I admit that I regularly check out Reuters weird news. Even the list of headlines tells us something.

I guess there’s some cultural titillation in the stream of stories that follow the template of “Oh those wacky Asians|Indians|Gays|Rednecks|Farmers|Poor Folk|etc. !” Of course, what we find funny about the other reveals something interesting about us in turn. That’s certainly one of the side effects of the Museum of Foreign Grocery Products, isn’t it?

For some reason I’m intrigued by the Oddly Enough news from Reuters. In my RSS reader I get an endless stream of ridiculous story titles, evoking an old era of news where tabloid and mainstream were maybe closer together?

Today the following stories appeared in a row – there was something lovely and sick about the resultant rhythm

• Man Barred from Making Slavery Tax Claims
• Man Catches Fire During Surgery
• Woman to Give Birth in Art Gallery
• Indians ‘Marry’ Sacred Trees to Ward Off Evil Eye