Mad World: Married, muddy, and mildly insane

Couple dressed in bright pink outfits end up in the mud pit

This annual tradition set against the backdrop of Newry, Maine, isn't your typical couples' retreat. Here, it's about carrying your partner, not just emotionally, but physically, through a 254-metre obstacle course! One contestant actually showed up as Mr Incredible, lugging his wife onto his back. Another pair showed up in bright pink outfits, only to end up in the mud pit. Open to all married couples, the 25th North American Wife-Carrying championship concluded just this week.

Spouses race at the 25th North American Wife-Carrying championship

This sport harks back to a Finnish tale involving Ronkainen the Robber and his band of kidnappers who would haul women from villages. More criminal sexual assault than rom-com, but it's now a competition in Maine, where you might leave with your partner's weight in beer. Now that's romantic.

Couple dress up as animated movie characters, The Incredibles. Pics/NYPOST

This 254-metre race during which contestants splash through water, leap over logs and trudge through mud is one of a kind. The rules? Don't drop your partner in the mud (although it happens… a lot), keep smiling through the pain, and aim for the sweet prize at the end: Five times the ‘wife's' weight in cash and their weight in beer. The rest is just messy, laugh-out-loud chaos as couples struggle to stay upright while enduring the ultimate test of love and balance.

Feathers vs fences

What happens when protected parrots and a tiny town mix? An invasion that drives everyone nuts!

Parrots have colonised Hilario Ascasubi in Argentina. Not metaphorically, literally. Cliff parakeets have turned this small town into their personal playground, with some 70,000 of them swooping in to feast on electrical wires. It's a scene straight out of a feathery horror movie for an ornithophobe.

Parrots stand on power lines in the town of Hilario Ascasubi. PIC/REUTERS

Imagine working on a deadline as green-feathered parrots gnaw away at all important cables, or dodging birds that dive-bombs as you on the walk to work. And the noise? Let's just say sleep isn't on the menu. Hilario Ascasubi's 5,000 residents are outnumbered 15-to-1, and despite noise bombs, lasers, and countless prayers, the parrots keep coming back.

But the plot thickens, turns out, these parrots aren't villainous. They're refugees, driven out of their natural habitat by deforestation and agricultural expansion in Buenos Aires and its surrounding areas. Now they've found their own paradise. We built the cities; now we're paying the price, one squawk at a time.

In da clerb, we all fam

Pic/Tablet Magazine

A viral TikTok soundbite, "In da clerb, we all fam", has Broad City fans reliving the show's glory days. The iconic dialogue delivered by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer in the sitcom, now soundtracks thousands of videos, with singers such as Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter joining the fun! This is reminding everyone of the duo's original humour.

Antarctic ‘door' debunked

PIC/ NYPOST

A mysterious "doorway" spotted in east Antarctica on Google Maps has sparked wild online conspiracy theories, with some speculating it's a hidden military base or a stranded spaceship. However, scientists quickly debunked the hype, explaining it's just an iceberg stuck in shallow water, creating an illusion of a door. Glaciologists confirmed the phenomenon is a natural one. Nothing Narnia here!

Break dancer's Bump

PC/Odditycentral

Nineteen years of breakdancing caused one man to develop a painful "headspin hole", a bump on his scalp due to the frequent head-spinning. One could say the rhythm did get the man in his 30s. This rare condition, known as "breakdancer overuse syndrome", results from continuous pressure on the head, leading to hair loss and bulging. Despite the discomfort, the dancer kept spinning... because, well, breakdancing never stops!

Banquet on wheels

Transformer trucks that morph into banquet halls in just six minutes have gained popularity in China's rural areas. First appearing in Inner Mongolia, these mobile venues can accommodate up to 200 people and are rented for weddings, festivals, and parties. Complete with air conditioning, projection screens, and karaoke equipment, they're a hit, despite their hefty cost.

Throwaway art

A new elevator technician at the Dutch LAM Museum accidentally threw away a modern artwork - two beer cans hand-painted by French artist Alexandre Lavet. Titled "All The Good Times We Spent Together", it was [understandably] mistaken for garbage. Thankfully, the "trash" was rescued from the bin just in time!