Oddacity News
A celebration of failure, Crying Horse goes big, court rules on "butt cracks" book
Welcome to Oddacity News, your source for the weird, unusual and offbeat news of the world.
Word choice: When a monster winter storm was bearing down on much of the United States, staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were advised not to use the word “ice” in their weather warnings, CNN reports. Homeland Security officials feared the word could cause confusion or spawn online jokes about “ICE,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “If FEMA says, ‘Keep off the roads if you see ice,’ it would be easy for the public to meme it,” a source said. Staff were encouraged to use alternative terms like “freezing rain.”
When things go wrong: A new Museum of Personal Failure in British Columbia features job rejection letters, firing notices, a music album that flopped, non-working knives and a wedding dress representing a failed marriage, reports the CBC. The creator of the museum Eyvan Collins said he got the idea for the museum when a personal relationship ended. “I felt like a failure. It was a heartbreak,” Collins said. “I just needed to do something with it — and this is what I did.”
Bottom line: A Mississippi appeals court has ruled that an educator should not have been fired for reading the book “I Need a New Butt” to elementary school students, reports WLBT3. Toby Price, an assistant principal at Gary Read Elementary, was fired in 2022 after reading the book, which contains lighthearted references to “butt cracks” and “farts.” The local school board termed it “inappropriate content.” The appeals court disagreed, saying the firing demonstrates “a lack of understanding of or a disregard for the surrounding facts and controlling principles.”
Breaking Bad in Britain: Police in England arrested an 80-year-old man who they say built an illegal drug empire after winning over $3 million (U.S.) in the lottery, reports U.K. news outlet LBC. John Eric Spiby allegedly used his 2010 lottery winnings to create a “sophisticated lab” making counterfeit prescription drugs at his rural cottage near Manchester. Spidy’s operation grew so large, police say, that he once said American billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos "best watch their backs.”
Sad face: A mistake by a Chinese manufacturer accidentally created a bestselling toy, reports Reuters. The toy, known online as Crying Horse, was born when a worker sewed the mouth on upside down, creating a frown instead of a smile. The owner of the toy company offered refunds, but instead, sales exploded ahead of the Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Horse. “These days, almost everyone who walks through the door asks for the Crying Horse,” said one vendor.
Hungry for art: An Alaska student who tore AI-generated art off the wall of a gallery and ate it said he did so because the exhibit had “zero substance,” reports The Nation. Graham Granger was arrested after pulling down 57 images, ripping them up and eating them. “He was tearing them up and just shoving them in as fast as he could,” said a witness to the event. “Like when you see people in a hot-dog eating contest.” Granger later defended his actions, saying it was “insulting to see something of such little effort alongside all these beautiful pieces in the gallery.”
This is all the news I ever need! Thank you Scott!