Weekly Weird News for 27 May 2022

As the world turns..

Welcome to this week’s roundup of strange news. There is a lovely selection this week of good, sad, and funny. I hope you enjoy this little escape from the mainstream hellscape of politics and tragedies. The world keeps turning…

Conjuring home sells with ridiculous stipulations

The Rhode Island home that was the site of the alleged possession and haunting in The Conjuring film sold for a cool $1.525 million. In today’s housing market, I’m not that surprised. However, the stipulations on the sale of the house are what make this story outrageous. The sellers were paranormal investigators who rented out the house to others. The sales contract requires the new owner to continue to use the house the same way and honor the existing reservations. They insist that living in the house is too dangerous. https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/the-conjuring-house-summons-1-525-milliona-27-increase-from-its-original-ask-01653487931

Terrifying bear home invasion in Wisconsin

This story rattled me. It’s quite weird. A couple in Wisconsin tried to shoo away a bear at their bird feeder early one night by yelling and making noise at it through an open window high enough off the ground that it should have been a safe location. The bear, however, deliberately came at the house and climbed up to and through the window screen and attacked the people inside. They finally were able to shoot the bear in the house but not after being bitten and scratched. The bear was female and had a cub. It’s unclear why the bear reacted in such an extreme way but it showed no fear of humans or of entering our domain. Authorities noted that this unusually aggressive behavior is rare. The cub was not seen again but would be old enough to survive on its own. https://www.wsaw.com/2022/05/21/bear-breaks-through-window-taylor-county-attacks-husband-wife/ and https://www.wpr.org/authorities-bear-was-uncharacteristically-aggressive-when-it-attacked-medford-couple-their-home

Man dies hanging from a tree bee attack

A landscaping technician died in Texas from a bee attack while suspended in a harness from a tree. In his efforts to swat away the bees, he kicked away the ladder. The huge hive was known to exist there but had never caused an issue previously. The swarm covered the man too quickly for anyone to do much. The best action to take in a bee attack is to run away from the hive as fast as possible and get to a sheltered location. In this case, that was not possible. https://www.krqe.com/news/national/texas-landscape-worker-dies-in-bee-attack-while-suspended-from-tree-it-was-horrible/

Keep your sheep under control

A sheep in South Sudan was sentenced to jail after attacking and killing a 45 yr old woman by headbutting her. While very strange, the loss of livestock in some countries is a major blow to the owner. He also has to pay five cows to the victim’s family for their loss. https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/sheep-sentenced-to-three-years-in-jail-for-killing-a-woman-in-africa-3003935

Elk calf rescued on burned ground

A newborn elk calf was found lying still in the ashes of a New Mexico wildfire. The baby, called Cinder, still had a part of the umbilical cord attached. Rescuers could not find a trace of the mother and so eventually took the animal to a wildlife center where it will grow up with a surrogate mother and raised with little human contact so it can eventually be released into the wild. https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-oddities-montana-missoula-santa-fe-bc77ceea40d846178277fe2e4dab7df6

Raccoon stuck in a tough spot

A raccoon in California chewed itself into a tough spot when it crawled through a hole in a roof and got stuck. The mother raccoon was left with her rear sticking out of the roof. A wildlife rescue crew helped the owner push the raccoon through the hole where it was able to escape. The raccoon had babies nearby. The homeowner blocked up the hole to prevent a rerun of the incident.  https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/05/24/raccoon-stuck-hole-roof-Santa-Cruz-California/6931653414594/

Man almost falls into Devil’s Arse

I don’t mean to make light of an accident that resulted in a rescue, but this guy almost fell into the Devil’s Arse. How embarrassing! The man got lost in the dark while heading to a concert being held at the Peak Cavern in Castleton, Sheffield. The natural cave got its lewd name back in the 16th century. The name was changed in the 19th century so the queen wouldn’t be offended. It’s a 100-foot drop to the cavern floor and the cave contains standing water. Apparently, the cavern makes rude noises when the water drains. https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/john-shuttleworth-concert-inside-devils-24021646.amp

Roaming bison to be captured

The wayward bison that has been roaming the Chicago suburbs since fall of last year made its way to Lakewood Forest Preserve. I noted this odd story back in April.  But the animal can’t stay; the preserve is not appropriate for such large animals. The owner of the bison may face fines if the animal remains loose in the preserve. https://wgntv.com/news/officials-working-to-remove-escaped-bison-from-forest-preserve/

Foam eruption in Ontario

Foam shot up out of the sewer system in Cambridge, Ontario last week surprising motorists and requiring a clean-up. The foam pushed through the maintenance holes in the roadway. The suspicion is that an industrial source discharged a detergent that created the foam. The pressure from the soapy bubbles pushed through like opening a soda can. There was no follow-up as to the source of the material. https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mysterious-foam-erupts-from-cambridge-roadway-1.5912708

Brian May spots new crop circle

Legendary rock musician Brian May of Queen, spotted one of Britain’s recent crop circles while traveling by air. He posted on Instagram. The formation, in Little Down, near Hippenscombe, Wiltshire was created in barley. A photographer using a drone captured the formation. http://cropcircleconnector.com/2022/littledown/littledown2022a.html

Cornwall commentators can’t get their floating ships in shape

The Cornwall coast is becoming known for its “floating ships”. Another incident of optical illusion that appears to show a ship floating above the sea was captured this week. The illusion is caused by fog or clouds obscuring the distant horizon, creating a false horizon, that makes it look as if the boat is suspended over the water. It is not a Fata Morgana or mirage as many media outlets, including the one in Cornwall, often report. Since this happens repeatedly, they might learn from it. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/another-ship-pictured-floating-clouds-7120670

Huge mushroom

An Australian teen found a 5.8-pound porcini mushroom while walking home from school in Adelaide Hills, South Australia. This is the only location in the southern hemisphere where porcini mushrooms are found. It may be a world record. https://www.9news.com.au/national/giant-mushroom-adelaide-adelaide-hills-boy-jasper-les-discovers-monstrous-mushroom-applies-for-guinness-world-record/9b9fdb1b-a294-4885-8ee2-56c7b8d37789

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