WEIRD NEWS

NYC First Day of School: Reading, Writing and Arrests!

We've got one teen stabbed with a hair pick, an enraged mom who pulled a knife on a school safety agent and 12 weapons sized at security checkpoints - in other words, just another first day of school in New York City. The violent day of reading, writing and arrests began at 8:30 a.m. when one 17-year-old student gouged another with a hair pick as a long-simmering feud came to a head at Automotive High School in Brooklyn. The victim was treated at Woodhull Medical Center and is in stable condition. But the hair pick was only one of a dozen weapons seized at schools around the city on Wednesday - weapons that included eight knives, two box cutters and a razor blade. Thank goodness for those metal detectors. Elsewhere in Brooklyn, a mom trying to register her child at P.S. 149 got into an argument with a school safety agent and pulled a knife. Agents were able to disarm and handcuff the woman before anyone was hurt. Charges against the mom - whose name wasn't immediately released - are pending. I guess it's safe to say the days of the little red school house are over. (New York Post)

When You Realize You Need a Better Screening Process

In Sanford, Florida, police arrested 23-year-old Djuan Lewis for trying to kill his boss two hours after he was fired - which was thee days after he was hired. No kidding. The manager told police that Lewis chased him from Benada Aluminum Products and started firing a gun into his car. Reportedly, Lewis had only been hired on Thursday but was fired Sunday morning for throwing supplies and tools on the ground. Allegedly Lewis then waited for his district supervisor outside for two hours, then chased him and his girlfriend for a mile and a half. The girlfriend told police she heard about five shots. The arrest report states bullet holes were found in the rear bumper, trunk door, and right rear tire of the manager's car. Fortunately neither the girlfriend nor the manager was injured. Lewis was later arrested at his home. He's had numerous drug and theft charges since 2014. Two words: Background. Check. (WFTV News)

Here's Hoping You Don't Come Down with Black Hairy Tongue!

In St. Louis, when Dr. Yasir Hamad was informed a patient's tongue had turned black and hairy, he decided he'd better take a look. Hamad, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine, later said, "It was the typical textbook case" of a condition known as black hairy tongue. He published the case this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Despite the disturbing name, black hairy tongue isn't hairy at all. It refers to tiny bumps on the tongue that have grown longer and turned black. But they do kind of look like hair. As these bumps grow, they are thought to trap microscopic food particles, giving bacteria and other microbes a chance to thrive on the tongue - causing a strange discoloration. It's typically a rare and harmless side effect of some prescription drugs, but it can also be linked to smoking, poor oral hygiene and certain medical conditions. The good news is that as scary as it looks, the condition is completely reversible. Four weeks after doctors changed her medication regimen, the patient's tongue returned to its normal color. (FOX 6 News)

No Chairs for You!

A high-school in the Chinese city of Shangqiu, Henan Province, is under fire for a new policy designed to motivate students to eat faster and study more. Students returning from their summer break were shocked to find all of the chairs removed from the school cafeteria, replaced with stand-up counters. It gets worse. The school also plans to implement assigned standing spots for each to further discourage them from wasting time instead of studying. One school official said, "On average, spending ten minutes on lunch is enough." The controversial move is believed to have been inspired by the draconian rules of "gaokao factories," a term used to describe some of the top Chinese high-schools infamous for using military-style disciplining techniques to prepare students for the Gaokao, China's notoriously difficult college entrance exam. At some of these schools, classes start at 5:30 a.m. every day, and one of them even has two military tanks installed at the entrance to motivate students. (Oddity Central)

Build the Wall! Build the Wall... Sheriff!

Apparently President Trump's not going to build that wall, so America's sheriffs will! No less than 44 sheriffs from 35 states stood in the blazing sun during a Capitol Hill news conference and announced a new crowdfunding website to help "Build the wall!" Bristol County, Massachusetts Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said, "Enough is enough. The American people are ready to stand with America's sheriffs. If Congress isn't going to do it, the sheriffs of this nation are going to do it." Hodgson said the wall will help "stop the flow of MS-13 gang members, drug cartels and other criminal illegal aliens who continue to walk right into the United States unabated." The crowdfunding website to finance the construction of the wall was the idea of the National Sheriffs' Association and Hodgson was picked to announce its formation because he's a strong advocate. So head off to www.sheriffswall.org, and make your donation today. Don't worry - your money won't be wasted at all. The wall will be built in no time. Probably before Thanksgiving! (SouthCoastToday.com)

You Dadgum Kids Stay Off of My Land!

In Sandston, Virginia, Bryan Tucker doesn't have enough to be angry about, so he decided to unleash a little wrath on some kids who apparently come on to his property while waiting at a nearby school bus stop. Of course the first and best way to handle that problem is to erect a big electric fence, which Mr. Tucker has done. Tucker told reporters, "They don't respect other people's land. I pick up trash every day." Needless to say, parents aren't too pleased. James Mehfoud, another neighborhood resident said, "I touched it, I got a slight shock, it wasn't that great." Outraged parents called officials with the Henrico County Police Department and Tucker was told to remove the fence because it was technically placed on county property. However, he can reinstate the fence as long as it stays on his property line. You can just hear the kiddies now: "Old man Tucker, he's a mother... WOW, and it's going to be another hot one today with a high around 93. Now over to Steve in the traffic center!" (Fox News)

What the What?

A trapeze artist and DJ - both in their 80s - have proven that age is nothing more than a state of mind by becoming new Guinness World Record Holders! The two octogenarians join a host of achievers in the latest catalogue of extreme feats. Betty Goedhart, 85, soared to the top of the list to become the oldest performing female flying trapeze artist. She was 84 years and 249 days when she broke the record, despite only starting lessons when she was 78. Chef-turned-DJ Sumiko Iwamura, 83, leaves the restaurant she owns each night to be the oldest professional club DJ. Sumiko, from Tokyo, Japan, makes her way to Decabar Z for her DJ slot and said it keeps her young. "Doing something totally different is energizing!" And while she never imagined becoming a DJ at her age, she encourages others to follow her lead adding, "Try something and don't give up. There are opportunities lying around every corner." (Metro)

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