Picture it: a curious young boy at a museum. An ancient artifact unprotected by glass. Bet you can’t guess what happened next. On Aug. 23, reports CNN, a 4-year-old boy visited the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel, with his parents. According to the child’s father, the boy noticed a large ceramic container and “pulled the jar slightly,” wanting to see what was inside -- accidentally smashing the 3,500-year-old relic in the process. Museum officials were unfazed: “We are appealing to parents: Don’t be afraid. Things like this happen,” said museum head Inbal Rivin. “We will fix (the jar) and put it back.” The Hecht Museum displays some items without protective cases, a nod to founder Reuben Hecht’s belief in allowing the public to experience archaeological finds with as few barriers as possible. The jar dates to between 2200 B.C. and 1500 B.C., and was likely used for storing and transporting liquid goods such as wine or oil. Finding an intact vessel was something of a rarity, and restoration efforts are already underway. [CNN, 8/28/2024]

Book Lover Booked

A 71-year-old flat owner in Rome woke one night to find a burglar in his residence ... reading a book about the Iliad. The BBC reported on Aug. 24 that the would-be burglar claims he broke into the building to visit someone else and simply found himself in the wrong unit. Spotting Giovanni Nucci’s book “The Gods at Six O’Clock,” a retelling of The Iliad from a divine perspective, the 38-year-old settled in for story time. When the homeowner awoke and confronted him, the thief attempted to get away via the balcony, but was soon arrested. News of the bookworm burglar made its way to the author, who said he'd like to give the criminal a copy: "... he'll have been arrested halfway through reading it. I'd like him to be able to finish it.” Nucci added that his favorite deity is Hermes, the god of thieves -- and of literature. [BBC, 8/24/2024]

Better Late Than Never

The U.K.-based Royal Mail service delivered a postcard to the Swansea Building Society in Wales -- a mere 121 years after it was posted. The BBC reported on Aug. 21 that the Christmas-themed postcard was addressed to "Miss Lydia Davies" and signed by “Ewart.” Among other lines, Ewart apologizes for not picking up a “pair” of an unknown item: “I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home.” The postcard made waves online after Henry Darby, the Swansea Building Society's marketing and communications officer, found it when sorting through the post. Unable to find any information about Lydia, he took to social media for help. West Glamorgan Archives confirmed that a John Davies once lived at the address in question with his wife, Maria, and six children -- including Lydia, who would have been 16 when the postcard was sent. [BBC, 8/21/2024]

Unclear on the Concept

A groundhog made headlines In Hollidaysburg, Pennylvania, about an hour from Punxsutawney -- but not for predicting the weather. Fun-seekers playing the claw machine at a local arcade realized that one of the “stuffed animals” was blinking back at them, reported the Associated Press on Aug. 14. Manager Lynn Castle of The Meadows frozen custard and mini-golf isn’t sure how the critter got in, but said it almost took an army to release the rodent. Employees contacted the machine’s owners, who passed the buck to the police department, who called in the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Game wardens were able to open the machine and set the rodent, dubbed Colonel Custard, free in a nearby field. Castle and The Meadows wasted no time capitalizing on the incident, making T-shirts that said “Respect the Groundhog” and naming a frozen treat flavor after their furry visitor. “It’s a good story that ended well,” Castle said. “He got set free. No one got bit.” [Associated Press, 8/14/2024]

U R in Trouble

Some people yell, throw things or shut down when they get mad. Not Dr. Giovanni Baula. According to court records in St. Petersburg, Florida, on two separate occasions, the good doctor expressed his ire with Dr. Dylan Dinesh by dousing the latter’s office doors in gallons of fluid that smelled suspiciously like urine. As The Smoking Gun reports, court documents say the liquid “soaked into the front wooden doors, causing irreparable damage.” Dinesh’s practice suffered $6,000 worth of losses, in addition to the $1,500 to replace the doors. Baula was arrested and charged with a felony count of criminal mischief, but released after paying a $5,000 bond. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Baula doesn’t exactly have a clean rap sheet. In 2003, he was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the Board of Medicine for a number of standard-of-care violations, including improperly prescribing medication for a telehealth client that he never physically examined. His medical license expires in January 2025. [The Smoking Gun, 8/28/2024]

Is Nowhere Sacred?

Thanat Thangtewanon of Thailand recently had a bathroom break that was, well, nuts. India's Deccan Herald reported that on Aug. 22, what started as a routine trip to the washroom ended with Thangtewanon killing the python that had bitten his testicles. "I felt something biting my balls, which was very painful, so I put my hands in," he said. After whacking the reptile on the head with a toilet brush until it died and released its grip, Thangtewanon headed to the hospital for a tetanus shot. Doctors assured him that his injury wasn’t too deep, and that no stitches would be required. Perhaps he should count himself lucky, all things considered -- pythons are known for suffocating and squeezing their prey to death! [Deccan Herald, 8/22/2024]

Party Hearty

On Aug. 28 in Almhult, Sweden -- the site of the first IKEA store -- 2,052 of the furniture giant's employees donned two-piece pajamas and set a Guinness World Record for "the largest-ever gathering of people wearing two-piece pajamas in a single venue" ... or, you know, the world's largest pajama party. The matching pjs featured images of lingonberry jam and gravy, an homage to the store’s iconic Swedish meatballs. The party was scheduled to align with IKEA’s new yearlong initiative to “innovate a range of sleep products to improve every aspect of home that supports better rest,” according to a company statement. [IKEA, 8/28/2024]

Take It Down the Road

One surefire way to go viral online? Call out Wendy’s. Tired of customers complaining about long waiting times, The Myrtle Beach Sun News reported that Patti Childers, owner of the Salt Water Grille in Longs, South Carolina, posted a sign on the restaurant door that said: “Other than the buffet -- our food is cooked to order. If you are in a hurry, Wendy’s is right down the road or come another time. Everybody in Horry County cannot eat between 5-8 on Friday night. Please don’t expect speedy service during those hours.” The sign went viral after being picked up and posted by a Facebook page called Bitchy Waiters. “It was more or less a joke,” Childers said. [Sun News, 8/29/2024]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Amy Slaton, 36 -- best known for starring on TLC’s “1000-Lb Sisters” alongside her sister, Tammy -- was arrested on Labor Day on charges of drug possession and child endangerment, after an incident at the Alamo safari park in Tennessee. Police were responding to reports that a guest had been bitten by a camel, but they noticed “suspicious odors” coming from Slaton's vehicle, leading to the arrest. The Daily Mail reported that Slaton has lost 176 pounds since she had weight-loss surgery five years ago. [NY Times, 8/26/2024]

The Solution Became the Problem

On Sept. 3, the Kyodo News reported that a decades-long effort to eradicate mongoose from Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture has been declared a success by Japan's Environment Ministry. One minor detail: The mongooses (mongeese?) were not native to the island -- they had, in fact, been introduced on the island in 1979, when about 30 mongooses were imported to eradicate the habu, a species of venomous viper. One problem: The mongooses are active during the daytime, while the snakes they were supposed to cull are nocturnal. So rather than doing the one job they were hired for, the mongooses, whose numbers swelled to around 10,0000 by the turn of the century, played havoc on the rabbit population and destroyed crops and native fauna. The eradication effort included the placement of 30,000 traps and even a mongoose-sniffing dog. "This is an achievement that could contribute to the preservation of rare species and the natural heritage," Environment Minister Shintaro Ito said. [Kyodo News, 9/3/2024]

Malpractice

William Bryan, 70, died during a splenectomy at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Alabama, on Aug. 21. But USA Today reports that Bryan's family has filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging that surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky, who was supposed to remove Bryan's spleen, removed his liver instead, causing massive blood loss and killing Bryan. After the fatal procedure, a pathologist identified tissue from the removed organ, which had been labeled "spleen," was actually liver tissue, and an autopsy on Bryan confirmed that his spleen was still in his body. "We take allegations like this very seriously," said a statement from Ascension emailed to USA Today, "and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event." [NBC News, 8/27/2024]

Police in Brighton, New Jersey, charged Zyair J. Dennis, 24, on Aug. 23 with one count of defiant trespassing after an incident on Aug. 18, the Cherry Hill Courier Post reported. Dennis, of Millville, New Jersey, was recorded at the Cohanzick Zoo taunting a tiger after climbing a barrier into the animal's enclosure. Police said she tried to "entice" one of the Bengal tigers through a second, inside fence. In the video, the tiger appeared to try to bite the woman's hand. Dennis was also caught on camera at the zoo's bear exhibit, demonstrating the same kind of behavior, said Bridgerton Police Chief Michael Gaimari. [Cherry Hill Courier Post, 8/27/2024]

Weird in the Wild

A bald eagle that was “rescued” near Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Missouri because it couldn’t seem to fly wasn’t injured at all, Fox News reported on Aug. 25. Instead, wildlife officials at the Missouri Department of Conservation determined that it was “too fat to fly.” “The bird was ... engorged with raccoon,” officials said. X-rays taken at a nearby zoo showed a raccoon paw inside the eagle’s distended stomach. The bird was released near where it was found. [Fox News, 8/25/2024]

Florida

Tampa police responded to a call on Aug. 24 at the Rags to Riches Animal Rescue, WFTS-TV reported. Dominique Amerosa, one of the owners of the rescue, said she and her mother were doing a meet-and-greet with a potential owner for Bluey, a disabled pug, when they told the woman she wouldn't be a good fit because of her other dogs. First, the woman wouldn't give the dog back to the owners; then she retrieved a gun out of her car and pointed it at the back of Amerosa's head. "My lovely neighbor came out and saw her with my mom and then ran in her house to call 911," Amerosa said. "That is a very scary person," she said. Police said they are investigating and working with the state's attorney's office to "determine the most appropriate charges." [WFTS, 8/25/2024]

Unclear on the Concept

Rolando Ramos, the quarterbacks coach for the Cigarroa Toros football program in Laredo, Texas, was arrested on Aug. 19 after he called police to report that a prostitute had stolen money from him, the Laredo Morning Times reported. When Ramos tried to pay her, she allegedly grabbed $100 and ran away. Ramos, who is also a health and physical education teacher at Cigarroa High School, faced a $2,500 bond for soliciting prostitution and was released later that day. He was placed on administrative leave by the district. [Laredo Morning Times, 8/23/2024]

SNAFU

The U.S. Navy has run out of pants, the New York Post reported on Aug. 21. The official "Navy Working Uniform," or NWU, camouflage trousers are out of stock because of "Defense Logistics Agency vendor issues," officials said. This particular uniform is allowed for wear on the job and out in public, but only new recruits will get new pants until at least October. In the meantime, sailors will be allowed to wear coveralls off-base (so chic) or the "2-piece Organizational Clothing," which features flame-resistant tops and bottoms. [NY Post, 8/21/2024]

Bright Idea

A 9-year-old boy left his home in Brooklyn, New York, for school on Aug. 22 but never showed up, the Associated Press reported. His parents called police, who released a description of the missing child. When the New York CBS News helicopter arrived at the scene, they spotted the truant on the rooftop of his family's building. "We came across a person sitting in a chair over here on the rooftop. We zoomed in with the camera," said reporter Dan Rice. "It appeared to be the child that fit the description of the missing child." They alerted police and as the news helicopter watched, Rice said, "He just packs up his computer and his book bag and goes off with the police officers," who took the boy to his parents. [AP, 8/23/2024]

Questionable Judgment

Back in January, a 33-year-old man underwent emergency surgery at Graz University Hospital in Austria after a forestry accident, Sky News reported. It wasn't until July, however, that the patient learned the unnamed surgeon allowed his 13-year-old daughter to drill a hole in the patient's head. "There was no contact, no explanation or apology, nothing," said the patient's attorney, Peter Freiberger. "That is simply undignified." The operation was successful, but the patient is still recovering. The main surgeon and another specialist who was present during the operation were let go by the hospital. Investigations by the public prosecutor's office are underway. [Sky News, 8/27/2024]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Riders on the Supergirl Sky Flight ride at Mexico City's Six Flags Mexico were stranded on Aug. 18 as heavy rain and winds caused the ride to shut down, United Press International reported. Those who were on the ride at the time dangled about 240 feet in the air for 10 minutes as they were buffeted by the weather. Six Flags Mexico said the storm caused several rides to cease operating for a few minutes, but no injuries were reported. [UPI, 8/26/2024]

News That Sounds Like a Joke

The Hong Kong Education Bureau has produced a 70-page sex education manual for kids between 12 and 14 years old, The New York Times reported on Aug. 26. The booklet advises kids to avoid premarital sex and other "intimate behaviors" by participating in exercise and other pastimes, such as badminton, that "draw attention away from undesirable activities." The Education Bureau is undeterred by criticism and ridicule; it said the advice will help kids "cope with the various physiological and psychological consequences of premarital sex." Meanwhile, teenagers are incorporating it into their slang, with phrases such as "friends with badminton." [NY Times, 8/26/2024]

News You Can Use

Residents of Oxford, Massachusetts, are buzzing over a voluntary curfew officials put in place in late August, CNN reported. The restriction on outdoor activities after 6 p.m. through the end of September (and 5 p.m. in October until the first frost) is meant to keep citizens safe from mosquitoes that may be carrying eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, a deadly infection, but about 200 people showed up at a town meeting to protest it. Officials say the curfew makes people more aware of the threat and gets them off the streets while communities are spraying chemicals to combat the mosquitoes. “It’s an unpopular recommendation, but we feel that it’s a really important part of a layered prevention strategy,” said Dr. Catherine Brown, the Massachusetts state epidemiologist. One commenter on social media complained: “Government overreach in the name of safety has upended the lives of our kids enough.” Others called for a dusk-to-dawn curfew, which would mean getting inside by about 8 p.m. [CNN, 8/27/2024]

Least Competent Criminal

Deario Wilkerson, 20, literally fell into law enforcement’s lap on Aug. 26 after he tried to hide out in the attic of a home in Memphis, NBC News reported. Wilkerson was wanted for first-degree murder in a case from April, in which Troy Cunningham was shot and killed in downtown Memphis. After the U.S. Marshals Service surrounded the home where Wilkerson was hiding, the fugitive fell through the ceiling into the kitchen of the home, landing uninjured. [NBC News, 8/27/2024]

At the busy New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, everything came to a screeching halt on Aug. 17 after a pair of scissors went missing from a store near the boarding gates, the BBC reported. The airport canceled 36 flights and delayed more than 200 others, leaving hundreds of travelers doing repeat security checks. Flights eventually resumed, but the scissors weren't found until the next day -- at the store where they went missing. Social media users were strikingly complimentary and upbeat about the delays, though: "This incident showcased the safety of Japanese aviation," one posted. [BBC, 8/19/2024]

Unclear on the Concept

-- An Applebee’s restaurant in Portage, Indiana, became the site of a scuffle on Aug. 2, USA Today reported. According to the Portage Police Department, officers arrived in response to a report of a verbal disturbance. There they found Shawneesha Cobbs, 28, who had been loudly arguing with the store manager. Cobbs' companions were under the impression that the restaurant’s $15.99 all-you-can-eat deal applied to the whole group, and when the manager explained that the deal was per person, Cobbs said the menu didn’t specify that. (It did.) The rabble-rouser then verbally assaulted another couple leaving the restaurant; that’s when she was placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct. [USA Today, 8/18/2024]

-- Jeff Daniels lookalike Mayor Benji Cranford of Thomson, Georgia, was arrested on Aug. 14 after a grand jury indicted him for allegedly supplying a 750 ml bottle of Seagram's Extra Dry Gin to prisoners on a roadside work crew, WRDW-TV reported. The indictment said Cranford bought the bottle on June 4 and left it in a ditch along the path of the work crew from the Jefferson County Correctional Institution. Cranford was charged with furnishing prohibited items to inmates and criminal attempt to commit a felony. He bonded out three hours later. [WRDW, 8/14/2024]

It's Come to This

Students are headed back to school at H.E. Charles Middle School in El Paso, Texas, with a fresh restriction on the clothes they can wear, KVIA-TV reported on Aug. 2. Principal Nick DeSantis sent a letter to families stating that students would no longer be able to wear "black tops with black bottoms," saying the look can be "associated with depression and mental health issues and/or criminality." Sarah Venegas, executive principal for the district, backed DeSantis up: Students will be allowed to wear only blue jeans or khaki pants. Some parents don't agree: "I don't think we should be grouping, and red-flagging kids that just like to wear black," said Stephanie Rascon. Mental health expert Krista Wingate suggested that educators might instead "be looking out for different signs of stress or ... anxiety." [KVIA, 8/2/2024]

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Jose Marti-Alvarez of Miami Gardens, Florida, came up with a shady plan to make some dough, Local10-TV reported. Marti-Alvarez, 55, was in court on Aug. 19 facing felony charges of running "an elaborate scheme to defraud tourists staying in the hotels of Miami Springs," police said. He had distributed flyers to hotels near Miami International Airport, advertising "Roman Pizzeria" -- a name dangerously close to Roman's Pizzeria, which has had a loyal following in the area for four decades. Marti-Alvarez's pizzas were delivered "bad, uncooked, sometimes in a box with a piece of raw dough," said Jesus Roman, the real pizza man. Marti-Alvarez had been duping folks for several years, garnering bad reviews and customer complaints for the real Roman's. Finally Roman went to the police. Marti-Alvarez was held on fraud charges, along with aggravated battery after he hit a hotel worker with his car while trying to flee. [Local10, 8/20/2024]

Dastardly

Russian chess player Amina Abakarova, 40, of Dagestan could be banned from competition for life after she was accused of poisoning another player at the Dagestan Classical Chess Championship on Aug. 2, Oddity Central reported. Surveillance video captured Abakarova stopping at a table and spreading a substance on the board and pieces where her competitor, Umayganat Osmanova, 30, soon would be playing. Her behavior could have been innocent, but about 30 minutes later, Osmanova started experiencing nausea and dizziness. Doctors confirmed she had been poisoned with mercury; Osmanova ended up in the hospital. "I felt a lack of air and a taste of iron in my mouth," she said. Abakarova confessed to using mercury from an old thermometer to soil the board, hoping to "knock her (opponent) out of the tournament." She will likely also lose her job and may face criminal prosecution. [Oddity Central, 8/15/2024]

Animal Antics

Taboo, a black-and-white 12-year-old cat from West Yorkshire, England, has made a name for herself in the neighborhood, People reported. She's a cat burglar. Taboo's owner, Sandra Danskin, said she steals clothing and gardening equipment from nearby households, forcing Danskin to post them on social media to reunite them with their owners. "This morning, I had four pairs of socks and a pair of underpants," Danskin said. "Also, we've had mopheads and kitchen rolls." She suspects the kitty grabs items off laundry lines or sneaks into homes where the door is left open. Helpfully, she always brings both socks of a pair, carrying one at a time. [People, 8/20/2024]

News You Can Use

Homeowners who don’t want to advertise the details of their property can blur their homes on Google Street View, MSN reported on Aug. 22. “Would-be thieves certainly want to scout their locations before they hit them,” said Christopher Herrmann, a professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Criminals might look for security barriers, front-door cameras or exterior surveillance systems. But, he warned, “It may be more of a red flag,” alerting thieves that there is something worth stealing. “We make it easy for anyone to blur their home if they prefer,” said a Google spokesperson. “Just click on the ‘Report a Problem’ button and submit a request.” [MSN, 8/22/2024]

Smooth Reaction

Folks are having some fun in Morehead City, North Carolina, with a clever "sign war" outside popular businesses, WCTI-TV reported. It all started with a birthday message at Ioanni's Bar and Grill: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF." After the message remained up for 26 days, Dank Burrito posted: "IOANNIS QUIT BEING LAZY CHANGE YOUR SIGN." Them were fightin' words, so Ioanni's spelled out: "DANK WE ARE NOT LAZY JUST BUSIER THAN YOU." Carteret County resident Peyton Draper said the feud "started with these and now it's all the way down (the highway), all the different restaurants messing with each other." The sign war has even spread to flower stores and churches. Ioanni's offered a truce: "LET'S DUKE IT OUT NOT TACO BOUT IT." [WCTI, 8/19/2024]

Buh-bye

The Bollinger (Missouri) County Sheriff's Office revealed that on Aug. 19, the entire police department of Marble Hill, the county's largest city, resigned, effective Aug. 24. KOMU-TV reported that chief Kristin Nenninger told Facebook followers that she could no longer "faithfully support my officers and provide you ... with law enforcement services you all deserve due to the city putting constraints on the budget and cutting into the police budget. ... The Bollinger County Sheriff's Office is committed to finding a viable solution." [KOMU, 8/21/2024]