Weekly Weird News for September 3, 2021

Hurricane strangeness and a sinking feeling

It's been a really tough week in the US. I mean, really beat-you-down want-to-scream tough. I tried to distract myself by focusing on news that, maybe in the larger scheme of things doesn't matter but it's good to think about something else for a while. I hope you enjoy this week’s weird news. Please share the link on your social media of choice.

Landfall in Minnesota

The biggest weird story this week came out of Minnesota where several factors resulted in a large rotational slump appearing suddenly in a bean field. A farmer in northwestern Minnesota discovered a vertical 25 ft scarp in his black bean field. Crevasses and slumps continued as the land moved towards the river en masse. Geologists with the University of North Dakota say the past dry weather, a drop in water levels on the Red River and then rains can cause the ground to become unstable. A thick bed of heavy clay soil sits atop a sandier bed causing the instability and sudden mass movement of ground. But this event was spectacular. https://www.twincities.com/2021/08/26/northern-mn-bean-field-collapses-falls-25-feet/

Scientists say another rather dumb thing about the river flowing backward

Much was made of a report that Hurricane Ida caused the Mississippi River in Belle Chasse, LA to "reverse direction" or "flow backward". Oh, dear. I really wish the media and even scientists would stop being so dramatic. A river doesn't change direction suddenly, the drainage continued in the established path. However, the amount of extra water that was pushed into the delta from the Gulf ahead of the storm happened to temporarily overwhelm the normal drainage volume in the usual direction in this area. A hydrologist from the USGS was quoted as saying this it is "extremely uncommon" for their river gages to record this. But, it's happened with Katrina (2005), and with Issac (2012). Some rivers regularly reverse current with the tide. It's not uncommon with really large storms like this. It's surely happened many times in history. The river gages measured only a very local area so it is misleading to say the "river" flowed backward. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/29/weather/mississippi-river-hurricane-ida/index.html

Watch the waters! Fatal alligator attack in the floodwaters

An elderly man was attacked by an alligator while wading through floodwaters from Hurricane Ida in New Orleans. The man's wife said she had pulled him from the water after witnessing the attack. But he had lost an arm. When she left to get help, he disappeared. The body has not been recovered. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-man-presumed-dead-ida-floodwater-alligator-attack-survived-hurricane-n1278291

A dolphin was also seen swimming far inland in the same area, Sidell, LA because of floodwaters. Animals can become trapped as the water recedes. Other dangerous animals, like snakes, can seek shelter in populated areas already facing countless storm-related hazards. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/09/01/Hurricane-Ida-dolphin-Slidell-Louisiana/1251630528791/

Denying death-by-Covid

A Pennsylvania family grieves the loss of their young relative who rejected vaccination and masks. A 27-year-old man from (strongly pro-Trump) Clearfield County, PA was described as believing the misinformation and lies promoted by conservative Republicans. His sisters made sure the world knows that Covid killed him. This article reveals that many denialist families hide the fact that their loved ones died from a disease they pronounced was a "hoax". Cognitive dissonance is a very powerful thing. It is killing a lot of people these days. One interesting observation is that Kyle's tombstone also reveals his interest in Bigfoot. Critical thinking is important, guys. Really important. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/30/1011785899/when-covid-deaths-are-dismissed-or-stigmatized-grief-is-mixed-with-shame-and-ang

Herd of cows in North Dakota drop dead

58 cows were found dead and 15 more cows suffered spontaneous abortions near Jamestown, North Dakota at the end of July. Investigators could not find a natural reason for the mass deaths after conducting tests on the carcasses. They now suspect foul play, particularly nitrate poisoning. No, not aliens. But there are a few clues in this story that suggest someone wants the cattle out of the picture. First, they were grazing in a wildlife refuge. Cows destroy the natural landscape even though "livestock grazing" is considered a feature. I honestly can't understand why. If someone can provide a link to why this is allowed, and considered acceptable, please comment. Second, there were previous incidents that suggest there is local trouble. Two cows had been shot earlier in July and there was a suspicious hay fire in April. This may be mysterious but it seems likely to be a human agent involved. https://www.agweek.com/business/agriculture/7177495-North-Dakota-officials-investigate-unnatural-deaths-of-58-cows

Chloe Mrozak - First Class Dumbass

A Chicago woman is arrested in Hawaii for avoiding the state's quarantine laws by trying to pass off a fake vaccination card. "Moderna" was spelled "Maderna" which raised suspicion. The record was checked and found to be false along with other misinformation she had provided. Ignorance and circumstances may be forgivable but deliberate human stupidity and hubris deserves a good kick in the ass. https://wgntv.com/news/oak-lawn-woman-arrested-at-honolulu-airport-for-submitting-fake-maderna-vaccination-card/

Someone dumped an illegal head

A couple taking a walk along a well-traveled street in western PA discovered a discarded, taxidermied rhino head. Police say it is genuine and may be decades old. Surveillance footage from nearby shows some guy just dumped it there. It is illegal to import or sell rhinoceros parts in the U.S. https://www.wtae.com/article/aspinwall-police-investigate-after-rhino-head-is-found-on-street-corner/37425363

Twin elephants

Last WWN review, I mentioned the new laws in Sri Lanka to protect elephants. Well, these new babes came at a good time. Twin births for elephants are rather rare. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/58410223

6 feet of hair

A woman in Virginia grew her hair for 17 years and it reached 6 feet in length. By having it cut and donated for human hair wigs to help others, she became associated with a new Guinness world record for "most hair donated to a charity by an individual." https://wjla.com/news/local/virginia-woman-guinness-world-record-cuts-6-feet-hair

Thrill seeker pays the ultimate price

A paranormal daredevil drowned in the Singapore River after being heckled on Facebook for being a faker. He accepted a dare to swim the river at night and didn't make it. The man had gained attention by appearing in popular videos describing paranormal encounters. He also said he would stay overnight in haunted places so he was familiar with facing scary situations. The Facebook dare mentioned the use of black magic. The stunt was recorded live but has since been removed from Facebook. Social media, man, don't get into it so seriously that it ruins your life. https://mothership.sg/2021/08/drowning-boat-quay/

Moldavite urban legends

TikTok is possibly the leading promoter of trends these days. Most of them are just dumb. One trend is the popularity of moldavite gemstone for crystal healing. The popularity of the green tektite crystal sent the prices for the gem skyrocketing. But then came the "curse" videos. Some TikTokkers reported they experienced bad luck from the stone. This Vice writer wore a "cursed" crystal for a week for some surprising results. https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkb4w8/tiktok-cursed-crystal-moldavite-experience

Murder hornet nest destroyed

A giant murder hornet nest was destroyed in Washington. The nest was found in a dead Alder tree not far from the Canadian border. Workers found nearly 1,500 hornets "in various stages of development," in a nine layer nest. 67 additional hornets were caught with nets. Murder hornets made headlines in 2019 when they were discovered in the US. It's possible they were here prior to that but dangerous species that kills honey bees and can deliver a very nasty sting seems to be establishing itself here. At least it's not hard to find. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/murder-hornet-nest-destroyed-washington/

Stinky Lake

Residents along Lake Erie in Ohio reported a gas smell. The odor was due to a lake inversion caused by strong winds. The wind reduces the surface pressure and brings the organic-rich and hydrogen-sulfide-laden bottom waters to the surface. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/09/02/mystery-odor-Lake-Erie-Inversion-Mentor-Ohio/4091630614717/

Too many in one place

Hundreds of sand dollars wash up on Oregon beach. The local aquarium staff say the animals, related to sea urchins, were stranded at high tide. It's unclear what caused the stranding. https://www.thechronicleonline.com/news/on-the-beach-sand-dollars-wash-up-along-north-oregon-coast/article_5f4e3a9e-ff8c-11eb-9281-8bba5dce5b1d.html

A jellyfish bloom in Crimea drives tourists away and signals an ocean imbalance.

Rubber blocks on beach

Heavy rubber blocks have been washing up on Corpus Christi beaches during times of strong currents. The rubber blocks are believed to be from a German cargo ship that was sunk by the U.S. off the coast of Brazil in 1944. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2021/08/31/mysterious-rubber-blocks-washing-up-on-texas-beaches-

Did a tv crew find the fabled missing Flight 19?

A crew for History Channel’s show History’s Greatest Mystery have found remain of an Grummon Avenger airplane, the same kind as that in the popular mystery of the missing Flight 19 group of five that went missing in a training flight in 1946. The missing planes are most notable as fodder for the Bermuda Triangle mystery. The Today show examines the myth of the Triangle and interviews the diver who headed the exploration team. The find was exciting but it was not confirmed that it was part of the Flight 19 group. It could be another lost Avenger craft from the Navy known to have gone down in this area. Regardless, the Today show did a good job of noting the Bermuda Triangle mystery is no mystery at all. Planes and ship disasters and disappearances occur at a rate no higher than normal in this heavily-trafficked area of the sea. https://www.today.com/news/history-channel-doc-reveals-key-discovery-bermuda-triangle-t229521

Search for beaked whales

In 2014, some researchers in the Pacific glimpsed a whale species they could not identify. Now, others are heading out to find a group of whales they believe are beaked whales from the genus Mesoplodon. These whales are very poorly known. The researchers will chronicle their trip to the Eastern Pacific gyre in search of the rare animals. https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/oregon-researchers-beaked-whale/283-d67cae11-64da-4bc6-a84a-42870b7e6386