WEIRD NEWS
You Did What with My Father's Head?
If one day science does figure out how to bring frozen dead people back to life, scientist Laurence Pilgeram is in for a nasty surprise. According to a lawsuit filed by his son, Kurt Pilgeram, cryogenics company Alcor froze only his father's head - after removing it from his body. But Kurt says he signed a contract for the entire body to be frozen. Per his lawsuit, he was "shocked, horrified" when Alcor sent him a package purportedly containing the cremated remains of his father's body after the scientist's death in 2015 at age 90. So, Kurt is claiming fraud and wants $1 million in damages. Alcor-believed to charge around $200,000 for preserving a body and $80,000 for just the head-would not comment on the specifics of the case but said it "generally is confident that the legal system will properly run its course, as it has in the past." (Telegraph)
That Time Your Senator Father Forgot to Endorse You
Say what you will about Bernie Sanders, but here's something you may not know about the junior senator from Vermont. He doesn't believe in "dynastic politics" and so refused to endorse his own son, Levi Sanders, in a bid to replace retiring Rep. Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. Apparently the voters of New Hampshire also don't believe in family dynasties as the younger Sanders finished a disappointing seventh out of 11 candidates in the Democratic primary. Levi campaigned on a platform very similar to his father's, including a "Medicare for All" pledge, but only raised $38,000, compared to $1.8 million for former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan, and $800,000 for the winner, restaurateur and councilman Chris Pappas. Pappas was seen as the establishment favorite and Sanders, 49, was considered the underdog despite his father's popularity. In November, New Hampshire voters will make history by either electing Pappas, who is openly gay, or his opponent, Eddie Edwards, an African-American former police chief who won the GOP primary with the support of the Trump administration. (Washington Post)
It Is My Moral Obligation to Raise Your Prices 400 Percent!
The founder and president of the pharmaceutical company Nostrum Laboratories is defending last month's decision to raise the price of an "essential" antibiotic from $475 per bottle to $2,392 per bottle! CEO Nirmal Mulye (Moo-lee-yay) told the Financial Times that the 400 percent increase was not only justifiable but morally imperative! He said, "I think it is a moral requirement to make money when you can . . . to sell the product for the highest price." Nostrum Laboratories is a small Missouri-based drugmaker that makes a liquid version of nitrofurantoin, an antibiotic the World Health Organization lists as an "essential" drug for lower urinary tract infections. Mulye says his company decided to raise its price after Casper Pharma, which makes another version of the drug, increased its own price 182% between 2015 and 2018. A bottle of that version now sells for $2,800: Mulye added, "The point here is the only other choice is the brand at the higher price. It is still a saving regardless of whether it is a big one or not." Then the CEO doubled down and actually defended Martin Shkreli during the interview. "If he's the only one selling it then he can make as much money as he can," said Mulye. The FDA commissioner responded to the interview on Twitter saying: "There's no moral imperative to price gouge and take advantage of patients." Something tells us this doesn't' end well for Mr. Mulye. (Financial Times)
Brits Making Britain Proud!
According to our friends in Spain, Brits have been replacing drinks in minibar bottles with their own pee! One in three tourists has allegedly admitted to refilling bottles with urine, water and other liquids in hotel rooms in the Costa Blanca area. It is believed to be done so the tourists, many of whom are said to be British, can avoid paying the high minibar prices. As a result, hotels in the region are uniting to remove minibars altogether, instead forcing guests to use vending machines in hallways and lobby areas. The research was carried out by Hosbec, a hotel association for Costa Blanca and Benidorm. It said Brits are the worst offenders. A spokesperson said, "It may seem ridiculous, but I can assure you it is true. We have had people filling bottles with pee, and thank God that staff have always detected it." The research also found hotel guests in the Costa Blanca continue to steal towels regularly, as well as food from the breakfast buffet for meals later in the day. How exactly does one "detect" that a minibar bottle has been refilled with pee? (Metro)
So... What Do Priests and Mormon Missionaries Have In Common?
Well this is horrible. A new report says Mormon missionaries who admitted to sexually abusing children were not reported to police by the church. Newly-leaked documents show that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints internally investigated sex abuse allegations against missionaries and a stake president but did not refer them to law enforcement. Salt Lake City's KUTV reported that the MormonLeaks whistleblower site published a document prepared by a Salt Lake City law firm from 2012 that detailed investigations into missionaries and one stake president. According to MormonLeaks founder Ryan McKnight, the document was given to him by a source who is "beyond reproach." In one case where a missionary confessed to kissing and fondling a 15-year-old, the document noted that LDS church was "reluctant" to report the individual. The report states, "The missionary department is reluctant to send this elder home where he may face prosecution for a felony." In another case involving a missionary accused of sexually abusing a child in a foreign country, the missionary was sent back home - but the church "determined no action would be taken." KUTV reporters reached out to the law firm and the LDS church but neither responded. (KUTV)
There's Only One Way to Settle a Shrub Dispute!
Down in Land O' Lakes, Florida, apparently there's only one way to settle a shrub dispute - with a chainsaw! According to the sheriff's office, 70-year-old Gregory Landaker was cutting shrubs on the property line he shares with Jeffrey Zlocki. When Zlocki noticed what was going on, he went out and hugged "his bushes," but Landaker, continued sawing away until the chainsaw struck Zlocki's left hand. It wasn't quite the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but blood definitely flowed and Zlocki had to be taken to the hospital. There is surveillance video of the incident so things aren't looking real good for Mr. Landaker who was arrested for aggravated battery and simple battery and taken to the Land O' Lakes Detention Center. (WKRG News)
What the What?
Meanwhile, over in Japan, managers of the Shimokubo Dam have devised a unique way of warding off pesky thrill seekers who come for a "test of courage" in the belief the dam is haunted. Now, whenever people or cars approach the dam at night, the peppy up-tempo sound of a superhero theme song blasts from a loudspeaker! Ten years ago, the Shimokubo Dam was a victim of internet rumors that it was haunted and the trouble started. However, the new musical solution seems to be working like a charm. (The Japan News)
If one day science does figure out how to bring frozen dead people back to life, scientist Laurence Pilgeram is in for a nasty surprise. According to a lawsuit filed by his son, Kurt Pilgeram, cryogenics company Alcor froze only his father's head - after removing it from his body. But Kurt says he signed a contract for the entire body to be frozen. Per his lawsuit, he was "shocked, horrified" when Alcor sent him a package purportedly containing the cremated remains of his father's body after the scientist's death in 2015 at age 90. So, Kurt is claiming fraud and wants $1 million in damages. Alcor-believed to charge around $200,000 for preserving a body and $80,000 for just the head-would not comment on the specifics of the case but said it "generally is confident that the legal system will properly run its course, as it has in the past." (Telegraph)
That Time Your Senator Father Forgot to Endorse You
Say what you will about Bernie Sanders, but here's something you may not know about the junior senator from Vermont. He doesn't believe in "dynastic politics" and so refused to endorse his own son, Levi Sanders, in a bid to replace retiring Rep. Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. Apparently the voters of New Hampshire also don't believe in family dynasties as the younger Sanders finished a disappointing seventh out of 11 candidates in the Democratic primary. Levi campaigned on a platform very similar to his father's, including a "Medicare for All" pledge, but only raised $38,000, compared to $1.8 million for former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan, and $800,000 for the winner, restaurateur and councilman Chris Pappas. Pappas was seen as the establishment favorite and Sanders, 49, was considered the underdog despite his father's popularity. In November, New Hampshire voters will make history by either electing Pappas, who is openly gay, or his opponent, Eddie Edwards, an African-American former police chief who won the GOP primary with the support of the Trump administration. (Washington Post)
It Is My Moral Obligation to Raise Your Prices 400 Percent!
The founder and president of the pharmaceutical company Nostrum Laboratories is defending last month's decision to raise the price of an "essential" antibiotic from $475 per bottle to $2,392 per bottle! CEO Nirmal Mulye (Moo-lee-yay) told the Financial Times that the 400 percent increase was not only justifiable but morally imperative! He said, "I think it is a moral requirement to make money when you can . . . to sell the product for the highest price." Nostrum Laboratories is a small Missouri-based drugmaker that makes a liquid version of nitrofurantoin, an antibiotic the World Health Organization lists as an "essential" drug for lower urinary tract infections. Mulye says his company decided to raise its price after Casper Pharma, which makes another version of the drug, increased its own price 182% between 2015 and 2018. A bottle of that version now sells for $2,800: Mulye added, "The point here is the only other choice is the brand at the higher price. It is still a saving regardless of whether it is a big one or not." Then the CEO doubled down and actually defended Martin Shkreli during the interview. "If he's the only one selling it then he can make as much money as he can," said Mulye. The FDA commissioner responded to the interview on Twitter saying: "There's no moral imperative to price gouge and take advantage of patients." Something tells us this doesn't' end well for Mr. Mulye. (Financial Times)
Brits Making Britain Proud!
According to our friends in Spain, Brits have been replacing drinks in minibar bottles with their own pee! One in three tourists has allegedly admitted to refilling bottles with urine, water and other liquids in hotel rooms in the Costa Blanca area. It is believed to be done so the tourists, many of whom are said to be British, can avoid paying the high minibar prices. As a result, hotels in the region are uniting to remove minibars altogether, instead forcing guests to use vending machines in hallways and lobby areas. The research was carried out by Hosbec, a hotel association for Costa Blanca and Benidorm. It said Brits are the worst offenders. A spokesperson said, "It may seem ridiculous, but I can assure you it is true. We have had people filling bottles with pee, and thank God that staff have always detected it." The research also found hotel guests in the Costa Blanca continue to steal towels regularly, as well as food from the breakfast buffet for meals later in the day. How exactly does one "detect" that a minibar bottle has been refilled with pee? (Metro)
So... What Do Priests and Mormon Missionaries Have In Common?
Well this is horrible. A new report says Mormon missionaries who admitted to sexually abusing children were not reported to police by the church. Newly-leaked documents show that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints internally investigated sex abuse allegations against missionaries and a stake president but did not refer them to law enforcement. Salt Lake City's KUTV reported that the MormonLeaks whistleblower site published a document prepared by a Salt Lake City law firm from 2012 that detailed investigations into missionaries and one stake president. According to MormonLeaks founder Ryan McKnight, the document was given to him by a source who is "beyond reproach." In one case where a missionary confessed to kissing and fondling a 15-year-old, the document noted that LDS church was "reluctant" to report the individual. The report states, "The missionary department is reluctant to send this elder home where he may face prosecution for a felony." In another case involving a missionary accused of sexually abusing a child in a foreign country, the missionary was sent back home - but the church "determined no action would be taken." KUTV reporters reached out to the law firm and the LDS church but neither responded. (KUTV)
There's Only One Way to Settle a Shrub Dispute!
Down in Land O' Lakes, Florida, apparently there's only one way to settle a shrub dispute - with a chainsaw! According to the sheriff's office, 70-year-old Gregory Landaker was cutting shrubs on the property line he shares with Jeffrey Zlocki. When Zlocki noticed what was going on, he went out and hugged "his bushes," but Landaker, continued sawing away until the chainsaw struck Zlocki's left hand. It wasn't quite the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but blood definitely flowed and Zlocki had to be taken to the hospital. There is surveillance video of the incident so things aren't looking real good for Mr. Landaker who was arrested for aggravated battery and simple battery and taken to the Land O' Lakes Detention Center. (WKRG News)
What the What?
Meanwhile, over in Japan, managers of the Shimokubo Dam have devised a unique way of warding off pesky thrill seekers who come for a "test of courage" in the belief the dam is haunted. Now, whenever people or cars approach the dam at night, the peppy up-tempo sound of a superhero theme song blasts from a loudspeaker! Ten years ago, the Shimokubo Dam was a victim of internet rumors that it was haunted and the trouble started. However, the new musical solution seems to be working like a charm. (The Japan News)
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