Quick Takes

Small bit of history

If you have the money, William P.D. Pierce of Coldwell Banker in Hillsboro Beach, Fla., has a house for you. At $139 million, the Coldwell listing for four acres of prime land in the Millionaires Mile neighborhood of Florida’s Gold Coast region became the most expensive public house listing in the nation’s history when it hit the MLS listings in early September. The home, an estate called Le Palais Royal, has six fountains, an infinity edge pool set beneath a 12-foot cascading waterfall, a mammoth summer kitchen, and a 492-foot dock connected to the Atlantic Ocean and capable of accommodating a 185-foot ship. That’s just outside: Inside, the mansion boasts 60,000 square feet of living space containing 11 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. Below the mansion lies a 30-car subterranean garage. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average selling price for American homes in February 2014 was $188,900.

On the road again

Of all the possible ways to leave a crime scene, 46-year-old Shirley Mason perhaps chose the slowest. According to Fruitport Township, Mich., police, Mason exited a local Walmart shopping center with bags stuffed with stolen items on Sept. 8 and attempted to make a getaway on the store’s motorized shopping cart. Later in the day, when police caught up to her, she had traveled two miles. Authorities say Mason claimed she paid for the merchandise, but couldn’t produce a receipt. She justified taking the $1,200 cart by saying she hadn’t felt like walking.

Carbohydrate bliss

Olive Garden’s popular promise of free and unlimited pasta for seven weeks may backfire on the Italian restaurant chain. On Sept. 8, the company announced a promotion where customers could purchase for $100 a Never Ending Pasta Pass from the website entitling them to unlimited pasta, soup, salad, breadsticks, and sodas between Sept. 22 and Nov. 9. The catch: Only quick customers were able to scoop up one of the restaurant’s 1,000 available passes, and frustrated pasta lovers vented on social media. The resulting internet maelstrom resulted in disappointed customers inundating Olive Garden’s social media profiles with negative comments.

Sword control

An 11-year-old Chinese boy made the discovery of a lifetime when he stumbled upon a 3,000-year-old sword in the Jiangsu Province riverbed on July 2. According to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Yang Junxi made the discovery while washing his hands in a river. Once the discovery of the 10-inch bronze sword became public knowledge, throngs descended upon the boy’s home in hopes of catching a glimpse of the ancient relic. The boy’s father turned down offers to sell the weapon, instead handing it over to government officials.

Spare a square

According to officials at one Japanese government ministry, being able to spare a square of toilet paper may make the difference in preventing or enduring a disaster. On Sept. 1, just in time for Disaster Prevention Day, the nation’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry encouraged citizens to stockpile a one-month supply of toilet paper. Pointing to toilet paper shortages in 1995 following the Hanshin Earthquake, the ministry sponsored a series of panel discussions on the subject of toilet paper preparedness. The government even tailored a motto to accompany its media blitz: “If you prepare, no despair.”

Burger pain

For a pair of food critics from a British newspaper, one menu item at a burger dive turned out to be an occupational hazard. Brighton Argus journalists Arron Hendy and Ruari Barratt required hospitalization after noshing a “XXX Hot Chilli Burger” from Burger Off in Hove, United Kingdom. Working from a tip from a travel website, the pair drove to the dive restaurant and ordered a sandwich drenched in a sauce advertised as hotter than pepper spray. Minutes after taking one bite, Barratt doubled over with stomach pains. Later he lost feeling in his arms and his eyes rolled back in his head. Hours later, Hendy suffered similar symptoms. His official review: “If you’re thinking of trying this burger for a dare, just don’t.”

Stand by your man

There’s no denying that Dawn Cole was trying to escalate her relationship with a Sparta, Wis., man, but her tactics landed her in legal trouble. According to Sparta police, Cole, 49, broke into a man’s residence in the early morning hours of Sept. 8 to catch a glimpse of him sleeping. The man, unidentified by police, awoke and found Cole standing in his doorway staring intently at him. At that time, the man escorted Cole from the premises and returned home. But 20 minutes later, Cole returned and began banging on doors. That’s when police came and arrested the woman for disorderly conduct. According to police, Cole said she had wanted to cuddle with the resident.

Pass the guacamole

Enterprising thieves managed to steal thousands of ripening avocados from an orchard east of Barmera, Australia, sometime between Aug. 24 and Sept. 4. In all, thieves stole about 3,300 pounds of the healthy fruit from a grove of 20 trees. Authorities said the pilfered produce has a wholesale value of around $11,000, but did not speculate whether the booty was bound for the black market or for personal consumption.

Bleeding lips

A Virginia 11-year-old is fighting her local school board for the right to moisturize her lips during the school day. Augusta County Public Schools banned ChapStick and other lip gloss from campus three years ago after public health officials warned that students might transmit diseases by sharing lip balm. This year Stuarts Draft Elementary fifth-grader Grace Karaffa, frustrated by dry and sometimes bleeding lips at school, asked her father for advice. Then she drafted a petition to repeal the ban on ChapStick. After meeting with her school’s principal, Grace made a presentation to the school board in early September. Board members listened to her presentation but asked whether lip balm could be a distraction in the classroom: She said bleeding lips were more of a distraction. In a statement, the board said it would review the policy.