Libraries are begging their patrons to stop microwaving books in a misguided effort to combat COVID-19. Iran has issued arrest warrants for more than 30 people, including current US President Donald Trump. In Italy, a young man who tragically passed away at the age of 15 may soon be recognized as the patron saint of the internet. Join Ben Bowlin for more Strange News Daily, and share your stories on Twitter: #strangedaily.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Strange News Daily. It's a production of I Heart Media.
In a world full of bizarre events, unsolved mysteries, and
a billion stories from all corners of the globe, some
(00:22):
news gets lost in the shuffle. This is your gateway
to the stories on the fringe of the mainstream map.
These are your dispatches in the dark. I'm Ben Bolan,
and this is the Strange News Daily, our first story today.
(00:45):
A library in Michigan has asked its patrons to stop
microwaving books. It's true. Kent District Library posted photos of
books with their pages burned and attached the warnings, saying,
quote the radio frequency tags and all kd L materials
have metal in them, they will catch on fire in
(01:08):
the microwave. Officials added that the Kent District Library quarantines
all returned materials for seventy two hours. I should also
add that there's a bit of method to the madness here.
You see, these Michigan library patrons are microwaving books not
for recreation, but in a misguided attempt to remove traces
(01:32):
of the coronavirus from the materials. Elizabeth Guarino KOs Lowitz,
the regional manager of the Kent District library said quote,
I don't know if it was something that they, meaning
the patrons saw on the news that they thought maybe
the heat would kill COVID nineteen. It's important to note,
by the way, that instead of borrowing physical copies of
(01:55):
books from libraries and later microwaving them, you can also
download digital or audio books from the comfort of your
own home. This is not the only case of library
books being microwaved. There have been multiple cases of libraries
posting photographs of the aftermath of someone's misguided attempt to
(02:19):
microwave COVID nineteen away. The Greenwood County Library System in
South Carolina noted that there are metal security strips in
most library books, so if you put them in the microwave,
you run the risk of starting a fire. Additionally, most
library books these days are equipped with radio frequency identification tags,
(02:40):
also known as r I f D. These tags have
tiny metal filaments that react with microwaves, and if they're
close to paper, they can create a fire hazard. So
what are libraries doing to cut down potential exposure to
coronavirus on books? Many institutions, including the New York Public Library,
(03:01):
have been quarantining returned items for a minimum of seventy
two hours before letting anyone check them out again. Libraries
across the nation are also wiping books with disinfectant wipes,
or they're using some other method of cleaning the covers
and binding. These are all safety measures that patrons can
perform at home on their own as well. So perhaps
(03:24):
the moral of the story here is that books are
for bookshelves, not microwaves. Our second story today, the government
of Iran has issued an arrest warrant for the current
(03:48):
president of the United States. Iran has asked Interpol for
help in detaining current US President Donald Trump, along with
dozens of other individuals that it believe carried out a
drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad. Obviously,
this has almost no chance of being enforced, and the
(04:10):
act has led many critics to call it a little
more than political theater. Here's what happened. A prosecutor in
Tehran named Ali al Qwa Smir said on Monday that
Donald Trump, along with thirty other individuals, faces murder and
terrorism charges because of their suspected involvement in the January
(04:30):
third attack that killed General Cosseem Solamani. The prosecutor didn't
identify these other thirty or so people, just Trump specifically. However,
the prosecutors stressed that Iran would continue to pursue this
arrest warrant even after President Trump's term ends. Let's talk
(04:51):
about Interval. They're based in France and they have an
international reach. However, their constitution forbids them from taking any
intervention or activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character.
In an earlier statement regarding this Iranian arrest warrant, INTERPOL
said therefore, if or when any such request were to
(05:14):
be sent to the General Secretariat, INTERPOL would not consider
request of this nature, and of course the United States responded.
The US is Iran envoy Brian Hook described the move
as a quote, propaganda stunt. At a news conference in
Saudi Arabia, he said, our assessment is that interpoll does
not intervene and issue read notices that are based on
(05:37):
a political nature. And this is a political nature. This
has nothing to do with national security, international peace, or
promoting stability. It is a propaganda stunt that no one
takes seriously. So what is a red notice? That's what
the prosecutor says. Iran had requested from Interpool it's the
(05:58):
highest level notice issue by Interpol. A requests that the
organization seeks the location and the arrest of the individual
named in the red notice. Under a red notice, local
authorities can make arrest on behalf of the country that
requested it. One important detail, however, the notices cannot force
countries to arrest or extradite suspects, but they can put
(06:21):
government leaders on the spot and they can limit the
travel of those suspects. After receiving a request like this,
INTERPOL typically meets by committee and discusses whether or not
to share the information with its member states. INTERPOL has
no requirement for making any of these notices public, although
it's true that some do get published on the organization's website.
(06:44):
The US killed General Solomany, who oversaw the Revolutionary Guard
Corps Expeditionary KOD's force along with several others in a
January attack near Baghdad International Airport. This assassination came after
months of incidents raising tensions between Iran and the US. Ultimately,
Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile strike targeting American troops
(07:07):
in Iraq. While it's virtually certain this arrest warrant will
never result in an actual arrest, it does mark one
more dangerous step in the ever increasing geopolitical tensions between
the two countries. Our third story today, a London born
(07:35):
computer genius who died at the age of fifteen from
leukemia in Italy is one step closer to becoming a saint.
It turns out the Vatican has officially attributed a miracle
to Carlo Acutus. Carlo, who died in two thousand and six,
was credited with healing a Brazilian boy who recovered from
(07:56):
a rare illness after praying to him asking him to
community hate with God. Carlo will be beautified in Assissy,
Italy in October of this year. This is the final
step before official sat to it. Beatification is the recognition
by the Catholic Church that a person has entered heaven
(08:16):
and has the capacity to intercede on behalf of those
who pray in her or his name. The coronavirus delayed
his beautification, but it will take place in the fall
in Italy where he's buried, and once a second miracle
is approved by a council of scientists, Acutest will become
the patron saint of the Internet. His mother, Antonio Salzano,
(08:41):
said that in many ways her son was a normal teenager.
He liked playing video games, but he also had quote
a special spiritual life and gifts. On the Internet. Using
just the family's small, outdated computer, Carlo taught himself how
to program. He built a website cataloging miracles around the world.
(09:01):
He also supported classmates who were bullied and helped the
homeless as well as the less fortunate. Brendan Thompson, the
CEO of Catholic Voices, said when Carlo contracted leukemia at
age fifteen, his faith helped him to see his suffering differently.
Carlo's mother reports that at his funeral, the church was
so flooded that many people had to remain outside. After
(09:24):
the funeral, Catholics from around the world petition the Vatican
calling for the team to be named a saint. Currently,
the Catholic Church recognizes about ten thousand saints. That's according
to the Pew Research Center. These include the patron saints
of things like animals, children, lost causes, and so on. However,
(09:45):
there are very few child saints. According to Jay Breeding,
the president of Catholic Faith Technologies, Carlo's canonization could be
seen as Pope Francis quote sending a message that there
is a place for technology and the continued growth of
our faith and the development of the next generation of Catholics.
Francis has been on the record calling the Internet a
(10:07):
gift from God and has also encouraged the Vatican to
use technology to reach its estimated one point three billion
followers around the world. During the lockdown, the Pontiff has
also embraced technology by live streaming mass, including an Eastern
Mass he's celebrated in front of an empty St. Peter's Square.
(10:27):
Thompson concludes there is a technological revolution that has happened
within the Church and so the Church will never be
the same again after this virus. Much like the rest
of the world. If you would like to see the
resting place of Carlo, you don't have to travel to Italy.
His tomb and as Sissy, where his body currently lies,
(10:48):
is already live streaming twenty four hours a day. That's
all for now. We've been asking you to chime in
with suggestions for stories you think your fellow listeners might enjoy,
to hit us with your absolute worst puns or bad
dad jokes, and to tell us about your personal experience
with COVID nineteen, the ongoing protest, or anything else happening
(11:12):
in your neck of the Global woods. Let us know
tag hashtag Strange Daily on Twitter, or reach out to
me directly. I'm at Ben bullin HSW on Twitter or
at Ben Bulling on Instagram. Thanks as always to our
super producer Dylan Fagan, our research associate Sam T. Garden.
Most importantly, thanks to you. I'm Ben Bullet. We'll see
(11:34):
you tomorrow. Until then, stay strange.
Strange News Daily. It's a production of I Heart Media.
In a world full of bizarre events, unsolved mysteries, and
a billion stories from all corners of the globe, some
(00:22):
news gets lost in the shuffle. This is your gateway
to the stories on the fringe of the mainstream map.
These are your dispatches in the dark. I'm Ben Bolan,
and this is the Strange News Daily, our first story today.
(00:45):
A library in Michigan has asked its patrons to stop
microwaving books. It's true. Kent District Library posted photos of
books with their pages burned and attached the warnings, saying,
quote the radio frequency tags and all kd L materials
have metal in them, they will catch on fire in
(01:08):
the microwave. Officials added that the Kent District Library quarantines
all returned materials for seventy two hours. I should also
add that there's a bit of method to the madness here.
You see, these Michigan library patrons are microwaving books not
for recreation, but in a misguided attempt to remove traces
(01:32):
of the coronavirus from the materials. Elizabeth Guarino KOs Lowitz,
the regional manager of the Kent District library said quote,
I don't know if it was something that they, meaning
the patrons saw on the news that they thought maybe
the heat would kill COVID nineteen. It's important to note,
by the way, that instead of borrowing physical copies of
(01:55):
books from libraries and later microwaving them, you can also
download digital or audio books from the comfort of your
own home. This is not the only case of library
books being microwaved. There have been multiple cases of libraries
posting photographs of the aftermath of someone's misguided attempt to
(02:19):
microwave COVID nineteen away. The Greenwood County Library System in
South Carolina noted that there are metal security strips in
most library books, so if you put them in the microwave,
you run the risk of starting a fire. Additionally, most
library books these days are equipped with radio frequency identification tags,
(02:40):
also known as r I f D. These tags have
tiny metal filaments that react with microwaves, and if they're
close to paper, they can create a fire hazard. So
what are libraries doing to cut down potential exposure to
coronavirus on books? Many institutions, including the New York Public Library,
(03:01):
have been quarantining returned items for a minimum of seventy
two hours before letting anyone check them out again. Libraries
across the nation are also wiping books with disinfectant wipes,
or they're using some other method of cleaning the covers
and binding. These are all safety measures that patrons can
perform at home on their own as well. So perhaps
(03:24):
the moral of the story here is that books are
for bookshelves, not microwaves. Our second story today, the government
of Iran has issued an arrest warrant for the current
(03:48):
president of the United States. Iran has asked Interpol for
help in detaining current US President Donald Trump, along with
dozens of other individuals that it believe carried out a
drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad. Obviously,
this has almost no chance of being enforced, and the
(04:10):
act has led many critics to call it a little
more than political theater. Here's what happened. A prosecutor in
Tehran named Ali al Qwa Smir said on Monday that
Donald Trump, along with thirty other individuals, faces murder and
terrorism charges because of their suspected involvement in the January
(04:30):
third attack that killed General Cosseem Solamani. The prosecutor didn't
identify these other thirty or so people, just Trump specifically. However,
the prosecutors stressed that Iran would continue to pursue this
arrest warrant even after President Trump's term ends. Let's talk
(04:51):
about Interval. They're based in France and they have an
international reach. However, their constitution forbids them from taking any
intervention or activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character.
In an earlier statement regarding this Iranian arrest warrant, INTERPOL
said therefore, if or when any such request were to
(05:14):
be sent to the General Secretariat, INTERPOL would not consider
request of this nature, and of course the United States responded.
The US is Iran envoy Brian Hook described the move
as a quote, propaganda stunt. At a news conference in
Saudi Arabia, he said, our assessment is that interpoll does
not intervene and issue read notices that are based on
(05:37):
a political nature. And this is a political nature. This
has nothing to do with national security, international peace, or
promoting stability. It is a propaganda stunt that no one
takes seriously. So what is a red notice? That's what
the prosecutor says. Iran had requested from Interpool it's the
(05:58):
highest level notice issue by Interpol. A requests that the
organization seeks the location and the arrest of the individual
named in the red notice. Under a red notice, local
authorities can make arrest on behalf of the country that
requested it. One important detail, however, the notices cannot force
countries to arrest or extradite suspects, but they can put
(06:21):
government leaders on the spot and they can limit the
travel of those suspects. After receiving a request like this,
INTERPOL typically meets by committee and discusses whether or not
to share the information with its member states. INTERPOL has
no requirement for making any of these notices public, although
it's true that some do get published on the organization's website.
(06:44):
The US killed General Solomany, who oversaw the Revolutionary Guard
Corps Expeditionary KOD's force along with several others in a
January attack near Baghdad International Airport. This assassination came after
months of incidents raising tensions between Iran and the US. Ultimately,
Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile strike targeting American troops
(07:07):
in Iraq. While it's virtually certain this arrest warrant will
never result in an actual arrest, it does mark one
more dangerous step in the ever increasing geopolitical tensions between
the two countries. Our third story today, a London born
(07:35):
computer genius who died at the age of fifteen from
leukemia in Italy is one step closer to becoming a saint.
It turns out the Vatican has officially attributed a miracle
to Carlo Acutus. Carlo, who died in two thousand and six,
was credited with healing a Brazilian boy who recovered from
(07:56):
a rare illness after praying to him asking him to
community hate with God. Carlo will be beautified in Assissy,
Italy in October of this year. This is the final
step before official sat to it. Beatification is the recognition
by the Catholic Church that a person has entered heaven
(08:16):
and has the capacity to intercede on behalf of those
who pray in her or his name. The coronavirus delayed
his beautification, but it will take place in the fall
in Italy where he's buried, and once a second miracle
is approved by a council of scientists, Acutest will become
the patron saint of the Internet. His mother, Antonio Salzano,
(08:41):
said that in many ways her son was a normal teenager.
He liked playing video games, but he also had quote
a special spiritual life and gifts. On the Internet. Using
just the family's small, outdated computer, Carlo taught himself how
to program. He built a website cataloging miracles around the world.
(09:01):
He also supported classmates who were bullied and helped the
homeless as well as the less fortunate. Brendan Thompson, the
CEO of Catholic Voices, said when Carlo contracted leukemia at
age fifteen, his faith helped him to see his suffering differently.
Carlo's mother reports that at his funeral, the church was
so flooded that many people had to remain outside. After
(09:24):
the funeral, Catholics from around the world petition the Vatican
calling for the team to be named a saint. Currently,
the Catholic Church recognizes about ten thousand saints. That's according
to the Pew Research Center. These include the patron saints
of things like animals, children, lost causes, and so on. However,
(09:45):
there are very few child saints. According to Jay Breeding,
the president of Catholic Faith Technologies, Carlo's canonization could be
seen as Pope Francis quote sending a message that there
is a place for technology and the continued growth of
our faith and the development of the next generation of Catholics.
Francis has been on the record calling the Internet a
(10:07):
gift from God and has also encouraged the Vatican to
use technology to reach its estimated one point three billion
followers around the world. During the lockdown, the Pontiff has
also embraced technology by live streaming mass, including an Eastern
Mass he's celebrated in front of an empty St. Peter's Square.
(10:27):
Thompson concludes there is a technological revolution that has happened
within the Church and so the Church will never be
the same again after this virus. Much like the rest
of the world. If you would like to see the
resting place of Carlo, you don't have to travel to Italy.
His tomb and as Sissy, where his body currently lies,
(10:48):
is already live streaming twenty four hours a day. That's
all for now. We've been asking you to chime in
with suggestions for stories you think your fellow listeners might enjoy,
to hit us with your absolute worst puns or bad
dad jokes, and to tell us about your personal experience
with COVID nineteen, the ongoing protest, or anything else happening
(11:12):
in your neck of the Global woods. Let us know
tag hashtag Strange Daily on Twitter, or reach out to
me directly. I'm at Ben bullin HSW on Twitter or
at Ben Bulling on Instagram. Thanks as always to our
super producer Dylan Fagan, our research associate Sam T. Garden.
Most importantly, thanks to you. I'm Ben Bullet. We'll see
(11:34):
you tomorrow. Until then, stay strange.
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