WEIRD NEWS

You Want Collision, Or Just Liability?
Well we've got another new world record - this time for the most money every paid for a car at auction. An astounding $48.4 MILLION was paid for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Well, they are really rare - only 36 were actually made. This particular car was just the third ever made, but was given a new body in 1963. It won more than 15 races between 1962 and 1965 including the 1962 Italian GT Championship, and was driven by prominent racers including Phil Hill, the first American to become a Formula 1 world champion. It sold at RM Sotheby's annual Monterey collector car sale; its lot description notes that it is "considered by marque experts to be one of the most authentic and original of all GTO examples" and a Sotheby's press release describes it as "the holy grail of collector cars." (CNN)

Two Words Florida Didn't Want to Hear: Python Hybrid
Bad news for Florida. A new genetic study has found a new and dangerous possibility lurking in the DNA of Florida's invasive pythons. Researchers from the US Geological Survey tested hundreds of the Everglades' already prolific giant snake species and what they found could mean an even hardier invader down the line. Scientists discovered that at least 13 of 400 snakes tested showed signs of hybridization with a relative known as the Indian rock python. Unlike the standard Burmese, the rock python prefers to live on higher drier ground and is faster and smaller. So essentially, floating somewhere in the gene pool of Florida's estimated 150,000 pythons, there could be a mix of genes that could lead to a "super snake" with the ability to more easily adapt to Florida's subtropical ecosystem which is already overrun with exotic and damaging invasives. Yay! (Miami Herald)

How to Make Sure You Die Alone
He legally changed his name to Kalaca Skull and he's a 22-year-old tattoo artist from Colombia. He's also making headlines all over South America for undergoing extreme surgical procedures to make his face look like a human skull. Mr. Skull says he's been fascinated by skulls ever since he was a child, but only started turning his face into one after his mother's death, two years ago, because she didn't approve of the idea. First, he had the lower half of his nose removed, because, well, skulls don't have noses. They don't have ears either so he had most of his ear lobes cut off too. He then split his tongue and tattooed it to an unnatural blue-grey color. Then he had large black eye-sockets tattooed around his eyes, as well as large teeth and even the hollow space between the mandible and maxilla tattooed around his mouth. But before you even start, Kalaca says, "Body modifications are a personal decision and should not be judged. It is like judging a woman for getting breast or buttock implants." Despite the criticism he has been getting online, Skull says he has other procedures planned to complete his transformation into a living skull. He calls this transformation a dream come true. (Oddity Central)

Kentucky!
In Floyd County, Kentucky, Phillip Hagans blames it on meth. That's his excuse for stealing seemingly bizarre random items from his cousin's home, including a cheese grater, an empty bottle of Lysol and some soap. The cousin, Mason Tackett, later said, "What got me the most was my soap. He stole my soap. Who steals soap?" The police didn't have a good answer either, and they threw his cousin in jail. (WYMT)

Well, You Did Kind of Look Like the Illuminati
In Milwaukee, a woman refused to pull over during a police chase but she did have a very good reason. She thought the officers were members of the Illuminati. It all started with a rather bizarre traffic stop. The woman was pulled over and then asked to see the deputy's ID. When the deputy didn't comply, she took off and the chase was underway. Inexplicably, a second car joined soon after and at one point almost struck a deputy. Eventually one of the cars pulled over. Deputies smashed a window so they could handcuff the driver and eventually got her to the ground. The woman ranted and spoke gibberish while accusing the police of being witches and warlocks working for the Illuminati. Deputies found the driver of the other car and also arrested her. (KUTV)

Gimmie All Your Money... and Some Donuts
In Gainesville, Florida, 45-year-old Siwatu A. Wright apparently attempted to rob a Krispy Kreme demanding $10s, $20s and some donuts according to employees. The clerk behind the counter was initially so shocked she didn't respond and Wright repeated his demand. The clerk summoned another employee and Wright repeated his demands yet again. The two clerks then called for their male colleague, who was in the back of the donut shop. When he came out front he told Wright to leave- and Wright did. He was found by police a little while later and arrested. According to the Gainesville Police Department, Wright admitted to asking for the money and said he wanted a donut off the "secret menu." (FOX News)

What the What?
The Stanley Hotel in the Rocky Mountains is most famous for inspiring Stephen King's The Shining, the basis of the classic 1980 film. A lot of weird things happen in the hotel in the famous novel, and now that's being reflected in real life after a bear casually wandered into the lobby of the still-functioning hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Captured on security video, the bear plays around on the furniture for a bit but then quickly leaves. Hotel manager Reed Rowley told reporters it happened overnight and that no guests were around. He added, "We do have a hotel next to a national park. Wildlife is part of the gig." (Huffington Post)

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