Weird News: Uncool Beans
Dubious Dome
Neighbors in one Indianapolis area flocked to North Pasadena Street on June 18 to see a remnant of the storms that had moved through: a large white dome deposited in the road. WRTV reported that people drove or walked by to see it and even had their photos snapped in front of it. The sphere is believed to be a radome, a weatherproof structure that protects radar antennae or other equipment. “We’ve not seen anything like this,” said neighbor Kirby Jarvis. “Lock the doors, stay inside, aliens, you never know.”
Uncool Beans
On June 19 in Silver Creek, Minnesota, a car that was “swerving and weaving” hit a curb and careened into a scissor lift, which workers were using to fix a light. The New York Post reported that the car then slammed into a tunnel wall and flipped. One worker, Benjamin Kidd, 27, sustained life-threatening injuries; another managed to hang on to the light fixture until first responders could help him down. Driving the car was none other than Patches Magickbeans, 34, of Wisconsin, who was allegedly intoxicated; police said he was babbling and reaching for objects in the air that weren’t there. Officers found psilocybin mushrooms in his car. Magickbeans’ bio on his Instagram page says he is a “womb wisdom keeper” and “corn juggler.”
Suspicious Syringes
The French Interior Ministry reported that about 150 people were pricked by syringe needles during a nationwide music festival, according to CNN. Over the weekend of June 21, French police detained 14 people in connection with the “spiking” incidents, which left some victims feeling unwell. Some were hospitalized for testing. One 22-year-old concertgoer said she went to the hospital and then filed a police report. “I told myself maybe it can have an impact,” she said.
Discarded Detritus
Out in ski country, employees at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado hit the slopes in early June for a completely different event: the Mountain Cleanup Day. KDVR-TV reported that 150 workers cleared about 780 pounds of debris off the mountains -- stuff that had fallen out of pockets or flown off skiers as they schussed down the runs. Unusual items included a hamburger flipper, a $2 Canadian coin, piles of ski poles and a message in a bottle, which turned out to be a COVID-19 vaccination record. The resort hopes the cleanup will remind people to “pack out what you bring in.”
Precarious Practice
The Chongqing Forestry Bureau has sucked all the fun out of a gimmick at a hotel in Pengshui, China, according to United Press International. The bureau ordered the Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel to cease using red pandas to make wake-up calls to guests, UPI reported on June 25. For an extra charge, hotel guests could sign up for one of four red pandas to come to the room and climb onto the bed. They could linger with guests depending on their mood. The forestry bureau said the service could be considered animal abuse because the pandas are sensitive and their stress responses could endanger themselves or the humans.