Weird World
Hung like a donkey
In Turkey, Mehmet Esirgen, 52, tried to cure his sexual impotence by having a penis transplant - using a donkey as the donor. The wire service Agence France-Presse reported that three times Esirgen brought home a donkey, amputated its sexual organs and appealed in vain for a doctor to perform the operation. Apparently the third time so annoyed his family that his son shot him in the leg.
Supermarket sweep
Dave Feuerstein sued supermarket chain Tesco because one of its promotions offered so many bargains that he hurt his back carrying off the discounted merchandise. "Offers like this are too good to refuse," said Feuerstein, who made several trips to the store over a three-day period to redeem more than 300 coupons. "Tesco should have been more considerate and make it impossible to do what I did. If Tesco hadn't had this offer I wouldn't have hurt my back."
Crushing defeat
A US man whose son was crushed to death by a soda vending machine has filed a $500,000 wrongful-death lawsuit against the company that manufactured the machine. The 27-year-old man apparently rocked the machine, which fell, pinning him against a wall and crushing his chest. The father decided to sue after learning that his son's death was not an isolated incident. "The penalty for jiggling a machine to get a quarter out or a free Coke shouldn't be death," said the man's lawyer. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission found that between 1978 and 1995, at least 37 deaths and 113 injuries resulted from falling vending machines, which can weigh 1,000 pounds.
Hack remains
Residents in Charlotteville, Arizona, were shocked when a 3000 year-old ugly woman was discovered in a local quarry, preserved by her 6-inch-thick make-up. Sources close to the dig said: "Someone must have been very upset with her." The woman was believed to have been killed in 1100 BC. She was reportedly hacked to death.
17th May 2001