UFO abduction memorialized
There’s now a historical landmark in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where two men claimed to be abducted by aliens near a river in southern Mississippi in 1973. The two men were said to have been on the shores of the Pascagoula River when aliens suddenly pulled them on board their UFO, examined them for about half an hour and then brought them back to Earth. Both men reported the event to the sheriff’s department and were checked out at a hospital after the alleged event took place on Oct. 11, 1973. Even if this is a hoax, you’ve got to admire that their story became a spooky local legend in the process.
Toilet criminal clogged
A 26-year-old man, who has been called “the serial toilet clogger,” was sentenced to a 150-day jail term and three years of probation after being convicted of five counts of criminal damage to property. The man repeatedly clogged toilets with plastic bottles in the women’s restroom at his workplace, causing them to overflow. Police started to investigate the man after they found a toilet in the women’s bathroom clogged at Deland Community Center in March 2018. Officers reviewed 10 similar instances dating back to April 2017 at the center. Each clogged toilet cost the city about $200 to repair. During his three-year probation period, the man will pay $5,500 in restitution, complete 100 hours of community service, and will not be allowed to consume alcohol or any controlled substances.
When the mower rides you
A Guinness World Records enthusiast managed to balance a running lawn mower on his chin for three minutes and 52 seconds in Idaho on July 1. David Rush trained for three years and three months before attempting the world record at the ESPN “Road to the X Games” showcase event in Boise, Idaho. And luckily a Guinness adjudicator was present during the X Games, verifying that Rush had defeated the previous record of three minutes and one second. Rush has broken more than 100 Guinness records and also promotes STEM education.
Invasion of the ear canal
A doctor at a hospital in Thailand was examining the ear of a 50-year-old woman complaining of tinnitus. When he examined the inside of her ear he discovered a live tick living there. The 37-year-old otolaryngologist at Buddhachinaraj Hospital in Phitsanulok even videotaped the tick, which he discovered had bitten the inside of her ear repeatedly. The tick, located deep in the woman’s ear canal, was removed via suction. Luckily, the tick didn’t lay any eggs or dig deeper into her ear, otherwise she likely would have had to have surgery.
A coffin with your cappuccino
Here’s another Bizarro Brief from Thailand. In Bangkok there’s a cheerfully morbid cafe, which features mortuary-inspired decor and coffins for customers to get a little relaxation and shut eye after purchasing their coffees, teas, or lattes. The Death Awareness Cafe aims to inspire customers to reflect on their lives and was inspired by Buddhist philosophy. If you happen to be drinking a subpar cup of Joe while at the cafe, at least you have a reminder that things could be worse.
Bra turtle support
A North Carolina animal rescue group wants women not to throw out their old bras. Instead, they plan to use the bras to help turtles with broken shells. The Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is asking women to remove the eye closures from the fasteners on their bras and mail them in. The eye closures are used to help wire the shells of turtles back together. The nonprofit animal rescue group has been assisting more than 40 turtles a week this past month, many of which have been run over by cars, lawnmowers, and boats.
Chickens … run!
There’s a gang of 100 feral chickens plaguing people in Jersey. No, not New Jersey, but the island of Jersey located off the coast of Normandy, France, which is the largest of the Channel Islands. Residents say that the wild chickens are tearing up gardens, blocking traffic, and chasing joggers. The island has tried culling the flock, resulting in the deaths of 35 chickens, but the problem continues. This year, the island’s environmental minister received 40 complaints about the birds. There are no natural predators on the island, which means the birds continue to reproduce quickly.
Goldzilla
Fun fact: Sometimes when you flush a goldfish down the toilet, it lives, and if it makes its way to a large body of water it can multiply in size. Such is the case with a goldfish the size of a kitten that was found in the Niagara River in New York, which is presumed to be a discarded house pet that survived being flushed down the toilet. The behemoth measures at 14 inches long. But giant goldfish are no laughing matter. Across all of the Great Lakes, goldfish populations are estimated to be in the tens of millions and are considered an invasive species.
Slugger
A power failure with a Japanese rail operator recently led to delays to 12,000 passengers. The reason? One solitary tiny slug. The May 30 outage in Japan’s southern Kyushu region, which led to 26 trains being canceled for the day, was caused when the mollusk came into contact with an electrical cable, burning the animal and causing the power failure. The slug had squeezed through a gap in what was supposed to be a secure box.
