News Weird News Compilation

[pinball1970]

I was once in a mostly deserted shopping center that had Last Christmas on, but whatever media player it was on was broken. It went

Last year I gave you my heart,
The very next d-
Last year I gave you my heart,
The very next d-
Last year I gave you my heart,
The very next d-

I did not stay long enough to find out how long it took them to get it fixed...

A loop of "All I want for xmas is you," by Maria Carey would be my worst nightmare.
East 17, 'Stay now' hot on its heels.
Lots of others but I don't want to ruin Sunday lunch.

 

[mfb]

I did not stay long enough to find out how long it took them to get it fixed...

Neither did the employees.

 

[nsaspook]

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/black-eyed-peas-my-humps-poopsie-slime-surprise-1235496721/
Black Eyed Peas’ ‘My Humps’ Ripped Off by Pooping Unicorn Toy, Lawsuit Claims

 

[Borg]

Not exactly news since the crash occurred over a decade ago but does qualify as weird.

Winganon Space Capsule​

A detached cement mixer has been transformed to resemble a relic from some obscure NASA mission to Oklahoma.​

 

[Ivan Seeking]

They hate Last Christmas because she worked in a place that had it on a loop. I can dig it. I stayed in a hotel in Nanjing for two days. They had van Beethoven's Fur Elise on a loop. I was so glad to leave.

The BIC Camera stores in Japan have a short stupid jingle on a loop. I could never work there. As it is I go in, buy what I need and get out

A loop of "All I want for xmas is you," by Maria Carey would be my worst nightmare.
East 17, 'Stay now' hot on its heels.
Lots of others but I don't want to ruin Sunday lunch.

When I was in college, I worked at a store in a small timber town. You haven't lived until you hear Jingle Bells played on chainsaws 30 times a day.

The rest of the year, we spent a lot of time worrying about Jake getting fed if his owner died before he awoke.

 

[Astronuc]

Weird, and tragic - Dog steps on rifle in backseat of truck, fatally shoots Kansas man, officials say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/dog-steps-rifle-backseat-truck-145705129.html

A dog stepped on an unsecured and loaded rifle, which inadvertently discharged striking a passenger in the back. "EMS personnel administered CPR before the victim was pronounced dead."

I have to wonder if the person who was fatally shot owned the rifle, or was it the owner/driver of the truck
Nevertheless, the recommended, but not mandatory, practice, is the "engage the safetey, unload/remove live ammunition until one is ready to use, and store in a safe container until withdrawn for use".

 

[Borg]

Stupid is as stupid does. It's part of the reason why I'm not friends with some people that I used to know. Guns are not toys and should always be treated as if they're loaded and can go off at any time.

 

[jrmichler]

Guns are not toys and should always be treated as if they're loaded and can go off at any time.

One of the fundamental rules of firearms safety. But it's only taught to hunters and those who take concealed carry courses.

I had an uncle that shot himself on two different occasions. The first case involved him grabbing a loaded gun from the back seat by the muzzle. The trigger snagged on something and he shot himself in the belly. He fully recovered from that one. The second time, he had both hands over the muzzle of a loaded gun that was resting on his foot. The butt slipped off his foot, the gun discharged, and both of his hands were were partly and permanently crippled. He eventually died of old age. All of that was in the days before hunter safety courses existed.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Weird, and tragic - Dog steps on rifle in backseat of truck, fatally shoots Kansas man, officials say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/dog-steps-rifle-backseat-truck-145705129.html

A dog stepped on an unsecured and loaded rifle, which inadvertently discharged striking a passenger in the back. "EMS personnel administered CPR before the victim was pronounced dead."

I have to wonder if the person who was fatally shot owned the rifle, or was it the owner/driver of the truck
Nevertheless, the recommended, but not mandatory, practice, is the "engage the safetey, unload/remove live ammunition until one is ready to use, and store in a safe container until withdrawn for use".

K.S.A. 12-16,124(d) provides that “no person shall be prosecuted under any ordinance, resolution or regulation for transporting a firearm in any air, land or water vehicle if the firearm is unloaded and encased in a container which completely encloses the firearm.”
https://www.concealedcarryonline.co...g the manner of transporting a loaded firearm.

 

[berkeman]

One of the fundamental rules of firearms safety. But it's only taught to hunters and those who take concealed carry courses.

And Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) and military personnel, of course.

Even so, accidents still happen. But as long as the two most fundamental firearm safety practices are used, hopefully there will be no injuries or deaths that result: 1) treat all firearms as if they are loaded, even if you know for sure that it is not, and 2) always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

One accidental discharge that I witnessed was at a rural community shooting competition, where everybody was an experienced hunter. One participant was setting his shotgun in the bed of his pickup truck when it went off and shot a hole in the side of the bed of his truck, and luckily did not hit anybody. He was asked to leave that event after he unloaded his firearm.

One other incident ironically was inside the Sheriff's offices of a local agency, where I was in a meeting in the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Briefing Room that was part of those offices. A plain clothes officer took off his coat and shoulder harness to hang them up in the bathroom stall while they relieved themselves. Unfortunately the trigger of the pistol in the holster in the harness snagged the hanger hook, and the pistol fired a round up through the roof. You can imagine the response when the shot was heard from the bathroom in the middle of the Sheriff's office in the middle of the day...

Stay safe folks.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

And Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) and military personnel, of course.

Even so, accidents still happen. But as long as the two most fundamental firearm safety practices are used, hopefully there will be no injuries or deaths that result: 1) treat all firearms as if they are loaded, even if you know for sure that it is not, and 2) always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

One accidental discharge that I witnessed was at a rural community shooting competition, where everybody was an experienced hunter. One participant was setting his shotgun in the bed of his pickup truck when it went off and shot a hole in the side of the bed of his truck, and luckily did not hit anybody. He was asked to leave that event after he unloaded his firearm.

One other incident ironically was inside the Sheriff's offices of a local agency, where I was in a meeting in the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Briefing Room that was part of those offices. A plain clothes officer took off his coat and shoulder harness to hang them up in the bathroom stall while they relieved themselves. Unfortunately the trigger of the pistol in the holster in the harness snagged the hanger hook, and the pistol fired a round up through the roof. You can imagine the response when the shot was heard from the bathroom in the middle of the Sheriff's office in the middle of the day...

Stay safe folks.

Years ago, we had a YT video of a cop teaching a gun safety class, who then accidently discharged a gun in the classroom.

 

[berkeman]

One other quick story / lesson learned. I grew up an Army brat (our family traveled with my career Army dad all over the world), and one of the stories he told me when I was a young lad (just starting to learn about firearm safety) was of one of the places he had been stationed where his barracks was near the Military Police (MP) station. The MPs had a rule that they had to unload their firearms before entering the station, and pull the trigger on their unloaded firearms while pointing them at a barrel full of sand before entering. Dad said they regularly heard several shots per week going into that sand barrel...

 

[Tom.G]

Sounds about right. The Army seems to take anyone whose legs are long enough to reach the ground.

 

[Borg]

1) treat all firearms as if they are loaded, even if you know for sure that it is not, and 2) always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

Yes and Yes 100%

 

[pinball1970]

The gun thing in the states is a little alien to us here (UK)

When someone is killed by a gun it usually it is to do with a criminal or the police and is thankfully still relatively rare. (0.24 deaths per 100,000 population compared to 10.89)

The below was a shock and reminder if they can get it wrong, civvies would make a much worse mess.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ter-news/funeral-of-pc-in-gun-accident-958775

 

[jack action]

The gun thing in the states is a little alien to us here (UK)

No need to specify your country, the statement is true everywhere outside the USA.

 

[pinball1970]

No need to specify your country, the statement is true everywhere outside the USA.

A few central American and south American countries are worse.

 

[Bystander]

civvies would make a much worse mess.

How so?

 

[fresh_42]

A few central American and south American countries are worse.

Yes, but Americans even shoot if it's not their business ...

Spark won in 45:02.4 after the jury revised the shooting performance of Michela Carrara, who seemed the winner but due to a cross-fire situation, the Italian's shooting score had to be adjusted from one to three misses. The final information to resolve the cross-fire came from the Italian coaching team - in a sign of true sportsmanship - who confirmed the Carrara did indeed miss 2 targets which were cleared by a cross-firing American.

https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/oech-lenzerheide-individuals/7uIlzigQ9cBY9CfkJIvZJD

 

[pinball1970]

How so?

You do not think that fire arms in the hands of civilians tend to make a mess?

 

[Bystander]

You do not think that fire arms in the hands of civilians tend to make a mess?

Law abiding? No.

 

[berkeman]

Let's try to avoid getting off into discussions that could devolve into political stuff. Thanks.

 

[fresh_42]

Let's try to avoid getting off into discussions that could devolve into political stuff. Thanks.

Well, I tried my best with that (weird) news (of today) about that biathlon incident. I found it especially funny because it matched the subject of the thread and the subject of the discussion.

 

[pinball1970]

Well, I tried my best with that (weird) news (of today) about that biathlon incident. I found it especially funny because it matched the subject of the thread and the subject of the discussion.

Skiing and shooting to me does not feel like a healthy marriage.
Edit. Probably because I suck at skiing and I would be a liability with any sort of gun.I probably would pick up a ski and accidentally shoot my partner with it.

 

[fresh_42]

Skiing and shooting to me does not feel like a healthy marriage.
Edit. Probably because I suck at skiing and I would be a liability with any sort of gun.I probably would pick up a ski and accidentally shoot my partner with it.

Continental!

 

[mfb]

Watch out for radioactive capsules in Western Australia. They lost one somewhere on the road and now they are trying to locate it.

 

[Astronuc]

Watch out for radioactive capsules in Western Australia. They lost one somewhere on the road and now they are trying to locate it.

Based on "The half-life of the substance is 30 years," I would expect the source to be ¹³⁷Cs, 0.6617 MeV gamma accompanying beta decay.

https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nudat3/decaysearchdirect.jsp?nuc=137Cs&unc=NDS

 

[Hornbein]

Watch out for radioactive capsules in Western Australia. They lost one somewhere on the road and now they are trying to locate it.

The capsule is tiny – 6mm diameter by 8mm high. It was lost somewhere in 1400 km of road. It's so radioactive a searcher is wearing a full body suit. Motorists are advised to examine their tyres.

 

[Astronuc]

The capsule is tiny – 6mm diameter by 8mm high. It was lost somewhere in 1400 km of road. It's so radioactive a searcher is wearing a full body suit. Motorists are advised to examine their tyres.

A source of that size should have been secured in a larger container.

 

[Tom.G]

And here we have -- The universal, post-active, exclamation!

should have

 

[Hornbein]

A source of that size should have been secured in a larger container.

According to the article the larger container collapsed. The capsule escaped the truck through a hole formerly occupied by a bolt.

I seem to recall that the Mafia dumped dioxin next to a Georgia roadway. Quite a bit of possibly contaminated topsoil was removed.

 

[Astronuc]

According to the article the larger container collapsed. The capsule escaped the truck through a hole formerly occupied by a bolt.

Not a large intermodal shipping container (as in a 20 ft or 40 ft container), but a box, even of wood, with a slot for the source. In our experimental work in laboratory classes, we handled various radioactive sources. They were stored in small, approved containers from which sources were removed for use, then replaced after use.

For example - https://www.imagesco.com/geiger/containers.html
or - https://www.lemerpax.com/en/products/shielded-transport-storage-container/
or - https://www.findel-international.co...cture/radioactive-source-storage-box/e8r07379

One would certainly not legally or correctly place a tiny capsule 6mm diameter by 8mm high in a huge shipping outside of an approved shipping/storage container. I would expect that capsule was improperly handled to the point of negligence.

 

[Jarvis323]

Physics forums has made the news: for its discussions by "non-physicist members of the public" on zero point energy!

Naturally, you can imagine that zero-point energy has garnered a lot of interest not only from physicists, but eager members of the public, as discussions on sites like Physics Forums demonstrate. It's a wonderful idea. Spaceships cruising around the cosmos and hoovering up virtual particles to use as limitless fuel? No more energy concerns for humanity ever again? If this sounds a bit too convenient or good to be true, that's because it is. We've got two hurdles to overcome before zero-point energy becomes a reality: proving that the vacuum energy of quantum fields exists, and engineering a machine that can tap it. The former we've done. The latter is complicated.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...ess-fuel-from-the-vacuum-of-space/ar-AA16CF74

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/zero-point-energy.1015326/

 

[berkeman]

Physics forums has made the news: for its discussions by "non-physicist members of the public" on zero point energy!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...ess-fuel-from-the-vacuum-of-space/ar-AA16CF74

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/zero-point-energy.1015326/

Yikes. I'm not sure that's a good thing...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yikes. I'm not sure that's a good thing...View attachment 321378

Come to PF and learn how to harness zero-point energy!

 

[fresh_42]

Come to PF and learn how to harness zero-point energy!

$$
\boldsymbol{E=0\cdot c^2}
$$

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Physics forums has made the news: for its discussions by "non-physicist members of the public" on zero point energy!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...ess-fuel-from-the-vacuum-of-space/ar-AA16CF74

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/zero-point-energy.1015326/

Wow that is a good backlink! Let's make sure we have a crafted and appropriate end to the discussion. Is there something we can write to educate anyone that ends up at that link?

 

[mfb]

Some more details about the radioactive capsule and a picture of them searching on a road. Looks like two people with a Geiger counter or similar device walking along the road.

 

[Astronuc]

Based on "The half-life of the substance is 30 years," I would expect the source to be ¹³⁷Cs, 0.6617 MeV gamma accompanying beta decay.

https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nudat3/decaysearchdirect.jsp?nuc=137Cs&unc=NDS

A Fortune article confirms ¹³⁷Cs.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/tiny-radioactive-capsule-lost-australian-134843171.html

The piece is a density gauge used by Rio Tinto and was collected from its Gudai-Darri mine on Jan. 12.

It was reported missing on Jan. 25 when its package was opened at a secure storage facility and pieces that had been packed were not found inside. Authorities fear it was lost in transportation somewhere on the 870-mile stretch from north of Newman to the northeastern suburbs of Perth.

CEA Simon Trott added: “Rio Tinto engaged a third-party contractor, with appropriate expertise and certification, to safely package the device in preparation for transport off-site ahead of receipt at their facility in Perth. Prior to the device leaving the site, a Geiger counter was used to confirm the presence of the capsule inside the package.

Well, in this case expertise was not enough.Edit/update:

Radioactive sources are common, but they rarely go missing​

Transporting radioactive sources is a commonplace activity. Each month, the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO) ships some 2,000 packages containing nuclear medicine around Australia. There are also several private companies who transport radioactive sources.

There are well-established procedures and strict regulations for making sure this happens safely. At the national level, this is overseen by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), while each state and territory also has its own regulator.

https://theconversation.com/a-tiny-...-australia-heres-what-you-need-to-know-198761

 

[Astronuc]

Massive Boulder Crashes into Hawaii Home, Narrowly Missing Woman​

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/massive-boulder-crashes-hawaii-home-142906242.html

Torrential rains and/or earthquakes can let loose rocks and boulders on hillsides. I've seen that in news articles from Christchurch, NZ following moderate to strong earthquakes.

 

[Rive]

When your pet fish goes shopping

(Switch on CC!)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Wow that is a good backlink! Let's make sure we have a crafted and appropriate end to the discussion. Is there something we can write to educate anyone that ends up at that link?

This will not replace oil?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

There is a god!

...Conclusions
In a large population of US men with ED, PDE-5i [in Viagra and Cialis] exposure was associated with lower incidence of MACE, CV death, and overall mortality risk compared to non-exposure. Risk reduction correlated with PDE-5i exposure level.

[Header]
Effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors on major adverse cardiovascular events and overall mortality in a large nationwide cohort of men with erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular riska factors: A retrospective, observational study based on healthcare claims and national death index data
https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article/20/1/38/6986842?login=false

On the down side, I don't need the stuff when I'm on my routine and fit, like now. Hopefully being fit and Viagra free has greater benefits than being unfit and taking Viagra.

Back when I first started dating, I just wore a Viagra suit.

 

[jrmichler]

Hopefully being fit and Viagra free has greater benefits than being unfit and taking Viagra.

No hopefully about it: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047. This study showed that a healthy lifestyle adds 14 years life for women and 12 years for men when compared to an unhealthy lifestyle.

And an article about another study: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ar...attack-stroke-risk#What-happened-in-the-study. Excerpt: Compared to people who walked 2,000 steps per day, researchers found that individuals walking between 6,000 and 9,000 steps daily had a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes, by 40% to 50%. A far larger benefit than that discussed in the Viagra study.

 

[Tom.G]

FOUND - Missing radioactive capsule
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...e-capsule-found-western-australia-2023-02-01/

 

[fresh_42]

FOUND - Missing radioactive capsule
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...e-capsule-found-western-australia-2023-02-01/

This is hard to believe. Maybe they have lost a couple and found one. How can you find an 8 mm piece on a 1,400,000,000 mm long track? That's a 1:175,000,000 chance.

 

[mfb]

This is hard to believe. Maybe they have lost a couple and found one. How can you find an 8 mm piece on a 1,400,000,000 mm long track? That's a 1:175,000,000 chance.

"Mathematician suggests looking at a single 8 mm portion of the road in order to locate capsule."

When your pet fish goes shopping

The gain in publicity was probably worth far more than 500 Yen (~4 USD?).

 

[Astronuc]

FOUND - Missing radioactive capsule
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...e-capsule-found-western-australia-2023-02-01/

Couldn't read without subscribing, but the Telegraph reported the story

Detection devices attached to a vehicle picked up signs of radiation waves on Wednesday morning south of the Pilbara town of Newman, about two metres from the edge of the Great Northern Highway.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-n...hnD_nmcmrhFE8Qsv_wxLLwVZFo5L8Ak8LiiZh3RoPL_Mo

The small part, from a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore, was believed to have fallen off the back of a truck some time between Jan 11 and Jan 16 while it was being driven from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine to a city storage facility.

When workers unpacked the package for inspection, the gauge was found broken apart, with one of four mounting bolts missing and screws from the gauge also gone.

Gudai-Darri mine site is NE of Newman. It appears that the gauge broke during transport just south of Newman, i.e., near the origin. Shortest distance from Gudai-Darri mine site to Newman is 97 miles (156 km). Details are sketchy, but it seems the capsule was found between Newman and Capricorn, which is about 45 miles (72 km) south of Newman.

Since the Telegraph may require registration or subscription, here is the CNN story.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/australia/australia-radioactive-capsule-found-intl-hnk/index.html

ABC - https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...y-deadly-prolonged-exposure/story?id=96789463

 

[Astronuc]

No hopefully about it: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047. This study showed that a healthy lifestyle adds 14 years life for women and 12 years for men when compared to an unhealthy lifestyle.

And an article about another study: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ar...attack-stroke-risk#What-happened-in-the-study. Excerpt: Compared to people who walked 2,000 steps per day, researchers found that individuals walking between 6,000 and 9,000 steps daily had a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes, by 40% to 50%. A far larger benefit than that discussed in the Viagra study.

Assuming 1 step = 1 yd (0.91 m), that would be about 1.14 miles (1.8 km), 6000 steps would be 3.4 miles (5.5 km), and 9000 steps would be 5.1 miles (8.2 km). So, walk about 4 to 5 miles (6.4 to 8 km) per day. And probably eating healthful foods is part of that as well.

 

[Ibix]

This is hard to believe. Maybe they have lost a couple and found one. How can you find an 8 mm piece on a 1,400,000,000 mm long track? That's a 1:175,000,000 chance.

It's emitting enough radiation to be a health hazard if you hang around. So it's (with the right sensors) a brightly glowing 8mm capsule on a fairly dark background.