STATUS UPDATES
A week in which a dress code and body odour caused a stink, and we learned why chickens crossed the road
BAFFLED A woman who believed she was suffering from Crohn’s disease for the past six years only to be told a ketchup packet was responsible for her pain. According to the British Medical Journal, the woman had symptoms consistent with the bowel disease. When she finally had surgery, doctors found a pierced and infected intestine as well as a piece of plastic bearing the word “Heinz.”
CRYING FOUL A court official who alleges she was fired after installing air fresheners to mask a co-worker’s body odour, Amber Bridges is suing the city of Indianapolis for wrongful termination after her colleague complained about her effort to “improve the overall quality of air in the office.” She argues B.O. is a recognized disability that warrants legal protection for her and the colleague.
STOLEN A bottle of vodka purported to be the world’s most expensive, from Café 33 in Copenhagen. The $1.3-million bottle of Russo-Baltique was made with three kilograms of gold and an equal amount of silver and topped with a diamond-encrusted cap. The uninsured bottle was on loan from a Russian businessman. Police are investigating. Nothing else was missing and no shots were taken.
OFF LIMITS The claim “scientifically proven matching system” by eHarmony. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled an ad by the dating website on the London subway was misleading for suggesting there is scientific backing for their matches. The website gathers data from questionnaires, but couldn’t prove that customers had a greater chance of finding love with the service.
ASTOUNDED Students and teachers at a school in Australia who discovered that the eggs the children unearthed in a sandpit contained the country’s deadliest snakes — or not. A wildlife conservation group identified 43 eggs as belonging to the poisonous Eastern brown snake. After the story spread on social media, other experts suggested the eggs were most likely from lizards.
CRYING NEED For flowers that will bloom in the heat of a Tokyo summer. Scientists have been studying 1,200 varieties to determine what flowers will flourish in displays during the peak of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Due to the city’s severe temperatures and dryness, there has been little research or production of summertime blooms.
RECOVERED A flock of chickens that fell off the back of a truck on Interstate 605 near Los Angeles and then attempted to cross the road, blocking traffic. California Highway Patrol officers scrambled to rescue the birds, putting them in the back of a patrol car. They saved 17; two died. The driver transporting the chickens wasn’t aware he lost a cage and didn’t stop.
OUT OF BOUNDS A dress code at a Michigan bowling complex, which complainants say targets Black men. After an increase in fights, crime and drug use, the Spare Time Entertainment Centre has prohibited excessively baggy pants, hoodies and do-rags, as well as gang colours and vulgar images. The alley argued the code was for safety reasons, but has agreed to review the policy.