[Fatima99]

‘Scouse/Ukrainian mashup’ festival celebrates spirit of Eurovision



‘Scouse/Ukrainian mashup’ festival celebrates spirit of Eurovision

Commissions for ‘pre-party to end all pre-parties’ include monument covered in sandbags, mass kite-fly and ‘queer fantasia’
Mark Brown North of England correspondent
@markbrown14
Tue 28 Mar 2023 14.41 BST
Last modified on Tue 28 Mar 2023 15.21 BST

A 200-year-old bronze statue commemorating Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar is to be surrounded by thousands of sandbags to echo the plight of monuments in Ukraine.

The plan for Liverpool’s Nelson’s Monument is one of 24 cultural commissions announced on Tuesday as part of a festival that aims to transform the city in the run-up to its staging of the Eurovision song contest.

Running from 1-14 May, it will, say the organisers, be “the pre-party to end all pre-parties” as fans from across the world descend on the city.

Claire McColgan, the director of Culture Liverpool, said the planned EuroFestival would be a “scouse/Ukrainian mashup of brilliance”.

She added: “No other Eurovision host city has ever curated a creative programme of such scale and scope. This is the spirit of Eurovision spilling on to our streets. Free for all. Accessible to all. Uniting us all.”

In arts festival commissioning terms, EuroFestival has been brought together at lightning speed. There was a call-out in December that brought more than 700 submissions from artists across Europe.

Fifty were shortlisted and 24 have been chosen – 19 of them collaborations between UK and Ukrainian artists.



They include Protect the Beats, in which Liverpool’s Nelson Monument will be surrounded by 2,500 sandbags to replicate the way monuments in Ukraine are being enveloped to protect them from bombardment. Inside the structure there will be screens showing a documentary on the importance of music in Ukraine, including soldiers singing on the frontline and late-night raves in Kyiv’s metro stations.

Esther Simpson, of the arts group Whispered Tales, said the idea was to create a poignant artwork that transformed a city landmark. “As an artist who has lived in Liverpool for the past 10 years I know how the city’s streets continuously vibrate to a variety of beats due to its rich musical heritage … We can’t wait to be a part of EuroFestival.”

Festival organisers said one of the most ambitious projects would be one called Soloveiko Songbird – the national bird of Ukraine and “a symbol of song and happiness”. In English the birds are nightingales and the idea is to have 12 large, lit-up nightingale sculptures across the city.

Each will have unique plumage and audio representing different regions of Ukraine. The hope is that people will follow the full trail of songbirds.

Another trail will be With Fire and Rage, an immersive audio experience and “smartphone adventure” accessed via QR codes located around the city. It will include music concerts in metro stations during air raids and puppet shows that were livestreamed from bomb shelters.

‘Scouse/Ukrainian mashup’ festival celebrates spirit of Eurovision

Commissions for ‘pre-party to end all pre-parties’ include monument covered in sandbags, mass kite-fly and ‘queer fantasia’
Mark Brown North of England correspondent
@markbrown14
Tue 28 Mar 2023 14.41 BST
Last modified on Tue 28 Mar 2023 15.21 BST

A 200-year-old bronze statue commemorating Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar is to be surrounded by thousands of sandbags to echo the plight of monuments in Ukraine.

The plan for Liverpool’s Nelson’s Monument is one of 24 cultural commissions announced on Tuesday as part of a festival that aims to transform the city in the run-up to its staging of the Eurovision song contest.

Running from 1-14 May, it will, say the organisers, be “the pre-party to end all pre-parties” as fans from across the world descend on the city.
Eurovision chief says Russia ban stands for ‘ultimate values of democracy’
Read more

Claire McColgan, the director of Culture Liverpool, said the planned EuroFestival would be a “scouse/Ukrainian mashup of brilliance”.

She added: “No other Eurovision host city has ever curated a creative programme of such scale and scope. This is the spirit of Eurovision spilling on to our streets. Free for all. Accessible to all. Uniting us all.”

In arts festival commissioning terms, EuroFestival has been brought together at lightning speed. There was a call-out in December that brought more than 700 submissions from artists across Europe.

Fifty were shortlisted and 24 have been chosen – 19 of them collaborations between UK and Ukrainian artists.
Protect the Beats will surround the Nelson Monument with 2,500 sandbags
Protect the Beats will surround the Nelson Monument with 2,500 sandbags Photograph: PR image

They include Protect the Beats, in which Liverpool’s Nelson Monument will be surrounded by 2,500 sandbags to replicate the way monuments in Ukraine are being enveloped to protect them from bombardment. Inside the structure there will be screens showing a documentary on the importance of music in Ukraine, including soldiers singing on the frontline and late-night raves in Kyiv’s metro stations.

Esther Simpson, of the arts group Whispered Tales, said the idea was to create a poignant artwork that transformed a city landmark. “As an artist who has lived in Liverpool for the past 10 years I know how the city’s streets continuously vibrate to a variety of beats due to its rich musical heritage … We can’t wait to be a part of EuroFestival.”

Festival organisers said one of the most ambitious projects would be one called Soloveiko Songbird – the national bird of Ukraine and “a symbol of song and happiness”. In English the birds are nightingales and the idea is to have 12 large, lit-up nightingale sculptures across the city.

Each will have unique plumage and audio representing different regions of Ukraine. The hope is that people will follow the full trail of songbirds.

Another trail will be With Fire and Rage, an immersive audio experience and “smartphone adventure” accessed via QR codes located around the city. It will include music concerts in metro stations during air raids and puppet shows that were livestreamed from bomb shelters.
skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to First Edition
Free daily newsletter

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

In one commission, 450 children from Ukraine and 450 children from Merseyside will go on a simultaneous mass kite-fly, all of the kites designed and painted by the children.

The Bluecoat gallery will have an exhibition of work by the Liverpool-based artist Ellie Hoskins and the Ukrainian artist Alevtina Kakhidze, both of whom use humour to observe the world around them.



From 8-10 May, there will be a three-day “queer fantasia” at Chavasse Park including the “best and wurst of Eurovision” – a day of drag and cabaret paying homage to all things Eurovision.

Jamala, the Ukrainian singer-songwriter who won the Eurovision song contest in 2016, will premiere her new album of music based around Crimean Tatar folk songs. It will be the first full performance of the album and she will be accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

She said it was a record she and her team “literally saved from the rubble last year” and one that preserved “the beauty and greatness” of her home culture.

“During these dark times for Ukraine, the presentation of the new album in Liverpool is an essential mission for me,” she said. “Just like the most precious memories of our lives, we cherish our culture as the most valuable treasure.”

[PennySerenade]

4 Friends on Sailing Trip Rescued After Their Boat Collided With a Whale While They Ate Pizza



Four people were rescued from the Pacific Ocean last week after their sailboat collided with a whale while they chowed down on pizza.

Rick Rodriguez, 31, and three friends were sailing to French Polynesia on March 13 when the 44-foot boat, named Raindancer, suddenly made contact with the whale, according to The Washington Post.

"The second pizza had just come out of the oven, and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing," Rodriguez told the newspaper. That's when the back half of the vessel "lifted violently upward and to starboard," he added.

Rodriguez spotted a bleeding whale in the water shortly after impact, per The Washington Post and Today.



Raindancer sank in a matter of 15 minutes, according to an Instagram post shared by Rodriguez.

"It was just like, such a surreal moment," Alana Litz, who was also aboard, told Today. "And even when the boat was going down, I felt like it was just a scene out of a movie."

All four passengers climbed into a small life raft, where they remained for several hours until they were rescued by a boat named Rolling Stones, per the outlets.



Before the rescue, Rodriguez sent out multiple text messages to friends and family to inform them of the situation, per Today. One of those dispatches was sent to Tommy Joyce, who was sailing in a "buddy boat" behind them.

Joyce later responded with, "We got you bud," and "We have a bunch of boats coming" according to The Washington Post.

The closest boat was the Rolling Stones, captained by Geoff Stone, 42, of Muskego, Wis., per the newspaper. The vessel reached the stranded sailors after about nine hours.

On Instagram, Rodriguez thanked the catamaran's "good hearted" crew for coming to their rescue. "We were all smiles for making it out of that situation alive and rescued," he wrote.



Rodriguez went on to mourn the loss of his beloved sailboat, which he said was his "ticket to exploring the world."

"In the end, she was lost at sea, and left myself and the crew with one last incredible story. I'll remember that boat for the rest of my life," he wrote. "What's left of my home, the pictures on the wall, belongings, pizza in the oven, cameras, journals, all of it, will forever be preserved by the sea."

[Fatima99]

Rewards for In Other News dated from 16/1/23 through to 26/3/23
have now been paid
Thank you for your patience
Many thanks to lush who did the calculations

And if I've missed anyone please do not hesitate to pm me.

[Misstee]

N.C. shelter seeking new home for dog and goat 'best friends'
By Ben Hooper



The Wake County Animal Center in North Carolina said it is looking for a new home for Cinnamon the goat and her "best friend," a dog named Felix. Photo courtesy of WakeGov Pets: Wake County Animal Center/Facebook


Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter

March 28 (UPI) -- A North Carolina animal shelter is trying to find a new home for an unusual pair of bonded animals -- a dog and a goat.

The Wake County Animal Center said in a news release that "best friends" Cinnamon the goat and Felix the dog were brought to the shelter by City of Raleigh Animal Control on March 13, after their previous owner was no longer able to care for them.

Shelter director Jennifer Federico said staff were surprised to see the bond between the two animals, especially considering how often they had seen the aftermath of dog attacks on goats.

"That's not a normal combination," Federico told WTVD-TV. "Usually, we have dogs attacking goats so this is just a very unusual group."

Federico said Cinnamon is so attached to Felix that she will cry when the two animals are separated.

She said officials are currently looking at rescue options, but will consider adoption by members of the public if a new home isn't found by March 31. She said the shelter is determined to find the duo a home together.

"In many cases of interspecies friendship, the species are not normally seen together, and sometimes, one is of a species that ordinarily preys on the other in nature -- whatever the reason for these two bonding, it's clear what would be best for their well-being is to keep them together," she said.

I couldn’t afford a home — so I bought a two-story floating house



A woman couldn’t afford to buy a house, but fear naut — she made do with a floating home.

Kate Fincham beat the housing market by purchasing a 550-square-foot, two-story home that’s built on steel pontoons and can float on water.

“My life is completely different,” Fincham, 34, told NeedToKnow.Online.

“The housing in Toronto has become so unaffordable that I truly had no thoughts or ambitions of purchasing a condo or house,” the Canadian shared. “It was a very different lifestyle – I lived right in the bustling heart of the city, within walking distance to work and with all the amenities of a metropolitan city at my fingertips.”

The sailing fanatic lives in the water-bound home on Canada’s Scarborough Bluffs with her crew: two cats, Charlie and Finn.

Prior to living in a floating house, Fincham resided with three roommates. She relocated to the open seas in the summer of 2020.

“While I got along with my housemates very well, you never feel like the space is truly yours since the kitchen and living areas we all shared,” she said. “I now have a lot more freedom in my space. I own the boat and it was significantly cheaper to buy than any other condo or property in the city.”

Fincham’s decision to live on the water rather than in a landed Toronto home — which on average would go for about $551,508 in US dollars — saved her more than $300,000.

While living on a floating home is cheaper, Fincham does have to shell out more money than she’s used to on utilities — meaning she spends about the same every month as she did while renting in downtown Toronto.

“But the upside is I have the whole place to myself instead of sharing a house with three others. I … pay the marina for electricity quarterly — it averages around [$77 US] per month,” she said. “I have no gas but I have a water line directly connected to my place that supplies me with city water — this is included in my marina fees. This also covers parking, mail and access to septic pump out.”

The floating lifestyle gets harder during the winter, Fincham admits.

“I have to make sure that ice doesn’t freeze around the pontoons and crush them, and I have to deal with frozen pipes once or twice a winter. But after two years I am getting much better at dealing with the colder months,” she said.

The toilet situation isn’t so glamorous, either.

“You have to pump out your septic tank from the toilet – which really isn’t that bad,” she said.

Despite the downsides, Fincham feels she has a more peaceful and fulfilling life on the water — and doesn’t see herself moving back to the city in the near future.

“Where I live now is in a park, so not only am I surrounded by water, I also have access to hiking and beaches,” she shared.

She splits her time between working in marketing from her home with an amazing view and soaking up the sun doing outdoor activities, including kayaking at sunset and relaxing on the beach.

“Every morning or after work, I go for a walk by the waterfront or through the park or go for sunrise or sunset kayaks. I keep my kayak tethered to my back deck, so I just jump in and go,” Fincham said. “It is so peaceful and calming living here … but is only 30 minutes from the downtown core of Toronto.”

Fincham isn’t the only one living life on the water — there’s a whole society of people with floating homes.

“The community is also incredible – we always have dock drinks, ladies nights, dinners, rooftop movie nights and general weekly get-togethers with the floating home and houseboat owners,” she said. “It is all ages, from people in their 30s to their 70s, and we all help each other out and enjoy each other’s company.

“Every single day I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful home, in an incredible location and with such an amazing community,” Fincham added.

https://nypost.com/2023/03/28/i-couldnt ... ing-house/

[lush]

Japanese Civil Servant Fined $11,000 For Smoking on the Job 4,512 Times in 14 Years
March 27th, 2023*

A Japanese civil servant in Osaka was recently forced to return 1.44 million yen ($11,000) of his salary after being found guilty of smoking during work hours more than 4,500 times in 14 years.

When people say smoking is an expensive vice, they are generally referring to the cost of cigarretes, but in cities like Osaka, smokers risk having important sums of money deducted from their salaries if caught smoking on the job. A director-level civil servant recently found this out the hard way after being hit with a fine of approximately $11,000 for thousands of cigarettes smoked during work hours for 14 years. The 61-year-old employee who was found to have smoked a total of 4,512 times in the past 14 and a half years while he was at work, the equivalent of 355 hours and 19 minutes spent not doing his job.


Photo: GRAS GRUN/Unsplash

The offender and two other colleagues from the Osaka Prefectural Government were originally investigated for smoking on the job in September of 2022, after their human resource office received anonymous complaints about their smoking habits. However, they did not heed warnings from their supervisors and lied about smoking in an interview.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported that the civil servant was found to be in violation of “duty of devotion” under the Local Public Service Act, and forced to return 1.44 million yen of his salary, in addition to a six-month 10 percent wage reduction penalty. A thorough investigation found that he had smoked a total of 4,512 times at work during the last 14 and a half years.

Osaka has some of the strictest smoking laws in the world. A ban on government premises such as offices and public schools was introduced over 2 decades ago, and government employees were banned from smoking during work hours in 2019.


Photo: geralt/Pixabay

People’s reactions to the penalty have been generally sympathetic. Some argued that having to go off-site for a smoke would have meant wasting even more time, while others said that one can waste time at work by drinking tea, eating snacks or just chatting, but those are not punishable offenses, so neither should be smoking tobacco.

A similar case was reported in 2019, when a teacher was ordered to pay back one million yen in salary earnings after having been found guilty of taking around 3,400 illicit smoke breaks during work hours.

New Supermassive Black Hole Weighs 30 Billion Times Our Sun
This is one of the most massive black holes ever discovered.



At the center of the Abell 1201 cluster resides a huge elliptical galaxy, and at its center sits a supermassive black hole. Previous analysis suggested that the object was big – bigger than most known black holes. The latest one places among the biggest objects in the universe, bigger than certain galaxies. It has an estimated mass of 32 billion (plus or minus two) times that of the Sun.

It is difficult to put that into context. One of the biggest satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, the Small Magellanic Cloud has a mass of 6.5 billion solar masses. That singular black hole is five times as heavy.

“This particular black hole, which is roughly 30 billion times the mass of our Sun, is one of the biggest ever detected and on the upper limit of how large we believe black holes can theoretically become, so it is an extremely exciting discovery,” lead author Dr James Nightingale, Department of Physics, Durham University, said in a statement.

Observing black holes is not easy. It's not a misnomer that they are called "black" – nothing escapes them, not even light, so researchers have to observe what goes on around them. It is possible to see gravitational waves from small ones merging, or radio waves from the closest region around them, as was the case for the one in the Milky Way. They can be spotted if they are actively feeding, as their incredible gravitational pull can heat up material so much it shines in x-rays.

The method used here is different. Researchers were simulating the effect produced by gravitational lenses, how a massive object such as a galaxy or a cluster of galaxies can warp space-time. This warp can magnify background objects and it is very useful for studying things that are very far away, such as the most distant single-star system.

Black holes are also pretty good gravitational lenses, and this work simulated supermassive black holes of different sizes within massive galaxies. The team extracted how they would bend light, and they discovered that their model with a huge supermassive black hole matched Hubble Space Telescope observation of Abell 1201, which is located 2.7 billion light-years from Earth.

“Most of the biggest black holes that we know about are in an active state, where matter pulled in close to the black hole heats up and releases energy in the form of light, X-rays, and other radiation,” Dr Nightingale added. “However, gravitational lensing makes it possible to study inactive black holes, something not currently possible in distant galaxies. This approach could let us detect many more black holes beyond our local universe and reveal how these exotic objects evolved further back in cosmic time.”

The research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

[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
WEDNESDAY MARCH 29
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]

Rugby fan misses Melrose Sevens by 10,000 miles

A rugby fan's dream trip to Melrose Sevens has turned into a nightmare after he booked accommodation on the other side of the world.


Dave Walker was hoping to be parking up for the weekend at Melrose Sevens in the Borders

Dave Walker from Aberdeen wanted to treat his wife to a weekend in the Scottish Borders in their recently-bought camper van.

However, the hook-up pitch he booked turned out to be 10,000 miles from the home of sevens, in Melrose, Australia.

Dave said: "When I got the invoice in dollars I realised the mistake."


Rugby teams from around the world take part in the Melrose Sevens each year

More than 10,000 rugby fans will pack into the picturesque Greenyards ground on Saturday 8 April for the 140th Melrose Sevens.

Teams from as far away as South Africa and France will compete with the cream of Scottish club rugby for 1883 Centenary Cup.

Although Dave secured stand tickets for the tournament, he has now been left without any official sites to park his Volkswagen camper van.

He explained: "I have watched the sevens on television for many years and, for me, it was always the first sign of spring.

"I've so badly wanted to come and witness the rugby and the blue skies for myself.

"With us now having the camper van, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally come and enjoy the Melrose Sevens."



He missed the target for his stay in the Borders by quite some distance.

"I got in early to secure tickets for the stand, and thought I'd booked a hook-up for the camper van at the nearby site," he said.

"It turns out my booking is for Melrose, South Australia."

Unlike its Scottish namesake, Melrose in Australia, with a population of 347, is not famed for its rugby.

But, being in close proximity to Mount Remarkable National Park, it does have several campsites.


Melrose in Australia is close to the Mount Remarkable National Park

Meanwhile, back in Scotland....

The Gibson Park camping and caravan park, which is a two-minute walk from the Greenyards, has 59 touring pitches - but they are completely sold out for the Melrose Sevens weekend.

Dave has also been unsuccessful trying to find an alternative park within walking distance of the ground.

He added: "All we wanted was to enjoy the sevens and have a few beers before walking back to the camper van.

"There are no other campsites within walking distance, and we don't want to rely on trying to get taxis or public transport.

"At the moment I think we're just going to drive down from Aberdeen and then drive back up again after the tournament."

The Myth of the Alpha Wolf
The model of aggression and dominance has infected human society. But new research shows how wrong we got it.



The story of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, who were suckled by a she-wolf, hinges on the Latin term “lupa”—which at the time was used to refer both to a she-wolf and to a prostitute. European wolf myths often have this quality, of the wolf and the human as being in some ways the same. The figure of the wolf, in tales, has often been related to want and to struggle. In the Middle Ages, periods of famine were referred to as “the wolf.” Landlords sometimes earned the name, too. The wolf was a creature that threatened humans’ well-being. Highwaymen, for example, were said to come back as wolves. Wolves were the creatures, lurking in the shadows outside town, who might waylay or harm us. Or cure us. The wolf also appears in the names of the plants found in the storied woods: wolf’s milk, wolf apple, wolf’s thistle, and the small, poisonous purple-flowered wolfsbane. Wolf teeth were considered a panacea for teething; powdered wolf liver eased birth pains. Wolf skin would keep your shins from getting sore. That the wolves were viewed perhaps unfairly also comes through in lore. One folktale tells of a wolf seeing a group of shepherds enjoying a meal of mutton; the wolf complains that if he behaved as the shepherds did—eating a lamb!—he would be attacked with sticks and stones.

The Ojibwe people, a North American Indigenous group, say that the wolf was given to the first human as a companion. They see wolves as mentors to humans, modelling how to behave in a social group, and how to behave while hunting. Among the Pawnee, wolves are revered. In their belief system, the first death in our world was that of a wolf killed by humans—and this was what brought mortality to a previously immortal world. The Inuit have a giant wolf spirit named Amarok; he attacks hunters foolish enough to go out on their own at night. Wolves hunt in packs, and Amarok rewards the humans who do so, too.

If the idea of dominance through aggression doesn’t accurately illuminate wolf leadership, then what might? Which wolves are more likely to set off on their own (a process known as dispersal), find a mate, and start their own pack? Wolves are complex animals, with complex societies, but a recent finding shows how one factor is eerily simple, or at least well-defined—and affects humans, too. In a study published in Nature last November Kira Cassidy collaborated with Connor Meyer, as lead authors, on a project looking at the effects of infection by the toxoplasmosis pathogen in wolves. “In the back of my head somewhere, I remembered learning about toxoplasmosis in undergrad, just the basics, like, that it makes rats do weird things and get killed by cats,” Meyer told me. Meyer is a doctoral student in wildlife biology at the University of Montana. The idea that an infection could have an effect on behavior had stayed with him. (Toxoplasmosis infection has also been studied in humans, and some studies suggest that toxoplasmosis makes humans more aggressive, or more likely to get into a car crash or a motorcycle crash.)

The wolves in Yellowstone were introduced to the park in 1995, and have been studied continuously. “That means we have twenty-seven years of serology,” meaning blood samples, Meyer said. One of Meyer’s colleagues, Ellen Brandell, had done her Ph.D. on wolf diseases; she had sent more than a hundred samples of blood to be tested for toxoplasmosis, and knew that it was present in the park.

Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite. In Yellowstone, it multiplies in the small intestine of cougars, comes out in their feces, and then is ingested by wolves. The researchers looked at how infection in a wolf affected its decision to disperse and its assumption of leadership roles. Toxoplasmosis proved to be a strong predictor for both actions. “We were both pretty shocked not just by the results but by the strength of the results,” Cassidy said.

“It’s a fantastic paper,” Mech said of the work. (Cassidy was a master’s student under Mech.) I observed to him that, at first glance, the research almost gives one the impression that T. gondii is an amazing evil mastermind, affecting the behavior of these creatures that are so much more powerful than it—the cougar, the wolf—in order to serve its own ends; it was as if the parasite were the real alpha! “I know, it sounds so wild. But that’s just how evolution works,” he said with a smile. “That’s pretty fascinating, when you think about this parasite—it has no brains to be able to do this, and yet it appears to be driving the wolf to do its bidding.”

Mech said that he’d observed a similar parasite cycle on Isle Royale. This was a tiny tapeworm, about a quarter of an inch long: Echinococcus granulosus. “It lives in the gut of wolves, but, in order to complete its life cycle, the tapeworm’s offspring have to live in a hoofed animal”—such as a moose, a deer, or a caribou. The tapeworm lays its eggs in the gut of the wolf, which come out in the wolf feces and get into the water and on vegetation—which the moose, say, ingests. The parasite then makes its way into the moose’s lungs, where it lays eggs that reproduce asexually; eventually, the eggs together form a cyst. “Enough of those cysts form in the lungs of the moose—some cysts are as large as golf balls—and soon the moose can’t breathe as well as it once could.” Then come the wolves. “They eat the moose, and its lungs,” and the tapeworm makes it back to the wolf gut.

Cassidy and Meyer both noted that they had chosen their fields of study in large part in order to get to spend a lot of time outside. “I had thought as a kid that I would be a veterinarian, because I loved animals, especially dogs,” Cassidy said. “I grew up in Illinois, with no wolves, though we had coyotes, white-tailed deer, foxes.” She remembers learning, in the fifth grade, that wolves would be reintroduced to Yellowstone. “I felt sad, thinking, Why weren’t wolves already there?” (The U.S. government finished programmatically eradicating wolf packs in 1926; in 1978, it was proposed that they be returned; in 1995, the proposal began to be effected.) “Once I did make it out West, I really just fell in love with the mountains. I’m glad I came around to studying wildlife, and especially to studying a canid.”

Please read full article:
https://www.newyorker.com/science/eleme ... ket-newtab

[Fatima99]

Bloke with cucumber stuck up bum claims 'it grew inside me as I ate so many'



A man who had a cucumber up his bum astounded doctors by claiming it may have grown inside him.

The unnamed patient, 40, went to hospital complaining of pain and saying he was unable to walk, but couldn't identify the cause of his discomfort.

Perplexed, medical staff started carrying out checks, only to find a large foreign object inside his rectum through an X-ray.

The man, from Baranoa, Colombia, was then sedated so doctors could remove the item, quickly discovering it was a cucumber.



After the operation, the man told the doctors who had treated him he had no idea how the mystery fruit could have got up there, even claiming he is scared of suppositories.

He did pose a theory that the cucumber may have grown in his digestive system from a seed as he eats a lot of cucumber at home.

However doctors quickly rubbished the idea and sent him on his way, the mystery of how the cucumber ended up in his back passage unsolved.

San Diego Zoo announces birth of endangered Amur leopard twins



The San Diego Zoo announced the birth of twin Amur leopard cubs, the world's most endangered species of big cat.

The zoo said in a Facebook post that mother leopard Satka gave birth to twins, the third set of Amur leopard twins to be born at the zoo.

"Satka is fur-miliar with her motherly duties," officials wrote. "When she's not in the den grooming and nursing the cubs, she is keeping a watchful eye as they begin to explore the habitat outside."

The zoo said Amur leopards, native to southeastern Russia and northern China, are considered the world's most endangered species of big cat.

[PennySerenade]

Maple Leafs partner with Justin Bieber to bring new ball hockey league to Toronto



The Toronto Maple Leafs, in collaboration with Justin Bieber’s clothing brand drew house, are bringing a new ball hockey league to Toronto this summer, with the goal of providing more access to hockey opportunities for youth in the city.

The team made the announcement on Tuesday ahead of their annual “Next Gen” game against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.

The league, called House of Hockey, is being presented in partnership with Tim Hortons, and will be “an inclusive, accessible and impactful ball hockey program” that addresses the “number of barriers keeping youth on the sidelines," according to a press release.

"I'm so happy to continue our partnership with the Maple Leafs and my goal to help kids everywhere have access to the sport of hockey," said Justin Bieber.

House of Hockey’s inaugural season will take place over eight weeks beginning in June with weekly games played across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

“Players will be outfitted with the equipment and tools to enable their participation including training from skilled coaches on the fundaments of ball hockey with life skills integration as well as jerseys, sticks, merchandise and other gear provided by Maple Leafs and drew house,” the Leafs said.

“Building on this program's promise to create opportunities to play, donations will be made beyond the league to get hockey sticks and equipment into more local communities, expanding the movement and inspiring the next generation.”

Mark Fraser, a former Leafs player and current manager of culture and Inclusion for the team, says the league is all about breaking down barriers.

“We’re trying to break down barriers and create more access and more accessibility and make hockey the game that we all know it can be; the game that I grew up as a biracial Canadian kid loving to play,” Fraser told CP24.

“But knowing that not everyone, for different reasons – marginalized communities, socio-economic [reasons] – might not always have the opportunity.”


The league, called House of Hockey, is being presented in partnership with Tim Hortons, and will be “an inclusive, accessible and impactful ball hockey program” that addresses the “number of barriers keeping youth on the sidelines," according to a press release.

The Leafs say House of Hockey is a direct response to the findings of the Change the Game study, conducted by the MLSE foundation, which identified significant barriers that prevent youth from having access to team sports and the benefits they bring.

The study surveyed around 8,000 youth across Ontario, and found that income level, a lack of resources and ability status limited who had access, with more than half of participants citing that they are not actively participating in team sports.

“As a result, accessibility is at the core of House of Hockey by activating in proximity to communities facing barriers, ensuring all players have necessary equipment and knowledge to play and providing valuable coaching and mentorship opportunities,” the Leafs said.

Fraser says he thinks there’s a “growing hunger” in the Toronto hockey community to create opportunities for the new generation.

“We represent a very diverse community and a very diverse marketplace and it’s a shame that unfortunately not everyone [has had] the same entry way into what is such a beautiful and humbling and inclusive game at its core,” he said.

Toronto Maple Leafs President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan says the team is committed to passing on the love of the game to the next generation of hockey fans.

"For many of us growing up, our introduction into the sport of hockey was simply a stick, a tennis ball and a pair of running shoes,” he said in the release.

“Alongside Justin and drew house, we look forward to empowering the future of hockey and taking steps to ensure youths that want to play have an opportunity to do so."

Fraser says House of Hockey will go straight to those GTA communities where youth face the most barriers and provide the necessary equipment, coaching and mentorship opportunities to allow them access to the game.

“Some other sports, all you need maybe is one piece of equipment and a ball, and that’s what we’re trying to do with hockey,” he said.

“Making it as easy as that, just having a stick and a ball and being able to play and gain that love and that fandom and grow Leafs Nation to what we actually know [it is] and how it's represented.”

[Misstee]

Boy sleeps in tent for 3 years, raises $860,000 for hospice
By Ben Hooper




Max Woosey of Devon, England, spent three years sleeping outdoors in a tent and raised more than $860,000 for a local hospice. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records

Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter

March 29 (UPI) -- A young British boy who slept in a tent in his family's yard for three years to raise money for charity is headed back inside after raising more than $860,000 for a hospice and breaking a Guinness World Record.

Max Woosey was 10 years old when he started his "Boy in the Tent" project in the yard of his family's Devon, England, home on March 28, 2020, and he spent his last night outdoors Tuesday, exactly three years later.

Woosey started the project as a fundraiser for North Devon Hospice, the facility that cared for his neighbor, Rick Abbot, who died of cancer in 2020.

"Before my neighbor died of cancer, he gave me a tent and told me to 'have an adventure,'" Woosey told Guinness World Records.

Woosey, whose nights in the tent were chronicled on social media, raised more than $860,000 with his project, earning the world record for most money raised by camping (individual), GWR said.

Woosey's social media fame during his project led to his being allowed to pitch his tent to spend nights in locations including the London Zoo, the garden at No. 10 Downing Street and the Twickenham Rugby Grounds.

"I have had the best three years of my life. I have met some amazing people and had brilliant experiences. I don't think I would change anything," Woosey said. "I only set out to have an adventure and raise £100 [$123.09]. It is crazy that it has got so much attention but I hope it makes people see that children are capable of a lot more than people think."

[lush]

This $43,000 Luxury Meteorite Purse Is Literally Out of This World
March 24th, 2023*

French luxury accessory brand Coperni recently unveiled a limited-edition “meteorite’ handbag that is hand-carved from a meteorite that fell on Earth thousands of years ago. It can be yours for just $40,000 euros ($43,000)

As part of its Fall/Winter 23 fashion collection, Coperni has created a unique handbag that ‘combines archeology, design, as well as classical and primitive art’. The Mini Meteorite Swipe Bag has the general shape of the brand’s iconic swipe bag, but a rougher finish, which makes sense considering that it’s hand-sculpted out of rock. And not just any rock, but a real meteorite, hence the name. The bag showcased on the Coperni online store supposedly contains a piece of meteorite estimated to have fallen on Earth 55,000 years ago, but because each purse is unique, the shape and color may vary slightly.


Photo: Coperni

The Coperni Meteorite bag measures 9 x 12 x 23 centimeters, but you’re probably more concerned about the weight. It’s supposed to be around 2 kilograms, quite heavy for an empty bag, so you’ll need a bit of strength if you actually plan on carrying it around. The French fashion house also stated that each meteorite will be individually sourced per each order and can come from various locations, depending on where the meteorite fell on earth.


Photo: Coperni

Because of the bespoke nature of this unusual handbag, each purchase is non-refundable. Some sources claim that depending on the size and quality of the meteorite incorporated in the stone purse, the price can be higher than 40,000 euros, but we have found no such information on the Coperni online store.


Photo: Coperni

In case you’re considering getting one, each Coperni Mini Meteorite Swipe Bag has an expected delivery time of about 6 weeks.