That’s Odd

the carrier, while the other three, including the pilot, were medevaced to a facility in Manila, Philippines, and are in stable condition, according to the Navy.

Three of the four Sailors who received medical care aboard the carrier have been released.

The damage to the carrier’s deck was “superficial and all equipment for flight operations is operational” which enabled the resumption of flight operations, said Lt. Mark Langford, a Seventh Fleet spokesman.

The crash occurred while the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson Strike Group was involved in a high-profile naval exercise with the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group, the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group, the USS America Amphibious Ready Group, and a Japanese Maritime Self Defense helicopter carrier.

The participation of so many air capable and amphibious U.S. Navy ships operating together in the South China Sea highlights the U.S. Navy’s capabilities in a region where China continues to make maritime territorial claims.

Donation Doughnuts

In an effort to encourage Americans to donate blood, Krispy Kreme doughnuts announced that it would be giving away free pastries to those who donate the life-saving liquid.

This week, the chain will give away a dozen original glazed doughnuts to people who donated blood to the American Red Cross. The promotion comes after the organization recently announced that it’s dealing with the worst blood shortage in over a decade, with the organization seeing a 10% decrease in donations since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

To receive the free dozen, customers have to order in-person at a Krispy Kreme shop and show their donation sticker or confirmation of their donation on the Red Cross blood donor app. Donating to other blood donation organizations besides the Red Cross will also qualify for the free dozen of doughnuts.

This is not the first time Krispy Kreme used its doughnuts as an incentive for Americans. Last March, the chain began its giveaway to encourage people to get vaccinated with a free doughnut a day. It gave away nearly 4 million doughnuts in its effort.

Sounds like you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Graduating at 98

Donald Huisenga just received his high school diploma, and it’s been a lifetime achievement.

The 98-year-old was supposed to graduate from high school in 1943. But his graduation plans were curtailed by World War II, as Huisenga was drafted into the U.S. Army. He went to fight the enemy just weeks before his graduation, eventually being held in a prisoner of war camp for months.

This month, 79 years later, the nonagenarian finally received his cap and gown.

Tess Gooding was the force behind obtaining Huisenga’s diploma. The social worker heard from Huisenga that he never received it and set out on a quest to gift Huisenga the certificate. She contacted Huisenga’s high school to start the process. The board there voted unanimously to give Huisenga his much-deserved certificate.

The high school reached out to a special printer so that Huisenga could get the same diploma as others who graduated in 1943. Before the ceremony, Huisenga got his affairs in order, getting a new hearing aid and the batteries in his pacemaker replaced.

On January 5, Huisenga finally received his diploma at the San Angelo VA Clinic.

“For me to present [the diploma] to him, it was an honor,” Principal Litterer said. “Yes, it’s his diploma, but also, I’m handing it to a gentleman who put his life on hold to sacrifice for what our country needed in 1943. And those guys, they’re heroes in my opinion.”

A Whopping Fake Burger

Fake burgers beware. There is a new vegan sandwich in town.

Finnebrogue Artisan, a U.K. meat producer in Northern Ireland, broke the world record for the largest vegan burger in November.

The company, which also sells vegan and vegetarian products, used its “Naked Evolution Burger” recipe for its world record. According to the press release, the world’s largest burger is the equivalent of 1,274 regular-sized “Naked Evolution Burgers.”

Meat-eaters take note. According to Guinness World Records, all the ingredients of the 358.3-pound burger were verified as vegan.

But this was no ordinary burger. The toppings on the fake burger included 22 pounds of tomatoes, 10 pounds of lettuce, 15.4 pounds of cheese, 4.4 pounds of tobacco onions, 11 pounds of pickles, 11 pounds of vegan bacon slices, and 11 pounds of “Naked Burger” sauce.

It took Finnebrogue Artisan almost nine hours to cook the burger patty. The vegan bun was provided by a local bakery.

“We were set a target weight of 100kg (220 pounds), but we knew from the outset we wanted to exceed that,” Sean Kearney, Finnebrogue Artisan’s innovation process manager, shared. “The team included representatives from NPD, marketing, and engineering; and together we designed and built everything, including a swing to aid [in] turning the patty during cooking. That was perhaps the most challenging part of the record as we didn’t want to break the patty.”

After recording the feat, the company distributed the giant sandwich to the homeless.

No word on if they added fries on the side.

Flying High

Zara Rutherford is one independent teenager. The 19-year-old Belgian recently set a world record for the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.

Zara finally came home on Thursday after spending 155 days on her mission.

“Go for it. It takes a lot of time, patience, a lot of work, but it is incredible,” she advised.

Rutherford’s journey took her from the frozen tundra in Siberia to typhoons in the Philippines and the stark beauty of the Arabian desert. There were many hours spent in solitude flying alone overseas or desolate land.

Now that she’s home, Zara will be spending time with family.

“We will celebrate this by being as a family together, at first,” her mother Beatrice said. “I think Zara wants to celebrate by sleeping about two weeks.”

Zara broke the Guinness World Records that had been held by 30-year-old American aviator Shaesta Waiz since 2017. The overall record will remain out of Rutherford’s grasp, since Briton Travis Ludlow set that benchmark last year as an 18-year-old.

Zara’s global flight was supposed to take three months, but relentless bad weather and visa issues kept her grounded sometimes for weeks on end, extending her adventure by about two months. Her 155 days on the road extended to five continents and 41 nations.

Zara fit in her adventure in between high school and university.

“I thought, actually, this is the perfect opportunity to do something crazy and fly around the world,” she said.

Now, she’s off to university to study electrical engineering.

We’re sure she’ll pass with flying colors.