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A Cautionary Tale
A couple in Thailand went to the hospital three times after the woman swallowed a fish bone while eating fish soup, Oddity Central reported on June 27. She tried various home remedies, but couldn't dislodge it from her throat, and at the hospital, doctors couldn't see anything on an X-ray. The wife, Sang Lan, still felt pain, but assumed the bone had moved on. When her neck became swollen, she returned to the hospital, but again X-rays were negative. At home, the woman was applying a pain relief patch to her neck when she saw a pointy object poking her skin from within. She applied pressure, and the fish bone poked through her skin. Back at the hospital, doctors removed the 2-centimeter bone; they said they had never seen anything like it before.
Well, That's Curious
A 77-year-old woman in Michigan won $4 million in the state's instant lottery recently, the Detroit Free Press reported on July 1. The woman, who is choosing to remain anonymous, said she plays the game "all the time" and was "frozen in her seat" for a while after scratching the winning ticket. Curiously (in light of her age), the winner chose to receive annual payments of about $133,000 for the next 30 years instead of taking the lump sum of about $2.7 million. She's planning to donate some, do home repairs and share the winnings with her family.
That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me
On July 1, real estate agent Jon Beaulieu of Manayunk, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to one year of probation, a $200 fine and reimbursing American Airlines the $59,143 it cost to cancel a flight on June 26, 2024. Philadelphia magazine reported that on that night, Beaulieu went to great lengths to skip the security line at Philadelphia International Airport, trying to enter Terminal C through an exit line. When he was stopped, he threw a $50 bill at the security guard and asked her if that would get him in. Eventually, Beaulieu got away from her and disappeared into the terminal -- and onto his flight, which was still at the gate. When officials informed the pilot that a passenger hadn't gone through security, they canceled the flight.
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Fail
At Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, riders of the newly opened Siren's Curse roller coaster got a break in their experience when the coaster "experienced a delay," the Akron Beacon Journal reported. The stop, on June 28, left riders suspended in midair for about 10 minutes; park spokesman Tony Clark said the "coaster's safety system performed as designed, the ride was restarted, and guests continued their ride."
Ewwwwwww
Rona Davies of Sittingbourne, England, ordered a baby rattle from Shein for her stepdaughter's 5-month-old, Kent Online reported on July 2, but what she saw inside turned her off of online shopping for good. Among the rattling beads inside the toy was a human fingernail. Davies said she was "disgusted" and added, "My concern is, if things like this are getting into a baby's toy, then what are their standards for health and safety?" Oh, Rona. Shein offered her a refund and 100 Shein points, which Davies called "a joke really, because that's not the point of it." Shein had no comment.
The Tech Revolution
We here at Weird World Headquarters are ardent belittlers of AI, so it's with great glee that we bring you this item: MSN reported on July 2 that a Tesla in "self-driving mode" tried to mix it up with a train in mid-June in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Western Berks Fire Commissioner Jared Renshaw said the vehicle turned left onto some train tracks; the three people inside the car were able to get out and gather their belongings before a train came along an adjacent track a few minutes later. The Tesla suffered only a damaged mirror, but it had to be lifted with a crane off the tracks so as not to disturb its highly flammable battery. "We've had accidents involving Teslas," Renshaw said, "but nobody has expressed to us that the vehicle was in self-drive mode when it happened."
Awesome!
Jason Singer of Portland, Maine, became a "Jeopardy!" champion on July 1, ABC News reported. Four years earlier, Singer's wife, Susan McMillan, won the title on the show. "Jeopardy!" officials say the brainiacs are believed to be the first already-married couple to both win. McMillan said she coached her husband: "I told him he really needs to be on point with the buzzer timing," she said. "Everyone there knows pretty much all the information."
Police Report
Raleigh, North Carolina, police were called to the scene of a robbery on July 1, WRAL-TV reported. Victims told officers that a naked man with a wooden post approached them and demanded access to their car. The man also assaulted a woman sitting in her car, hitting her on the arm with the post. He then tried to drive away but couldn't shift the car out of park. He fled and hid in a storage room before being captured and taken into custody. Police didn't release the names of the victims or the suspect.
It's a Mystery
In Wirral, England, residents are unsettled by someone in a black cat costume who's been prowling around secluded beach areas, the BBC reported on July 3. One witness wrote on Facebook that she "heard a man making cat noises, shone a torch he was waving his arms at me before crawling up the hill. Never been so scared." A man who was walking his dog along the beach was more amused than frightened: "I don't know his name, I think it's just a wind-up. He's definitely not out to frighten people, he does it for fun," he said. "He just likes being a giant cat." Well, yeah, who doesn't?
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News You Can Use
Americans looking for a wholesome but unusual family vacation destination might want to visit Mountain Air Ranch near Littleton, Colorado. The "family nudist resort" will celebrate its 90th anniversary July 11-13, with "live music, five catered meals, laughter and mountain magic," KDVR-TV reported. "As the second-oldest nudist resort in North America ... growth (especially with younger families) is definitely something to celebrate," said Mountain Air Ranch Manager Chris May. First-time visitors must arrange a property tour before July 11, and children are welcome but must be supervised by an adult. Pack light!
HOAs in Action
In the Imperial Heights neighborhood of north Houston, residents are in the dark after their homeowners association failed to pay the electric bill, KTRK-TV reported on July 1. The energy company Reliant said the company that manages the HOA had a past-due bill of $6,000 and that no bills had been paid since January. For their part, the Associa Principal Management Group announced the lights would be back on by July 2, but declined to comment further.
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