WEIRD NEWS

Alcohol and Coffee Helps You Live Past 90!

Happy Monday everybody! A new study from the University of California-Irvine may be the greatest news you'll hear all week. It seems consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol and coffee is linked to living a longer life! No kidding. The key word is "moderate," of course. The study, called "The 90+ Study," started in 2003 and examined "the oldest-old" age group - about 1,700 nonagenarians - to determine what is key to living to your 90th birthday and beyond. They found those "who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained," and that "people who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did." Claudia Kawas, a key researcher for the study said, "I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity." The research found that subjects who drank two glasses of beer or wine every day decreased their chances of a premature death by 18%, and those who drank two cups of coffee a day decreased their chances by 10%. This same research found regular exercise - as well as keeping busy with a regular hobby - is also key to living a longer life. (Newser)

America's Most Wanted Dead Beat Dad Caught!

After 20 years on the lam, it was just a simple, tiny cherry pit that led to the capture of America's "most wanted deadbeat" dad. According to the US government, Joseph Stroup owes some $560,000 in child support. He fled arrest in 1998 and at some point ended up in Alberta, Canada. Known there as Joop Cousteau, he got to know staff at a now-closed bar called the Bears Den, outside of Calgary. One day in November, Stroup, now 64, ordered an odd drink - a Cherry Coke topped with eight maraschino cherries. He then complained a cherry pit, which he held in his hand, had caused damage to his teeth. Bar co-owner Scott Winograd thought the claim was bogus as he knew their maraschino cherries had their pits removed. After a little Googling, Winograd arrived at the Justice Department's website, which listed Stroup as America's most wanted deadbeat parent. Winograd said the picture was "a spitting image. Within an hour the FBI, US Marshals and the Office of the Inspector General were calling and Stroup was arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency on Feb. 1. He now faces trial in Michigan over his alleged failure to financially support four children since June 1996. (CBC)

When Did You Start Smoking? About 9 Months!

In Indonesia, a 36-year-old father is facing a possible jail term after posting a picture of his nine-month-old son apparently smoking a cigarette. Allegedly the father put the lit cigarette in his son's mouth while his 18-year-old wife, Ummu Slamah, took a picture. When police saw it, they arrested the guy and he could be jailed for six months under Indonesia's Child Protection Act. Man, there's just dumb asses all over the planet. (Metro)

Exorcism Anyone?

Who knew we had an exorcist shortage? It seems the Vatican will be hosting a week-long international conference on exorcisms in April after demand for exorcists has apparently tripled in Italy alone. The church is reportedly worried about "the uneven skills of some of its current exorcists," as well as priests unwilling to learn how to perform exorcisms. Those worries come out of a recent four-day meeting organized by Friar Beningo Palilla in Sicily. Palilla tells Vatican Radio there are about half a million cases requiring an exorcist in Italy every year (though he admits not every case is an actual demonic possession). Palilla says the number of such cases is increasing because more Italians are patronizing fortune tellers and Tarot readers, which opens "the door to the devil and to possession." Worried about mistakes by self-taught exorcists, Palilla says he wants to see an improvement in exorcist training. A few years back, the Vatican offered its support to the International Association of Exorcists, which has licensed 200 or so exorcists since its founding in 1990. (USA Today)

First Lady Called Out by 14-Year-Old

First lady Melania Trump chose her mission as putting an end to cyber bullying. A 14-year-old survivor of the Florida school shooting thinks she needs to start with her family. Lauren Hogg sent out a tweet on Friday calling out the first lady, and it revolves around her older brother, David, who has emerged as an outspoken proponent of gun control after the shooting at his high school. Of course alt-right nuts and conspiracy theorists have floated all kinds of things about David Hogg, including that he's a "crisis actor" or has been coached by his father, a former FBI agent. Well it seems Donald Trump Jr. has liked several of the critical posts. Lauren Hogg tweeted that the first lady should have had a "convo" with Trump Jr. "before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory, which in turn put a target on my back and created a safe space for people all over the world to call me and my family horrific things that constantly re-victimizes us and our community?" In a second tweet, she added that "I'm 14 I should never have had to deal with any of this and even though I thought it couldn't get worse it has because of your family." (The Hill)

How Could Elvis' Daughter Possibly Be Broke?

You'd think if you were the daughter of the King of Rock ‘n' Roll, you'd be set for life. Not so for Lisa Marie Presley whose massive fortune form the huge trust left by Elvis has been reduced to a mere $14,000 in cash and Lisa Marie is reportedly $16 million in debt. Of course none of this is her fault and she's now suing her former manager for $100 million. She says her fortune was lost because Barry Siegel failed to alert her to inappropriate spending (on expensive homes, mainly) and made a bad investment. After selling 85% of Presley's shares in Elvis Presley Enterprises for $100 million in 2005, Siegel invested in Core Entertainment, the parent company of American Idol, according to Presley. When the company went bankrupt more than a decade later, Presley says she lost $24.5 million. In a countersuit, Siegel tells a very different story. He says the 2005 sale of Presley's shares "cleared up over $20 million in debts Lisa had incurred and netted her over $40 million cash and a multi-million dollar income stream, most of which she managed to squander in the ensuing years. Siegel's attorney says Lisa Marie "refused to listen to the warnings of her most trusted advisers and her family" and eventually stopped paying Siegel. She is "looking to blame others" but "has only herself to blame for her financial and personal misfortunes." (TMZ)

What the What?

In Gainesville, Georgia, a crematorium was damaged because... it caught on fire. It seems the high heat from cremations sparked a fire in the attic at Memorial Park Funeral Home. There was already heavy smoke and fire damage by the time firefighters arrived. Fortunately, crews were able to knock down the fire in about 10 minutes and no one was injured. Mostly because the majority of the people inside were already dead. (11 Alive)

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