Weekly Weird News for 3 March 2023

So, I’m a little late today because of a busy week. When I went to begin the collection of news stories, I realized this was a whopper of week for weird stuff! So this took me far longer than I thought! But here we go.

Elf shot

A big story this week has a buried lede. Or several, I can’t tell because it’s bizarre and in Spanish. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shared a picture of an alux, a supernatural entity similar to leprechauns or elves. It was supposedly related to the location of a controversial train line that cuts through the Maya Forest. Some people thought that was bad luck to promote the picture because angering an alux could cause disaster. Others thought it was ridiculous to encourage belief in the creatures. But the photo is not new (it’s from at least 2021), not taken in the area noted, and is not convincing. It looks like a photo taken in the dark of a person in the tree which was then photoshopped. The original photo was said to be of a witch.

There is a LOT of cultural and political information that is tied into this story. Also, note that the claim may have been the most outrageous thing that came to mind in order to serve as a distraction for other more serious shit going down in Mexico. https://knowyourmeme.com/news/mexico-president-amlo-alux-elf-protest-mayan

Also - noted only because of my personal interest - the thing was called a “cryptid” which used to be a presumably real animal but now means any mysterious, seemingly-sentient thing. Therefore, it serves as a pop cryptid - useful as a representation in a broader cultural context and not holding to the original intent of the word used as a shortcut for cryptozoological organisms. For more on Pop Cryptids, you can go here.

As with other paranormal claims from areas in the world, it’s usually a mistake to judge the incident viewed only from our lens or to view it literally as a monster sighting. It goes far deeper - as some wish to convince others that the world is mystical and special, or that we are doing things that have (good or bad) consequences. The association with the railroad, while false, was important as this is a pet project of the President. But I can’t really comprehend how this would put a positive spin on the troubled project. Seems like the opposite could be construed - that the project is cursed. But, as I said, one has to be cautious in interpreting other cultures.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/28/amlo-elf-aluxe-photo/ and https://yucatanmagazine.com/so-whats-an-alux-and-did-amlo-make-it-angry/ and https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/58321/1/everything-mystical-very-important-investigation-maya-elves-alux-amlo

Havana syndrome report shows no single cause

The official government intelligence investigation on Havana Syndrome found it was not a coordinated attack against U.S. personnel. They could find no immediate single cause. The findings reflect the evidence that no entity could target people in this way with an as yet unidentified device that emitted microwaves or sound or something else that could cause the symptoms and effects reported by victims. However, some people are not buying it. It conflicts with previous report findings that suggest some “weapon” or device was likely. There are simply too many leaps to make to say some nefariously used devices could produce the effects as reported. So, this latest finding, which fits with the stress-induced sociogenic illness effect, is the most reasonable finding to date. I haven’t read the report yet but it is available here. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2023/item/2361-dni-statement-on-the-intelligence-community-assessment-on-ahis

This issue is most certainly not resolved. I don’t expect it will ever be and will forever be the source of conspiracy ideas. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-intelligence-report-weapon/

Poisoning claims from Iranian schools for girls

There have been hundreds of cases of reparatory distress reported from schoolgirls in Iran where it is suspected that the Taliban poisons the children in an effort to shut down the schools. While that sounds plausible, the articles call the poisonings “mysterious” and there aren’t any details about what caused the illness. This suggests that, again, we may be seeing the pernicious effects of stress. When one in a group falls ill, the others react sympathetically. It’s a tricky subject to tackle because it feels like the threat or the manifested illness is being downplayed. But, as with the Havana Syndrome story above, it’s better to be aware of all possible conclusions in order to react and treat appropriately. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/28/iran-schoolgirls-hospital-poisoning-pardis-qom

Cheetah escape

Last month, there was a scary set of incidents where several zoos were vandalized allowing animals to escape. Maybe we’re not done yet. A cheetah escaped from her enclosure at the Omaha zoo. Luckily, she was quickly spotted because she was still behind a public barrier. It’s not clear how she escaped but vandalism has not been mentioned. She was just being a cat. https://www.klkntv.com/cheetah-escapes-habitat-triggering-emergency-protocols-at-omahas-henry-doorly-zoo/

Prehistoric insect claimed found at Walmart

The headlines for this story are misleading by suggesting that a long-extinct insect (from about 150 million years ago) was discovered by an entomologist who just happened to be walking into an Arkansas Walmart. He noticed it on the side of the building and did what any good insect scientist would do, he collected it. Later, he discovered it was a species that had not been recorded in eastern North America for 50 years, where it used to be prevalent. So, while super-interesting to insect collectors, the giant lacewing isn’t a prehistoric survivor, just a bit of a surprise, which is nice. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/01/giant-lacewing-insect-rediscovered-walmart-arkansas

Fish still very fresh, even after 3 days

A woman bought a fish, specifically a Crucian carp (that’s important) from a fish monger to eat for Chinese New Year. After two days in the “freezer”, the fish was still alive and moving its gills. She revived it in the bathtub and later found a home for it in a koi pond. True? Probably. This kind of carp is noted to be “the most hypoxia-tolerant fish known, and can survive without oxygen for days to months under the ice of shallow lakes”. So, yeah, the fish was fine, just another chilly weekend. https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/27/woman-finds-fish-she-bought-is-still-alive-after-two-days-in-freezer-18355918/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/crucian-carp

Aber-clam Lincoln

A big clam (quahog) was dug up in Florida. It was so big (over two pounds) that the finder took it to the aquarium. By counting the rings on the clam, it was estimated it was over 200 years old - likely born in 1809, the same year as Abraham Lincoln. The clam was then released back into the Gulf. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2023/02/26/quahog-clam-named-aber-clam-lincoln-found-on-florida-coast/69933292007/

Lincoln, Lincoln, you’ve been drinkin’

A whisky fungus. Who knew there was such a thing? Some residents of Lincoln County, Tennessee knew. They see the crusty fungus cover objects everywhere, fed by the vapors coming from the Jack Daniels whisky distillery - their rooftops, tree branches, fences, and signs. Now, people are suing over it. The fungus doesn’t seem to be dangerous, just unsightly. The way to stop it is to turn off its food - alcohol fumes. People want JD to install air filters. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/us/whiskey-fungus-jack-daniels-tennessee.html

Dust on cars making people nervous

Last week, I linked to a story about strange “soot” that was reported by residents in Connecticut who feared it was related to the Ohio toxic train wreck. This week, I found another story that people in Maryland and West Virginia reported ashy dust that also coated their cars overnight. Many called emergency services. The dust was coming all the way from New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma as a result of a storm system. Meteorologists were tracking the dust cloud which remained in the atmosphere that far east due to strong winds aloft. https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/science/3874697-people-in-maryland-west-virginia-find-mysterious-dust-on-cars-what-is-it/

Gruesome discovery

A family in Argentina got confirmation of a tragic death in the worst way possible. The remains of a tattooed arm was found in the belly of a shark. A 32 yr old man was last seen riding on the coast. He disappeared and it was feared he’d had an accident and been dragged out to the sea by the tidal surge. A 5 ft shark was found with the remains in its stomach after being caught by fishermen. https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/tattooed-arm-missing-man-found-inside-shark-caught-by-fishermen/N44V5Z4I6JDC7JQ5NETCBS74WY/

Dumb promotion

California police received multiple calls regarding an entity standing at a street corner in Sonoma wearing black and the iconic “Scream” mask. Guess what new movie is coming out soon? People were creeped out. Apparently, the location was also where the original “Scream” was filmed, according to some local commenters. This person is lucky he didn’t get attacked. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/03/01/Scream-Ghostface-Somona-California-911-calls/7781677696124/

A psychic on trial claims supernatural defense

You will be glad you’re not a part of either of the families involved in this case of a psychic con job in Florida (of course). A psychic told a client she would break a family curse and cure the mother of cancer if paid enough. The client stole the money from her husband and the psychic gave it to her family members who bought a lot of cool stuff with it. The psychic, now on trial, said the client got what she paid for and believed the spiritual magic worked. The client herself served jail time for the theft. I mean, YIKES. https://www.fox13news.com/news/lawyers-in-fraud-case-argue-psychic-kept-evil-spirits-from-client-accused-of-stealing-1-million

Planetary conjunction was just too weird for people in Utah

If you looked at the sky anytime this past week in the early evening, you probably noticed the two very bright objects in the sky close together. They were hard to miss. They were, in fact, Venus and Jupiter. They have been particularly close these past few days prompting people in the Mountain Western U.S., who aren’t very astro-savvy, to report them as UFOs. Does no one google anymore? https://kjzz.com/news/local/gallery-ufo-sightings-reported-across-mountain-west-region and https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/world/venus-jupiter-conjunction-how-to-see-scn/index.html

Cell tower as a playground feature

Just a reminder, there is still ridiculous fear over cell towers and health-related concerns. Parents were worried the kids in a Michigan school will be exposed to “radiation” from a new cell tower placed on the playground. Now, admittedly, this is a dumb location since the tower has high-voltage equipment at its base. But the idea that cell phone towers are a hazard is bogus. But, how about gun control standards instead, you know… things that are actually killing children that can be reasonably regulated? https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2023/03/02/parents-express-health-safety-concerns-over-t-mobile-tower-near-elementary-school-in-wayne-county/

Repossessed possessed cars

Automaker Ford has applied for a patent to trigger self-driving cars (of the future) to drive away from their owner if payments haven’t been made. At first blush, this sounds dumb. But repossessing is an expensive and sometimes hazardous activity. At second blush, this still sounds dumb. Why not just disable the car or trigger a tracker to find it? Well, if you read the article, it does appear that’s the case. Functionality would be increasingly diminished along with added annoyances of warnings and lock outs, before moving to a nearby location on its own in order for a tow truck to remove it. Still, seems extreme. https://www.thedrive.com/news/future-fords-could-repossess-themselves-and-drive-away-if-you-miss-payments

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