Prison officials in Tennessee say an inmate escaped from jail by smearing himself in grease and squeezing between the bars of his cell. Kristopher White, 23, is 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, yet he managed to writhe his way between bars that were only four and a half inches apart. White then scaled a barbed-wire fence and led police on a […]
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If we could shrink the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like this: There would be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere (North and South) and 8 Africans 51 would be female, 49 would be male 70 would be non-white, 30 white 70 […]
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The question has puzzled criminologists for decades: Why did violent crime rates start to soar across the U.S. from the 1960s, before beginning “a spectacular decline” in the 1990s—a decline that’s continued ever since? Theories abound, from improved policing strategies to the end of the crack epidemic. But a more likely possibility is a molecule, said Kevin Drum in Mother […]
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A Philadelphia baby has a new lease on life after a kiss from Pope Francis. Parents and followers believe that Pope Francis cures cancer simply by kissing this ailing infant. It’s the kiss Gianna Masciantonio’s parents call the Miracle on Market St. They insist the quick kiss during the pontiff’s recent visit to the city is partially responsible for her […]
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As the world advances with more and more handheld devices, ‘Text Neck’ is becoming a world-wide health concern, affecting millions of all ages and from all walks of life. Widespread overuse of handheld mobile technology is resulting in a harmful and dangerous physical condition on the human body, which is known as ‘Text Neck’. The term, and the health condition, is […]
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■ A 96-year-old Indian man has been declared the world’s oldest father after his wife bore a son last month—the second in two years. Ramjeet Raghav, a farmer in a village about 30 miles from Delhi, said the doctors who delivered the healthy boy in a nearby hospital were surprised when he told them he was the father. “I think […]
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They’ve left no notes behind. And it’s fairly certain they’re not doing it for the insurance money. But “suicidal deer” are apparently such a big problem in Paxton, Ill. that its county is installing signs to warn drivers. Calling the deer “suicidal,” of course, may be something of a misnomer. More likely, they just don’t know to be cautious around […]
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■ A Japanese town wants to put underpants on a replica of Michelangelo’s David. The 16-foot-tall statue has caused a stir since it was presented to the town of Okuizumo as a gift. “It’s frightening the children and worrying the adults with its nakedness,” said an official. “Several people have asked us to cover it up with underpants.” Officials are […]
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Modern-day mousetraps wouldn’t stand a chance against the supersize rodents that roamed South America about 2 million years ago, National Geographic reports. A giant ancestor of the guinea pig, Josephoartigasia monesi weighed more than 2,000 pounds and stood 5 feet tall, roughly the size of a modern buffalo. Because the critter also sported foot-long buckteeth, University of York scientists wanted […]
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■ A flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger’s service dog repeatedly pooped in the aisle. The dog,Truffles, lost control of his bowels an hour into the flight, and the stench caused passengers to vomit. “That is the worst blowout I have ever smelled,” said one traveler. When flight attendants ran […]
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