Believe it or not, these stories actually were in the newspaper

Believe it or not, these stories actually were in the newspaper
Believe it or not, these stories actually were in the newspaper
Caught where he shouldn’t be.

When I was a kid I always looked forward to the newspaper edition that contained “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” Frankly I found it difficult to believe many of their claims but apparently they were all well documented and true. I guess there is no longer a need for such a column.

As you by now know, as well as being a prolific writer I am an avid newspaper reader. Almost every day in the newspaper appear “Believe it or Not” type articles that are actually news. Here are just a few examples culled from the local newspapers in the past few months:

• At the Orlando airport recently a TV reporter was stopped prior to boarding his plane by a TSA agent who thought that he needed a special passport because he came from the District of Columbia. It’s obviously not a part of the United States. Whoo boy!

• In Ankara Turkey the Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said that women should not be allowed to laugh in public. He claims that laughing in public is not among the requirements of being an honorable woman. The issue is pending in their socalled legal system. I guess I would have a tough time trying to impress women with my humor there. To protest, women in Turkey began posting photos of themselves laughing on social media.

• In St. Petersburg, FL some not-so-bright teenagers attempted to open the door of a parked car while an undercover St. Petersburg police detective sat inside. The detective was watching the area because officers received reports that teens were trying to break into open parked cars. The detective watched them try other doors. Apparently unaware he was inside the teens tried the detective’s door last. The teens — girls 13, 14 and 15 — were arrested. All three were charged with possession of burglary tools and burglary on a car.

• Speaking of the not-so-bright, in Seattle, WA, an attempted carjacking failed when the three crooks found out that they were in a vehicle with a manual transmission and none of them knew how to drive it. The 70-yearold owner of the car later laughed at the inept carjackers. Lucky she wasn’t in Turkey

• A Baltimore, MD, gynecologist used secret tiny cameras to record hundreds of videos and photos of his patient’s sex organs. Dr. Nikita Levy was fired after 25 years with the John’s Hopkins Health Institute in Baltimore. He apparently wore a pin like camera around his neck. He later committed suicide. You might look for the pen on eBay.

• In the same newspaper, a Biloxi, MS, man fled a traffic stop and unknowingly ran into a law enforcement academy. He ran into the building while training was in session. He was arrested and is now free on bond. Brilliant!

• No I am not through yet. We had to go as far as Berlin, Germany, for this story. An American exchange student got stuck in a giant vagina sculpture in southwestern Germany. He was finally freed by firefighters from the Teubingen Fire Service. The man slipped as he tried to climb into the stone sculpture to pose for a photo. He could not free himself so the fire service was called. No damage was done to the sculpture created by Peruvian born artist Fernando de la Jara (see photo).

Oh how I miss my days as a radio talk show host. Can you imagine the number of phone calls I would have received on anyone of these amazing incidents? Fortunately my habit of reading the newspaper thoroughly every day brings these things to my attention and I know that the average person cannot devote this much time and energy to so fruitless a hobby, but I have fun.

If you happen to spot any similar articles that I have missed, please forward them to me at community@sochin.com and I will try to include them in future articles.


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