Blasting Cap Danger!

This is a little slow to get going, and we are denied seeing the children blown to smithereens. But it's pretty entertaining nonetheless. I thought the kids did some good acting. What about you?

The Chance to Lose

Every safe-driving video would be improved by the addition of a giant Chuck-a-luck cage such as we find here.

Tiger Trouble

So far as I can tell, the tiger stalking Galveston is still on the loose. But the Galvestonians could have it much worse. Consider the plight of the citizens of the Sundarbans in India.

I first learned of the reign of man-eating tigers here ten years ago, watching this series of PBS's NATURE show. One episode revealed how the natives had to wear human face masks on the backs of their heads to avoid tigers pouncing on them and eating them. (It was not a totally successful tactic.) I believe this bit later showed up in the wonderful Calvin and Hobbes strip, with Calvin trying the same tactic to avoid Hobbes's attacks.




Well, the tigers of Sundarbans continue to feast on human flesh, as we learn in this new report. Read, and be happy no tigers roam your city's streets.

This photographer, who goes by the handle of Jimbojack, has some wonderful photos of the region for you to look at.

Life Imitates Cheesy Science Fiction Film

As we learn in this article from today's New York Times, conditions in hurricane-wracked Galveston, Texas, have begun to approach the scenario depicted in the latest remake of I AM LEGEND.

As crews hacked away at downed trees and replaced blown-out transformers and cut lines, state and local officials contended with a plethora of other problems, among them a tiger on the loose.

James D. Yarbrough, the Galveston County judge, said a pet tiger, well known to locals, had escaped during the storm and was wandering the ruins of houses on Bolivar Peninsula. “I understand he’s hungry, so we are staying away from him,” Mr. Yarbrough said.

You'll see Will Smith's similar encounter at approximately the one-minute mark in the trailer below.

Ruth Grace Moulon, RIP

Last week, we coincidentally featured Nancy Luce, the Chicken Lady. Today, we must sadly report the death of the Duck Girl.

Ruthie the Duck Girl was a New Orleans character famed for her pet ducks. You can read her history at the intriguing site known as ECCENTRIC NEW ORLEANS, and then read her LOS ANGELES TIMES obituary here.

A documentary was made about her, and shown on WYES TV, but I can't find any online video of it.

George Putnam, RIP

TV newscaster George Putnam has died. Read his LOS ANGELES TIMES obituary here.

Putnam was frequently cited as the inspiration for the Ted Baxter character on THE MARY TYLER MOORE show.

Make your own judgment based on the videos below.

The Living Stump

On my recent trip to Oregon, I stopped at the Rogue River Gorge. And there I saw...

THE LIVING STUMP!

I did not snap a picture, but fortunately I could borrow one from El Sylvan's Flickr set.

The Living Stump is the remnant of a tree whose roots became symbiotically intertwined with a neighboring tree. So that when one tree was cut down, the partner tree continued to nourish the stump, which did not decay as any other chopped-down tree might be expected to.

Yes, folks, this is A ZOMBIE TREE!

Radiological Defense

Much of what we define today as "weird" looks to be weird simply because the context that surrounded its creation is no longer in place. As famously said, "The past is another country," and we all know that stuff that happens in other countries is quite often weird.

Once upon a time--in 1961--the staged documentary featured here seemed like the most sober-sided, commonsense bit of educational material. But now--

--well, see for yourselves!

The Kuku-Kuku of Papua New Guinea

Eleven days ago I posted about Ángel Pantoja Medina who died and, as per his request, his body was displayed standing up at the viewing. In the comments, Big Gary noted that it reminded him of a photo he had seen in an anthropology book of a New Guinea tribe who smoked their dead and displayed the corpses sitting up. We now have that picture!

I present to you the Kuku-Kuku of Papua New Guinea. (I'm not making that name up.) The image is in The Circle of Life: Rituals from the human family album. The caption explains that the Kuku-Kuku:

mummify their deceased relatives by smoking them over a fire. The ceremony begins with four days of mourning during which relatives wail, throw themselves on the corpse, eat dirt, tear their hair and beat their foreheads with stones until they bleed. Once the fire is lit and the body begins to dry out, the displays of intense sorrow taper off. After several days, the body is completely dehydrated and put in a place of honor.

Buddhist relic

After this, a little sliver of the True Cross looks kinda paltry....

All original content in posts is Copyright © 2008 by the author of the post, either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.