SIDELINES...

BIRD FALL

In Gianyar Regency, Bali, heavy rainfall was accompanied by hundreds of dead black sparrows falling from the sky and piling up in a local cemetery. An investigation is taking place but a spokesman from the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Centre said, “If we’re talking about the condition and natural events, it can be said that there was a lot of acid during the rain. It’s possible that that caused the birds to fall.” Metro, 15 Sept 2021.

GORILLA MAN

A series of early morning accidents on the A27 near Portsmouth were caused by a man “mimicking a gorilla” leaping into the road. Laurence Morgan, 60, reported slowing down after noting several badly damaged vehicles scattered across the road ahead of him, then seeing a crazedlooking man mimicking a gorilla leap out in front of his car. “The man had very wide staring eyes… he tried to enter my car and banged on the passenger door,” he said. Police attending the incident later took a man to hospital following concerns for his welfare. The News [Portsmouth], 15 Sept 2021.

HYPNOSIS HORROR

Nurse Xandra Samson unsuccessfully attempted to sue the NHS because she believed that she was being subjected to experiments at Ealing Hospital, where she worked, that made her fart against her will. She maintained that poor heating and ventilation in the unit where she worked enabled bosses to control her and cause unwelcome “gastrointestinal disturbances”, including flatulence, by means of “ideomotor phenomenon”, a form of hypnosis that allegedly forces people to make movements unconsciously. metro.co.uk, 14 Oct 2021