What a Weird Week is a show about the weird stuff that happened in the news this week. For Full Shownotes see https://www.shownotes.page ... Subscribe to the Audio Podcast at https://kite.link/weird ... and see the Video Podcast at https://www.youtube.com/@weirdweekpod
(transcript) Hi Friends, I'm Scott. This is the What a Weird Week Show, your weird news catch-up top 10 countdown. For audio, video, and shownotes see www.shownotes.page! Here's Season 5, Episode 01 first published on Friday Jan. 12th, 2024 ...
❿ This week in sentencing: A 26-year-old guy tried to sell the late Queen of England's walking stick for charity...
He put up an eBay listing explaining that he had been a senior footman at Windsor Castle and the late Queen's walking stick would go to the highest bidder while proceeds would go to charity ... bidding got to 540 pounds then the fellow took down the listing because he heard the cops were investigating ... turns out this was all fraudulent. You don't get too many walking stick frauds so we put this one in the top ten. Some articles say the guy tried to pass it off as sort of a joke and also claimed his computer was hacked... the fellow (Dru) has been convicted of fraud and got a fine and community service.
The BBC article shows the eBay listing which has a photo of the Queen holding a walking stick ... so idk if there was an actual forgery/ fake walking stick or not. Is there a market for replica walking sticks? Because a tree blew over in my yard the other day... should I be making walking sticks out of it.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-67922153 and https://metro.co.uk/2024/01/09/dru-marshall-scammer-sentenced-flogging-queens-walking-stick-20088163/
He put up an eBay listing explaining that he had been a senior footman at Windsor Castle and the late Queen's walking stick would go to the highest bidder while proceeds would go to charity ... bidding got to 540 pounds then the fellow took down the listing because he heard the cops were investigating ... turns out this was all fraudulent. You don't get too many walking stick frauds so we put this one in the top ten. Some articles say the guy tried to pass it off as sort of a joke and also claimed his computer was hacked... the fellow (Dru) has been convicted of fraud and got a fine and community service.
The BBC article shows the eBay listing which has a photo of the Queen holding a walking stick ... so idk if there was an actual forgery/ fake walking stick or not. Is there a market for replica walking sticks? Because a tree blew over in my yard the other day... should I be making walking sticks out of it.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-67922153 and https://metro.co.uk/2024/01/09/dru-marshall-scammer-sentenced-flogging-queens-walking-stick-20088163/
❾ Dog story
A couple of scary dogs caused $350,000 damage at a car dealership in Houston.
And there's video.
The dogs have been arrested and are being detained at an animal shelter.
They scratched the paint and tore bumpers off cars. They went HAM on these automobiles. But why?
They think cats were hiding under the cars and the dogs got all fired up and took it out on the poor vehicles.
https://abc13.com/dogs-tear-apart-cars-g-motors-cypress-tx-barc-houston-stray-canines/14262071/
And there's video.
The dogs have been arrested and are being detained at an animal shelter.
They scratched the paint and tore bumpers off cars. They went HAM on these automobiles. But why?
They think cats were hiding under the cars and the dogs got all fired up and took it out on the poor vehicles.
https://abc13.com/dogs-tear-apart-cars-g-motors-cypress-tx-barc-houston-stray-canines/14262071/
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The Top Ten Weird News Stories of the Week: this is What a Weird Week. 
The Top Ten Weird News Stories of the Week: this is What a Weird Week.
❽ Exploding Toilet Lawsuit article from the AP ...
- this is about a customer at a popular donut franchise in the USA who is claiming that he was injured by an exploding toilet at a central Florida location.
- the fellow, named Paul, is suing for $100,000 (some sources say $50,000ish) for injury and grossness related to an alleged exploding toilet...
- Paul's lawsuit claims he suffered “bodily injury” and needed counseling after the incident.
- What exactly happened? How did the toilet explode? Should we be taking precautions? Well, the article reached out to Paul's lawyer for clarification but they were busy doing lawyer things so we just don't know much more at this point. Very frustrating!
https://apnews.com/article/dunkin-donuts-exploding-toilet-florida-lawsuit-db7794a8ed61a8f1350bfbaffb094aa8 and maybe this one for the comments https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/01/04/florida-man-sues-dunkin-donuts-after-toilet-explosion-covers-him-in-waste/
- this is about a customer at a popular donut franchise in the USA who is claiming that he was injured by an exploding toilet at a central Florida location.
- the fellow, named Paul, is suing for $100,000 (some sources say $50,000ish) for injury and grossness related to an alleged exploding toilet...
- Paul's lawsuit claims he suffered “bodily injury” and needed counseling after the incident.
- What exactly happened? How did the toilet explode? Should we be taking precautions? Well, the article reached out to Paul's lawyer for clarification but they were busy doing lawyer things so we just don't know much more at this point. Very frustrating!
https://apnews.com/article/dunkin-donuts-exploding-toilet-florida-lawsuit-db7794a8ed61a8f1350bfbaffb094aa8 and maybe this one for the comments https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2024/01/04/florida-man-sues-dunkin-donuts-after-toilet-explosion-covers-him-in-waste/
❼ World Record Big Spider in the news ...
They have discovered the largest male specimen of the most venomous spider in the world... and you won't believe what happened next...
- maybe you will believe it...
First a little bit about this spider from the AP:
- the Sydney funnel-web has fangs that can pierce a human fingernail... this one has been named Hercules
- Hercules is 7.9 centimeters (3.1 inches) from foot to foot which makes him the biggest male funnel-web ever found.
- Hercules was found by a person who donated him - instead of squishing him - because now Hercules will be a part of the Australian Reptile Park's antivenom program. His venom will be used to help people. Or, for thirty million dollars, the zoo will boil that spider in garlic butter and serve it to you like a lobster. *MMMmmm just kidding*.
https://apnews.com/article/australia-largest-deadly-funnel-web-spider-6014224ad1d62278fef3f69decf11456 and also https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/dont-squish-it-biggest-male-poisonous-spider-ever-found-could-save-lives and how to collect spiders https://www.facebook.com/AustralianReptilePark/videos/1060389761944948/
They have discovered the largest male specimen of the most venomous spider in the world... and you won't believe what happened next...
- maybe you will believe it...
First a little bit about this spider from the AP:
- the Sydney funnel-web has fangs that can pierce a human fingernail... this one has been named Hercules
- Hercules is 7.9 centimeters (3.1 inches) from foot to foot which makes him the biggest male funnel-web ever found.
- Hercules was found by a person who donated him - instead of squishing him - because now Hercules will be a part of the Australian Reptile Park's antivenom program. His venom will be used to help people. Or, for thirty million dollars, the zoo will boil that spider in garlic butter and serve it to you like a lobster. *MMMmmm just kidding*.
https://apnews.com/article/australia-largest-deadly-funnel-web-spider-6014224ad1d62278fef3f69decf11456 and also https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/dont-squish-it-biggest-male-poisonous-spider-ever-found-could-save-lives and how to collect spiders https://www.facebook.com/AustralianReptilePark/videos/1060389761944948/
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This is What a Weird Week. Thanks for being here.
This is What a Weird Week. Thanks for being here.
❻ The mouse that cleaned up the shed ...
There's video you guys.
- a fellow in Wales had an all-night surveillance camera aimed at his workbench... and got footage of a mouse picking up things like clothespins or bottle caps, stuff like that ... the mouse picked up these things and put them in a little box that was sitting there.
- that's kind of the whole story... the footage is cool, it got shared a lot and picked up by the BBC ...
They call the mouse the Welsh Tidy Mouse ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-67902966 and video https://youtu.be/jLDPzQ42kws?feature=shared
- a fellow in Wales had an all-night surveillance camera aimed at his workbench... and got footage of a mouse picking up things like clothespins or bottle caps, stuff like that ... the mouse picked up these things and put them in a little box that was sitting there.
- that's kind of the whole story... the footage is cool, it got shared a lot and picked up by the BBC ...
They call the mouse the Welsh Tidy Mouse ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-67902966 and video https://youtu.be/jLDPzQ42kws?feature=shared
❺ Message from Canada's National Parks: "Try to discourage moose from licking you car... " How do we do that? There's not a lot we can do but they do offer advice...
Maybe where you're at you don't have to worry about moose. I kinda do. I saw one a few months ago on my way to work and that moose didn't care that I was gonna be late ... you can't reason with a moose. Maybe they are selfish.
Right now in moose places, they are licking cars because of salt from the road making our cars delicious. Sometimes where I live if it's icy they'll use salt, but sometimes they used this delicious salt juice ... *delicious for moose.
- Bottom line: moose are enormous and you don't want them near roadways so Parks Canada recommends that basically if you're stopped and a moose tries to lick your car, drive away. They say slowly and safely... but I say if the moose gives chase, I'm gonna step on it!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dont-let-moose-lick-1.7074587
Right now in moose places, they are licking cars because of salt from the road making our cars delicious. Sometimes where I live if it's icy they'll use salt, but sometimes they used this delicious salt juice ... *delicious for moose.
- Bottom line: moose are enormous and you don't want them near roadways so Parks Canada recommends that basically if you're stopped and a moose tries to lick your car, drive away. They say slowly and safely... but I say if the moose gives chase, I'm gonna step on it!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dont-let-moose-lick-1.7074587
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You're listening to the What a Weird Week Program. It's weird news!
You're listening to the What a Weird Week Program. It's weird news!
❹ Dog eats $4000. Owners did what they had to do.
- The pooch is OK.
- The owners retrieved most of the money after waiting for their dog to do $4000 worth of business. Poop I mean. They waited for the dog to poop.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67884583.amp
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67884583.amp
❸ The Slate story about the indestructible cell phone... Anna Gibbs writing for Slate:
"How Can a Phone Survive a Fall From a Plane Without Cracking? ...
she talks about the plane door that came off that Alaska Airlines flight... she talks about how it was some kind of miracle that no one was sitting in the window seat where the door blew out... and also the iPhone they found "on the side of a road in Portland, Oregon, with an unlocked phone screen open to an Alaska Airlines baggage claim email: Not only had the phone survived the fall, but it didn’t have a single scratch." !
The article gets into how that could have happened... bonkers!
https://ssnews.page.link/kjtzduhy1G1ySm8LA
"How Can a Phone Survive a Fall From a Plane Without Cracking? ...
she talks about the plane door that came off that Alaska Airlines flight... she talks about how it was some kind of miracle that no one was sitting in the window seat where the door blew out... and also the iPhone they found "on the side of a road in Portland, Oregon, with an unlocked phone screen open to an Alaska Airlines baggage claim email: Not only had the phone survived the fall, but it didn’t have a single scratch." !
The article gets into how that could have happened... bonkers!
https://ssnews.page.link/kjtzduhy1G1ySm8LA
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We're almost to the number one weird story of the week... this is the What a Weird Week Show.
We're almost to the number one weird story of the week... this is the What a Weird Week Show.
❷ The Weird Products from this year's CES Consumer Electronics Show... So many AI things... AI gadgets and AI companions... some of them look a little like the something from Disney World... a lot of electric vehicles ... transparent TVs seem pretty futuristic... CNN describes one of them as like a floating piece of glass... but some of the weirdest things include some kind of suped up dancing plant... the stalking sleep-watching robot... the mouth computer... the anti-snore smart pillow that detects your snores and makes adjustments... AI-free Orange Juice... https://ssnews.page.link/VTka79zN1jjPjhxw8 and also https://www.cnet.com/tech/top-8-weirdest-products-weve-seen-at-ces-2024/
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Catch up on the weird news of the week with What a Weird Week.
❶ The 10 year old girl behind the movement to bring back Haggis flavored chips (crisps)...
10 year old Grace is in Scotland. She loved Haggis chips and when she heard that Haggis flavored chips were being made a seasonal flavor instead of year round, Grace wrote a polite letter to the company saying it would make her sad. They're giving her a year's supply of chips, a tour of the chip factory, and the Haggis chips are back! Victory!!
https://news.sky.com/story/girl-10-wins-years-supply-of-crisps-after-campaigning-to-get-niche-flavour-back-on-shelves-13041322
❶ The 10 year old girl behind the movement to bring back Haggis flavored chips (crisps)...
10 year old Grace is in Scotland. She loved Haggis chips and when she heard that Haggis flavored chips were being made a seasonal flavor instead of year round, Grace wrote a polite letter to the company saying it would make her sad. They're giving her a year's supply of chips, a tour of the chip factory, and the Haggis chips are back! Victory!!
https://news.sky.com/story/girl-10-wins-years-supply-of-crisps-after-campaigning-to-get-niche-flavour-back-on-shelves-13041322
... and That's a Wrap on this week's What a Weird Week program. For Shownotes and more go to ShowNotes Dot Page. See you next Friday for another countdown of weird news. Streamers, if you're tuned in live, thanks! Every weekend we are one of
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