What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the weird news of the week. https://www.
(Begin episode transcript) Hi Friends, I'm Scott. This is What a Weird Week where we catch you up on the weird news of the week. For transcript/ shownotes/ podcast stuff see www.shownotes.page! Here's Season 5, Episode 13 first published on Friday March 29 2024
❿ Kicking things off with one from our buddy/ future best friend/ weird news guru at United Press International Ben "Hoops" Hooper. Hoops had the story about the world record finally becoming a official... It's a case of "good things come to those who wait"... the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team out of Maine attempted the World's Longest Line of Whoopie Pies last summer and now it's officially been verified by the Guinness World Records folks. This was a part of the State of Maine Whoopie Pie Festival. How did I not know about this Festival? Whoopie pies are one of the all-time great pies, which don't look like pies. 2121 Whoopie Pies in a line is the world record. Whoopie Pies might be a regional thing depending where you're at... in case you don't know what a Whoopie Pie is... it is two jumbo cookies with whipped cream in the middle, usually. And it when I say cookies, it's more like a very cakey cookie with some sort of whipped cream filling/ icing. If you don't have them where you're at, you should try them. They're delicious.
❾ From CBC Montreal, Canada is the story about the lawsuit involving parents who allege that a teacher in Quebec has been selling students' artwork online and keeping the money. This is a high school art teacher accused of putting student artwork on the teacher's website and making it available for purchase... and this is a million-dollar lawsuit! 1.575 million!! The parents of ten students are involved... so they all want like 150-something thousand dollars in damages for copyright infringement. Mentioned in the lawsuit: one of the assignments from the teacher was "Creepy Portraits"... the teacher assigned to the kids a project where they were. to draw a creepy portrait... and then those things ended up on the internet?! *All this is allegedly until someone has been found guilty... but I mean the art was on the internet... that part's not alleged... the creepy portraits were discovered on a website. Besides a creepy portrait print, you could also get a creepy portrait coffee, or T-shirt, etc. I mean you got to respect the hustle a little bit, don't you?
Not a lot mentioned in the article from the teacher's point of view, if there's some sort of answer or defense to the allegations. My defense would be "Your honor, Respect the hustle."
Case dismissed.
Not a lot mentioned in the article from the teacher's point of view, if there's some sort of answer or defense to the allegations. My defense would be "Your honor, Respect the hustle."
Case dismissed.
make me an offer!
Next.. weird bug looks like something gross... and slacker strikes it rich...
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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 They've discovered a new beetle in Australia and they almost didn't discover it, apparently, because it looks so much like bird poop. It was almost overlooked. A researcher who was camping saw the Punk Beetle (it's called a punk beetle) and the researcher says "I almost overlooked it. I thought it was bird poop." It turned out it wasn't bird poop, you guys. It was just a weird looking bird poop-like beetle.
I always like to describe things in case you don't have time to click the photo as you're listening to this program. The thing is about half an inch long/ a centimeter long. It has long, white fluffy hair. And I guess in nature, it blends in with bird poop in some way. I love it when they discover new things.
I always like to describe things in case you don't have time to click the photo as you're listening to this program. The thing is about half an inch long/ a centimeter long. It has long, white fluffy hair. And I guess in nature, it blends in with bird poop in some way. I love it when they discover new things.
❼ From Sky News: "Man finds England's biggest gold nugget with faulty detector after arriving an hour late to dig." That headline by Dylan Donnelly.
This is someone who has been metal detecting for decades. They showed up at an organized metal detecting event or group dig. The fellow arriving late, Richard his name, is 67 years old... he arrives late then his favorite metal detector's not working. He had to use an older one. Twenty minutes in he finds a gold nugget that is described as huge. Almost 65 grams. Some other things that are around 65 grams: a C battery. Your average deck of cards is a little bit heavier than 65 grams. It's a big old gold nug. They think it'll make 30,000 Pounds at auction. 30,000 Pounds for 20 minutes of metal detecting is not too shabby. Well done Richard.
This is someone who has been metal detecting for decades. They showed up at an organized metal detecting event or group dig. The fellow arriving late, Richard his name, is 67 years old... he arrives late then his favorite metal detector's not working. He had to use an older one. Twenty minutes in he finds a gold nugget that is described as huge. Almost 65 grams. Some other things that are around 65 grams: a C battery. Your average deck of cards is a little bit heavier than 65 grams. It's a big old gold nug. They think it'll make 30,000 Pounds at auction. 30,000 Pounds for 20 minutes of metal detecting is not too shabby. Well done Richard.
Next... the terrible chocolate news...and the game show that has a contingency in case you pee your pants on TV...
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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 Terrible Chocolate News!
Headline from Food Business News:
"Is global cocoa market teetering on the brink of chaos?"
There are some brinks that are good to be teetering on... If you're teetering on the brink of Wealth, Fame, Fortune...Those are some good brinks to be teetering on... but to be teetering on the brink of chaos? Not good.
The article is all about how cocoa bean prices are going up. We're going to pay more for delicious chocolate. There's also a shortage in cocoa butter. One of the quotes from the article is the industry is in "justified panic mode."
Headline from Food Business News:
"Is global cocoa market teetering on the brink of chaos?"
There are some brinks that are good to be teetering on... If you're teetering on the brink of Wealth, Fame, Fortune...Those are some good brinks to be teetering on... but to be teetering on the brink of chaos? Not good.
The article is all about how cocoa bean prices are going up. We're going to pay more for delicious chocolate. There's also a shortage in cocoa butter. One of the quotes from the article is the industry is in "justified panic mode."
❺ The game show with the pee-on-TV contingency plan. This is an article that came out this week from the Mirror... The headline is "Price is Right has special plan in place in case contestants pee themselves."
This is a an article quoting a former producer on the Price is Right game show.
They have a system in place... they thought of everything on that show... you got to figure... Show's been on so long.... Somebody somewhere has a guide to all of the things they could dream of that might happen on TV. What if that big wheel comes detached and starts rolling towards the audience? They have a plan for that. If someone gets so excited that they pee themselves on TV... They have a contingency plan that involves a blow dryer and a pair of sweatpants.
This is a an article quoting a former producer on the Price is Right game show.
They have a system in place... they thought of everything on that show... you got to figure... Show's been on so long.... Somebody somewhere has a guide to all of the things they could dream of that might happen on TV. What if that big wheel comes detached and starts rolling towards the audience? They have a plan for that. If someone gets so excited that they pee themselves on TV... They have a contingency plan that involves a blow dryer and a pair of sweatpants.
Next...the island you'll wanna travel to the day after Easter... and why is that guy on the billboard eating cheese?
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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 is from Metro UK... "Remote UK Island now has more Easter eggs than people" ... Article by Katie Biden... About a shop owner on a Scottish Island where the population is around 500 people and the shop owner thought they were ordering a reasonable amount of large chocolate Easter Eggs... I think they have delicious Smarties inside... Shop owner thought they were ordering 80 of those.... ended up ordering 80 cases... now the shop owner has more eggs than the population of the the island... Just a mix up could happen to anyone... But I imagine the day after Easter those things are going to be marked down and I am jealous.
❸ New York Post article... the headline is "Say Cheese." (Billboard shames man concerning his cheese consumption) ... This is a billboard in Kentucky. The article talks about Jonathan Pittman who paid for this billboard which has a picture of his friend eating mac and cheese... He took out the billboard for 4 weeks... seems like a viral marketing campaign because it's a photo of a guy eating mac and cheese and it's in the color scheme of Kraft Dinner... the billboard says "This man consumes over 20 gal of liquid cheese in a year. We cannot stop him." That's it. At a cost of ~ $1200... Jonathan thought it would be funny.
They quote a Reddit subreddit where some people think someone lost a bet/ lost a fantasy football league... maybe someday we'll have the answer to the cheese mystery, but for now: To be continued.
They quote a Reddit subreddit where some people think someone lost a bet/ lost a fantasy football league... maybe someday we'll have the answer to the cheese mystery, but for now: To be continued.
Next... we have a winner in the Cadbury Bunny contest and it aint no bunny! And a classic dessert is changing its recipe. #Nervous
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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 Cadbury announces the 2024 winner of the Cadbury Bunny contest. Congratulations to Louie the raccoon who becomes the first-ever raccoon to be the Cadbury Easter Bunny.
Check out the great photo Louie! And congratulations to Louie's owners... on having a pet raccoon.
Check out the great photo Louie! And congratulations to Louie's owners... on having a pet raccoon.
🍅 Honorable mention: Company behind Chips Ahoy Has changed the recipe for the Chips Ahoy cookie... more cocoa... (in a time when cocoa is becoming more scarce?!) ... anyways, more cocoa in their chocolate chips and Madagascar vanilla extract which will "make it a well-rounded chocolate flavor, while reducing bitterness" ... I want to be open to new things but I don't want you to mess this one up, Chips Ahoy.
https://www.fooddive.com/news/mondelez-chips-ahoy-new-recipe-cookie-snacking/710901/
🍅 Honorable mention 2: Another honorable mention as we head into Easter weekend... The folks at Claussen have a jelly bean out that tastes like delicious pickles. Claussen pickle-flavored jelly beans!
The article does mention that last year, in 2023, jelly beans became the top Easter candy for American consumers. It used to be Marshmallow Peeps... now, it's jelly beans. So I guess the folks behind Claussen pickles saw the writing on the candy wall and they're getting in on that sweet pickle candy action.
The article does mention that last year, in 2023, jelly beans became the top Easter candy for American consumers. It used to be Marshmallow Peeps... now, it's jelly beans. So I guess the folks behind Claussen pickles saw the writing on the candy wall and they're getting in on that sweet pickle candy action.
Next...number one... a world record you could try this weekend but idk you guys...
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫Catch up on the weird news of the week with What a Weird Week.
❶ Number 1 story this week Is from David "Recordbreaker" Rush... he's the fellow who is trying to set a world record every week... He always uses these World Records to shine a light on education and STEM Education initiatives... he posted a video a couple of days ago, of him drinking a litre of lemon juice in under 14 seconds. You have to drink it through a straw. It is pure lemon juice... then he documents his journey after unofficially setting this world record... the journey involves a lot of stomach pain.
❶ Number 1 story this week Is from David "Recordbreaker" Rush... he's the fellow who is trying to set a world record every week... He always uses these World Records to shine a light on education and STEM Education initiatives... he posted a video a couple of days ago, of him drinking a litre of lemon juice in under 14 seconds. You have to drink it through a straw. It is pure lemon juice... then he documents his journey after unofficially setting this world record... the journey involves a lot of stomach pain.
... that's the show for this week... For Shownotes and more go to ShowNotes Dot Page or search "What a Weird Week" wherever you get podcasts. Every weekend you can hear the show on Fun House Radio. Ask your smart speaker to
play Fun House Radio or see the link on our Shownotes Page. See you next week for another countdown of weird news.
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