WEIRD NEWS

Humanity at Its Best

And our hero of the week award goes to Jake Tobin, a cross country runner and a sophomore at New York's Cazenovia High School. Tobin was in the lead in the final stretch of Saturday's boy's junior varsity race in Auburn when Fairport High School's Luke Fortner came into view. Fortner, who is legally blind and runs with an aide guiding him, headed up the hill past Tobin, but then slipped. As Fortner's aide moved to help, Tobin didn't blink. He "got down and lifted his opponent up with his guide, and then helped push him up the hill.'' Fortner went on to win the race, crossing the finish line 2 seconds before Tobin, who could be seen clapping and cheering. Tobin's coach, Jason Hyatt said, "It was touching to see, and ... a great example of true sportsmanship." Fortner's coach was also impressed and sent an email to the school praising Tobin's selflessness writing: "It was an awesome display of sportsmanship and kindness. Jake deserves to be commended!!!!" (Syracuse.com)

Yes, You Are Getting Way More Robocalls!

When your phone rings today, odds are high it will be a robocall - and you will probably get more than one of them in the next 24 hours. In fact, you may feel like you've gotten more of them than ever this year. Well you wouldn't be wrong. The number of robocalls placed nationwide increased 50 percent from February to July, according to data from YouMail, a company that provides voicemail and call-blocking services to iPhone and Android users. Robo-dialed and unwanted telemarketing calls were the top consumer complaint to the Federal Communications Commission last year, and they are again this year. This puts those complaints ahead of billing disputes, service availability and program indecency. The FCC encourages consumers to let unknown calls go to voicemail, or to hang up on calls that ask them to press a button to stop receiving future calls. The FCC also recommends joining the National Do Not Call Registry, which prevents callers from being bothered by lawful telemarketers. But don't expect that to fix everything. While the Do Not Call list will stop calls from legitimate businesses, experts said illegal callers have no problem ignoring the list. Mobile carriers and phone manufacturers have stepped up their efforts to fight robocalls as well. The nation's four largest carriers, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, all offer robocall-blocking services. (NBC News)

The Most Famous Paper Jam in History?

Remember that $1.4 million painting from artist Bansky that partially shredded right after it sold at auction? Well the shredding stunt at a London auction house might be the most lucrative paper jam in history. A new video from the artist suggests that a hidden shredder was supposed to destroy the entire painting, not leave it partially intact. A caption in the video reads: "In rehearsals it worked every time." But because the shredder apparently malfunctioned, the red balloon in "Girl With Balloon" remains visible, and the anonymous person who bought the spray-painted work for $1.4 million decided to keep it. The AP notes the fact the shredding stopped right above the girl's head "drew speculation that the act was a stunt to increase the value of the painting." Things may have gone awry, but the piece, renamed "Love is in the Bin," is indeed believed to be more valuable now. (CNN)

Paralyzing Sex?

Over in the UK, 46-year-old Claire Busby is suing the Berkshire Bed Company, claiming that a faulty bed caused her to be catapulted from the bed while she was having sex - an accident that left her paralyzed. Busby says the bed had been delivered a week prior and while she and her partner were "getting' busy" the bed somehow collapsed and she was thrown from it, falling off the end and landing on her head. She says, "I spun around, I put my hand down and then I felt like I was catapulted off the back of the bed. I fell to the side and heard what felt like a spring in my body snap." Her then-partner testified that he saw her roll backward off the bed and initially laughed when she told him she couldn't feel her limbs, thinking she was joking. In fact she received a severe spinal injury from the fall. She's looking for seven figures over the 2013 incident, but lawyers for the company say the bed was properly assembled and not faulty. A lawyer for the firm says, "It is overwhelmingly likely that, whatever her actions, they were too close to the edge of the bed and she simply lost balance and toppled backwards." (Guardian)

It Must Suck to Get Beaten By a Dead Pimp

Despite being found dead on Tuesday, Nevada's most famous pimp will most likely still win a Nov. 6 election to the state legislature. The body of Dennis Hof, who marketed himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican in his race for a heavily GOP Assembly district, was found at his Love Ranch brothel outside Las Vegas following a weekend of parties celebrating his 72nd birthday. No foul play is suspected, but it could be six weeks before a cause of death is determined. Voting begins tomorrow (Saturday), but it's too late to change the ballots, which have been printed and mailed. Even though officials will post notices at the polls that Hof died, he seems likely to get elected, meaning another Republican will be nominated to fill the vacancy. Friend Heidi Fleiss told reporters, "It's too bad that he didn't get to see this through. He saw it as going all the way to governor one day." (Newser)

Eat Fresh!

Police in Norcross, Georgia are searching for a robbery suspect from one of the strangest stories in robbery history. Allegedly, 34-year-old Zachary Miller ordered a sandwich at a Subway restaurant. Then, while waiting for the sandwich, he suddenly jumped over the counter, demanded cash and opened the cash register. He got a whopping $100 before fleeing but then realized he had left the sandwich behind. So he actually went back to get it! He then fled the scene again- in a black, 2003 Acura 3TS with the Tennessee license tag R9230J. Be careful with this guy. Miller has multiple warrants in Tennessee and Georgia. (WGCL News)

What the What?

His name may be Gardner, but he's definitely not one. In Salem, Massachusetts, a man police dubbed the "Brazen Botanist" was captured on a surveillance camera actually stealing hanging plants from a porch. It's more serious than you think. After pleading guilty, 43-year-old Joseph Gardner was sentenced to one year in jail. Tips to police lead them to Gardner's girlfriend's home where they found two of the three missing plants. (Newser)

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