Weekly Weird News for November 5, 2021
The truth never gets in the way of a weird news story
Welcome to another brain-folding edition of weird news that you might have missed because you were busy doing actually useful stuff.
Jetpack Jack busted
Possibly the most popular but maybe not obviously the most newsworthy story of the week is an update on the Jetpack man sightings around Los Angeles. In the July 30, 2021 edition of this newsletter, I linked to another in a series of well-publicized incidents of a commercial pilot reporting a sighting of a “jet pack” figure over LAX airspace. This was following reports from the previous August and October. In December, someone took a video from a private plane showing some object. It was the December video that was highly suggestive that this was a balloon. People were seeing something. I thought it could possibly be a large character balloon in a human-like shape considering the conditions and movement. Human-shaped balloons exist where the technology for a human to fly that high and long in a jet pack did not. Turns out, yeah, that “probably” was probably correct. But the “jet pack” explanation was SO COOL that people didn’t want to be reasonable and don’t want to let it go. A video was obtained by a local news team and showed a Jack Skellington balloon flying free, and looking like it could easily be misinterpreted. But this video from November 2020 doesn’t mean all the sightings were of this one type of balloon. There are other full-size balloons that can fit this bill. This does provide a tidy and reasonable explanation. I’m going to call it: balloons. Mystery solved. But Jet Pack Jack is too good of a story and you can guarantee that the truth won’t get in the way of this great story. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/pictures-jet-pack-man-in-sky-near-lax/2742742/
TikTok tic-tac-toe
In a story last week about TikTok videos prompting tics in teenage girls, here is a follow-up by medical experts advising that the media is not doing a good job discussing Tourette Syndrome, which isn’t just “tics”. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/dont-jump-to-conclusions-about-so-called-tiktok-tics/
Michael Myers in Court
In the September 17 edition of this newsletter, I linked to a story of an attorney who, for giggles, dressed up like Halloween movie killer Michael Myers and walked along a beach in Galveston, Texas with a prop knife. In an update, the dude appeared in court representing clients wearing the same costume. A bit of a lark or the mockery of the justice system? You may have your opinion about whether this crossed the line of jurisprudence or not. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/29/photos-eccentric-texas-attorney-wore-michael-myers-costume-to-court-because-judge-triple-dog-dared-him-to/
Bystander effect
On October 13, a woman was raped on a transit train in Philadelphia. The narrative promoted in news reports afterward was that many people saw the crime but ignored it and didn’t help her. Or, that they filmed it with their cellphones. This is a case of the “bystander effect”, epitomized by the 1964 incident where Kitty Genovese screamed bloody murder but was still bloodily murdered on a city street. Again, the narrative was that no one helped because they didn’t want to get involved or assumed others would help. As with the Genovese case, authorities are now concluding that the bystander narrative was false. The situation of the recent rape case was that people getting on and off the train likely couldn’t tell what was going on. Only two recordings are documented and both of those were provided to police. Research does show that if faced with a serious crime taking place, 90% of people would intervene. This is a situation complicated by many social and physical factors. At least, it shines a light on issues that need to be addressed in our daily lives. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/01/philadelphia-police-bystanders-filming-mistaken-narrative
Slice of America
If you have some time and want to understand the degree of polarization in the US and how it’s affecting the strange state of the country today, peruse this new study by PRRI about Cultural Change and Anxiety in America. CNN focused on the increase in the belief of ludicrous and illogical ideas by the far-right.
Here is a link to the entire survey that explores a wide array of ideas and opinions. Worth a look! Note the fear of change and the unknown. Also note the factor of Christianity that strongly influences answers. https://www.prri.org/research/competing-visions-of-america-an-evolving-identity-or-a-culture-under-attack/
The popular disconnect from reality is ever-present in the news. But here is a story almost too bizarre to believe. On November 1, people gathered in Dallas, Texas on the basis of a crackpot QAnon theory that JFK Jr. (deceased 1999) would make an appearance before midnight on the infamous grassy knoll to declare Donald Trump as president. Yes, you read that right - it really does make no sense. It’s more like a fever dream of weird wishes cobbled together incoherently. Perhaps one hundred people attended in earnest. I feel a bit relieved that it wasn’t a thousand or more. A not-insignificant portion of Americans are severely misinformed and they are basing their decision-making on these fantasies. There is no ready exit from that train of thought. https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/QAnon-believers-Dallas-texas-JFK-jr-16585365.php
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier, there is a rumor that Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is JFK, Jr. in disguise. This may be a complete-bullshit-made-up rumor, but, really, how can you distinguish actual fake bullshit if everything else produced by this crowd is already a certifiable cowpie? Strange days, indeed. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a38172879/qanon-rolling-stones-jfk-jr/
Putrid smell is making Carson, California residents ill
Since early October, residents have been plagued by a horrible smell coming from rotting vegetation in the Dominguez Channel in Carson. The smell is also affecting other nearby communities. The residents petitioned their officials to do something as the smell is now so bad, it’s making people sick. Officials say the hydrogen sulfide stench coming from decomposing matter is not at dangerous levels. But it is at highly annoying levels - no one should have to put up with that. To fix the problem, officials are trying deodorizers and aeration but bigger solutions have been delayed. Let’s just be clear, if this was a high-rent area, this problem would have a much faster solution. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-25/carson-smell-persists-as-fed-up-residents-confront-elected-officials
Dead man’s fingers
Residents of Wales are warned to avoid a plant that looks like parsnips but is really the toxic hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), also known as Dead man’s fingers. The plant is washing up on shores after recent stormy weather. Consumption by people or animals can be fatal. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/01/public-told-to-avoid-highly-poisonous-plant-washed-up-on-cumbria-beaches-hemlock-water-dropwort-parsnip
Publishing “nonsense gibberish” at Springer Nature
Scientific publisher Springer Nature is facing criticism after 44 papers in Arabian Journal of Geosciences from earlier this year were removed because they were faked. The papers consisted of “utter gibberish” and were of no coherent value. Many involved researchers based in China. Nonsense papers that manage to get through the “peer review” process are still showing up on a regular basis. Many scientific journals lack strong standards and serve as publishing mills that researchers can use to pad their C.V. The titles don’t even pass the straight-face test; one example: “Distribution of earthquake activity in mountain area based on embedded system and physical fitness detection of basketball”. Springer Nature has an “integrity director” who is looking into the systematic failures. He’s either very very busy or really really bad at this job. Science publishing is a broken system. https://retractionwatch.com/2021/11/04/springer-nature-geosciences-journal-retracts-44-articles-filled-with-gibberish/
Immaculate conception in condors
A new study in the Journal of Heredity suggests that critically endangered California condors can reproduce asexually. The researchers found out that two of the chicks in the small and heavily studied population did not share genetic information with the male condors presumed to be their fathers. Further DNA checking revealed that no male birds were a parental match. The genetic information was gained entirely via the mother. Both chicks later died. Parthenogenesis is rare in birds. It was not known to be possible in condors prior to this, which suggests that it may be more prevalent in birds than previously suspected. https://gizmodo.com/two-california-condors-had-virgin-births-researchers-s-1847956681
Mountain lion encounter in Massachusetts is highly plausible
A woman walking her dog at dusk in a heavily wooded park in Waltham, MA said she had a close-up encounter with a mountain lion. Her description is detailed, clear, and sounds very much like how a puma would behave. The animal was stalking her. Her dog initially scared it away and she made a run for her vehicle, but when it appeared again, she intimidated it with a large tree branch. No additional sightings or evidence were noted in the media reporting. Officials brushed it off saying it was a bobcat but that simply doesn’t track with the stalking behavior. A male mountain lion traveled all the way from South Dakota to New England in 2011 before it was killed on a Connecticut road. This happened! So while officials don’t want to spark panic, it’s very reasonable to think that lone cats could once again find their way here and people should be alert. https://www.wcvb.com/article/waltham-massachusetts-bobcat-fox-bark-dog-walking/38126930
Out of the bees and into the piranhas
In a case of “out of the frying pan and into the fire,” three Brazilian men had a very very bad day. While fishing at a lake, a 30 yr old man and his companions were attacked by bees. They jumped in the lake to escape but he went missing. The lake was inhabited by piranhas. His body was later found near the shore hours later. He had been attacked by the fish. It seems likely that, in his panic, he had drowned. It’s not clear if the piranha attack caused the fatality but news headlines say he was killed by the flesh-eating fish. Death by piranha is very rare. It’s a jaw-dropping story. https://7news.com.au/news/world/desperate-bid-to-escape-bees-forces-brazilian-fishermen-into-piranha-filled-lake--c-4415004
Spider explosion in Georgia
The Joro spider (Trichonephila clavata) is an orb-weaver spider from Asia that builds round webs. The colorful and harmless spiders up to three inches across had been inadvertently introduced into Georgia sometime prior to 2014. They really like it here and their population has blossomed making for a difficult summer for arachnophobes. It’s unknown if the spiders will cause a disruption in the local web of life, particularly if they eat pollinating insects. But most entomologists think that these harmless spiders will be more of a benefit by catching nuisance insects like moths and grasshoppers. The spider is expected to spread to neighboring states. This invader is not considered to be catastrophic like the spotted lanternfly that is rampaging across Pennsylvania. That hitchhiker species destroys millions of dollars worth of trees and vineyards as well as makes sitting outside unbearable due to their penchant for landing on upright things, like people. Yuck. I WISH we had spiders instead. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joro-spiders-georgia-asia-invasive-species/
New placard for Champy
Finally, the monster of Lake Champlain gets another historical marker in New York. Officials in Moriah, NY erected an informational sign regarding the folklore version of the tale where the famous lake monster was the result of a scorned suitor who murdered his love and threw himself into Bulwagga Bay, thus becoming the literal monster. This version of the story is not always encountered in cryptozoological takes about Champ. https://www.pressrepublican.com/news/local_news/historic-marker-pays-homage-to-champ-bulwagga-bay/article_ba4c5860-1d29-5e1a-bf88-e7cd4b0f3773.html
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“The Red Army,” Midnight Tales #12, April 1975. A man flees to a river to escape being eaten by voracious ants, only to be attacked by piranhas. https://comiconlinefree.net/midnight-tales/issue-12/full
Re: Out of the bees and into the piranhas
Fortean Times #30 (undated; circa 1979), p. 13, carried this summary of a report from the 12 August 1977 Daily Telegraph. “A man who went fishing on the banks of the Amazon’s Rio Negro was attacked by infuriated bees after he struck their nests while trying to free his line from a tree. To escape, he leapt into the river, where he was devoured by piranha fish.” I have no idea whether we have here a contemporary legend or two hopefully rare examples of bees and piranhas cooperating in doing in fishermen.