NBC News reported on March 21 about a Tennessee man suffering from prosopometamorphopsia, also known as PMO -- a neurological disorder that causes victims to perceive faces in distorted shapes, size, texture or color. In Victor Sharrah's case, he sees faces as demonic. The 59-year-old of Clarksville said it started in November 2020: "My first thought was I woke up in a demon world," he said. "You can't imagine how scary it was." Sharrah sees the distortions only in person, not in pictures or on computer screens. Consequently, he was able to work with researchers at Dartmouth College to create a visual representation of what he sees vs. reality. There are fewer than 100 reported cases of PMO; symptoms can continue for years, as Sharrah's have, or can resolve after just a few days. [NBC News, 3/21/2024]

Awesome!

Punxsutawney Phil and his wife (?), Phyllis, have big news: They are parents to two healthy babies, the Associated Press reported. "Phil and Phyllis have started a family," said Thomas Dunkel, president of The Inner Circle, part of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. "I talked to Phil with my cane, which lets me speak Groundhogese, and Phil could not be more excited." (OK, Thomas.) Phil and Phyllis live in climate-controlled quarters at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, but plans are in place to move them to larger quarters on the grounds now that their family is growing. Dunkel said the offspring will not become Punxsutawney Phil, because Phil is immortal, having drunk "The Elixir of Life," which Phyllis is prohibited from imbibing. (Uh, yeah, OK, Thomas.) [AP, 3/28/2024]

Police Report

In 2024, California started prohibiting police departments from sharing photos of suspects in nonviolent crimes, United Press International reported. Accordingly, the Murrieta Police Department started using emojis, characters from movies and, most recently, Lego head images to cover the faces of suspects when they posted on social media. But now, Lt. Jeremy Durrant said, the Lego heads have to go. "The Lego Group reached out to us and respectfully asked us to refrain from using their intellectual property in our social media content, which ... we understand and will comply with." [UPI, 3/25/2024]

Bright Ideas

-- A 47-year-old man was arrested in Parowan, Utah, on March 17 after multiple drivers reported him from I-15, KSL-TV reported. Callers said the man's pickup truck had "red and blue flashing lights and they were getting other vehicles to move out of their way," police said. What tipped them off? The pickup also had a construction company logo on the side. The suspect indicated he was only trying to get through traffic faster, not pull anyone over. He also tested positive for "cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamine," and he had a small bag of white powder that he said he uses "to stay awake while driving." He was booked into the Iron County Jail. [KSL, 3/25/2024]

-- Emma Keen, 42, of Wales, was on the fourth day of her trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in March to raise money for the Kidney Wales Foundation, Wales Online reported. As she FaceTimed with her brother and sister-in-law, she showed them a yak standing about 2 meters away. "Without warning I could hear the hoofs pounding toward me, a sharp stabbing pain in the top of my leg," Keen said. The yak was readying for another run at her when she was helped away and airlifted to a hospital, where she got 10 stitches. She later rejoined the group to finish the hike on horseback. "My charity means a lot to me as my brother Peter is currently on the transplant list," Keen said. "It was important that I continue with the trek." [Wales Online, 3/24/2024]

Wait, What?

Dairy cows in Kansas and Texas have tested positive for bird flu, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Associated Press reported that while the virus is affecting cows in those states and in New Mexico, officials say there is no danger to the commercial milk supply because of production regulations and pasteurization, which kills viruses. USDA officials think the cows caught the virus from wild birds. They appear to have coldlike symptoms, but typically recover within 10 days. [AP, 3/26/2024]

Government in Action

-- A state Senate panel in South Carolina is investigating a mystery involving $1.8 billion, the Associated Press reported on March 26. The huge sum has accumulated over the last decade in a bank account, but authorities don't know where the money is coming from or where it's supposed to go. "It does not inspire confidence," said Gov. Henry McMaster. "But the good news is no money was lost." Meanwhile, state officers are pointing fingers at each other, and lawmakers are annoyed that the money is sitting idle while requests from state agencies are going unfulfilled. "There is no need to hurry up and try to spend it," McMaster said. [AP, 3/26/2024]

-- In Oakland, California, 102-year-old Victor Silva Sr. received a citation earlier in March from the city about the graffiti on his fence, KTVU-TV reported. If he didn't remove it, he'd face a $1,100 fine, plus $1,277 for each failed reinspection. Before Silva started using a wheelchair, he'd paint over the graffiti himself. Now, Silva Jr., 70, has that task. "It's hard to keep up with it because as soon as we get it painted, it's gonna be graffiti on it again, and it won't last," he said. The family owns a business nearby that's been broken into three times in the last year. "It's hard to understand where our tax dollars are going," Silva Jr. said. "They can't answer 911, but they can come out and hassle you about a fence?" The city inspector is expected to review the case and, most likely, cancel the citation. [KTVU, 3/20/2024]

The Continuing Crisis

Easter is obviously NOT a good time for an egg shortage, as Norwegians are finding out. The Associated Press reported that as a result of bird flu and overproduction, which led the country to ask farmers to reduce their production, eggs are not only hard to find, but are expensive when you can get your hands on them. So Norwegians are crossing the border to Sweden, where 20-packs of eggs are readily available and cost about $3.70 -- 30% less than in Norway. The Maxi-Mat food store in Sweden about 62 miles south of Oslo has been filled with "desperate" shoppers, the Norwegian news outlet Nettavisen reported. Wonder if any of them had large ears and a colorful basket? [AP, 3/28/2024]

It's Come to This

Remember the life-saving door at the end of "Titanic"? The one that Rose and Jack couldn't both fit on? At Heritage Auctions in Dallas on March 23, the Balsa wood panel used in the movie sold for $718,750 to an anonymous buyer, The New York Times reported. The auction liquidated a large trove of items from Planet Hollywood, including Indiana Jones' whip and Jack's ax from "The Shining." No word yet on whether the new owner has tested the door's width to see if Jack might have, after all, survived. [New York Times, 3/26/2024]

Deputy chief physician of pediatric neurosurgery Dr. Li at Hangzhou Children's Hospital in China shared a video on social media on March 11 after a baby boy was born sporting a 4-inch-long tail, WION reported. The doctor suspected a condition called a tethered spinal cord, which means the spinal cord is abnormally connected to surrounding tissues, typically at the base of the spine. Doctors advised against removing the tail, as doing so might result in irreversible damage. [WION, 3/16/2024]

Precocious

Three boys, aged 11, 12 and 16, were taken into custody on March 19 after they robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Houston on March 15, KTRK-TV reported. The kids handed a threatening note to a bank teller; the Harris County Sheriff's Office believes they were armed, but they did not present a weapon. After the FBI released surveillance footage, parents of two of the boys identified them. The "little rascals," as they've been dubbed, are facing second-degree felony charges. "The age of the younger two, that's unusual for a bank robbery," noted Mike Schneider, a retired juvenile district court judge. [KTRK, 3/20/2024]

Repeat Offender

A 23-year-old Frenchman will get to stay a little longer in Norway than he anticipated after racking up 25 speeding tickets in just 19 days, Yahoo! News reported. The Oslo district court called the speeder a "danger in traffic" and sentenced him to 24 days in prison, which was reduced to 21 days when he pleaded guilty. Most of the infractions were caught on fixed speed cameras, which the driver was unaware of. He was also relieved of his driver's license. [Yahoo! News, 3/18/2024]

Great Art

Mexican artist Chavis Marmol, 42, carved a giant head from stone, inspired by the carvings of the Olmec people, and then lowered it onto a used Tesla 3 using a crane, France24 reported. The art installation, in a vacant lot in Mexico City, was intended to "troll Elon Musk," said the artist. "Look what I do to your lousy car with this wonderful head. This is bigger than you and the rampant technologies." Tesla has recently announced a plan to build a factory in northern Mexico. "It's the wonderful thing about art, it allows you these atrocities," said Marmol. [France24, 3/14/2024]

Family Values

-- Alyssa Langley and Timothy Stephens, both 27, were arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 16 after they both passed out on the beach, leaving their two children to wander to a nearby hotel pool, ClickOrlando reported. When the Volusia County Sheriff's deputy asked where the children were, Stephens walked toward the ocean, calling for them, and saying "They're at the beach." He later tried to run away but fell on the beach and appeared unconscious. He faces charges of child neglect, alcohol possession and attempt to escape custody; Langley faces child neglect charges. The kids were unharmed. [ClickOrlando, 3/19/2024]

-- Police in Riverside, California, arrested Samuel Davalos Pasillas, 47 -- who claimed to be a pastor in Victorville -- in late March for hiring two men to kill his daughter's boyfriend, ABC7-TV reported. The hitmen surveilled the victim for months before the shooting, which took place on Oct. 21, 2023. As the victim sat in his car, they drove up next to him and shot him, wounding him. Police also arrested Juan Manuel Cebreros, 55, of Long Beach; they are still looking for Jesus Abel Felix Garcia. The church's real pastor, Rafael Porras, told reporters that Pasillas was a volunteer, not a pastor. [ABC7, 3/20/2024]

Florida

The World Health Organization reported that leprosy is on the rise, particularly in Florida, Newsweek reported on March 22. The number of infections has more than doubled in the last 10 years, and the disease is often associated with exposure to ... armadillos. About a fifth of the U.S. cases were reported in Florida. "People may become infected from other people with untreated leprosy or from the nine-banded armadillo, a natural host of the bacteria causing the disease," said Francisca Mutapi, co-director of the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh. [Newsweek, 3/22/2024]

Bright Idea

An employee of Chilthern Railways in the United Kingdom is marking the 125th birthday of the Marylebone station -- and her own 20th anniversary with the railroad -- by changing her name to Rehana Marylebone Khawaja, Metro News reported. She said she would have made it her first name had her children not objected. "The station itself is not big. But it's got a soul," she said. "It's warm and welcoming. Not every London station is like that." Khawaja started in a ticket office and now works in security. [Metro News, 3/19/2024]

Oopsie

A woman who just wanted to watch a livestream of a funeral became a viral sensation after she accidentally left the camera on while she took a shower, the Daily Mail reported on March 21. The Zoom broadcast was also being shown on a big screen to in-person mourners at the church in North London. The funeral was for a father of three who had died of cancer. Even worse, the woman apparently turned up at the wake later with no idea what she had done -- until "ten minutes later crying her eyes out," as one mourner said. [Daily Mail, 3/21/2024]

Compelling Explanation

Michelle Young, 46, of Burlington, Iowa, thought she was at a friend's house on March 19, but the friend didn't answer the door. So Young allegedly lit some items on fire on the front porch, KWQC-TV reported. She told police she saw a sign on the porch that said "Witches Welcome," and she's a witch, so she set a fire -- but she wasn't going to hurt anyone or let the fire get out of control. The homeowner, who identified Young from her surveillance camera, said she did not know her. Young was charged with reckless use of fire and possession of drug paraphernalia. [KWQC, 3/20/2024]

Least Competent Criminal

When Daniel Allegretto Jr., 19, nearly struck a parked police car with his Honda Accord in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on March 15, he set off a chase that ended with his arrest -- and not just for bad driving, WBRE-TV reported. Investigators found Allegretto, of Freeland, Pennsylvania, was allegedly carrying 2,200 individual doses of fentanyl, 250 grams of methamphetamine, illegal steroids, cash and materials used to process and package drugs. He was held on a $125,000 bail. [WBRE, 3/19/2024]

Fine Points of the Law

If you're going to cheat on your spouse, maybe move to New York. The Associated Press reported on March 22 that the seldom-used law against committing adultery may be overturned in the New York Legislature. Only about a dozen people have been charged of the misdemeanor crime in New York since 1972. "We've come a long way since intimate relationships between consenting adults are considered immoral," said Assemblyman Charles Lavine. "It's a joke." Heads-up: Adultery is still a felony offense in Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Michigan. [AP, 3/22/2024]

Ewwwww

On March 20, a 34-year-old man went to the hospital in Quang Ninh Province, China, with severe abdominal cramps, Oddity Central reported. He was in too much pain to talk, so doctors took an X-ray and an ultrasound, where they saw something unusual in his abdomen. During surgery, they discovered a nearly foot-long live eel. The patient was unable to explain how the eel might have gotten into his abdominal cavity, but doctors surmised that it entered his body through his anus and bit through the intestine. The patient is doing fine. [Oddity Central, 3/21/2024]

Arthur "Jack" Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana, pleaded guilty on March 12 to two felony wildlife crimes after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks conducted a years-long investigation, Business Insider reported. Schubarth was accused of buying, selling and breeding "alternative" livestock, such as mountain sheep and mountain goats, for captive hunting operations. Between 2013 and 2021, court documents said, he conspired with others to create a large hybrid species of sheep that would garner higher prices from shooting preserves. To do so, he brought parts of Marco Polo argali sheep from Kyrgyzstan to the U.S. without declaring them. His other crimes include forging veterinary documents and shipping hybrid semen to other breeders. He faces jail time, fines and supervised release. [Business Insider, 3/14/2024]

Recurring Theme

It's baaaackkk. In the waning days of 2020, a tall silver monolith popped up in various locations in California, Texas, Romania and elsewhere. Now, Wales Online reports, it's back. The 10-foot-tall tower, which appears to be stainless steel, turned up near Hay-on-Wye in Wales around March 10, when Richard Haynes came across it while he was out for a run. "I thought it ... might be a scientific media research thing collecting rainwater. But then I realized it was way too tall and strange for that. It was hollow and I imagine ... light enough for two people to carry it up and plant it in the ground," Haynes said. Stay tuned. [Wales Online, 3/11/2024]

Awesome!

-- At the Goodwill store in Du Bois, Pennsylvania, workers found a treasure in a box of old Lego pieces, United Press International reported on March 12: a 14-karat gold Kanohi Hau mask from Lego's Bionicle collection. Originally priced at Goodwill at $14.95, the piece eventually sold for $18,100 to an anonymous collector. "We didn't know it was worth anything until people started asking if they could buy it for $1,000," said Chad Smith, vice president of e-commerce and technology for Goodwill. Lego created only 30 pieces in gold in 2001. [UPI, 3/12/2024]

-- LAD Bible reported on March 5 about two unacquainted Brits who were headed to a holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. At the airport, Mark Garland, 58, of Wiltshire, tried to check in, but gate staff told him he already had. After some sleuthing, they realized there was another Mark Garland (62, from Bristol) on the flight -- and the look-alikes were seated next to each other. As it happens, they live only about 15 miles apart and sometimes ride the same bus. They even have a friend in common. "We were so shocked by how strange it was," said the younger Garland. "It was crazy -- I have never known anything like it," said the older. "I've made a friend for life." [LAD Bible, 3/5/2024]

Questionable Judgment

After Jacob Wright, 24, and Cambree Wright, 19, exchanged wedding vows on Feb. 10, it was time for pictures, Fox News reported. So Jacob grabbed his Apple Vision Pro headset and wore it while the photos were snapped. Jacob said he saw an opportunity to have fun and create a viral moment. "I was like, 'Oh, it'd be like such a meme. It'd be so funny if we just took some pictures with it on after the wedding." Sure enough, when they posted the pics, Cambree said she started getting "crazy" messages: "I woke up to 200-plus messages and just random girls telling me to divorce my husband." But the bride said the photos "perfectly encompass Jacob and his personality ... and what our relationship is like." [Fox News, 3/13/2024]

Bright Idea

Amber Denae Wright of Cape Town, South Africa, has shared a marriage tip on TikTok that other wives may want to adopt, People reported on March 9. A video on the social media site shows her husband, Nick, talking when Amber plays orchestra music from her phone. When Nick asks, "What is that? What are you playing?" Amber says, "It's Oscars music. You know, when the speeches are too long ..." Nick's taking it well, though: "She's been doing this the whole week. Every time I tell a story! Is this gonna be the rest of my life?" One TikTok commenter suggested, "I should use this at work when guys mansplain." [People, 3/9/2024]

Field Report

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told city council members on March 13 that rats had infested the department's building so thoroughly that they made their way into the evidence room and were eating confiscated marijuana. "They're all high," she said, according to the Associated Press. "The uncleanliness is off the charts." She elaborated, saying the building is full of mold and cockroaches, and staff suffer broken air conditioning and elevators. [AP, 3/13/2024]

That's Disappointing

The Pittsburgh Penguins planned to provide prized playthings to their passionate patrons on the evening of March 14, ESPN reported. (OK, that's enough of that.) NHL legend Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads were promised for the game against the San Jose Sharks -- but the cargo was stolen during transit. Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin said the team is looking forward to "resolving this theft and delivering the prized Jagr bobbleheads to their rightful homes, with our fans." The hockey great commented, "The legend of Jagr continues." [ESPN, 3/14/2024]

The Passing Parade

On March 5 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a 42-year-old man was charged with battery and disorderly conduct with a weapon after his daughter called 911, saying her dad was naked and had a gun. The Smoking Gun reported the story -- and the much more compelling backstory about Deez-Nuts Lee Kroll, the defendant. In 2011, Derrick Lee Kroll, then 29, petitioned the court and paid $164.50 for a name change. On the form, Kroll, who seems to be spelling-challenged, wrote his preferred name: Dez-Nuts Lee Kroll, and said his reason for the change was that "I with out a dout HATE MY NAME." Six years later, it occurred to Dez-Nuts that he had spelled the name wrong, and he went to court to change his name again. At his recent run-in with the law, officers noted that he appeared to be intoxicated but cooperated with them. He was released on $2,000 bond. [The Smoking Gun, 3/13/2024]

The Golden Age of Air Travel

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee reported this week that on a Jan. 25 Batik Air flight, both pilots fell asleep for about 30 minutes as the plane flew off its "correct flight path." Sky News reported that when the plane, carrying 153 passengers and four flight attendants, reached 36,000 feet, the 32-year-old pilot asked his co-pilot to take over while he rested. But the 28-year-old, whose wife recently delivered twins, also nodded off, and the plane flew itself for 241 miles before they woke up. They were able to get the plane back on the flight path and land safely in Jakarta. [Sky News, 3/11/2024]