Archaeologists in Israel have found a gold ring with a purple stone, believed to be amethyst, that they believe was used to ward off hangovers. The ring, dated to between the 3rd and 7th centuries, was discovered in the ruins of an ancient wine factory, United Press International reported. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the ring probably belonged to a wealthy person who may have worn the ring to counteract the "side effects" of wine. The winery was known for its white Gaza variety. [UPI, 11/9/2021]

'Tis the Season

Cobb County (Georgia) Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard has, with tongue firmly in cheek, banned the Elf on the Shelf from his county, United Press International reported. Leonard said the elf poses "a risk to the emotional health and well-being of Cobb's young children." He tweeted that his order was a "gift to tired parents" because "When these Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress." But for those families who love their elves, carry on: There will be no charges. [UPI, 11/8/2021]

News You Can Use

On Nov. 7, as four astronauts prepare to leave the International Space Station, they'll have an extra "load" to carry, the Associated Press reported. The SpaceX capsule that will bring them back to Earth has a broken toilet, so the two NASA astronauts and one each from France and Japan will be wearing what NASA calls "absorbent undergarments" for 20 hours. "Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges," said NASA astronaut Megan McArthur. "We're not too worried about it." [Associated Press, 11/5/2021]

Surprise!

Emily Johnson of Vacaville, California, didn't think it was time to go to the hospital when her contractions were 10 minutes apart on Nov. 4 -- but then they quickly started coming faster, and as Emily and her husband headed to the car, she knew it was too late. "I'm going to be here. This is my spot," she said to her husband, Michael, according to KCRA-TV. Emily's mom, Kristy Sparks, was with the couple and helped Emily deliver baby Thomas on the lawn just as rescue crews pulled up to the scene. "By the time they walked up to me, I had a baby in my arms crying," Sparks said. "It was unreal." Bonus: Emily will always be able to relive the scene because the entire event was caught on her doorbell camera. (Fortunately, Emily noted, she was facing away from the camera.) [KCRA, 11/11/2021]

Cohabitation

Christopher Callen, 33, was charged with assaulting his roommate at the Monroe County Detention Center in Key West, Florida, on Nov. 4, The Smoking Gun reported. Callen told police that Amado Dominguez-Quevedo, 57, "farts too much, stinking up the cell" and doesn't do a "courtesy flush" after using the toilet. Plus, Callen added, he "speaks weird languages." The victim told police that he was cleaning the toilet when Callen started punching him in the face and ribs. As a result, he lost two teeth and had a broken rib and bruised left eye. [Smoking Gun, 11/9/2021]

Inexplicable

-- Firefighters in Syracuse, New York, were called to the Landmark Theatre on Nov. 5 after a person was heard calling for help inside the building, Fox News reported. An unidentified 39-year-old man was stuck behind a wall in the theater bathroom, completely naked, and was believed to have been there for two to three days. It was unclear how he managed to get behind the wall, but firefighters had to cut through several layers of drywall and structural tile to free him. Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief John Kane said the victim appeared to be uninjured and would probably be treated for dehydration. [Fox News, 11/8/2021]

-- Visitors to the lion exhibit at the Bronx Zoo on Nov. 11 got an extra show when a woman wearing a blond wig and leopard-print shawl climbed over the barrier and spoke to a male lion, who was on the other side of a protective moat. The unidentified woman carried a bouquet of red roses and tossed $100 bills toward the lion as she addressed him: "King, I love you, I came back for you," Fox News reported. By the time zoo officials reached the exhibit, the woman was gone, but they stressed that she was not in any danger. It is possible that the woman is Myah Autry, who pulled a similar stunt in 2019 at the same exhibit. [Fox News, 11/12/2021]

A Man and His Truck

Because of his battle with an incurable disease, Don Adan Arana of Puerto San Carlos, Mexico, was unable to enjoy the pickup truck his son had recently given him. Before he died, Arana told his family that he'd like to be buried in the truck so that he could make up for lost time, driving it in the afterlife, Oddity Central reported. On Nov. 4, a crane was used to lift the truck into a brick-lined tomb, and Arana's coffin was placed in the truck's bed. However, Arana's family may have to pay a fine, as they didn't receive authorization for the unconventional interment. [Oddity Central, 11/9/2021]

Can't Possibly Be True

In a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers from Furman University asked children ages 4 to 7 to identify whether certain foods come from plants or animals, and which things were OK to eat. The results were shocking, as Oddee.com reported: About a third of the kids thought eggs came from plants. Forty percent thought hot dogs and bacon were vegetables. Almost half thought french fries were animal-based. More than a third thought chicken nuggets were plant-based, even though the word "chicken" is right there in the name. Another third said fish were not OK to eat. Seventy-six percent said cows were not OK to eat. We have some work to do, folks. [Oddee.com, 11/10/2021]

Recurring Themes

The Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera reported that 39-year-old Jon Charles Streckenbach is facing charges of first-degree arson, criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance after he used a blowtorch to rid his mother's home of cobwebs on Nov. 2. He said he was using the torch in the crawlspace under the basement and worked for an hour to put out the fire before calling for help. His mother had a protection order against him but had been allowing him to stay with her because he was homeless. The flames caused $100,000 in damages -- but the cobwebs are gone! [Boulder Daily Camera, 11/2/2021]

Undignified Death

A 30-year-old man who was fishing with two friends in Brasilandia de Minas, Brazil, met a bizarre death on Oct. 31, Newsweek reported. When a swarm of bees surrounded the men, all three jumped into the lake to escape them. Two managed to swim to safety, but authorities believe the third man drowned and then was torn apart by piranhas. Fire department personnel found his body about 4 meters from the shoreline. [Newsweek, 11/4/2021]

When David Saunders, 98, died of COVID-19 in late August, his family donated his body to Med Ed Labs for medical and science research. But KING-TV in Portland, Oregon, reports that Med Ed sold the cadaver to Jeremy Ciliberto, the organizer of the Oddities and Curiosities Expo, which travels around the country and charges spectators $500 to observe in person the autopsy and dissection of a human body. When investigators alerted Mike Clark, the funeral director in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who had prepared Saunders' body for donation, he was mortified: "I was totally horrified ... he and his family thought that his body was going for the advancement of medical students." Instead, it went to a Marriott ballroom, where participants were invited to examine and touch the body -- which might still have been infectious. Ciliberto says he can "guarantee" that the departed and his family knew what his body would be used for, but a Med Ed spokesman says the event organizer was "beyond dishonest." [KING, 11/3/2021]

Least Competent Criminals

In Winnipeg, Manitoba, a heist went wrong on Oct. 31 when thieves broke into a vacant house to steal a furnace. The Winnipeg Police Service told the CBC that neighbors reported smelling natural gas, and when officers responded, they saw two unconscious people inside the home. The thieves, who had been "overcome by the noxious gas fumes" after the gas line became dislodged, regained consciousness outside and were questioned, but, because this is Canada, were later released without charges. [CBC, 11/3/2021]

Bright Idea

Islamic police in Karo, Nigeria, arrested 26-year-old Aliyu Na Idris on Oct. 26 because he was trying to sell himself for 20 million nara, or about $49,000, Oddity Central reported. He works as a tailor, but said, "The decision to sell myself was due to poverty. I plan to give my parents 10 million nara when I eventually get a buyer." Police said what he did was "forbidden in Islam," but he was released the day after his arrest and said the police only gave him advice. [Oddity Central, 11/4/2021]

Great Art

The New York Earth Room was created in 1977 by artist Walter De Maria and consists of a second-floor apartment at 141 Wooster Street that is filled with ... dirt. The room's caretaker, Bill Dilworth, waters and rakes the dirt regularly, Oddity Central reported, and welcomes up to 100 visitors a day. "The artist never attached any meaning to it," Dilworth said. Admission is free to view the 250 cubic yards of soil, but people are not allowed to take photographs or touch the dirt. [Oddity Central, 11/3/2021]

Weapons of Choice

-- Tahonee Fickes, 20, chose the closest weapon at hand to assault Kimberly Pittman, 52, inside a Walmart in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 7. A criminal complaint filed on Oct. 27 charges that Fickes "threw a cold chicken" at Pittman, striking her on the back of the head, according to The Smoking Gun. Fickes and Pittman are not related, and police have not determined a motive for the chicken hit. Fickes is facing an unrelated child endangerment charge as well. [Smoking Gun, 10/29/2021]

-- As Braiden Lankford, 20, and her mother, 50, argued about the "cleanliness of the house" on Oct. 23 in their home near Tampa Bay, Lankford struck her mother in the head with two tacos, The Smoking Gun reported. When police arrived, "the victim had food debris all around her on the couch and on the back of her shirt," police reported. The mother was not injured, but Lankford was charged with domestic battery. [Smoking Gun, 10/25/2021]

Did Not See That Coming

The U.S. Navy revealed that its $3 billion nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut managed to run into an undersea mountain on Oct. 2 in the South China Sea, CNN reported. The Connecticut was able to make it to Guam under its own power, and the Navy said its nuclear reactor was unharmed, but 11 seamen suffered minor injuries. In response to the incident, Vice Adm. Karl Thomas determined that "sound judgment, prudent decision-making and adherence to required procedures in navigation planning, watch team execution and risk management could have prevented the accident," and released the sub's top officers from their posts. But David Sandwell, a professor of geophysics, said less than half the sea floor is mapped in that area. "It's not surprising that you could run into something." [CNN, 11/4/2021]

Local News

In International Falls, Minnesota, the city council voted in late October to stop dressing up the 26-foot-tall statue of Smokey Bear that stands in the center of (where else?) Smokey Bear Park, Minnesota Public Radio reported. The residents of the city have adorned Smokey for decades with seasonal attire, such as fishing gear during the summer or earmuffs, mittens and a 25-foot-long scarf during winter months. But when Mayor Harley Droba talked with other Minnesota towns with giant statues (Paul Bunyan in Bemidji, the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth), he learned that they "thought it was kind of crazy" that Smokey was getting dressed up. Council member Mike Holden said he would miss decorating Smokey, but "they don't want the importance of Smokey the Bear to be degraded." [MPR, 10/29/2021]

But Why?

Around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, surveillance cameras at the WJHG-TV property in Panama City Beach, Florida, captured a man cutting and removing cables attached to satellite dishes, taking the company's eight stations off the air. An employee saw that the feeds were interrupted and went outside to check, where the man said he was with Tyndall Air Force Base and was told to cut the wires because of a power issue, WJHG reported. Then he ran away. "This is not just a random act of vandalism," said general manager Ulysses Carlini. "This person knew what he was doing." The stations were back on air by Nov. 2, but police are still looking for the culprit. [WJHG, 11/2/2021]

Man's Best Friend

One out of six dogs suffers from overt separation anxiety, scientists say. But pups in the United Kingdom are in for some psychological relief, with their own television station launching Nov. 8, Sky News reported. After three years of research, DogTV will air shows to help canines "feel relaxed and comforted until their owners return home," said professor Nicholas Dodman, the chief scientist for DogTV. Colors, audio frequencies and camera alignment have all been adjusted to appeal to furry friends across the pond. Woof! [Sky News, 11/4/2021]

Awesome!

A Southwest Airlines ramp agent named Valerie has been working for the company since 2011 in Phoenix, People reported, and along the way has amassed an unusual collection: zipper pulls. She was picking up several each day and decided to do something with them, so she chose a sturdy dress from a thrift store and began sewing the pulls on in an interesting pattern. "The challenge was sewing them on in a straight, even line, since fabric moves and stretches," she said. She even grouped the brand names (Samsonite, Dockers, etc.) together. After a decade and more than 800 zipper pulls, Valerie finished her dress and donated it to the airline, which will display it at company headquarters. [People, 11/5/2021]

"Appropriate disciplinary action has been taken" in Hazard, Kentucky, after photos surfaced on social media allegedly depicting students giving lap dances to high school staff, USA Today reported. The incidents from Oct. 26 were part of homecoming week; Superintendent Sondra Combs said festivities included a "man pageant," which somehow led to the lap dances by scantily clad students. One of the grateful recipients was the school's principal, Donald "Happy" Mobelini, who is also the mayor of Hazard. "Using this as a teachable moment," Combs said, "we will provide social media training for our students and staff." But, she emphasized, the district "has a tradition of excellence and academics and everything we do" -- apparently including suggestive bumping and grinding. [USA Today, 10/28/2021]

Government in Action

About 100 hippopotami that are descendants of hippos once owned by late drug lord Pablo Escobar have been recognized by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio as legal persons, United Press International reported. The hippos live in Colombia, but nonhuman animals are allowed to go to a federal court in the U.S. to obtain testimony in defense of their interests. Colombian attorney Luis Domingo Gomez Maldondo filed a lawsuit on the animals' behalf to save them from being euthanized, arguing that sterilization would be a better option. [United Press International, 10/22/2021]

Most Competent Criminal

A clever burglar in Coronado, California, devised a simple way to enter a home there on Oct. 21, the Associated Press reported. The 43-year-old woman just called a locksmith and asked him to change the locks on "her" home, then went inside, settled in, and turned on the music and fireplace. But a neighbor noticed the activity and contacted the out-of-town homeowner, who alerted the police. When officers arrived, the spare key provided by the neighbor didn't fit the locks, and police saw metal shavings and parts of a discarded lock near the front door. Police went around back, called out to the person inside and arrested her as she emerged on suspicion of burglary. [Associated Press, 10/22/2021]

Unclear on the Concept

A hiker in Colorado who was on a trail to Mount Elbert got lost on Oct. 18, wandering in the woods until the next morning around 9:30 a.m. Lake County Search and Rescue began looking for the unidentified person that evening and continued through the night, Fox News reported, making repeated calls to the hiker's cellphone, which went unanswered. The hiker, who didn't realize a search party was looking for them, told officials that they ignored the calls because they didn't recognize the phone number. LCSAR recommended to hikers: "If you're overdue according to your itinerary and you start getting repeated calls from an unknown number, please answer the phone." [Fox News, 10/26/2021]

Creepy

Residents of Ipswich, England, have spent more than four years being troubled by a haunting rendition of the nursery rhyme, "It's raining, it's pouring ..." sung by a young child during the night. "It was waking me up in the night. It was absolutely terrifying," one woman said, according to the Mirror. "Last week it played for hours. It was just horrible." Finally, in September, the borough council's rapid response team tracked down the source of the chilling singing: It was a motion alarm in an industrial park. "The sound is only supposed to act as a deterrent for opportunistic thieves that come onto our property," a spokesperson for the park said. "The motion sensors were being triggered by spiders crawling across the lenses of our cameras, and it looks like we've had it turned up too loudly." The volume has been lowered, and Ipswich residents can sleep at night. [Mirror, 10/27/2021]

It's an Education

Elementary students at Wilton Manors school in Florida were treated to a field trip on Oct. 27, walking over to Rosie's Bar and Grill accompanied by Broward County School Board member Sarah Leonardi, who posted about the outing on her official Facebook page. Fox News reported that the post ignited outrage among members of the community, who, beyond their incredulity that a bar and grill was a "field trip" destination, were upset that Rosie's is an LGBT bar, with items on the menu such as Rhoda Cowboy and Big Girl Burgers. Leonardi and the school district did not comment on the school trip. [Fox News, 10/28/2021]

The Way the World Works

Well, it's happened: the first-ever doping scandal to rock the world of professional Venetian gondoliers. Renato Busetto has been stripped of his second-place award in September's Historical Regatta and has been banned from competing for more than a year, the Daily Mail reported. He tested positive for marijuana after the event on Sept. 4, and on Oct. 27, Venice's Technical Disciplinary Commission laid out his punishment. [Daily Mail, 10/27/2021]

Harsh

An unnamed Thai woman, 34, who lives in a high-rise condominium building in Bangkok was apparently very unhappy that she wasn't informed that two painters, using ropes, would be working on the outside of the building on Oct. 12. So she cut their support rope, the Associated Press reported. One of the painters, a man named Song, said he and his co-worker had lowered themselves from the 32nd floor to repair cracks. When he reached the 30th floor, he felt something on the rope and looked down to see someone on the 21st floor lean out of the window and cut his rope. A third colleague supported them from the top floor as they tried to summon help from people in other apartments. A couple on the 26th floor finally let them in. The suspect confessed to cutting the rope and said she had no intention of killing the workers, but she faces attempted murder and property destruction charges. [Associated Press, 10/28/2021]

Irony

With Halloween coming up, Clark County (Nevada) law enforcement agencies came together to promote pedestrian safety on Oct. 26. The "crosswalk fairy," a police officer in costume, even escorted people across busy Boulder Highway, KVVU-TV reported. But as officers demonstrated proper crosswalk techniques, pedestrian Tammy Wotton tried to cross the street where the event was being held -- and was almost struck by a semi-truck. Nevada law stipulates that vehicles must yield to pedestrians. Officers pulled over the truck driver, along with several other offending motorists. [KVVU, 10/26/2021]

Parenting Fail

On Oct. 23, police in Gillette, Wyoming, were called to a home about a fight between a man and woman. When they arrived, the man had already left in his pickup truck, the Gillette News Record reported. He was pulled over and emerged from the truck with his two sons, 15 and 4. Sheriff's Lt. Paul Pownall said that the 39-year-old admitted he'd been drinking but said his 4-year-old had been sitting on his lap and doing the actual driving. The suspect, who was already on unsupervised probation, was charged with his second DUI. [Gillette News Record, 10/25/2021]

Happy Halloween!

Singer-songwriter Brocarde, 38, has revealed that she is in love with a Victorian ghost, Edwardo, who died at age 35 when he fell down a well, the Daily Star reported. Edwardo first came to her on a night when she was having difficulty sleeping, making the whole room cold and then introducing himself to her and whispering "I love you" in her ear. He proves himself by blowing out candles and leaving steam hearts on the shower walls, she said. But Brocarde is also afraid of Edwardo: "My biggest fear is that he'll expect too much from me and kill me so I'm a spirit too," she said. After Brocarde revealed her ghostly paramour on ITV's "This Morning," she said Edwardo "ghosted" her: "Edwardo seems furious with me since I've gone public with our romance," she said. She hopes to lure him back on Halloween with scattered rose petals and candles. "I may even cook him some typical Victorian dishes to win him back." [Daily Star, 10/28/2021]