News of the Weird: Week of February 15, 2024

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News You Can Use

Researchers at Western Sydney University have revealed results of a study showing that frequent nose-pickers may have a higher probability of developing Alzheimer's disease. WION-TV reported on Feb. 7 that the habit introduces germs into the nasal cavity that trigger the brain to produce beta-amyloid as a defense. An abundance of beta-amyloid is believed to be the leading cause of Alzheimer's. "It is essential to note that the temporary relief obtained from nose-picking is not a substitute for proper nasal hygiene," the report said -- "proper nasal hygiene" being "regular cleaning and maintenance of the nasal passages through gentle methods such as saline nasal rinses or blowing the nose."

Sweet Revenge

Paul Gibbons, 63, of Kingsclere, England, paid about $32,000 to have his kitchen remodeled a year ago, the Basingstoke Gazette reported. Wickes, the company he chose to do the work, bungled it, according to Gibbons: "The finish throughout is so poor, and half the kitchen doesn't fit as it should. I agreed to the contract and what I was told would be two weeks of work, and ... I am left with a kitchen which I can't even use as you should." As a result, Gibbons demanded a refund, but when he couldn't get that, he parked a decommissioned 1963 gun tank that he had borrowed from a friend outside the store. Wickes called that "unacceptable and aggressive behavior" and threatened to have the tank removed. But Gibbons isn't budging: "I want my money back and want them to take that kitchen out of my house so I can get a new one."

Consumer Report

After 2 1/2 years, Jackie Nguyen of Seattle "just didn't like" her couch anymore, USA Today reported on Feb. 1. After checking with Costco's return policy, Nguyen returned the couch to the store for a full refund. "We just didn't like the color anymore," she admitted on a TikTok video. Nguyen didn't even have a receipt -- but she did have a good memory and could tell the clerk the date she bought the sofa. The clerk looked it up and refunded $900 to her card. Costco told Nguyen that returned items are donated, resold, returned to the manufacturer for a credit or refurbished.

Field Report

On Jan. 20, as an Amish couple from Shipshewana, Indiana, shopped at a Walmart in Sturgis, Michigan, Lona Latoski, 31, allegedly climbed inside their buggy and directed their horse away from the parking lot, MLive.com reported. A witness saw the woman drive off and thought it was odd that she wasn't Amish, but didn't report the theft. When the couple came out and realized their ride was gone, a truck driver offered them shelter from the cold and alerted police, who tracked down the buggy at an Admiral gas station, where it was parked. Latoski was located in the motel next door, hiding under a pile of clothing in a shower. She admitted taking the horse and buggy and said she had "instant regret ... but she was cold and needed to get home," the officer said. "I asked her if she had ever had any training with equestrians," he said. "She did not know what 'equestrian' meant." (Apparently, nor did the officer.) Latoski was charged with larceny of livestock and general larceny.

Naked, Not Afraid

Being naked in public in Florida is right on the cusp of being No Longer Weird. On Feb. 5, Martin Evtimov, 36, parked his car on the sidewalk at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and climbed out without a stitch of clothing on, the New York Post reported. He entered Terminal 1 and approached the TSA security line as he spoke incoherently, then wandered toward the baggage inspection area. That's where Broward County sheriff's deputies and TSA officers caught up with him. Evtimov resisted arrest but was eventually subdued. A judge later banned him from the airport and ordered a mental health screening.

Weird Science

Jason Clampit, 43, was arrested on Jan. 24 after it came to the attention of the FBI that he might be manufacturing the poison ricin on his property in Winslow, Arkansas. KNWA-TV reported that an anonymous caller told the Washington County Sheriff's Office that Clampit might have poisoned his mother with ricin, and when his property was searched, officers found castor beans (the source of ricin) and a jar of suspected liquid ricin. According to text messages included in the affidavit, Clampit told his sister that he "made it to get people to stay out of our woods. There's a group of thieves out here called the Owlers. They snoop around watching people at night. They dress in gilly suits and hide in the bushes. So I made this stuff and I set up traps in the woods." He was held on a $500,000 bond.

Animal Antics

On Feb. 1, the lights went out in central Toronto, darkening traffic signals and trapping people in elevators, Reuters reported. Crews who investigated found it was a roguish raccoon who made contact with equipment at the city's Hydro One electric station. (The raccoon did not survive, a spokesperson said.) About 7,000 were affected for about three hours, Hydro One reported. While raccoon-caused outages are not unheard of, squirrels are the more common culprits.

Inexplicable

Florida man Jason Brzuszkiewicz, 49, laughed his way through an incident on Feb. 6 in New Smyrna Beach, the New York Post reported. Around 9 a.m., Brzuszkiewicz allegedly drove his pickup around a "Do Not Enter" sign at the beach and straight into the ocean as beachgoers looked on and recorded video. When deputies questioned him about his antics, Brzuszkiewicz said, "It's not my fault the truck don't surf!" He also claimed he thought he was in England. Brzuszkiewicz's only charge was for failing to pay the access fee to the beach; his truck was towed away.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

                  -- On Feb. 3, police in Calgary, Canada, caught up with "Alex Lee," whom they had been tracking since Christmas Eve. The Calgary Herald reported that Lee, whose real name is Seyyed Amir Razavi, was charged with drug trafficking in connection with an unusual scheme: The 30-year-old handed out business cards with "free samples" of cocaine stapled to them at a local casino in an effort to boost his sales. At a search of Razavi's home, police found almost 60 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, cash and "Alex Lee" business cards.

                  -- When Carole Germain, 46, of Brest, France, adopted a pig in 2020, she didn't foresee that Couscous would lead her to a new business venture: pig pedicurist. Yahoo! News reported that Germain, who runs a bar in Brest, has started traveling all over France to trim the tusks and hooves of porcine pets. In fact, she's selling the bar to devote herself full-time to the practice. "It's nuts. I thought I was the only person who had one hogging the couch. But there are thousands," she said. On one trip around the south of France, she treated 43 pigs.

Crime Report

What is it about Disney World that provokes violence from park visitors? Det. Duane Danforth, 38, of the Brookline, Massachusetts, police department is now on paid administrative leave after he allegedly assaulted security staffers and cast members at Epcot theme park on Jan. 30, WHDH-TV reported. Police reports say Danforth tried to access an off-limits area and said "I'm going to (expletive) kill you" while pushing a cast member away. Danforth was the 2021 Officer of the Year in Brookline, recognized for his ability to deescalate situations. He will remain on leave until an internal investigation is complete.

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