[lush]

Pandemic Inspires Artist to Turn Artificial Fingernails Into Stunning Works of Art
July 23rd, 2021*

A young Vietnamese nail art expert who had to close down his business during the pandemic, used the time off to develop a stunning new kind of artificial fingernail art.

Le Dai Phat is recognized as one of the most talented nail artists in Ho Chi Minh City, and looking at his stunning hand-painted designs it’s easy to see why. From celebrity portraits to religion and Vietnamese culture-inspired designs, the 28-year-old artisan can create some truly impressive wearable artworks. But it was a new style he developed while quarantined at home because of Covid that really got people talking about him. Using up to 10 lined-up artificial fingernails, Phat is able to paint entire stories in the greatest of detail.



The Vietnamese artisan has been doing fingernail art for the past four years, and has even opened up his own nail art academy to teach aspiring artists his secrets. But it was only two months ago, when pandemic restrictions were put in place in Ho Chi Minh, and his salon had to close, that he discovered a new fingernail art style.



Le Dai Phat always considered himself a visual storyteller, and the quarantine gave him the time to take that side of him to a new level, using the same artificial fingernails he loved to work with. By aligning 5-10 large nails, he was able to paint beautiful artworks inspired by classic fairytales like The Little Match Girl, or original designs inspired by superheroes or films like Pirates of the Caribbean.



Painting artificial fingernails in such amazing detail is difficult, and Le Dai Phat spends between 1-2 weeks on regular projects, and up to 2 months on really complex ones. The materials used are nail powder, brushes and specialized paints such as acrylic colors or nail polish.



Although he is now recognized as one of Vietnam’s most talented nail artists, Le Dai Phat had to overcome adversity in order to make it as a man in a profession dominated by the opposite sex.



“In the beginning, I faced a lot of difficulties because my working environment was full of women, I had to struggle to overcome the psychological pressure as well as the prejudices of many people,” the young artist said. “In 2016, the nail industry had not developed much, so I also had difficulty in accessing knowledge as well as finding customers.”



Today, Le Dai Phat uses his incredible nail artworks to inspire others to pursue nail art, and offers classes at his own Kami Nail Academy. For more of his stunning artworks, you can follow him on Facebook and YouTube.

[click image to play video]


Photos: Le Dai Phat/Kami Nail Academy

[goldie0608]

Australian teenager gets $20,000 for discovering unique Dorito chip



An Australian teenager is cashing in her chips after finding a puffy Dorito and putting it up for sale online.

Doritos is rewarding Rylee Stuart, a 13-year-old from Queensland, with $20,000 for her entrepreneurship after she happened upon a unique air-filled Dorito among its flat counterparts in a bag of chips she was eating, and putting the big guy up for sale.

The Gold Coast teenager’s one-of-a-kind chip fetched bids of thousands of dollars, with eBay users pledging more than 100,000 Australian dollars after being on the auction block for just a few days. The find went viral on TikTok, where a clip of the chip quickly gathered over 2 million views.

While the listing — which stated only “puffy dorito one of a kind” — has been taken down, the brand is rewarding Stuart’s initiative with a fund worth $20,000.

“It’s been a whirlwind couple of days for Rylee and her family and we’ve loved following her story,” Doritos Australia chief marketing officer Vandita Pandey said in a press release. “We’ve been so impressed with Rylee’s boldness and entrepreneurial spirit, so we wanted to make sure the Stuart family were rewarded for their creativity and love for Doritos.”

“I was about to eat it, and I thought I better save it for later,” Stuart told 9News earlier this week. “I saw $10,000 [from a bidder] and I like screamed … Dad is saying that since he bought the packet, it’s his chip, but I ate the packet and found it, so I believe it is mine.”

Many others before Stuart have tried to make a buck off of unique-looking foods. Earlier this year, an Idaho teen sold a jar with a Dorito in it as a “conversation piece” for $20. In June, a Chicken McNugget went for a mind-boggling $100,000 on eBay due to its resemblance to a character from the mystery video game “Among Us.”

This also isn’t the first time that a Dorito chip has deviated from its snack-size triangle. Parent company Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, launched special foot-long Doritos, the biggest in the world, available for a limited time in 2018.

[HogwartsExpress]

Android’s earthquake warning system proved effective in the Philippines yesterday

Last month, Google rolled out the Android Earthquake Alerts System to seven more countries ahead of a global launch over the next year. The Philippines is one of those places with earthquake warnings enabled, and Android users yesterday benefited from such a heads-up.

According to the US Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Tingloy, Philippines yesterday in the early morning hours. Reuters reported how shaking “lasted nearly a minute” and awoke some.

Others were made aware of the approaching earthquake a few seconds before shaking started by the blaring of their Android phones. The success of the system was captured by a thread on Reddit today and many reports on Twitter shortly after the event.

Google built the system to create the “world’s largest earthquake detection network” using the technology and sensors that are already widely out there. It comes as establishing a traditional network of ground seismometers (like in California and the US West Coast) is not always feasible. If such systems are in place, Android does show those government-provided warnings.

The alert system works by using your device’s accelerometer to detect the initial, nondestructive P-wave. Your phone then sends a city-level location, which does not include zip code or street address, to Google’s earthquake detection server. The reports get verified before a loud notification that includes a map, magnitude, and basic drop, cover, and hold reminders is sent. It hopefully comes a few seconds before the destructive S-wave arrives.

It’s automatically enabled, but users can opt out from the Android Settings app > Location > Advanced > Earthquake Alerts.

Google announced the system in August of 2020 with an initial testing period before it went live in two countries this April. It will become available globally in places with wide availability of Android devices running Google Play services over the coming year. The company is starting in countries with high earthquake risk.

source: https://9to5google.com/2021/07/24/android-earthquake-warning-philippines/

[johngriffen]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
SUNDAY JULY 25
What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You can post as many stories as you like, but you will only get paid for One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can only earn WRZ$ once a day.
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -5)
2:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)
on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them short, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[ozswede]

Yorkie protects 10-year-old Toronto girl from an attacking coyote

Macy, a Yorkie, barked and stood her ground against the coyote.

Don’t mess with Macy!

A Toronto family's tiny Yorkshire terrier is being hailed as a hero after rescuing her 10-year-old owner from an attacking coyote.

Lily Kwan, 10, said she was walking Macy, her family's 6-year-old Yorkie, in the Scarborough neighborhood when a coyote started to chase them. Lily said she started to run away and had to drop the 10-pound dog's leash because Macy refused to follow.

A neighbor's home security camera recorded video as Macy turned to confront the coyote.


Click on the picture to see the dramatic video

Macy barked and stood her ground while Lily, terrified, ran for help in her Scarborough neighbourhood.

The coyote bit Macy, picking the tiny dog up in its jaws and shaking her, but Macy wriggled free. When it was all over, the 10 pound Macy had multiple bite wounds and injuries and a massive veterinarian bill.

"She's a super brave dog, I love her so much and I just though this tiny dog could protect this huge human being, trying to fight off this huge coyote," Lily told CTV News.



Macy survived the confrontation and is being treated by a veterinarian for multiple puncture wounds from the coyote's teeth. Lily's family said Macy was transferred to intensive care when one of the wounds became infected and she developed a fever, but she is expected to make a full recovery.

A GoFundMe is raising money to pay the vet’s bill.

“She made it through surgery like a trooper,” said Kwan on Thursday of the family dog.

“We’re hoping the fever is a minor setback.”

[Fatima99]

Realtor Transforms Abandoned Properties into Tiny Home Villages That Give Permanent Housing to Chronic Homeless

For nine years Linda Brown and her husband David organized a nightly drop-in shelter where homeless people in Springfield could eat, shower, do laundry, use a computer, and socialize during bingo games and karaoke—but they wanted to do more.

So they transformed an abandoned mobile home property into a village of tiny homes that provides permanent housing to the chronically disabled homeless.

They raised $4.75 million and opened Eden Village in 2018, erecting 31 tiny homes that are now occupied by people like Jonathan Fisher. He was battling substance abuse, and had lived on the streets for two years when he met Linda Brown, who changed his life.

“In the worst moments of my life, Linda gave me guidance, care, and made me feel like I was still worth something,” Fisher says. He says that Brown took the time to learn about how he became homeless, and then encouraged him as he rebuilt his life. She even offered him a job.

Now sober, Fisher works full-time for Brown, doing construction and maintenance on the 31 homes, and helping others experiencing struggles similar to what he went through.

The driving philosophy behind Eden Village is the same that fuels the Housing First movement: The root causes of a person’s homelessness cannot be thoroughly addressed until his or her immediate housing needs are met.

“I watched as my (homeless) friends walked off into the darkness to a hidden, wet, cold camp while we went home to a warm bed,” Linda told the National Association of Realtors, who honored her with their Good Neighbor Award in 2020. “I had to do something,”

That was the moment that formed her vision for the tiny-home village that serves as a place where the chronically disabled homeless “can live with dignity and self-worth.”

After drawing sponsorship money from Coldwell Banker, the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors, local banks, churches, and area residents, by February 2019, all 31 tiny homes, which cost about $42,000 each, were occupied.

“It takes someone who wants to do something, and then believes they can. I’ve watched Linda Brown live that out,” says Nate Schleuter, who helped launch a tiny-home village for the homeless in Austin, Texas, but now is the chief visionary officer for Eden Village.

“It’s exciting to watch the homeless who thought they’d live the rest of their life on the street now have a home.”

Brown’s 13 years of real estate expertise has been essential to the development of the tiny-home community. She learned of a listing for an abandoned 4.2-acre mobile park on Springfield’s east side. The property wouldn’t need to be rezoned for tiny-home trailers, and the infrastructure and utilities were already in place.

The tiny homes are rolled in on wheels attached to their steel frames, qualifying them as recreational vehicles. The 400-square-foot individual homes are fully furnished, including dishes and bedding. Residents pay $300 per month, which includes utilities. Most receive government disability checks of $725 per month to cover expenses. They can remain in their home as long as they wish, provided they remain a good neighbor in the community.
Wide-angle photo of interior of tiny home – courtesy of Linda Brown

The village includes a 4,000-square-foot community center where residents can hold cookouts, do laundry, and access a medical office staffed with student nurse volunteers and mental health professionals. Eden Village was even the site of a marriage ceremony for two residents.
Linda Brown with Eden Village resident

Plans for additional villages are already underway on donated land. Eden Village 2 will house 24 residents in tiny homes and is close to opening.

Then, work will begin on Eden Village 3, which could house up to 80 residents in duplexes. Over the next six years, Brown, who is a realtor for Amax Real Estate, plans to have five villages across Springfield, housing an estimated 200 homeless people.

Fisher says Brown’s devotion helped him emerge from the grip of homelessness. “She helped me to build a better life,” Fisher says. “Even when I was struggling with homelessness and sobriety, she showed me I was valuable and that my potential shouldn’t be wasted. She made me feel like I belonged somewhere.”

Other cities are seeking to duplicate Eden Village. One project is underway in Wilmington, N.C., and 34 other communities are making plans. You can visit the Eden Village website to donate to the 501(C-3) nonprofit or volunteer with them.

[prokroustis]

2,500-year-old free-standing statues found in western Anatolia


They were discovered at the site of the Roman temple of Zeus Lepsynos


Hurriyet Daily News reports that two 2,500-year-old free-standing statues and an inscription have been discovered in western Anatolia’s ancient city of Euromos, at the site of the Roman temple of Zeus Lepsynos.

“One of the two kouroi unearthed at Euromos is naked while the other is wearing armor and a short skirt,” said Abuzer Kizil of Muğla Sitki Koçman University.

“The armor [appears to be] made of leather, and it is remarkable to see that both statues have a lion in their hands.” The naked statue holding a lion may represent Apollo, she added. Kizil and his team have not been able to find exact copies of the statues anywhere else so far. Work to translate the inscription continues.

[lush]

Marathon Runner Learns to Live Without Stomach, Colon and Gallbladder
July 21st, 2021*

36-year-old Juan Dual likes to joke that he is empty inside, but in his case the phrase has a literal meaning. Over the years, he has had his stomach, colon, rectum and gallbladder removed, but he has learned to live without them.

Juan’s sad but inspiring story began when he was only 13-years-old. It was then that he was diagnosed with a terrible hereditary condition called familial multiple polyposis, which left him with a 99.8% chance of developing cancer of the digestive system. His grandmother and an uncle of hers died of colon adenocarcinoma, and his father had undergone surgery of the bowels to avoid succumbing to the same fate. At age 19, right after finishing high-school, Juan underwent a tough operation to have his colon and rectum removed. Sadly, it was only the beginning…


Photo: Juan Dual/Instagram

By age 28, Juan’s situation had worsened. The disease had affected his stomach, so he needed to have that removed as well. A postoperative hemorrhage almost cost the young Spaniard his life, but he miraculously managed to pull through. His troubles didn’t end there, though. After dropping to a weight of just 57 kilograms, he struggled to stand up and take a few steps.

And, as if things weren’t already bad enough, a dangerous bacteria infected his gallbladder so he had to go under the knife again to have it removed.



“I lost 50% of my body mass and I was completely without strength,” Juan, who once weighed 106 kilograms, told El Comercio.

Having just recovered from a series of serious surgeries, and with a serious economic crisis gripping Spain, Juan Dual decided to accept the invitation of some friends of his parents and travel to Japan. It was there that things started to change for the better. He didn’t speak a word of Japanese, so he spent most of his time walking the dog. One day, the dog pulled harder, and Juan realized that he could still jog, and he started to do just that.



Months later, he found himself working in a small, peaceful town in England. There was little in terms of entertainment, but the town was surrounded by hills, so he dedicated even more of his time to running. He befriended some likeminded folks and told them what he had been through, and they seemed amazed at the fact that he was still alive, let alone that he was pushing himself to exercise. That’s when the idea of focusing on motivating others took root in his mind.

With the help of Pepa, a nutritionist, Juan Dual slowly relearned how to eat to keep his energy level high enough to sustain him during physical activity. Eight months after his last operation, he finished the Barcelona half marathon in two hours. He then started training for mountain running and ultra-marathons. He claims sport keeps him healthy and motivated.



Having no stomach has changed the way Juan Dual experiences hunger. He doesn’t get that feeling in his gut like the rest of us, because, well, he no longer has one. The brain does not receive the signal that nutrients are needed, and with a body fat index of just 3 percent, his body has nothing to turn to for nutrition, so he can faint out of the blue in the middle of a race.

To avoid fainting at the worst time, Juan has fixed feeding times in his day to day life, and he even stops to eat at fixed intervals during a marathon, to make sure he has enough energy to finish. It’s not clear how his body processes food, but, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, he eats everything from donuts and gummy bears, to ham and pasta.

[click below to play video]


“I can digest food, but I don’t conserve much energy, so I must eat all day; It is complicated, but I have learned to live with it,” Dual said. “Sport helps me a lot and has given me everything. The more I run or pedal, the more I eat. If I eat, I have more energy and strength. My family is more relaxed because they see me doing better. In addition, I serve as motivation for many people who know my story.”

[PennySerenade]

Three refugee athletes competing in Tokyo heading to Ontario college


The refugee team carry the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

TORONTO -- Three refugees from South Sudan competing at the Olympics will be heading to a Canadian college this fall under a program that gives students displaced by conflict a chance to pursue their academic goals.

Rose Nathike Likonyen, Paulo Amotun Lokoro and James Nyang Chiengjiek are currently members of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Tokyo Games.

They'll be heading to Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., as the first cohort of students in a new athletic stream of the Student Refugee Program, which sees post-secondary institutions privately sponsor refugees.

"They've earned the opportunity to rebuild their lives and to chart their journey forward to success and we're just so proud to play a part in that," Janet Morrison, Sheridan's president, said in an interview.

All three athletes fled conflict in South Sudan as children and grew up in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where they still live.

Likonyen and Chiengjiek competed in the 800-metre races at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as part of the Refugee Olympic Team while Lokoro competed in the 1,500-metre race at those Games.

Sheridan is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Olympic Committee and the World University Service of Canada -- a non-profit that manages the Student Refugee Program -- to bring the athletes to Ontario.

The trio will begin their first year in Sheridan's academic upgrading stream, which focuses on literacy, numeracy and critical thinking, but then they could choose different options to pursue based on their own interests and career aspirations, Morrison said.

The college will be supporting the athletes with academic advising, physical and mental health resources and housing supports, among other things.

"There's a lot of research on how to position students for success, all kinds of different students from all kinds of backgrounds and lived experiences. What we know is that central to that is a sense of purpose, which I think, no doubt these three learners have," she said.

"They've had a lived experience with conflict and persecution so we'll provide them with access to resources to help rebuild their lives here."

The World University Service of Canada said the three athletes could help raise awareness on the need to support to more refugees.

"What Rose Nathike, Paulo Amotun, and James Nyang will remind the world on the Olympic stage in Tokyo, is that we have a collective responsibility to uphold the rights and help realize the potential of millions of refugees around the world," executive director Chris Eaton said in a statement.

The UNHCR said it would like to see other countries sponsor refugees in a similar way.

"While the resettlement of refugee student athletes is relatively new, Canadian universities and colleges have a long history of sponsoring refugees to resettle and pursue post-secondary education at their institutions," said Michael Casasola, UNHCR's senior resettlement officer in Canada.

"It is a model that UNHCR has been encouraging other countries to follow so that more refugees are able to access post-secondary education and obtain a durable solution."

Couple's anniversary dinner interrupted when nudist cruise pulls up beside them

John Wood and his wife were completely baffled when they looked up from their anniversary dinner to see a party of naturists waving at them from the Nude Cruise


A couple have revealed how they got the shock of their lives, when their romantic anniversary meal was gate-crashed by a boat load of nudists.

John Wood and his wife had been enjoying a meal at the River Exe Café, on the Exe Estuary in Devon, when they looked out the window to see several naked passengers waving at them from another ship.

The couple were absolutely baffled to discover that the passing cruise was actually the Torbay Sun Club's annual Nude Cruise, where naturists set off from Exmouth Dock with nothing but their 'personal luggage' - whatever that means.

Naturists are encouraged to socialise and meet like-minded people, while onboard the annual event which sees people strip down to their birthday suits.

Fortunately, most of the diners in the restaurant were bemused by the unusual sighting, however some voiced concerns over their safety.

"My wife and I were having a lovely anniversary dinner at the River Exe café when we caught sight of a boat full of naked people travelling slowly," John told DevonLive.

"Reaction in the restaurant was mostly of amusement, and concern for their health as the wind was getting up. Luckily that was the only thing that was!"

[goldie0608]

Seagull who bonded with captain who saved her now has a mate



Since CBS News first told the story of captain John Makowsky and his seagull friend Red Eye, life has only gotten better for the bird.

She has since been immortalized in a children's book and recently started bringing a new beau to the boat. Makowsky named him "Hero" because he's very protective and adoring — almost as protective and adoring as the captain, now steering that third wheel.

Makowsky and Red Eye first met in 2005, when the bird showed up one day on his boat in the Gulf of Maine. Red Eye had been a faithful companion for 15 years as Makowsky pulled lobster traps.

One day, Red Eye suffered a leg injury. Makowsky knew a seagull couldn't live long like that.

"How hard was it for him?" CBS News asked Makowsky's wife, Debbie, when the story first aired in August.

"Oh, very, very difficult," she responded. "To watch John and see how sad he was. I could tear up right now."

"I don't know why I was so emotionally crushed, but it was a piece missing. I was beginning to wonder how much longer I felt like doing this," Makowsky said.

So in an attempt to save his passion for the sea, he tried to save that seagull. He actually caught her and brought her to the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick, Maine. The staff nursed Red Eye while Makowsky spoiled her with Brown Hake — her favorite kind of fish.

Just a few weeks later, Red Eye was good as new and released back into the wild. Of course, "the wild" was never really Red Eye's thing, which is why, still today, no matter where Makowsky is in this great ocean, Red Eye somehow finds him.

Pizza for Italy and Dracula for Romania. South Korean broadcaster apologizes for its Olympic 'inexcusable mistake'

By Jake Kwon, Kara Fox and Will Ripley, CNN
Updated 1246 GMT (2046 HKT) July 25, 2021

Seoul, South Korea (CNN)The Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony is a gratuitously enjoyable affair, with bulging muscles and beaming athletes proudly walking the Parade of Nations -- and into our hearts.
The made-for-TV spectacle is an entry way for some viewers to learn more about countries and athletes that they are less familiar with. But in trying to bridge that knowledge gap, one South Korean broadcaster failed spectacularly, drawing from a bank of offensive stereotypes to depict several countries.

When Haiti's athletes walked onto the stadium, a caption posted on screen by South Korea's MBC network read: "The political situation is fogged by the assassination of the president."

When Syrian athletes entered, MBC aired a caption that said: "Rich underground resources; a civil war that has been going on for 10 years."

Another MBC caption described the Marshall Islands as "once a nuclear test site for the US." And when Ukraine's athletes entered the parade, MBC showed an image of the Chernobyl disaster -- the world's worst nuclear accident.

When Italy walked on, the broadcaster pulled up an image of a pizza. For Norway, a salmon fillet was shown. An image of Dracula was used for Team Romania. And for Team El Salvador, a country where Bitcoin is legal tender, a picture representing the cryptocurrency was shown.

The broadcaster's gaffe led to a deluge of online criticism, with one South Korean Twitter user writing: "MBC wow, how would it be if South Korea was introduced as the country of Sewol ferry disaster?"

On Saturday, MBC issued a formal apology to the "countries concerned and our viewers."
"The images and captions are intended to make it easier for the viewers to understand the entering countries quickly during the opening ceremony," the statement said.
"However we admit that there was a lack of consideration for the countries concerned and inspection was not thorough enough. It is an inexcusable mistake."

The broadcaster also promised a full review of its editorial process, vowing no more Olympic blunders.
MBC is not the only broadcaster coming under fire for its coverage of the Games so far.
China's Consulate General in New York has criticized the American network NBC for using "an incomplete map of China" when broadcasting the Chinese delegation's entry at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony.
In a statement released on social media Saturday, the consulate's spokesperson said the map "created a very bad influence and harmed the dignity and emotion of the Chinese people" and urged NBC to "to recognize the serious nature of this problem."

"The Consulate General in New York would like to point out that the map is an expression of national territory, which symbolizes national sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said, adding: "Attempts to use the Olympic Games to play political "tricks" and self-promotion to achieve ulterior motives will never succeed."
NBC's map of China did not include Taiwan or the South China Sea. The broadcaster told CNN that they do not wish to comment on the matter at this time.

CNN's Beijing bureau and Kevin Dotson contributed reporting.

[mrvictor]

Madrid is Planting a Huge Forest Ring Around the City to Lower Heat Levels and Cut CO2 Emissions



Whether you’re from the U.S. and call it a “Beltway” or Europe and call it a “Ring road,” Madrid will be calling it the “green way” soon enough, as the Spanish capital aims to combat their city’s island of heat by encircling themselves with a sea of green.

Their urban forest project will involve planting nearly a half million trees on a 46-mile perimeter (75-km) around the city. When the trees have reached maturity, they should absorb around 175,000 tons of CO2 per year.

Black pine, beech, Spanish juniper and various oak species can all be found in the arid middle of Spain wherein lies the Spanish capital, and it is these native trees which require little water or specialized soil conditions that will constitute the new forest.

“What we want to do is to improve the air quality in the whole city, to fight the ‘heat island’ effect that is happening inside the city, to absorb the greenhouse emissions generated by the city, and to connect all the existing forest masses that already exist around the city,” Mariano Fuentes told Euronews.

As Madrid’s councilor for the environment and urban development, Fuentes explained that for cities that belch three-quarters of all human-caused CO2, which tend to absorb much more heat and poor air than surrounding countryside, methods for combating climate change and general environmental degradation need to be varied.

“It has to be a global strategy,” added Fuentes. “It’s not only about cars, but also a pedestrianization strategy, the creation of environmental corridors in every district… and most of all… to engage citizens in this new green culture, it is essential for every city to face the near future in the best conditions.”

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/madrid- ... t-and-co2/

[Zbignieww]

The Family gets ready for its new home on Granville Island
Sculpture is three pieces and weighs almost 3,000 pounds



After nearly a quarter of a century out of the public eye, Jack Harman’s iconic sculpture The Family is about to be installed in the Creekhouse complex on Granville Island.

But not quite yet.

“They have to reinforce the feet, so that it meets the engineering standards of today,” said David McCann, general manager of Creekhouse Industries.

“Then they’re going to completely clean the statue and wax it, in case somebody tags it (with graffiti) — then we can take the tagging off.”

The work should take a few weeks, which means the statue will go up in the courtyard of the Creekhouse in late August. It will be part of this year’s Vancouver Biennale public art exhibition.

“It’s very rare that they’ll include a historical piece,” said McCann. “The nice thing is right behind it are the Giants, the silos that Ocean Concrete painted (for the 2015 Biennale). They were done by two brothers from Brazil. Now they’ll have a family to keep them company.”

Article content
It’s been a long process finding a new home for the 1966 sculpture, which generations of Vancouverites will recall from the now-demolished Pacific Press building at Sixth and Granville.

The late Harman created many of Vancouver’s most renowned sculptures, such as Roger Bannister passing John Landy in the Miracle Mile, sprinter Harry Jerome in full flight, and the Lady Justice figure in the Vancouver courthouse.


July 7th, 1966: Jack Harman in front of his statue “The Family” after it had been installed at the entrance to the Pacific Press Building at 2250 Granville St. Province photo by Ross Kenward. PHOTO BY ROSS KENWARD /PNG

But The Family was far and away his most controversial piece, because it featured a naked boy in the family group.

It inspired angry letters to the letter and one attempt to dismember it with a hacksaw. But eventually the controversy died down and it became a local landmark.

The statue is actually three separate figures. The largest is the father, who stands 12 feet-six inches and weighs 1,700 pounds. The mother holds a babe in her arms, and is 11 feet-six inches tall and weighs 1,600 pounds. The teenage boy is nine feet tall and weighs 600 pounds.

Article content
Harman’s son Stephen said the boy being unclothed was supposed to represent “a new generation stepping forward, shedding the metaphorical clothing and baggage of the past.”

The sculpture was commissioned by Vancouver Sun publisher Stu Keate in 1965 and was unveiled on July 6, 1966.

When Pacific Press (which published The Sun and Province) sold its property at 2250 Granville in 1997, The Family moved to the company’s new printing plant in Surrey. That closed in 2015 and the sculpture has been in storage since.

The Sun and Province told the public it was looking for a new home in 2019. McCann thought it would be a great fit for Granville Island, and The Sun and Province’s editor Harold Munro agreed.

It was moved to Granville Island in May, 2020, but it took over a year to get a city permit to erect it.

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“I was hoping to have it up on the 30th of July so we could celebrate Jack Harman’s birthday on the 31st of July, which is also my birthday,” said McCann. “But we didn’t quite meet that schedule.”

Harman died in 2001, but his son still operates his foundry, which he moved to Red Deer, Alberta. He brought some replacement parts to Vancouver this week for the re-installation.

McCann figures the cost of moving, refurbishing and reinstalling the statue will be about $75,000. Once it is up, it will be only a few blocks from its original site.

“It’s like most families, they like staying in the community,” said McCann. “So they’ve only moved a few blocks away from their original home.”


The sculpture The Family by Jack Harman being craned into its location in front of the Pacific Press building on Granville Street in 1966 Vancouver Sun






Jack Harman’s sculpture of sprinter Harry Jerome in Stanley Park.



https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/ ... e-island?r

[BigGlen]

British Columbia coastal cleaning crew finds 9-year-old message in a bottle



July 23 (UPI) -- A British Columbia crew cleaning up plastic waste on the coast found a message in a bottle tossed into the ocean by a Washington state teenager nine years earlier.

Jeff Ignace, a member of the provincial government-funded team cleaning plastic waste from the shoreline, was working near Estevan Point on Vancouver Island's west coast, north of Tofino, when he found a plastic water bottle with a sheet of paper inside.



The paper had been coated in plastic wrap, but had gotten wet from leaks and it took workers some effort to unfurl the paper to read the message.

The note was written by a 17-year-old girl named Brittney and included a phone number.

A CBC News crew on the scene to cover the clean-up project called the number on the message and connected with now-26-year-old Brittney Amundsen.



"I can't even believe someone got that and I have the same phone number," Amundsen told the CBC News crew. "One day, I was, 'Hey, let's write a message in a bottle and see if anyone gets it.'"

Amundsen said she tossed the bottle into the Pacific Ocean on March 17, 2012, near her father's beach house in Grayland, Wash.

"It definitely makes me want to write another message in a bottle," she said.