A court in Brazil decided that McDonald’s must pay a former franchise manager $17,500 because he gained 65 pounds while working there. During the 12 years he worked at the fast food chain, the man said, he was forced to sample food products every day to ensure that the quality remained high. The 32-year-old former boss said the free lunches McDonald’s offered to employees also had a hand in adding inches to his waistline. McDonald’s can appeal the case…
Some dreams feel realer than others. A 63-year-old man from Boulder, Colo., woke up after hearing a loud bang and discovered he had suffered a gunshot wound to his knee. Sanford Rothman had no clear recollection of the incident, and he was home alone at the time. Investigators concluded he most likely shot himself while sleepwalking, since he keeps a handgun near his bed and takes prescription medication for pain. Rothman was treated at a hospital and released…
A fire truck rolled into a home in Spokane, Wash., last week while firefighters were making a call. The truck was parked about 100 yards from the home, and no one was at the wheel. Firefighters said they heard the crash shortly after they walked inside the house. Investigators are trying to figure out how the truck rolled down the street, over a curb and hit the home, knocking down porch supports and punching a hole in the living room wall. No one was injured…
Never get on a tattoo artist’s bad side. An Australian man was charged with assault for tattooing a 16-inch penis on his friend’s back after an argument. The tattoo also contained a misspelled comment about the man’s sexuality. According to police, the 25-year-old victim had gone to the 21-year-old suspect’s house and “somehow in the course of the conversation the subject of tattoos came up.” The victim thought he was getting a yin and yang symbol with dragons. Another man standing nearby kept assuring him that the tattoo was coming out nicely. The tatooed man said he had to punch his way out of the house and didn’t get the chance to check his new tattoo. He found out it wasn’t what he expected after he showed it to his roommate. The suspect faces a public safety charge as well because he was not a professional tattoo artist…
Last week Forbes announced that Michael Jackson was this year’s top-earning dead celebrity with $275 million. Jackson died with a debt of $500 million, but through record sales, the This Is It movie concert and other King of Pop memorabilia he earned more than Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Madonna combined. Elvis Presley, still dead, came in second place, earning $60 million…
A Sri Lankan man was caught trying to smuggle more than 2,000 diamonds through an Indian airport. He had hid them by swallowing them after they were packed in several condoms. Acting on a tip, police intercepted Mohammed Shakif and took an X-ray of his stomach. He then confessed he had been hired to smuggle the stones. Police said he could not sit comfortably during questioning and had about $670,000 worth of diamonds stashed in his stomach. He was then given bananas, and the diamonds were collected…