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 DECEMBER 2
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 may post One Story in any 24 hour period So in other words, you can enter only 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 to under a minute, 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 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...
Brazilian bank robbers leave cash strewn across the streets to aid their getaway as residents rush to pick it up after spectacular raids on four banks across city
The takeover began around midnight and lasted roughly two hours. Images on Globo showed a bank vault with a square-shaped hole in it and a convoy of criminals' vehicles as they made their escape.
Cash was scattered across the ground in one area of the city. Zel Florizel, a Brazilian singer and songwriter posting footage on Twitter showing local residents rushing to pick up the money.
He tweeted: 'People taking money scattered on the floor after a mega robbery in the city of Criciúma, Brazil. Despite the tragedy, Christmas will be better for many people in need. The gang looks specialized and was armed with Bazooka.'
Driver pulled over for using folding lawn chair as car seat
Police in Ontario, Canada, shared photos of a vehicle that was pulled over and impounded when the driver was found to be sitting on a folding lawn chair.
The Halton Regional Police Service's Burlington station said officers in Burlington pulled a car over Monday when something seemed off about the vehicle's driver's seat.
A closer look revealed the driver's seat of the car was missing and had been replaced with a folding lawn chair.
Police said the vehicle was impounded and the driver was ticketed for unsafe vehicle operation and driving with an inoperative seat belt.
‘Frankie the Adventure Goat’ Has Traveled Over 60,000 Miles Across America in Epic Road Trip
Meet Frankie, the adventurous goat who has traveled over 60,000 miles across the US with her owners in their colorful Airstream trailer.
Cate Battles and her husband Chad moved from their house into a trailer in 2016, and they’ve been traveling to beauty spots with their favorite pet ever since.
“She’s an awesome travel companion,” said Cate, a 34-year-old artist and travel writer from Grants Pass in Oregon.
“She’s visited all kinds of scenery with us; lakes, beaches, mountains, and caves. We’ve covered dozens of states and national parks together.
“At this point she’s probably been about 60,000 miles all around the country, all the way from the east to the west coast. She must have been to over 20 states already.
“Frankie loves being on the road and having adventures, she finds joy in any place she goes, in the desserts she climbs all over the rocks and at the beach she loves to lick the salt off the stones.
Cate Battles and her husband Chad moved from their house into a trailer in 2016, and they’ve been traveling to beauty spots with their favorite pet ever since.
“She’s an awesome travel companion,” said Cate, a 34-year-old artist and travel writer from Grants Pass in Oregon.
“She’s visited all kinds of scenery with us; lakes, beaches, mountains, and caves. We’ve covered dozens of states and national parks together.
“At this point she’s probably been about 60,000 miles all around the country, all the way from the east to the west coast. She must have been to over 20 states already.
“Frankie loves being on the road and having adventures, she finds joy in any place she goes, in the desserts she climbs all over the rocks and at the beach she loves to lick the salt off the stones . “She’s a great hiker, wherever we go she loves run around and explore. She’s even been to the Grand Canyon.”
The happy trio have managed to continue to travel during the pandemic, because they stick to places that are way off the beaten track.
“We don’t go to camp grounds, we always go out into the middle of nowhere, so Covid hasn’t really affected us at all. We’ve done multiple trips this year already, including North Eastern Nevada and Idaho,” said Cate.
Frankie, a 6-year-old Nigerian dwarf/pigmy goat, will cover a lot more ground in the coming months.
“Next we’re going to do a whole loop around the south west—Nevada, Arizona, Southern Utah, and New Mexico,” said Cate.
A die hard “goat mom,” Cait said she and Chad couldn’t imagine taking their trips without Frankie by their side.
How California prisoners raised $30,000 for a high school student in need
It's hard to imagine two more different places than an elite private school and California's Soledad State Prison, which houses the state's largest concentration of men sentenced to life behind bars. But for the past seven years, the two worlds have collided in an unusual way: through a book club.
Palma School, a prep school for boys in Salinas, California, created a partnership with the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) at Soledad State Prison to form a reading group for inmates and high school students -- bringing the two groups together to learn and develop greater understanding of one another.
But the reading group has developed into much more than an exchange of knowledge and empathy. When one Palma student was struggling to pay the $1,200 monthly tuition after both his parents suffered medical emergencies, the inmates already had a plan to help.
"I didn't believe it at first," said English and Theology teacher Jim Michelleti, who created the reading program. "They said, 'We value you guys coming in. We'd like to do something for your school ... can you find us a student on campus who needs some money to attend Palma?"
The inmates, who the program calls "brothers in blue," raised more than $30,000 from inside the prison to create a scholarship for student Sy Green -- helping him graduate this year and attend college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
"Regardless of the poor choices that people make, most people want to take part in something good," said Jason Bryant, a former inmate who was instrumental in launching the scholarship. "Guys were eager to do it."
Inmates eager to pay it forward with education
Bryant served 20 years for armed robberies in which one victim was fatally shot by an accomplice. But while inside Soledad State Prison, he made a daily effort to turn his life around, earning his bachelor's degree and two masters and running leadership training programs for inmates.
"I'm never far from the reality that I committed a crime in 1999 that devastated a family -- several families -- and irreparably harmed my community," Bryant said. "I keep that close to my heart, and I would hope that people can identify the power of forgiveness and the probability of restoration when people put belief in each other."
Sy Green, center, and Jason Bryant, right, participate in the reading group.
Bryant's sentence was commuted in March due to his contributions in restorative work while he was in prison. He now works as the Director for Restorative Work at an organization called Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs (CROP), which helps equip formerly incarcerated people with tools like skills training and stable housing in order to succeed in their communities.
In a twist of fate inside the prison, Bryant had reconnected with his former crime partner, Ted Gray, who had the idea to start the scholarship and pay it forward with the gift of education. Hundreds of incarcerated men jumped at the opportunity to make a heavy, meaningful investment in someone else's life.
Considering that minimum wage in prison can be as low as 8 cents an hour, raising $30,000 is an astonishing feat. It can take a full day of hard labor to make a dollar inside prison, so every cent donated by inmates is worth a lot more than a penny in the free world. Some brothers in blue who had no money to donate even hustled to sell possessions or food so they could be a part of the campaign.
One inmate, Reggie, donated his entire monthly paycheck of $100 to the cause, telling CNN's Lisa Ling, "I get paid to do what I do, so, why not pay it forward and give it to someone else for a change?"
The perfect scholarship candidate
The brothers in blue did not get to choose who got their scholarship, but in hindsight they said Sy Green was the perfect candidate.
Sy's parents wanted him to have a top notch education and transition away from a public school that had problems with gangs, drugs and fighting. But after his first six months at Palma School, their money started depleting fast, even with financial aid. When his father, Frank Green, needed heart surgery and became unable to work, the family was on the brink of being unable to pay tuition.
That's when they found out they would be receiving a massive gift from complete strangers inside the correctional facility.
"It brought me to tears," Frank Green said. "At that particular time, it was a truly a blessing. It was unheard of." Sy and his family started making visits to the prison in addition to taking part in the Palma reading group. He and his family have embraced building relationships with many of the bothers in blue, and four former inmates even attended his high school graduation.
Sy Green embraces prisoners he met while participating in the reading group.
He told CNN that knowing hundreds of men made sacrifices for his education inspires him to try his best and work hard every day. Sy plans to continue visiting the prison on his breaks from college, where he now plays basketball and studies sports broadcasting.
"That's only the right thing to do. Beyond the scholarship, the knowledge that they pour into you, that's, that's the best thing," Sy said. "They definitely take my future serious and they genuinely do care about me as a person."
Meanwhile, being involved with the scholarship gave many inmates an opportunity they never had -- the chance to be a role model.
Bryant added that the Green family was a perfect fit for the scholarship because they put trust in the inmates' leadership.
"They would bring him into the prison to receive mentorship, to participate in groups with us, to share his goals and visions, and to really have accountability conversations with men in blue -- men who had made terrible choices," Bryant said. "They put in an incredible amount of not only gratitude and appreciation, but also trust in us to help mentor their son. And that was remarkable."
Rehabilitation and restorative justice
Craig Koenig, the warden of the Correctional Training Facility, said that in 24 years with the California prison system, he has witnessed a positive shift in policy. A system that once had a mentality of simply warehousing inmates is moving towards a model of rehabilitation.
"(It's) what needs to happen. Our job is to help these men reintegrate back into society," Koenig said. "As these men are leaving, a far larger percentage of them are becoming productive members of society than what we had before. So, why wouldn't we do it? We're trying to transform men's lives."
A belief in altering lives through the powers of compassion and honest discussion is still what drives Palma School's reading program today.
Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Palma School reading program has continued over Zoom, with even more students from others schools now able to take part.
The inmates also plan to continue the scholarship program for another student in need. With the help of inmate leadership groups and the CROP organization, they want to keep paying it forward, and they hope to inspire other citizens in the community to do the same.
"I don't feel like myself or my team or the guys who contributed to this incredible gift for Sy are special. We're just people who want to do good things," said Bryant. "If more people just decided to do good things, this world would be a better palace."
France’s new repairability index will help consumers prioritize products that are easier to fix.
In a landmark move, the European Parliament voted today to support consumers’ Right to Repair. The resolution was adopted with 395 in favour and just 94 against, with 207 abstentions.
“By adopting this report, the European Parliament sent a clear message: harmonised mandatory labelling indicating durability and tackling premature obsolescence at EU level are the way forward,” said Rapporteur David Cormand, MEP from France.
The vote calls for the EU Commission to “develop and introduce mandatory labelling, to provide clear, immediately visible and easy-to-understand information to consumers on the estimated lifetime and reparability of a product at the time of purchase.”
Ugo Vallauri, Co-Founder of the Restart Project, a founding member of the European Right to Repair Campaign, was jubilant. “We hope this will translate into swift action to bring a mandatory repairability score index for all electricals and electronic products sold across the EU, to help consumers to shop with confidence.”
In January, France is rolling out repairability ratings for smartphones, laptops, and other products. Austria is also reducing taxes on repair services and providing subsidies for consumer repairs.
The EU motion calls for a repair score, similar to the scores that iFixit has been assigning to gadgets for the past fifteen years. According to a recent EU survey, 77% of EU citizens would rather repair their devices than replace them; 79% think that manufacturers should be legally obliged to facilitate the repair of digital devices or the replacement of their individual parts.
Matthias Huisken, Director of Advocacy for iFixit Europe, said “This is a huge win for consumers across Europe. This vote will set in motion a wave of new repair-friendly policies, from repair scores at retail to product longevity disclosures.”
“This vote shows that right to repair measures are backed by opinion polls but also by the European Parliament. The European Commission now needs to take this momentum and move forward swiftly in 2021 on a EU-wide repairability score for all electronic devices and repairability rules for computers” said Chloé Mikolajczak, EU campaigner for the Right to Repair.
At the beginning of this year, the force retired a police canine named Diesel and embarked on the process to find a replacement.
“One of the toughest parts of the process was locating a working dog that could meet the high standards of the unit, as we could not obtain a dog from our usual overseas vendors,” police said in a release.
But they didn’t have to look so far and wide as a retired Peel police canine trainer located a two-year-old male Belgian Malinois from Quebec, named Riggs.
Police were immediately impressed with the dog’s intelligence and drive.
While many officers wanted to take hold of Riggs’ leash, Const. Danielle Sterns was chosen. Her background includes stints on the neighbourhood policing unit, the criminal investigations bureau, and the homicide and missing persons bureau.
Sterns started with the force more than a decade ago as a cadet, but always aspired to be a part of Peel’s elite canine unit, said Chief Nishan Duraiappah.
“(The pair) will be part of a 13-member team that is a vital service to public safety here in Peel Region not only tracking down fugitives or people fleeing crimes … they also locate missing persons,” Duraiappah said.
At the end of October, Riggs received a police badge, officially recognizing him as a member of the force.
Missy Elliott Surprised a Stranger With Her Dream Dress After the Bride Made an Emotional Post on Twitter
As much as being able to say “yes to the dress” looms large in many a bride’s twinkling eye, budget woes have forced compromise for more than their fair share of wedding dreams.
Such was the case for bride-to-be Ireanna Bradshaw, who between saving for the big day and moving into a new home with her intended, had a budget that was stretched to the wire.
Bradshaw found her dream dress at David’s Bridal, but fretted that even though she’d been scrimping and saving, at $1,300 it was simply beyond her means. Despondent, she tweeted a photo of the dress and some words of distress to her Twitter feed:
“Im getting Married in March &trying to move into our own place… “Excited but overwhelmed. I have been saving money; but its still a struggle. I found my dream dress and I want to get it so bad but between saving for the move- i dnt think it will be possible.”
Bradshaw also posted her cash app info hoping for a little help, never dreaming a famous fairy godmother might be waiting in the wings to grant her wish.
When music legend Missy Elliott got wind of Bradshaw’s yearning for the perfect gown, she decided to make some wedding magic of her own. The star stepped in and paid for the dress in full.
We just love Cinderella bridal story with a happy ending, don’t you?
Petroleum-based materials run riot in trainers. Vivobarefoot reckons it has a solution. In 2019, the footwear brand launched the Primus Lite II Bio, reportedly one of the world’s least petroleum reliant shoes.
The body of the shoe (inset) is made from a plant-based material extracted from yellow field corn, created by a US-based biomaterial manufacturer. “The corn is harvested and processed through fermentation to produce the petroleum-free and non-toxic polymer,” says sustainability manager Charlotte Pumford.
The shoe is also stitched with plant-based fibres, has a natural rubber sole and foam insulation that’s created partly from algae cleared from freshwater bodies under algae-management programmes. “The algae is then dried, refined and utilised as a non-petroleum based alternative material,” explains Pumford.
Binman trapped in drain for three days is saved after driver spots his fingers poking out of manhole
A BINMAN was stuck in a drain for three days and was only rescued when a learner driver noticed his fingers sticking out of it. It was reported that the man had wandered off and walked into the drain on November 18, 2020, in China. The driver from New Luosiwan, Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan province, said that they only realised he was down there when they heard noises coming from underground and then noticed his fingers. Speaking to Yunnan TV, the driver said: "It's like he was trying to send a distress signal." A driving instructor from the school further elaborated on what happened in an interview with Chinese media, reports the Daily Star. He said: "The man said he was collecting waste and got lost on his way back. "He walked along a canal and into the drain and couldn't find his way out. "Our premise is pretty big and it's built above a drain. And it goes everywhere, I'm not surprised he got lost." Luckily for the man, the driving school alerted firefighters to his plight - and they took just thirty minutes to free him from the drain. In a valiant effort, the firefighters used iron bars and a hammer to pry open the cement manhole cover. They then pulled the topless man from the drain, who was then sent to hospital for a check up. Li Haonan, a firefighter at Luosiwan Fire Brigade who took on the rescue mission described what they had to do to get him out safely. He said: "We couldn't use heavy machinery because it could injure the man, so our team of four, five members had to use a hammer to pry open the manhole, which is blocked by the cement around. "We also gave water to the man to make sure he is hydrated before we could get him out of the drain."
Entertainment complex unveils 59-foot-high, moving 'Gundam' robot
A Japanese entertainment complex dedicated to classic anime series Mobile Suit Gundam unveiled its star attraction: a 59-foot-high robot statue that can move its arms, legs and head.
The Gundam Factory Yokohama entertainment complex showed off the abilities of the 20-ton, full scale replica of the RX-78 Gundam from the animated series.
The giant robot can move its arms, legs and head to strike different poses. The complex said the Gundam will change its poses every half hour once the attraction is open to the public.
Gundam Factory Yokohama had been scheduled to open its doors in October, but the opening was delayed until Dec. 19 out of safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 THURSDAY DECEMBER 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 may post One Story in any 24 hour period So in other words, you can enter only 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 to under a minute, 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 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...
Australian woman finds wild koala in her Christmas tree
Animal rescuers in Australia were summoned to he home of a woman who found something unexpected in the branches of her Christmas tree: a koala.
The Adelaide and Hills Koala Rescue said the hotline operator initially thought they were being pranked when Amanda McCormick called to report finding a koala climbing the Christmas tree inside her home in Mannum.
"But no, a koala desperate to get in the Christmas spirit had wandered into Amanda's house and decided it wanted to be the fairy on the Christmas tree," the rescue said in a Facebook post.
The female koala was safely returned to the outdoors.
"Koalas are very curious creatures and if the opportunity presents itself, they will investigate," the rescue told 9 News.
New mysterious monolith appears in California This is the third one. Is it a marketing stunt or something else?
Late last month, a 2001 Odyssey-like monolith appeared in the Utah desert. Not long after, another identical-looking structure appeared in Romania. They've both since vanished (men were photographed dismantling the Utah monolith). Now, yet another monolith has been discovered, this time in California.
"There is currently a monolith at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero!" tweeted Connor Allen on Wednesday afternoon, with a trio of pictures capturing the strange new monolith at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero, California.
According to local newspaper The Atascadero News, the monument appeared on the mountain on Wednesday morning. Hikers naturally flocked to take in the shiny metal object.
No one, not a marketing company or NASA or artists or pranksters or a movie studio or aliens, has come clean as the culprit behind the strange appearances. What we do know is that the Utah structure appeared to be made from stainless steel, standing at between 10 and 12 feet high, according to Department of Public Safety pilot Bret Hutchings, who spotted the first monolith in the middle of the Utah desert while surveying the area.
The Utah obelisk, first brought to the internet's attention on Nov. 19, was also apparently installed illegally, without cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (The City of Atascadero was reportedly made aware of its object). Unlike the Utah structure, the Atascadero obelisk, which appears to be welded together at each corner and slightly slimmer, can apparently be knocked over with a firm push, according to The Atascadero News.
Reddit users have found it difficult to make headway into tracing the structures' origins, since the Utah and Romania monoliths both vanished days after their discoveries. It seems likely the same will happen to the California resident. In Utah's case, Colorado adventure photographer Ross Bernards was visiting its structure when he says he saw four men arrive and dismantle it.
Adolf Hitler wins election in Namibia: Politician named after Nazi leader sweeps to victory but promises 'I'm not striving for world domination'
A politician named after Adolf Hitler has won a seat at a Namibian election - but says he has no plans for world domination.
Adolf Hitler Uunona was elected with 85 per cent of the vote in the former German colony, where a number of streets, places and people still bear German names.
After winning the seat on the ticket of the ruling SWAPO party - which has ruled Namibia since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 - the politician told Bild that he had 'nothing to do with' Nazi ideology.
'My father named me after this man. He probably didn't understand what Adolf Hitler stood for,' his namesake said.
'As a child I saw it as a totally normal name. Only as a teenager did I understand that this man wanted to conquer the whole world.'
The politician said his wife calls him Adolf, adding that he usually goes by Adolf Uunona but that it would be 'too late' to change his name officially.
'The fact I have this name does not mean I want to conquer Oshana,' he said, referring to the region where he won the election. 'It doesn't mean I'm striving for world domination.'
Uunona won 1,196 votes in the recent election compared to 213 for his opponent, giving him a seat on the regional council.
His SWAPO party won 57 per cent of the vote across the country, a sharp decline from the 83 per cent they took in the previous regional elections in 2015.
Once known as German South West Africa, Namibia was a German colony from 1884 until the empire was stripped of its possessions following World War I.
The real Hitler would later use the humiliation of the post-war Treaty of Versailles as a propaganda tool to win support for the Nazis in the 1920s and 1930s.
Hitler's genocide during World War II has long since overshadowed German atrocities in Namibia, but pressure for reparations has been growing in recent years.
German soldiers slaughtered some 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama tribespeople in a bloody campaign to suppress a local revolt between 1904 and 1908.
Last year, a German government minister described the massacre as a genocide while on a visit to the African country.
A small German-speaking community still lives in the country today, and around 120,000 Germans visit Namibia every year.
The German government says it has a 'special responsibility' towards Namibia 'on account of the two countries’ shared colonial past'.
