WEIRD NEWS
30,000 Big Macs... and Counting!
Meanwhile, in Fond du Lac Wisconsin, 64-year-old Don Gorske has eaten 30,000 Big Mac - almost one every day for 46 years! No kidding. Don ate his first Big Mac in 1972 at the same McDonald's where he chowed down his 30,000th, and he's only missed about eight days in between. That includes a 1982 day in which a snowstorm shut down the restaurant, as well as the day his mom died in 1998. "She requested I not eat a Big Mac on the day she died, in remembrance of her," he says. Gorske also notes he has OCD, which has led him to catalog thousands of receipts, wrappers, and containers over the course of more than four decades. And he doesn't appear to be suffering for his cause: Ellen DeGeneres had his cholesterol checked in 2003 and came up with 140, and he's run a marathon - with Big Mac No. 21,387 in hand. After consuming No. 30,000, he took one for the road and said, "Maybe I'll be eating it when I catch myself on the news, who knows?" (Fond du Lac Reporter)
Turns Out McCain Didn't Like Palin Either
You've probably heard that Sen. John McCain has released his memoirs and promised he wouldn't be holding back. Not surprising, one of the revelations is that McCain greatly regrets picking Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. (So do we John, so do we.) McCain was leaning toward Joe Lieberman, a pro-choice Independent senator who caucused on the other side of the aisle. But advisors convinced him otherwise and now McCain says, "It was sound advice that I could reason for myself, but my gut told me to ignore it and I wish I had." McCain is currently battling stage four brain cancer as a steady stream of friends and colleagues make their way to the Senator's ranch in Sedona, Ariz., among them longtime former senator Joe Biden, whose own son, Beau Biden, died of the same kind of tumor that McCain has. "Here John knows he's in a very, very, very precarious situation, and yet he's still concerned about the state of the country," says Biden. Biden, said to be mulling a 2020 presidential run, said McCain urged him to "not walk away" from politics. Both men fiercely oppose President Trump, and the New York Times reports that VP Mike Pence is to attend McCain's funeral in the president's place. (New York Times)
Old People Like Sex Too!
Getting older? Doesn't mean your sex life has to end. In fact a new U.S. survey conducted by the University of Michigan has revealed that 40% of those aged between 65 and 80 report being sexually active, with more than half of those who have a partner saying they still engage in steamy moments. Researcher Dr. Erica Solway says, "We recognize that sex and sexual health is something that is very important to the health and wellbeing of older people but is not something that gets a lot of attention." The findings, part of the University's National Poll on Healthy Aging, are based on online answers from around 1,000 participants aged between 65 and 80, and are nationally representative. The study was funded by Michigan Medicine - part of the university - and AARP, an interest group for ageing. The results reveal that 84% of men and 69% of women between 65 and 80 believe sex is important to a relationship at any age, with just over half of men and just under a third of women reporting that they were sexually active - although the researchers did not define quite what that involved. While 12% of women reported having a strong interest in sex, more than 50% of men said the same. Fewer men were "extremely or very" happy with their sex life compared with women. Age was another key factor. Only a quarter of those aged between 76 and 80 reported being sexually active, compared with 46% of those aged 65-70. (The Guardian)
Fun with Drug Testing
In Aurora, Colorado, police ticketed 26-year-old Angelique Sanchez for allegedly damaging a 7-Eleven microwave by heating up urine inside it, which caused the urine to explode. Apparently, Sanchez thought microwaved urine would help her pass a drug test for a future job she was applying for. For what it's worth, drug test urine is always checked to ensure it is at body temperature, not room temperature. This is one way of telling if the urine sample was actually given at the time of the test. The police report shows the 7-Eleven clerk called police after hearing a "loud bang" a few seconds after Sanchez placed something in the microwave. The clerk told police Sanchez looked at the microwave and walked out the door, and then the clerk noticed yellow liquid "dripping from the microwave and the smell was unquestionably urine." The police report shows the employee asked Sanchez to clean up the mess and Sanchez said she did so did not understand what the problem was. A background check revealed Sanchez has been arrested several times and convicted of theft. (KUSA)
I'm So Lonesome, I Could Die
Over in China, 85-year-old Han Zicheng put himself up for adoption - because he was lonely and didn't want to die alone. So he made a flyer that read: "Lonely old man in his 80s. Strong-bodied. Can shop, cook and take care of himself. No chronic illness. I retired from a scientific research institute in Tianjin, with a monthly pension of $1200 a month. I won't go to a nursing home. My hope is that a kind-hearted person or family will adopt me, nourish me through old age and bury my body when I'm dead." Han, a widower whose sons were estranged, had been telling neighbors for years that he was lonely and afraid of dying alone. He made some friends but failed to find the loving family he was looking for, and began growing angry with those who called - ranting about the government and the shoddy food at the local old folk's home. Sadly, Han died without ever finding anyone to adopt him, but he was able to call one of his new acquaintances before he died and was taken to the hospital - alleviating his fear that he would die alone. One of his sons, who lives in Canada, later denied to reporters that his father had been lonely and insisted his kids had taken good care of him - but wouldn't provide any details to corroborate that. (News AU)
Africa Goes After Kanye
Africa is now going after Kanye West over his infamous "slavery sounds like a choice" comments. Officials in Nigeria have offered to take him on a tour of former slave routes so he can learn about the slave trade that once existed in that country. Nigerian lawmaker Shehu Sani tweted: "If Kanye West thinks slavery was a choice, we will offer him a free ticket and tour guide to visit slave routes and camps in Badagry, Lagos, Ouida, Benin Republic, Ghana and Goree Island in Senegal to 'experience the choices in chains.'" Sani also tweeded: "Kanye defecated on the graves of victims." West has since backtracked on his remark but hasn't said whether he'll visit West Africa. (CNN)
What the What?
An 8-year-old American Quarter Horse and Appaloosa cross is suing his former owner for $100,000! Yep, you heard right. Ironically named Justice, the horse is getting help from a legal advocacy group for animals in seeking damages from 51-year-old Gwendolyn Vercher who was sentenced in July to three years' probation for first-degree animal neglect. According to court documents, Vercher "denied Justice adequate food and shelter for months, abandoning him to starve and freeze. As a result of this neglect, Justice was left debilitated and emaciated. His injuries will apparently require extensive care for the rest of his life, which makes it difficult to find him a home. Sarah Hanneken, one of the attorneys representing Justice for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, explained, "Victims of crimes can sue their abusers and animals are sentient beings that are recognized as victims under Oregon law. So with that premise, we've come to the conclusion that animals can sue their abusers and we're confident of our stance in this case." If Justice prevails, the damages awarded will be deposited into a trust and used to pay for his medical care. He currently lives at a non-profit horse rescue in Oregon. (Oregonian)
Meanwhile, in Fond du Lac Wisconsin, 64-year-old Don Gorske has eaten 30,000 Big Mac - almost one every day for 46 years! No kidding. Don ate his first Big Mac in 1972 at the same McDonald's where he chowed down his 30,000th, and he's only missed about eight days in between. That includes a 1982 day in which a snowstorm shut down the restaurant, as well as the day his mom died in 1998. "She requested I not eat a Big Mac on the day she died, in remembrance of her," he says. Gorske also notes he has OCD, which has led him to catalog thousands of receipts, wrappers, and containers over the course of more than four decades. And he doesn't appear to be suffering for his cause: Ellen DeGeneres had his cholesterol checked in 2003 and came up with 140, and he's run a marathon - with Big Mac No. 21,387 in hand. After consuming No. 30,000, he took one for the road and said, "Maybe I'll be eating it when I catch myself on the news, who knows?" (Fond du Lac Reporter)
Turns Out McCain Didn't Like Palin Either
You've probably heard that Sen. John McCain has released his memoirs and promised he wouldn't be holding back. Not surprising, one of the revelations is that McCain greatly regrets picking Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. (So do we John, so do we.) McCain was leaning toward Joe Lieberman, a pro-choice Independent senator who caucused on the other side of the aisle. But advisors convinced him otherwise and now McCain says, "It was sound advice that I could reason for myself, but my gut told me to ignore it and I wish I had." McCain is currently battling stage four brain cancer as a steady stream of friends and colleagues make their way to the Senator's ranch in Sedona, Ariz., among them longtime former senator Joe Biden, whose own son, Beau Biden, died of the same kind of tumor that McCain has. "Here John knows he's in a very, very, very precarious situation, and yet he's still concerned about the state of the country," says Biden. Biden, said to be mulling a 2020 presidential run, said McCain urged him to "not walk away" from politics. Both men fiercely oppose President Trump, and the New York Times reports that VP Mike Pence is to attend McCain's funeral in the president's place. (New York Times)
Old People Like Sex Too!
Getting older? Doesn't mean your sex life has to end. In fact a new U.S. survey conducted by the University of Michigan has revealed that 40% of those aged between 65 and 80 report being sexually active, with more than half of those who have a partner saying they still engage in steamy moments. Researcher Dr. Erica Solway says, "We recognize that sex and sexual health is something that is very important to the health and wellbeing of older people but is not something that gets a lot of attention." The findings, part of the University's National Poll on Healthy Aging, are based on online answers from around 1,000 participants aged between 65 and 80, and are nationally representative. The study was funded by Michigan Medicine - part of the university - and AARP, an interest group for ageing. The results reveal that 84% of men and 69% of women between 65 and 80 believe sex is important to a relationship at any age, with just over half of men and just under a third of women reporting that they were sexually active - although the researchers did not define quite what that involved. While 12% of women reported having a strong interest in sex, more than 50% of men said the same. Fewer men were "extremely or very" happy with their sex life compared with women. Age was another key factor. Only a quarter of those aged between 76 and 80 reported being sexually active, compared with 46% of those aged 65-70. (The Guardian)
Fun with Drug Testing
In Aurora, Colorado, police ticketed 26-year-old Angelique Sanchez for allegedly damaging a 7-Eleven microwave by heating up urine inside it, which caused the urine to explode. Apparently, Sanchez thought microwaved urine would help her pass a drug test for a future job she was applying for. For what it's worth, drug test urine is always checked to ensure it is at body temperature, not room temperature. This is one way of telling if the urine sample was actually given at the time of the test. The police report shows the 7-Eleven clerk called police after hearing a "loud bang" a few seconds after Sanchez placed something in the microwave. The clerk told police Sanchez looked at the microwave and walked out the door, and then the clerk noticed yellow liquid "dripping from the microwave and the smell was unquestionably urine." The police report shows the employee asked Sanchez to clean up the mess and Sanchez said she did so did not understand what the problem was. A background check revealed Sanchez has been arrested several times and convicted of theft. (KUSA)
I'm So Lonesome, I Could Die
Over in China, 85-year-old Han Zicheng put himself up for adoption - because he was lonely and didn't want to die alone. So he made a flyer that read: "Lonely old man in his 80s. Strong-bodied. Can shop, cook and take care of himself. No chronic illness. I retired from a scientific research institute in Tianjin, with a monthly pension of $1200 a month. I won't go to a nursing home. My hope is that a kind-hearted person or family will adopt me, nourish me through old age and bury my body when I'm dead." Han, a widower whose sons were estranged, had been telling neighbors for years that he was lonely and afraid of dying alone. He made some friends but failed to find the loving family he was looking for, and began growing angry with those who called - ranting about the government and the shoddy food at the local old folk's home. Sadly, Han died without ever finding anyone to adopt him, but he was able to call one of his new acquaintances before he died and was taken to the hospital - alleviating his fear that he would die alone. One of his sons, who lives in Canada, later denied to reporters that his father had been lonely and insisted his kids had taken good care of him - but wouldn't provide any details to corroborate that. (News AU)
Africa Goes After Kanye
Africa is now going after Kanye West over his infamous "slavery sounds like a choice" comments. Officials in Nigeria have offered to take him on a tour of former slave routes so he can learn about the slave trade that once existed in that country. Nigerian lawmaker Shehu Sani tweted: "If Kanye West thinks slavery was a choice, we will offer him a free ticket and tour guide to visit slave routes and camps in Badagry, Lagos, Ouida, Benin Republic, Ghana and Goree Island in Senegal to 'experience the choices in chains.'" Sani also tweeded: "Kanye defecated on the graves of victims." West has since backtracked on his remark but hasn't said whether he'll visit West Africa. (CNN)
What the What?
An 8-year-old American Quarter Horse and Appaloosa cross is suing his former owner for $100,000! Yep, you heard right. Ironically named Justice, the horse is getting help from a legal advocacy group for animals in seeking damages from 51-year-old Gwendolyn Vercher who was sentenced in July to three years' probation for first-degree animal neglect. According to court documents, Vercher "denied Justice adequate food and shelter for months, abandoning him to starve and freeze. As a result of this neglect, Justice was left debilitated and emaciated. His injuries will apparently require extensive care for the rest of his life, which makes it difficult to find him a home. Sarah Hanneken, one of the attorneys representing Justice for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, explained, "Victims of crimes can sue their abusers and animals are sentient beings that are recognized as victims under Oregon law. So with that premise, we've come to the conclusion that animals can sue their abusers and we're confident of our stance in this case." If Justice prevails, the damages awarded will be deposited into a trust and used to pay for his medical care. He currently lives at a non-profit horse rescue in Oregon. (Oregonian)
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