What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the weird stuff from this week's news. For Full Shownotes se https://www.shownotes.page ... search "What a Weird Week" where you get podcasts.
(this is a transcript of the podcast) Hi Friends, I'm Scott. This is What a Weird Week where you can get caught up on the weird news of the week. For a transcript, or shownotes or to subscribe to the podcast see www.shownotes.page! Here's Season 5, Episode 06 first published on Friday Feb. 9, 2024 ...
❿ The radio station that had their 200-foot radio tower stolen. This is WJLX - AM in Alabama.
It sounds like a landscaping crew sent to the transmitter site were 1st to discover the theft. They called the GM and the GM is quoted as being in disbelief. Thieves took the 200 foot tower and a transmitter.
WJLX didn't have insurance. Not a lot more detail is being reported...
It sounds like a landscaping crew sent to the transmitter site were 1st to discover the theft. They called the GM and the GM is quoted as being in disbelief. Thieves took the 200 foot tower and a transmitter.
WJLX didn't have insurance. Not a lot more detail is being reported...
How did this happen? Story is still developing. Who would steal an AM radio tower and transmitter? Like, it's AM radio... no offense but how valuable could it be? If you want to broadcast to the masses just start a podcast or get a Tik Tok. Come on, thieves.
❾ Gambling is in the news... a record amount of gambling on the Superbowl will occur this weekend...
they estimate that 68 million Americans plan to bet on this year's football spectacular. That's one in four people in the USA... which is a record. That represents a lot of money. Is it the Taylor Swift Effect?
Perhaps. Also, one of the things they've done well is that you don't have to understand football to bet on something... you can bet on whether Taylor Swift will show her navel on TV for example... that is one of the bets that's available to be made... everybody's got something they can bet on now... So the gambling industry are not slouches.
they estimate that 68 million Americans plan to bet on this year's football spectacular. That's one in four people in the USA... which is a record. That represents a lot of money. Is it the Taylor Swift Effect?
Perhaps. Also, one of the things they've done well is that you don't have to understand football to bet on something... you can bet on whether Taylor Swift will show her navel on TV for example... that is one of the bets that's available to be made... everybody's got something they can bet on now... So the gambling industry are not slouches.
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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 Nuclear fusion is back in the headlines... we've talked about it before on this podcast because it's just weird, isn't it? You guys, how does it even work? Just kidding. I don't want to know. Nuclear fusion is in the news because it may save us all and they're getting better at it. Using lasers they can get more energy out of the fusion process then they put into it. It's clean energy, no pesky radioactivity. It's one of the best kinds of fusion you guys. I mean there's certain types of cuisine referred to as fusion and you could argue that's also a pretty good kind of fusion... but there's jazz/blues fusion too ... I'm not a fan of that... I prefer my fusion nuclear. But... It's not going to save us tomorrow. It's gonna be awhile before we all have fusion-powered homes... They still have to use a lot of energy to get the atoms fused. They're getting better at it... but don't go down to the fusions store and start lining up yet...
❼ I love this one from the TV Spy website... Canadian broadcasters wear the same outfit for a week to see if anyone notices. This was Global News in British Columbia. The anchors wore the same outfit every day all week. This wasn't matching outfits... everybody wore their own outfit... but whatever they wore Monday they continued to wear on-camera for the rest of the week, Guess what happened... The fellows didn't receive any correspondence about wearing the same clothes, but the ladies on the program received a lot of emails from people noticing. I mean you could do a deep dive into the implications of this... on the surface it was just funny. This is a funny thing to do... but underneath that... dudes can wear a sport coat every day... the same sport coat, and no one notices... but a lady has to change up the outfit. That's expensive! It aint easy to be a lady on TV these days.
One thing nobody in this article touched on is... Pajamas.
I mean you turn on the news and everyone on the program is wearing matching pajamas? You get a good deal at Old Navy maybe Walmart. I don't know, wherever... your favorite pajamas store. Pajama Larry's maybe... they have good deals. (This portion of the show is sponsored by pajama Larry's.) Anyway, we could solve it. We could solve Society you guys just Through pajamas! Pajamas would look good and make everything equal. Solved.
One thing nobody in this article touched on is... Pajamas.
I mean you turn on the news and everyone on the program is wearing matching pajamas? You get a good deal at Old Navy maybe Walmart. I don't know, wherever... your favorite pajamas store. Pajama Larry's maybe... they have good deals. (This portion of the show is sponsored by pajama Larry's.) Anyway, we could solve it. We could solve Society you guys just Through pajamas! Pajamas would look good and make everything equal. Solved.
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This is What a Weird Week. Thanks for listening and subscribing.
This is What a Weird Week. Thanks for listening and subscribing.
❻ The lady who returned her couch to Costco... because she didn't like it anymore. It was two years old. This was a social media post from someone that eventually made it to CBS News... and BTW, we link to a story where they say the sofa is two years old and later on in the same story they say it's three and a half years old. So Full disclosure on that.
So I'm not a Costco member and maybe it's different here in Canada, but this lady in the United States didn't have her receipt for the sofa... you know, because it was years old... but the lady thought she would test out the flexible return policy of her Costco... the clerk at the Costco was able to check in the system and found the sofa transaction... and they gave the couch lady her money back.
They asked if there was anything wrong with it... couch lady said no, just that she didn't like it anymore. Full refund!? What kind of return policy is that? Fantastic! Here's part of Costco's return policy from the CBS post "We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price"
So I'm not a Costco member and maybe it's different here in Canada, but this lady in the United States didn't have her receipt for the sofa... you know, because it was years old... but the lady thought she would test out the flexible return policy of her Costco... the clerk at the Costco was able to check in the system and found the sofa transaction... and they gave the couch lady her money back.
They asked if there was anything wrong with it... couch lady said no, just that she didn't like it anymore. Full refund!? What kind of return policy is that? Fantastic! Here's part of Costco's return policy from the CBS post "We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price"
❺ A suspected spy that was detained for eight months has been released. This is in India... where police thought a pigeon was a Chinese spy... the pigeon was captured near a port and it had a couple of little bands around its pigeon legs and what look like Chinese writing... So authorities thought perhaps it was a Chinese spy pigeon. That's weird, right? You don't hear that every day. That's not a headline you get all the time. After eight months in Pigeon jail... turns out it was a racing pigeon that had escaped from Taiwan... So the bird has been set free. Should we play the Fly Fly Clarice soundbite here? Or maybe Free Bird?
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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 This one was covered by everyone, but it's funny and weird so we're covering it too... the three year old boy in Australia who wanted to get the prize out of the claw machine, climbed in there, and got stuck. According to the dad, he disappeared into that machine in a Split Second... Being a father myself and at least one of my kids was certifiably hyperactive, I can relate to this one... and also at but also I can relate to saying that to anyone who would listen that it all happened so fast... "I looked away for a third of a second and the little gaffer ended up in that machine. I mean, no father can be held responsible for any damage to that machine. Right? Right?!! because it happened so fast?" Relateable.
Anyway, happy ending is that the kid did get a prize. They had to break the glass to get the kid out, but they let the little gaffer have a prize. The lesson here is: Stay focused! Get that prize in life.
Anyway, happy ending is that the kid did get a prize. They had to break the glass to get the kid out, but they let the little gaffer have a prize. The lesson here is: Stay focused! Get that prize in life.
❸ From Hoops, the Weird News Bureau Chief at UPI... I saw this headline a few different places. But we put the link to Hoops' story in today's show notes... The man from France who made a world record tall Eiffel Tower out of matchsticks. Twenty three point six feet tall. It's the Eiffel Tower but it's out of matchsticks. Now what if feet what an accomplishment and it's you know, World record height and then the reason it's in the news this week is because the fellow Richard who used seven hundred and six thousand and something matchsticks to make this Eiffel Tower model. Well this week he found out. And made headlines Because they Guinness World Records folks said he's disqualified from the world record. He didn't use the right kind of matches. You're supposed to use just regular matches that anyone can go and buy. But he worked out a deal to save money and got matches wholesale. And that is not allowed. So the Guinness world's the Guinness World Records folks. Had to deliver that disappointing news. Hang in there Richard. It's still a great model.
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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 Another Valentine's story as we get closer to the day of love and the day of feeling scorned.
There's a company in the news who will Name a junk car after your ex and then squish it (or scrap it) or squish-scrap. This one appears not to be for charity, but just for publicity and your mental wellbeing? This is a company in the United Kingdom (Scrap Car Comparison)... you fill out the thing on their website... your ex's first name and why you want that person to be scrapped. That's it, then they'll spray paint the name on the junker, scrap the car, and send you a picture... and you feel better?
There's a company in the news who will Name a junk car after your ex and then squish it (or scrap it) or squish-scrap. This one appears not to be for charity, but just for publicity and your mental wellbeing? This is a company in the United Kingdom (Scrap Car Comparison)... you fill out the thing on their website... your ex's first name and why you want that person to be scrapped. That's it, then they'll spray paint the name on the junker, scrap the car, and send you a picture... and you feel better?
https://www.scrapcarcomparison.co.uk/blog/scrap-your-ex/
🍅 We have an honorable mention... This publicity stunt gets full marks for trying to promote recycling and also for the most amazing website... https://flushyourex.whogivesacrap.org/ ...
From their website which again is flush your x dot who gives a crap dot org ... legit... This is what they say... "Back by popular demand. We are once again turning your ex's empty promises into something useful this Valentine's Day... 100% recycled toilet paper!" ... and they encourage you to mail in those old love letters from your lousy stinkin' ex... this company will make TP out of those old love letters!
Shout out to Who Gives A Crap inc. BTW, this is for you folks in Australia, United States, and the United Kingdom. Us Canadians have to suffer a bad break up without the help of malicious toilet-paper-making. If you want to take part, we'll put a link in the show notes.
https://flushyourex.whogivesacrap.org/
Hang on for number one!!
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Catch up on the weird news of the week with What a Weird Week.
❶ It's not a funny story. It's just weird you guys and I don't know what it means.
Researchers hope that someday it'll cure cancer. I'm paraphrasing a bit there. This has to do with the radioactive wolves in Chernobyl. ICYMI, Chernobyl had a terrible nuclear disaster at the nuclear power plant many years ago and obviously people had to evacuate... and they couldn't go back because of radiation... for many years... then animals started to move in and there are all kinds of animals... normal-looking animals by the way... foxes, horses, birds of prey... also wolves... Well researchers began to study the wolves... because there's radiation still in Chernobyl Hot Zone, but the Wolves seem to be doing very well. The researchers think they've developed some kind of immunity to getting sick from the radiation... and that has the researchers quite excited about what the future may hold if they can figure out exactly how it is all happening with the Wolves of Chernobyl. It sounds like the title of a horror movie, Actually write that one down, that should be a horror movie.
❶ It's not a funny story. It's just weird you guys and I don't know what it means.
Researchers hope that someday it'll cure cancer. I'm paraphrasing a bit there. This has to do with the radioactive wolves in Chernobyl. ICYMI, Chernobyl had a terrible nuclear disaster at the nuclear power plant many years ago and obviously people had to evacuate... and they couldn't go back because of radiation... for many years... then animals started to move in and there are all kinds of animals... normal-looking animals by the way... foxes, horses, birds of prey... also wolves... Well researchers began to study the wolves... because there's radiation still in Chernobyl Hot Zone, but the Wolves seem to be doing very well. The researchers think they've developed some kind of immunity to getting sick from the radiation... and that has the researchers quite excited about what the future may hold if they can figure out exactly how it is all happening with the Wolves of Chernobyl. It sounds like the title of a horror movie, Actually write that one down, that should be a horror movie.
... that's this week's What a Weird Week program. For Shownotes and more go to ShowNotes Dot Page or search "What a Weird Week" wherever you get podcasts. BTW, Every weekend we are one of
the things you can hear on Fun House Radio. Ask your smart speaker to
play Fun House Radio or see the link on our Shownotes Page. See you next Friday for another countdown of weird news!!
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