NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Irony
Philip Morris International, maker of Marlboro and Parliament cigarettes, has sealed a deal with Vectura, a U.K.-based company that makes medicines — including inhalers for respiratory conditions — with a $1.1 billion bid. The BBC reported on Sept. 16 that PMI’s CEO, Jacek Olczak, is “excited” to expand the company’s product lines, but medical organizations and charities are less than thrilled about the purchase. “It creates perverse incentives for PMI to sell more of its harmful products so they might then profit again through treating smoking-related diseases,” said Sarah Woolnough, CEO of Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation. The agreement is set to be final on Sept. 30.
Fine Points of the Law
On Sept. 13, a road rage incident in Amarillo, Texas, all started when Car No. 1 tried to pass Car Nos. 2 and 3.
No. 1 got past the first car, but No. 3 sped up to prevent the pass. As Car No. 1 passed No. 3, someone in No. 1 fired shots into No. 3. “The victim in this case did have a handgun in their vehicle and returned fire at the suspect,” Amarillo police Cpl. Jeb Hilton told KVII-TV. And here’s where Texas’ tricky law comes in: While it is against Texas law to shoot a firearm from a moving or stationary vehicle on a roadway, if you’re shooting in self-defense, you’re off the hook. The person in Car No. 3 will not face any charges. There were no injuries reported in the incident.
Ewwwww!
Shirley Wright-Johnson was shopping for pizza rolls in an Oklahoma City Crest Foods store on Sept. 12 when she literally put her hand in it: As she reached into the frozen case to pick up the rolls, “I grabbed the bag, I felt something smushy on the bag, so I turned it over and there it was,” Wright-Johnson told KFOR-TV. “It” was human feces. “I was so disgusted I was almost in tears,” she said. Moore, Oklahoma, police investigated, checking store video cameras, where they saw a man in “the cooler section, where he proceeded to defecate inside one of the coolers before leaving the business,” said Lt. Kyle Johnson. The suspect was apprehended and booked into the Cleveland County Detention Center on unrelated charges, police said.