Another issue of the Odd Stew: oddities plus other bizarre, strange, and fascinating things that have happened in the news that you may have missed.
The Invasion of the Turkey
Maybe these animals are just tired of being sandwiches because a group of wild turkeys on April 6, 2016 decided to run amuck. Residents of Teaneck, New Jersey have had to be on guard from the aggressive fowl who had been causing property damage and harassing residents. One turkey even came through a kitchen window of one of the residents, making them run from their house. The turkey caused $6,000 in property damage to the home.
The gang of four turkeys has been chasing people and had been causing trouble in the neighborhood for days. The New Jersey Fish and Wildlife department have been trying to corral the turkeys and say the cause of their unlikely behavior is probably because it’s mating season.
Not the Best Way to Keep a Job
A United Airlines flight landed in Houston from Sacramento on April 5, 2016, and one of the flight attendants just couldn’t wait to get off. The flight attendant deployed the emergency slide from the airplane after it landed, threw her bag down the slide, then proceeded to slide down after it. Airline officials believe she did it intentionally but don’t know why. The unknown flight attendant was removed from her flight duties after the incident.
The only other thing that happened on the flight was when a man was led off the plane in a wheelchair because he was having breathing problems, but it is not known whether this was the reason for the flight attendant deploying the slide. Either way, it probably isn’t the best way to help in your next performance review.
Avoid the Bulge
A New Zealand hotel decided to implement an unusual prohibition on a certain type of clothing–Lycra bicycle shorts.
The owner of the Plough Hotel, Mike Saunders, set the rule in motion in April 2016 when more bicyclists were expected to attend the hotel’s newly openly breakfast. Saunders wanted breakfast patrons to avoid the “unsightly bumps and bulges,” that would turn patrons off from their breakfast.
A sign outside the hotel says, “The bicycle is a beautiful object, but they should never have invented Lycra! NO LYCRA SHORTS ALLOWED PLEASE.” The decision has been controversial, but Saunders is standing by his decision.
This isn’t the first dust-up in New Zealand over Lycra shorts. In 2013, a Christchurch, New Zealand cafe put up a similar sign. The Castle Rock Cafe did it because one particular large biker wore shorts that were just too tiny.
Maybe There Just Aren’t Better Things to do With Your Time
A 25-year-old Brooklyn man broke a record that probably sounds easier than it was to complete. He broke the Guinness record for the longest time watching television and did it with 94 consecutive hours of binge watching.
Alejandro Fragoso started watching in the morning of Friday, April 8, 2016 and finished on April 12th. Fragoso started with two other friends but was the only one left standing, or sitting, after 94 hours. The attempt was sponsored by a software firm called CyberLink and allowed five-minute breaks every hour. Other than those breaks, Fragoso couldn’t let his eyes wander from the television screen.
On the list of Fragoso’s viewing material was Curb Your Enthusiasm, Twilight Zone, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Adventure Time, and Bob’s Burgers. The previous record had been held by a group of Austrians in March 2016 when they watched television for 92-hours.
Check in Those Couch Cushions For Some Extra Change
If you’ve been on the hunt for that perfect house then why not up the ante and buy an entire English village. There is one currently for sale near the town of Scarborough in Yorkshire, England called West Heslerton. It will only cost you £20 million (that’s about $28.5 million USD). The village includes 43 houses, a 21-bedroom mansion, and a pub. In addition to these fine things there is a gas station and 2,000 acres of farmland. It actually sounds like a good deal.
The previous owner of West Heslerton was Eve Dawnay and the village had been in her family for 150 years. She passed away at the age of 84 and had no heir to leave the estate to.
But I Had to Finish My Downward Dog
On March 26, 2016, a 72-year-old man named Hyongtae Pae caused a United Airlines flight to Tokyo from Honolulu to be aborted when he went to the galley in the back of the plane to mediate and do yoga and would not sit down in his seat for the meal service.
His wife tried to get him to sit back down, but Pae got agitated and pushed her. He next tried to head-butt and bite Marines who were also on the flight as they tried to get him in his seat. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Darren Ching, said Pae became enraged that the flight crew was ordering him around. Pae’s defense attorney said the man was returning to Korea and that the couple had been celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii. The defense attorney also said that Pae had been sleep-deprived during the vacation and had only recently taken up yoga to help with anxiety. It appears it might be time to find something else to help with that.
That’s it for another issue of the Odd Stew. Check back again next time for more bizarre and weird things that you may have missed in your news feed.
