When I saw the words ‘hair insurance’, I thought “What a great idea! Finally people who suffer from any type of genetic baldness can relax.” So I was disappointed when I followed the link and read the article. Turns out it’s not some fabulous hair loss coverage plan. Instead, Troy Polamalu (who plays Football for the Pittsburgh Steelers) has gotten his long, flowing locks insured for one million dollars. The insurance is covered by Lloyd’s of London and was purchased by shampoo brand Head and Shoulders. You can read more about it here.
Category: Interesting Things
In December of 2007, Craig Taylor took shelter under an awning during a storm. The awning collapsed and killed the unfortunate Mr. Taylor. Tragic, sure. But weird? Well death by awning probably isn’t common, but what makes this instance unique is what made the awning collapse in the first place… pigeon poo. Australian authorities have opened an inquest to determine what exactly caused Mr. Taylor to be crushed and are focusing on the amount of pigeon’s droppings that had built up on the awning. And you thought pigeons only liked statues! (On a side note, it occured to me while I was reading about this poor man that you never see any bird droppings on awnings on TV or in movies. Why is that?)
Spontaneous combustion is a type of combustion which occurs without an external ignition source. It’s also fairly uncommon. But this summer, in Little Rock, Arkansas, an insurance claims adjuster concluded that the fire that caused $30,000 worth of damage to the Duncan’s home was a classic case. Brian Duncan said a flowerpot on the porch was the culprit. You can read the full article here.
While it might seem quaint to walk through the woods to find and pick mushrooms, apparently it can be quite deadly. Authorities in northern Italy said that at least 18 people died a month ago while hunting for the tasty fungi. Avid seekers are growing careless and ignoring safety procedures because the weather for the month of August lead to a surge in mushroom growth. Most of those who have died fell off the slippery mountain slopes. Now, I realize that truffles can be worth more per ounce than gold, but I don’t think it’s worth a person’s life.
In a move that would have fit right into the movie Dumb and Dumber, two young men were caught shoplifting… from a store full of more than sixty uniformed police officers. The annual ‘Shop With A Cop’ event in Portland Oregon marks the beginning of the school year as the officers take dozens of needy children to a local store to purchase school supplies. Store security notified the police that the two men were stuffing their backpacks with items. The men stated “we thought the police would be distracted.” You can read more about it here.
If you’re into ghost stories, this one seems fairly tame. In 1891, a passenger train derailed on a bridge near Statesville, North Carolina, killing approximately thirty people. The story claims that on the anniversary of the wreck, the sound of the crash and screaming passengers can be heard. A number of people come to the bridge for a chance to prove the legend each year. But this year, the story took an even more tragic turn when one of the “ghost hunters” was killed… by a train. You can read the details here.
If you lease a car for two years from any car company, you would still say it’s “my” car. You wouldn’t go around telling people “no that’s not my car, it actually belongs to X company, I’m just leasing it.” Of course you wouldn’t, that would be ridiculous! But apparently the FAA has a very different set of rules. Case in point, the US Department of Transportation recently fined a non-profit air ambulance company (Mercy Flights of Medford, Oregon) $30,000 for saying that the helicopter they are leasing is “ours”. You can read the details here. Thank goodness our government has the time and money to keep such blatant violations under control! (*cough*sarcasm*cough*)
There was an article in my local paper recently about a man who was loaning his unique car to film-makers. The article didn’t include any pictures, however, so I went online to see what made the car so original. I admit that I am not much into cars, even though I love the television show Top Gear. But I know weirdness when I see it, and this car definitely qualifies. This is the 1969 Checker Aerobus (pictured). As you can see, it has four doors on each side. Back then they called it a station wagon, but it is now classified as a limousine. The Checker Motors Corporation is more famously known for manufacturing the iconic taxi cab. The Wikipedia article can tell you more (and it’s worth reading – there was a lot of violence in the history of the Checker company).
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, which has something to do with how kids aren’t so different from their parents. But does it matter what kind of tree you fall from? According to this chart that I found here, it does! This is a unique take on the usual “what’s your sign?” perspective most people use to get to know others. So, what’s your tree?
I was surprised. Mine was mostly right about me. I’m an ELM TREE (the Noble-mindedness) – pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical. About the only thing there that was wrong was the bit about a pleasant shape. Unless round counts as a pleasant shape…
Nethie's Niche 