QUIRKY WORLD ... Pizza addict thrown out of hospital vows to shed flab

USA: Steven Assanti, of Cranston, refers to himself as a monster. He wants to eventually inspire others who struggle with their weight.

The 33-year-old said he’s addicted to pizza.

“I love food. I always loved to eat,” he said. “I didn’t think it would cause me harm and make me into the monster that I am right now. I don’t feel human.”

Assanti spoke to a Rhode Island television station, WJAR-TV, last week after he said he was kicked out of Rhode Island Hospital for ordering pizza.

The television production company for TLC’s My 600lb Life then contacted Assanti. The owner’s assistant at Megalomedia said they may be interested in filming him, though not necessarily for that show.

Assanti wants to have gastric bypass surgery. At 6ft 1in tall, he said he must slim down to 550lb (about 250kg) to be eligible. .

Assanti weighed 778lb at Rhode Island Hospital. He thinks he has lost a few pounds since arriving at Kent and said he plans to “shock the world” with his progress.

On your bike

ENGLAND: Social media apps are believed to be responsible for an increase in high-value bicycle thefts, police say.

The latest hi-tech software allows cyclists to post details of their routes on the internet while out on two wheels — and police think thieves in Dorset are using the apps to track the cyclists to their homes and then steal their bikes. Sgt Ady Thompson, of Poole police, said changing the privacy settings on an app would make it hard for would-be thieves to pinpoint where the bike was stored.

“It takes seconds to do, but can save thousands of pounds, hours of frustration, and upset and deny the criminal a ‘quick thrill’ or a sale,” he added.

USA: Actor Dick Van Dyke is taking steps to save his childhood home, which was slated for demolition in the Illinois city of Danville.

The 89-year-old actor has announced that the home will be restored as headquarters for a new foundation to provide scholarships to accomplished young performers. Organisers of the Dick Van Dyke Foundation hope to establish a museum in the home, where Van Dyke and brother Jerry lived during high school .

After learning of the house’s dilapidated state, the star of Mary Poppins and The Dick Van Dyke Show recalled the “happy memories drifting around in there” in a tweet to his tens of thousands of followers.

Streaming drunk

USA: Authorities say emergency calls from concerned viewers led to the arrest of a Florida woman who was streaming live video of herself while driving drunk.

Lakeland police report 23-year-old Whitney Beall was using the social media app Periscope as she was driving. The video shows her saying several times that she was drunk.

Pizza prayer

USA: An Ohio church congregation ordered a pizza from Domino’s during a service, then tipped the driver more than $1,000 (€880) that had been collected for the offering.

The driver brought the $5.99 pizza to Sycamore Creek Church in Pickerington in suburban Columbus. The Reverend Steve Markle brought her onstage and asked her the biggest tip she’d ever received. She said about $10.

That’s when Markle told her the teaching at the church had been about generosity so the congregation had taken up an offering for the driver. She broke into tears.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that the congregation was wrapping up a sermon series on “I was Broke. Now I’m Not.” The church draws about 500 to 600 people each week.