weirdnews

Usually I focus on the news of the weird world in this space, but today I’m focusing of news of the heart. Simon is a darling little boy born way too soon, and he’s fighting for his life in Denver. His mom is a fellow blogger, writer, and all-around good egg, but the financial hardship of traveling to another state to see her little angel is hard on the family. Visit Supporting Simon, read his amazing story, and give a little love to one tiny miracle. While Democrats may have all the headlines in Denver next week, Simon has the most amazing story of survival. While he’s just over a pound, every ounce must be chock-full of gumption. If you can’t spare a donation right now, why not share his story in a blog post, so others can. Be a part of something special!

Green tea provides self-defense for your body—in more ways than one. A quick-thinking Tokyo woman thwarted a violent robber by fixing him a cup of tea after he forced his way into her home. The cash-seeking criminal was armed with a knife, but the young woman, seeking to protect herself and her six-month-old child, hoped the tea would defuse the situation, said authorities. Apparently the gesture worked, because the robber drank his tea, set down his weapon, and even monologued about himself for twenty minutes, a classic villain move ripped right from the Pixar movie The Incredibles. Afterward, the brave supermom gave the thief 10,000 yen, which amounts to approximately $100, and escaped out of the apartment to a nearby pay phone. The calmed hoodlum was gone by the time police arrived, and is still on the loose. Maybe Tokyo’s finest should set out a few tea-baited traps along the street, or we could send Dr. Phil to help the troubled robber sort out his problems.

A drug training exercise by customs officials at Tokyo’s Narita airport may likely turn a tourist’s trip into the Lost Weekend. An overzealous official hid a parcel of cannabis in a Hong Kong visitor’s suitcase so drug-sniffing dogs could find it, said authorities. When the ganja failed to be caught on the wind by the pot-smelling poochies, customs tried to track down the suitcase, but apparently the package and the case disappeared in a puff of smoke. Although normally a training case is used, the official explained that they had stuffed drugs into unknowing passengers’ suitcases before without any repercussions. And if they do slip past, well, there’s always that spiffy body cavity search.

Meanwhile, the customs team is asking the public that if they find the package, to please return the heap o’ hash to them as soon as possible. Riiiiiiiiight.

Everyone says their money’s gone with the wind, but this time, it really happened. An Arkansas man was cleaning up after the state’s most recent bout of tornado weather when he found a solitary check, neatly folded and lying on the ground. The cashed check, dated from 1971 and worth a whopping $1.50, was originally from a town fifty miles away, apparently a monthly payment on a newspaper subscription. While the check does bear the names of each person in the transaction, no one has come forward yet to claim the document, which was still crisp and dry, without any damage from the storm.

There’s finally a replacement for the old ‘check-in-the-mail’ routine; the check is in the tornado. Next up: the tornado ate my homework!