News Of The Weird: Oct. 28, 2021

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Odd Job

The city council of Christchurch, New Zealand, has officially ended its contract with The Wizard of New Zealand (also known as Ian Brackenbury Channell) after 23 years of service. Over his tenure, the Wizard cast spells and entertained tourists to the tune of $16,000 per year, but the city no longer believes his services are necessary, Oddee.com reported. Officially, Christchurch's "promotional landscape is changing," said the council's assistant chief executive Lynn McClelland, with "programs that will ... showcase a vibrant, diverse, modern city." For his part, the Wizard called the council "a bunch of bureaucrats who have no imagination. I am the original image of Christchurch. They will have to kill me to stop me."

Awesome!

ABC News reported on Oct. 20 that in Wellington, New Zealand, police went above and beyond for a certain emergency call. When a dispatcher answered the call, a little voice started out, "Hi. Police lady?" The 4-year-old then went on to say, "I've got some toys for you. Come over and see them." Around then, an adult took the phone, confirming that it was not an emergency, but the dispatcher sent Constable Kurt over anyway. The little boy showed off his toys to the officer and had a "good, educational chat" about the use of the emergency number (111 in New Zealand). "He did have cool toys," Constable Kurt confirmed. He reciprocated by turning on his patrol car's lights for the boy.

Oops!

During an Oct. 17 weather segment on KREM-TV in Spokane, Washington, viewers were stunned to see a 13-second clip of a woman's bare behind on a display behind the meteorologist, Yahoo! News reported. Viewers began calling the Spokane police department, which is now working with the station to find out how the video made it to the broadcast. KREM-TV could face fines from the Federal Communications Commission for airing the shocking scene.

Picky, Picky

Vojin Kusic, 72, of Srbac, Bosnia-Herzegovina, built a home for himself and his family many years ago. His wife, Ljubica, wanted the bedrooms to face the sun at the time, so the living room faced away from the road. In time, Ljubica became distressed that she couldn't see visitors approaching the house, so Vojin remodeled it. Now, with their children grown, Vojin has constructed the home of Ljubica's dreams: It rotates a full 360 degrees so she can turn it as she sees fit, the Associated Press reported. "Now, our front door also rotates, so if she spots unwanted guests heading our way, she can spin the house and make them turn away," Vojin said.

Great Art

Roughly 300 men and women volunteers gathered on Oct. 17 in the desert near the Israeli city of Arad, where they took off all their clothes and painted their bodies white for a project by photographer Spencer Tunick, the Associated Press reported. For about three hours, they posed and repositioned themselves for Tunick as he shot photos to draw attention to the shrinking Dead Sea. "I am always happy to return here and photograph in the only country in the Middle East that allows art such as this," Tunick said. Organizers hope the project will bring attention to preserving the Dead Sea, and Israeli tourist officials hope it will bring visitors to the country.

New World Order

David and Paula Knight of Surrey, England, were confused when they opened a letter informing them of a traffic violation and fine that took place in June in Bath. The letter, which detailed a bus lane violation and included a photo of the offender, was generated by a traffic camera that captured a woman walking in a bus lane, wearing a shirt that said KNITTER. The Knights' vehicle tag reads KNI9 TER, a reference to David's nickname, Knighter. "We thought one of our friends was stitching us up," Paula told the BBC, but they finally contacted authorities to straighten out the incident. She said the staff member who looked at the photo "burst out laughing." The fine was canceled, everyone involved got a giggle out of it, and the next time the Knights go to Bath, they may take the train.

False Alarm

Fire officials in Santa Barbara County, California, received calls on Oct. 4 about a person hanging on the side of a cliff near Hope Ranch Beach, NBC New York reported. Emergency crews were dispatched with equipment including a drone and fire engines, but the "person" was just a mannequin with long hair. Apparently, the mannequin had been used in a movie shoot a few days earlier, Daniel Bertucelli of Santa Barbara County said, reminding residents, "Better to call than not!"

Compelling Explanation

Folks in Plouneventer, France, were perplexed on Oct. 11 when they woke up to find a van perched atop a bus stop shelter, Oddity Central reported. Police were summoned, the van was removed and the owner identified -- but the mystery remained, with theories involving alcohol and performance art. Finally, three days later, the truth came out: The prank was part of a "commercial dispute" between the van's owner and the perpetrator, who used a pallet truck to hoist the car onto the bus shelter. The latter may face charges of endangerment.

Mistaken Identity

At a ceremony on Oct. 16 to award the annual Planeta literary prize in Spain, fans of author Carmen Mola were stunned to learn that the author is actually three male writers: Agustin Martinez, Jorge Diaz and Antonio Mercero, who were on hand to accept the award. Mola's unpublished novel "The Beast" won 1 million euros with the prize. Mola had been described as a female university professor living in Madrid who uses a pseudonym, People.com reported, but after the reveal, Diaz said, "We are three friends who one day four years ago decided to combine our talent to tell a story." Some have called the trio "scammers," but Mercero argued, "We didn't hide behind a woman, we hid behind a name."

Anger Management, Halloween Edition

A Pittsburgh grandmother was assaulted with a pumpkin on Oct. 20 after she parked in front of James Gazis' home, WPXI-TV reported. The victim was picking up her grandson from a nearby home and parked in front of the Gazis property, where Gazis' wife and children started yelling at her before James hurled the gourd at the car. When she lowered her window to say "'You've got to be kidding me,' ... he took the second pumpkin, threw it (and) hit her in the face," the victim's son, James Moore, said. Moore and Gazis, 40, tussled; Gazis was charged with aggravated assault, and Moore is facing a simple assault charge.

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