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This is unbe-weave-able!

Updated on: 21 January,2024 07:34 AM IST  |  Chicago
A Correspondent |

Aaron Phoenix is a real-life SPIDER MAN: The arachnophile has a collection of 700 pet tarantulas, whom he amassed as a form of ‘therapy’

This is unbe-weave-able!

Aaron Phoenix has a love for an insect many shy away from: tarantulas. Pic/Youtube

Arachnophile Aaron Phoenix, 36, says he has amassed a collection of more than 700 pet tarantulas, making him a real-life Spider-Man. He’s developing a website, with plans to open a spider store. The inspiration for Phoenix’s peculiar pastime comes from a pet tarantula he had as a teen but tragically had to give up. “People always ask if I’m kidding when I tell them how many spiders I have—they ask if there is something wrong with me, “But everyone has their hobby, what they like to do,” he added. “Some people like to go to the gym—and I like to collect tarantulas.”



Phoenix started accumulating arachnids in the summer of 2021 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He lives with his partner, Jo, 47, and her two daughters—a room in their home is designated a “tarantula cave” .He got into collecting when doctors told him a hobby could help his mental health. “Even though it sounds cheesy I was born to do this,” Phoenix said. “All in all, I have rescued 120 spiders in the last year or so—it’s just my life, really. It’s everything to me.” 


Phoenix says his largest spider is a burgundy goliath tarantula—also known as a goliath bird-eating spider—with a leg span the size of a dinner plate. He spends around $125 (R10,381) a month on substrates, cork bark, leaf litter and sphagnum moss for the spiders. He also breeds locusts and mealworms to feed them.

No negativity here

Man sues 27 women who left him negative reviews  on a Facebook group

A Chicago man is suing 27 women for $75 million after they posted negative comments about him on a Facebook dating group, calling him “very clingy” and a ghoster. 32-year-old Nikko D’Ambrosio claims that his reputation was tarnished after several women who claim to have dated him posted their negative experiences on a private Facebook group called ‘Are We Dating the Same Guy’. The popular group originated in New York, but has since branched out to other major cities and is mainly used by women to share their experiences with men and ask for advice about various red flags. In D’Ambrosio’s case, dozens of women wrote derogatory comments, labeling him as clingy or accusing him of ghosting them after getting what he wanted. Now, the Chicago man is suing several of these women for $75 million.

No crying over make-up

Beauty influencer Ayaat Mishaal revealed a beauty hack to prevent teary eyes from ruining your flawless makeup. “Putting Vaseline in the corners of my eyes before leaving the house to stop my eyes from watering is the best thing TikTok has ever taught me,” she divulged in the clip with over six million views. In the nine-second clip posted on January 7, Mishaal applies Vaseline around her eyes and tear ducts with a pointed Q-tip to prevent her makeup from smudging.

All for one,one for all

New York City musician, Zeddy Will, 22, recently hosted a joint baby shower for his five pregnant baby mommas, one of his partners Lizzy Ashleigh claimed on TikTok. Ashleigh, 29, revealed the startling achievement by showing off the party invitations, which showed the shower being hosted in Queens on January 14. The moms-to-be and Will posed for a joint photo on the invitation, which said: “Welcome little Zeddy Wills 1-5.”

A cockroach by name...

Zoos in New York and Texas are offering the love-struck and the lovelorn the opportunity to buy some unusual Valentine’s Day gifts: naming rights for cockroaches. The Bronx Zoo said patrons can have a Madagascar hissing cockroach named after their Valentine.

Size matters

A Turkish banker, İlter Türkmen, is suing the doctor he paid for a penis enlargement procedure after his organ allegedly shrunk by one cm following the botched operation. The banker’s lawyers told a judge that he had to endure excruciating pain as well.

Who let the dog in?

A woman in LA has revealed that her dog is getting in the middle of her relationship with her husband—and even claimed it is ruining their sex life. The woman said her husband is “besotted” with their dog, Rosie, and now “refuses” to make her leave when they are getting intimate.

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