Advertisement UExpress LIFE PARENTING HOME PETS HEALTH ASTROLOGY ODDITIES A-Z SEARCH News of the Weird by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication Latest About Archives ODDITIES LEAD STORY -- A Dog's Life by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication NEWS OF THE WEIRD | NOVEMBER 19TH, 2021 Gunther VI, a German shepherd, is selling his Biscayne Bay, Florida, Tuscan-style villa that once belonged to Madonna. Yes, you heard that right. Gunther inherited the mansion from Gunther IV, his handlers told The Associated Press, along with a "vast fortune." It all began when Gunther III came into a multimillion-dollar trust from his owner, German countess Karlotta Liebenstein. Since then, the Gunthers and their handlers have lived a lavish lifestyle, jetting around the world and eating out at restaurants. With the home listed for nearly $32 million, Gunther VI hopes to take advantage of the hot real estate market. But he'll surely miss his round red velvet bed overlooking the bay. [Associated Press, 11/17/2021] When Pigs Fly Wyverne Flatt of Canajoharie, New York, is willing to go to the mat for his 100-pound emotional support pig, Ellie, News10-TV reported. But the village doesn't believe Ellie should be allowed to live with Flatt, who has been fighting her exile for two years. "I have gotten shot records from the vet, notes from the doctor, and all the paperwork," Flatt said. "I've done everything they've asked me to do, and we just keep going to court." Flatt said after a divorce and losing family members, he is comforted by the pig: Ellie "jumps right up on the couch to watch TV, and she does all this stuff. Her going away from me would be just as detrimental for her as it would be for me." [News10, 11/17/2021] Wrong Place, Wrong Time Suleman Shaikh, a newly minted physician in England, gifted his parents with a trip to Seville, Spain. Humaira and Farooq Shaikh were scheduled to leave on Oct. 4, and indeed they boarded a Ryanair flight -- but when they landed, they were in Greece. It was their taxi driver who informed them of their whereabouts, so they returned to the airport, the Mirror reported. But Ryanair agents laughed at their predicament and offered to cover only one night's hotel stay, even though the next flight back to London wasn't for four days. Suleman said he's out about 1,100 pounds and is "completely outraged and shocked that this has been allowed to happen. It has triggered severe strain and anxiety on my parents." But Ryanair stuck to its position: "It is the responsibility of every passenger to ensure they follow the correct procedures and take note of the information available to them." [Mirror, 11/18/2021] Bright Idea Johnny Masesa, 45, was due in court in Connecticut on Nov. 4 to face a first-degree larceny charge, CTPost.com reported. Masesa was charged with scamming an 82-year-old Milford, Connecticut, woman out of $83,000 by telling her that she was "in the running" for a Publisher's Clearing House prize and she needed to send money to claim it. But Masesa didn't turn up for his hearing because, as his lawyer, Douglas Rudolph, explained, he had died in June from complications of malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he had family. When Rudolph emailed the assistant state's attorney, Howard Stein, to let him know of the death, the prosecutor asked for a death certificate. The document Stein received, however, was handwritten and showed several changes made with correction fluid. Rudolph said he has tried to reach the doctor who signed the death certificate, to no avail. Stein said he believes Rudolph is clear of any wrongdoing but asked for a rearrest of Masesa in the case. "Obviously, if Mr. Masesa is in fact deceased, it would be difficult for the authorities to execute that warrant," Stein said. [CTPost.com, 11/13/2021] Scrooge In Fulford, York, England, pub owners Steve and Rebecca Eccles planned a fun event for families: Santa and two of his reindeer would appear at the pub's beer garden on the Saturday before Christmas. But Freedom for Animals, an animal rights group, had other ideas. On Nov. 2, the Daily Mail reported, the group rallied its supporters to contact the owners and ask for the event to be "animal-free." One post that the Eccleses received threatened to burn down the building, with the owners inside, if the event went ahead. When they contacted police, officers advised them to cancel the event, which they did. "After everything we have done to support the local community in the nearly two years we have been here, we now have to seriously consider ... whether or not we feel safe enough to stay here at the pub," the Eccleses wrote. "I hope you're happy with what you have done." [Daily Mail, 11/5/2021] Americans Behaving Badly The Colosseum in Rome, always high on the list of sites to see in the Italian capital, closes at 4:30 p.m. But that didn't deter two American tourists, 24 and 25 years old, who were spotted around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 15, sitting on the second tier of the relic, casually having beers. A passerby alerted police, who fined them 800 euros, the Guardian reported. Fortunately, no damage was reported. [Guardian, 11/17/2021] Least Competent Criminals Can't we all just follow the rules? Three people in Massachusetts were arrested on the evening of Nov. 11 after they shot a deer decoy with a crossbow, msn.com reported. Massachusetts Environmental Police officers spotted a truck with a spotlight shining on the "deer" just before the shot was taken. The hunters realized it was a decoy and took off, but they were apprehended, and officers found "deer legs within the truck bed in plain view." They were arraigned on multiple charges including hunting with artificial light, hunting with the aid of a vehicle and hunting after hours. [msn.com, 11/17/2021] Inexplicable Keeta Neville, 34, was detained on Nov. 6 for trespassing in Norfolk, Virginia, The Smoking Gun reported. She was charged with disorderly conduct and assault on officers during her arrest -- but that's not the most interesting thing about this incident. Neville's head and face were covered with a cream-colored "paintlike substance" when she was apprehended, although the nature and source of the substance aren't known. Neville remained in custody until her December court date. [The Smoking Gun, 11/18/2021] Hungry? A prison in Perry, Georgia, called in an order at the local McDonald's on Nov. 9 that stunned employee Brittani Curtis, Fox5Atlanta-TV reported. The prison ordered 1,600 McChickens, 1,600 McDoubles and 3,200 cookies -- and needed them in four hours. "No lie, ya girl is TIRED," Curtis posted on TikTok after helping to fulfill the order, which cost about $7,400. She said the prison often orders from the fast-food restaurant, but it's "usually never such short notice, though." [Fox5Atlanta, 11/14/2021] The Easy Way Out Georgetown County (South Carolina) sheriff's deputies responded on Nov. 6 to a call about a shooting at Crepe Myrtle Court, where they found one man lying on the ground with bullet wounds, with another applying pressure to a wound. When the deputy asked where the shooter was, the unharmed man, Aaron Stephen Gruber, 31, said, "That's me, I'm the shooter." He was immediately arrested and charged with attempted murder, The Sun News reported. According to witnesses, Gruber and the victim were arguing about the victim making a sexual gesture toward Gruber's wife. The victim punched Gruber in the face, and he responded by shooting him twice. Gruber posted $50,000 bond and was released. [The Sun News, 11/9/2021] VIEW COMMENTS ODDITIES LEAD STORY -- Awesome! by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication NEWS OF THE WEIRD | NOVEMBER 12TH, 2021 Archaeologists in Israel have found a gold ring with a purple stone, believed to be amethyst, that they believe was used to ward off hangovers. The ring, dated to between the 3rd and 7th centuries, was discovered in the ruins of an ancient wine factory, United Press International reported. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the ring probably belonged to a wealthy person who may have worn the ring to counteract the "side effects" of wine. The winery was known for its white Gaza variety. [UPI, 11/9/2021] READ MORE ODDITIES LEAD STORY -- Who Knew? by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication NEWS OF THE WEIRD | NOVEMBER 5TH, 2021 When David Saunders, 98, died of COVID-19 in late August, his family donated his body to Med Ed Labs for medical and science research. But KING-TV in Portland, Oregon, reports that Med Ed sold the cadaver to Jeremy Ciliberto, the organizer of the Oddities and Curiosities Expo, which travels around the country and charges spectators $500 to observe in person the autopsy and dissection of a human body. When investigators alerted Mike Clark, the funeral director in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who had prepared Saunders' body for donation, he was mortified: "I was totally horrified ... he and his family thought that his body was going for the advancement of medical students." Instead, it went to a Marriott ballroom, where participants were invited to examine and touch the body -- which might still have been infectious. Ciliberto says he can "guarantee" that the departed and his family knew what his body would be used for, but a Med Ed spokesman says the event organizer was "beyond dishonest." [KING, 11/3/2021] READ MORE LOAD MORE ARTICLES Next up: More trusted advice from... My Wife Has A Crush On Her Boss. 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