Weekly Weird News for 12 Aug 2022

It's no day at the beach

Hello everyone and welcome to your handy guide to these strange times. It’s a bit crazy out there, as usual. Today I’m bringing you some of the news items you may have missed over the past week that deserve a moment of your time to ponder. First off, I found a number of stories related to the seashore. While you relax on your beach vacation, know that weird things could happen to you.

Umbrella as deadly weapon

A woman on the beach in Garden City, South Carolina was killed in a freak accident when the sharp end of a windblown beach umbrella hit her in the chest. It’s not uncommon for these umbrellas to work free from the sand and blow away if they are not emplaced deeply and if they don’t have vents. Injuries are not uncommon. https://www.wmbfnews.com/2022/08/11/woman-dies-after-being-impaled-by-beach-umbrella-garden-city/

Dune collapse

In another seaside fatality, the body of a man was found in Florida partially covered by sand. The sand dune collapsed and suffocated him while he was resting near it. If you remember from past WWN, this happens fairly frequently. Beware of dangerous dunes - no sandworms required. https://www.local10.com/news/florida/2022/08/08/florida-man-dies-after-sand-dune-collapses/

Ice cream!

A freezer washed up on a Nantucket beach last week. The people who found it hesitantly opened it to find… ice cream. Sadly, it wasn’t edible. It’s a mystery how the object got there or where it came from. https://www.nantucketcurrent.com/freezer-filled-with-ice-cream-mysteriously-washes-ashore-madaquesham-beach

Haunted fridge

At least it’s probably not an allegedly cursed fridge. Some dude in London is trying to get rid of an appliance he thinks is haunted by his stepmother (though it may actually be his mother-in-law) who died during an electrical storm. He seems to believe her spirit now inhabits the refrigerator. I suspect it’s a gimmick for a bargain appliance that doesn’t work that he needs to get rid of. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/spooked-homeowner-giving-away-cursed-24678057

Death Valley Deluge

Several years ago, in late July, I was in Death Valley and it rained. Just a little bit, but that was kind of weird. Well, it REALLY rained over three hours last weekend causing widespread damage, closing park roads, and stranding tourists at risk from the flash flooding. The event was so large that it was considered a “1000-yr” event, meaning there is a 0.1% chance it happens in any year. It is typically considered the driest and hottest place in North America. The 1.5 inches of rain - 75% of what normally falls in a whole year, caused flooding because the arid land results in all the water running off the surface in torrents. https://www.ktnv.com/news/a-historic-event-death-valley-sees-almost-a-years-worth-of-rain-within-three-hours and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/10/death-valley-floods-climate-crisis

Heads up for low-flying aircraft

The USGS has funded a remote sensing project to gather radiometric data to help inform scientists about lithologic boundaries near the surface. According to the project website, “the information from these datasets will be helpful not only for understanding the geologic framework of mineral deposits, but also for evaluating earthquake hazard risk, which is elevated in parts of the survey area.” This means they will fly areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland for a magnetic and radiometric survey. But when I looked at the map for the new low-altitude flights, I saw the coverage includes Chestnut Ridge in PA and thought, “OH BOY!” This may generate some funky reports. Chestnut Ridge, southeast of Pittsburgh, is a notorious area in the paranormal community as many people claim the heavily wooded area is home to not just your everyday Bigfoot, but supernatural Bigfoot and his UFO transports. The idea of low-flying aircraft buzzing an area where people already think weird stuff is already going on is bound to cause some paranoia and exaggerated claims. The best we can do is get the word out that this will be going on and for what reason in order to potentially inoculate people before they jump to the wrong conclusions. I think it’s cool and can’t wait to see what their data reveals. https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/flights-above-maryland-pennsylvania-virginia-and-west-virginia-map-geology

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Mexican town fears shapeshifter

A town in Mexico is expressing their fears that a supernatural being is lurking around their community. Strange noises (which are not described here) led people to think that a nagual, or shapeshifter, is lurking about. They have painted their doors with white crosses for magical protection. I don’t have much commentary on this except to remind readers that supernatural beliefs are very strong in many places in the world. I suspect this story has far more complexity than what is provided here. Regardless, the mockery from internet bigmouths is typical but ignorant. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/crosses-ward-off-feared-sorcerer/

China Zombie Apocalypse Rumor

TikTok misinformation strikes again. A military-themed media report in 2021 published a piece suggesting the zombie apocalypse will start in China using references to the World War Z novel. The idea that this was real had its start on social media and morphed from there into the rumor that there were already zombies in China. It’s just flabbergasting that many people would consider that zombies are real and a threat. But considering what people will swallow as “true” these days is a testament to media illiteracy. https://www.nationalworld.com/news/offbeat/are-there-zombies-china-viral-tiktok-trend-explained-how-prepare-zombie-apocalypse-3801907

How not to use a witch’s spell book

A woman in Cambria County in central Pennsylvania is accused of using witchcraft (of sorts) against a former lover. She had in her possession the Wicca Book of Spells but apparently, it wasn’t doing the job. So she tore out pages and burned them trying to set his car on fire. This was after she pointed a loaded shotgun at the guy and struck him. Interestingly, this took place about 20 miles away from Hollidaysburg where last Spring a grandma threatened the police with witchcraft if they prosecuted her grandson. Witchy stuff is still alive and well in Appalachia. https://wjactv.com/news/local/police-hollsopple-woman-used-pages-from-spell-book-to-set-car-on-fire

Wild midwest - capybara on the loose

A woman driving in Missouri spotted an unusual creature posing along the roadside. It was a capybara, a large rodent native to South America. The animal had escaped from a pen. There are many of these animals kept in zoos or privately in the U.S. Last month, an Illinois man killed one while fishing along a tributary to the Mississippi. https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/wildlife-management/bowfisherman-kills-capybara-in-illinois This current wayward animal is still at large as of this post. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/08/10/capybara-lake-of-the-ozarks-missouri/7931660152135/

Dog rescued after 2 months in a cave

Cave explorers found and rescued a dog that had been trapped in a cave for almost two months. The surprised group in Missouri discovered the dog in darkness beyond a small opening. Rescuers were able to get the dog back through the hole and carry her 500 feet out of the cave. After going door to door, the lucky dog was reunited with her shocked owners. https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/spelunkers-in-perry-county-mo-find-missing-dog-in-cave/

Karma could mean herpes

A person who broke into a macaque monkey enclosure in Tasmania is being publicly advised that he was potentially exposed to a fatal herpes virus. The person stole coins from the moat. The water could harbor the virus because of runoff from the monkey area. The virus is non-threatening to the monkeys. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/10/intruder-who-broke-into-monkey-enclosure-in-tasmania-at-risk-of-potentially-fatal-herpes

Mysterious fire death in Texas

A man smoking a cigarette on his back porch in Plano, Texas was found dead after a witness put out the fire. The elderly man had mobility issues and had cigarettes on him. One article notes that “a sudden burst of flames consumed him” but this seems unconfirmed. Fire investigators are looking into it. The house was hardly damaged. I suspect there is more to this story than what's provided. But I know some will latch on to the least plausible explanation and suggest it’s spontaneous human combustion even though there was a fire source in play. https://www.fox4news.com/news/plano-man-sitting-on-front-porch-dies-in-mysterious-fire and https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/plano-texas-house-fire-fatality-1924-gardengrove-ct/287-1bf98741-1399-4eff-982c-f4567a46c6a9

STEVE makes an appearance

The lovely atmospheric phenomenon called STEVE made an appearance last week over Canada after the typical aurora appeared. The Strong Thermal Velocity Enhancement is a river of hot gas that shoots through the upper atmosphere. Its formation isn’t completely understood. https://www.livescience.com/surprise-solar-storm-steve-photo

Here is a great video!

Finally, I loved this cool pic of Mt. Etna that looks like a firey phoenix.