Bizarre

Rumors of ‘Shapeshifting Boar Demon’ Spark Hysteria in Indonesian Village

Aside Markozen.com Bizarre

Panic recently spread throughout a village in Indonesia as several residents believed that they had fallen victim to a shapeshifting boar demon that stole their money. The bizarre case reportedly began a few weeks ago in the community of Bedehan, when numerous people began to notice that their wealth had mysteriously depleted. As concerns began to grow, a self-proclaimed mystic stepped forward and pointed the finger at one particular individual who is unemployed, yet seemingly wants for nothing. The sorceress went on to accuse the inexplicably rich resident of practicing a very strange form of black magic.

According to the mystic-fueled speculation which had quickly spread throughout the village, the suspected individual had become what is known as a ‘babi ngepet.’ Such a being, legend has it, utilizes a magical cloak that transforms them into a boar. Upon taking that form, the swine then sneaks into homes and uses its powers to somehow extract riches from the residents. The ill-gotten loot subsequently appears beneath the cloak when the babi ngepet becomes a human again. While such a tale may sound wildly implausible to some, belief in the shapeshifting boar demon is apparently widely believed in some parts of the world and, in this case, the accusations caused quite the furor in Bedehan.

Looking to put an end to the babi ngepet’s reign of terror, a veritable posse of villagers tracked down and captured a boar that they suspected was the source of all of their troubles. Although the furious group ‘graciously’ offering any relative of the person believed to be inhabiting the swine’s body to come forward and claim their loved one, no one answered the call and, as such, they opted to behead the creature as part of a ritual designed to stop the sorcery once and for all. Amazingly, videos centered around the community’s weird pursuit of the mystical being went viral on social media in Indonesia and ultimately wound up making national news in the country.

A subsequent investigation by police in Bedehan determined that the pig was not a babi ngepet and, in fact, was just a run-of-the-mill boar that had unfortunately found itself the target of an angry mob. Meanwhile, the mystic who started all the speculation in the first place soon became the target of the community’s ire, since residents had been widely mocked on social media for believing in the legendary tale of the shapeshifting boar demon. Despite apologizing for her actions, the sorceress was banished from the village and could face criminal charges for causing the commotion.

The Black Knight Will Never Give up

Aside Markozen.com Bizarre, Movies

The Black Knight is a fictional character who appears in a scene of the feature film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. As his name suggests, he is a knight dressed in black and behaves similarly to the standard character, a black knight. He guards a “bridge” (in reality a short plank of wood) over a small stream—which could have been easily stepped over by King Arthur but, for unknown reasons, he does not. Although supremely skilled in swordplay, the Black Knight suffers from unchecked overconfidence and a staunch refusal ever to give up.

Florida Driver Jumps Drawbridge

Aside Markozen.com Bizarre

This is one crazy SOB. In one hell of a hurry.

Cops in Florida are on the hunt for a daring driver who barreled through the safety arm of a drawbridge and proceeded to jump the retractable road as it was rising. The wild incident reportedly occurred on Monday morning in the city of Daytona Beach and was captured on video by a traffic camera. In the footage, a silver SUV can be seen speeding down the road, smashing through a traffic barrier, and then crossing the bridge while it was in the process of opening. Fortunately, the foolhardy motorist timed the maneuver in such a way that the opening was not particularly perilous.

Be that as it may, police are understandably unhappy with the driver’s “Dukes of Hazzard” impression and are working on tracking down the motorist. What makes the incident somewhat worrisome to authorities is that this is actually the second time in the last two months in which someone has jumped the drawbridge in Daytona Beach as an individual on a motorcycle pulled off the ill-advised feat back in March. As one might imagine, police are concerned that the stunt could wind up becoming a trend among drivers looking to show off their proverbial nerves of steel.

Man Fined for Farting On Cop Argues Farts Are Protected Forms of Expression

Aside Markozen.com Bizarre

The alleged flatulent was hanging at the park with friends when he was approached by a group of police officers—that’s when things got windy.

A 22-year-old Austrian man who made headlines in June of last year after he was fined €500 euros (~$600) for farting on a police officer argued in court that his fart actually falls under freedom of expression, Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard reported last week.

In a decision released by the administrative court in Vienna, the court lays out some much needed detail in regards to the alleged events that transpired on that fateful day, meaning that we as readers can look at the facts and come to our own conclusions about whether the fart was indeed protected speech.

The ordeal began on June 5, 2020, when the farting man—named “Mr. AB” in the document—was hanging out with a friends at an unnamed park when a group of police officers approached them during a routine identity check.

That’s when things got windy.

“When he released the intestinal gas, the complainant was sitting on a park bench,” the document reads. “He then lifted his buttocks and tensed up a little before letting the intestinal gas escape.”

“The complainant’s friends laughed at the intestinal gas and witness F made a joke,” the document continues. “Due to the resulting entertainment from the intestinal gas, the defendant grinned at the officers.”

In court, the man argued that the fart was not intentional and that, even if it was intentional, it would still fall under his fundamental right for freedom of expression.

Unfortunately for the wind-breaker, the judge didn’t buy his argument.

In a detailed legal assessment of whether farting is indeed a protected form of expression, the judge argues while farts and burps can cause “social inappropriateness” they do not contain “communicative content,” and even if they did, it would still be considered “a form of expression that transcends the boundaries decency.”

The judge did show some sympathy for the man though, reducing his fine from €500 euros to €100, citing his financial situation and the fact that he had no criminal record.

However, speaking to local Viennese newspaper Kurier, Matej Zenz, the man’s lawyer, made clear that this is a hill his client is willing to die on, and that they would be appealing the decision to the country’s constitutional court.

“It’s a matter of principle for us,” the Zenz said, “because it’s petty to get a punishment for a fart.”

Monstrous monitor lizard invades grocery store in Thailand

Aside Markozen.com Animals, Bizarre

A jaw-dropping video out of Thailand shows an enormous monitor lizard invading a grocery store and terrifying onlookers. The wild incident reportedly occurred on Monday afternoon at a 7-Eleven in the city of Nakhon Pathom. Much to the horror of shoppers and employees at the store, the six-foot-long lizard decided to venture out from its home in a nearby canal and do a little ‘shopping’ of its own. In the stunning video which was filmed by a bewildered witness, the creature can be seen scratching at a refrigerator unit containing drinks and then clambering up a tall shelf, knocking products to the floor and eliciting screams from the people watching the strange scene unfold before their eyes.
An employee of the store, who was hiding behind a counter alongside the frightened customers, eventually phoned the police, who dispatched an animal control team to wrangle the sizeable reptile. After what one assumes was something of a struggle, the fearsome creature was dragged from the shop and released back into the wild. Remarkably, a survey of the scene afterwards determined that the animal did not wind up getting any food, so its invasion was apparently all for naught. It is believed that the monitor lizard was compelled to search for sustenance in the 7-Eleven due to an inordinately long drought in the country which has left its native wildlife rather hungry.

Scientists Solve Mystery of Rabbit Breed’s Bizarre Walk

Aside Markozen.com Animals, Bizarre

Genetic researchers have reportedly solved a longstanding mystery surrounding a strange breed of rabbit that walks on its two front feet rather than hopping. The curious creatures, which were first found in France back in the 1930s, are a domesticated species known as ‘sauteur d’Alfort.’ For reasons heretofore unknown, the bunnies are unable to jump and, instead, employ a bizarre method of locomotion wherein they lift themselves up on their front feet and walk. As one might imagine, their odd gait has puzzled scientists for nearly a century, but a new study appears to have determined the cause of their unique way of moving.

In a newly published paper, genetic researchers Miguel Carneiro and Leif Andersson explained how they bred a sauteur d’Alfort with a more traditional New Zealand white rabbit. The resulting slew of offspring, comprised of 52 in total, allowed them to pinpoint a specific genetic mutation that causes a malfunction in the muscle coordination of the creature and prevents it from being able to jump. Faced with that obstacle, the sauteur d’Alfort in turn naturally adopts the unorthodox style of walking as a means of compensating for its otherwise hindered mobility. By solving this mystery, the researchers were also able to, for the first time, identify the specific genes which make jumping possible for rabbits and similar animals which hop as a form of locomotion.

Walker ‘stunned’ to see ship hovering high above sea off Cornwall

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David Morris encounters rare optical illusion known as superior mirage while out on coastal stroll

There are only so many polite words that come to mind when one spots a ship apparently hovering above the ocean during a stroll along the English coastline.

David Morris, who captured the extraordinary sight on camera, declared himself “stunned” when he noticed a giant tanker floating above the water as he looked out to sea from a hamlet near Falmouth in Cornwall.

The effect is an example of an optical illusion known as a superior mirage. Such illusions are reasonably common in the Arctic but can also happen in UK winters when the atmospheric conditions are right, though they are very rare.

The illusion is caused by a meteorological phenomenon called a temperature inversion. Normally, the air temperature drops with increasing altitude, making mountaintops colder than the foothills. But in a temperature inversion, warm air sits on top of a band of colder air, playing havoc with our visual perception. The inversion in Cornwall was caused by chilly air lying over the relatively cold sea with warmer air above.

 

The guardian

‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin – rest his soul – pushed it to the limit many times

Aside Markozen.com Animals, Bizarre

In this classic episode of ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve handles the deadliest snake in the world, the Inland Taipan or Fierce Snake. He is taking a major chance in the video below, one bite and he is a dead man. But that is how Steve operated.

The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also commonly known as the western taipan, the small-scaled snake or the fierce snake, is a species of extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia. Aboriginal Australians living in those regions named the snake Dandarabilla. It was first described by Frederick McCoy in 1879 and then by William John Macleay in 1882, but for the next 90 years, it was a mystery to the scientific community; no further specimens were found, and virtually nothing was added to the knowledge of this species until its rediscovery in 1972.

Based on the median lethal dose value in mice, the venom of the inland taipan is by far the most toxic of any snake – much more so than even that of sea snakes – and it has the most toxic venom of any reptile when tested on human heart cell culture. The inland taipan is a specialist hunter of mammals, so its venom is specially adapted to kill warm-blooded species. It is estimated that one bite possesses enough lethality to kill at least 100 fully grown humans, It is an extremely fast and agile snake that can strike instantly with extreme accuracy, often striking multiple times in the same attack, and it envenomates in almost every case.