Weekly Weird News for October 1, 2021
Bad things befall us
Here's to another Weekly Weird Newsletter. CHEERS! When Thursday rolls around, I start typing up the stories I collected for the week and get a case of tendonitis. There is always a lot to sift through. Some links I send right to Twitter, so you should follow along there or check in on a regular basis. But I save a load of interesting stuff just for this so let's get to it…
Change in handling of "Havana syndrome" or UHIs (unidentified health incidents)
The NY Times reports that, as officers hesitate to accept foreign posts due to the apparent rise in reported incidents of concerning symptoms, the CIA is changing its procedure. In one particularly notable development, officers could first volunteer to receive brain scans and lab work prior to accepting a foreign assignment. This is an excellent suggestion. The tests provide a baseline and can be used to compare to later tests if the person reports symptoms. Post-symptomatic testing cannot determine if any anomaly is associated with the reported symptoms or some kind of exposure. The initial study of the first set of people reporting symptoms was inconclusive regarding "brain injuries" or trauma because one couldn’t be certain if the suspected injuries were pre-existing. For example, it was unclear if evidence of concussion was the result of recent exposure to some agent, or of a past injury that went undiagnosed. I also suspect that the testing may serve a secondary purpose: to reassure the officers that the government is concerned about taking their health seriously. If this syndrome is caused by stress-induced mass psychogenic illness, which seems the most probable cause right now, the additional care will go a long way towards alleviating the trouble the US government is experiencing with this frustrating situation. At least 100 CIA officers have suffered symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome since 2016, when, during the Trump administration, tensions with Cuba escalated. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/us/politics/havana-syndrome-house-intelligence-committee.html
A blob of deadly water is killing Cape Cod lobsters
Lobster catchers noticed that they were pulling up traps full of dead animals off the coast of Massachusetts. Water testing was deployed right away and showed that they had died from anoxia - lack of oxygen. Lobsters are bottom dwellers. Researchers discovered a thin layer of oxygen-poor water at the bottom of Cape Cod Bay. This "blob" of water suffocated the lobsters caught in the traps. Instrumentation is now being deployed with the traps to signal the presence of the "blob". The layer exists because the water is stratified and unmixed. Global warming can make this situation worse. https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/09/30/blob-water-low-oxygen-levels-cape-cod-bay-dead-lobsters/
An explosion of seaweed is ruining Cancun vacations
Sargassum seaweed season is between May and October each year. For the past decade, the seaweed has bloomed excessively, washing up on picturesque beaches of the Caribbean and spoiling the experience. The seaweed blooms are being studied, and scientists think they are being fed by sewage-laden local runoff and possibly nutrient-rich dust that gets blown in from Saharan Africa. In Mexico's famous Quintana Roo region, the Navy has removed more than 37,000 tons of the stuff. If left on the beach, it attracts bugs and begins to rot and stink. Locals are trying to get creative with better uses of the material than just fertilizer. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/besieged-by-seaweed-caribbean-scrambles-make-use-stuff-2021-09-29/
Mystery of the dead goats in Montana
In 2018, five baby goats were killed at a small farm. It initially looked as if they were killed by someone with a small-caliber rifle, which worried the owners. Then, it happened again. Four more of their pet goats were found dead this month. This time, the rapid response and expert examination revealed the cause. A mountain lion. Experts clearly noted evidence that the necks were punctures, not bullet holes. Only parts of the animals were eaten and the remains showed evidence of a lion kill. Note this detail in a quote by the wildlife expert who examined that animals: "[Lions will] eat the skin where they won't eat a lot of the other parts of the critter. And they're very surgical. It almost looks like it was cut with a knife, doesn't it?” Sounds familiar, doesn't it? It’s the same claims as with the cattle "mutilations" or “chupacabra attacks” that people say are mysterious but are almost always natural deaths or work of predators. It's not been confirmed if the 2018 kills were also from a mountain lion but that seems likely. It was a relief to read a reasonable piece like this that did not mention aliens, conspiracies, or a chupacabra. I do feel really bad about the goats, though. https://mtstandard.com/news/local/dead-goat-mystery-solved/article_f08b33e1-90d7-589b-b205-17b464653ea3.html
Otter attacks
I adore otters so I was shook by this latest news of an increase in attacks by river otters on people. Otters can carry rabies. There have been several attacks in Anchorage, Alaska on dogs and people in well-visited areas. Wildlife officials are unclear what’s gotten into the river otters. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/otters-attacking-people-dogs-anchorage-alaska/
Aberrant birds
A few bird stories flocked together in my news folder today. None of them are good news, sadly.
A rain of ravens occurred in Russia
A news source in Russia documented hundreds of dead ravens in Ust-Tarka in the Novosibirsk region. Dubbed an “aflockalypse", this is not a new phenomenon, though the name for a mass bird death scene first appeared in 2011 when there seemed to be a spate of mass mortality events that superstitious people associated with the Mayan calendar. At least this report of the event does suggest the most logical explanation - that they were poisoned. Birds that flock together often die together after eating poisoned bait or flying in poor weather conditions. https://xnewsnet.com/the-mystery-of-hundreds-of-dead-ravens-falling-from-the-sky-in-apocalyptic-scenes/
An errant emu causes a commotion in Colorado
An emu escaped and took a stroll in Fort Collins. The large birds have an annoying habit of walking up to people, seemingly curious about what you might taste like. I experienced this in an Australia zoo where I was followed by an emu that was left to freely roam around the park. It’s not great to be stalked by a 5-foot bird. When a Fort Collins resident spotted the animal on a trail, and it displayed its typical curious habits, she called the Humane Society. Shortly after, the wayward bird ran into a truck and was stunned but OK. A local put the animal in their vehicle! It was later returned to its owner. https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/09/29/mysterious-emu-spotted-fort-collins-trail-survives-truck-collision/5907354001/
The ivory-billed woodpecker is really, most sincerely, dead
The glorious ivory-billed woodpecker has been on the “critically endangered” “Red List” and presumed extinct for several years now. The population numbers were decimated by collectors but mostly because of habitat loss in the southern US. There have been a few claimed sightings, notably in Arkansas in 2004, but no definitive evidence was ever collected. The animal’s status was changed this week to officially extinct by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. 22 other animals were on the announced list. Some note that the Endangered Species Act was rolled out too late and could have saved more species. The public has a chance to comment on the listing before it’s official. You can bet people will make claims of sightings, but, sadly, even if a few isolated individuals still survive, they are effectively gone. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/climate/endangered-animals-extinct.html
Long missing moon rock recovered
A tiny bit of moon rock stuck to a wooden plaque that was gifted to Louisiana went missing for decades. An unnamed man had unknowingly picked up the display at a garage sale possibly 15 years ago. He planned to use it just for the wood and paid no attention to the lucite-covered rock chip or the wording. Just recently, he looked at it and discovered what it was. He returned the object to the state museum. Lesson learned from this story (and maybe the woodpecker tragedy): Valuable things can too easily disappear. They can quickly lose their perceived value when removed from contextual locations. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-092721a-louisiana-missing-goodwill-moon-rock-found.html
Phoenix neighborhood shakes and rattles
A neighborhood is experiencing rumbling and rattles several times a day that residents believe may be related to a nearby landfill. The events started in 2005 but have escalated recently, notably in September and October. Some residents say the rumbling is causing cracks in their homes. However, it's unlikely this is the case unless there is evident subsidence occurring. It takes a lot of ground movement to suddenly fracture materials that normally crack over time due to settling and environmental exposure. People also claim that the events make them feel "weird". This sounds more like an anxiety response. Clearly, this is not a good situation, though, as residents fear that methane may be migrating off the landfill through that doesn’t account for the rumbling. Officials have not found a problem with the landfill gas collection system and investigations are ongoing. As typically happens, the available news reports don’t do this story justice, leaving dozens of questions unanswered. https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/mysterious-vibrations-in-north-phoenix-neighborhood-concern-residents/75-017b48c3-deeb-43bd-80a3-6a5055eac832
Exploding gas pockets are a real deal in Siberia
In Siberia, methane explosions are not unusual. And they are getting worse as the warming climate melts the permafrost and causes gas releases. Huge holes have appeared in the tundra. Luckily they have not caused injuries or damage. The gas has accumulated over a very long time but the faster circulation of briny water underground creates an instability in the surface layers that can no longer hold the gas pressure and the pockets explode, leaving a crater. https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx5mmq/the-ground-is-literally-exploding-due-to-climate-change-in-siberia-and-its-going-to-get-worse
You gotta feel sorry for this poor Amazon driver
While approaching a house to deliver a package, an Amazon Prime driver swats at some insects and accidentally launches one of the packages he’s carrying. You can sympathize with his “Oh, shit” moment as the package goes up but doesn’t come down. He contacts the addressee to let them know that their package is on the roof. They didn’t get the message until later and were able to retrieve the package. When posting on TikTok, the owner hoped that the driver didn’t feel too bad about it because it made her day and it was all cool. Just goes to show, sometimes really weird accidents just happen. https://www.tiktok.com/@caseymcperry/video/7010858897477094662
Oh, look, another party!
A man that went missing in Turkey inadvertently joined his own search party. A drunk 50-yr old got lost in the woods after an evening’s entertainment. After coming across a search party, weirdly, he didn’t seem to ask any questions but just went along until they called out his name and he answered. Odd. This would be something you would not have seen making the news 40 years ago. Thanks, Internet. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58746703
The Conjuring house for sale
The house in Rhode Island that supposedly was the location for the haunting that was the subject of the first The Conjuring movie is up for sale. The house in Burrillville, Rhode Island was last owned by paranormal enthusiasts who used it for ghost hunting visitors. Seems that didn’t work out too well, or they just want to double their money in this up market. Anyways, the Hollywood-ized story of Bathsheba Sherman as a baby-killing witch is greatly exaggerated and partly fictionalized, hyped up by notorious pot-stirring, money-grabbers, Ed and Lorraine Warren. The previous owners experienced no weirdness except for all the unwanted trespassers. The realtor is capitalizing on the infamous association, anyhow. It’s downright hilarious that several of the gallery pics in the listing show Raggedy Ann dolls of the same type of the infamous Annabelle haunted doll also made famous by the Warrens in a different case that was a subject of another movie in the Conjuring franchise. The realtor also made a spooky YouTube marketing. So silly. The house will sell for sure. These days, a haunted reputation can be a feature. https://apnews.com/article/oddities-entertainment-movies-united-states-rhode-island-49c483cfd2e30010a0ad636c7e05eb16
Clown shortage
We are being told to expect supply chain disruptions not seen in decades as cargo ships can’t be moved and unloaded fast enough. And, there is a dearth of truck drivers, particularly in the UK where fuel shortages have caused some panic. On the flip side of that coin, there is a circus clown shortage. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-58733754
Lesbian space commune
Finally, I saved the silliest for last, believe it or not. Elon Musk’s artist ex-girlfriend and baby momma, Grimes, banks on shock value. She made this comment to a media site: “I’ll be colonizing Europa separately from Elon for the lesbian space commune.” She is alluding to NASA awarding Musk's rocket ship company SpaceX a contract for its mission to Europa, a moon of Jupiter. This could be just drama but it’s clearly sci-fi. https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3d877/grimes-elon-musk-lesbian-space-commune
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