The Catholic church named its new pope this week—and he has a forthcoming ex-crush. This and more as we explore the week in weird: • Did a romantic shutdown lead Pope Francis to God? Amalia Damonte, 76, says "yes." According to The Week: "Pope Francis once declared 'If I can't marry you, I'll become a priest' after she rejected him during their childhood in Buenos Aires. 'Luckily for him, I said no,' she joked." Damonte also claims that her… Read More >>

Don't let St. Patrick's Day be the only time you enjoy the delights of Irish food! With a little help from Irish chefs and TV personalities Clodagh McKenna and Rachel Allen, who both have new cookbooks out this spring, you can experience a year of eating deliciously Irish. Here's how to get cooking: • Clodagh McKenna (the Irish Rachael Ray, according to Forbes) takes you… Read More >>

The FDA’s recent warning about certain heart dangers of the commonly prescribed antibiotic azithromycin (the one in Z-Paks) puts yet another nail in the coffin of the whole idea of taking antibiotics “just in case.” The medication may slightly raise the risk of death in people with heart rhythm problems. Those with long QT syndrome, low levels of… Read More >>

“I’m sorry, who did you say was adopting me?” “An athlete.” “A synchronized swimmer? A lawn bowler?” “No, a football player.” “A punter?” “A quarterback.” “Eli Manning?” “Uh, no. It’s, uhm “RG III?” “No, it’s, uhm … Michael Vick.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch… Read More >>

There's the big news this week- a recovering U.S. economy, North Korea threatening nuclear action following Dennis Rodman's visit last week—and then there's the weird. • 100,000 killer bees attack Tampa, FL:Two park rangers were hospitalized after accidentally disturbing a hive of Africanized killer bees while working. The (allegedly) homicidal insects filled their truck and stung them nearly 100 times. Silver lining: The workers are expected to recover completely. • Batman is…Police in… Read More >>

An article published yesterday in The New York Timesis bringing more attention to the troubles surrounding the U.S. Postal Service. A beloved Art Deco post office in Santa Monica, California, which dates back to 1938, is one of hundreds of locations that USPS may sell to help its financial outlook, but the thought has inspired outrage from area residents. One major issue is that these small… Read More >>

We’re not going to advise you to revert to pureed bananas, baby food jars, and tiny spoons. But kids may just be on to something when it comes to healthy eating habits. If those adorable little ones could talk, they’d tell us: Baby habit: I eat slowly, and I savor each bite.Grown-up lesson: Eat one bite at a time, take small bites, and chew a lot. Our health editor shares, "You'll never see my son devour… Read More >>

You may have read about a nurse refusing to administer CPR to Lorraine Bayless, an 87-year-old woman at California independent living facility, resulting in her death on February 26. The outrage that ignited over the case has raised some important misconceptions about elderly care homes, and how they treat residents in medical emergencies. The situation: After… Read More >>

If there was ever a cancer that desperately needed an awareness month, it’s colon cancer. That month, thankfully, is March. About 140,000 people are diagnosed and 50,000 die from colorectal cancer each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among cancers that affect both men and women. Still, as many as one half of Americanswho should be getting colon cancer… Read More >>

Could be they've got too much time on their hands, but researchers sifted though 10 million geotagged tweets to determine the  happiest and saddest American places. Happy: Hawaii! Napa Valley! Sad: Louisiana; Beaumont, Texas!  So how'd they decide?  According to The Atlantic, researchers at the Vermont Complex Systems Center  (PDF) assigned a happiness quotient to tweeted words.  Rainbow… haha, sleep, and Read More >>