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Odd People: Cranks, Eccentrics & Nutters

We have a thread or two on 'savants'.

I used to look after a couple of 'savants', many years ago. One could tell you the day of the week of any date in history.

I used to look up dates of British general elections to test him with, because they're always on Thursdays, and ask him for dates just before and after, and I never caught him out. 8)
 
I have encountered actual Savants, but this guy seemed self-concious in a strange way.

On a more interesting note, when I was growing up, for about ten years out of my childhood, and into summers home from college, the clerk at my local video store could recite my name, address, phone number, and date of birth on site, exclaiming said information out loud as soon as I entered to store.
 
Busker finds cold comfort with igloo
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/wor ... 14378.html

DEREK SCALLY

Wed, Feb 10, 2010

WITH BERLIN covered in snow and ice, a homeless man has decided to make the best of the situation by building himself an igloo.

Horst Holtfreter began work last weekend on what was supposed to be a snowman but, as the pile of snow grew, he decided to turn it into a temporary home – “for a laugh”.

With his toothless grin and punk haircut, Mr Holtfreter is a familiar sight to commuters at Berlin’s Nollendorfplatz.

Most ignore him each morning as he dances wildly in front of the train station with a radio clamped to his ear or with a harmonica at his lips.

But his two metre (6.6ft) high igloo topped with Christmas tree branches has attracted the attention of even the most jaded Berliners.

“It’s super – no money for rent and electricity – nor, as you can see, a fridge,” said Mr Holtfreter, a civil engineer by training who fled East Germany in 1988.

Strengthened by his daily four litres of sangria and a small bottle of rum, he said he shovelled together the snow for the igloo by himself and earned praise from passersby.

With hundreds of Berliners slipping on icy pavements daily, commuters say they are thrilled that Mr Holtfreter has gone to the trouble of clearing the pavement outside the train station.

So far, police have taken a relaxed attitude to the newest resident on Nollendorfplatz, the 1920s home of author Christopher Isherwood and the setting for his famous Berlin novels.

Employees of the train company though are not as enthusiastic.

“He’s not just cute,” said one U-Bahn driver. “When he’s drunk, he runs after people with his shovel.”

However there’s little danger of that happening any more. “I was going to add an emergency exit,” said Mr Holtfreter, “but my shovel was stolen.”

Despite weeks of sub-zero temperatures and a forecast of more snow today, Mr Holtfreter spends his days outside the igloo, playing Russian songs on his harmonica for donations from passersby.

After acquiring a sleeping bag, he plans to spend his first night in the igloo on Friday. “I’ve invited my friend Gerd and his dog,” he said. “It’s going to be a real party.”
 
local crazy lady spoke to me about REAL things

A local crazy lady, you know the type- can be seen walking along talking complete nonsense seemingly to herself but never really doing anybody any harm- passed by me on the street as usual and then suddenly stopped in mid-rant and turned around to me and said in a loud clear voice "You're brother Mark needs you!".

I laughed it off as I didn't have a brother Mark.

A day or so later a friend of mine (Mark) emailed me with the news that my brother in America had unexpectedly (to me anyway) died. I immediately remembered the mad woman's message and strangely enough I've never seen her around town again.
 
Re: local crazy lady spoke to me about REAL things

rexmundy said:
A local crazy lady, you know the type- can be seen walking along talking complete nonsense seemingly to herself but never really doing anybody any harm- passed by me on the street as usual and then suddenly stopped in mid-rant and turned around to me and said in a loud clear voice "You're brother Mark needs you!".

I laughed it off as I didn't have a brother Mark.

A day or so later a friend of mine (Mark) emailed me with the news that my brother in America had unexpectedly (to me anyway) died. I immediately remembered the mad woman's message and strangely enough I've never seen her around town again.

I am sorry about your brother. That story is creepy, sometimes these "out of wack" people seem to be in tune with something, don't they.
 
Man with 'wires coming from his rucksack' sparks terror alert on London Underground
By Rebecca Camber
Last updated at 10:21 AM on 22nd March 2010

A man wearing a barrister’s wig and a battery strapped to the back of his hand sparked a terror alert on the London underground, it has emerged.

In a chilling echo of the events that led up to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, a man carrying a rucksack with protruding wires was trailed by armed police after sparking a major security alert in Central London.

A team of armed officers were scrambled to deal with the incident after the mentally ill man, who is said to have a fascination with electrical wiring, was reported to police by commuter at Green Park station, near Buckingham Palace.

The black man, who is said to bleach his skin and suffers from delusions of being a white woman, bore white marks on his face consistent with possible burns from a failed explosion.

The surveillance team trailing him lost sight of him on the tube network but caught up with him as he exited at Finsbury Park station, close to an East London mosque which has been linked to terrorist recruitment.

Surveillance officers staked out what was said to be a nondescript building they had seen the man enter, before discovering it was an NHS-run hostel for care in the community patients with mental health problems.

He emerged hours later, without the wig, accompanied by two NHS staff.

Anti-terrorist detectives stopped him on the street and searched his room, where they found the wig and a T-shirt with battery controlled flashing traffic lights on the chest.

Sources said he was given a warning but his picture has now been circulated to police and senior Tube workers so they are aware of his identity if he repeats the behaviour.

etc...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0ityGF16U
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uair01/4567698574/

We followed the man on the left from the station to the market square. He walked bare-foot and under the long overcoat he wore something that looked like light blue pyjamas. Once he stopped when young blokes asked him what it was all about and he seemed to give a coherent answer. Other folks just laughed. He looked weird but not crazy. Of course I was too cowardly to go up to him and request an explanation. So this will remain a small mystery.
 
Maybe he hadn't been able to dress properly and had made a quick, Robin Askwith-style getaway after being surprised in a lady's bedroom by her husband?
 
In London there is this older scruffily dressed guy who wanders around with a ferret cradled in his arm. I see him around Embankment most often, but have also seen him up in the City on occasion.

There is also an Evangelical preacher who sets up outside Ealing Broadway tube station every Saturday - shouts his message to the people exiting the station. Mostly he gets ignored but sometimes people do enter into debates/discussions/counter protests with him...

In Dublin, in all of my years living there, there was this lovely old lady who used to dance on an island on O'Connell Street. She was harmless, seemingly perfectly sane (on the rare ocassion we crossed paths, I always greeted) and just seemed so happy in her little world.

In the Phoenix Park in Dublin, summer or winter, rain or shine, there was this guy, seemed to be in his 50's, who would always be walking or running in the park with his little jack russell, and wearing nothing but shorts - I think the most I ever saw him wear in addition to the shorts was a vest, and that was only once. He spend a lot of time around the Hollow in the park cos the tearoom there knew him and always had water for the dog as well. Again, a very nice guy, very garullous, but never did get much out of him about his history.
 
In Dublin, in all of my years living there, there was this lovely old lady who used to dance on an island on O'Connell Street. She was harmless, seemingly perfectly sane (on the rare ocassion we crossed paths, I always greeted) and just seemed so happy in her little world.

I remember her well. There was an event recently in O'Connell Street for her, singers etc including one of the Dubliners. I think shes still alive but in a nursing home.
 
A friend of mine once went to visit someone, as I was going out with her soon after I said I would go with her. The chap she was going to see suffered from mental illness, he grossly exagerated events whch may or may not have happened. The unfortunate thing is that he really believes that they happened. I was told by my friend that under no circumstances must I laugh.

I would not laugh at someone who is unfortunate enough to suffer any form of mental illness, but it was very very hard to stifle a few giggles along the way. He told us that he was once in a motorbike accident. He had been travelling at 100 MPH and met a car going the other way at 120 MPH and they clashed head on. He landed in a field 2 miles away, broke every bone in his body and was in hospital for a year.

He is a nice bloke and i really don't want to come over as some heartless swine, it was just very difficult not to laugh at the story.
 
Spudrick68 said:
I would not laugh at someone who is unfortunate enough to suffer any form of mental illness, but it was very very hard to stifle a few giggles along the way. He told us that he was once in a motorbike accident. He had been travelling at 100 MPH and met a car going the other way at 120 MPH and they clashed head on. He landed in a field 2 miles away, broke every bone in his body and was in hospital for a year.

The only person who could survive that is... Superman.
 
i don't know if he's a regular fixture there, but yesterday morning i went through Denmark Street in London quite early and there was this guy playing an out of tune guitar badly and singing possibly even worse while acting like he thought he was freddy mercury, um, in the pouring rain.

he didn;t seem to be busking, at least there was nothing to put money in and he flew around like you wouldn;t want to get that close anyway.

he'd gone when i went back that way mid afternoon.
 
There is a fascinating man in my neighborhood that looks like he biked out of a Jodorowksy film.

My area of the city is very Eastern European. Sometimes I feel like i'm in another country altogether. People hold on to their roots very strongly. Many old-world bakeries, delicatessens, and butchers thrive here. There are times when, if I took a photograph, it would be difficult to gauge the date!

Back to this man-I have to get a photograph of him somehow, without seeming rude. He is ALWAYS on his antique bike, with an orange safety helmet, and orange safety vest. He has long white hair and a long white beard. He just bikes around all day on the sidewalk, going slowly, and talking to people about random paranoid theories. I'm fascinated by him!
 
1234 / Dancing man. Scarborough.

I spend some time in Scarborough every year though I have never seen this guy personally he is quite well known in the area (and beyond due to tourists). He walks about shouting at the top of his voice (1234 etc) and dances to any available music (including the music from arcade machines) i'll be looking out for him again this year. These couple of links are from you tube and are public domain so if this guys privacy is being compromised - not my fault!
 
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I live in a roughish area and could write a book about my neighbours.

T'other day, I heard a group of youths arguing noisily as they walked past my house. I took a look, as you do, and there were about 5 or 6, aged around 14-16, dressed in Adidas/Burberry, with caps.

Here's what they were saying:

'It's the WIZARD of Oz!'
'No it's not, it's the WONDERFUL Wizard of Oz!'
'No it isn't! It's the WIZARD of Oz!'
'No, listen, it's the WONDERFUL Wizard of Oz! I'll sing it!'

A couple of lads then sang the introduction to the song, to prove it.

Techy and I were peeing ourselves laughing. :lol:

A young woman walks past my house several times a week. She is always neatly dressed and is often walking a puppy. She speaks kindly to the dog and is obviously lead-training it. Sometimes she chats on her mobile too.

What's so unusual? Well, she only has one leg, and manages all this with two crutches. I am full of admiration. 8)
 
Re: 1234 / Dancing man. Scarborough.

stuneville said:
rushfan62 said:
..NB. Just realised this is in the wromg place, I meant to put it in the strange folk two thread. Sorry, don't know how to move it (or if I can)
S'ok, I've merged it in for you.
Thankyou, much obliged :yeay:
 
Re: 1234 / Dancing man. Scarborough.

rushfan62 said:
I spend some time in Scarborough every year though I have never seen this guy personally he is quite well known in the area (and beyond due to tourists). He walks about shouting at the top of his voice (1234 etc) and dances to any available music (including the music from arcade machines) i'll be looking out for him again this year. These couple of links are from you tube and are public domain so if this guys privacy is being compromised - not my fault!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0_nHlgXyRs
And again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpHje3zC5UE&feature=related
NB. Just realised this is in the wromg place, I meant to put it in the strange folk two thread. Sorry, don't know how to move it (or if I can)

That '1234 man' is REALLY loud, wow.
Perhaps he's a disturbed ex-soldier?
 
That '1234 man' is REALLY loud, wow.
Perhaps he's a disturbed ex-soldier?
_________________
I thought exactly the same thing - seems to have a military air about him, the way he marches for example. There are quite a few videos of him on you tube, either dancing or marching and shouting.
 
Browsing through archive.org I found this long and boring mind-control rant. But the reactions are fascinating. Do you think that they're real? They sound quite believable (in an "air loom" schizophrenic way). You think these folks really believe what they write or are the hoaxing?

Reviewer: Mary_victim_of_nsa - - June 3, 2010
Subject: I'm a victim
Hello, I'm a victim. The front lobe target, all the muscles I feel moving in my brain, the scans across the head, the heavy magnetic attachment to the back of my skull, the dampening vibrations that go through my whole body. If I didn't have a healer who is working with me 24/7 to keep me breathing and has remote psyhchotronic equipment, I would be dead. they've caused me to gasp for air. They can control every cranial nerve there is. They make my eyes hyper-extend so they're scanning things, they move my tongue. They have some weird electronic net feeling all over my face, my tongue buzzes. I'm an intuitive and I can feel them on my pineal gland to shut down my intuitive senses. They tell me they're going to kill me every day. Call me a bitch all day long through the voice to skull patent and this is what OBAMA is doing to us. I'm an american citizen, born and raised here. They've made me so in fear daily to the point of crying. Squeeze my skull. Why, because I went into metaphysical healing and frequency healing and they know that is the future and they don't want it. Basically they're 100 years advance and they know it will be like Star Trek healing and can be. They should all be in jail for trying to murder me and what does our justice system do? There isn't men and women in those positions, sadly...this is not a country that cares about people...it's about our military who kills it's own citizens. Sad...they kill our own country and pay them to do so...Where's the judge that will fight for that? They don't give a shit...sad...I hope one day I'm living in europe somewhere where they give a shit more about their people....I pray every day. I will pray for all the mind control victims too. God Bless. Mary in Columbus, Ohio

Reviewer: firstbornbirdman - - April 11, 2010
Subject: We must do something!(NSA transmissions ELF Mind control)
I myself have been victimized by this high tech mind control technology. I beleive the source is the NSA working in collaboration with private individuals and special corporate entities. They not only can penetrate your mind with their thoughts but once they get locked onto your unique brain wave frequency, they can ALSO see through your eyes, hear your thoughts, and also agitate and manipulate any region of your body. They can even murder you remotely!! These psycopaths have on more than one occasion paralyzed, suffocated and sodomized me simultaneously, during the course of my sleep. Understand I was not dreaming but actually felt these horrific sensations! They have also caused some form of constriction in my abdomen region which somehow restricts my energy level(as though I have a harness placed on me). I have recently begun to figure out how they have done this, but it is to complex to describe in this one paragraph, so I wont go into any detail. But I will say I have been suffering for most of my life as a result of it. I have heard of other peoples accounts of suffering(some even worse!). The worse thing about it is that most people dont beleive you or think something is mentally wrong with you. So consequently it is hard to get help to expose and counter this evil. This article gives hope for many of us victims but their must be a mass movement to expose, and bring these criminals to justice!! We must respond quickly because I beleive this is the "tip of the iceberg" of a diabolic agenda for control on a global scale in the near future. Wake up people, and lets work together before it is too late! WE MUST DO SOMETHING NOW!!!!!!!!!!
 
uair01 said:
... the reactions are fascinating. Do you think that they're real? They sound quite believable (in an "air loom" schizophrenic way). You think these folks really believe what they write or are the hoaxing?
They do read as if they are sincerely written by people who really believe that the government is trying to control, or even kill, them through their minds. However, the style of writing (and I'm no expert, so forgive me if I'm way off the mark) does shout "paranoid schizophrenia" to me. Poor sods...
 
Who is the fat guy who wants to be on television?
The identity of a mystery man who has appeared in the background of dozens of television news bulletins is the subject of feverish speculation on the internet.
By Tom Chivers
Published: 5:48PM BST 27 Jul 2010

A portly, balding man - nicknamed the news raider and the fat guy who wants to be on television - has been spotted during live reports on the BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4, at a string of diverse locations.

Bloggers have identified him as a community worker from south London called Paul Yarrow. The profile picture on Mr Yarrow's Facebook page matches that of the mystery man.

Furthermore, a 'Paul Yarrow' has also applied to go on Big Brother 2010, saying he is "currently known as the fat guy who wants to be on television" and is "very well known in south London, working in the voluntary sector".

He has also been spotted on the BBC website, in a story about an unofficial ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the 7/7 bombings, and in the background of an episode of the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow.

Most of the sightings have been in London, including outside the Houses of Parliament, Peckham, Hyde Park and the Gaza protest march in May that went from Downing Street to the Israeli embassy.

He started coming to mainstream attention late last year, when comedian Russell Howard featured him on his BBC show Russell Howard's Good News, giving him the sobriquet of the "fat guy who just wants to get on TV". Howard used a Sky News clip showed him moving in front of the camera to get into shot 10 times. He then appeared on a later edition of the show, this time in a clip from BBC News, doing the same thing.

A website, fidgetwith.com, has been tracking his appearances and wondering who he is, and displaying screenshots of his various appearances - the most recent of which is last week.

According to The South London Press, Mr Yarrow is "a good Samaritan" who has been nominated for Community Champion, Good Samaritan and Carer of the Year in his home in Bermondsey. He is said to have cared for unwell relatives, helped elderly people in the community and championed local causes since he was 12.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... ision.html
 
I sometimes wonder if I have some kind of sign that attracts strange folk. Was looking at clothes in K mart last Friday when a rather wild looking woman came up to tell me about how unwell she was feeling with menopause. She came back about 4 times to tell me various symptoms until I managed to suggest some herbal medicine from the health food shop, which she asked me to spell out then went off again.
I gave up looking and quickly went to pay for what I had.
Then on Saturday, I went to fill up with petrol and chose the very last row of the service station where there was a car just finishing filling. They went in to pay just before me and when I came out, the station was quite empty except for my car and some man who had come around the wrong way in front of me, making me have to back and go around him to get out.
 
Raoul Moat 'fan': taking children to funeral was 'better than Legoland'
A mother-of-eight who took three of her children to Raoul Moat’s funeral has said she paid for the trip out of her benefits.
Published: 8:13AM BST 04 Aug 2010

Teresa Bystram took her three youngest sons on a 300-mile coach trip to the funeral on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old, from Weybridge, Surrey, said it had been a “nice day out” for her kids, adding “it was better than Legoland”.

She told The Sun: "If social services have a go at me for it, I'll tell them where to go. As for taking my kids, I'm glad I did and I couldn't care less what other people think."

Miss Bystram said she had originally planned to take the children on a "pilgrimage" to Rothbury, Northumberland, where 37-year-old Moat shot himself after a stand-off with police.

“They enjoyed it [the funeral]. It was better than Legoland or any other theme park. We took a packed lunch and the kids liked going to the funeral.

“As far as I'm concerned it was a day out for my kids and an educational one for them, too. It's also something for them to remember when they grow up.”

The single mother, who has swastika and White Power tattoos, is paid several hundred pounds a month in benefits for the five children who live with her.

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... oland.html

Words (and emoticons) fail me...
 
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