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It's a Mystery
In Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England, locals are perplexed about a monthly offering at the corner of Abbey Road and Wensor Avenue, United Press International reported on Jan. 6. Starting over a year ago, on the second day of each month, a plate heaped high with peeled bananas has appeared at the intersection. Resident Clare Short said she put up a sign reading, "Please, respectfully, no more bananas! The uncollected plates and rotting bananas leave such a mess." But on Jan. 2, a new plate appeared. "I think it's a special thing for someone, and I wish them well," Short said, adding that she has taken down her sign. "But if they could come back and clean up the mess a few days later that would be lovely."
Heroes
On Jan. 5 in rural Norton, Kansas, temps following the big snowstorm weren't even reaching 20 degrees, and the wind chill was 5 below zero, KAKE-TV reported. That didn't stop two linemen who were trying to restore power to area residents from going above (literally) and beyond: On top of a utility pole, a bobcat and her kitten were frozen to the line and the pole. Dominic Urban and Eric Hartwell worked for about two hours to free the frigid felines. "I couldn't knock them off," Urban said. "(The mother) was frozen down to the top of the pole ... I beat the ice loose then lowered her to the ground. I had to do the same with the kitten." He said the mom and kitten ran off immediately after reaching the ground.
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It's Orwellian
A pair of pernicious porcine perpetrators are in the crosshairs of the Pataskala, Ohio, Police Department after a horrendous incident on Christmas Day, WOIO-TV reported. According to Chief Bruce Brooks, family members called for a welfare check on 75-year-old Rebecca Westergaard when they couldn't reach her. Police found the woman dead on her property near her home. Westergaard had been mauled and eaten by two pigs that belong to her neighbor, police said. Brooks said it's unclear whether charges will be filed, since the animals are livestock rather than pets. "It's just not something we've ever dealt with here," Brooks said.
News You Can Use?
If you own a Toto Washlet bidet toilet, listen up: Don't wipe the seat with toilet tissue. United Press International reported on Jan. 3 that owners have been complaining about the seats getting scratch marks and becoming discolored. A Toto spokesperson said the tissue can cause tiny scratches that expand and trap dirt. Instead, customers are urged to use a soft cloth and diluted detergent. The company also said there are "no plans to change the material at this time."
The Tech Revolution
-- The Summit County (Colorado) Sheriff's Department responded to a call on Jan. 7 on the slopes of Keystone Resort: not an injured skier, but a wayward car that had taken a wrong turn and ended up on the Schoolmarm ski run. United Press International reported that the abandoned car had a note on the windshield, explaining that the driver had been following GPS and ended up stuck in the snow. A tow truck removed the car, which was returned to the owner.
-- A small Welsh village has been inundated by shoppers looking for an Aldi supermarket that doesn't exist, Oddity Central reported on Jan. 6. A pin on Google Maps, probably dropped as a prank, directs shoppers and delivery drivers to a grassy field in Cyffylliog, leaving locals unamused. One large milk tank truck became stuck on a narrow village street while trying to locate the store, and "a bloke with a pallet of bread ... thought he'd been hired to stock shelves," one resident said. Finally, Aldi got involved and said it would work with Google Maps to get the pin removed.
Ewwww!
On Jan. 3, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, The New York Times reported. The real highlight of the game, though, is the tradition of dumping 5 gallons of mayonnaise (Duke's, of course) on the winning coach's head. Other condiment-related attractions include mayo bobbing (trying to catch mayo packets swimming in mayo) and mayo giveaways with team logos. And for 2025, Flavor Flav was revealed as the Duke's Mayo celebrity mascot. Last year, Duke's had a record day of online sales during the contest. They may-o be doing something right!
It's Come to This
The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain in Belgium was forced to issue a warning to the country on Jan. 7 against eating Christmas trees, United Press International reported. The statement was in response to the city of Ghent recommending cooking with conifer needles. "You can make delicious spruce needle butter with them for bread or toast," Ghent's website read. But the FASFC wasn't having it: Christmas trees "are not meant to end up in the food chain" because many have been treated with pesticides and other chemicals, including flame retardant. Ghent responded by changing its headline to read "Scandinavians eat their Christmas trees" and added a warning: "not all Christmas trees are edible." Way to throw the Vikings under the bus, Belgians!
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The Golden Age of Air Travel
-- A Boeing 777 operated by Air France was forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil in early January after a passenger caused the toilet to be unusable, the Mirror reported. The flight, which was on its way to Rio de Janeiro, was almost there when it diverted to Fortaleza's Pinto Martins International Airport. Brazilian media did not provide details of the clog. The unit was serviced and unclogged, and the flight continued on its way.
-- Whitney Kayla Watt, 30, got herself arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement on Jan. 5 at Indianapolis International Airport, the New York Post reported. Watt, who was flying on Southwest Airlines, objected to her bag being flagged as 5 pounds too heavy and let loose a string of obscenities and racial slurs after saying, "I work at a law firm ... I am freaking out right now," among other things. She said one of her children, who were with her, was supposed to get "a very important surgery that he couldn't have." Penny Thomson, who witnessed the outburst and posted video on social media, noted, "What's sad is her kids saw this and it didn't even phase (sic) them."
No Longer Weird
It's that time again, Florida: falling iguana season. Accuweather reported on Jan. 8 that as temperatures drop along the Gulf Coast and southeast Florida, cold-stunned iguanas are likely to fall out of trees after losing their grip on the branches. Residents are warned that the reptiles appear to be dead, but they're just sleeping. Fully grown iguanas can be up to 5 feet long and up to 25 pounds, so they present a danger to unsuspecting humans walking along the sidewalk. Professional iguana remover Michael Ronquillo warns against handling the lethargic animals, saying they can become defensive when they warm up. Plus, their droppings can contain salmonella.
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