Weird News

Let's put our heads together at Goodwill
Austin, Texas ----------------------------- Police are scratching their heads trying to work out who donated a human skull to a thrift store in Texas.
                                                             Homicide Detective Derek Israel said Wednesday that foul play is not suspected and that he just wants to know how the adult skull came to be left at the Goodwill store in Austin.  Goodwill staff discovered the skull while sifting through donations on July 16.
                                                             This is at least the fourth skull to be donated to the international nonprofit this summer.  Three were donated in July to a Goodwill store in Bellevue, Wash.

Bacon backlash prompts Vt. eatery to hire PR firm 
Winooski, Vt. ----------------------------- A Vermont restaurant that removed a bacon advertisement called insensitive to vegans and Muslims is being criticized for doing so.
                                                             Sneakers Bistro and Cafe in Winooski last week took down a sign saying "Yield for Sneakers Bacon" after comments were posted in an online community forum by "a vegan and a member of a Muslim household."  Vegans and Muslims don't eat pork.
                                                             Sneakers' menu features items including a breakfast sandwich with homemade turkey bacon.  Owner Marc Dysinger says the sign was meant to be fun and to show the restaurant cares about Winooski, a city of 7,000 residents with many Muslim families.
                                                             The Burlington Free Press reports people have criticized the restaurant for what they feel was an unnecessary move.  The restaurant hired a public-relations firm to help it deal with the publicity.

Slide into home, then stay home from work
Columbia, S.C. --------------------------- Have you ever been hurt in a company softball or kickball game?  The South Carolina Supreme Court says you may be entitled to workers' compensation.
                                                            On Wednesday, the court ruled that Stephen Whigham, who was injured in a company kickball game, is entitled to workers' compensation because he was required to attend the game.
                                                            Whigham worked for Jackson Dawson Communications, a public relations firm.  With the encouragement of his boss, he organized a kickball game as a team-building event for employees.
                                                            During the Friday afternoon game, Whigham shattered two bones in his leg while trying to avoid being tagged out.  He underwent two surgeries and has been told that he'll ultimately need a knee replacement, according to court documents.

Australian sheep sheds 52 pounds in 1st haircut
Sydney ------------------------------------- Shaun the shaggy Australian sheep has at last been shorn smooth.  But the woolly wanderer wasn't the wooliest of all.  The sheep apparently had been hiding for years on a farm on the island state of Tasmania and had never been shorn.  The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday that Shaun lost 52 pounds of wool at his first haircut.
                                                            Owners Peter and Netty Hazel had hoped Shaun would beat a record held by a now-deceased New Zealand sheep named Shrek.
                                                            Shrek rose to fame in 2004 after he was found hiding in caves on his farm, having evaded the annual shearing roundups for seven years.  He had 60 pounds of wool shorn off his body.