News Of The Weird - Feb. 06, 2002

Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.

According to a September New York Times report, New York City homeless-shelter workers believe that “50 to 75 percent” of the current population of 8,000 families (2,000 more than the year before) are “unreasonably picky” about moving into permanent assisted housing, thus remaining in temporary apartments at an average cost to the city of $2,800 per family per month. Sara Kelly, a mother of six and eight-year assisted-housing client, said she could not accept a three-bedroom apartment because “you had to walk through one bedroom to get to another bedroom to get to a bathroom (and) I can’t live like that. (I am) choosy about where I live.”

On Nov. 2, skydiver Ron Sirull (1,000 career jumps) performed at the Air and Space Show at Vandenberg Air Force Base (just north of Lompoc, Calif.), accompanied by his Dachshund, Brutus the Skydiving Dog (100 career jumps), to the protests of animal-rights activists but (according to Sirull) to the delight of Brutus, who was “totally turned on.” Brutus doesn’t jump alone; he wears goggles and rides in Sirull’s jumpsuit. According to Sirull, Brutus’ vet and the Arizona Humane Society say the jumps are safe.

In White River Junction, Vt., in October, Stewart Fuller, 41, was charged with looting about $30,000 worth of goods from the house of neighbors Roger and Shirley Labelle (who were away) and holding a three-day yard sale nearby so that when the Labelles returned, they couldn’t help but notice that some of their neighbors had their stuff.

Earlier this year, 89 wives, daughters and lovers of wealthy or powerful Mexican men posed chicly in extravagant settings with complete lack of inhibition about their opulence, for photographer Daniela Rossell’s coffee-table book, “Ricas y Famosas” (“Rich and Famous”), thus appearing to taunt the 53 percent of Mexicans who live in poverty. Rossell, who comes from the upper class herself, and is thought to have made the book in part because of conflicted views of her upbringing, has since received threats from the embarrassed wealthy, who apparently miscalculated how their pictures would be perceived.
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