Scientists say they will bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction in four years



Scientists are on the verge of resurrecting the woolly mammoth and thus have apparently proved that not everyone in the world has seen Jurassic Park.

A woolly mammoth is just a hop, skip, and a jump to a dinosaur, if you ask this writer, which no one did, but I have a digital pen and paper, so too bad, so sad.

The folks at US genetics firm Colossal Biosciences have funneled USD$60 million (AUD$85.2 million, £48.7 million) in funding to push for a 'de-extinction' of the giant elephant.

And they reckon that breakthrough is only about four years away.

The woolly mammoth’s DNA is a 99.6 per cent match to today's Asian elephant, which leads the bioscience firm to believe it’s edging closer to cracking the genetic code to start bringing some of these ancient creatures back from the dead.



While 'in the minds of many, this creature is gone forever', the company said the woolly mammoth lives on in the dreams of the clever cookies that make up the Colossal team.

"We’re already in the process of the de-extinction of the woolly mammoth," Colossal said in a statement.

"Our teams have collected viable DNA samples and are editing the genes that will allow this wonderful megafauna to once again thunder through the Arctic."

Colossal executive advisory board member Kenneth J. Lacovara added that even though the woolly mammoth seems like an ancient beast (even though they went extinct a lengthy four millennia ago), they also lived in a time in history that saw written stories, the Great Pyramids, and brewed beer.

"That’s not some ancient Jurassic landscape—that’s this world, and they belong in it. When we lost them, and other recently extinct creatures, we forfeited the ecosystem services they provided," Dr Lacovara said.

"By bringing them back, we could help restore a world tipped out of balance by us humans.

The paleontologist added: "We have a chance now to begin to reverse the tide of destruction and to set ourselves on a pathway towards a renewed, regenerative world."



So, scientists believe that re-introducing a new-yet-old creature into the ecosystem could potentially save it.

With the power of gene editing, Colossal scientists will eventually create an embryo of the long lost creature and place it inside an African elephant for gestation.

When that elephant gives birth, the world will have its first woolly mammoth in thousands of years.

Impressive stuff.

Colossal's eventual goal is to then re-populate parts of the Arctic with the brand spanking new woolly mammoth, before moving on to revive the Tasmanian Devil and the Dodo bird.

After that, who knows? Dinosaurs? Watch this space, we guess. And try not to panic.

https://www.unilad.com/news/scientists- ... 5-20230201

The CEO of OnlyFans wants you to know her $1-billion-a-year business isn’t just about sex anymore...

OnlyFans became a runaway hit thanks to adult content. Amrapali Gan wants to diversify its image without losing its edge...


In the summer of 2021, Vanniall was adapting to a new reality. At 25, she’d tested positive for HIV. A caseworker and doctor assured her the diagnosis was far from a death sentence. Medicine kept her healthy and symptom-free. Still, she was terrified of losing her career. As a sex worker and porn performer, she worried her HIV-positive status would eliminate her from the running for clients and casting.

Amrapali Gan, CEO of OnlyFans, a subscription-based social networking site known for hosting explicit content, seeks to diversify its brand without losing its distinctiveness. The CEO of OnlyFans stated that her $1 billion-a-year company is no longer solely focused on sex.

Amrapali Gan was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra in 1985. She is 38 years old.

Net Worth
Amrapali Gan has an estimated net worth of 4 million as per newsunzip.com.

Family
Much of her familial life is unknown although she has a brother named Anand Gan as per newsunzip.com.

Education

Gan attended California State University, Los Angeles.

Gan graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles with a B.A in Merchandise Marketing. She has a B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles in Public Relations and Communication. She graduated from Harvard Business School with a certificate in entrepreneurship.

Career
Gan enrolled in PepsiCo’s Marketing Leadership Program in 2007. She started working with Phyllis Klein and Associates’ Public Relations Department as an Account Executive in 2008. She joined My Fashion Database in 2010 as the manager of digital marketing. She began working at the fashion startup StyleSaint in 2012. She began working with Quest Nutrition in 2014 as the Head of Brand Communication, where she remained for three years. She started working for Red Bull Media House in 2017 as a Manager of Brand Activation and Communication.

Also Read| Who is Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., Utah doctor who gave children saline shots instead of COVID vaccine?
In 2018, Amrapali joined Arcade Agency as a consultant. She also worked as the Vice President of a cannabis café in Los Angeles. She started working as a Director of Communications at Lowell Herb Co. in 2019 and stayed for less than a year. She joined Cannabis Cafe as Vice President of Marketing and Publicity the following year.

She joined OnlyFans in Los Angeles as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer in September 2020.

In 2021, Gan took over the day-to-day leadership of OnlyFans as CEO from Tim Stokely. Stokely had led the company for the previous five years and had appointed Gan to continue its growth and to drive its vision and commitment to empowering creators.

[PennySerenade]

Florida Man Wins $1M Lottery Prize After a Stranger Cut in Front of Him at a Ticket Machine



Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to the lottery.

A Palm Beach County man recently won $1 million after a stranger cut in front of him at a lottery ticket machine inside his local supermarket, according to the Florida Lottery.

Stephen Munoz Espinoza, 43, of Delray Beach, told the Lottery that he stopped at the Publix in his hometown after "a long day," but didn't let the stranger get to him.

"Instead of saying something, I decided I'd just buy a ticket at the counter instead," Munoz Espinoza explained.

At the counter, Munoz Espinoza purchased a 500X THE CASH Scratch-Off game — and to his surprise, it was a winner.

"I can't believe I won a million dollars!" Munoz Espinoza said, per Wednesday's press release.

Munoz Espinoza claimed his prize at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on Wednesday, according to the agency.

The Delray Beach resident opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment of $820,000, per the Lottery.

Munoz Espinoza and his wife told the Lottery that they plan to purchase a new home for their family following the big win.

The Publix where Munoz Espinoza purchased the ticket will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the ticket, the Lottery said.

The odds of winning on a 500X THE CASH Scratch-Off game ticket at 1 in 4.5, according to Wednesday's press release.

Ohio animal shelter will name litter box after your ex



An animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio, is holding a unique fundraiser as a lead-up to Valentine's Day.

The Animal Friends Humane Society said Wednesday it will name a cat litter box after an ex romantic partner.

The gesture will cost $5 per box, while the promotion will run until Feb. 12.

The shelter will then reveal all the sponsored litter boxes, names included, in a Facebook post on Valentine's Day.

"Don't spend this Valentine's Day down in the dumps! Instead, cheer yourself up while making a difference for animals in need," reads the promotion on society's website.

"For a $5 donation we will write your Ex's name in a litter box and give it to the cats, to let them do what they do best!"

The fundraiser is far from the only somewhat strange animal-related promotion tied to the love-themed holiday.

Several zoos offer a promotion, allowing visitors to buy a cockroach, name it after their former flame and then have it fed to one of the institution's resident roach-eating animals like a lizard.

The payment then ensures the person is able to watch the insect get eaten. In some cases, the zoo will send a video or link of the feeding to the roach's namesake.

New York's Bronx Zoo as well as zoos in San Antonio and Toronto run similar programs.

[Misstee]

30-year-old dog named world's oldest by Guinness World Records
By Doug Cunningham



Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Guinness World Records introduced Bobi, the world's oldest dog ever. Bobi is 30 years, 266 days old.

Guinness said in a statement Thursday that the Portugese dog took the record from a 23-year-old dog named Spike who was named the world's oldest living dog in January.

Bobi, Guiness said, has broken the nearly century-old record for the oldest dog ever. That was set by Bluey, an Australian cattle-dog who lived 29 years, 5 months between 1910 and 1939.

"Bobi is 30 years 266 days old as of February 1, 2023. He has lived his entire life with the Costa family in the rural village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, Portugal," the Guinness statement said.

"Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, which is a breed of livestock guardian dog with an average life expectancy of 12-14 years."

Bobi's age has been confirmed through a 1992 registration with the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria.

According to Guinness, Bobi's age was also confirmed by the Portuguese pet database SIAC.

Bobi's age isn't the only miracle of his life. He was one of several puppies born in an outbuilding belonging to the Costa family. But it was decided not to keep them.

"Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal by older people who could not have more animals at home...to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive," Leonel Costa explained.

He said his parents quickly removed the puppies but left Bobi behind by mistake.

According to the Costa family, Bobi was never chained or attached to a leash and has always roamed the farmland and forests near the Costa home.

Bobi has always eaten human food rather than standard dog food, according to Leonel Costa.

[lush]

'Groundhog Day' boosted Punxsutawney's fandom as 'bucket list' event
Jan. 31, 2023 / 12:01 PM*


Groundhog Club Inner Circle member and handler A.J. Dererume (C) raises Punxsutawney Phil after the groundhog emerged from his burrow during the Groundhog Day celebration at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., on February 2, 2020. File Photo by David Maxell/EPA-EFE

In the dead of winter, one small Pennsylvania town comes alive with fanfare to take part in an endearing annual tradition that has garnered worldwide fame.

On the western part of the state, residents and the thousands of out-of-towners who converge on Punxsutawney will be up before dawn on Thursday to revel in the community's Groundhog Day celebration.

Held at Gobbler's Knob, nearly 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, the event features the titular groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, who will be making his annual forecast of the winter season -- either predicting an elongated cold stretch of six more weeks of winter (if he sees his shadow) or a sudden spring (if he doesn't see his shadow).

The highly anticipated occasion is typically held in below-freezing temperatures, with an AccuWeather RealFeel® temperature of 26 degrees Fahrenheit expected for Thursday morning, accompanied by wind gusts of 18 mph.

Groundhog Day events have been a Punxsutawney tradition since the late 1800s and are shepherded by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's aptly named Inner Circle, composed of 15 members who dress in black overcoats and top hats for the special occasion.

The newest president of the Inner Circle, Thomas Dunkel, is continuing an honored tradition started by his father.

"I always thought that probably someday, I would [follow] in my father's footsteps into the Inner Circle," Dunkel, who became the club's leader last fall, told AccuWeather's Monica Danielle.

Dunkel's father was in the Inner Circle for over 30 years, including spending time as president.

A lifelong Punxsutawney resident, Dunkel said he "feels fortunate" that the town has received worldwide acclaim from the celebration, which culminates with the sighting of Punxsutawney Phil from his burrow just after 7 a.m. EST.

"It's like 30,000 people are there, and it's a bucket list for every one of them," he said. "So they can't believe they're there. They're so excited to be a part of it...you become part of something bigger. The fireworks go off, it gives you the chills. It's just fun."

The resonance of the town grew exponentially 30 years ago with the release of the classic comedy movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. The idea for the film began with screenwriter Danny Rubin, who thought about penning a movie about someone repeating a day over and over again. The typically frigid conditions of Punxsutawney played a crucial role in the story, matching Murray's character of weatherman Phil Connors and his frosty attitude.

"It's got to be a particularly cold, dreary day, or it wouldn't be a day you'd be upset to be stuck in," Rubin told Danielle in an interview.

The film grossed over $100 million at the box office off the strength of Rubin's script and the star power of Murray, who had previously starred in hits such as the Ghostbusters series. After mulling several actors for the lead role, including a young Tom Hanks, Murray landed the gig a year after visiting Punxsutawney for the Feb. 2 frenzy.

"After it was over...he saw and met with so many people," Dunkel recalls. "He said to my dad...'Whatever you do, don't change a thing, this is perfect.'"

The movie's popularity led to a spike in attendance for subsequent events, with Dunkel estimating crowds went from around 10,000 people at Gobbler's Knob to around 40,000.

"It's a feel-good movie that people will watch over and over again, and so then they feel because it's their favorite movie, they feel connected to Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney and they want to go and be a part of it," the Inner Circle's president said.

Much like Dunkel's father paved the way for his ascent into a leadership role in the Inner Circle, the current president is looking to inspire his next generation of weather and groundhog enthusiasts, especially his four daughters, who were raised in Punxsutawney.

"I'm hoping some day one of those daughters will take my place in the inner circle," he said. "That would be fun for me."

[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
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3
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]

Wombat found in middle of Mulwala Lake on Victoria-NSW border a first for wildlife rescuer

North Victorian wildlife carer Kylee Donkers has been involved in some "very strange rescues" over the years, but an animal recovery on a lake this week was a first.

One morning this week, the owner and operator of Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter at Koonoomoo, about 75 kilometres north of Shepparton, received a call from concerned locals who found a wombat stranded in the middle of a lake on the Victoria-NSW border.


The wombat was spotted stranded on a stump in the middle of Lake Mulwala

Young fishers Jack and Archie Hewat were on a jetski on Lake Mulwala, on the Murray River, with their grandmother Barbara Hewat when they saw what they thought was a koala on a stump.

Ms Hewat said it was only when they got closer that they realised it was a wombat.

Ms Hewat then called Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter and Ms Donkers headed to the lake to rescue the the waterlogged marsupial, who she said was not a natural swimmer.


Wombat found stranded on stump in the middle of lake, a first for local wildlife rescuer

"Echidnas are actually very good swimmers, [it's] not uncommon to see them moving through waterways," Ms Donkers said.

"Same with kangaroos and wallabies; even a koala is a reasonable swimmer."

However, she said wombats did not fall into the same category.

"If you have a look at their body shape, they're not made for a big swim," she said.


Kylee Donkers says the wombat is recovering after being found emaciated on the tree stump.

"I don't think the wombat made the choice to go into the water," she said, adding that how it got there was a mystery.

"I asked her on the trip home how she ended up there but unfortunately she couldn't answer me," Ms Donkers said.

Ms Donkers said it was possible the wombat ended up in the water during recent storms or after being chased off land by a dog.

A risky rescue

The water rescue posed some challengers, and Ms Donkers said she "wasn't overly keen on tackling [the wombat] from a jetski".

Instead, she opted to phone in a friend from a favour.

Jack Hocking from Lake Mulwala Sport Fishing got the call-up and took his boat out to help with the rescue.

"It was a lot different to a normal day's fishing on the lake, a lot more excitement," Mr Hocking said.

"We do get some strange things turn up on the lake, but [the wombat] was pretty strange," he said.

"We have a lot of hollow trees, sometimes you'll get snakes, even echidnas will swim out and sit in the stumps sometimes"


If the community hadn’t helped out it could have been a very different rescue


Ms Donkers said despite their placid appearance, wombats could be "pretty vicious and unpredictable".

"I've done hundreds of rescues and even I was a little bit nervous at this one," she said.

"We had a plan in place for if the wombat did turn around and try and attack."

Ms Donkers said it was important for members of the public who found stranded wildlife to call "someone who has the experience and the proper equipment to actually deal with these rescues".

A few days' rest and relaxation



Ms Donkers said the wombat was set for "a few days of rest and relaxation" at Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter.

Ms Donkers said the animal was so emaciated when it was found, she believed it must have been stranded on the log for several days.

She said the wombat was also being treated for hypothermia and minor wounds to its feet.

"If all goes well she'll be released back into the wild."

You can see a video of the rescue on Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter's Twitter.

I took a 23andMe DNA test — and cops linked me to an unsolved murder



When homicide detectives called Jackie Vadurro at the end of January, claiming to have matched her 23andMe DNA test kit to a 36-year-old cold case murder, she thought they were joking.

But, no — the cops were dead serious.

“I was so taken aback,” Vadurro, 31, told The Post with a chuckle.

“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong,” she said, “But when the police call you about a murder, you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, what am I involved in?'”

Vardurro soon found herself at the center of an official homicide investigation worthy of primetime true-crime TV.

“I am living in my own ‘Dateline’ episode,” she said in a trending TikTok with more than 347,000 views.

“I got a ‘No Caller ID’ call on my phone,” the brunette explained online. “It was a [cold case] homicide detective from San Diego.”

Vadurro, a content creator who lives in an RV around Palm Springs, CA., went on to reveal that the detective said her DNA was a possible match to a 1986 cold case murder of a Jane Doe who’d been fatally shot and thrown off onto the side of a rural San Diego road.

“No one ever reported her missing,” said Vadurro in the video. “[The detectives] do not know who she is.”

“And now they think that I might be her family member because of my DNA that I uploaded on 23andMe,” she shrieked.

Customers of 23andMe are typically asked to provide a saliva sample which is mailed into the brand’s lab for testing. After three to four weeks, an online DNA report and record becomes available — usually information about family origin, distant relatives, health risks and more. Law enforcement can sometimes access such records for investigations.

After confirming that the murder probe was legitimate, Vadurro cooperated fully.

“Within, like, 30 minutes [detectives] had called me back and were like, ‘Jackie, thank you so much. This is the biggest break we’ve gotten in this case in a whole year,’” she announced in a subsequent post. “‘You are a DNA match to the Jane Doe victim.’”

Vadurro went on to explain that police had determined she was either a second or third cousin of their victim.

“[My family and I] still have no idea who she is or where she came from,” said the TikToker. “They think she was an illegitimate child, which is why no one’s reported her or anything.”

Detectives were able to determine that Jane Doe was from Vadurro’s mom’s side of the family. Authorities believe the murder victim was the love child of her mother’s great grandfather.

“The detective was like, ‘Jackie, you could be the break in this case, and you’re basically Ground Zero in this case right now.’”

She added that the cops have linked her and their murder victim to another cousin in New York, who’s vowed to purchase Jane Doe a headstone and give her a proper burial once her identity is officially determined.

And although law enforcement hasn’t been able to sniff out the deceased’s name or her exact age, they have figured out how she died.

“They said she was shot once in the chest,” Vadurro said. “They don’t think she was a hooker or a prostitute because she was dressed really nice in a nice skirt with nice sandals on.”

“She was a really pretty girl, well kept,” she continued. “She might have moved from Mexico to the United States, and just lost contact with her family … It’s so freaking sad.”

Vadurro is anxiously awaiting further updates on her relative’s case.

“Me and this Jane Doe share DNA, she’s part of me,” she said. “I’m glad that I’m able to bring her story to light, and hopefully [help] catch the horrible person who killed her.”


https://nypost.com/2023/02/02/i-took-a- ... -a-murder/

[Fatima99]

EasyJet lets blind boy, 15, achieve dream of making boarding announcement at airport



A young boy's dream of working as an airport announcer is that much closer to become a reality after he took to the Tannoys for the first time.

Joshua Clark, 15, stood up to the intercom at Liverpool John Lennon Airport this week and expertly called customers to the boarding gate.

The teenage set about telling easyJet passengers when and where to go, what priority boarding customers should do and extra details about their flight.

When Josh came to the end of his announcement he received a round of applause from the assembled staff and customers.



The experience could prove vital for the boy, who hopes to one day earn his crust making airport announcements full time.

Conor McSorley, one of Josh's teachers at St Vincent's School in West Derby, told the Mirror what the experience meant to his pupils who visited the airport.

"It was a fantastic experience that Josh and the other pupils will never forget," he said.

"I can’t say enough good things about Liverpool John Lennon Airport staff and the VIP treatment that gave us throughout, truly amazing.

"The smile on his face when he finished the boarding call and the passengers all clapped is something that will stay with me too.

"Proper proud teacher moment for me."

The visit was not the first time that Josh has turned his hand at announcing.

Last year he was on a school trip in Liverpool city centre with his classmates when they paid a visit to the train station.

Mr McSorley said: "I went down to Lime Street last week [and said] one of my pupils told me he dreamt of being a train announcer, would there be any possibility of him doing it?

"To the credit of the staff in Lime Street station they couldn't be more helpful."

Mr McSorley said a staff member at Lime Street called Caroline, who is believed to work for Northern Assist, was happy to help and told him to bring Josh down to the station on Tuesday.

[PennySerenade]

She was crying alone at an airport. Then she met her future best friend



Maggie Musgrave was sitting, alone, in Miami International Airport, crying.

It was a Sunday evening in summer 2011. Thunderstorms were raging over Miami, and the airport departure area was getting increasingly crowded, with stranded travelers fighting for seats as plane after plane was grounded.

Maggie, then 28, was on her way home to Washington DC after spending the weekend in Florida at her bachelorette party. While she was grateful to her friends for organizing a fun few days' celebrations, now the hangover was kicking in and something worse was lingering underneath: Maggie had a sinking feeling that her upcoming wedding was a huge mistake.

"I was thinking I was making the wrong decision getting married," Maggie tells CNN Travel today. "I remember being in the airport and thinking, 'Oh, goodness, I don't know if this is the right move.' And being really emotional."

As she wiped away tears, Maggie heard the sound of barking. She looked up to see an excitable dog lapping at her knees.
"I was like, 'Oh gosh, I could really use a pet from this dog,'" Maggie recalls. She greeted the animal enthusiastically, giving him a belly rub.
Right behind the dog was a woman -- seemingly his owner -- rushing up to apologize.

"Oh hi, I'm sorry!" said the stranger.
"No it's fine, it's fine," said Maggie, still petting the dog, who was now licking her hand happily.
"I'm Cindy," said the woman. "He's Deniro," she added, gesturing to her dog.
"Like Robert?" asked Maggie.

Cindy explained that yes, her dog was named for actor Robert De Niro - she'd grown up loving "The Godfather" movies. Maggie told Cindy she also had a dog with a cinematic namesake: Scarlett O'Hara, after the protagonist of "Gone With the Wind."
Instantaneously, the two women established an easy rapport. Maggie and Cindy were the same age, both dog lovers, both film fans. And they were both waiting for the same grounded flight back home to Washington DC.

"We hit it off immediately," Cindy tells CNN Travel today.

When Cindy crossed paths with Maggie at the airport, she was also questioning some of her life choices. Cindy was working a job she hated, desperate to leave but worried that finding something new wouldn't be easy. She'd earned her Master's degree in the middle of the recession, and jobs still felt sparse.
"I actually had this desperation -- 'What's my future going to look like?'" Cindy recalls.

Maggie and Cindy chatted as they waited for their flight, both women finding solace in one another's company.

Cindy had noticed Maggie's tears -- "she collected herself when I approached to grab Deniro," she recalls -- but didn't press for details on what was going on.
"I did not want to seem too intrusive. I figured if we talk it will get her mind off of things," Cindy recalls.

Sure enough, Maggie found chatting to Cindy, who was open, friendly and exuded kindness, a welcome distraction from her worries about the upcoming wedding. Plus, Deniro the dog was charming and sweet, offering comfort and cuddles.

And when Cindy mentioned the issues with her job, Maggie told her she might be able to help Cindy start over. She worked as a recruiter at a staffing agency -- finding people the perfect role was her job.

The two women spent over an hour deep in conversation. And when the flight was eventually called, they swapped details -- promising to get back in touch when they were home in DC.

"I just met this really wonderful girl," Cindy told her boyfriend when he picked her up at Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Maggie also gushed about her new friend to her then-fiancé, although she left out the context.
"I did not tell him that I was crying, when I met her, about not wanting to marry him."



Back in DC, Maggie and Cindy started messaging back and forth. They arranged to reunite the following week, dogs in tow.
"We met up for lunch with our pups, who also hit it off," recalls Cindy.

Chatting over Lebanese food, the two women picked up where they'd left off at the airport.
Their rapport, says Maggie, felt "super natural."

As the lunch stretched on, the two only grew more comfortable in one another's presence. And Deniro and Scarlett O'Hara followed suit.
"When the dogs connected and we realized how close we live to each other in DC, that only strengthened it," says Maggie.
Maggie and Cindy learned they were alike in small ways -- they both love fall, calling the season where the leaves turn auburn their favorite of year -- and in bigger ways -- they both share the same Catholic faith, for example.

"Maggie's energy was very similar to my energy," adds Cindy. "We had a lot of common interests and still have -- we both aligned in our political thoughts and we both aligned on the types of movies we liked.

"And of course the puppy life. We never found something not to talk about. She's very extroverted. I'm extroverted. So it just worked out."
Maggie and Cindy agreed to meet again.



Time passed, and these meet-ups became more and more frequent.
Maggie was committed to helping Cindy find a new job. Whenever something came up that could be suitable, she'd forward it Cindy's way.
Despite her reservations, Maggie went through with her wedding. Later down the line, she and her husband separated. Cindy supported Maggie throughout.
"I think it helped down the road that I was an outlet that didn't know him, for Maggie to talk about her feelings and her situations after she was married," says Cindy. "I was there to lend an ear."

Cindy calls their conversations a "judgment-free zone" and stresses this went both ways.

"We could very much talk to each other honestly."



About a year after meeting Cindy at the airport, Maggie started working as an inhouse recruiter. A job came up at her company that she thought Cindy would be perfect for, and she suggested her friend apply.

To Cindy and Maggie's mutual delight, Cindy got the job. The two women became work colleagues, and were able to spend even more time together.
"We would have lunches and celebrate each other's birthdays and have our coffee -- maybe way too many during Pumpkin Spice Latte season," says Cindy.
"Cindy actually threw me a birthday party one year at the office," recalls Maggie. "It was pumpkin themed."

In return, Maggie baked Cindy a birthday carrot cake, knowing it was her friend's favorite. Maggie navigated the DC Metro on a freezing day in February, cake in hand, to surprise Cindy at the office.

Maggie and Cindy's lives became more and more intertwined, with Maggie becoming close with many of Cindy's friends.
"Her energy is infectious," says Cindy. "Every one of my friends, they all get on with Maggie and they love her."

After her divorce, Maggie started dating again. When she was vetting prospective partners, she'd take the men on double dates with Cindy and Cindy's boyfriend.
Deniro and Scarlett O'Hara also continued enjoying each other's company, and Maggie and Cindy would often dog sit for each other.

When Cindy got engaged in 2015, there was "no question" that Maggie would be among her bridesmaids. By then, the stranger she'd met at the airport was one of her closest friends.

"I wanted the most important and supportive people in my life to be my bridesmaids. The people who made me feel proud about myself," says Cindy. "Maggie was one of them, since she had not only become such a good friend over the years, but was also the reason for my career and success."

"I was ecstatic to be Cindy's bridesmaid," recalls Maggie. "Her friends adore her and being the newest friend to the group was humbling and beautiful."



Today, Maggie and Cindy no longer work together, and Maggie no longer lives in DC.

But while the two women don't see one another as often as they used to, their friendship remains strong. Whenever Maggie and Cindy reunite, they feel like no time has passed. And when they're apart, they root for each other from afar.

"No matter where she is, I love the idea that we're there -- we're always going be there," says Maggie. "And I love that, it's effortless."
Cindy still lives in DC, now with her husband and her young daughter. Maggie was there at Cindy's baby shower, to help her welcome her child. Today, Cindy loves her job, and credits her current career success to Maggie.

"Who knows where I would be today -- and if I would have had any of the same sense of accomplishment -- had we never crossed paths," she says.
Since Maggie moved away from DC, she's lived in Chicago, New York and Florida. Most recently, she moved to Los Angeles. She's currently on a six-month sabbatical traveling with her partner in his camper van, visiting American ski resorts.

"It is interesting, because I thought my life was going to take a completely different trajectory," says Maggie, reflecting on meeting Cindy on the eve of her marriage.
"I didn't keep the husband, kept the friend," she adds, laughing.

"My life has been consistently inconsistent but the things that stay true are my authentic friendships, my 'framily.' I never feel lost because I have Cindy in my life."
Sadly Deniro and Scarlett O'Hara have both passed away, but Maggie and Cindy supported each other through those losses, and enjoy sharing memories of their dogs with each other. And they still credit Deniro for bringing them together in the first place.

Both Maggie and Cindy say their random airport meeting and subsequent enduring friendship taught them the importance of practicing openness, especially when traveling.

"You never know how that is going to change your life, or how that's going to turn out," says Cindy. "I still think it's crazy that one of my closest friends was someone I met at the airport."

"Be vulnerable," agrees Maggie. "I was crying. I didn't even know if I wanted to meet anyone new."
The two also stress the importance of following up if you meet a potential friend on your travels.
"Taking the initiative after, if you feel that connection," says Maggie. "It doesn't matter what age you are -- don't be embarrassed. Email that person back, be excited, say yes."

While Maggie and Cindy have shared many special memories over their decade of friendship, they've never traveled together, and haven't sat side by side in an airport since they first met in the Miami International Airport departures hall 12 years ago. They both say they'd love to go on an adventure together one day.
"I know Maggie and I will continue to share memories until we are in our 90s or older," says Cindy. "Perhaps we will travel the world together after we retire. See what other chance encounters we may come across while waiting in airports."

Cow-llision: Loose cow in California breaks windshield, poops on Tesla



Police in California wrangled a loose bovine that managed to shatter a windshield and leave an unsavory mess in a "cow-llision" with a Tesla.

The Pleasanton Police Department said in a Facebook post that officers responded late Wednesday night about a loose cow wandering into traffic along Bernal and Stanley.

Officers arrived to find the brown cow running around the area. They determined the animal had been in a "cow-llision" with a sedan that shattered the vehicle's windshield and left its hood covered in what appeared to be feces.

The cow was not injured and was safely returned to its owner with some help from local ranchers, police said.

[goldie0608]

Man Sprints Along 4-Lane Snowy Highway to Stop Woman’s Runaway Car



When a Massachusetts woman lost consciousness at the wheel of her car on the highway, she can thank her lucky stars she did it in view of Adolfo Molina.

The tall and powerful Dominican sprinted across a 4-lane highway in the snow to try and stop her car as it brushed against the guardrails while continuing to accelerate on the shoulder of the road.

A nearby driver recorded the rescue attempt and put it up on TikTok where the images of Molina trying to slow the car by grabbing the door handles went viral.

“I was surprised [at first] but at the end of the day I wasn’t, because he’s a helpful person,” his wife Maytee Pena remarked to CBS Boston. “Something in his mind just said ‘go help’ so he got out of the car and did what he needed to do, it was like a sign of God. God sent him to do that mission.”

At one point another person came to give Molina a hand, and together they tried to use sticks to stop the still-moving car which was beginning to move back towards the highway. They tried to push it into the guardrails to at least slow it down.

State police later revealed the driver was a 57-year-old woman from New Hampshire who had indeed lost consciousness for unknown reasons.

The video doesn’t include the eventual end of the pursuit when her car hit a divider and stopped. She was transferred to a nearby hospital, and Molina, who was honored for his heroism at the Dominican consulate in Boston, hopes to be able to meet her someday.

[Misstee]

Japanese zoo solves mystery of isolated gibbon's pregnancy
By Ben Hooper



Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A Japanese zoo said it has solved the mystery of a gibbon became pregnant while living in isolation -- and a tiny hole in a board is to blame.

Zookeepers at Kujukushima Zoo and Botanical Garden Mori Kirara in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, said they were surprised when a lar gibbon named Momo gave birth in February 2021, as the ape had been living in her own enclosure without any males present.

Officials said Momo was protective of her offspring, so it was nearly two years before they were able to collect enough stool and excrement samples from the mother and baby to perform DNA tests.

The father of the male baby was found to be Itou, a 34-year-old agile gibbon. Zookeepers said the two apes were never on display together, but they discovered that the partition between Momo's exhibit and the back yard where Itou was kept while off-display had a perforated board with holes about 9 millimeters (.35 inches) in diameter.

Officials said they now believe the apes managed to mate through one of the holes.

The board has now been replaced by a solid steel plate. Officials said they are now planning to attempt to introduce Itou and Momo officially so they and their child can live as a family.


Life, uh, finds a way.

[lush]

Canadian teen wins $48m lotto jackpot on first try
Published 3 hours ago*


Image source, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation | Ms Lamour said she wants to carefully invest the jackpot earnings

When Juliette Lamour won a lotto jackpot on her first try, the sensible teen immediately turned to a financial adviser, or Dad, as she calls him.

The 18-year-old just scooped C$48m ($35.8; £29.7m), becoming the youngest Canadian ever to win such a big prize.

But while many teens suddenly endowed with unimaginable wealth might run wild, Ms Lamour intends to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.

The university student plans to finish her studies and become a doctor.

"I was crying - happy tears - of course," she said at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation on Friday as she celebrated last month's win.

"I still can't believe I hit the Gold Ball jackpot on my very first lottery ticket!"

Ms Lamour, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, said she had forgotten all about the lottery ticket until she heard news that someone from her hometown had won the 7 January draw.

When she went to check her ticket through a mobile app, a jingle started to play and "Big Winner" flashed on the screen.

"My colleague fell to his knees in disbelief," Ms Lamour said.

"He was yelling. In fact, everyone was yelling that I won $48 million."

Her boss told her she could leave early, but her mother insisted she stay and finish her shift.

Ms Lamour said she will "carefully" invest the majority of the jackpot with the help of her money manager father.

In fact, her dad has already given her the best piece of financial advice - it was his idea to buy the Lotto 6/49 quick pick.

Ms Lamour plans to invest some of the money to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor without worrying about grants or loans.

She wants to return to northern Ontario to practice medicine and give back to her community, she said.

But Ms Lamour does plan to have a little fun with the jackpot winnings.

"Once school is done, my family and I will pick a continent and start exploring," she said.

"I want to experience different countries, study their history and culture, try their food, and listen to their language."

She's also hoping to abide by some of the advice loved ones have shared with her.

"Money doesn't define you," she said. "It's the work you do that will define you."