offbeat news
 There is a white oak tree on the corner of Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia that is said to own itself.
The earliest known telling of the tree’s story comes from a front page article titled "Deeded to Itself" in the Athens Weekly Banner of August 12, 1890. The article explains that the tree had been located on the property of Colonel William Henry Jackson. William Jackson was the son of one James Jackson (a soldier in the American Revolution as well as a Congressman, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Georgia), and the father of another James Jackson (a Congressman and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia). He was the brother of Jabez Young Jackson, also a Congressman.[1][2] (William Jackson was reportedly a professor at the University of Georgia and is sometimes given the title of Doctor; the nature of his military service and the source of the title Colonel is unknown.[3]) Jackson supposedly cherished childhood memories of the tree and, desiring to protect it, deeded to the tree ownership of itself and the surrounding land. By various accounts this transaction took place between 1820 and 1832.[4][5] According to the newspaper article, the deed read:
I, W. H. Jackson, of the county of Clarke, of the one part, and the oak tree… of the county of Clarke, of the other part: Witnesseth, That the said W. H. Jackson for and in consideration of the great affection which he bears said tree, and his great desire to see it protected has conveyed, and by these presents do convey unto the said oak tree entire possession of itself and of all land within eight feet of it on all sides.
It is unclear whether the story of the Tree That Owns Itself began with the Weekly Banner article or if it had been an element of local folklore prior to that time. The author of "Deeded to Itself" writes that, in 1890, there were few people still living who knew the story.
The current tree is actually the "Son of The Tree That Owns Itself." The original tree fell in 1942 and a new tree was grown from one of the original tree's acorns. Link
Were you floored by the fireworks display at the Beijing Olympics? Turns out an almost 1-minute sequence of the display was digitally faked.
The opening to the Bejing Olympics featured a staggering fireworks display, but those watching at home were tricked into thinking what they saw was real. Some of it was actually CGI.
The fakery was unearthed by a local Chinese newspaper, The Beijing Times, which revealed that a 55-second sequence was created by a visual effects team, which included a series of giant footsteps made by fireworks.
Confusingly, this actually took place in the real ceremony, but the organisers felt that the sequence of 28 footprints would not be accurately captured live, so they faked it.
Link
A human foot encased in a running shoe was found along the shorelines of the Strait of Georgia, southwest of Vancouver. This is the second foot encased in a running shoe found this week and the sixth within a year.
Authorities say they haven't reached any conclusions about the origin of the feet but are working to determine if there are any links to any other partial remains recovered in the province.
"Too my knowledge, we have not encountered anything like this," RCMP spokeswoman Annie Linteau told The Associated Press Wednesday evening. She declined to speculate if foul play was involved.
Link. Update: Turns out the 6th foot found was a hoax. It turned out to be an animal paw that was placed in a sock and athletic shoe that was stuffed with dried seaweed. Link [ via]
 Seriously? Stripper Maxi Mounds made the Guiness World Book of Records with her 36MM fake breasts.
Each of her breasts weighs 20 pounds – and they are still growing, thanks to the controversial "polypropylene string" treatment that created them.
Unimpressed by the results of standard silicone implants, Ms Mounds had plastic string inserted into her breasts in 2000.
The implant irritates the breast, causing the release of body fluids that inflate the area still further.
The procedure – which was only really popular among adult entertainers and sex workers – has since been banned in Britain and the United States due to concerns about its safety.
Link.
When a Japanese man was baffled as to how food kept disappearing from his kitchen, he decided to set up a hidden camera which found something quite unsettling.
The 57-year-old unemployed man of Fukuoka in southern Japan called police Wednesday when the camera sent pictures to his mobile phone of an intruder in his home while he was out on Wednesday, the Asahi newspaper said on its Website.
Officers rushed to the house and found a 58-year-old unemployed woman hiding in an unused closet, where she had secreted a mattress and plastic drink bottles, the Asahi said. Police suspect she may have been there for several months, the paper said.
Tokyo police found an African grey parrot. The parrot was transferred to a veterinary hospital where the parrot eventually opened up and recited its owner's name and street address.
He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.
"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.
"We checked the address, and what do you know, a Nakamura family really lived there. So we told them we've found Yosuke," Uemura said.
The Nakamura family told police they had been teaching the bird its name and address for about two years.
Link. Also check out:Beatboxing parrotParrot that does special effects and animal sounds (LwL) Famed research parrot dies
A nine-year-old girl was admitted to a hospital in central Greece due to complaints of severe stomach pains. The pain was caused by an embryo about six centimeters long with a head, hair, and eyes. The embryo was surgically removed and the girl has made a full recovery. Link.
Tabitha Pollock was charged with first degree murder after her boyfriend killed Tabitha's 3-year-old daughter. Prosecutors believed she should have known of the danger so she spent more than six years in prison. The Illinois Supreme Court threw out of the conviction, but Pollock is still waiting for an official pardon from the governor of Illinois to completely clear her name. She's been waiting since 2002. Link
22-year-old Patrick Bertoletti from Chicago became the Acme World Oyster Eating champion by downing 35 dozen oysters in eight minutes. Defending champing Crazy Legs Conti came in third by eating 24 dozen oysters. Link
Previously:
Hot Dog Eating Record Broken by California Man
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