January 2013
Medicinal cannibalism: The cure for what ails you
This grotesque practice is more common than you might think.
There aren't many taboos that you could truly consider global, but cannibalism is one of them. Thus it is perhaps not surprising that the act of violating the taboo is often considered to be an extremely powerful one.
Paris syndrome strikes Japanese tourists
Beware the City of Lights!
Paris syndrome is one of several oddball psychiatric illnesses which strike specific travelers in specific places, like Jerusalem syndrome.
Sandy Hook "truthers" terrorize retired psychologist
Gene Rosen is being relentlessly hounded by Internet goons.
On the morning of the Newtown shooting, a 69-year-old retired psychologist named Gene Rosen stepped outside to feed his cats. To his surprise, he found "four terrified children hiding out in his driveway." The children told Rosen that their teacher was dead. He stayed with them while the tragedy continued to unfold at Sandy Hook Elementary, about a block away.
Alex Jones freaks out Piers Morgan (and everyone else)
Notorious conspiracy theorist loses it on national television.
Alex Jones is a central figure in the contemporary field of conspiracy theories. His radio show has taken over a huge segment of what used to be Art Bell's audience, back in the day. His websites and podcast and articles are nutty, sure, but you would hardly have expected the kind of insane ranting that he burst into when interviewed by Piers Morgan.
Mysterious nation-wide rash of Tide thefts
This sudsy crime is on the rise.
The first few times I heard about this, I dismissed it out of hand. But it keeps cropping up, with supporting comments from people all over the country, so I am finally willing to concede that it is A Thing. Apparently, organized shoplifting rings are targeting, of all things, jugs of Tide liquid laundry detergent.
UFO explosion recorded over California?
Well... probably not.
On December 20, a man named Elijah Prychodzko described as an "amateur astronomer" was looking into the late afternoon sky over Sacramento, CA when he recorded an unusual sight. According to his account, it was a bright light that was hovering, circled by a smaller white light, and then it exploded.
2013: The year of triskaidekaphobia
Do you believe in unlucky 13, or lucky 13?
If you have a superstitious dread of the number 13 (a condition technically known as "triskaidekaphobia") then this will be a bad year for you. Unlike the floors in multi-story buildings, we can't just skip 2013 and call it 2014 instead. But you can count your luck that there isn't a thirteenth month, otherwise you would have to suffer through 13/13/13!