News of the Weird: 5 Odd Topics in News this Week

Phoebe Cohen, Scarlet Staff

1. Bed Bugged Out

Big Ben’s got some questionable habits when it comes to its bedside. According to several hygiene experts and a study conducted in Britain, Hammonds Furniture organized a survey with approximately 2,000 participants and found that 30 percent of the participants wash their bedding every 12 months. Not changing your bedsheets at least weekly can result in dust mites, bed bugs, skin irritation, and possible fungal infections. The study also covered other aspects of cleanliness, such as jean washing, which 18 percent of participants wash every 12 months. Surprisingly, participants over the age of 65 were worse than millennials in the hygiene department.

Source: Bed Bugged Out

2. Bottled Up

Wanna hear a wicked tale ‘bout Bahston Hahbah? You are in luck! A family boating in the Boston Harbour earlier this week looked over the side of their vessel and saw something floating in the water, a real message in a bottle. The bottle was encrusted with barnacles with a note inside which was retrieved via hammer and read “Stay safe, East Boston.” The note was not dated or signed. We are guessing “tea” isn’t all that is dumped in Boston’s Harbour.

Source: Bottled Up

3. The King’s Crown

As the modern-day music era emerged, The Notorious B.I.G. is remembered for being a major player in the music industry as we know it today. In 1997, the year marking his death, the rapper would pose in a famous photoshoot called “King of New York” for a feature magazine. This week, the crown he wore for that shoot sold at an auction for a whopping $600,000. The plastic gold crown, signed by B.I.G. himself, set a Guinness World Records for the most expensive custom made crown ever sold at an auction.

Source: The King’s Crown

4. Pig on a Mask

The Hormel company decided that a mask that sells is a mask that smells. The Black Label Breathable Bacon mask uses scent technology to infuse bacon scents into a patterned mask. Thus, in every inhale the wearer can smell bacon sizzling. The mask is winnable in a competition the company is hosting and for every entry into the competition one meal will be donated to Feeding America. Hey,  there has to be more than one way to incentivize mask-wearing! Want to get involved in the contest and create your own bacon-scented mask(s)? Hormel’s website and details are here! https://breathablebacon.com/

Source: Pig on a Mask

5. Airborne Delivery

Earlier this month, passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi, India, to Bengaluru had a surprise when a passenger onboard began going into labor. The woman was allowed to fly because she was not yet 32 weeks into her pregnancy. But her baby decided to have a premature entrance into the world. The woman was aided by the flight attendant crew and a gynecologist who happened to be on the flight. Passengers documented the birth, which showcased the healthy newborn in the arms of crew members dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE). It will be quite a story when the baby grows up.

Source: Airborne Delivery