Weird News Compilation

[BillTre]

There used to be a People Eating Tasty Animals website to make fun of PETA.

 

[nsaspook]

https://www.rt.com/viral/365259-steven-seagal-russian-citizenship/

Steven Seagal has been granted Russian citizenship courtesy of an order signed by President Vladimir Putin. The US actor and martial artist is a long time supporter of Russia - the country his family once hailed from.

 

[Astronuc]

A diver was looking for sea cucumbers. He may have found a long-lost nuclear bomb instead.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-have-found-a-long-lost-nuclear-bomb-instead/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/489d6c94-6938-36cd-91bf-1d93a0ea2721/a-diver-was-looking-for-sea.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_British_Columbia_B-36_crash

Nuclear weapon missing since 1950 'may have been found'
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37875697

 

[nsaspook]

This is probably the first time in history that a billionaire will move into public housing vacated by a black family.

 

[DennisN]

This is probably the first time in history that a billionaire will move into public housing vacated by a black family.

Here's a lovely satire on the topic:
Queen Offers to Restore British Rule Over United States
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/boro...rs-to-restore-british-rule-over-united-states

 

[Borg]

This is probably the first time in history that a billionaire will move into public housing vacated by a black family.

That's awesome.

 

[fresh_42]

This is probably the first time in history that a billionaire will move into public housing vacated by a black family.

It's also the first time - I think - that a 90 minutes crash tutorial led to a 24 hour CNN coverage.

 

[fresh_42]

Spooky: (Not really of today's news (2013), but nevertheless pretty weird.)

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016...-us-satellite-has-started-transmitting-again/

 

[Astronuc]

Mother of Todd Kohlhepp, alleged S.C. serial killer: "Todd was not a monster"
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-carolina-alleged-serial-killer-todd-kohlhepp-mother-speaks-out/

According to his mom, he's not a monster, not even close. "He wasn't doing it for enjoyment." "He was doing it because he was mad and he was hurt."

He only murdered 7 people, and imprisoned a woman who witnessed the murder of her boyfriend.

 

[BillTre]

A plan by Himanshu Bansal, an orthopedic surgeon in India, to give around 20 brain-dead people a mix of interventions including injections of mesenchymal stem cells and peptides, and transcranial laser stimulation and median nerve stimulation to revive brain-dead accident victims has been shut down by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

 

[S.G. Janssens]

A plan by Himanshu Bansal, an orthopedic surgeon in India, to give around 20 brain-dead people a mix of interventions including injections of mesenchymal stem cells and peptides, and transcranial laser stimulation and median nerve stimulation to revive brain-dead accident victims has been shut down by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Maybe he should apply for tenure at Herbert West's Miskatonic University. I think his odds are good.

 

[nsaspook]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/17/us/yellowstone-man-dissolved-trnd/

A 23-year-old Oregon man essentially dissolved inside a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming after he accidentally fell into it.
...
"In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving," Veress said.

Darwin Award?

 

[fresh_42]

A street in Santa Clara, California, was swallowed by a giant foam blob over the weekend, reaching up to 1 metre (3.5 feet) high, and filling the equivalent of a city block.

http://www.sciencealert.com/a-massive-undulating-foam-blob-has-taken-over-a-street-in-california

 

[nsaspook]

Good Weird news, REPO man has a heart.

http://abc13.com/1621949/

 

[BillTre]

Uncombable Hair Syndrome mutations discovered.

People with this look like Struwwelpeter.

 

[fresh_42]

Just found out another strange record:
This is the track length of the world's largest miniature railroad: 15,400 m, planned est. 20,000 m,
but even this won't be the record holder. I've found TIM. His track is est. 27,000 m long!
And the winner is ... once more ... (have a look at TIM's link)

 

[jtbell]

British vegans are complaining that the new five-pound notes contain a trace of tallow:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...n-animal-fat-says-bank-england-drawing-anger/

 

[nsaspook]

http://thesmokinggun.com/buster/jailbird/oregon-jailbirds-903821

"An Oregon man arrested Monday posed for a mug shot with his pet parrot on his shoulder."

 

[fresh_42]

Oscillating language - Waves wherever I look

Researchers analysing several centuries of literature have spotted a strange trend in our language patterns: the words we use tend to fall in and out of favour in a cycle that lasts around 14 years.

Scientists ran computer scripts to track patterns stretching back to the year 1700 through the Google Ngram Viewer database, which monitors language use across more than 4.5 million digitised books. In doing so, they identified a strange oscillation across 5,630 common nouns.

http://www.sciencealert.com/the-words-we-use-change-in-mysterious-14-year-cycles

 

[Bystander]

Oscillating language - Waves wherever I lookhttp://www.sciencealert.com/the-words-we-use-change-in-mysterious-14-year-cycles

"Ligand field theory/VSEPR?" Seems to be about right.

 

[1oldman2]

This only gets "weird" at the end, I don't wonder why the general public's choices are for the most part ignored.
http://www.ibtimes.com/four-new-super-heavy-elements-have-now-been-officially-christened-2454703

Ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium, and ununoctium - these were the temporary names given to four new super-heavy elements by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) back in December. Now, a year later, these elements have been bestowed official names and have earned their spots in the periodic table.

Over the past five months, the teams that created the elements sent in their suggestions to the IUPAC. During this period, comments were also received from members of the general public, some of whom suggested names like octarine - the "color of magic" from Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels - and Trumpium, after the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

 

[jtbell]

comments were also received from members of the general public

The UK Science Ministry learned what those comments could lead to... a research ship named Boaty McBoatface!

 

[fresh_42]

The UK Science Ministry learned what those comments could lead to... a research ship named Boaty McBoatface!

Yep, sometimes I'd wish IRL there were mentors like here to remove public nonsense ... (lately more often). Unfortunately this didn't work out well either, which leaves us with Sir Charles Popper: "Democracy is awful, but yet the best we have."

 

[1oldman2]

what those comments could lead to

It was with the greatest of difficulty that I refrained from making a comment on "unstable elements"

 

[nsaspook]

http://www.oregonlive.com/trending/...portland_winter_storm_looks_like_a_penis.html
That winter storm is really taking shape

 

[Tsu]

Reminds me of the Throckmorton sign...

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/throckmorton-sign-1

 

[nsaspook]

 

[BillTre]

Have a Flaming Scottish Christmas?

 

[OmCheeto]

Hillsboro outdoor ice rink closed due to possibility of ice

Yes, Oregon got snow today.

And, yes, it is a big deal:

NWS Portland ‏@NWSPortland Dec 6
930pm | PDX has hit freezing for the first time since 02/02/16. The longest streak (307) of consecutive freeze free days on record #pdxtst​

 

[jtbell]

A company in London is looking to hire someone who can translate emojis:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-38287908

The role will involve explaining cross-cultural misunderstandings in the use of the mini pictures, and compiling a monthly trends report.

Agency boss Jurga Zilinskiene said emojis were a "potential growth area" as "inconsistencies" had developed in their use.