Offbeat

Offbeat Gerbils strut their stuff at New England pageant

By RODRIQUE NGOWI,Associated Press Published: May 4, 2013 at 3:13 PM PDT Last Updated: May 4, 2013 at 3:13 PM PDT

The American Gerbil Society's annual pageant brought dozens of rodents scurrying to New England this weekend for a chance to win "top gerbil."

Offbeat Rat meat sold as lamb in latest China food scandal

By Associated Press Published: May 3, 2013 at 8:12 PM PDT Last Updated: May 3, 2013 at 8:12 PM PDT

Chinese police have broken up a criminal ring accused of taking meat from rats and foxes and selling it as lamb in the country's latest food safety scandal.

Offbeat Photos: Boise Burger Brawl contestants tackle 'Braveheart' (Photo Gallery)

By KBOI Web Staff Published: May 3, 2013 at 1:23 PM PDT Last Updated: May 3, 2013 at 2:16 PM PDT

The Braveheart includes three 9-oz meat patties, four types of cheese, 10 pieces of bacon, ham, corned beef, finger steaks, pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, pickles, lettuce and tomato, sandwiched in a sourdough roll.

Offbeat Photos: Giant rubber duck makes splash in Hong Kong (Photo Gallery)

By ANNIE HO, Associated Press Published: May 3, 2013 at 9:42 AM PDT Last Updated: May 3, 2013 at 9:54 AM PDT

A six-story-high rubber duck is making a big splash in Hong Kong.

Offbeat Artist replaces paintbrush with jet engine thrust (Photo Gallery)

By SUZETTE LABOY, Associated Press Published: May 3, 2013 at 9:24 AM PDT Last Updated: May 3, 2013 at 10:48 AM PDT

Instead of paintbrushes, artist Tarinan von Anhalt uses $10 million jet engines from a Learjet to hurl blues and purples with a force that creates intense power and heat.

Offbeat Hospital patient accused of posing as Pink Floyd guitarist

By Associated Press Published: May 2, 2013 at 11:15 AM PDT Last Updated: May 2, 2013 at 11:15 AM PDT

A man is accused of pretending to be a member of rock band Pink Floyd at a Minnesota hospital — and racking up as much as $100,000 in unpaid medical bills.

Offbeat IBM makes tiny movie by pushing molecules around (Video)

By Associated Press Published: May 1, 2013 at 7:50 AM PDT Last Updated: May 1, 2013 at 10:40 AM PDT

IBM says it has made the tiniest stop-motion movie ever - a one-minute video of individual carbon monoxide molecules repeatedly rearranged to show a boy dancing, throwing a ball and bouncing on a trampoline.

Offbeat Hunting, NYC style: Owners set dogs on alley rats (Photo Gallery)

By JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press Published: Apr 30, 2013 at 8:34 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 30, 2013 at 10:31 AM PDT

Bodies tense and noses twitching, the dogs sniff the fertile hunting ground before them: a lower Manhattan alley, grimy, dim and perfect for rats. With a terse command — "Now!" — the chase is on.

Offbeat Homemade 'lightsaber' causes bomb scare

By KOMO Staff Published: Apr 29, 2013 at 5:26 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 30, 2013 at 10:37 AM PDT

Police say the suspicious device that temporarily closed the downtown transit tunnel Sunday night was actually a homemade "lightsaber.

Offbeat 'Fowl' vandals crack 12 eggs in Seattle man's hot tub

By KOMO Staff Published: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:33 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:51 PM PDT

Police are looking for the vandals who threw an egg into a Madrona man's car and then cracked more than a dozen eggs into his backyard hot tub over the weekend.

Offbeat Watch: Man arrested for letting son drive Ferrari (Video)

By Associated Press Published: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:47 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:47 AM PDT

Police on Monday arrested a man who allowed his 9-year-old son to drive his Ferrari in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

Offbeat Luke, I am your bizhe'e: Navajo is next 'Star Wars' dub

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press Published: Apr 28, 2013 at 4:38 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 29, 2013 at 9:22 AM PDT

The classic 1977 film that launched a science fiction empire and revealed the force within a farm boy who battles evil has been dubbed in Japanese, French, Spanish and about a dozen other languages. Add Navajo to the list.

Offbeat Rare nickel sells for $3 million at auction (Photo Gallery)

By Associated Press Published: Apr 26, 2013 at 8:21 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 10:43 AM PDT

The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of only five known to exist. But it's the coin's back story that adds to its cachet: It was surreptitiously and illegally cast, discovered in a car wreck that killed its owner, declared a fake, forgotten in a closet for decades then declared the real deal.

Offbeat Woman swallows $5,000 diamond at charity event

By Associated Press Published: Apr 26, 2013 at 8:12 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 8:12 AM PDT

The idea behind the Tampa Women's Club charity event was simple. For $20, you could buy a flute of champagne and a chance to win a one-carat, $5,000 diamond.

Offbeat Researchers: Philly's odd accent may be 'gowing' away

By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press Published: Apr 26, 2013 at 9:26 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 9:25 AM PDT

A University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor says the Southern-inflected sound of the Philadelphia dialect is moving toward a more Northern accent. Some of Philly's trademark twangy, elongated vowel sounds are becoming less so, though others are getting stronger.