Weird News: Criminal Captain
A New Spin on Theatre
On Jan. 14, as Spaniards gathered for the Official Carnival Groups Competition in Cadiz, 12 men dressed as scientist Stephen Hawking performed a choreographed musical number in motorized wheelchairs, the New York Post reported. The men were wearing wigs and outfits typical of the disabled genius, who died in 2018 of ALS, as they performed. “Don’t be offended, this is just for laughs,” said Miguel Angel Llull, who wrote the lyrics to their songs. After the competition, the group planned to donate the dozen wheelchairs to ALS patients in need. “They are real chairs that cost us 400 euros each,” Llull said.
Fail to the Bus Driver
Bus passengers traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C., had a memorable ride on Jan. 19, Fairfax Now reported. The driver was supposed to take passengers from Penn Station to Union Station and Dupont Circle, but instead, he dropped everyone at the Vienna Metro station after police intervened. One passenger said the driver was going really fast and wouldn’t listen to reason; “he screamed that he doesn’t get paid enough and is refusing,” the passenger said. When representatives of the bus company tried to call him, he repeatedly hung up and told passengers he “has family to go home to and doesn’t have time to stop in D.C.” “I’m the captain of this ship,” he said. Passengers stranded at the Metro station were picked up by another bus and refunded their bus fare.
Savvy Screen Time
Spending too much time staring at your phone? Olivia Yokubonis would like a word, the Associated Press reported on Jan. 18. Using her screen name, Olivia Unplugged, Yokubonis urges people to stop their mindless use of social media. “People will comment and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, it’s ironic that you’re posting.’ And I’m like, ‘Where else am I supposed to find you, Kyle? Outside? You’re not outside. You’re here,’” she said. Yokubonis actually works for a screen time app called Opal, which people use to “reclaim their focus.” “It’s a fine line and a balance of finding a way to be able to cut through that noise but also not adding to the noise,” she added.
Criminal Captain
As a boat captain in the Florida Keys, Bradford Todd Picariello, 65, is well-placed to (allegedly) find huge amounts of cocaine just floating in the sea. So it was no surprise that Picariello had the goods; his mistake was in selling a kilogram to an undercover officer from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. According to CBS12-TV, Picariello was arrested on Jan. 19 after meeting with the cop, whom he told to bring a cooler to “make it look like he was getting fish.” He also bragged he had another 100 pounds of cocaine for future buys. Officers also found $8,000 in cash and a handgun. Picariello faces three felony counts.