An unnamed 28-year-old man in search of a voluntary castration found himself drawn to a website offering such services, which led him to travel from Virginia to a cabin in the woods of Poteau, Oklahoma. There, on Oct. 12, Bob Lee Allen, 53, and Thomas Evans Gates, 42, allegedly relieved the victim of his testicles during a two-hour surgery, The Oklahoman reported. Allen told the victim that he has "a freezer of body parts" and that "he was going to consume the parts and laughed and said that he was a cannibal," an affidavit said. The day following the operation, Allen took the victim to the hospital because he was bleeding badly, but cautioned him to say "he done it to himself." The hospital contacted police, and investigators searched the property, finding suspected body parts in a deep freeze. Allen and Gates were charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including conspiracy to commit unlicensed surgery and failure to bury the body parts. [The Oklahoman, 10/22/2020]

Questionable Judgment

Tynette Housley, 73, of Black Forest, Colorado, was cited by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials after her "pet" deer attacked and gored a neighbor who was out walking her dog on Oct. 16. The buck, now sporting two-pronged antlers, was taken in by Housley when it was just a few days old and raised as a pet. The victim tried to run first to another neighbor's home, then to her own, but the buck repeatedly knocked her down and gored her. A CPW officer euthanized the deer and took it for testing for rabies and other diseases. "We can't say it enough: Wild animals are not pets," said Frank McGee, CPW's area wildlife manager. Housley was charged with illegal possession and illegal feeding of wildlife. [Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 10/19/2020]

Man's Best Friend

-- Veterinary researchers at the University of Helsinki have been testing whether dogs can sniff out COVID-19, and Anna Hielm-Bjorkman has the good news: They can. With almost 100% accuracy. "A dog could easily save so, so, so many lives," she told DW. A pilot program at the Helsinki Airport is having travelers wipe their wrists or neck with a cloth, which the trained dogs then sniff. They can identify the virus up to five days before any symptoms appear. People who test positive at the voluntary canine site are directed to the airport's medical unit for confirmation. Hielm-Bjorkman said travelers have been eager to participate, waiting up to an hour in line. [DW, 10/21/2020]

-- On the Italian island of Sardinia, farmer Cristian Mallocci welcomed a litter of five dogs on Oct. 9, Fox News reported. Among them was a special pup -- one with green fur, which Mallocci immediately named Pistachio. The other four dogs had white fur, like their mom. Green puppies are rare, but not unheard-of; scientists think it happens when the puppy makes contact with a green pigment in the womb. Pistachio's color has faded since his birth, but he'll keep his name, and Mallocci will keep him to help look after sheep on the farm. [Fox News, 10/23/2020]

Family Values

Twifi, a startup internet provider in Switzerland, posted a Facebook ad with a compelling offer to parents-to-be: Name your child Twifus (for a boy) or Twifia (for a girl) in exchange for 18 years of free internet service. And sure enough, KidSpot.com reported, one young couple bit, giving their daughter the rewarding middle name. "The more I thought about it, the more unique the name became to me, and that's when the thing acquired its charm," the baby's dad, 35, said. Mom went even deeper: "For me, the name Twifia also stands for connection in this context. The more often we say 'Twifia,' the heartier the name sounds!" [KidSpot.com, 10/15/2020]

Over the Top

-- Superfan Luis Nostromo, 43, of Barcelona, Spain, has spent the last three years turning his apartment there into a stunning replica of the set of "Alien," the 1979 Ridley Scott film starring Sigourney Weaver. His locations include the laboratory where the face-hugging monster attached to actor John Hurt was first examined; the spaceship's corridors; and the pod that Weaver escapes in. Oddity Central reported that Nostromo hopes to finish his "Alien Museum" project by the end of the year and is already accepting visits from other fans. [Oddity Central, 10/16/2020]

-- In July, Taco Bell announced various changes to its menu, provoking uproar among some of its fans, Riverfront Times reported. But Bryant Hoban of O'Fallon, Missouri, saw an opportunity. When Hoban heard that the Potato Soft Taco was being sliced from the menu, he jumped in the car and headed to his nearest outlet, where he bought several of the items, then put them in his freezer. Then he listed three of them on Facebook Marketplace for $200. "These babies are rare!" he gushed. "Never been eaten!" It's all part of Hoban's scheme to start an "investment sandwich" business, he said. "You know, like the McRib -- McDonald's only offers it once a year, but the demand doesn't go away." Hoban has sold two of the tacos for $70 each: "I recouped my investment." [Riverfront Times, 10/13/2020]

Inexplicable

A 17-year-old was taken into custody, and to the hospital, after he caused a disturbance at a Petro Deli north of Topeka, Kansas, on Oct. 17. The teen, who was naked except for the ranch dressing smeared all over his body, damaged merchandise in the store, then ran out and jumped in a running car, which he crashed into a pillar, WIBW-TV reported. Investigators said he was "under the influence of a substance." He was released to the custody of his parents. [WIBW-TV, 10/18/2020]

What's in a Name?

Lawrence Crook, 37, of Jersey City, New Jersey, managed to live up to his name not once, but twice in one day on Oct. 8. In the first incident, Crook was seen loading "several blue and white striped bags" into a black SUV, according to Oddee.com. Lt. Antonio Granata said the witness confronted Crook, after which he fled on foot. The SUV had been reported stolen, and police found Crook in possession of methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia. He was arrested and released on bond. But that was just the first part of his day. Later, a lieutenant with the Fairfield Fire Department saw Crook walking around in a fire station and rummaging through firefighters' property. He was arrested again and now has two bonds, each set at $25,000. [Oddee.com, 10/20/2020]

Halloweird

As Halloween approaches, residents in and around Concord, Massachusetts, are being treated to a spooky sight: A headless horseman, er, bikeman, is riding around on a blacked-out bike, strumming his guitar and waving to motorists and passersby. The Boston Globe reported on Oct. 20 that the ghoul is really Matthew Dunkle, 38, who has been known as the "bike-riding guy" in the area since 2015, when he went through a divorce and lost a grandparent. "I needed something special in my life," Dunkle said. "I had a few smiles and people waved and people laughed and stuff. So that was kind of the beginning of it." He actually donned the headless horseman costume in April, as the pandemic got going. "It just feels like we are kind of in the dark right now," he said. "We are all just running around with our heads cut off." [Boston Globe, 10/20/2020]

Architect Nick Drummond loves to renovate old houses and was told the century-old home he purchased last year in Ames, New York, had been built by a German baron who turned to bootlegging in the 1920s, but he was still surprised to find evidence within the walls on Oct. 9: dozens of bottles labeled Old Smuggler Gaelic Whisky. "We discovered multiple false walls and secret compartments under the floor in our mudroom," he told Lite 98.7. "The foundation walls and floors in the mudroom are lined with intact cases of 1920s whiskey." he said. Drummond said auction houses and collectors have contacted him, speculating that the value on the some of the bottles might range between $500 and $1,200. [Lite 98.7, 10/13/2020]

More Things to Worry About

As many as 9 million wild pigs are roaming the United States -- expanding from 17 states to at least 39 states over the last 30 years and causing $2.5 billion worth of damage each year to crops and domestic livestock, reported The Atlantic in September. Many of the feral swine are hybrids, a mixture of domestic breeds and wild boars called "super pigs," that multiply so fast "I've heard it referred to as a feral swine bomb," said Dale Nolte, manager of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the U.S. and Canada, government organizations are working to control the numbers; Montana has been especially vigilant, with a 24-hour hotline for residents to call when they see the animals. [The Atlantic, 9/19/2020]

Right Time, Right Place

Postal carrier Fernando Garcia in Norwalk, California, heard someone calling for help as he walked his route on Oct. 9 and soon found a man lying on the ground, covered in blood. The unnamed victim had cut his arm with a chain saw, so Garcia leaped into action, using his belt as a tourniquet until paramedics arrived. L.A. County Sheriff Lt. Pauline Panis told CBS Los Angeles, "I think we should let everybody know that anyone can make a difference ... it's a heartwarming story." The victim's family says he's recovering. [CBS Los Angeles, 10/10/2020]

Names in the News

As a fun way to get customers involved with the new Ikea store in Valladolid, Spain, the Swedish retailer asked the public to name the street it's on. The Independent reported that anyone who's been frustrated trying to assemble items bought from the store will appreciate the winning entry: Calle Me Falta un Tornillo, or I'm Missing a Screw Street. And Ikea's OK with that: "We wanted to make our arrival here more special ... always with a touch of humor, which defines our style," a spokesperson said. [Independent, 10/14/2020]

Latest Religious Messages

In Guadalupe, Mexico, pilgrims are flocking to a parking lot, leaving candles and flowers beside a detailed portrait of the Virgin Mary that inexplicably reappeared in early October, having been drawn in chalk by an anonymous artist in 2007. Oddity Central reported the artist has confirmed that the drawing is the same one he created as part of a local festival, and the area is now blocked with traffic cones and watered periodically to make the image more visible. Said Felix Palomo, director of culture for the municipality, which is part of greater Monterrey, "Whether you believe in miracles or not, the question is how did this image reappear 13 years after its creation?" [Oddity Central, 10/12/2020]

Oops!

William Hubbard, dean of the University of South Carolina School of Law, was thrilled when he saw that 82% of the school's graduates taking the bar exam had passed, so he shared the happy news in an email to the school's students. Unfortunately, the email also contained attachments with confidential exam scores for all who took the test -- those who passed and those who failed, The State reported. "Please delete the message I just sent about bar passage," Hubbard wrote in his second email. "Please do not open and, if opened, do not reveal any information in that attachment to anyone." The former president of the American Bar Association appeared devastated by the error in an interview. "I've sent a personal email to every one of those students ... I am deeply, profoundly sorry for my mistake," he said. [The State, 10/13/2020]

The Spirit World

The New York Post reported on Oct. 14 that Amethyst Realm, 32, of Bristol, England, announced on British morning television that her planned wedding to Ray, a ghost she met in Australia two years ago, was off because he "kept disappearing" and started hanging around with a sketchy spirit group while they were on vacation in Thailand. "He'd disappear for long periods of time. When he did come back, he'd bring other spirits to the house and they'd just stay around for days," Realm, said. She said the decision not to marry was mutual. "He just completely changed." [New York Post, 10/14/2020]

Ewwwwwww

Alicia Beverly of Detroit was sleeping in the back seat of a red-eye flight home from Las Vegas on Oct. 12 when she felt "something warm" on her side, and woke up to realize a man standing in the aisle was urinating on her, Fox 2 reported. "I screamed and that woke everybody up," she said. "I looked and there was a puddle of pee in the seats!" An off-duty police officer on the flight restrained the unidentified man, described as a well-known pastor from North Carolina, and he was taken into custody upon landing, but has not been charged. Beverly had to sit in her wet clothes for the duration of the trip and is suffering anxiety following the incident. "Since then I have only gotten four hours of sleep," she said. [Fox 2, 10/14/2020]

Bright Ideas

-- The Netherlands is home to a new trend in wellness therapy that promises serenity to those who try it: "koe knuffelen" (cow hugging). The BBC reported that a cow's warmer body temperature and slower heartbeat are thought to increase oxytocin levels in humans, reducing stress and promoting positivity. The practice began more than a decade ago, and now farms in Switzerland and the U.S. along with the Netherlands offer cow-cuddling sessions, which typically begin with a tour of the farm before participants are invited to rest against a cow for up to three hours. [BBC, 10/9/2020]

-- The Finnish airline Finnair began selling its business-class airplane food in supermarkets on Oct. 13, in an effort to keep its catering staff employed as well as offer a taste of nostalgia to travelers grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ready-made "Taste of Finnair" dishes include reindeer meatballs, Artic char and Japanese-style teriyaki beef and cost about $12, The Associated Press reported. Marika Nieminen, vice president of Finnair Kitchen, said the idea allows the airline to "create new work and employment for our people." (Associated Press, 10/15/2020]

Inexplicable

Customs officials at the Jacksonville (Florida) International Mail Facility came across a package from Hungary on Oct. 14 that contained more than 200 equine bones -- a complete horse skeleton, United Press International reported. Daniel Alonso, acting director of field operations for Customs and Border Protection in Miami, tweeted a photo of the skeleton with the caption: "No horsing around this Halloween." Because the package did not have a required veterinary services permit, he said it would not be sent to its destination. [UPI, 10/14/2020]

In June, Connecticut State Police investigating a December armed robbery outside the Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant in Norwich arrived at the Corrigan Correctional Center in Montville to obtain a DNA sample from Gregory Blue, 38, who first accused police of planting his DNA at the scene of the robbery before telling them "a phlebotomist who took his blood years ago dropped his DNA at the scene via airplane," according to authorities. Investigators had found blood at the scene of the robbery and on hats the unidentified 45-year-old victim said had been left by the assailant. The Connecticut Post reported the DNA samples matched, according to the arrest warrant, and on Sept. 25, Blue was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree assault. [Connecticut Post, 9/30/2020]

News That Sounds Like a Joke

-- Larry Stothers, 41, and Jayson Rappa, 31, were arrested on Sept. 26 in Largo, Florida, and charged with strong-arm robbery after allegedly stealing a prosthetic leg, according to The Smoking Gun. Police say they were called by the victim after Stothers and Rappa confronted him over a stolen backpack, "and in the course of the fight, a prosthetic leg was taken from the victim." Court records did not reveal the whereabouts of the leg. [The Smoking Gun, 9/28/2020]

-- An aggressive Muscovy duck named Bob in Mansfield, England, has terrorized postman Steve Hinds to the point that Hinds has refused to deliver mail to the duck's owners until they contain him, The Scottish Sun reported. Hinds told the Sun that on Oct. 3, "The duck started hissing at me and ... it ran me up the path snapping its beak." The apologetic owners left a Crunchie candy bar as a peace offering for Hinds and a note reading, "He used to be lovely and cuddly. Now he is a vicious sex-maniac! We have fenced him in and hopefully he won't escape." But two days later, Bob escaped the fence and came after Hinds again. At press time, the standoff continues. [The Scottish Sun, 10/7/2020]

Anger Management

Justin Anthony Garcia, 30, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, landed in the Lee County Jail on Sept. 27 on charges of aggravated battery following a heated argument over which is better: whole milk or almond milk, reported Fox 23 News. Deputies of the Lee County Sheriff's Office were called to the scene after the disagreement between two cousins escalated from verbal to physical, according to court documents, eventually ending with Garcia drawing a pocketknife and chasing his cousin through the front yard, cutting him on the torso. An uncle intervened and separated the two until deputies arrived, but the arrest complaint does not say which type of milk Garcia prefers. [Fox 23 News, 9/27/2020]

Least Competent Criminals

-- Three men are on the run in Philadelphia after a botched ATM burglary on Oct. 2, the Associated Press reported. The men entered a Chinese takeout restaurant and ordered food, then set off an explosive device while they waited that damaged an ATM, but they couldn't remove the cash box inside the machine, police said. They escaped empty-handed on foot and bicycle, and police are still searching for them. [Associated Press, 10/3/2020]

-- Alice Lavern Henry, 47, of Lake Wales, Florida, told a clerk at Griner's Jewelry in Winter Haven that she had found the ring she brought in to sell while treasure-hunting on a beach. The clerk became suspicious when she noticed the ring, valued at more than $1,000, had no damage, and investigators later determined it was part of a collection that had been stolen from the store in a July burglary, according to the Winter Haven Police Department. The Ledger reported that police also learned Henry had visited another jewelry store on several occasions in September, attempting to sell other rings from Griner's collection. She was arrested Oct. 4 on charges of felony grand theft. [The Ledger, 10/5/2020]

Great Art!

Passersby were in awe as 32 tons of raw carrots were dumped from a large truck onto a road running through the University of London campus on Sept. 30. The carrots were an art installation presented as part of the Goldsmiths art college Master of Fine Arts degree show by student Rafael Perez Evans, who titled his work "Grounding" and said it is designed to raise awareness about food waste, United Press International reported. The show ran from Oct. 2-6, and "Rafael has arranged for the carrots to be removed at the end of the exhibition and donated to animals," a university spokesperson said. [United Press International, 9/30/2020]

Recent Alarming Headlines

In White Marsh, Maryland, a person driving past the closed Rustic Inn bar on the morning of Oct. 7 saw what they thought was a Halloween decoration in the parking lot, WJZ reported. After doubling back, the driver determined it was a dead body, and "the body has suffered some sort of trauma," said Jennifer Peach of the Baltimore County Police Department. Peach went on to appeal for tips from the public: "We don't have a lot of information at this point." [WJZ, 10/7/2020]

Entrepreneurial Spirit

-- Two young men soliciting residents in Covina, California, for donations for the Covina High School football team ran into a problem when they appeared at the door of a resident who quickly questioned them: "It's funny you bring that up, because I know for a fact that you guys don't go to Covina because I teach there ... I'm a football coach." When neither of the alleged scammers could name the head coach, they left, Fox11 reported on Oct. 7, and the football team tweeted confirmation that the two were not with the program. [Fox 11, 10/7/2020]

-- Hotels.com is offering one lucky customer the opportunity to "live under a rock" to escape "election stress disorder" during election week Nov. 2-7, United Press International reports. The accommodations in a manmade cave 50 feet below ground in New Mexico will cost just $5 per night. "Political fatigue is real, regardless of the year or election," said Josh Belkin, vice president of Hotels.com. "Who knows what else 2020 has in store for us." [United Press International, 10/8/2020]

Wait, What?

A Japanese buyer with very precise requirements has paid a record $14,000 for a 22-pound traditional Iberian ham, Oddity Central reported. Julio Revilla, president of Sierra Mayor Jabugo, in Corteconcepcion, Spain, said the ham was produced according to the buyer's strict instructions: It had to come from an Iberian pig at least 2 years old that had grazed on a diet of only acorns and herbs in the mountains of Sierra Mayor for at least 100 days. The pig was slaughtered in 2015 and the ham was then cured for five years -- twice the amount of time for a typical premium ham. It was delivered to the buyer in September, who was also awarded with a Guinness World Record certificate. [Oddity Central, 10/6/2020]