Winckler's Wacky World: Aliens Attack

The first triathlon in space; particle disco; K-Pop's social commentary; oppressed woman gets her own back; shark rescues man and why you shouldn't eat popcorn

Marie Winckler
Thursday 20 September 2012 10:47 BST
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From left, John Tui, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in the super-violent Battleship
From left, John Tui, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in the super-violent Battleship (AP)

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Aliens Attack

According to Gordon Duff, senior editor of Veterans Today, intelligence sources have revealed that hostile extraterrestrials are militarily engaging with world naval forces. In an article, provocatively titled, “UFO War: Chinese and US Navy off San Francisco,” Duff claims that the Chinese navy is lending assistance to the US in what looks like a real-life version of the recent movie Battleship. Will Rihanna step in to save us? veteranstoday.com

First Space Triathlon

Thanks to NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, pathetic earth-bound triathletes have lost their bragging rights. She's completed the first triathlon in space, running, biking and "swimming" along with athletes in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon over the weekend. scientificamerican.com

#Disaster Trending

A disaster mitigation drill using Twitter for purposes that include finding shelters and locating the injured was held Wednesday in Tokyo's Roppongi area. japantimes.co.jp

Shark Rescues Man

Hot on the heels of 'Dog Shoots Man' comes another animal kingdom role reversal: "He awoke in the afternoon to sound of scratching on the hull. He said he poked his head out and looked around to see a six-foot shark circling the boat. The sound that woke him was the shark bumping the hull. As he followed the path of the shark around the boat, suddenly it swam straight off. 'He was guiding me to a fishing boat,' Teitoi said." mvariety.com

Who said science wasn't FUN?

The random dance of tiny particles bouncing around in liquid has been turned into a unique sound display. bbc.co.uk

Bad taste 1

A federal court jury on Wednesday awarded a Colorado man $7.2 million in damages for developing a chronic condition known as popcorn lung from a chemical used in flavoring microwave popcorn. cnbc.com

Bad taste 2

In a study performed by consumer magazine ' Consumer Reports', researchers find alarmingly high levels of arsenic in rice, and is now warning Americans to limit the amount of white and brown rice they consume. foodworldnews.com

Seeing opportunities

This Rialto Bridge is to carry advertising as Venice seeks cash for restoration. Venice council is inviting bids from sponsors to support the city's restoration of monuments guardian.co.uk

K-Pop's social commentary

Beneath the antic, funny surface of PSY's world-conquering song is a sharp social commentary about the country's newly rich and Gangnam, the affluent district where many of them live. Gangnam is only a small slice of Seoul, but it inspires a complicated mixture of desire, envy and bitterness. bigstory.ap.org

Iranian Cleric Beaten by Woman

Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Ali Beheshti says he was beaten by a woman on the street in the northern province of Semnan after he gave her a warning for being “badly covered.” According to the cleric, the woman replied to his demand by saying, “you, cover your eyes.” bloomberg.com

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