News of the Weird: Adult pacifiers believed to stop smoking

The South China Morning Post reported on Aug. 5 that adults in China are turning to pacifiers to ease their stress, improve sleep and stop smoking. The adult binkies are larger than the infant models and come in different colors, and shops say they’re selling more than 2,000 each month. “It’s high quality, soft, and I feel comfortable sucking it,” said one buyer. “It does not impede my breathing.” But Chengdu dentist Tang Caomin isn’t a fan: “By sucking the dummy for more than three hours a day, the position of your teeth might change after a year.”

A giant rat — perhaps the biggest ever caught in the United Kingdom — was recently captured in North Yorkshire, reported The Independent on Aug. 5. The rodent, removed by exterminators from a home in the Greater Eston area, was described as “almost the size of a small cat.” Some local leaders say pest issues have dramatically worsened since the end of free services for residents in the area. Eston ward councilor David Taylor said the rodents were becoming “brazen,” adding, “The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get.”

In Fort Collins, Colo., residents have reported seeing rabbits with black, tentaclelike protrusions on their heads, KUSA-TV reported. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the horny growths are caused by a virus that is not dangerous to humans or pets but warned people not to touch them just the same. The “Frankenstein rabbits” are not in pain, the agency said, unless the spines grow on sensitive areas like the eyes. There is no known cure.

Dan Burton, owner of Urban Trapping Wildlife Control in Salinas, Calif., alerted officials of Monterey County and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to a discovery he made while trapping wild pigs in early August. The Los Angeles Times reported that when Burton cut into one of the animals, he discovered that the flesh was blue. “I’m not talking about a little blue,” he said. “I’m talking about neon blue, blueberry blue.” Fish and wildlife officials say the blue flesh probably is caused by exposure to a poison used by farmers to control rodents. They are warning trappers and hunters not to consume the blue flesh, and some of the poison traps have been pulled from the fields because of pigs seeking them out.

In reference to what seems like an obvious enough policy, Starbucks Korea has posted signs in its shops warning customers that they no longer can bring desktop computers and printers to the locations to work. United Press International reported on Aug. 11 that Starbucks also has banned setting up large partitions. The targeted customers are known as “cagongjok,” which combines the Korean words for “cafe,” “study” and “tribe.” Starbucks made the policy change after other customers complained about cafe squatters taking up too much space. Laptops will still be welcomed.

Two juveniles unlawfully entered railroad facilities in Laurens, S.C., and started an engine that was hooked to two other engines, WYFF-TV reported that on Aug. 9. Police said the kids drove the train engines around the yard before taking them onto a rail line that connects with Greenville. But when they tried to return to the rail yard, they collided with parked railroad cars and caused the derailment of the engine and damage to one of the parked cars. “This was a dangerous and reckless act,” said Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland. “Railroad property is not a place to play.”