Men's Journal's Blog, page 41

Remember When Ozzy Osbourne Almost Died in a Crash on a Yamaha Banshee ATV?

Ozzy Osbourne is famous for, among other things, coming back from near-death experiences.

The Prince of Darkness died one last, final time though, reported dead on July 22, 2025.

One of the times he nearly died in 2003 happened on his old Yamaha Banshee, an ATV with a reputation for being extremely fast, even by today's standards, and quite dangerous.

"They have so much power and such a violent powerband they flat out rip," one commenter in a thread on the ATV Rider forum said back in 2009, three years after Banshees went out of production.

Osbourne found that out firsthand.

He cracked a vertebrae, broke his collarbone and broke eight ribs, according to UTV Driver.

To add insult to injury, his wife Sharon Osbourne wrote a note on the owner's manual: "Be safe." 

Osbourne ended up selling the 1996 Banshee at auction in 2007. It sold again in 2022 for just under $13,000.

We know it was Osbourne's personal Banshee sold in 2022 because it had the dent he put in the front end as well as cracked rear wings and the original owner's manual with his wife's note.

Osbourne recalled the crash in an interview with Graham Bensinger. It's difficult to understand all Osbourne said about the crash, but he said it happened while filming his family's reality TV show on MTV, The Osbournes, which aired from 2002 through 2005.

"I got on my quad-bike," he said. "I'd gone down an embankment, which I'd done every day, and the bike went up in the air, landed on me. And the next minute I know I was in hospital."

Sharon Osbourne in the interview said she got a phone call when the accident happened while she was in America.

Sharon Osbourne sits next to her husband Ozzy's Quad Bike (upon which he had his life-threatening accident) ahead of a two-day auction.

Joel Ryan - PA Images/Getty Images

She said her husband had been rescued, on another ATV, by his security team, who then drove him to the hospital despite the fact that a helicopter had been dispatched by emergency services to their home in the English countryside.

Osbourne's injuries were so serious doctors put him in an induced coma for eight days, she added.

"Literally the first time I saw Ozzy, he was in a ward full of people that were in comas, and you know, tubes and bottles coming out of everywhere, you know," she said. "One side of him there was a bottle of blood where he was dripping, the other it's full of pee. And I'm just like, this is a nightmare, I'm going to wake up in a minute."

Her husband was quite a bit more up-beat retelling the story.

"I was in and out in no time," he said. "I checked myself out of hospital. I had a nurse for about a week and then I was back on my feet again."

Related: Ozzy Osbourne Died. What Kids Does He Leave Behind?

Amazon Has 'Comfortable' Slip-On Sneakers on Sale for $20, and Shoppers Say They Feel 'Eerily Similar' to Hokas

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A pair of no-frills slip-on sneakers is great for wearing around the house or for walks in the neighborhood, but anyone who’s owned a pair of slip-ons knows that they eventually turn into daily drivers. These slip-ons at Amazon are a solid contender for your next pair, and they’re over 55% off right now.

The $48 AllSwifit Slip-Ons are down to $20 on Amazon, which is well over half off the original price tag.. While all eight colorways have a similar sale going on at 49% off, the sweetest deal is for the black colorway for 58% off.

AllSwifit Slip-Ons, from $20 (was $48) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

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Simple and straight to the point, these slip-on sneakers feature a breathable mesh upper with a smooth, laceless construction that’s incredibly easy to slip into. Inside the shoes, the E-TPU midsole and plush insole come together to give you lightweight cushioning that’s perfect for long walks. With the addition of treads, the rubber outsole also has some decent grip, so you can also take these for a run without worrying about lackluster traction.

Shoppers are in love with the reliable comfort these slip-ons offer, writing, “These shoes are a total game changer for me! I'm not exaggerating when I say they are the most comfortable tennis shoes I've ever owned. Right out of the box, they felt like they were already broken in." A second shopper said they’re “Very comfortable and durable. I use these for around the house and walking.”

AllSwifit Slip-Ons, from $20 (was $48) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

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Compared to more expensive running shoes, shoppers are also saying these hold their own and then some: “Slipping into these felt eerily similar to my Hokas—minus the guilt of spending a small fortune. The memory foam insole is surprisingly plush, and the breathable mesh upper keeps things airy. Perfect for those of us who appreciate comfort without a big financial commitment.”

Perfect for long walks or short days around the house, the AllSwifit Slip-Ons are only $20 at Amazon. Size 11 is already out of stock at the time of writing, so you should grab a pair before more sizes start running out.

How Yungblud Plans To Honor Ozzy Osbourne ‘Every Night’ After His Death

Mark Holloway/Getty Images

Dominic Harrison, who performs under the stage name Yungblud, recently took the stage at the final Black Sabbath concert, delivering a searing cover of “Changes” mere weeks before Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22, 2025.

Yungblud paid tribute to Osbourne on the day he died  and again two days later to expand on the ways the "Prince of Darkness" shaped him. As a misunderstood kid growing up, he saw someone brave enough to be weird, disruptive, and unapologetically himself in the "Crazy Train" singer. 

"I’m trying to compute the last couple days and honestly I’m absolutely f—ing shattered," Harrison, 27, captioned a video of his performance at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. "You have been my North Star for everything for as long as I can remember from when I was misunderstood as a child to the way people thought I was just a little 'too much' or 'strange' in my life and career." 

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A post shared by YUNGBLUD (@yungblud)

Yungblud also promised to carry the torch and perform the 1972 cover live "every night" for the rest of his life. 

Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019. He performed his final show with Black Sabbath in Birmingham, England, on July 5 and passed away at the age of 76. Osbourne was born on Dec. 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England. 

He and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, have three children (Aimee, Kelly, and Jack). He also has three children from his first marriage to Thelma Riley (Elliot, Jessica, and Louis).     

American Airlines Refuses to Change Unpopular Policy

Earlier this summer, America's three largest airlines – Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines – were all exposed for a controversial pricing tactic, and it seems like American is sticking by it despite outrage.

Back in May, Kyle Potter, executive editor at Thrifty Traveler, discovered that Delta, United, and American were all charging significantly more for solo travelers than groups when purchasing the same tickets on the same flights.

The discovery quickly sparked outrage from customers and travel bloggers, leading  Delta to quietly update its fares, charging solo travelers the same as groups. United followed suit, but appears to have since changed its mind and reverted back to the controversial practice.

American, however, never adjusted its fares and has been consistently charging solo travelers more than groups or couples despite the outrage.

In fact, while both United and American are still charging more for solo travelers than couples or groups, an analysis from The Economist found that American embraces this practice to a far greater extent than United.

"American is deploying the technique much more enthusiastically than United. Whereas solo weekday travellers were charged at least 5% more on only 8% of United routes, that threshold was crossed on 57% of American routes. American appears to make use of the practice more aggressively on short trips and those where it does not compete with Southwest, a low-cost carrier," The Economist wrote.

American Airlines has never issued a public statement on the controversial policy, but it's clear that they aren't planning to make any changes to their fares despite the backlash.

United Airlines Changes Its Mind, Goes Back to Unpopular Policy

Earlier this summer, Delta, United, and American were all exposed for a controversial pricing tactic that charged solo travelers more money on airline fares than groups or couples. While Delta has abandoned the tactic after criticism, the other two seem to be sticking with the controversial policy.

Back in May, Kyle Potter, executive editor at Thrifty Traveler, discovered that Delta, United, and American – the nation's three largest airlines – were charging significantly more for solo travelers than groups when purchasing the same tickets on the same flights.

Shortly after the tactic was exposed, Delta quickly updated its fares to charge solo travelers the same rate as groups. United followed suit, but it appears that it has since changed its mind and reverted back to the controversial practice, as an analysis from The Economist determined.

"Delta has indeed abandoned the technique: its two-passenger price is always at least twice the fare for one. For American and United, however, the practice remains. Solo flyers who travel within the work week with these airlines can end up paying a higher fare than everyone else, including solo travellers whose journey includes a weekend stay and those who travel with others, regardless of whether their trip stretches into a weekend," The Economist wrote in a post this week.

While both United and American are still charging more for solo travelers than couples or groups, The Economist notes that American embraces this practice to a far greater extent than United.

"American is deploying the technique much more enthusiastically than United. Whereas solo weekday travellers were charged at least 5% more on only 8% of United routes, that threshold was crossed on 57% of American routes. American appears to make use of the practice more aggressively on short trips and those where it does not compete with Southwest, a low-cost carrier," The Economist wrote.

While United isn't charging quite as much more as American, they still went back to the controversial policy.

Scooter Braun Breaks His Silence on Taylor Swift Feud

It's likely that Scooter Braun will forever be an enemy to all Swifties, and he opened up about it in a recent podcast appearance.

Back in 2019, the music mogul bought Big Machine Records from Scott Borchetta, which included Taylor Swift's masters in the music catalogue. The now-infamous sale led to a lengthy blog post from Swift where she expressed her displeasure and anger at Braun for the move.

With Swift buying back her master recordings from Shamrock Capital last month, Braun recently broke his silence on the whole ordeal in a recent appearance on Danielle Robay’s Question Everything podcast.

“You know, me even talking about this now, there’s gonna be … They’re gonna be yelling and screaming and this, that and the other,” Braun said on the podcast, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “You can’t say anything right, and it is what it is. My response to that is they made the horrible miscalculation that I care. You know, I don’t know those people out there. And if I met them in person and they needed my help, as a stranger, I would help them.

“I think people forget that when you have a fan base that big and 10,000 people are yelling at you, it feels like the world is ending, but that’s less than 1 percent of a fan base that big,” Braun continued. “I think most people are dealing with their own problems. I think most people are dealing with their own insecurities the same way I am, the same way every artist and every human being is. And I think it’s just a more productive use of your time to not get stuck in the craziness of celebrity fodder and focus more on being kind to people.”

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 18: Scooter Braun attends the 2024 ADL “In Concert Against Hate” at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on November 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Anti-Defamation League)

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Braun went on to say that “everybody in the end won,” explaining that Swift got a great deal in purchasing her masters, given that the value of her original music catalog actually went up after she began re-recording her old songs.

“We did very well in that sale because we bought it at a really great price and the value of the masters went up,” Braun said. 

“When I sold it, she had announced she was gonna do rerecords,” Braun continued. “And if you understand music, the value went up for the masters because Spotify and streamers created a longer decay than buying just CDs. People would listen to them more, so there’s a longer decay, but it’s still decaying. But when she rerecorded, all ships rise in a world of streaming. So people were going on and they were A/B-ing them. They were listening in to see how much they sounded like [the originals].”

That said, Braun said it was a "brilliant" move from Swift to re-record all of her old albums, even though it actually helped him too.

“So she did incredibly well and basically had the biggest moment of her career, reinvigorating her career with each one. It was brilliant on her part, but also each time she released one, you saw a spike in the original catalog,” he added. “So, funny enough, everyone involved in the saga, from a business standpoint … One, she’s the biggest she’s ever been, the biggest artist of all time. We did really well with the asset. The people who bought the asset did really well because of those spikes. The only thing that I’m sad about is, that’s a great example where all ships can rise and there doesn’t need to be an enemy.”

This is not the first time that Braun has spoken about all of this since Swift bought back the masters, but it's the most candid he has been since the sale.

Coca-Cola Starlight Officially Returning in July

Coca-Cola is bringing back a beloved flavor that was discontinued a few years ago, but only for a limited time and only at one specific location.

Back in 2022, Coke launched Coca-Cola Starlight – a space-inspired soda that had a subtle cooling sensation and a reddish hue. While the unique flavor quickly won the hearts of fans, but since it was a limited edition flavor, it was soon discontinued.

However, later this month, it's coming back.

Later this month, Coca-Cola Starlight will be making its official return, but there's a catch: the beloved flavor will only be available at Jack in the Box restaurants, according to KTLA5.

The flavor will be coming to Jack in the Box as part of its Coca-Cola Starlight Munchie Meal, marking Jack in the Box’s first beverage-centric “Craved Collab.”

The meal includes a choice of entree, allowing customers to choose between either a Double Jr. Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger or a Really Big Chicken Sandwich — along with three sides: five tiny tacos, four chicken nuggets with a ranch dipping cup, and curly fries.

Instead of the beverages being served in a traditional Jack in the Box cup, however, guests will receive a small, bottled Coca-Cola Starlight with their meal.

Coca-Cola lovers better act quickly, however, as the beloved flavor will only be at Jack in the Box for a limited time, as the Coca-Cola Starlight Munchie Meal will be available from July 24 to Sept. 21.

It's not clear whether or not Coca-Cola plans to bring back Coca-Cola Starlight beyond this collaboration. For now, this will be the one chance for fans to try the flavor again. 

This is not the only major announcement for Coke fans this month, as the beverage giant recently confirmed plans to begin using cane sugar in its formula instead of corn syrup.

TSA Issues WiFi Warning to All Smartphone Users

The Transportation Security Administration may be best known for its security checkpoints at the airport, but the agency also tries to keep passengers safe in other ways, recently issuing a warning that all smartphone users should pay attention to, though an expert has issued an update for one part of that warning.

Earlier this summer, the TSA issued a warning for all smartphone users. The first part of the warning urged users to avoid plugging their phone directly into USB charging ports that are often in airport terminals. However, the second part of the warning went even further, urging travelers to avoid airport WiFi altogether.

"Don’t use free public WiFi, especially if you’re planning to make any online purchases. Do not ever enter any sensitive info while using unsecure WiFi," the TSA's post read.

However, using public WiFi at the airport might be simply unavoidable. The good news is that these days, public WiFi is mostly safe, according to some recent best practices provided by the FTC.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

"In the past, if you used a public Wi-Fi network to get online, your information was at risk. That’s because most websites didn’t use encryption to scramble the data and protect it from hackers snooping on the network," the FTC wrote in its recent advisory.

"Today, most websites do use encryption to protect your information. Because of the widespread use of encryption, connecting through a public Wi-Fi network is usually safe."

That said, the FTC does have some best practices that travelers should follow when they do use public WiFi.

"Create and use strong passwords and turn on two-factor authentication when it’s available," the FTC advisory reads.

"If you use a computer to get online, make sure your security software, operating system, and internet browser are up to date. Update your phone’s operating system, too. And turn on automatic updates to keep up with the latest protections."

'Fantastic Four' Star Pedro Pascal Would 'Never Fight' Elastigirl of ‘The Incredibles’

Pedro Pascal made his debut as the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic, in what's trending toward Marvel's newest hit movie. Fantastic Four: First Steps has earned high marks from critics and fans early on ahead of its official release, and Pascal's portrayal of the popular character is one of several reasons why.

However, even after going toe-to-toe with Galactus in Fantastic Four: First Steps and reprising his role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday with an expected date against Doctor Doom, Pascal still knows his character's limits.

Specifically, Pascal has no interest in pitting Mister Fantastic against one of the most popular animated superhero families—The Incredibles.

During a segment on LADbible's "Agree to Disagree," Pascal and co-star Vanessa Kirby were asked their opinion on a series of questions, one of which was who would win in a fight between the Fantastic Four and The Incredibles.

After first making the argument that the two groups of superheroes would never fight, Pascal then pivoted to a different approach.

“They would never fight The Incredibles. The Incredibles are the Fantastic Four. They would never fight one another," Pascal first claimed.

"...Or maybe they'd be like let me see what you can do with your elasticity....and then I would be like, 'Oh no, I have to show you.' No, I would never fight with Holly Hunter [Elastigirl], ever, ever, she would beat me."

Pascal ultimately went with The Incredibles as his choice, while Kirby disagreed and said the Fantastic Four would win.

Obviously, an animated superhero crossover isn't on the horizon, but it's a fun argument to see the Fantastic Four: First Steps duo have.

While Fantastic Four: First Steps officially hits theaters on Friday, July 25, the early viewings have drawn strong reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The Marvel movie currently holds an 88 percent rating from critics.

Related: Pedro Pascal Makes Candid Confession About ‘Fantastic Four’ Co-Star Vanessa Kirby

U.S. Issues 'Do Not Travel' Warning For Syria

The United States Department of State issues periodic travel advisories for countries across the globe, and it has just issued one advisory in its most severe category.

The State Department has four levels of travel advisories, ranging from level 1 advisories reminding citizens to "exercise normal precautions" all the way to level 4 advisories that urge citizens simply "do not travel" to that nation.

On Wednesday, July 23, the United States issued an official, level 4 travel advisory for the nation of Syria, warning citizens not to travel to the country "for any reason" due to "terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, hostage taking, and armed conflict."

"The U.S. government suspended operations of the U.S. Embassy in 2012. Czechia serves as the protecting power for the United States in Syria. The U.S. government is unable to provide any routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Syria. Do not travel to Syria for any reason," the advisory reads.

The State Department warns that "no part of Syria is safe" as a result of an armed conflict that has been going on since 2011.

Close-up of American passport

Tetra Images/Getty Images

"Syria has experienced active armed conflict since 2011. No part of Syria is safe from violence. Hostage taking by armed groups, terrorism, remnants of war such as unexploded ordnance, and aerial bombardment pose significant risk of death or serious injury. The destruction of infrastructure, housing, medical facilities, schools, and power and water utilities has also increased hardships inside the country," the travel advisory reads.

In addition to the inherent risks associated with the active armed conflict, the advisory warns of the threat of terrorist violence as well as kidnapping and hostage taking.

"There is risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Syria. Visit the U.S. Department of State’s country reports on terrorism to learn more. Parts of Syria have experienced recent increases in incidents of bombings, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and assassinations. Providing material support or resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations, including ISIS and al-Qa’ida (AQ) affiliates, is a crime under U.S. law that can result in penalties including prison time and large fines," the advisory states.

"There is an ongoing risk of hostage taking of U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals throughout the country. In the past, U.S. citizens have been targets of abduction and detention in Syria. Those in detention may not have access to fair judicial process or medical attention. Current detention center conditions are unclear but could be harsh and unsanitary. Failure to obtain a legitimate entry visa directly from the Syrian government could result in detention."

The state department says that the latest advisory comes due to "recent developments in Syria."