WEIRD STUFF

Fall survivor says death doesn't exist

A psychotherapist who survived a horrific fall from a 60-foot cliff has claimed there is "no death".

Erica Tait, from New Jersey, was just 22 when she plummeted down The Palisades beside the Hudson River in September 2015.

She suffered devastating injuries including broken ribs, shattered arms, spinal damage, and punctured lungs which left her suffocating.

Speaking on YouTube channel The Other Side NDE, Erica described how she attempted to scale a dried waterfall she had climbed before.

After 20 minutes clinging to damp rocks, she took a "leap of faith" - but slipped and crashed onto boulders below.

Despite her injuries, she briefly regained consciousness, found her phone and called emergency services. Police searched for hours before an off-duty firefighter, following what he described as "intuition," located her after seven hours trapped.

It was during this time, Erica said, that she had a profound near-death experience. She explained: "The first thing I remember is separating from my physical body, and so I remember looking at my body and recognising that I am not that. There's something separate from my physical being.

"I learned that I don't die, that there actually is no death. There's something that actually survives death - some people can call that a soul or a spirit or consciousness."

Erica spent a month in hospital, followed by rehabilitation and six months bedridden.

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Hunters killed by lightning strike

Two elk hunters who vanished in southern Colorado were killed by a lightning strike, officials confirmed this week -- despite having only "slight burns" on their bodies.

The victims, named as Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, were discovered on September 18 after a massive search in the South San Juan Wilderness near Monte Vista.

According to The Colorado Sun, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin said the pair were found lying beneath a tree with only two or three small burns.

He said: "A slight burn is like if you take a match and stick it on your arm.

"That kind of death is just instant. It's like you're alive and now you're not. Just that quick. Split second."

The men were last seen heading out from the Rio de Los Pinos trailhead on September 12.

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Young Brits fuel up on fibre

Prunes and All-Bran might once have been the butt of jokes about old age, but now they're flying off the shelves - thanks to a Gen Z health craze called "fibremaxxing."

Younger Brits are embracing high-fibre foods in record numbers, swapping sugary snacks for chickpeas, chia seeds and yes, prunes.

According to The Times newspaper, sales data from Ocado shows prunes are up 60 per cent in the past year, fruit fibre cereal is up 52 per cent, and spelt grain has climbed 59 per cent.

The supermarket also found that 62 per cent of Gen Z consumers are actively trying to boost their fibre intake - compared with just 36 per cent of over-65s.

Charlie Parker, senior nutritionist at Ocado Retail, is quoted by the publication as saying: "Fibre has sometimes been overlooked, but the data shows that awareness is growing and more people are looking to increase their intake. What's encouraging is that many are turning to simple, familiar foods like cereals, beans and fruit to do so. With younger generations driving much of the interest, it's great to see a broad recognition of the role fibre plays in overall health."