Odd News
Man returning from daughter’s birthday party dies after GPS directs him off broken bridge
Phil Paxson was driving home after his daughter’s birthday
A man from North Carolina, US, died after his car fell into a river while he was following his Global Positioning System (GPS).
The father of two was returning from his daughter’s birthday when the navigation system directed him to a bridge that was destroyed years ago.
The incident took place in the Hickory City of North Carolina on September 30. Phil Paxson, 47, was driving home after celebrating his daughter’s ninth birthday. He was taking directions from a GPS that night, Mr Paxson’s mother-in-law Linda McPhee Koenig shared in a Facebook post.
Ms Koenig stated that the navigation system guided Mr Paxson “down a concrete road to a bridge that dropped off into a river”. She added that the bridge had a dead end since it was destroyed nine years ago and was never repaired.
The mother-in-law alleged that the bridge did not have any safety barriers or signs that could have warned Mr Paxson about the danger.
“He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. It was a totally preventable accident. We are grieving his death,” she wrote in the post.
Following the accident, troopers said that there were barricades to warn drivers about the bridge but they were apparently removed. —ndtv.com
Odd News
NASA Astronaut shows how he wears pants in Space: ‘two legs at a time’
Astronauts have a unique way of getting dressed in space. In a fascinating video posted on February 21, NASA chemical engineer, Don Pettit, demonstrated how he puts on his pants aboard the International Space Station. Instead of the traditional one-leg-at-a-time approach, Mr Pettit descended into his floating trousers, essentially jumping into them with both legs at once.
He simply captioned the video, “Two legs at a time.”
The lighthearted video delighted viewers, prompting a flurry of comments and reactions from users who enjoyed the humorous glimpse into life in space. One user wrote, “I thought you were going to land right in them at first. Haha. That might be fun to try.”
Another joked, “This is the real content that I needed! I attempted to recreate this on Earth and well.it didn’t go well.”
A third said, “Missed opportunity to not have the theme from Space Odyssey 2001 playing for this.” A fourth added, “Such a pro! Well done.”
Odd News
Company threatens to fire employees …..if they don’t get married and have children
A company based in China’s Shandong province caught the attention of government officials after it threatened to fire its single and divorced employees if they remained single by the end of September.
According to a report in South China Morning Post, Shandong Shuntian Chemical Group Co. Ltd., issued a notice to its 1,200-odd employees, emphasising that they work well and establish families.
The notice required single employees aged 28-58, including those divorced, to get married and settle down by the end of September this year. Those who do not by the end of March need to write a self-criticism letter. If they do not get married by the end of June, the company will conduct an “evaluation” of them. If they are still single by the end of September, they will be fired.
The company said the move was intended to promote the spirit and cultural values of “diligence, kindness, loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness”.
As the news went viral, Chinese social media users slammed the decision, stating the company was violating several laws.
“Corporate rules should not override laws or social morals,” one user commented, while others pointed out that the Chinese marriage law guarantees freedom of marriage.
“This crazy company should mind its own business and stay away from the personal lives of employees.”
