Tropic Press: J.C. Bruce: The Strange Files

News of the Weird

J.C. Bruce — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 15:55:31 GMT

Not Drinking, but Stinking Drunk

For two years, a 50-year-old Canadian woman, desperate for help, trekked to emergency rooms because she felt drunk even though she hadn’t touched a drop.

And during all those visits, ER doctors sent her away with a diagnosis of intoxication.

Turns out, they weren’t wrong. She was drunk. But not because she was imbibing.

On h…

STRANGE SCIENCE : Use This Info to Impress Your Friends

J.C. Bruce — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:34:32 GMT

How far can the human eye see? While the majority of us wouldn’t consider our vision to be extraordinary, the human eye can see much farther than most of us realize. On a clear night most of us are able to make out the faint haze of the Andromeda Galaxy some 2.6 million light-years into space. Cool, right?

A huge study of half a million people has sugges…

YOUR HEALTH: Six Minutes of Exercise Wards off Dementia

J.C. Bruce — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:13:05 GMT

Six minutes of high-intensity exercise is enough to produce a key protein in the brain, one that’s important in brain formation, function, and memory, and which has been implicated in the progress of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The specialized protein in question is called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and it prom…

STRANGE CRITTERS: Hiss-terical Encounter of the Slithering Kind

J.C. Bruce — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 13:23:25 GMT

A Tucson woman returned home after a four-day trip and said she was "looking forward to using my own restroom in peace."

Instead, she discovered a snake curled up in her toilet bowl.

"Everybody has the same reaction," she said. "Oh, my god, that's my worst nightmare."

The woman, Michelle Lespron, asked her dad to remove the snake, but the slippery critter …

STRANGE CRITTERS: Vampire Fish Stalk the Great Lakes

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 10:49:32 GMT

The sea lamprey, a fish with an eel-like shape and an appetite for blood, is making a comeback in the Great Lakes.

Nicknamed the "vampire fish," the lamprey has a terrifying circular row of teeth which it uses to latch onto its prey.

They aren't supposed to be there. Lamprey are native to the Atlantic Ocean but somehow slithered into the Great Lakes, and …

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Swear You've Never Fought a Duel

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 10:46:27 GMT

Most states have some weird laws on the books, but this one from Kentucky is one of the strangest:

Every elected official in the Bluegrass State must, as part of their oath of office, swear they have never participated in a duel.

That includes U.S. Sen. Rand Paul who, when accused of plagiarizing his speeches, once told ABC News: "If they keep it up, it'd…

What? Pythons Weren't Enough? Now Dangerous Snails?

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:51:08 GMT

Giant African land snails have been spotted on Florida's east coast prompting officials to place a quarantine on Broward County. The snails can grow up to eight inches in length, have pointy edges that can puncture tires and carry a parasite that can give people meningitis. This news arrived during the same week that malaria was reported on the state's …

CUTE BUT DEADLY: Beware the Blue-Ringed Octopus

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 10:02:39 GMT

Mystery writers are always looking for new ways to kill off characters. So, I was fascinated to discover this story.

An unnamed Australian woman was bitten multiple times by a blue-ringed octopus and lived to tell about it. Which, apparently, is a big deal because the toxin released by the tiny cephalopod -- tetrodotoxin -- frequently leads to respirator…

Extra! Extra! Read All About The Strange Files Series

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:50:18 GMT

Naples author's 'Mister Manners' receives national recognition

The Annual 2022 Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Book Awards recognized Mister Manners by J.C. Bruce in the category of Mysteries/ Suspense as a Silver medal winner. Hosted by the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, this prestigious national award is open to boo…

What's Your Superpower? Maybe Reading?

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 15:34:57 GMT

Here are the two reasons you should insist your kids not read comic books. Wink. Wink.

An item in the news today underscores why this is vitally important advice for all moms and dads. Before we get to that news event, here are the two reasons why you need to set a firm foot down with your kids: If you tell your children not to read comics, that they ar…

STRANGER THAN FICTION: The Right Way to Smile at a Cat

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 09:52:45 GMT

Cats Want You to Smile at Them

A new study shows that cats like it when their humans smile at them, but you have to do it the right way, and that means not baring your teeth, but, rather, squinting your eyes with a pleasurable expression on your face.

Fido Did It

A driver in Colorado tried to avoid a DUI arrest by swapping seats with his dog after being pu…

Guest Commentary: 'Get Strange' Turns the Tropics into a Mystery Setting

J.C. Bruce — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 12:24:26 GMT

The Naples Daily News did a feature on books from local authors that should be on everyone's Christmas list. This portion was about my Strange Files series.

By Harriet Howard Heithaus

NAPLES DAILY NEWS

Alex Strange generally is nobody's darling among his fictional milieu. He has the wit of a paint thinner martini and the curiosity of a cat missing part of …

AMAZING SCIENCE: Earthrise Seen From the Moon's Surface

J.C. Bruce — Fri, 26 May 2023 09:57:29 GMT

Days before Japan's Hakuto-R lunar lander apparently crashed into the moon's surface on April 25, it snapped a truly gorgeous picture of our planet. The image, which is reminiscent of Apollo 8's iconic "Earthrise" photo, shows our planet sitting on top of the lunar horizon like a perfect blue marble. The moon's shadow can be seen passing over Australia,…

It Looks Harmless, but the Puss Caterpillar is a Pain

Alexander Strange — Mon, 15 May 2023 18:04:55 GMT

It looks kind of cute, harmless, fuzzy. If you encounter it, you may be tempted to pick it up, maybe even pet it.

Don’t.

Even though it may appear similar to a lucky rabbit’s foot, the puss caterpillar is one of the most poisonous insects in America, and you will instantly regret handling it.

Just ask Bri Oteri of Dade City, Florida. Here’s what she said i…

STRANGE SCIENCE: So Much for Stonehenge

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 10:06:50 GMT

So much for Stonehenge.

A new paper suggests the famous British pile of stones wasn't a prehistoric calendar after all, just a memorial to the dead.

The study, published in the journal Antiquity disputes claims made earlier that the stones are arranged to function as a 356-day calendar. As we all know, it takes Earth 365 days to orbit the Sun, so this new…

Woman Alarmed by Mysterious Krakow Pastry Lizard

J.C. Bruce — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 06:10:28 GMT

This is a test.

There are two images accompanying this article. One is a photograph of an iguana, a kind of lizard. The other is not. Can you tell the difference?

If so, your powers of observation are keener than some. Specifically, better than a woman in Poland who called the authorities when she saw an unusual object in a lilac tree outside her home.

Further Evidence the Loch Ness Monster Could Still Be Lurking

J.C. Bruce — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 15:49:05 GMT

By J.C. Bruce

We now have additional evidence that the Loch Ness Monster may be real.

Not eyewitness evidence, mind you, in the sense that somebody actually saw Nessie. Let’s instead call it circumstantial evidence, maybe not admissible in court, certainly not beyond a reasonable doubt, but absolutely justifying further inquiry.

We take you now to a nature…

A Question for Our Troubled Times: Do Snakes Poop?

J.C. Bruce — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 14:16:38 GMT

I live on the edge of a nature preserve, and on Christmas Day I noticed a handful of bright green plants with ruby red berries blooming near my back yard. I was struck by the festive color combination, perfect for the holidays.

But that delight was dampened when after a little online sleuthing I realized they are Brazilian pepper trees, and, while attrac…

About that robot attack

Alexander Strange — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 11:06:34 GMT

A robot in Moscow violated Isaac Asimov's First Law of Robots when it broke the finger of a 7-year-old boy.

The kid was playing the robot during a chess tournament and apparently reached for a piece out of turn. The robotic arm grabbed his finger and crushed it.

In case it's been a while since you read Asimov's I Robot, the First Law of Robotics states: "…

Are Cats Alien Invaders?

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 11:09:11 GMT

A Polish scientific institute has added house cats to a list of "invasive alien species."

Not that they are otherwordly, but because cats damage biodiversity by hunting and killing birds and mammals.

Biologists at the Polish Academy of Sciences, which maintains the list, were stunned by the reaction of cat lovers, who are furious.

Maybe a certain group of …