Odd, strange, or bizarre news stories from Florida

Texas rivals Florida for bizarre but there's no thread so I'll dump this here

Quote:

Bill Nye, the harmless children's edu-tainer known as "The Science Guy," managed to offend a select group of adults in Waco, Texas at a presentation, when he suggested that the moon does not emit light, but instead reflects the light of the sun.

As even most elementary-school graduates know, the moon reflects the light of the sun but produces no light of its own.

But don't tell that to the good people of Waco, who were "visibly angered by what some perceived as irreverence," according to the Waco Tribune.

Nye was in town to participate in McLennan Community College's Distinguished Lecture Series. He gave two lectures on such unfunny and adult topics as global warming, Mars exploration, and energy consumption.

But nothing got people as riled as when he brought up Genesis 1:16, which reads: "God made two great lights -- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars."

The lesser light, he pointed out, is not a light at all, but only a reflector.

At this point, several people in the audience stormed out in fury. One woman yelled "We believe in God!" and left with three children, thus ensuring that people across America would read about the incident and conclude that Waco is as nutty as they'd always suspected.

This story originally appeared in the Waco Tribune, but the newspaper has mysteriously pulled its story from the online version, presumably to avoid further embarrassment.

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

I think I'll skip that one. I'm afraid of myself in the kitchen - can't smell much at all, including gas, ya know, and am preternaturally clumsy anyway. I did slice my non dominant hand index finger something like thirty years ago, but the tendon wasn't entirely cut, the e.r. guy got to it fast, and all this time later the finger works just fine. I'd like to keep it that way.

But, enjoy!

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@panzade,

Texas isn't all that many miles away from me. I tread gently with my neighbors - they're generally excellent and caring and I don't need to rile them upside their heads. Probably good I don't go to neighborhood association meetings, which are always held in the evenings, when I can't drive.

But even in the Los Angeles area, which is a mixed bag of many viewpoints, one of my clients had a design review hearing where I spoke up for the project and it passed - and I was just plain amazed that the review board speaker prayed to jesus to give the board wisdom. I managed to just shut myself up. The clients were Chinese (probably still are). I've no idea at all about the religions that firm's members believed in.

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It's true. The moon is the lantern of God, when the sun's asleep. What's hard to understand about that?

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@edgarblythe,

edgar b - a lone beacon in a wacky state.

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FEAST! FEAST ON ALL THINS WEIRD IN FLORIDA!

The 31 Most Florida Things That Ever Happened
I accidentally touched my car’s steering wheel at 3 p.m. and now I have to go to the hospital.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/the-31-most-florida-things-that-ever-happened

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@tsarstepan,

Level of Florida-ness was right on, tsar.
Good stuff.

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@tsarstepan,

If you touch the steering wheel at 3pm in August in Austin, you save on the cremation expense.

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YUP!

https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1452419_760397477309796_1463454314_n.jpg

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@panzade,

"Bacon...did someone say bacon?"

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@panzade,

Arizonans too!

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@Ragman,

http://bacontoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/bacon-lip-balmm.jpg

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I nearly choked on my breakfast as I was reading this in our local rag. I have heard of strange college seminars, but this one takes the cake!

Quote:

Oh Florida: Capital of Weirdness
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Dinner & Program from 6 to 8:15 PM
St. Petersburg College
Seminole Campus Conference Center
9200 113th Street N, Seminole
Join us for a whimsical assessment of the Sunshine State by Dr. Gary Mormino, Professor Emeritus of Florida History at USF- St. Petersburg, on challenges the state faces to preserve the last vestiges of Old Florida.

The ad says, "Why does it seem as if all the world's misfits, eccentrics, and scammers end up in the sunshine state?"

To have an overabundance of crazies in one place is one thing. To admit it, and have a seminar on it is a bit much.

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1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

Quote:

Stevens, who operates a blog that focuses on South Florida politics, said the intent of the Festivus pole is to make a political statement on the need for the separation of church and state.

He compared the Festivus pole with the nativity scene as "my ridiculous statement versus what I consider, as an atheist, as their ridiculous statement."