officials not thrilled with Dan Brown for calling it 'gates of hell'

By Associated Press Published: May 24, 2013 at 9:58 AM PDT Last Updated: May 24, 2013 at 9:58 AM PDT

Dan Brown's description of Manila as "the gates of hell" in the American novelist's latest book has not gone down well with officials in the Philippine capital.

Offbeat NJ: Caramel-colored rubbing alcohol sold as scotch

By REMA RAHMAN,Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 6:38 PM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 6:38 PM PDT

At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch. In another, premium liquor bottles were refilled with water — and apparently not even clean water at that.

Offbeat 84-year-old woman indicted for drug trafficking

By Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 12:48 PM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 12:48 PM PDT

An 84-year-old Albuquerque woman who uses an oxygen tank has been indicted for drug trafficking.

Offbeat For this urban bicyclist, a cat is his co-pilot (Photo Gallery)

By KATHY MATHESON, Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 8:26 AM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 10:21 AM PDT

Rudi Saldia often buzzes around Philadelphia with his year-old feline Mary Jane perched on his shoulder. Their urban adventures have turned heads on the street and garnered big hits on YouTube.

Offbeat Council members abstain from vote on abstaining

By Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 8:46 AM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 12:56 PM PDT

Three members of a Michigan city council have abstained from voting on a measure that would have prevented them from abstaining on future votes.

Offbeat Surgeons remove tiger's basketball-sized hairball (Photo Gallery)

By Associated Press Published: May 22, 2013 at 7:58 PM PDT Last Updated: May 22, 2013 at 7:58 PM PDT

It's not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons in Florida when he couldn't hack up a basketball-size hairball by himself.

Offbeat Octogenarians race to be oldest Everest climber

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press Published: May 22, 2013 at 7:45 AM PDT Last Updated: May 22, 2013 at 7:45 AM PDT

An 80-year-old Japanese extreme skier who climbed Mount Everest five years ago, but just missed becoming the oldest man to reach the summit, was back on the mountain Wednesday to make another attempt at the title.

Offbeat Record 18-foot python caught in Florida

By Associated Press Published: May 21, 2013 at 8:21 AM PDT Last Updated: May 21, 2013 at 8:21 AM PDT

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the 18-foot-8-inch snake was caught May 11 alongside a road in rural Miami-Dade County.