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Awesome!
Betcha didn't know about the Merlympics in Geneva, Switzerland. The event, in existence since 2015, is designed to "prove athleticism" among mermaid competitors, KSL-TV reported. At the May games, Mia Sim, 22, of Provo, Utah, secured her title as the fastest mermaid in the world. Sim has been mermaiding for 10 years; at the Merlympics, athletes must compete in five categories, including ecology (diving to the bottom and picking up trash); underwater posing for photographs; and rescue (swimming to "save" a submerged dummy) -- all while wearing full mermaid or merman gear. "It's not a skill that's easily learned," Sim said of mermaiding. "This type of restriction on your body is very difficult for people to understand." She has now been inducted into Team USA and hopes other Utah mermaids will aspire to such heights.
Keep Digging
During a court hearing on July 2 in Crown Point, Indiana, defendant Devontae Harris, 26, just couldn't keep his shovel quiet, the Chicago Tribune reported. Lake Superior Court Judge Gina Jones was hearing Harris' argument for a plea deal in a stalking and battery case from November 2022, but when she denied the deal, Harris called her names and said, "... you think you know about stuff. I done killed (people). I got bodies under my belt. Go solve them." He also threatened to throw his chair at the judge and asked her to perform a sex act on him. Jones added 210 days to Harris' jail term, increasing it to 13 months.
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Weird in the Wild
Bigfoot walks among us -- or at least among campers in Louisiana, MSN reported. On June 28, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office responded to a call for help from a group of campers, high school graduates from Houma, Louisiana, who were celebrating their matriculation. The kids were camping in Kisatchie National Forest and told officers they heard growling and saw a 5-foot-tall animal with glowing eyes. Officers were unable to locate the creature, but they escorted the campers back to their vehicle.
That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me: South Africa Edition
On July 7 in South Africa, a visitor to the Pilanesberg National Park lost his life after being trampled by an elephant, CTV News reported. The 43-year-old man was driving through the park when he left his car and approached a herd to take photographs, police said. Three other people in the car were unharmed. The elephant herd included young calves, which may have made the adults more aggressive. Piet Nel, chief conservation officer for the North West Parks and Tourism Board, said visitors are explicitly instructed not to leave their cars. "We must remember that you are entering a wild area," he said.
Ignominious
The San Diego Humane Society has put the city on the map, but maybe not in a good way. CBS8-TV reported on July 8 that the SDHS claims the city has more fleas than any other city in the United States, making its pets miserable. "We have a perfect climate here, where it is warm year-round," said Zarah Hedge, chief medical officer at the SDHS. "It's just a perfect environment for them to live in." Hedge recommended pet owners talk to their veterinarians about treatment. Or, you could move.
Oh, the Christianity!
Roger Allan Holmberg Sr., 75, pastor of Grace Baptist Temple in Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested on July 2 after assaulting his wife, who has epilepsy, on a flight from Seattle to Anchorage, ABC News reported. The conflict started when Holmberg's wife got upgraded to first class, and he didn't. Shortly after liftoff, Holmberg appeared in the first-class cabin and asked his wife, "How the hell did you get the upgrade?" She answered, "I'm a gold point member. Don't speak to me like that." Holmberg returned to his seat but then approached again, asking his wife to read what was on his phone, after which he gave her the finger. During the third confrontation, according to the complaint, Holmberg "attempted to swing his arm towards (the victim)" and struck "the top of the victim's head with his hand." An off-duty police officer on board told Holmberg if there were any more incidents during the flight, he would have to wear handcuffs. An FBI agent met the plane when it landed and arrested Holmberg on one count of simple assault. Alaska Airlines said it had banned him from its flights.
Recent Alarming Headline
Four Sri Lankan fishermen are dead and two others are critically ill after they drank from bottles they found floating in the ocean, the BBC reported on June 29. The Sri Lankan Navy said the fishers thought the bottles contained alcohol, and they distributed some bottles to other crews fishing in the area. The navy said it was treating the men aboard their craft, the Devon, and trying to get them back to shore. Authorities are testing the contents of the bottles to determine what the sailors drank.
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Bright Idea
After Daniel Jean, 39, and Esmy Valdez, 38, of Brooklyn, New York, exchanged wedding vows on June 27, they celebrated with friends at an unconventional venue: the New York subway L train, according to the New York Post. The couple hosted 20 invited guests -- plus a bunch of strangers -- on July 2 at a "dope reception," Jean said. "We didn't have the money to do the dream reception that I'd always envisioned," he said. But for only $3,000, the couple had food catered by O's Grill Spot, a cake, drinks and music. Valdez was charmed: "When I walked onto the train and saw everything, I thought, 'Wow, I picked the right guy,'" she said. "Our reception was all about love."
The Tech Revolution
Welcome to the 21st century, Japan! Reuters reported on July 3 that the government has eliminated all use of floppy disks in all its systems. "We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!" announced Digital Minister Taro Kono. What a relief!
Celebrities: They're Just Like Us!
The famous-for-being-famous crowd lit up with a dirty little story in mid-June about Derek Blasberg, 42, a "professional best friend to celebrities," having a blowout time at Gwyneth Paltrow's guest cottage in the Hamptons. Variety reported that Blasberg was outed as the culprit behind an "intense bowel movement" that caused considerable damage. Insiders say Blasberg cited his use of the diabetes drug Ozempic as the cause of his distress, but one doubter poo-poo'd the idea: "That's just what he told everyone."
Woof!
This year's Anthrocon gathering in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was about much more than meeting other "furry" friends, KDKA-TV reported. The convention, held on July 4-7, draws people who like to dress as animals and their fans and raises money for charity; this year, donations were solicited for Gray Paws Sanctuary, a Pittsburgh-based volunteer organization dedicated to rescuing senior dogs. With thousands of furries attending the gathering, Anthrocon brought in $100,000 for Gray Paws, breaking a fundraising record. Darla Poole Brescia with Gray Paws was ecstatic: "A hundred thousand is about our annual operating budget, so we are able to save twice as many dogs this year. The Anthrocon people are the nicest people."
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