In China, the highly competitive practice of mukbang -- eating large quantities of food for viewers' enjoyment -- is a wildly popular streaming subject, Oddity Central reported. Successful mukbang streamers make good money and are showered with gifts from their followers. The trend took a sad turn on July 14, however, when 24-year-old Pan Xiaoting, a former waitress, lost her life during her mukbang livestream. As Pan's following grew, she took her overeating to greater extremes, pushing her weight to around 650 pounds. An autopsy reportedly showed that her stomach was full of undigested food and her abdomen was severely deformed. [Oddity Central, 7/19/2024]

Great Art

The Welsh town of Ruthin, Denbighshire, is struggling to embrace a 43-foot-tall inflatable figure of a laughing man in an odd squatting position, resting on a ball. Wales Online reported that the installation is related to the Ruthin International Arts Festival and was created by Chinese artist Yue Minjun, known for his self-portraits. Locals aren't impressed; some say the "sickly pink color of the piece" is frightening children, and one woman said, "Oh please. He looks constipated. Monstrosity!" [Wales Online, 7/24/2024]

Eyewitness News

Remarkably, two brothers out fishing off the coast of Rye, New Hampshire, on July 23 caught a once-in-a-lifetime experience on video: A 30-foot-long humpback whale breached nearby, throwing itself onto the back of a boat where Ryland Kenney, 44, and Greg Paquette, 54, were fishing. As the front of the boat rose into the air, Kenney and Paquette were thrown into the water. "As it collapsed onto the boat, the mouth closed and smashed the top of the motor and I heard a big crunch," Kenney told The New York Times. "I had three seconds to act. I wasn't scared, I didn't have time to be scared." Colin Yager, 16, who took the video, and his brother, Wyatt, rushed over to pull the men, who were unhurt, out of the water. Kenney said he'll take some time away from the water to work on his boat, which will include a radar system that can detect nearby whales. [NY Times, 7/24/2024]

Ewwwwww!

Gizmodo reported on July 19 that a few days before in Portoviejo, Ecuador, doctors removed an obstruction from a 24-year-old woman's stomach that had caused her pain, vomiting and difficulty eating. The object was a 16-inch-long hairball that weighed 2 pounds, Verdi Cevallos Balda General Hospital announced. The mass was so large it could be detected "by touch from the outside," said lead surgeon Pedro Lovato. It had started to move into her intestines, but doctors said it had not caused serious injury to her stomach and she would recover. The hairball was likely caused by trichophagia, a form of disordered eating where people swallow their hair. The patient is receiving comprehensive treatment. [Gizmodo, 7/19/2024]

That Escalated Quickly

On July 16, Talanye Carter, 41, returned to a St. Louis Jack in the Box restaurant she had visited three days earlier to complain that she'd been shorted one chicken strip, Yahoo! News reported. The store manager replaced the chicken strip, but that didn't satisfy Carter; she spit in the manager's face over the lack of adequate ranch dressing. When Carter went to her vehicle, the manager took photos of her license plate, and Carter noticed. She put the car in reverse and ran into the woman, knocking her to the ground and injuring her foot and ankle, then left the scene. She was charged the next day with second-degree and fourth-degree assault. [Yahoo! News, 7/22/2024]

Florida

The Walton County Sheriff's Office had to remind Floridians on July 18 not to "approach black bears at any time," United Press International reported. The bear in question was hanging out near Highway 98 in Santa Rosa Beach, looking "depressed," and onlookers were getting too close for comfort trying to take a selfie with it. Deputies borrowed a song title, "If Not Friend, Why Friend Shaped?" to discourage residents from cozying up to the sad-looking guy. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist visited the scene, but the bear wandered back into the woods. [UPI, 7/22/2024]

Least Competent Criminals

-- Tara Lyles and James Lyles of Louisville, Kentucky, where weed is not legal, showed their hand a little too publicly, WAVE-TV reported, when they posted videos of their marijuana production processes to TikTok. They were arrested on July 22 after a detective arranged to meet Tara in a Kroger parking lot to buy some devil's lettuce. During the exchange, she told the detective that she "packages the product on a thousands level scale and just completed a 1,000 pack order over the weekend." Police seized 218 pounds of marijuana, worth about $450,000 on the street -- again, in a state where weed is not legal. [WAVE, 7/23/2024]

-- Social media boasts also took down a foursome of 20-something criminals in Los Angeles County on July 23, KTLA-TV reported. Charles Christopher, 24; Jordan Leonard, 25; D'Angelo Spencer, 26; and Tazjar Rouse, 22, were arrested in connection with a months-long crime spree involving 7-Eleven stores. Leonard couldn't resist the chance to brag: He posted on Instagram, "love my bros we go hit every time," with a photo of stacks of cash, and he helpfully tagged his co-defendants Christopher and Spencer. All four face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count -- hardly justifying the $7,600 they netted. [KTLA, 7/23/2024]

Awesome!

Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing off New South Wales, Australia, on July 23 when a 10-foot-long great white shark bit off his leg, the BBC reported. When he was washed back to shore, an off-duty policeman applied a tourniquet, and a few minutes later, McKenzie's leg also washed up. Onlookers put the severed limb on ice and transported it and the surfer to the hospital, where doctors are evaluating whether they can save it. McKenzie is in serious but stable condition. [BBC, 7/23/2024]

Reality No More

Reality show contestants Spencer "Corry" Jones and Oliver Dev were booted from USA Network's production of "Race to Survive" after an incident involving a protected New Zealand bird, BoingBoing reported on July 23. Jones said he knew he was breaking a rule when he caught, killed and ate the flightless weka bird during episode eight, but he was "desperate and hungry. Survival in the bush of New Zealand is not easy," he noted. Punishment for killing the bird could be up to two years in prison or a fine of about $60,000 (U.S.). [BoingBoing, 7/23/2024]

Irony

Did they not see this coming? A psychic reading business and a crystal business were damaged during a "tricky" overnight fire in Minneapolis on July 24, KSTP-TV reported. Crews were hampered by the lack of working fire hydrants (because of nearby construction); one person was in the building but was able to get out safely. "We had too much fire for how much water we were going to be able to put on the fire, so we had crews go defensive," said Minneapolis Deputy Fire Chief Rita Juran. They were able to keep the fire from spreading. [KSTP, 7/24/2024]

News You Can Use

The Ohio Supreme Court (!) ruled on July 25 that -- are you ready? -- bones are a natural part of chicken, so consumers of boneless chicken wings should be vigilant about them while eating, and that the presence of bones does not constitute a breach of duty on the part of the restaurant. The Columbus Dispatch reported that the 4-3 decision was derided by Democrats on the court, who contended that the question was one for a jury, not an appeals court. "The result in this case is another nail in the coffin of the American jury system," said Justice Michael Donnelly. The case originated with an April 2016 incident in which Michael Berkheimer felt "something go down the wrong pipe" while enjoying wings; he sued in 2017. [Columbus Dispatch, 7/25/2024]

Dustin Ebey, 35, a middle school math teacher from north Texas, has thrown his hat in the ring in a big way: He changed his legal name to Literally Anybody Else and is running a write-in campaign for president of the United States in Texas (where he didn't get enough signatures to get on the ballot) and Tennessee (where he did get enough). ABC13-TV reported that Else has revealed his running mate, Neal David Sutz, a New Yorker who is currently living in Switzerland. Else said Americans deserve better than the divisive, partisan electoral system we currently have. "This name gives everybody something to point to, to channel, that being to one movement, to one message that could hopefully have a meaningful impact," Else said. [ABC13, 7/17/2024]

It's Good To Have a Hobby

The force is definitely with these folks in Mexico City -- students of the Jedi Knight Academy, who meet in a park four nights a week to practice their lightsaber dueling skills, the Associated Press reported on June 21. "When students arrive, some of them drop the saber," said instructor Ulises Vazquez, who's known as the Jedi master. He said they go on to become "excellent athletes and excellent lightsaber fighters and fencers." The sessions, which last three hours, are based on Jedi and Sith teachings. Vazquez and his best friend, Gabriel Mendoza, opened the academy in 2019, at which point lightsaber dueling had already been recognized by the French Fencing Federation as an official competitive sport. [AP, 6/21/2024]

Walgreens: The Lost Hours

When police in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, were called to a Walgreens store around 3 a.m. on July 15, they could see a man inside helping himself to a pack of Newport cigarettes, WESH-TV reported. They talked Christopher Morgan through unlocking the front door and asked him if there was anyone else in the building; in apparent confusion, he replied that he didn't know. "I came in here to use the bathroom," he explained -- but that was more than five hours before, around 9:40 p.m., when security footage showed him entering the restroom. He didn't come out until 2:42 a.m. When police asked him what time he thought it was, he said, "Probably 11 o'clock." While locked in the store alone, Morgan feasted on junk food: Tostitos spinach dip, chips, Reese's and Ghirardelli chocolate and Dr Pepper. Morgan resisted arrest and spit on an officer; he was charged with burglary and larceny-petit theft. [WESH, 7/16/2024]

The Aristocrats

During a visit to the Channel Islands on July 16, King Charles III took some time to bestow a special honor, the Associated Press reported. A rare golden goat breed found on the island of Guernsey will now have the title of Royal Golden Guernsey Goat, which will apply to the breed anywhere in the world. "Hopefully this will raise awareness for the breed," said Rebecca Martin, the owner of a specimen the king met. The king reportedly favored the goat with a compliment about its pale blond coat. [AP, 7/16/2024]

Great Art?

At the "subversive" Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, three paintings displayed in the women's restroom, and billed as works by Pablo Picasso, have been revealed to have been created by another artist: museum curator Kirsha Kaechele. The Associated Press reported on July 12 that the paintings had hung in the women-only "gallery" for three years. "I imagined that a Picasso scholar, or maybe just a Picasso fan, or maybe just someone who googles things, would visit the Ladies Lounge and ... expose me on social media," Kaechele said -- especially because she accidentally hung one of the works upside-down. The Ladies Lounge originally offered high tea, massages and champagne served by male butlers. The idea, Kaechele said, was for men "to feel as excluded as possible." But when the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered the museum to allow men in, Kaechele installed a working toilet in the space and called it a restroom. When The Guardian asked Kaechele about the authenticity of the Picassos, she confessed that she had painted them. [AP, 7/12/2024]

Bright Idea

A 33-year-old man named Jing, from the Hubei province in China, has put technology to work for him, the South China Morning Post reported on July 13. When he suspected that his wife, Wu, was having an affair with a co-worker, Jing used a drone to follow her. Jing said his wife became "cold" to him last year; she also changed her position at work and "visited her parents" more often. The surveillance revealed that Wu went to a remote area, where she walked hand-in-hand with a man and disappeared for about 20 minutes into a dilapidated mud house. "Her other man is her boss," Jing said. He plans to use the footage in a divorce case. [SCMP, 7/13/2024]

Awesome!

At a zoo in Liaoning province in China, a pair of penguins tied the knot in early July with all the traditional trimmings -- and they already had the suits! The South China Morning Post reported that the event was held in the birds' pavilion, with the standard red "double happiness" character, eight banquet tables filled with fish and shrimp, and dozens of penguin guests. The breeder gushed that he had watched the couple "getting to know each other, falling in love and then walking down the aisle together." [SCMP, 7/17/2024]

Hanger Pains

As Sam's Club workers in Atlanta prepared to close the store on July 10, a family of three women arrived two minutes before closing time, hoping to order two whole pizzas, WSB-TV reported. Workers told the women it was too late and tried to summon a manager, but before they could, Andreana McKnight, the mother, moved into the kitchen and punched Cierra Monroe in the face. The daughters also came into the kitchen, joining the fight; other customers tried to break things up. Monroe said the blow to her face left her with a scar and she would like more security in the store. "I just feel like we need to have security from the moment we open to the moment we close, every day, seven days a week," she said. [WSB, 7/16/2024]

Enough Is Enough

The South Zanesville (Ohio) Fire Department has had enough of Kesha S. Kennedy, 34, who pleaded guilty July 12 to felony disrupting public services, felony making false alarms and 25 counts of misuse of 911 systems, WJBF-TV reported. Officials said that starting in 2020, Kennedy called 911 nearly 400 times -- multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day -- hampering their ability to service people with actual emergencies. Workers at Genesis Hospital were forced to triage Kennedy every time she arrived, although she was repeatedly told there was nothing wrong with her. Kennedy had a record of similar behavior in four other Ohio counties; she will be sentenced at a later date. [WJBF, 7/17/2024]

Irony

Honest Abe Auto Sales in Indianapolis is settling a lawsuit for bait-and-switch tactics, falsely advertised prices and preying on customers with poor credit ratings, the Indianapolis Star reported on July 17. More than 250 customers who were taken in by the misnomer are now being paid back to the tune of $471,000. "The fact that they call themselves 'Honest Abe' just makes the facts of this case especially rich," said Attorney General Todd Rokita. [Indianapolis Star, 7/17/2024]

Betcha didn't know about the Merlympics in Geneva, Switzerland. The event, in existence since 2015, is designed to "prove athleticism" among mermaid competitors, KSL-TV reported. At the May games, Mia Sim, 22, of Provo, Utah, secured her title as the fastest mermaid in the world. Sim has been mermaiding for 10 years; at the Merlympics, athletes must compete in five categories, including ecology (diving to the bottom and picking up trash); underwater posing for photographs; and rescue (swimming to "save" a submerged dummy) -- all while wearing full mermaid or merman gear. "It's not a skill that's easily learned," Sim said of mermaiding. "This type of restriction on your body is very difficult for people to understand." She has now been inducted into Team USA and hopes other Utah mermaids will aspire to such heights. [KSL, 7/7/2024]

Keep Digging

During a court hearing on July 2 in Crown Point, Indiana, defendant Devontae Harris, 26, just couldn't keep his shovel quiet, the Chicago Tribune reported. Lake Superior Court Judge Gina Jones was hearing Harris' argument for a plea deal in a stalking and battery case from November 2022, but when she denied the deal, Harris called her names and said, "... you think you know about stuff. I done killed (people). I got bodies under my belt. Go solve them." He also threatened to throw his chair at the judge and asked her to perform a sex act on him. Jones added 210 days to Harris' jail term, increasing it to 13 months. [Chicago Tribune, 7/5/2024]

Weird in the Wild

Bigfoot walks among us -- or at least among campers in Louisiana, MSN reported. On June 28, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office responded to a call for help from a group of campers, high school graduates from Houma, Louisiana, who were celebrating their matriculation. The kids were camping in Kisatchie National Forest and told officers they heard growling and saw a 5-foot-tall animal with glowing eyes. Officers were unable to locate the creature, but they escorted the campers back to their vehicle. [MSN, 7/2/2024]

That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me: South Africa Edition

On July 7 in South Africa, a visitor to the Pilanesberg National Park lost his life after being trampled by an elephant, CTV News reported. The 43-year-old man was driving through the park when he left his car and approached a herd to take photographs, police said. Three other people in the car were unharmed. The elephant herd included young calves, which may have made the adults more aggressive. Piet Nel, chief conservation officer for the North West Parks and Tourism Board, said visitors are explicitly instructed not to leave their cars. "We must remember that you are entering a wild area," he said. [CTV News, 7/9/2024]

Ignominious

The San Diego Humane Society has put the city on the map, but maybe not in a good way. CBS8-TV reported on July 8 that the SDHS claims the city has more fleas than any other city in the United States, making its pets miserable. "We have a perfect climate here, where it is warm year-round," said Zarah Hedge, chief medical officer at the SDHS. "It's just a perfect environment for them to live in." Hedge recommended pet owners talk to their veterinarians about treatment. Or, you could move. [CBS8, 7/8/2024]

Oh, the Christianity!

Roger Allan Holmberg Sr., 75, pastor of Grace Baptist Temple in Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested on July 2 after assaulting his wife, who has epilepsy, on a flight from Seattle to Anchorage, ABC News reported. The conflict started when Holmberg's wife got upgraded to first class, and he didn't. Shortly after liftoff, Holmberg appeared in the first-class cabin and asked his wife, "How the hell did you get the upgrade?" She answered, "I'm a gold point member. Don't speak to me like that." Holmberg returned to his seat but then approached again, asking his wife to read what was on his phone, after which he gave her the finger. During the third confrontation, according to the complaint, Holmberg "attempted to swing his arm towards (the victim)" and struck "the top of the victim's head with his hand." An off-duty police officer on board told Holmberg if there were any more incidents during the flight, he would have to wear handcuffs. An FBI agent met the plane when it landed and arrested Holmberg on one count of simple assault. Alaska Airlines said it had banned him from its flights. [ABC News, 7/9/2024]

Recent Alarming Headline

Four Sri Lankan fishermen are dead and two others are critically ill after they drank from bottles they found floating in the ocean, the BBC reported on June 29. The Sri Lankan Navy said the fishers thought the bottles contained alcohol, and they distributed some bottles to other crews fishing in the area. The navy said it was treating the men aboard their craft, the Devon, and trying to get them back to shore. Authorities are testing the contents of the bottles to determine what the sailors drank. [BBC, 6/29/2024]

Bright Idea

After Daniel Jean, 39, and Esmy Valdez, 38, of Brooklyn, New York, exchanged wedding vows on June 27, they celebrated with friends at an unconventional venue: the New York subway L train, according to the New York Post. The couple hosted 20 invited guests -- plus a bunch of strangers -- on July 2 at a "dope reception," Jean said. "We didn't have the money to do the dream reception that I'd always envisioned," he said. But for only $3,000, the couple had food catered by O's Grill Spot, a cake, drinks and music. Valdez was charmed: "When I walked onto the train and saw everything, I thought, 'Wow, I picked the right guy,'" she said. "Our reception was all about love." [NY Post, 7/3/2024]

The Tech Revolution

Welcome to the 21st century, Japan! Reuters reported on July 3 that the government has eliminated all use of floppy disks in all its systems. "We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!" announced Digital Minister Taro Kono. What a relief! [Reuters, 7/3/2024]

Celebrities: They're Just Like Us!

The famous-for-being-famous crowd lit up with a dirty little story in mid-June about Derek Blasberg, 42, a "professional best friend to celebrities," having a blowout time at Gwyneth Paltrow's guest cottage in the Hamptons. Variety reported that Blasberg was outed as the culprit behind an "intense bowel movement" that caused considerable damage. Insiders say Blasberg cited his use of the diabetes drug Ozempic as the cause of his distress, but one doubter poo-poo'd the idea: "That's just what he told everyone." [Variety, 7/5/2024]

Woof!

This year's Anthrocon gathering in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was about much more than meeting other "furry" friends, KDKA-TV reported. The convention, held on July 4-7, draws people who like to dress as animals and their fans and raises money for charity; this year, donations were solicited for Gray Paws Sanctuary, a Pittsburgh-based volunteer organization dedicated to rescuing senior dogs. With thousands of furries attending the gathering, Anthrocon brought in $100,000 for Gray Paws, breaking a fundraising record. Darla Poole Brescia with Gray Paws was ecstatic: "A hundred thousand is about our annual operating budget, so we are able to save twice as many dogs this year. The Anthrocon people are the nicest people." [KDKA, 7/9/2024]