NEWS OF THE WEIRD
BITS AND BYTES OF THE BIZARRE, AND THE STRANGE GATHERED FROM AROUND THE WEB SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . . YER WELCOME!
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER?
In life, there are bad days, and then there are extra-bad, “you just caused $2 million in damages” days. A train engineer experienced the latter when he lost an ambitious battle against a low bridge.
Footage posted on YouTube shows freight cars slowly getting decapitated one at a time as the train gradually comes to a full stop. Oddly, one of the railcars is already severely damaged before it goes under the bridge, which suggests that it was likely taller than the rest and that it fell victim to a different bridge. Two additional wagons lose their roof before the convoy stops moving. Keep in mind trains often need a mile or more to come to a full stop. If that’s not bad enough, it looks like some of the new cars aboard the railcars are a total loss. We see a mangled Ford Explorer, and a crumpled Lincoln Nautilus, among other carcasses. The incident happened earlier this month in Memphis, but we don’t know how the train ended up under the bridge. Was there a communication error? Were the warning signs removed? What’s certain is that the damage done to the cars, the freight train, and the bridge amounts to approximately $2 million, according to the account that posted the video.
SOUTH ASIAN KID ENTERS ASIA BOOK OF RECORDS AFTER IDENTIFYING 150 CAR LOGOS IN ONE MINUTE
R. Kevin Raahul (image below) from Chennai, Tamil Nadu has entered the Asian and Indian Book of Records. Raahul has achieved a great feat of being a world record holder at a tender age of just seven years. The kid from Chennai recently became a world holder for being able to identify and name 150 car logos in one minute.
The world record attempt was made on the 27th of June 2020 in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and was confirmed recently. Raahul now has his names in both India and Asia Book of Records. Studying in the second standard at the Doveton Oakley Nursery & Primary School in Chennai, Raahul is said to be outstanding and brilliant at school as well.
Born on the 2nd of May, 2013 Kevin Raahul is the only child of Mr Raju and Mrs Shakila Raju. His parents describe him as a multi-talented young achiever. With a world record under his belt, Kevin has managed to bring laurels to his family, school and nation.
SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT
A Swedish consortium aims to launch commercially by 2025 a wind-driven car carrier that will emit 90% less carbon dioxide than a conventional roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ship, it said on Thursday.
The 200-meter-long carrier will have a capacity for 7,000 cars and have a maximum height of 105 meters when its five 80-meter upright “wing sails” are fully extended — bringing to mind a futuristic version of the wings of a 19th-century clipper. “This will of course challenge our habits, and when this vessel will be in the ocean sailing, it will be an odd bird,” consortium partner Wallenius Marine Chief Operating Officer Per Tunell told an online news conference. “We are on track to make it possible for launching and putting this vessel in operation for late 2024.”
The consortium said in a statement a North Atlantic crossing would take the ship around 12 days, against eight days for conventional vessels.
“The technology of the wing sails is quite similar to airplane wings,” Wallenius Marine architect Carl-Johan Soder said, adding that the 90% emission reduction estimate was based on a North-Atlantic crossing at an average speed of 10 knots.
The vessel will have a fuel powered engine for operating in ports and for support when wind is very weak.
Tunell said the vessel would be slightly more expensive than a traditional RoRo carrier of comparable size.
AND FINALLY . . .
This story is from 2019 but better late than never…A 22-year-old Indian man gave a master class on how not to act on your birthday by pushing his brand-new gifted BMW into a river. The stunt was captured on video by the young man, who was apparently choked at not having received a Jaguar from his father. Yeah, that’ll teach him—?
He later tried to fish the Bimmer out of the water with the help of some onlookers, but with no luck. We sincerely hope this guy did not, and never does, get that Jaguar.
