News of the Weird: Week of March 27, 2025

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Bad Behavior

A team of nine scientists at the Sanae IV research station in Antarctica have been upset by the behavior of one of their group, the BBC reported on March 18. The team left South Africa on Feb. 1 to spend the Antarctic winter at the station, but on Feb. 27 one person was accused of a physical assault. Another team member wrote an email describing the "deeply disturbing behavior" and an "environment of fear." Since then, the South African environment ministry said it "immediately activated the response plan in order to mediate and restore relations at the base." The alleged perpetrator has "willingly participated in further psychological evaluation, has shown remorse and is willingly cooperative." In addition, that person has written a formal apology to the victim, the ministry said.

The Passing Parade

It wasn't a robe or a phone charger left behind in a room at the Pine Rivers motel in Cheboygan, Michigan, on March 14, the Detroit Free Press reported. Instead, when the cleaning crew arrived at the room, they looked under the bed and found Wally, "a real friendly gator." The motel manager said he'd had no idea that the alligator was one of the guests in the room. He called the guest, who said he was "taking Wally to elementary schools and showing him to children," but when he got up that morning, he couldn't find the reptile and assumed he'd gotten out. "You couldn't really miss it," the manager said. "It's about 3 feet long." The owner drove back from Detroit and picked up Wally that evening.

Oops

A 50-year-old Detroit man who uses a wheelchair tried to kill a cockroach by throwing his shoe at the pest, WKRC-TV reported on March 9. Unfortunately, the loaded revolver he had hidden in his shoe fell to the floor and discharged, hitting the man in the foot. He was reported to be in stable condition after going to the hospital; no word on the cockroach's condition.

Culinary Creation

Jordi Roca, 46, chef and owner of the Michelin three-star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, has created a "lit" dessert that'll set diners back $362, the New York Post reported on March 12. For the pricey confection, Roca extracts the "essence" of old books by spreading their pages with "deodorized butter and (letting) it rest overnight so that it is impregnated with the smell of an old book." Then he removes the butter with a spatula and dissolves it in alcohol, which evaporates and leaves "the perfume of an old book." Roca borrowed the process, called enfleurage, from the perfume industry. The resulting "liquor" is dropped onto a pudding and adorned with petals of torn pages of the book. If dessert is a book, eat on!

I Am Not Dead Yet

In Kardzhali, Bulgaria, the Arda Kardzhali soccer team observed a moment of silence for their fallen former teammate, striker Petko Ganchev, 78, on March 16. Unfortunately, the BBC reported, Ganchev was in fact alive and well. Ganchev said he returned home as the match was beginning, and his wife greeted him crying in the yard: "Petko, Petko, they announced on TV that you have died!" Ganchev said, "When I heard the terrible news, I poured myself a small brandy. ... So many people called me -- relatives, friends ... The situation was not pleasant, but in the end we have to be positive." A statement from the club read: "The management of PFC Arda would like to express a huge apology to the former Arda player Petko Ganchev and his relatives after the club received wrong information about his death. We wish Petko Ganchev many more years of good health and to enjoy the success of Arda."

Americans Abroad

A couple of American tourists visiting Dublin, Ireland, for St. Patrick's Day felt the wrath of the Irish after they tried to stiff a carriage driver, The Irish Sun reported on March 19. A video from the scene shows the driver chasing the two men after their horse-and-carriage ride. When he catches the men, he whips them with a stick and demands, "Pay me now." After several more strikes with his whip, one rider pulls out his wallet and says, "I have money. I understand, I understand." But even after he's been paid, the driver whips them a few more times, to which one replies, "I'm sorry. We learned our lesson."

Perspective

The Associated Press reported on March 19 that Muslims in Jakarta, Indonesia, are taking advantage of a service offered for free by a charity during Ramadan. Amil Zakat National Agency is providing tattoo removal services to give practicing Muslims a chance to repent. Teguh Islean Septura, 30, first got tattoos when he played guitar in a band. But now, he said, "I want to improve myself by moving closer to God. God gave me clean skin and I ruined it, that's what I regret now." Roughly 700 people have signed up for the service this year.

Karaoke Rage

In the wee hours of March 15 in Clearwater, Florida, Aaron Jablonski, 34, was REALLY hoping to treat patrons of the Overtime Sports Bar to some karaoke, The Smoking Gun reported. So when he found out the machine was out of order, Jablonski left the establishment, "upset about the music." Outside, a 26-year-old man tried to calm Jablonski down, but he produced a Glock 9mm pistol from his waistband, pointed it at the man and then fired off a round, witnesses said. When police arrived, Jablonski still had the gun -- a problem, since he had previously been convicted of battery on a law enforcement officer. He was arrested for aggravated assault and felon in possession of a firearm, with bond set at $40,000.

Least Competent Criminals

An unidentified man in northeast Philadelphia was nearly electrocuted and suffered third-degree burns on March 19 as he tried to steal copper wiring, WPVI-TV reported. When he broke into a transformer box and cut into the live high-voltage wiring, he knocked out power to about 1,500 homes and businesses nearby, police said. "The victim is in critical condition with burns to his face, neck, shoulders, chest, arms and hands," police reported. The day before, another copper thief suffered similar burns and actually caught fire.

Where Did I Put My Sense of Humor?

In Memphis, Tennessee, on March 10, five men were taken into custody after they emerged from their car at a busy intersection and started twerking, WKRC-TV reported. Four of them danced around the vehicle, while a fifth danced on the hood, police said. Each was charged with obstruction of a highway or passageway. MeKell Sanders, 18, Rashaun Bryant, 22, Mandre'Co Mays, 18, and Desmond Subbery, 18, were all released on their own recognizance. Jordan Smith, 19, had an outstanding warrant for vandalism and was fined $2,100.

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