The weekly weird

Published September 4, 2021

Florida house for sale, with a giant oak tree at the centre

Have you ever seen a tree going right from the middle of a house all the way up? Yes, a house in Florida is drawing attention due to an unusual feature: a centuries-old oak tree growing through the middle of the home.

Stacey Purcell, owner of Gulfport Realty, said the ‘tree house’ has proven difficult to sell due to the massive tree that passes through the middle of rooms including the kitchen.

“There were people who walked in and walked out,” Purcell told. It seems that there is a lack of tree huggers who could come and grab the deal.


Bear steals package from the front door

Bear steals Amazon package from a Connecticut woman’s front step. “Amazon had dropped off the packages maybe five minutes before, and I got the alert on my security camera, and then I got a second alert five minutes later,” Levine told.

Levine said she doesn’t know why the bear was interested in the package, as all it contained was a roll of toilet paper.

“It was hysterical, like I said. I knew nothing in there was going to be irreplaceable so it was a fun afternoon, for sure,” Levine said. However, she said the package was later found in neighbour’s yard.


World’s biggest Oreo by 95-year-old

A 95-year-old social media star and her grandson said they have broken a Guinness World Record in Ohio by cooking up a giant Oreo cookie that weighs in at 175 pounds.

Ross Smith, a social media influencer known for the videos he makes with his 95-year-old grandma, said the duo decided to take on the challenge of making the world’s largest Oreo.

Smith said the 175-pound cookie unofficially broke the record set by a 160-pound cookie made by Oreo manufacturer Mondelez International in 2018.


Goose flies upside down to show off

A goose flying upside down was just showing off to his mates, experts have said. Amateur photographer Vincent Cornelissen posted, on his Instagram page, an image of the goose while it was cruising upside down in Arnhem, Netherlands.

The manoeuvre is known as whiffling and describes when birds rapidly descend and zig-zag. It is thought to be a defence against predators.

Cornelissen told, “They do it to brag to their peers. Like, ‘look at me!’”

Geese seem to do anything for their mates —one tried to help a friend when they spotted them having surgery last month. Arnold (a goose) was about to be put under for surgery on his leg when Amelia (another goose) turned up. She then tried to break in to set him free, much to the staff’s amusement at Cape Wildlife Centre in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

Arnold needed the op after staff noticed him limping and falling over. They were able to capture him and bring him in for an exam where they found he had two open fractures on his foot and scheduled him for surgery. Luckily, it all went fine and he was able to head back out in the flock.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 4th, 2021

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