Here's our weekly collection of this weird, weird world — from China's tallest waterfall being found as a scam, to Finnish cops blasting classical music to keep young people off the country's beaches ...
Amazon tribe gets hooked up to internet. And the first thing they do…
WHERE?
Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
WHAT?
The remote Marubo tribe, in the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest, has recently been connected to the internet — courtesy of Elon Musk's Starlink system —, which brought both benefits and cultural challenges. While certainly helpful in case of emergency and in communication matters, concerns arose over its impact on youth behavior and cultural preservation, as the tribe struggles with balancing modern technology's advantages and maintaining their traditional way of life. As Alfredo Marubo, leader of a Marubo association of villages, told The New York Times, there is particular concern regarding the spread of pornography. "We're worried young people are going to want to try it," he said, noting that some leaders have observed more aggressive sexual behavior among young men ever since they’d gained access to online porn.
Finland’s rowdy youth vs. classical music
WHERE?
Espoo, Finland
WHAT?
With the end of the Finnish school year and warmer weather bringing more people to the beaches, there's a concern that the youth will wreak havoc on the beaches. The Finnish police are using the ultimate weapon against teenagers: blasting classical music on beaches. Already tested in other parts of the world, this method “has been proving its worth in Espoo for the past six years,” a police officer said.
Congressman's son steals the show with silly faces
WHERE?
Washington, D.C.
WHAT?
As Tennessee Rep. John Rose stood at the podium to give his speech on the U.S. House floor, his 6-year-old son Guy started making silly faces to the camera, sticking his tongue out and rolling his eyes — or as AP put it, altogether “hamming it up.” Enough to make us forget that his father’s speech was about how Donald Trump, after being indicted, should still be allowed to run for office?
China’s “Waterfall gate”
WHERE?
Yountai Mountain, China
WHAT?
A hiker posted a video that showed the flow of water from Yuntai Mountain Waterfall, known as China's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, was coming from a pipe built high into the rock face. Operators of the Yuntai tourism park said that they made the "small enhancement" during the dry season so visitors would feel that their trip had been worthwhile.
Like French pop? How about some Puerto Rican reggaeton instead?
WHERE?
France
WHAT?
French pop-rock musician Hervé's album release didn’t go quite as he expected, after discovering all the CDs contained someone else's album. The 33-year-old singer from Britanny originally thought his friends and coworkers were pranking him when they reached out saying “there’s a guy singing in Spanish on your record”, but it turned out there were indeed songs by Luis Fonsi (of “Despacito” fame) on his CD. The Puerto Rican singer released an album on May 17 through the same record label as Hervé’s, Universal Music.