News of the Weird - this just in!

[hhfarang]

Glad I don't live in this NC town... although, I could probably move there and become mayor (or at least the new science teacher!) just for being the most intelligent person in town...

"Town rejects solar panels for sucking 'up all the energy from the sun'



The good people of Woodland, North Carolina are not 100% convinced by these solar panel thingamabobs, to put it lightly.

On Tuesday, the Woodland Town Council voted to reject a rezoning application that would allow a solar farm to be built by Strata Solar Company, the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald reported. It also put a moratorium on all solar development.

The council had previously ruled in favor of three other solar farms that are yet to be completed, but suspicious locals put the kibosh on the latest application.

Retired science teacher Jane Mann told the publication she was concerned the panels would prevent photosynthesis from occurring, keeping plants, which rely on the chemical process, from growing. Plants in the area around the solar panels are brown and dead due to not getting enough sunlight, Mann claimed.

No reports have yet emerged as to whether science education is also "brown and dead" in Woodland.

Local resident Bobby Mann, for his part, announced he was worried the panels would "suck up all the energy from the sun," the paper said.

Let's have a moment of quiet sympathy for representatives of the Strata Solar Company, who had to try and counter the fears of locals with, um, facts.

Brent Niemann, for one, tried to argue the panels only use sunlight that hits them directly rather than sucking it up willy nilly. "The panels don’t draw additional sunlight," he said. "This is a tried and true technology."

The global climate change accord completed in Paris on Saturday was the most significant indication yet the world is turning way from fossil fuels and looking to renewables. It looks like there's still some convincing to do in Woodland, however."

http://mashable.com/2015/12/14/town-rej ... yvOrgzeuqw

[Arlo]

Butt Chugging Cough Syrup: A Disturbing New Trend Among Teens
A ‘Butt Chugger’ is one who consumes alcohol through his or her anus. The vessel for this alcohol enema can be a fun all or a soaked tampon. Sound disgusting? There’s a point to it! Alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream faster through your rectum than through your mouth. Also, you don’t get the smell of alcohol on your breath.
But teens who want to experience a different type of ‘High’ are taking this trend to a whole different level.
‘Butt Chugging Cough Syrup.’ It turns out that dextromethorphan (DXM) – A cough suppressant commonly found in over-the-counter cold medicines like Robitussin and Dimetapp – produces an almost hallucinogenic high when chugged in large doses. It can also lead to loss of motor control, dizziness, seizures and hallucinations, among other serious problems.
- See more at: http://theracketreport.com/butt-chuggin ... Xyv7A.dpuf

[PeteC]

Kyrgyzstan judge 'deports Briton' for comparing sausage dish to horse penis

"A British man working at a gold mine in Kyrgyzstan will reportedly be deported after comparing a local delicacy to a horse penis.

Michael McFeat who works for Canadian mining company Centerra Gold, was detained by police after he posted a comment on Facebook that reportedly offended staff at the mine and led to a temporary strike."......

[PeteC]

"PHUKET, Thailand, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A tourist's attempt to kiss a snake at a park in Thailand ended in disaster when the antisocial serpent struck and bit the woman on the nose.".... Video at link.

I guess the snake has a taste for Chinese food. Pete

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2016/01/11/ ... t=rln&or=2

[PeteC]

^ UPDATE: The snake has been arrested for having no work permit, as well as his agent.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 76744.html

[hhfarang]

"Fighter Jets Are Seen ‘Chasing A UFO’ - But They Don’t Shoot

Excited UFO hunters claim to have spotted fighter jets chasing an ‘alien ship’ - but then deciding not to shoot.

Naturally, the seasoned alien-spotters at UFO Sightings Daily claim this is proof that Earth’s military know not to mess with alien craft.

The incident, at Nova Zagora in Bulgaria, was shared by local site Portal12 - and shows a series of stills captured over the villages of Gaz and Zagortci.

Scott C Waring of UFO Sightings Daily said, ‘Here is an interesting incident that occurred a few days ago in Bulgaria.

‘A UFO was seen over farm land near some very tall power lines and it was being monitored by a military aircraft.

‘The UFO seems to not be in any kind of hurry to move and and the jet seems like it’s only there to identify the craft to those back at base.

‘I don’t think any military will risk deliberately shooting at an alien craft.’ "

Full article with photos: https://news.yahoo.com/fighter-jets-are ... 42633.html

[hhfarang]

"Dinosaur attempts to shovel snow with its useless little arms



When big storms hit, like the one that is currently making its way up the East Coast of the United States, it's important to help your neighbors out.

Well, one fortunate neighborhood in Tennessee received a little bit of help from a shoveling dinosaur.

Surely, this dino's intentions were good. But as someone who hails from New England, I'd like criticize its shoveling technique a bit. The Tyrannosaurus is clearly lifting the snow with its back, not its legs. And, instead of shoveling in sections, the dino is totally all over the place.

I guess you can't expect much with those useless T-rex arms."

https://news.yahoo.com/dinosaur-attempt ... 14230.html

[hhfarang]

"Mystery Over Pensioner Who Travelled To Manchester Then Lay On Hillside To Die



Police are trying to identify a mystery pensioner who traveled to the Pennines before lying down on a mountain peak to die.

The unidentified man, thought to be around 70, took a train from London to Manchester on December 11, then made a 450m ascent in terrible conditions.

The pensioner, who was smartly-dressed in slip-on shoes and a white shirt, was found the next day lying face-up, his legs together and arms by his side.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious, and detectives believe he lay down on the spot deliberately before passing away.

Greater Manchester Police have since issued fresh CCTV footage of the man in a bid to identify him.

He was found with £130 cash in his pockets, along with three train tickets he purchased the previous day.

Hours earlier he had been spotted on camera walking through Manchester Piccadilly Station.

Officers believe he began his journey in Ealing, west London, got to Manchester then travelled to Greenfield, a village in Oldham.

Police say he arrived in Manchester after midday on December 11, bought some food then headed to a pub in Saddleworth.

The man is then said to have visited a pub at around 2pm, where he asked the landlord how to get to the top of a nearby mountain.

The peak in question was ‘Indian’s Head’, a 450m climb above Dovestone reservoir.

Sgt John Coleman from Greater Manchester Police said: 'I’ve been doing this job for a long, long time and I have never known anything like it.

'It’s sad really. There might be a family who don’t know he’s dead.

'Maybe he lived in the area as a younger man and was re-visiting. What drew him to the area is another line of enquiry.’

The pub landlord had told the man he wouldn’t be able to make the climb at that time of day, especially in heavy rain.

Witnesses saw him at around 4.30pm the same day, one mile up the hill, and again three-quarters of the way up.

He was said to have been wearing black slip-on shoes, a blue coat and white shirt with a collar.

Detective Inspector Ian Harratt said: 'We do not know if this man is local or if he was visiting the area, but we are hoping that at this festive time of year, when families come together, that someone will realise this man is missing and contact police.

'Although we have had several phone calls from people with possible identifications for the deceased man from missing people around the country, which we are very grateful for, we have been able to rule these out as they are not the same person.’

Anyone who may have information about the man’s identity has been urged to call police on 0161 856 8972 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

https://news.yahoo.com/mystery-over-pen ... 46691.html

[PeteC]

Army chopper shocks 2,400 chickens to death

....."SONGKHLA — A trip by an army general to Saba Yoi district proved fatal for nearly 2,400 chickens spooked by noise and turbulence from his helicopter.".....

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... pper-visit

[hhfarang]

Army chopper shocks 2,400 chickens to death

....."SONGKHLA — A trip by an army general to Saba Yoi district proved fatal for nearly 2,400 chickens spooked by noise and turbulence from his helicopter.".....

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... pper-visit

That's why they call 'em chicken...

"Maj Gen Udomwit returned to the farm on Saturday to talk to the owner and assess the damage, and agreed to pay him 280,000 baht for the deaths of his chickens."

If other chicken farmers read this I can see it becoming a scam. They will kill their own chickens every time a helicopter comes over to get the payout without having to take their chickens to market.

[PeteC]

This is in Wales....a classic! Pete

Woman gets knocked out by flying fish during fierce storm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/w ... -1.2519840

[migrant]

This is in Wales....a classic! Pete

Woman gets knocked out by flying fish during fierce storm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/w ... -1.2519840

Monty Python fish slap anyone??

[hhfarang]

"Severed feet — still inside shoes — keep mysteriously washing up on Pacific Northwest shores

They appear on the sand like any piece of sea detritus. Sometimes they’re found, amid the candy wrappers and cracked shells, by volunteers cleaning up the area. Other times a vacationer might glimpse the grisly discard from the corner of her eye, a serene walk along the beach interrupted just like that.

As more people learned about these discoveries, they attracted morbid scavengers to the Pacific Northwest shorelines, where the Salish Sea connects waterways along the west coasts of the United States and Canada.

What these scavengers sought remains a prickling curiosity: severed feet attached to running shoes, washed up from origins unknown.

Sixteen of these detached human feet have been found since 2007 in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state. Most of these have been right feet. All of them have worn running shoes or hiking boots. Among them: three New Balances, two Nikes and an Ozark Trail.

The most recent one turned up earlier this week. ..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... st-shores/

[STEVE G]

Spanish civil servant skips work for years without anyone noticing


Only when Joaquín García, a Spanish civil servant, was due to collect an award for two decades of loyal and dedicated service did anyone realise that he had not, in fact, shown up to work for at least six years – and possibly as many as 14.

García, a 69-year-old engineer, began working for the local authority in the south-western city of Cádiz in 1990, according to el Mundo, and in 1996 was posted to the municipal water board, Agua de Cadiz, where his job was to supervise a waste water treatment plant.

In 2010, when García – who has now retired – was due to collect his long-service medal, the man who had hired him, deputy mayor Jorge Blas Fernández, wondered where he was: “He was still on the payroll,” he told the paper. “I thought, where is this man? Is he still there? Has he retired? Has he died?”

After the former manager of the water board, who had the office opposite Garcia’s, told Fernández he had not seen his employee for several years, the deputy mayor called the engineer in. “I asked him: what are you doing?” Fernández said. “What did you do yesterday? And the previous month? He could not answer.”

A court this week fined Garcia €27,000 (£21,000), the equivalent after tax of one year of his annual salary, having earlier found that the engineer did not appear to have occupied his office for “at least six years” and had done “absolutely no work” between 2007 and 2010, the year before he retired.

García told the court that he had turned up to the office, although he admitted he may not have kept regular business hours. He said he was the victim of workplace bullying because of his family’s socialist politics and had been deliberately sidelined at the water board.

His friends told El Mundo that the engineer had been unwilling to report his allegations of harassment because he “had a family to support” and was worried that he would not find another job at his age. He had been so depressed by his situation that he had seen a psychiatrist, they said.

The tribunal concluded that the water board had believed García was the responsibility of the city council for most of the period of his employment, while the city council thought he was working for the water board.

The engineer made the most of the confusion, becoming an avid reader of philosophy and an expert on the works of Spinoza, the Dutch philosopher credited with laying the foundations of the Enlightenment.

[Bluesky]

Drunken monkey threatens locals in bar in Brazil with giant knife after drinking potent rum

He went bananas.

A drunken monkey threatened locals at a bar in Brazil after sampling a potent rum drink.

The boozy capuchin monkey had to be disarmed after threatening to stab customers in Teixeira, Paraiba.

“It was a bar staff oversight that ended with the monkey drinking some rum and taking the knife,” said local fire department lieutenant Saul Laurentino.

Footage captured the monkey menacingly stalking the roof top of the bar carrying the giant weapon and stabbing at tiles.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/d ... -1.2535801