[BigGlen]

115-year-old Spain woman certified as oldest person living



Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Guinness World Records said a woman in Spain is now the oldest person living at age 115.

The record-keeping organization said María Branyas Morera, who lives in Catalonia, Spain, was verified Thursday as being 115 years and 321 days old.

Morera became the oldest person living and oldest woman living following the death of French nun Lucile Randon, aka Sister Andre, at age 118 on Tuesday.

Morera was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, and moved to Spain with her family at age 8.

Morera, who has lived at the Residència Santa María del Tura nursing home for the past 22 years, remains in good health, representatives at the facility said in a statement to Guinness World Records.

The super-centenarian has a Twitter account she keeps updated with help from her daughter. Her Twitter bio describes her as "old, very old, but not an idiot."

Morera said in a Twitter post that her longevity can be partially attributed "order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people.

"I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics," she wrote.

[PennySerenade]

One Toronto man is making the best of a very poorly-thought-out wager, turning a hilarious punishment for a fantasy sports blunder into some good for the community.

Juan Delgado doesn't exactly consider himself an up-to-date football expert, but that didn't stop him from joining a fantasy league after drifting away from NFL viewership for more than six years.

Unfortunately for Delgado, this league came with a bit of a unique caveat in that the participant who came in dead last would ultimately have to endure an uninterrupted 24-hour stretch dining, or merely existing, in a downtown Toronto Denny's location.

Delgado tells blogTO that his season actually started off great with three consecutive wins before going completely off the rails with nine consecutive losses, ending up with a dismal record and earning himself a shameful Denny's visit.

"I started 3-0, and I'm like, 'Oh, I don't even have to worry about this,' I have a great team. I haven't played [fantasy football] in a few years, so as a guy coming out of retirement, I'm like, 'Oh, this is perfect. I don't really have to worry about this,'" says Delgado.

"And then a couple of injuries happened. All of a sudden, losing, losing, losing, and it was nine straight weeks of losses before I got one win. My destiny was sealed."


Delgado publicly asked himself a series of questions upon the realization that he had a very lengthy Denny's visit in his immediate future, like, for example, "Why in the world would I join a fantasy football league if I know for a fact I haven't watched football in a significant way for well over six years?"

His line of self-questioning also asked, "Why would I subject myself to nine straight weeks of losses when I know full well I don't have the time nor the willingness to improve my team? Who would stop trying to win knowing that the loser of the league has to spend 24 hours at Denny's? Why? Why do I do this to myself?"

Delgado writes, "I'll be asking these questions and more as I spend 24 hours at Denny's in downtown Toronto on January 28/29."

But despite his sentence of spending a full day — from 8 p.m. on a Saturday evening all the way through to 8 p.m. on Sunday — at the American casual dining breakfast chain, Delgado has found a way to turn this whole debacle into a way to give back through a fundraiser.

"Even though this football season was filled with bad decisions, I've decided to make one good decision and make sure these 24 hours don't go to waste," wrote Delgado on the page for his fundraiser.



"I'll be raising money for Wagner Green YMCA, a facility located in downtown Toronto that supports homeless and at-risk youth with emergency shelter, return to school/work programs, substance counselling, legal services and more."

He has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support in just the 24 short hours since the donation page went live, and has already surpassed his initial $500 target.

Well on its way towards a revised goal of raising $1000, the fundraiser asks for small donations and hopes to soon raise its target yet again.

Delgado is among the donors who have contributed out of his own pocket toward the over $650 raised thus far, and he can expect to spend quite a bit more on his forthcoming Denny's trip, where he plans to "down 3 Grand Slams, two orders of Mozza sticks, 18 free refills of coffee and more for a good cause."

He confirmed to blogTO that he is confident in his ability to take down three grand slams (roughly 2,400 calories and 150 grams of fat combined) and two orders of mozza sticks (over 1,250 calories and 64 grams of fat) but it's the 18 free refills of coffee he's less certain about.

"The funny thing is, I don't drink coffee," says Delgado. "So whatever coffee I do drink will probably make me pretty wired." Though he admits it's the type of situation a person might exit with a newfound appreciation for caffeinated beverages.

Anyone interested in experiencing this marathon Denny's session can follow along with Delgado's journey live-streamed on Instagram.

He tells blogTO that it should be an evening of revelry, and he expects appearances by entertainers and guests for what will feel like an old-fashioned telethon.

[johngriffen]

FOR STORIES POSTED THE W/O's
DECEMBER 26
JANUARY 2
JANUARY 9
Our news editors at IN OTHER NEWS have carefully reviewed all the stories submitted by our reporters.
And, I'm sorry for the delay in these awards, but real life can get in the way

Following are the three weeks of Reporter Logs




LEGEND:
X = Acceptable Story
NA = Not Acceptable Story
DS = Duplicate Story
NOTE: If you feel the editors made a mistake, please feel free to PM me so that we can review your claim

A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF OUR ACE REPORTERS WHO FILED A NEWS STORY
BigGlen
Fatima99
goldie0608
Governor3
Jmalarkey1010
ktoanyone
lush
midgemental
Misstee
ozswede
PennySerenade
Zbignieww

[lush]

All of the Most Weird Vending Machines of Japan
January 20, 2023*

• Would you eat fresh seafood out of vending machines in Japan?

Weird vending machines really only make sense in Japan. They’re known for the strange, that’s for sure. Here are all the weird vending machines of Japan.

 Toys

Do you remember the supermarket toys of the United States? There were stickers in there, tattoos, and little egg-shaped bubble containers that opened up with rings, candies, or even mini figurines. Japan vending machines aren’t that much different, with some selling anime figurines. It’s a very typical scene in Akihabara and they have manga, too. There are also some toy vending machines at JR stations in Tokyo. These sell unique and funny figurines along with popular characters and more. The sale of toys out of vending machines has only increased in Japan and you can find specialty items from specific areas, like Akita Inu plush from Akita prefecture.

Alcohol

In the streets of Japan, drinking is allowed in public and there are large parties the streets with people drinking and enjoying cherry blossoms at their peak during prime cherry blossom viewing season. Because Japan is considered a paradise of drinking, there are alcoholic, and to the rest of us, weird vending machines as well. You can find anything from beer to sake in these vending machines. Of course, you cannot just buy booze from a vending machine, you do have to scan your IDs card. This is required before you can purchase anything, as this system is in place to prevent minors from purchasing alcohol.

Bread

Have you seen a bread vending machine anywhere? What a delicious and perfect food to enjoy. There are mostly sweet breads on sale, for example, melonpan and donuts are the main products sold. These weird vending machines are particularly common among college students and with parents and kids alike. There’s nothing like a little snack to help little kids and adults ward off that hangry.

Fresh Seafood

Would you eat fresh seafood out of vending machines in Japan? Or anywhere else for that matter? The famous fish market of Tokyo is called Tsukiji and it’s in the center of culinary culture. Here, wholesalers, small retailers and restaurants gather. A newly opened vending machine in Tsukiji even began selling fresh seafood this year. Seafood comes out frozen like the other prepared food but all you have to do is microwave it before you eat it. Wait, so it’s not fresh, fresh? Also, who in their right mind would want to microwave “fresh” fish? Anyhow, if this appeals to you, the vending machine is located outside of the seafood restaurant called Hokkai Banya.

Guns

Yup, rifles, to be exact. If this isn’t the king of weird vending machines, what even is? You can find this vending machine in front of the game meat restaurant KEMONO in Osaka. It’s not sold and actually just on display. But it does stand out as any passerby can see the rifle and bullets.

Tobacco

Are you old enough to remember the cigarette machines of yore? Are there still any around in the United States? They are alive and well in Japan. There are dozens of types of tobacco sold out of these machines and you can also buy tobacco at convenience stores. If you want to buy a tobacco box from a vending machine, you too will need to verify your age. You will need a “Taspo” identification card. When you submit your age verification and documents to a convenience store or on the official Taspo website, your card will be sent to your house via mail. This is a safe and secure system that is in place as minors are not allowed to but tobacco in Japan.

Edible Insects

First thought: Live insects?! It turns out that most of them are fried and you can get crickets, giant water bugs, tarantulas, and scorpions. Have you ever eaten a scorpion? For the Japanese, it’s not common to eat insects as a snack. However, if you are brave and want to try them, Japan is the place to find it!



There is no weird vending machines more weird than “fresh seafood you first have to microwave.” Just, what? Would you try microwaved seafoods out of weird vending machines?

Artist Uses AI To Show Astronauts In Bridal Attire, Internet Calls It "Mind-Blowing"

The images were shared on Instagram on artist Jayesh Sachdev's personal page and on the page of his design agency Quirk Box.



The Artificial Intelligence (AI) trend has taken over social media platforms and has become the latest viral craze. Now, hopping on the trend, artist Jayesh Sachdev shared some AI-generated visuals, which showed astronauts in bridal attire.

The images were shared on Instagram on Mr Sachdev's personal page and on the page of his design agency Quirk Box. "Astronaut Bridal Couture Week. When the brief is Fashion that's outta this world," he wrote in the caption of the post, which has accumulated nearly 8,000 likes and several comments.

The images show women astronauts decked up as brides. The AI models are embellished with flowers and ornaments. One of them is also seen holding a helmet in her hand, while another is seen donning it with pride.

Internet users were quick to react to the pictures. "Love this so much!! As an aspiring astronaut this kind of representation really hits home! Thank you for making these works of art," wrote one user. "Its seems like star plus bahu in nasa," jokingly said another.

A third user commented, "I feel this says you don't need to be limited to the standards just because you are a bride you can still dream big as far as space and become an Astronaut," while a fourth added, "Mind-blowing and truly 'outta this world'".

Meanwhile, prior to this, an artist had shared some visuals generated by AI platform Midjourney, which showed normal yet eerie pictures of people, who obviously do not exist, attending a house party. The images appeared to depict fun, candid moments at a house party. However, on a closer look, one could find missing and insensible body parts of the party-goers who don't exist in the real world.



https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/artist-use ... ng-3712352

[Misstee]

Police agree to DNA test cookie for evidence of Santa Claus
By Ben Hooper



Jan. 20 (UPI) -- A Rhode Island police department said it has granted the request of a young resident to have the remains of a cookie and some carrots DNA tested to determine if Santa Claus bit them.

The Cumberland Police Department said in a news release it received a letter this month from "a young investigator" seeking to have a partially-eaten Oreo cookie and some baby carrot sticks DNA tested to identify whether they were indeed eaten by Santa Claus on Dec. 25.

"This young lady obviously has a keen sense for truth and the investigative process and did a tremendous job packaging her evidence for submission. We will do our very best to provide answers for her," Chief Matthew J. Benson said in the release.

The food was passed along to the State of Rhode Island's Department of Health Forensic Sciences Unit for analysis, Benson said.

Benson said the department already provided the girl with some "uncovered evidence in support of Santa Claus' presence in her neighborhood" -- a photo of a deer in the area on Christmas Eve.

Woman returns to Airbnb and finds baboons drinking her booze and having a swim
Zoe Williams stayed in a five-bedroom property with incredible views in Western Cape, South Africa, when a gang of baboons stole her cognac and ate her breakfast



A woman was gobsmacked on her recently holiday when a baboon decided to break into her holiday home and drink her booze.

Zoe Williams stayed in a stunning Airbnb home on the beachfront in Western Cape, South Africa, with her friends last week.

However, while enjoying the use of the five bedroom home with incredible views of the water they were joined by one of the cheeky animals.

Baboons can be aggressive so it’s nerve-wracking to be faced by the animals.

However, it seems the monkey that found Zoe’s South African paradise just wanted to join in the fun with a drink.

On Twitter, Zoe wrote: “Baboons just came inside our house, ate our avocados we were making for breakfast and drank our Hennessy.”

As evidence, the holidaymaker shared a video of the sneaky baboon leaving his glass of cognac on the floor and wandering away with the swimming pool behind it.

The monkey seemed to admire the property’s view of the beach and water as it strolled away.

Zoe added: “It finished an entire glass and almost left with the empty glass.”

In the comments people were worried about the baboon’s booze consumption.


Knysna is a popular coastal vacation town in the Western Cape

Zoe pointed out: “It was equivalent to just a full glass.”

In another video clip, Zoe showed one of the monkeys sitting on the kitchen counter tucking into the women’s snacks and breakfast.

Zoe noted: “I’m traumatized.”

Fellow holiday lovers laughed at the videos and shared their experience of monkey raids.

One claimed the animals stole their breakfast in Zimbali.

While others were distracted by the gorgeous villa in the background.

Zoe revealed that she’d stayed at the Airbnb in Knysna – the opulent five and a half bath home can host 12 guests.

It costs 4,200 ZAR (£205) a night to stay, but you’ll get to enjoy views of Pexula golf estate from the relaxing patio with a beautiful private pool.

Guests can hike to the beach or swim in the ocean nearby.

Plus, enjoy an entertainment area, WiFi, free parking, a private hot tub, a barbecue and access to the resort.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/travel/trav ... s-28485126

[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 JANUARY 22
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 -6)
3:00 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]

Pet duck 'Ham' causes chaos in Chorley following kids to school and trying to batter foxes

Ham, a four-year-old Indian Runner Duck, lives in a pen in the garden of owner Charlotte Taylor-Dugdale's three-bed semi-detached house in Chorley in the UK.


Ham wearing a scarf

A pet duck from Chorley is causing chaos every time he escapes. His antics include following kids to school, chasing bin lorries and picking fights with foxes.

Ham, the four-year-old Indian Runner Duck, lives in owner Charlotte Taylor-Dugdale's garden in Chorley. Charlotte has hand-reared the naughty duck since he was just one week old.

But despite having his own pen in Charlotte's garden, Ham's escapades are a regular occurrence, which has won him fans from as far away as the USA after his antics were shared online.

He's been spotted following children to school and even trying to get into people's homes during his bids for freedom.

Charlotte, 30, said: "I don't know how he's doing it. Our garden is secure. I've had the authorities come round and look and it's secure.

"When he first went missing, someone put in a local Facebook group 'there's a duck loose on the green'. Now he's become well-known for it. He knows his own name, he answers to Ham.


Charlotte Taylor-Dugdale says Ham and Dominic are best friends

"In Chorley, people love him. I walked to the shop with my daughter the other day and people were like 'it's Ham'. He' pretty much famous.

"Sometimes he just comes home, he'll come home when he's called. After he's escaped, he'll just walk through the front door."

Charlotte took in Ham and another duck, called Pea, from a breeder in 2018 and the pair were inseparable. Although Charlotte and her kids - Riley, 13, Dominic, 11, and Emily, 9 - would take them for walks, Pea wouldn't venture out without them.

But after she passed away in December 2021, Charlotte says Ham began escaping from her garden - possibly in search of his mate. And in his latest breakout last week caused a search party to be launched when he went missing for over five hours before he was found in a shed.


Ham (L) with Pea who is sadly dead

Charlotte added: "We named them Pea and Ham as we were having pea and ham soup for tea so me and my mum came up with the names then.

"Pea was quiet and not as tame but very protective over Ham. When Pea passed away he started looking for her. I'm like his mother duck and it's like he's one of the kids. He's like a little human, he's got his own personality.

"Him and my son are best friends, he'll sit on the couch and cuddle up to the kids. He comes to pick my daughter up from school, they walk home together. He doesn't need a lead.

"Sometimes when he's escaped, he's been seen at schools. Someone put on Facebook once that he was trying to get into their house."

The spoilt duck has a salad three times a week and is treated to a constant supply of corn and goes mad for Rice Krispies and a brew.

Adorable pictures of him wearing a hand-made scarf in the winter and videos of him supping brews and wandering around town are loved by his fans online. And the fearless duck even runs down the street after bin lorries, chases cats and dogs and even tackles foxes.

Charlotte added: "I put videos of him on TikTok and people love it. I've had messages from people in America saying he brightens their day. It's lovely to know people love him as much as we do."

Non-native snake found in bathroom at New Hampshire business



Authorities in New Hampshire were summoned to a local business for an unusual situation -- a snake in the bathroom.

The Littleton Police Department said in a Facebook postthat officers and a New Hampshire Fish and Game officer responded to the business on Meadow Street in Littleton when workers discovered a snake loose in the bathroom.

The serpent was identified as a non-native gopher snake.

"We believe he may be someone's pet that possibly escaped his home," the post said. "Please contact us if you are missing your pet snake."

[Fatima99]

Radio signals detected on Earth from galaxy 9,000,000,000 light-years away



Scientists have captured a specific type of radio signal from a galaxy almost 9 billion light-years away from the Earth.

It wasn't sent by aliens, but was emitted from a star-creating galaxy named ‘SDSSJ0826+5630’, this was around when the universe was just 4.9 billion years old.

This radio signal has a specific wavelength called the '21 cm line'.

It's also known as the hydrogen line, and is the electromagnetic radiation spectral line with a frequency of 1420.

As hydrogen is spread out across our universe, it's a good way to identify the location of galaxies.

It means that astronomers are able to look into the secrets of the early universe.

Cosmologist and co-author of a study on the detection, Arnab Chakraborty, told Metro.co.uk: "It's the equivalent to a look-back in time of 8.8 billion years."

It's the first time that a radio signal of this type has been detected at such an enormous distance.

Chakraborty said: "A galaxy emits different kinds of radio signals. Until now, it’s only been possible to capture this particular signal from a galaxy nearby, limiting our knowledge to those galaxies closer to Earth."

In India and Montreal researchers were able to capture the signals with the help of a Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope.



The discovery was announced this week in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal.

The faint signal was able to be spotted at such a record-breaking distance due to the naturally occurring phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.

Co-author Nirupam Roy said: "Gravitational lensing magnifies the signal coming from a distant object to help us peer into the early universe."

In this case, the signal was bent by the presence of another galaxy and magnified, allowing the telescope to pick it up.

Researchers used the signal to measure the gas composition of the distant galaxy it was coming from.

The researchers discovered that the atomic mass of the gas content of this galaxy is nearly twice the mass of the stars visible to us.

It represents a new opportunity to understand the cosmic evolution of stars and galaxies.

Clingy atoms and catastrophic iron: The strange science underpinning nuclear fusion



In December, the US Department of Energy made headlines worldwide with a fusion power breakthrough: for the first time, they created a reaction that produced more energy than the laser power that ignited it. While this was a major step forward, the energy to run the lasers was still a factor of 100 more than the energy produced by the reaction, so there’s a lot of work yet to be done. But it brings up some interesting questions: how does fusion power even work, and what does all of this have to do with the life and death of stars?

If you’re familiar with the basics of nuclear power and nuclear weapons, you might notice an apparent contradiction. Nuclear power plants and atomic bombs are both based on splitting atomic nuclei to produce power (fission), whereas fusion and hydrogen bombs work on the power you get by sticking nuclei together.

How can both be possible? It has to do with the weird clinginess of atomic nuclei, and how that clinginess depends on how many protons and neutrons the atom has.

Let’s start with the nuclear reaction that powers the Sun: hydrogen fusing into helium. A neutral hydrogen atom is a proton with an electron bound to it. Newborn stars are mostly hydrogen nuclei (i.e. just protons), with some helium nuclei, electrons, and a trace of other elements bouncing around.

Because protons are all positively charged, they electrically repel each other, but with enough heat and pressure they will sometimes smack together. When they do, they start to interact with the strong nuclear force, and that’s when everything changes. At those close distances, the strong force is attractive and stronger than electric repulsion, so two protons smashed into extremely close quarters attract.

The smashed-together protons in the core of a star go through a few stages of transmutation before becoming helium, but the key is that the larger nuclei are more tightly bound than the smaller ones. You can think of it like clinginess.

Generally speaking, elements lighter than iron get clingier as they get heavier, and when you fuse less clingy nuclei into more clingy nuclei, you get energy out. Imagine a slinky on a flight of stairs. You have to give the slinky a push to get it started, but once you do, it gains energy as it descends and can keep going as long as the stairs keep going down.

This is why fusion power is possible in principle: if you can get a reaction started and keep it going, you can create a system in which hydrogen is transformed into helium and energy is released. Hydrogen bombs work on the same principle, just more explosively.

In stars, fusion is responsible for creating some of the most common elements on Earth. When a massive star converts all the hydrogen it can, it moves up the periodic table, creating concentric shells for helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, and silicon fusion. For all these elements, adding more protons increases the clinginess of the nucleus, and so energy is produced in the process. But something changes when you get to iron, and it’s catastrophic.

Iron is the clingiest of all the nuclei that are abundant in stars - technically there’s a form of nickel that is slightly more tightly bound, but it’s rarely produced in stars. What that means is that you can get energy by fusing smaller nuclei to create iron, but if you try to add more protons, you’ll end up with something less tightly bound, so the process will take rather than give energy.

Iron is the atom at the bottom of the staircase, with stairs leading up to hydrogen on one side and to the heaviest elements on the other. The consequence for a star is that once it has a core full of iron, fusion no longer works there, and there’s no more energy being produced to keep the star from collapsing on itself.

At that point, the star explodes in a supernova, creating either a fantastically dense neutron star or a black hole. The explosion itself pumps energy into the stellar debris, which can create heavier elements, like throwing the slinky up the stairs.

On the heavy side of the 'iron peak' of clinginess, heavier elements are less tightly bound, so nuclear reactions that break nuclei apart produce energy. That’s how fission works: very heavy elements like uranium and plutonium are split in a controlled way in nuclear power plants, or in an explosive way in atomic bombs. It still takes some effort to get the process started, like that initial push of the slinky, but the energy release can be immense.

Whether or not fusion energy will someday power our cities is yet to be seen. But in the meantime, we can always appreciate the giant fusion reactor in the sky, and the fact that it is at a good safe distance and has billions of years’ worth of hydrogen left to burn.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/clingstrange-science-nuclear-fusion/

Read more about nuclear fusion:

Nuclear fusion breakthrough brings unlimited clean energy one step closer
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/nucle ... an-energy/

Nuclear fusion: Inside the construction of the world’s largest tokamak
https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-tec ... t-tokamak/

Meet the renegades building a mini nuclear fusion reactor
https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-tec ... hbourhood/

[goldie0608]

Ronald the Puppy Finds His Perfect Home After 14 Failed Adoptions

After seeing a now-viral post from a North Carolina shelter, Kierstin Davis, 28, acted fast and received the happy news that Ronald was coming home to her family on Jan. 12



North Carolina nurse Kierstin Davis is sharing the story of how she adopted a 63-pound white puppy called Ronald after he'd suffered 14 failed adoptions in just five weeks.

Speaking with The Washington Post, Davis said she knew she had to act fast after a post looking for Ronald's 15th home by the SPCA of Wake County went viral.

After submitting an application, Davis, 28, received the happy news that "Ronny" was coming home to her family on Jan. 12.

"Everything's been really good at the house," she said. "He really just fits in perfectly."

As for why the energetic, playful dog kept getting returned, SPCA spokesperson Samantha Ranlet told The Washington Post: "It was all just different versions of that combination of being really playful and kind of clumsy and goofy and still working on his manners, in combination with his large size."

The outlet didn't note how many of the families had children, which can also be a big deciding factor.

Despite his string of failed adoptions, staff at the SPCA had grown to love the "sweet, cute" dog, Ranlet added. It is partly because of this that she took to Facebook for help getting the word out, writing "Help us break Ronald's unlucky streak! 14 adoptions have fallen through for this lovely guy — mostly due to being too big/strong."

"It's true, he's a big boy! But for his large frame, he only weighs 63 lbs," added Ranlet. "Ronald knows his commands, takes treats super gently, and is 100% sweet. He truly is a very good boy.

"Now and then, if he gets excited, he might stand up and put his front paws on you or become a little mouthy. But he is a big puppy, after all! As long as you have reasonably sturdy footing, you'll have no problem with Ronald. Plus, he loves treats and practicing his tricks, so he'll be a great student for any training."

Davis was one of the thousands who saw the post.

"I was like, 'Oh, there's no way I'm going to get him,'" she told The Washington Post. "Someone, I'm sure, is going to scoop him up so fast. But I applied anyway."

Her luck was in: Davis, who has two young boys, 4 and 7, along with a black Australian shepherd she rescued a couple of years ago, happened to be first on the list.

Agreeing to a five-week trial, she brought Ronald back home, surprising her kids with their latest family member in the living room.

They "just screamed with excitement," said Davis. "Just right off the bat, once he saw the kids and dog, I was like, 'Oh, he's perfect. He's staying.'"

[BigGlen]

The Toronto Repair Café - Throw it Away - No Way





The Toronto Repair Café popped up at the Port Union Recreation Centre on January 21 to help community members fix-up and learn how to repair their favorite items. The very first Repair Café opened in Amsterdam in 2009, and has since become a worldwide phenomenon called the Repair Café Foundation.

Co-founders of the Toronto Repair Café, Fern Mosoff, Paul Magder, and Wai Chu Cheng, launched their first café in May 2013. Today, Toronto Repair Café hosts a variety of pop-up and re-occurring cafés across the GTA in community centers, Toronto Public Library locations, and small community organizations.

According to their website, Toronto Repair Café has three core values that drive them forward:

(1) create a free, safe and welcoming atmosphere accessible to the community where visitors may engage with fellow community members and learn about repair;

(2) come together with volunteers and visitors in an open, generous and kind manner, where everyone is valued; and

(3) work collaboratively and partner with a diverse range of community groups to promote sustainability in a fun and inclusive manner.

The Repair Café at Port Union Recreation Centre is open (approximately) every six weeks and is always on a Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Toronto Repair Cafés have experts on repairing all kinds of household items including appliances, clothes, jewelry, watches, electronics, phones, computers, bone china, eyeglasses, and more!

While the services at the Repair Café are free-of-charge, donations to the foundation are always appreciated. All of the fixers are volunteers, donating their time to help others learn practical life skills and sustainable practices. By repairing or re-using parts of one’s household items, one saves the emissions produced by the manufacturing, shipping, and processing of a new item and the emissions produced by the disposal of the old one. It also allows people with rare or discontinued items to extend their life and love them a while longer.

The next Toronto Repair Café pop-up will be held at the St. Lawrence Market on January 26. To volunteer as a fixer, visit https://repaircafetoronto.ca/volunteer/. Cash donations are accepted at Repair Cafés year-round.

[PennySerenade]

We've all heard the famous riddle, 'why did the chicken cross the road?' But have you ever heard, 'why did the turkey wait for the bus?'

Well, that bizarre situation actually unfolded today in Mississauga, when a very wild turkey was spotted patiently waiting for the bus like a regular ole' human being on their daily commute.



Captured and posted by the funny folks at Credit Valley Conservation, a lone turkey with some of its feathers puffed out can be seen waiting in the bus shelter, clearly running late for a very important meeting, or maybe an invitation as the "guest of honour" at a dinner party.

The City of Mississauga also got in on the fun, commenting, "even our local wildlife like being environmentally-friendly by taking the bus," which is actually kind of sad given the turkey is standing on concrete covered by a pound of road salt.

This reminds me of a similar 'wild animal taking public transit story' from almost two years earlier, when a beaver found its way onto the Royal York subway platform.



Former manager of strategic communications at Metrolinx, Anne Marie Aikins, also commented on the post when a reader asked how much the fare was for a poor turkey.

"Expecting fowl weather?" she joked.

Wild turkeys are actually pretty common in Ontario after they were reintroduced to the province in 1984. Before this assisted recovery, the birds were actually considered locally extinct, or extirpated, due to habitat loss and overhunting.

All jokes aside, it's hard to not feel sad about this scenario, seeing as we've taken over the turkey's habitat, and now it's forced to live in our gross concrete world while its natural environment continues to dwindle.

So, Miss Turkey (I believe it's a female), I'm sorry that you've ended up in this terrible situation. And I'm not just talking about the bus in January.