WEIRD NEWS
Want Happiness? Take a Nap!
Want more happiness! Go take a power nap. Seriously. New research out of Britain shows power napping makes you more focused, productive, creative, and even happier. But psychologist Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire also notes is that you need to keep it short - no more than 30 minutes - because after that the benefits cease to increase. Participants were divided into three groups: those who don't nap, short nappers of 30 minutes or less, and long nappers of 30 minutes or more. Two-thirds of short nappers (66%) reported feeling happy, compared with 60% of non-nappers, and 56% of long nappers. Wiseman said, "A large body of research shows that short naps boosts performance," adding that companies like Google have installed employee nap spaces. But be warned, the benefits of "nappiness" disappear the longer you linger on the couch. Wiseman says "longer napping is associated with several health risks," and frequent hour-long naps have been linked with an 82% rise in heart disease. (Medical Xpress)
Guy Drives Coast to Coast - Non Stop - Gets Arrested!
Gary Robbins is a trucker who drove coast to coast - without ever stopping. Of course there's only one way to make that happen - by staying hopped up on illegal drugs - which is exactly what police say he did. So, the Alaska man was arrested in Deerfield, Mass., and reportedly admitted to driving straight there from Seattle. His ride ended at a Circle K gas station, where an employee called police after witnessing erratic behavior in the parking lot. After inserting his credit cards into the fuel tank and locking himself out of the vehicle, Robbins was seen trying to break into the truck from the space between the trailer and front cab. Police say the 49-year-old admitted to using crystal meth, LSD, and cocaine to fuel his non-stop, cross-country ride. Police say it's amazing he didn't injure anyone on what they calculated was likely a 44-hour drive. Robbins' license has been revoked; he is being charged with operating under the influence of drugs and will face "many additional charges." But it's not all bad news - prior to his arrest, Robbins managed to deliver his cargo of raspberry roots in a town less than 10 miles away. (Recorder)
Somebody is Always Watching
Lexi Thompson is taking a "very needed" three-week break after what she describes on Instagram as "an emotional day." The professional golfer was taking part Saturday in the ANA Inspiration championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., when she did something that no one noticed - except for a sharp-eyed viewer who emailed the golf association a day later after spotting the infraction. She picked up her ball to mark it before a putt, then put it back in the wrong place. Officials on Sunday reviewed the video, then docked Thompson four strokes in total (two for the ball that was misplaced by an inch, two for signing an incorrect scorecard) and notified her as she was leaving the 12th hole. Stunned she asked, "Is this a joke?" calling the ruling "ridiculous." She was leading the tournament when informed of the infraction but suddenly found herself trailing by two strokes. She managed to rally, only to lose in a playoff to So Yeon Ryu. An LPGA official involved in making the call says she doesn't think the ball-moving was intentional and that it "made me sick" to have to penalize Thompson. Even Tiger Woods weighed in, tweeting, "Viewers at home should not be officials wearing stripes." For the record - Thompson was once the youngest person ever to win an LPGA competition. (Instagram)
Why Toilet Paper and Facial Recognition Go Together
Authorities in China are so fed up with folks stealing toilet paper from public bathrooms that they've begun using facial recognition technology to limit how much paper a person can take. The unusual move - part of a so-called "toilet revolution" - is another step in China's vast upgrading of public facilities. Bathrooms at tourist sites, notorious for their primitive conditions and nasty odors, are a special focus of the campaign, a response to a vast expansion in domestic travel and demands for better-quality facilities from a more affluent public. Researcher Zhan Dongmei said, "We have entered a new era of public tourism. The expectation of the public for the toilet is becoming higher." The "revolution" calls for at least 34,000 new public bathrooms to be constructed in Beijing this year. (Newser)
Who Knew the Deep South Was So Stressed Out
Depending on where you live, you could be really stressed out! WalletHub took a look at nearly three dozen stress indicators across a range of categories in all 50 states and DC, including anxiety related to work, family, money, and health to find out where the most stressed and least stressed states are. Minnesota takes least-stressed honors, while those in the Deep South may need to learn some deep-breathing techniques. The top five states most stressed states in order are: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The least stressed states are: Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota and Utah. (WalletHub)
The Planet of the Apes Revolution Has Begun!
At the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one family's fun day out took an unfortunate turn with the grandmother ended up with a face full of poop - chimpanzee poop! A hilarious and at the same time, sickening, video shows the animal squatting and flailing its arms in its enclosure, much to the amusement of a crowd. Visitors are heard cheering at the chimp's antics until he responded by launching a big lump of poop into the crowd. It landed squarely on the nose of an elderly lady seated in a wheelchair, as one woman shouted: "It got Grandma!" Needless to say, the video is currently going viral and judging by the look on "grandma's" face, she wasn't real happy. (Metro)
What the What?
A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump's free speech defense against a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a campaign rally. Trumps lawyers had hoped for a dismissal in the lawsuit by three protesters who say they were roughed up by Trump supporters at a March 1, 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky. Two women and a man say they were shoved and punched by audience members at Trump's command. Much of it was captured on video and widely broadcast during the campaign, showing Trump pointing at the protesters and repeating "get them out." Judge David J. Hale in Louisville found ample facts supporting allegations that the protesters' injuries were a "direct and proximate result" of Trump's actions, and noted that the Supreme Court has ruled out constitutional protections for speech that incites violence. Plaintiffs Kashiya Nwanguma, Molly Shah and Henry Brousseau allege that they were physically attacked by several members of the audience, including Matthew Heimbach, Alvin Bamberger and an unnamed defendant they have yet to be able to identify. Bamberger later apologized to the Korean War Veterans Association, whose uniform he wore at the rally. He wrote that he "physically pushed a young woman down the aisle toward the exit" after "Trump kept saying 'get them out, get them out," according to the lawsuit. (Seattle Times)
Want more happiness! Go take a power nap. Seriously. New research out of Britain shows power napping makes you more focused, productive, creative, and even happier. But psychologist Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire also notes is that you need to keep it short - no more than 30 minutes - because after that the benefits cease to increase. Participants were divided into three groups: those who don't nap, short nappers of 30 minutes or less, and long nappers of 30 minutes or more. Two-thirds of short nappers (66%) reported feeling happy, compared with 60% of non-nappers, and 56% of long nappers. Wiseman said, "A large body of research shows that short naps boosts performance," adding that companies like Google have installed employee nap spaces. But be warned, the benefits of "nappiness" disappear the longer you linger on the couch. Wiseman says "longer napping is associated with several health risks," and frequent hour-long naps have been linked with an 82% rise in heart disease. (Medical Xpress)
Guy Drives Coast to Coast - Non Stop - Gets Arrested!
Gary Robbins is a trucker who drove coast to coast - without ever stopping. Of course there's only one way to make that happen - by staying hopped up on illegal drugs - which is exactly what police say he did. So, the Alaska man was arrested in Deerfield, Mass., and reportedly admitted to driving straight there from Seattle. His ride ended at a Circle K gas station, where an employee called police after witnessing erratic behavior in the parking lot. After inserting his credit cards into the fuel tank and locking himself out of the vehicle, Robbins was seen trying to break into the truck from the space between the trailer and front cab. Police say the 49-year-old admitted to using crystal meth, LSD, and cocaine to fuel his non-stop, cross-country ride. Police say it's amazing he didn't injure anyone on what they calculated was likely a 44-hour drive. Robbins' license has been revoked; he is being charged with operating under the influence of drugs and will face "many additional charges." But it's not all bad news - prior to his arrest, Robbins managed to deliver his cargo of raspberry roots in a town less than 10 miles away. (Recorder)
Somebody is Always Watching
Lexi Thompson is taking a "very needed" three-week break after what she describes on Instagram as "an emotional day." The professional golfer was taking part Saturday in the ANA Inspiration championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., when she did something that no one noticed - except for a sharp-eyed viewer who emailed the golf association a day later after spotting the infraction. She picked up her ball to mark it before a putt, then put it back in the wrong place. Officials on Sunday reviewed the video, then docked Thompson four strokes in total (two for the ball that was misplaced by an inch, two for signing an incorrect scorecard) and notified her as she was leaving the 12th hole. Stunned she asked, "Is this a joke?" calling the ruling "ridiculous." She was leading the tournament when informed of the infraction but suddenly found herself trailing by two strokes. She managed to rally, only to lose in a playoff to So Yeon Ryu. An LPGA official involved in making the call says she doesn't think the ball-moving was intentional and that it "made me sick" to have to penalize Thompson. Even Tiger Woods weighed in, tweeting, "Viewers at home should not be officials wearing stripes." For the record - Thompson was once the youngest person ever to win an LPGA competition. (Instagram)
Why Toilet Paper and Facial Recognition Go Together
Authorities in China are so fed up with folks stealing toilet paper from public bathrooms that they've begun using facial recognition technology to limit how much paper a person can take. The unusual move - part of a so-called "toilet revolution" - is another step in China's vast upgrading of public facilities. Bathrooms at tourist sites, notorious for their primitive conditions and nasty odors, are a special focus of the campaign, a response to a vast expansion in domestic travel and demands for better-quality facilities from a more affluent public. Researcher Zhan Dongmei said, "We have entered a new era of public tourism. The expectation of the public for the toilet is becoming higher." The "revolution" calls for at least 34,000 new public bathrooms to be constructed in Beijing this year. (Newser)
Who Knew the Deep South Was So Stressed Out
Depending on where you live, you could be really stressed out! WalletHub took a look at nearly three dozen stress indicators across a range of categories in all 50 states and DC, including anxiety related to work, family, money, and health to find out where the most stressed and least stressed states are. Minnesota takes least-stressed honors, while those in the Deep South may need to learn some deep-breathing techniques. The top five states most stressed states in order are: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The least stressed states are: Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota and Utah. (WalletHub)
The Planet of the Apes Revolution Has Begun!
At the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one family's fun day out took an unfortunate turn with the grandmother ended up with a face full of poop - chimpanzee poop! A hilarious and at the same time, sickening, video shows the animal squatting and flailing its arms in its enclosure, much to the amusement of a crowd. Visitors are heard cheering at the chimp's antics until he responded by launching a big lump of poop into the crowd. It landed squarely on the nose of an elderly lady seated in a wheelchair, as one woman shouted: "It got Grandma!" Needless to say, the video is currently going viral and judging by the look on "grandma's" face, she wasn't real happy. (Metro)
What the What?
A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump's free speech defense against a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a campaign rally. Trumps lawyers had hoped for a dismissal in the lawsuit by three protesters who say they were roughed up by Trump supporters at a March 1, 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky. Two women and a man say they were shoved and punched by audience members at Trump's command. Much of it was captured on video and widely broadcast during the campaign, showing Trump pointing at the protesters and repeating "get them out." Judge David J. Hale in Louisville found ample facts supporting allegations that the protesters' injuries were a "direct and proximate result" of Trump's actions, and noted that the Supreme Court has ruled out constitutional protections for speech that incites violence. Plaintiffs Kashiya Nwanguma, Molly Shah and Henry Brousseau allege that they were physically attacked by several members of the audience, including Matthew Heimbach, Alvin Bamberger and an unnamed defendant they have yet to be able to identify. Bamberger later apologized to the Korean War Veterans Association, whose uniform he wore at the rally. He wrote that he "physically pushed a young woman down the aisle toward the exit" after "Trump kept saying 'get them out, get them out," according to the lawsuit. (Seattle Times)
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