Weekly Weird News for October 15, 2021
Space rocks, weird signals, and out of place animals
Hello, readers. I'm glad you're here. Perusing the "strange news" sites this week, I'm reminded that most of this type of news is complete garbage - tabloids (who paid the "witness") reporting paranormal encounters with no solid evidence, ridiculous right-wing conspiracists raging about demon aliens, hucksters claiming they have "haunted objects" in their "museums", a dubious claim of Sasquatch on a FLIR recording, exaggerated apocalyptic headlines about normal geologic events, WalMarts as secret military bases... it's the usual BS that gives you no useful information. I've spared you the nonsense: Here are some actually interesting stories.
Mystery Boom in New Hampshire
I am addicted to stories about mystery booms. It seems like there are more and more of these cases in the worldwide media. Much is made of them because locals who experience the booms are disturbed and concerned that it could be illegal explosives or dangerous geological events like earthquakes or sinkholes that could threaten them. There have ALWAYS been mystery booms, though, long before backyard randos with tannerite. The latest booming headline was in New Hampshire this week. Several people across eastern NH recorded the boom on their security cameras last Sunday. Many called emergency services to report it. There were no traces of a shallow earthquake, which was what officials initially suspected (and even prematurely concluded on Facebook). This time, the likely explanation was a bolide explosion in the sky. It was bright and cloudy so the meteor went unseen. When meteors explode in the atmosphere, their visible trace usually vanishes before its sonic boom is heard. Therefore, it's hard for people to find the actual source. In this video, satellites captured a flash that was interpreted as the burst. No debris was found. The source was discovered by this local meteorologist.
Woman in British Columbia has a close call with a meteorite
Another meteorite made a boom of a different sort. On October 4, a woman in Golden, BC woke to a crash as a space rock went through her roof and landed on her pillow. The meteor had produced a fireball that was noted by astronomers and was predicted to fall in this location. It was one of these fragments that landed on (in?) the home. They are asking for people to check their outdoor cameras to see if they recorded the fireball which would have been visible throughout southeastern British Columbia and central and southern Alberta. The researchers also found another fragment along the suspected path. They expected that more might be found so residents should be on the lookout for odd rocks. As usual, the local story hit the major news outlets a few days later after it was well-confirmed. https://www.castlegarnews.com/news/b-c-woman-awakes-to-a-hole-in-her-roof-and-a-space-rock-on-her-pillow/
Unusual radio waves discovered could mean new find
Astronomers have detected a very unusual variable radio signal coming from near the center of the Milky Way. The signal has been picked up 17 times in under two years. The polarization of the signal and its variable light emission are features scientists have not seen before, so it could be a new kind of celestial object. Headlines have been dramatically crafted to emphasize that "Scientists are BAFFLED" which suggests they are confused or confounded. They are more curious and determined than "baffled" and are working to figure out what the signal means. They do not think it's an artificial source. So, no aliens. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211012080039.htm
Wild cat in Detroit suburbs
Two African caracal cats escaped (again) from a keeper in Detroit. One remained at large for days. The exotic cats are medium-sized and would cause more surprise by their interesting appearance than any harm. Probably. The MIA cat was finally located in a yard and it went right into the trap. But, hey, maybe this keeper shouldn't have exotic animals if she can't manage to keep them safely enclosed. It could have ended badly. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2021/10/14/african-caracal-escaped-royal-oak-home-captured/8448794002/
White wallaby spotted in UK
A young farmer out planting in Kenilworth, Britain spotted an odd white animal hopping around - a white wallaby. Wallabies are small kangaroos that are native to Australia and Tasmania. This visitor likely escaped from a private owner. So many people owned wallabies that have escaped that the species is established in the wild in Britain "as a result of escaping from captivity". No one has yet claimed the wayward wallaby. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-58899220
Eagle Owl tragedy
I noted a story last week about a Steller's sea eagle that had been recaptured after escaping from a Pittsburgh, PA aviary. When an Eurasian eagle owl flew away from her handler at the Minnesota Zoo, the ending was not a happy one. The bird was found along a highway and died from injuries. She had been raised at the zoo. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/gladys-the-mn-zoo-eurasian-eagle-owl-dies-after-being-found-injured/89-97cd7240-0154-4e23-abeb-fb3a64361926
Meanwhile...
Is someone missing a Komodo Dragon in London?
Unlikely. It's not plausible that someone has this endangered, internationally-protected, dangerous, and very large lizard in a private home so it's suspected to be a joke. But, these days, you just don't know how ridiculous people will be. https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2021/10/12/bizarre-poster-in-london-appeals-for-alleged-missing-komodo-dragon/
Two-headed turtle baby under care in Massachusetts
A two-headed diamondback terrapin hatchling was found in a nest at Sandy Neck in West Barnstable. The nest was in a bad location for the hatchlings of this threatened species so researchers collected the babies to keep until the spring. The bicephalic youngster(s) are doing well but it seems unlikely this duo will be released into the wild. I was lucky enough to spot some of these turtles on a dune trail in Cape Cod this past summer. https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2021/10/09/two-headed-terrapin/6049850001/
A call about snakes under a house gave rescuers more than they bargained for
Sonoma County Reptile Rescue in California responded to a call from a woman who thought there were snakes under her house. The house, on a rocky foundation, indeed was home to a den of snakes. The rescuers pulled out 88 rattlesnakes, mostly juveniles. The snakes were released at another location. Neighbors were flabbergasted. https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article254934517.html
Weapon of choice: Cobra
This is really weird but, apparently, it is becoming more common to use deadly snakes to kill people in India. A man in Kollam, Kerala was convicted of murdering his wife after he procured a cobra from a snake-handling friend that bit her. She died shortly after. The family of the woman had noted that the husband had moved to secure her property for himself before the incident that occurred in May of 2020. This source says he threw the snake on his wife who was in bed. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-14/indian-cobra-killer-sentenced-life-for-murdering-wife/100537826
But wait, that’s not the whole story. The reason why she was bedridden was that two weeks before she was bitten by a Russell's viper. Her husband was ultimately found to be responsible for both attempts to kill her. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58839298.
In a rare judgment, he received a double life sentence in jail. This article also notes that a similar case is also pending. https://www.ndtv.com/kerala-news/kerala-news-kerala-man-found-guilty-of-murdering-wife-by-cobra-snake-bite-2571922
Update on Alaskan otter attacks
The October 1 WWN included a story about otters attacking people in Anchorage, Alaska. In this update, scientists think that the focus of the attacks has been the dogs that accompanied the humans. If an otter had a past incident with a dog, the group of otters that have lived together for a while can preemptively react to the threat again. But otters move around, so if it is just one group responsible for the three attacks, they may be hard to find. https://www.livescience.com/otter-attacks-in-alaska
One note on this story, the Live Science piece notes that attacks are not fatal. But, there is a legend of a King Otter in Ireland long ago...
Man arrested for baby noises
Here's a story that makes you ask, "What the &%#$ is wrong with some people?" A man in the Netherlands placed a Bluetooth speaker into a trash can and played baby noises in three incidents. Police made an effort to search for what appeared to be an abandoned infant. They feared it was a repeat of an earlier incident involving a real abandoned newborn. A 48-year-old man was arrested for the prank. https://nltimes.nl/2021/10/10/police-arrest-man-placing-speakers-making-baby-sounds-container
Women claim bizarre attacks at UK bars
A serious story coming out of Liverpool, England claims that several women say they were "injected", scratched, or otherwise attacked in the city's bars. They are showing red marks and injuries on social media. Merseyside police are investigating but the article contains ZERO evidence that any drugs were injected or that the attacks were deliberate. It does sound like at least some of the claims were misinterpretations or dramatic assumptions about what really happened. It appears no one was hospitalized. If anyone knows more about this story, please comment. But as of now, the warnings and claims appear to be scarelore. https://mercury-magazine.com/2021/10/12/women-are-being-secretly-injected-on-nights-out/
Car seat TikTok scarelore
This is definitely scarelore. People are insanely terrified of sex traffickers, if you go by all the baseless nonsense on TikTok. See my blog post here. Rolling Stone magazine takes down the latest ridiculous rumor about car seats. The person who started the rumor says she “feels” something is going on. She has zero credentials about sex trafficking. She saw something odd and made massive and baseless leaps in logic. You should not pay attention to people with zero credentials in relation to what they are talking about. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/sex-traffickers-carseats-tiktok-rumor-1242263/
Your comments are welcome on any of the news stories.
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Kangaroos and wallabies have been in Britain for hundreds of years – I think someone gave some to King George and Queen Charlotte in the 18th century. Apparently they bred so well that he tried giving them away. Not quite sure how you'd refuse a gift like that from a king.