It's a strange world, after all

This has been one strange week when it comes to news ... and that may be putting it mildly.

Sometimes it seems those True Stories I like to collect have become mainstream news, which keeps getting stranger and stranger.

If you've been in a cave or just away from the news for the past few weeks, Ebola still is a big story, especially since some guy in New York City has it. Folks in the Big Apple seem to be taking it in stride; after all, they've seen everything, done everything, and if worse comes to worse they'll sent it to Jersey. Meanwhile, the few people who have contracted the virus in the U.S. are being treated successfully and released from hospitals, and others already have been released from quarantine.

That still hasn't stopped people from worrying or coming up with snappy comebacks. My favorite has been that Kim Kardashian has married more people than have succumbed to Ebola in this country. I have to admit though, I've had to look twice to make sure I was watching the news and not the opening of a horror movie.

Think of how many horror movies start with a guy in lab coat at a news conference explaining that some strange virus is under control and there's nothing to worry about. And the next thing you see is a slobbering zombie. I knew it wasn't a movie when the next thing I saw was Al Roker.

If the news wasn't strange enough, along came reports that TLC canceled Here Comes Honey BooBoo. While some might see it as a reason to rejoice, the reason for the cancellation is one of those "eewww" kind of moments. A few months ago, Mama June — Honey BooBoo's mother — separated from her companion, Sugar Bear — Honey BooBoo's father. (Sounds sort of like a redneck Berenstein Bears.)

This week came reports that Mama June is seeing an old boyfriend she dated years ago. Only problem is said boyfriend is a registered sex offender. Now, you'd think with a TV show about your family, and a daughter who's a regular in child pageants, that the last thing you'd do is get involved with someone convicted of molesting a child.

However, Mama June contends she's not dating him and wouldn't go back to him. I sure hope that's the case because common sense says if your life revolves around children, you don't need a child molester hanging around.

Then there's one of the oddest stories I've seen this week. Toys 'R' Us was forced to pull Breaking Bad action figures for its shelves. Breaking Bad, you might recall, is the award-winning show about Walter White, a science teacher who becomes a meth cook and ultimately a drug kingpin when his health insurance won't cover his cancer treatment. It was a well-written fan favorite show that also contained a fair amount of violence and lots of drug content. An action figure for the main character came with a sack of cash and a bag of meth (toy cash and meth, of course).

A Florida mom began a petition to have the "toys" removed because she didn't think they were appropriate and didn't need to be next to Barbie and other wholesome action figures, dolls and toys. Her effort quickly gained traction and Toys 'R' Us conceded to her wishes.

First, it's interesting a company made Breaking Bad action figures (I wonder if they made a turtle with Danny Trejo's head on top of its shell). But then, I've seen action figures for The Walking Dead, Freddy Krueger, Jason, Michael Meyers, Leatherface and that guy with all the pins in his head. There's a market for them among adult collectors. Perhaps having them on the shelf with Barbie and My Little Pony wasn't such a good idea, however. Who knows what games children would play with Barbie and Walter White.

What a strange world we wake to every day, and it just keeps getting stranger.