11 votes

Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

Posted by mycketforvirrad
Tags: ask.discussion, recurring.weekly, offbeat fridays, offbeat

Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like cryptography.post quantum, chatfishing and curses.wizard. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was getting befuddled.

But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!

7 comments

  1. [2]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Roman grave marker found in New Orleans yard left there by US soldier’s granddaughter The Guardian – Ramon Antonio Vargas – 10th October 2025

    Roman grave marker found in New Orleans yard left there by US soldier’s granddaughter

    The ancient Roman grave marker recently found in the back yard of a New Orleans home had evidently been inherited and left there by the granddaughter of a US soldier who fought in Italy during the second world war.

    In statements that all but solved an international historical mystery, Erin Scott O’Brien told two local media outlets that her grandfather, Charles Paddock Jr, kept the 1,900-year-old artifact in a display case at his home in New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood before his death in 1986.

    The Guardian – Ramon Antonio Vargas – 10th October 2025

    5 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      That's why I love walking. Sometimes incredible things are found.

      That's why I love walking. Sometimes incredible things are found.

      2 votes
  2. [4]
    Raspcoffee
    Link
    This week in the Netherlands, a farmer may have found a body that fell from a plane. Usual google translate:

    This week in the Netherlands, a farmer may have found a body that fell from a plane.

    Usual google translate:

    A farmer in Abbenes discovered the body of a deceased person while plowing Thursday evening. Police believe the person fell from an airplane and landed in the field.
    The body was found in a field on Hoofdweg in Abbenes. This North Holland town is located under a major approach route to Schiphol Airport.

    Police believe the person had hidden in a landing gear and fallen down, a spokesperson told ANP, citing earlier reports by NH Nieuws.

    The spokesperson emphasized that other scenarios are also possible. "He or she could have lain there themselves, or been brought there in a deceased state. Anything is possible."

    It remains unclear when the victim landed in the field. According to the spokesperson, it is "highly likely that the body was there for quite a long time." It is not yet known whether the victim was a man or a woman.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      Crazy! Thanks for the translation, so a person falls from an airplane and they (whoever that 'they' is) are not sure why the person fell? That's a bit concerning.

      Crazy! Thanks for the translation, so a person falls from an airplane and they (whoever that 'they' is) are not sure why the person fell? That's a bit concerning.

      3 votes
      1. ShroudedScribe
        Link Parent
        It sounds like they're unsure if the body even got there via plane. Plus if they can't tell if the body is male or female, that means it's probably very decomposed...

        It sounds like they're unsure if the body even got there via plane.

        Plus if they can't tell if the body is male or female, that means it's probably very decomposed...

        3 votes
    2. chocobean
      Link Parent
      Oh no :( there's no good scenario here, just tragedy: (1) "They'll never find me here I'll win hide and seek~" (2) a migrant person trying to move to a better place to live (3) a person murdered...

      Oh no :( there's no good scenario here, just tragedy:

      (1) "They'll never find me here I'll win hide and seek~"

      (2) a migrant person trying to move to a better place to live

      (3) a person murdered and disposed of

      2 votes
  3. jredd23
    Link
    Oldie but goodie. In these dark days, always good to have a good vibe. Brazilian nuns go viral after dropping the beat on Catholic TV

    Oldie but goodie. In these dark days, always good to have a good vibe.
    Brazilian nuns go viral after dropping the beat on Catholic TV

    "Beatboxing, dancing, and the songs itself, are tools that God uses to reach the hearts of the people we work with. And it works! It’s beautiful to see,” said Sister Marizele Cassiano

    2 votes