What was once a gentleman's hobby among a few dozen enthusiasts at the turn of the 20th century has evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry,” wrote The New York Timesin July, in a story about collecting strands of hair from famous people. Mastro Auctions of Chicago sells about $100,000 worth of hair a year; in October, a tuft of Che Guevara's hair went for $119,500; and John Lennon's recently sold for $48,000.
Americana dealer John Reznikoff, from Westport, Conn., owns strands from Lincoln, Washington, Napoleon and Beethoven. He appraised Britney Spears' locksafter she shaved her head in 2007 at “only” $3,500. Reznikoff told the Times that he advertises his trade of books and autographs, but downplays the selling of hair. “I'm concerned clients might not take me seriously if they see me selling a lock of Charles Dickens' hair,” he said.
Family Values
Former model Jayne Bennington, 31, says she spends $600 a month on treatments and frills to turn her daughter Sasha, 11, into a beauty queen, according to a July profile in London's Daily Mail. However, the extensive beauty work has made it harder for Sasha to get work because she no longer looks like a child. Asked for a self-assessment by a BBC documentary crew, Sasha responded, “Blond, pretty, dumbI don't need brains.” Upon hearing that comment, the elder Bennington roared with laughter.
In Bihar, India, a man was charged with having his father killed a day before his retirement so that he might “inherit” his father's government job via the traditional family-hardship policy. If the father had retired, the regular hiring process would have been used to find a replacement.
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The Continuing Crisis
Pizza Patron employee Stephanie Martinez complied with a disguised robber's demand for money at closing time in July in Denton, Texas, but a co-worker jumped the man, knocked him down and began beating him. As the robber's sun glasses and wig fell off, Martinez recognized him: “Don't hit him again! That's my dad!” she cried. Police later charged Martinez's father, mother and husband with the attempted robbery, but concluded that Stephanie had been kept in the dark about the heist.
Among the losers in the recent housing crash was The Shire in Bend, Ore., which was to be a village of 31 homes built in the style of those in the “Lord of the Rings” series. According to a report in the Bend Bulletin, the homes would boast “unique stonework, artificial thatched roofs, terraced gardens and a network of streams and ponds with a pathway leading to what's called ‘The Ring Bearer's Court.'” Only two houses were completed, however (one of which has a “hobbit hole” for storing garden supplies). Developer Ron Meyers said he hopes the new owner will respect the concept.
Greg Nance, 49, resigned from the Nevada Board of Education in August after complaints that he ignored a policy discussion at a public meeting to instead flirt with his 20-year-old wife of 12 days. When a colleague complained that the woman should not have been seated with Nance at the board table, Nance replied, “Bite me.” Nance's replacement will be named by Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons, whose approval rating hovers in the 20% range, in part because of rumors of womanizing. Gibbons filed for divorce in May, but his wife of 22 years has refused to leave the governor's mansion. Gibbons has since moved out.
Unclear on the Concept
(1) Landlord Richard Ott, 30, was arrested in Newark, Del., in August after he lashed out against tenants who were behind on their rent. According to police, Ott hopped into his Hummer in the middle of the night and crashed into the house of his tenants.
(2) In July, a guest at the Delta Beausejour hotel in Moncton, New Brunswick, had a morning court date, but decided to beg off and asked the hotel's concierge to deal with the judge in his place. The judge told the concierge to inform his “client” that he had just been found guilty on all counts.
Least Competent Criminals
(1) Michael Ogle, 29, was arrested for allegedly robbing the BB&T Bank in Seymour, Tenn., in August, right after his release from jail for robbing the same bank last November.
(2) In July, Timothy Wallace, 38, was arrested after allegedly robbing the Superior Bank in Elkmont, Ala., after his release from prison, where he had served a 12-year sentence for robbing the same bank in 1995.
Recurring Themes
Insurance companies, especially in Europe, seem game for underwriting almost any odd risk anyone is willing to pay for, and thus News of the Weird has reported on people insured against alien invasion, the Loch Ness monster and, for three Scottish nuns, the expense of Jesus Christ's second coming if any of them give birth to him. The bedding company Silentnight in Lancashire, England, recently insured mattress-tester Graham Butterfield's buttocks for the equivalent of about $2 million, finding that particular part of his body to be so sensitive to tiny variations in fillings that he knows, quickly and certainly, if the proper materials have been used.
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© 2008 Chuck Shepherd
