A gospel singer from Brooklyn is suing McDonald's after she chewed on a piece of glass bigger than a penny while eating a chicken sandwich at a lower Manhattan restaurant.

The New York Post reports Jaqueline Simpson, 52, is filing a suit at the Brooklyn Supreme Court claiming biting the piece of glass in May of 2010 cost her her voice.

Simpson, who works as a clerk for the state Attorney General's Office, said the incident had changed her voice so dramatically she constantly had to explain she wasn't a man.

“Before [the incident], that never happened,” she said.

A team of molecular biologists from Europe and the U.S. have found that a unique strain of potato blight they call HERB-1 triggered the deadly Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century.

Phys.org reports that the international team decoded the genomes of 11 historical samples of Phytophthora infestans from potato leaves collected and preserved over more than 50 years. A modern strain called US-1 was long thought to have been the cause of the fatal outbreak but a strain new to science -- one possibly now extinct -- was responsible.

The HERB-1 strain of Phytophthora infestans likely emerged in the early 1800s and continued its global spread throughout the 19th century. In the twentieth century new potato varieties were introduced, and HERB-1 was replaced by another Phytophthora infestans strain, US-1.

Researchers examined the historical spread of the fungus-like oomycete pathogen and found connections to historical events and human activity. First contact between Europeans and Americans in Mexico coincides with a dramatic increase in the genetic diversity of Phytophthora.

The dried potato leaves tested for the study are between 170 and 120 years old, and were preserved in the herbaria of the Botanical State Collection Munich and the Kew Gardens in London. This study marks the first time scientists have decoded the genome of a plant pathogen and its plant host from dried herbarium samples, open up new research possibilities.

"The degree of DNA preservation in the herbarium samples really surprised us," said co-author Johannes Krause. Kentaro Yoshida notes that this study shows the effect of plant breeding on the evolution of a pathogen. "This type of work paves the way for the discovery of many more treasures of knowledge hidden in herbaria," he said.

Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Josh Portis will be arraigned next week after he was reportedly arrested on May 5 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Portis was pulled over after 9 p.m. on Cinco de Mayo while driving 80 miles an hour in a 60 mph zone, the Seattle Times reported, citing a Washington State Patrol report.

The 25-year-old "had watery bloodshot eyes" and "a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle," the report said, and later blew .092 on a blood alcohol breath test.

The incident report describes Portis as refusing to get out of his car, denying he had anything to drink.

A passenger in the car "stated Portis was a Seahawk player and he did not have to get out of the car," the trooper wrote.

“Portis asked me if I knew who he was and I stated yes,” the report read. “(The passenger) exited the vehicle and began to cry. (The passenger) stated I was arresting a Seahawk, and I was going to ruin him. … (The passenger) shouted at me and stated she couldn’t believe that I was from Seattle, and was arresting a Seahawk.”

Once at the State Patrol headquarters, Portis admitted to drinking tequila at a Cinco de Mayo party.

Portis's agent refuted the story on Twitter, denying his client had been arrested or had failed a sobriety test.

"Want to clarify a story that is out there on our client Seahawks QB Josh Portis: he was NOT arrested at all for anything..." agent JR Rickert tweeted.

"Was pulled over for speeding and passed every sobriety test... story of an arrest is completely false," he wrote. "I have reviewed the police report and spoken to Josh's attorney. The matter is still under investigation and no charges have been filed."

Want to clarify a story that is out there on our client #Seahawks QB Josh Portis:he was NOT arrested at all for anything.....

— JR Rickert (@JRRickert) May 21, 2013

Was pulled over for speeding and passed every sobriety test....story of an arrest is completely false.

— JR Rickert (@JRRickert) May 21, 2013

I have reviewed the police report and spoken to Josh's attorney. The matter is still under investigation and no charges have been filed.

— JR Rickert (@JRRickert) May 21, 2013

One Utah woman was notified by a teacher that her 10-year-old step-daughter Kaylee was relentlessly bullying another student for the way she dressed, and devised a clever punishment to teach empathy and nip the bully in the bud.

“She would take her out on the playground and call her names, and tell her she was a slob and tell her she dressed like a sleaze,” Ally, whose last name was omitted to protect her daughter's privacy, told Fox13. “Someone not wanting to go to school anymore based off of something that one other little person said to them. I mean, that’s huge, that’s damaging.”

But when Ally addressed the issue, Kaylee did not show any remorse for what she had done. So she went to a local thrift shop and bought about $50 worth of clothes she knew Kaylee would never want to wear.

When Kaylee woke up to find the outfit she was ordered to wear to school, she says, “I died. I did." She admits she cried when she had to wear the clothes, and became the target of insults at school.

After two days wearing the embarrassing clothes and being talked about behind her back, Kaylee said she understands the lesson. When her sister asked why she should not bully people, Kaylee replied, “Because it’s stupid and it’s mean. It hurts them.”

Dr. Douglas Goldsmith of the Children’s Center said that while Kaylee may have learned an important lesson, not all bullies would respond the same way to forced humiliation, becoming more angry instead of having a change of heart.

Goldsmith suggested the parents of some bullies take them to volunteer where there are poorer people to teach them empathy indirectly.

A forklift and its operator were swallowed whole when the ground opened up underneath him while he was working in a warehouse in East Rutherford, New Jersey Monday afternoon.

The worker was transported to nearby Hackensack University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries after extracting himself from the machinery, the South Bergenite reported.

Rescuers said the forklift likely saved the worker's life, shielding him from being crushed when the floor collapsed beneath him.

Investigators determined a 40-foot-by-40-foot structural collapse under the rear of the warehouse had rendered the building unsafe, East Rutherford Assistant Fire Chief John Giancaspro said. The warehouse and the buildings on either side were evacuated as a precaution.

Engineers are still trying to determine the exact cause of the floor collapse.

Rumor has it that "Twilight" power couple Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are once again on the outs, and a certain singer may be -- at least partly -- to blame.

Katy Perry, a longtime friend of Pattinson's, "played a role, as one of many reasons," in the split, a source told E! News.

Pattinson was spotted moving out of the home he shared with Stewart Sunday after spending their respective birthdays separately. Both attended the annual Met Gala on May 8, but while Stewart walked the red carpet alone, Perry and Pattinson were photographed together, and later seen together after the ball.

“Katy was Kristen’s friend first, but she gets on with Rob brilliantly," a source told Heat magazine. "It’s clear to everyone that Rob’s got a bit of a crush on Katy and she totally plays up to it. They wouldn’t act on it, but it still makes Kristen feel insecure.”

But if anyone was to blame for the 3-year relationship falling apart, it's Stewart, whose affair with "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders last summer disrupted what appeared to be a solid relationship.

The two eventually reconciled a few weeks later, even moving back in together, but began fighting and "living virtual separate lives."

And if Perry and Pattinson do start dating, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise: Perry reportedly admitted she had been nursing some more-than-friends feelings too -- and "would love to date him" if he were ever single.

People undergoing an experimental stem-cell treatment have experienced modest improvements in their vision since the trial began in 2011, but one man had his vision restored from 20/400 -- basically blind -- to 20/40.

"There's a guy walking around who was blind, but now can see," said Gary Rabin, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, the Massachusetts company that devised the treatment. "With that sort of vision, you can have a driver's license."

The man was taking part in a trial examining the safety of using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to reverse two common causes of blindness, reports New Scientist.

In all, ACT has treated 22 patients who either have dry age-related macular degeneration, a common condition that leaves people with a black hole in the centre of their vision, or Stargardt's macular dystrophy, an inherited disease that leads to premature blindness.

In both diseases, people gradually lose retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. These cells recycle protein and lipid debris that accumulates on the retina, and supply nutrients and energy to photoreceptors -- the cells that sense light and transmit signals to the brain.

The company is testing treatments for both conditions by turning hESCs into new RPE cells, then giving each trial participant a transplant of the cells beneath the retina in one eye.

Entertainment Weekly reported Monday that CBS pulled a tornado-themed season finale of "Mike & Molly" due to the devastation in Oklahoma.

“Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight’s season finale of 'Mike & Molly,' which has a related storyline,” CBS said in a statement. “A repeat broadcast of 'Mike & Molly' will run in the time period. The season finale will be broadcast at an appropriate date.”

The episode, which was scheduled to air Monday night, was called "Windy City."

Here's the episode description (via USA Today):

The show also said on Twitter that CBS will air a repeat episode instead.

Due 2 the tragic events in Oklahoma, 2nite's season finale of #MikeandMolly, which has a related storyline, will be pre-empted by a repeat.

— Mike & Molly(@MikeMolly_CBS) May 20, 2013

The Oklahoma medical examiner's office said Monday that at least 51 people have been killed by the severe weather ravaging communities in that state. The two-mile wide twister that swept through Moore, Okla., was classified EF-4 by the National Weather Service. It had reached winds up to 200mph.

Here are several videos that capture the magnitude of the tornadoes sweeping through the Great Plains:

Oklahoma resident and Twitter user David Massey also posted dramatic Vine videos of residents dealing with the destruction:

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane already said earlier this year that there was "no way" he would host the Oscars again, after his 2013 performance garnered mixed reviews. But the return of 2013 producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron fueled speculation that MacFarlane would also be back.

The 39-year-old comedy writer and actor tweeted Monday that that he was too busy with other projects to host the Oscars next year.

"Traumatized critics exhale: I'm unable to do the Oscars again. Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep," MacFarlane said.

"However, I highly recommend the job, as Zadan and Meron are two of the most talented producers in the business," he continued.

He put forward his own thoughts on next year's host: "My suggestion for host is Joaquin Phoenix."

Watch MacFarlane's opening monologue from this year's Oscars ceremony below:

Seth Opens With Painfully Long Monologue by zappata84