WEIRD NEWS

Blame in the Astronauts

So apparently there's been a small but noticeable uptick in the temperature of the moon's subsurface since about 1970 and scientists have finally figured out the reason why. Blame the astronauts - well assuming you believe the astronauts really landed there. It seems astronauts walking on the moon or riding around in rovers disturbed the surface soil and exposed the darker soil beneath. The darker soil then absorbed more of the sun's heat instead of reflecting it away, and that resulted in the temperatures rising 1.8 degrees to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit from 1971 to 1977. Walter Kiefer of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and co-author of the new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research said, "You can actually see the astronauts' tracks, where they walked. And we can see ... where they scuffed dirt up-and what it leaves behind is a darker path." The revelation holds lessons for future space exploration, adds lead author Seiichi Nagihara of Texas Tech University. "In the process of installing the instruments you may actually end up disturbing the surface thermal environment of the place where you want to make some measurements." One reason the discovery took so long is that the last few years of data were long thought to be missing, but Texas Tech researchers found 440 of the missing tapes, then spent years restoring them. Sounds pretty farfetched to me. You know they filmed all that moon landing stuff in dang liberal, commie Hollywood. And the earth is flat gal-dern it! And only 3,000 years old! Dang straight! (CBC)

America's Most Famous Pimp Runs for Office

There's only one state in America where you can legally pay someone for sex. That would be Nevada. But suddenly a coalition of religious groups and anti-sex trafficking activists has launched referendums to ban brothels in two of the seven Nevada counties where they're legally operating. But never fear - America's most famous pimp is coming to the rescue. Dennis Hof, who runs the infamous "Bunny Ranch" as seen on HBO, is running for office and challenging incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson of Pahrump in a Republican primary on Tuesday. Hof says, Nevada was built "on gaming, liquor, girls and mining." It's also kind of in his best interest has he has half a dozen brothels operating in the two counties. About 20 brothels in total currently operate in the state, mostly in rural areas. The state doesn't publicize how many are open, and most owners keep a much lower profile than Hof, who wrote a book titled The Art of the Pimp, and has dubbed himself the "Trump of Pahrump." (Newser)

Hey - Start Your Own Dang Police Department

Of course you remember the horrible school shooting in Parkland, Florida back in February. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Safety Commission has been investigating and they were just told by the Broward Sheriff's Office that the county's school district should start its own police department! Maj. Nichole Anderson told the commission that her office believes Broward County would be better served if the school district formed its own police force noting that similar arrangements work well in the neighboring counties of Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. It actually makes a lot of sense because in Broward, the sheriff's office and several municipal police departments provide officers, each following different procedures. Anderson says having one county school police department would create uniform policies and funding. One example would be Broward Deputy Scot Peterson who was assigned to Stoneman Douglas school when the Feb. 14 massacre happened. He retired after being criticized for not rushing into the building where the shootings happened and now pulls in a hefty pension. Seventeen people died. He says he did all he could. (FOX 4KC)

Just How Badly Do You Need Money?

So, just how hard up are you for some cash? You can get paid $3,500 to stay at a St. Louis hotel for up to 12 days with catered meals, just so long as you don't mind being exposed to the flu virus. A St. Louis University research unit is testing the effectiveness of flu vaccines by paying volunteers to stay at its Salus Center. Guests will be given a flu shot or a placebo, and then receive a dose of a flu virus through nasal spray. The volunteers will then be observed for flu symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, sneezing or coughing. The Extended Stay Research Unit will repeatedly test participants' blood and mucus for signs of the virus. The "human challenge" unit is one of only a few across the world that's designed to test vaccines or treatments on people after exposing them to a disease. Dr. Daniel Hoft, director of the university's Center for Vaccine Development, said, "We're doing everything we possibly can to be as safe as possible." (WFSB News)

Man Apologizes and Gets 10 - 20 Years

In Bedford County, Pennsylvania, 59-year-old Todd Richard Ferry tried to kidnap a teenage Mennonite girl in the driveway of her family's home! Apparently he felt bad about that later and left an anonymous apology note in the family's mailbox the next day. Not his smartest move. Police used DNA from the note to lead them to arrest Ferry and prosecutors say the fact that he apologized in no way lessens the terrifying impact of what he tried to do. A county jury agreed and convicted Ferry on charges of attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, child luring and simple assault after hearing that evidence. Now the state appeals court panel has upheld that conviction and ruled even though Ferry wasn't successful in the crime, he still deserves the 10- to 20-year prison sentence he's serving! His lawyers claimed there was minimal damage to the girl and family and that the sentence was too harsh. Judge Mary Jane of the state's Superior Court said nope, nopeity, no way, no how, nopers, nada! Well - something like that. (Penn Live)

Please Get Your Toddler Off the Smack!

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control says toddlers in America are eating too much added sugar, and the problem only gets worse as they get older! Extra sugar consumption has been linked to high levels of obesity, cavities, asthma, and risk factors for heart disease later in life. It's also been associated with higher cholesterol levels and elevated blood pressure. Added sugar is especially bad for children, as it sets diet preferences that could lead them to make poor nutritional choices later in life. The American Heart Association already recommends that children under the age of 2 avoid food with added sugars, including ready-to-eat cereals, baked goods, desserts, sugary drinks, yogurt, and candy. But researchers at the CDC found that some parents don't seem to be following those guidelines. For the 6- to 11-month-olds, 61 percent of the sugar in their diet was added sugar. But by the time children reached between 1 and 2 years old, that amount was even higher: 98 to 99 percent of the sugar those children ate was added. And that added sugar added up: the oldest toddlers in the study, aged between 19 to 23 months, averaged about seven teaspoons of added sugar per day, more than the amount in a Kit Kat bar! It's often hard to know because high amounts of added sugar can be hidden in seemingly healthy food: a single-size serving of yogurt with fruit at the bottom can contain up to six teaspoons of sugar. In a regular 8 ounce serving of apple or orange juice, there are 5.5 teaspoons of sugar, on average. Dried fruits are also loaded with sugar -- there are 21 teaspoons in one cup of dried fruit alone. Parents can expect new recommendations for young children to be in place for the 2020-2025 DGA guidelines, but for now, less added sugar should always be the goal. (ABC News)

What the What?

Talk about road rage gone mad! Police in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, say two men got into an argument around 8:45 in the morning in a road rage incident, and it ended with one man pooping on the other guy! No quite sure how that happens but we're not kidding. The altercation happened in Heidelberg Township, which is located about 17 miles north of Allentown. Police did not say what sparked the fight or how it escalated, or exactly how one man poops on another. So what - was he holding the other guy down? How is this possible? I'm confused! And grossed out. And strangely fascinated! Help me! (NBC Philadelphia)

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