News of the Weird: Week of December 5, 2024

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Suspicions Confirmed

Parents and teachers at Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten in southwestern Japan thought for sure someone with a footwear fetish was swiping little shoes from cubbies at the school, the Associated Press reported. Police installed three cameras in the school, and on Nov. 11, zeroed in on another culprit: a weasel. "It's great it turned out not to be a human being," said Deputy Police Chief Hiroaki Inada. The stolen shoes have not been found, but the school has installed a net over the cubbies to keep the weasel, who is still on the loose, out.

Ewwwww

              -- Los Angeles is known for many things, but perhaps its most ignominious claim to fame is being the "clogged capital" of the United States on "Brown Friday" -- the day after Thanksgiving, when plumbers nationally go out on emergency calls 65% more often than on other Fridays. Analysis by Yelp showed that plumbing-related searches went up 73% in L.A., followed by 37% in Miami, United Press International reported. Roto-Rooter said the most common problem areas were kitchen sinks, toilets and garbage disposals.

              -- Looking for a different type of pizza than the standard pepperoni or sausage? At Pizza Hut restaurants in China, customers are being offered deep-fried frogs on top of their pies, the Independent reported on Nov. 21. The pizza has a thick crust with red sauce and basil, with a whole fried bullfrog on top. The limited-time variety is being offered in a collaboration with Dungeons and Dragons and is called "Goblin Pizza."

Rude

              -- Starting on Jan. 1, the Garden of Remembrance cemetery in Stoke-on-Trent, England, will welcome visitors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, the Stoke Sentinel reported. But should family members want to visit at other times, they'll be required to buy a VIP pass for 5 pounds (or 10 pounds, if they also want to visit the rose garden). "Now I need to pay a membership fee to visit my dad's grave," groused Jode Bourne, whose father, Mark, is buried there. "This is an absolute disgrace." A posted notice says the new rules will make "the site secure for our staff, families and visitors."

              -- A prop gravestone for Ebenezer Scrooge, left behind after a 1984 movie adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" starring George C. Scott, was smashed on Nov. 24, the BBC reported. The cemetery next to St. Chad's Church in Shrewsbury, England, was part of the scene where Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come; much of the movie was filmed there. Town council clerk Helen Ball said the stone is "in multiple pieces. I think it's one of those things that's very dear to everybody's hearts." She said the council would determine whether the stone could be repaired.

No Good Deed ...

Nigel Carter, 64, of Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, collected 500 bikes to send to a charity in Sudan that helps people who need cheap transportation to school or work, the BBC reported on Nov. 22. But a Scottish Environment Protection Agency inspector said the shipment could not leave the port because some of the bikes needed minor repairs, such as oil on chains and new brake cables. Carter said he found it "ludicrous" that the bikes were returned to him. A SEPA official said he had a duty to ensure that Scotland's waste was not dumped on another country, but Carter said the Sudanese charity had picked out the bikes and were happy with their condition. They will likely be returned to the recycling center where they came from and scrapped.

It's a Mystery

George Oliver of Calvert County, Maryland, often walks the beach looking for fossils, NBC News reported. As he strolled along Chesapeake Bay on Nov. 4 during low tide, he spotted a coffin in the water. Inside was a nearly whole human skeleton. Oliver removed the skeleton and dug the mostly submerged coffin out of the water. "When I first found it," he said, "you could not tell that there was human remains. You just thought that it was full of beach sand." Oliver called the sheriff's department, who called an archaeological society. Based on the construction of the coffin and the condition of the body, it's believed to be at least 100 years old. Kelcey Ward, a crime scene technician with the sheriff's office, said the skull showed signs of "a gunshot wound or blunt force trauma of some sort." The remains and coffin will be interred at a local cemetery.

The Passing Parade

Have you ever really loved a car? The Polara family of Padarshinga Village in India REALLY loved their 18-year-old Suzuki Wagon R, Oddity Central reported. They believed the hatchback to be their lucky car, so when it burned its last gallon of gas, they gave it a special send-off: a lavish burial ceremony attended by more than 1,500 guests. The Polaras had a 15-foot-deep hole dug on their property, then had the car, covered with flowers and decorated with garlands, lowered into it as music played. The ceremony included several rituals and cost the Polaras more than $4,500. "This car was more than just a vehicle," Sanjay Polara said. "It was part of our journey toward success." He plans to plant a tree over the grave as a marker.

News You Can Use

Looking for a torture method even more sinister than sitting across from your politically outspoken cousin at the holiday dinner table? LAD Bible reported on Nov. 21 that an Italian monk, Franciscus Brunus de San Severino, described "goat's tongue" in his 1502 treatise on torture methods -- but it's not entirely clear whether the medieval practice actually took place. It involves soaking the subject's feet in saltwater, then securing them in a stock and letting a goat lick them to the point of peeling and bleeding. The torture method, which may date back to ancient Rome, could have resulted in death from infection.

The Golden Age of Air Travel

              -- On Nov. 25 at Boston's Logan International Airport, two planes got a tad too chummy on the tarmac, Fox News reported. An American Airlines Boeing 777 was being towed when its wing clipped the wing of a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 that was parked at a gate, the Federal Aviation Administration said. There were no injuries reported to passengers, but all passengers exited the planes, and American removed its plane from service. Frontier said all passengers would receive a $100 travel voucher, as well as the option to rebook on Frontier or receive a full refund. An airport spokesperson called it a minor incident.

              -- On Nov. 16, aboard United Airlines flight 502 from Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles, one traveler lost his composure and started beating up ... his seat. The New York Post reported that the unnamed man, dressed in sweats, stood on his seat and repeatedly kicked its backrest as bystanders watched and took video. "The flight attendant walked by a couple times, nobody was doing anything," said witness Gino Galofaro. He and two other passengers decided to take matters into their own hands, zip-tying the irate passenger's hands and feet and strapping him into a seat. About an hour later, as the flight landed, law enforcement met them at the gate. United Airlines said he has been banned from future flights.

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