GOODBYE TO AN INSTITUTION
A Candlelit Hooters Vigil, And More Of The Week's Weirdest World News
Welcome to another entry in our new column, The Week's Weirdest World News. The world, you might have noticed, is a very strange place — so every seven days, we'll be rounding up the most bizarre things that have happened across the globe, purely for your enjoyment.
From a bodybuilder eating 76 pieces of metal to a tearful farewell to a Hooters, these stories are sure to inspire wonder — or, at the very least, befuddlement — at the weird ol' world around us.
Weightlifter has 39 coins and 37 magnets removed from his intestines
An Indian man recently underwent surgery to have 39 coins and 37 magnets removed from his intestines. He had swallowed the objects, he told doctors, because he thought the zinc would aid his bodybuilding.
The 26-year-old, who has not been named, was treated at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital after suffering from vomiting and stomach pains for more than 20 days, India Today reported.
According to news reports, the man was also being treated for a psychiatric illness at the time.
Doctors said a scan showed the coins and magnets had clumped together and were blocking his small intestine — but the subsequent operation successfully removed all 76 foreign objects, and he was later released in a healthy condition.
Teacher encouraged students to sword-fight in class, lawsuit says
A New Mexico teacher has been sued by the family of a student who they say was "badly and permanently" injured after being instructed to sword-fight with a classmate.
The lawsuit says the teenage girl, identified only as N.S., suffered severed nerves and tendons after she and another student dueled with swords at the behest of their teacher in May 2022.
Albuquerque Public Schools, Assistant Principal Manuel Alzaga and former chemistry teacher Loviata Mitchell are named as defendants in the suit.
Mitchell is accused of bringing katana- and rapier-style swords to school on the day in question, before encouraging students to duel each other. After N.S. was injured, the suit alleges, Mitchell screamed "I'm in trouble!" and told students to delete any videos they had taken of the sword fights.
The plaintiff's attorney, Jessica Hernandez, said: "Despite this surgical repair of N.S.'s nerves and tendons, it was not possible to fully repair them, and they remain damaged... Those injuries cause her ongoing daily pain, as well as cause her to be unable to perform many basic daily tasks."
Woman loses $820,000 insurance claim after tree-throwing photos emerge
Mother loses her $800,000 disability case after photos of her winning a tree-throwing contest surface pic.twitter.com/bby7ODl6Sf
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) February 28, 2024
A woman in Ireland had her $820,000 disability case thrown out by a judge after photos emerged of her taking part in — and winning — a tree-throwing competition.
The Irish Independent said Kamila Grabska, 36, had filed a €760,000 (roughly $820,000) claim with her insurance company after a 2017 car accident that she said left her in "debilitating pain" and unable to work.
However, Grabska's case was dismissed by the court after they were shown photos from January 2018 of the claimant throwing a Christmas tree in a contest she later won.
The woman claimed she was still suffering from her injuries despite looking happy and fit in the photos, but the judge wasn't buying it.
"It is a very large, natural Christmas tree and it is being thrown by her in a very agile movement," Judge Carmel Stewart said. "I'm afraid I cannot but conclude the claims were entirely exaggerated."
Hundreds attend vigil for soon-to-be-demolished Hooters
Hundreds gather to remember the Kanawha City Hooters. @DanielBurbankTV has the story: https://t.co/2s6NMAOaRz pic.twitter.com/tX8P3N8aVt
— Eyewitness News (@wchs8fox11) February 25, 2024
Hundreds of people gathered Sunday to hold a candlelit vigil for a West Virginia Hooters restaurant ahead of its planned demolition on Monday.
The beloved eatery, famous for its chicken wings and scantily clad waitresses, closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and never reopened. The now-demolished Kanawha City, Charleston, location was the state's last ever Hooters restaurant.
"For all the naysayers, the doubters, the down talkers and whatnot. This building right here was a legitimate iconic figure to the Kanawha Valley," event co-organizer Leo Browning said, according to WCHS-TV.
[Image credit: @wchs8fox11]
