WEIRD NEWS

Nosedive!

Do any travelling this Father's Day weekend? Be glad you weren't on Qantas flight QF 94 that left L.A. after midnight Sunday. Not only was there an annoying 49-minute delay, the flight ran into a "vortex" or "wake turbulence" caused by a flight that had left two minutes prior, causing the plane to be completely up-ended which sent it into a ten-second nosedive. By the way, when you're a passenger, a ten-second nosedive feels like about three hours. Passenger Janelle Wilson said, "We were all lifted from our seats immediately and we were in a free fall. It was that feeling like when you are at the top of a roller coaster and you've just gone over the edge of the peak and you start heading down. ... It was terrifying." A Qantas spokesperson insists that separation standards were upheld to keep the A380 aircraft at a distance of 20 nautical miles apart from the flight before it. The flight did land safely at its destination, Melbourne, 30 minutes late. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Please make sure you gather all your belongings from the overhead bins, and hey, no extra charge for the rollercoaster simulator in the middle of our flight. (Australia's News Network)

Nearly Died From Shopping Cart - Gets $45M!

In New York, a jury has awarded a whopping $45 million to 53-year-old Marion Hedges who was nearly killed when two boys tossed a shopping cart from an overpass at a Manhattan mall! The incident at the East River Plaza Mall left Hedges with severe brain injuries. She has partially recovered, though she continues to suffer the effects today. She shook with emotion when the verdict was announced-but she didn't shed a tear because a side effect of her brain damage is the inability to cry. Hedges had been returning to her car in a parking kiosk after shopping for Halloween candy when two boys, ages 12 and 13, dumped a shopping cart from a walkway more than 70 feet above her. The cart struck her in the head. The boys were caught and served time in a juvenile detention facility, but the jury found them only 10% responsible. Jurors deemed the mall 65% responsible and a security company the remaining 25%. Hedges is a philanthropist, and she promises to use part of the money to help kids in the neighborhood. "We want to help Harlem kids have a chance to do something besides throw a shopping cart on a boring Sunday afternoon," she said. The judge in the case lauded her attitude when the trial was over. "I think you have shown us all how to live in the face of adversity," said Justice Carmen St. George, per the Post. (Newser)

You Really Should Watch Your Kids

Yeah we know, wrangling 5-year-olds can be challenging, but failing to do so can be darn expensive. Just ask Sarah Goodman and her husband who may be on the hook for $132,000 after their young son knocked over a sculpture called "Aphrodite di Kansas City". It seems that on May 19, the family was at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park for a wedding reception. The kid was caught reaching toward the glass sculpture by surveillance cameras. It fell over and received significant damage. Sculptor Bill Lyons says he spent roughly 2 years creating the glass piece that the damage is "beyond my capabilities and desires to rebuild." Yes, it was insured, but a letter to the Goodmans from the insurer read: "You're responsible for the supervision of a minor child ... your failure to monitor could be considered negligent." Meanwhile, Sarah Goodman counters that, "He didn't maliciously break that. It fell on him. It was not secure, it was not safe-at all." As for what he was doing, she tells the Kansas City Star "he probably hugged it ... because he's a loving, sweet nice boy who just graduated from preschool." Overland Park says the piece was on loan and it was obligated to file an insurance claim, and the insurance company was subsequently obligated to contact the family. They say they're hopeful their homeowner's insurance policy will cover the situation. (ABC News)

That Donut Has Your Number

Yes, that donut is practically irresistible - and there's a good reason why. Yale researchers have found that foods that combine fat and carbohydrates create a powerful reward in the brain. Not surprisingly, foods containing the magic fat-carbo combo don't exist in nature, except for breast milk, which contains 3.5% fat and 7% carbohydrates. Snack food, by comparison, is typically about one quarter fat and half carbohydrates. The results at least partly explain rising rates of obesity. It turns out that combining fat and carbs created a craving that was almost irresistible. Yale psychiatrist and senior author Dana Small has become one of the first to show that our modern processed foods, are different and they affect our physiology differently. The bottom line? The human body has not evolved to handle snack food like "donuts, French fries, chocolate bars, and potato chips," says Small, and its reward system "may backfire to promote overeating and obesity." (YaleNews)

Now That's a BFF

A group of Mexican friends have been creating hilarity on Latino social media by posting photos of their adventures at the Football World Cup in Russia. It seems one of their friends couldn't attend - because his wife said no - so they brought along a life-size cardboard cutout of the guy and set up a special Facebook page for their adventure, called "Ingue Su Matrushka" where they post photos of themselves and the cutout of Javier in all sorts of hilarious scenarios. In one, he looks like he's sleeping with a sombrero covering his face and a Jaggermeister bottle next to him, in another, he is posing with the Mexican friends, but in most photos he is partying with his friends and having fun, just like the real Javier would. The four friends left Durango in April and only made it to Moscow a couple of days ago, just in time for the first World Cup match. (Oddity Central)

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

An Idaho child has come down with the same rare illness that once tormented medieval Europe. Details are scant, but the child contracted bubonic plague in Idaho or on a recent visit to Oregon and is recovering with antibiotics. The child lives in Elmore County where bubonic plague was found in ground squirrels in 2015 and 2016. "Plague is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea," an Idaho health official says in a statement. "Fleas spread the disease between animals. The disease can also be transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected animals or their fleas." American plague cases are pretty rare-this is Idaho's first in 26 years, and the country sees an average of seven annually, most often in Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. But there are roughly 1,000-2,500 annual plague cases worldwide, and an outbreak in Madagascar in 2017 killed 209 people. Modern medicine prevents most fatalities, but health officials advise taking preventative steps, like not touching wild rodents, keeping pets from rodents, and using flea control on pets. Symptoms include weakness, headaches, fever, and chills, and if you have any unexpected illness including a sudden, intense fever, see your doctor. (Idaho Statesman)

What the What

Hot wings are certainly great, but not usually l considered a fancy gourmet meal - until now. New York City's "The Ainsworth" restaurant is now serving 24karat Gold Buffalo Wings. After being soaked in a coconut butter, chipotle, and honey batter for 24 hours, they are deep fried and then tossed into a metallic gold sauce that gives them a shiny, gold-plated look. Finally, they are sprinkled with edible gold dust for extra pizazz. According to The Ainsworth, these blinged-out chicken wings are available in three price tiers: 10 wings for $30, 20 wings for $60, or - and this is if you really want to show off - 50 wings and a bottle of Champagne Armand de Brignac for $1,000. Hey, YOLO, right? (Oddity Central)

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