Have fun, win prizes, participate in our contests!
Jul 10th, 2023, 3:06 am
Crystal dagger, other items buried with ‘Ivory Lady’ 5,000 years ago

By Ashley Strickland, CNN

July 8, 2023


Image
A 5,000-year-old skeleton found in a tomb near Seville, Spain, belonged a woman of high status, according to new research.

Piecing together the past can be an intricate puzzle.

Individual clues are assembled to capture a glimpse of someone’s life or paint a broader portrait of a distant civilization.

While analysis of DNA is one factor, archaeologists have relied on other clues to gain insight, such as grave goods. Whether or not the true meaning of these objects can ever be deciphered, they often symbolize an individual’s social standing, the role that person played or tools thought necessary for the afterlife.

European archaeologists made a “spectacular” find in 2008 of a tomb near Seville, Spain, that belonged to an ancient individual of great importance.

New research just revealed the discovery was even more unexpected than they realized.

We are family

Image
A crystal dagger and other grave goods were found at the tomb site.

The 5,000-year-old skeleton uncovered in Spain was buried with the crystal dagger shown above and other valuable items. But the individual, initially dubbed the “Ivory Man,” is actually the “Ivory Lady.”

A new method that involves analyzing tooth enamel was used to confirm that the skeleton belonged to a woman, and it has changed the way scientists interpret the entire site.

The Ivory Lady, who possibly held a leadership role, was likely revered by her society for generations after she died. Graves spanning 200 years after her death encircle the woman’s tomb.

“She must have been (a) highly charismatic person. She probably traveled or did have connections with people from faraway lands,” said archaeologist Leonardo García Sanjuán, a professor of prehistory at the University of Seville.
Jul 10th, 2023, 3:06 am
Jul 10th, 2023, 5:17 am
Teachers Sound Alarm on Trend of Students as Old as 11 Still Wearing Diapers
061923*

Teachers in Switzerland recently reported a worrying number of students, some as old as 11, still coming to school in diapers because they never learned how to use the toilet.

In Switzerland, some children begin school at age four, so it is not uncommon for them to still be wearing diapers. However, they are not the problem that many teachers in the European country are reportedly facing these days. According to multiple sources, students as old as 11 years old are coming to school in diapers, and teachers are expected to clean and change them if necessary. Apparently, the problem has become widespread enough that one headmaster in Aargau is organizing events to inform parents that children have to be ‘dry’ when they return to school after the summer holiday, while another school is putting out flyers to inform parents that teachers are not responsible for changing schoolchildren’s diapers.

Image
Photo: note thanun/Unsplash

“Parents have a duty to ensure that their school-age children no longer wear diapers,” Dagmar Rösler, President of the umbrella organization for teachers in Switzerland, told 20min. “When 11-year-olds come to school in diapers, that’s a worrying development. Teachers are not there to change their students’ diapers. That is going too far.”

Rösler pointed out the importance of distinguishing between children with physical problems and those impacted by psychological trauma or parents neglect, and emphasized teachers’ role in mitigating such problems. The latter should never blame the child, but instead, reach out to the parents, explain the situation and hold them accountable.

Swiss psychotherapist Felix Hof recalled a boy who came to his practice and still needed diapers at the age of seven, due to the trauma caused by a family conflict. He also pointed out that such children often end up being bullied or teased by their peers, especially after their situation becomes known in schools. Gym classes or swimming are two instances where the diapers become almost impossible to conceal.

Image
Photo: Laura Ohlman/Unsplash

According to an article in the SonntagsZeitung, more and more parents of primary school children are putting out ads for diaper-changing staff, and the increase in sales of large diaper sizes in Switzerland is another worrying sign.

“The diapers are becoming more and more comfortable and can be worn like normal underpants, this is how children are conditioned to the diaper,” educationalist Margrit Stamm warned, referring to parents who have their kids in diapers for long trips or when sleeping. “This is a completely wrong signal!”
Jul 10th, 2023, 5:17 am
Jul 10th, 2023, 5:58 am
Huge Solar Storm This Week to Light Up US Skies With Stunning Auroras
Space
10 July 2023
By Pete Syme, Business Insider

Image


The Northern Lights could be visible from 17 US states on Thursday, including places as far south as Maryland, the Associated Press reported.

The colorful sky display, which is also known as aurora borealis, is most frequently seen in places like Canada and Scandinavia, but an upcoming solar storm means the lights are expected to be visible from parts of the US.

According to The AP, the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks expects "auroral activity" in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine, and Maryland.

People in parts of the country including Annapolis, Maryland and Boise, Idaho, should also be able to see the lights low on the horizon, the report adds.

To see the aurora, it's vital to have "clear and dark sky," per the Geophysical Institute, which adds that "the best time to watch for aurora is the three or four hours around midnight, but aurora occurs throughout the night."

Those hoping to get a good view should get away from city lights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommended, per The AP.

An aurora occurs when a solar wind – a stream of charged particles – collides with the Earth's magnetic field, causing atoms to light up.

Thursday's lights are set to be more visible as the forecasted solar storm will result in increased auroral activity.

Solar maximums – when solar activity is at its greatest – take place roughly every 11 years. The current cycle is expected to peak in 2024, which has led to more solar storms and auroral activity as far south as California and Arizona.

According to the Geophysical Institute, in one rare event in 1958, the Northern Lights were even visible from Mexico City.
Jul 10th, 2023, 5:58 am
Jul 10th, 2023, 12:46 pm
Internet disgusted upon seeing customer's horrifying takeaway pizza

Image

People online have been reacting to a viral picture on Reddit – and, well, they're pretty disgusted with what they've seen.

The thread, captioned "this is apparently a 'pizza'", has been doing the rounds on social media and it has got plenty of users talking.

In the post itself, it features an image of a square-cut pizza sitting in a very greasy cardboard box.

But it's the toppings which are truly rotten.

It looks like, what can only be described as a brown gravy sauce, accompanied with an assortment of random toppings.

It's hard to work out what they actually are, but there appears to be some sausages floating around in there as well as a bunch of mushrooms – although they look more like out-of-date sliced bananas.

No tomato base.

No cheese.

Either way, it looks grim and definitely something you wouldn't dream of serving up.

Image

If your local delivery food driver dropped that monstrosity off at your door on a Friday night, most people would probably be straight on the phone to the restaurant itself demanding a refund.

And to be honest, most people would also take a photograph of it and stick it on social media – which is exactly what this person has done.

In a viral Reddit thread, fellow users wasted no time in wading in.

One person commented: "That is raw sewage."

While another added: "That’s s**t from a butt after a long night of drinking."

As a third said: "That legit looks like a puddle of vomit."

Meanwhile, some people were desperately trying to work out what ingredients were on the dish.

A user asked: "OK, but what's with the primordial puree on top? What are the toppings? Is that full sausages?"

While one chimed in, adding: "Someone threw bananas or s**t in vomit and called it a pizza."

Some people were even calling for Reddit to attach a NSFW tag onto the post.

https://www.ladbible.com/news/internet- ... 6-20230710
Jul 10th, 2023, 12:46 pm

Book request - The Mad Patagonian by Javier Pedro Zabala [25000 WRZ$] Reward!
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=5412023
Jul 10th, 2023, 2:54 pm
Image

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
MONDAY JULY 10

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 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

EXAMPLE POST
Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag
Image
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 :lol:
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 :lol: :lol: :lol:

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


NOTE: THE RECAP AND REWARDS WILL BE DONE LATER
Jul 10th, 2023, 2:54 pm

Image
Image
Online
Jul 10th, 2023, 3:11 pm
This hotel makes nearly $30K per day — from just one drink

Image

They say money can’t buy happiness — but it can buy you a great cocktail for nearly $30.

At the luxurious Raffles Hotel in Singapore, there is a famous drink called the Singapore Sling that sells for $SGD39 a pop — approximately $29 in USD.

Now, it’s been revealed just how much they make per day on that one delicious cocktail.

According to News.com.au, the hotel sells about 1000 of the signature drinks per day during peak vacation times, coming to a daily grand total of $29,000.

However, the outlet noted that price doesn’t include service fees and taxes — bringing it to an estimated $SGD46, about $34 USD.

The drink was created at the hotel’s famous Long Bar in 1915 by a bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon, and it is largely thought of as the country’s national drink, per the hotel’s website.
The Singapore Sling is a famous cocktail sold at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The Singapore Sling is a famous cocktail sold at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

It was created in 1915, and is served at the hotel's Long Bar. It was created in 1915, and is served at the hotel’s Long Bar.

The cocktail, which is served up in a tall glass and garnished with a pineapple slice, contains gin, pineapple juice, lime juice, curaçao and Bénédictine.

It also gets some grenadine and cherry liqueur added into the mix, which gives the drink a light pink hue, a color that the bartender designed on purpose.

According to Raffles’ website, etiquette rules at the time mandated that it was unacceptable for women to drink alcohol in public.

Instead, they would often drink tea or fruit juice.

However, bartender Ngiam saw an opening in the market for a cocktail that could be disguised for women to drink in public as a beverage that others would think was socially acceptable.

And so, the Singapore Sling was born — a drink that looked like plain fruit juice, but actually contained alcohol.

The bartender who created the drink made it a pink color on purpose. The bartender who created the drink made it a pink color on purpose.

It's estimated that the hotel serves about 1000 of these drinks per day during peak holiday times. It’s estimated that the hotel serves about 1000 of these drinks per day during peak holiday times.

Even after all these years, the iconic drink is widely well-known, and is even the subject of many recipe recreations online.

In May, one TikToker took to the platform to review the drink, answering the burning question on everyone’s minds — whether or not the expensive cocktail is really worth it.

“The drink itself is not worth the $39,” user @swizzyinsg shared. “But the whole experience with the historic background is.”

Another tradition at the bar includes throwing peanut shells onto the ground. Another tradition at the bar includes throwing peanut shells onto the ground.

Peanuts are served at the table. Peanuts are served at the table.

Another TikToker, Oli Brandon, admitted that the experience is a “once in a lifetime things” if you find yourself visiting Singapore.

The bar also has another unique tradition behind it — guests are served peanuts and are encouraged to throw the shells all over the floor.

There are strict rules around littering in Singapore, including a $1,000 fine, per Business Insider, but the hotel’s website notes that it’s the only place where littering is “encouraged.”

The hotel was even home to Queen Elizabeth II once, per News.com.au.

She stayed there for the first time in 2006.

Celebrities like Michael Jackson, Liz Taylor and John Wayne have also stayed at the property.

https://nypost.com/2023/07/09/this-hote ... one-drink/
Jul 10th, 2023, 3:11 pm
Jul 10th, 2023, 3:47 pm
Cozy knit sweaters could help robots ‘feel’ contact

Certain robots can certainly sense cold temperatures, but feeling cold is a whole other ordeal. And yet the world is now blessed with robot sweaters.

To be fair, the new, adorable garb recently designed by an engineering team at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute isn’t intended to keep machines warm. As detailed in a research paper scheduled to be presented at 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the group utilized the properties of a knitted sweater to create a fabric capable of sensing pressure and contact. The cutting-edge textile can now help indicate direction, orientation, and even grip strength via physical touch.

Image
The sensitive 'yarn' encases robots to direct them based on human touch and guidance.

Like its yarn inspiration, the new “RobotSweater” fabric can be woven into whatever three-dimensional shape is needed, and thus fitted over robots’ uneven shapes and surfaces. The knitted material itself features two layers of conductive, metallic fibers capable of conducting electricity. Between those two layers, another lace-like pattern is inserted. When pressure is applied, a closed circuit is generated and subsequently detected by sensors.

In order to ensure the metallic yarn didn’t degrade or break with usage, the team wrapped the wires around snap fasteners at the end of each stripe in the fabric. “You need a way of attaching these things together that is strong, so it can deal with stretching, but isn’t going to destroy the yarn,” James McCann, an assistant professor in Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science (SCS), explained in a statement.

To demonstrate their creation, researchers dressed up a companion robot in their RobotSweater, then pushed it to direct its head and body movement. On a robotic arm, the fabric could respond to guided human pushes, while grabbing the arm itself opened and closed a gripping mechanism.



Swaddling robots in smart sweaters isn’t just fashionable—it could prove extremely valuable in industrial settings to improve human worker safety. According to the team, most safety barriers are currently extremely rigid and shield-like; encasing machines in flexible, sensitive fabrics, however could make them much more sensitive, and thus able to “detect any possible collision,” said Changliu Liu, an assistant professor of robotics in the SCS. Moving forward, the team hopes to integrate touchscreen inputs like swiping and pinching motions to direct robots. Even if that takes a while to realize, at least the machines will look stylish and cozy.
Jul 10th, 2023, 3:47 pm

Image
Jul 10th, 2023, 4:42 pm
REMAINS OF 400-YEAR-OLD WOODEN SHIP FOUND IN MEXICO

Image

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have uncovered the remains of a 400-year-old wooden ship during a rescue excavation in the city of Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias, Mexico.
Excavations have located seven pieces of timber that measure 1 metre in length by 25 cm’s in width. The timbers date from the early period of the Viceroyalty of New Spain after the fall of Tenochtitlan (1521).

At the time, the location of the excavation site would have been in the region of Lake Chalco, one of the Great Lakes named after the ancient city of Chalco. Lake Chalco, along with Texcoco, Zumpango and Xaltocan, and the freshwater Xochimilco, were home to many Mesoamerican cultures such as the Toltecs and the Aztecs.

Based on the curvature on the outside of the timbers, the researchers suggest that they may be from a Brigantine type vessel (two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast) used by the conquering Spanish, or possibly to hold acalco canoes of the indigenous people on the lake shore.

Historical accounts record how the Spanish constructed a navy consisting of shallow-hulled Brigantine type vessels to seize the Great Lakes in 1521. The ships were built from salvaged wood and other hardware from the ships that Cortés had ordered to be destroyed when he landed at Vera Cruz in April 1519.

Excavations by INAH also uncovered the remains of a settlement at a depth of 2.5 metres. The settlement would have been located on the northeastern shore of Lake Chalco near the ruins of the ancient Tlatilco city of Tlapacoya.
Jul 10th, 2023, 4:42 pm
Jul 10th, 2023, 7:01 pm
Geoffrey Chaucer note asking for time off work identified as his handwriting

Image

A 14th-century bureaucratic document requesting time off work for a civil servant has been identified as the only surviving handwriting of Geoffrey Chaucer, revered as the father of English literature.

While it was known that the individual seeking a leave of absence was the author of The Canterbury Tales – during his 12-year employment as controller of the London Wool Quay – the application was assumed to have been made on his behalf by a clerk.

Now a leading scholar argues that it was actually written by Chaucer and submitted by him for King Richard II’s approval.

Prof Richard Green, a Canadian academic, said: “This would be the only known example of his hand.”

Image

The potential for discovering more about Chaucer through an actual example of his handwriting is huge, he said. “There are still lots of public records from the middle ages that haven’t been looked at. My hope is that, if we identify the hand, then it might be recognised in other documents.”

The document is held in the National Archives and has been known for more than 150 years. Although it bears the name of “Geffray Chaucer”, the spelling used on the author’s own seal – Green argued it has never been recognised for what it is, “partly because of Victorian snobbishness” about its informal nature, “which is short, simply worded, and carelessly written”.

“The real question is why would anyone else write it? … It’s been, for a long time, an assumption that [a] superior gentleman who wouldn’t have written like an ordinary scribe … The Victorians dismissed it as not being likely to be in his hand – and people have just followed them ever since,” said Green.

From 1374 to 1386, Chaucer was the king’s controller, overseeing the payment of duty on exported and imported wool, among other goods. In the late middle ages, the English Crown charged an export tax on wool. Each of the principal ports around the coast, including London, provided two citizens known as collectors to levy this tax. The king appointed a supervisor – known as the controller – to ensure that he was not cheated.

The document, a thin strip of parchment (27.5cm x 7cm), bears a spidery hand written in French, the primary bureaucratic language of the day. The applicant requested permission to appoint a proxy to perform his duties.

Green, professor emeritus of the Ohio State University, argued that the evidence includes the fact that Chaucer had no clerical staff and was expected to provide his own official documentation. “Employing a professional scrivener for such a document would be like hiring a lawyer to write an inter-office memo.”

Although Chaucer was famously infuriated by one scribe’s carelessness so much that the poet threatened to curse him with an outbreak of scabs, the script of this document does not exhibit the kind of attention to detail one might expect of a professional scrivener, Green said.

He added, while Chaucer’s contemporaries wrote petitions that were far more elaborate, this document is “both informal in tone and casual in execution”.

His research will feature in the Chaucer Review, to be published this month by the Pennsylvania State University.

Green writes: “The cumulative evidence is conclusive. Chaucer may well have known in advance that his request for leave of absence would be granted, but he was still obliged to go through a formal process that required him to draft his petition in writing, get the chamberlain to confirm that the king had approved it, and then have it sent over to Chancery to receive official authorisation.

“There is every indication that [this] represents the actual document that he submitted, and that he wrote it in his own hand.”
Jul 10th, 2023, 7:01 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
Image
Jul 11th, 2023, 1:07 am
Bird Owner Gets Surprise Police Visit After His Loud Parrot Is Mistaken for a Screaming Woman

Steve Wood has 22 birds, but only Freddie, a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, is loud enough to alarm the police

Image

Police swooped in on a home following reports of a screaming woman — and found a loud parrot.

In early July, three police cars appeared at Steve Wood's property in Essex, England. According to SWNS, the police officers said they had been alerted by a concerned neighbor to a possible screaming woman at Wood's residence.

Wood, 54, who has 22 pet parrots at his home, said he felt a wave of panic when he saw so many Essex Police cars outside his house.

After officers explained the situation, Wood, a retired policeman, assured the authorities the concerning shouts were coming from his talkative pet parrots, specifically a yellow-naped Amazon parrot named Freddie. The pet owner allowed the officers to search his home and meet his birds to show he was telling the truth.

While the officers search the house, Wood filmed a video of the amusing incident.

"I might be in a bit of trouble cause a concerned neighbor has been passing by telling me that there is screaming coming from my house – a woman screaming for help," Wood says in the clip.

"This is brilliant. This has made my year, thank you very much," he adds as smiling police officers peruse his home.

The police left the property after searching Wood's home and turning up plenty of chatty parrots but no distressed humans.

An Essex Police spokesperson thanked Wood for his understanding following their "welfare check" at his premises.

"We were contacted shortly before 1:50 p.m. on Tuesday, 4 July, by a member of the public reporting the sound of a female's screams in the area of Larup Avenue, Canvey," the spokesperson told SWNS.

"Officers attended to conduct a welfare check, but upon arrival, discovered the noise was, in fact, caused by a number of parrots inside a property. Officers engaged with a member of the public at the property, and we thank him for his understanding and patience."

Image
Jul 11th, 2023, 1:07 am

Image
Jul 11th, 2023, 2:07 am
Marble head unearthed during works in Rome piazza

Gianluca Mezzofiore and Lianne Kolirin, CNN

Image

Construction workers have unearthed a white marble head in the historic center of Rome, the city’s mayor has revealed on social media.

Posting a picture of the mud-covered relic on Twitter on Thursday, Mayor Roberto Gualtieri wrote: “#Roma continues to return precious evidence of its past: a splendid intact marble head was found during the works in Piazza Augusto Imperatore attended by the @Sovrintendenza.”

Gualtieri went on to add that archaeologists and restorers are now “busy cleaning and studying the find.”

The Sovrintendenza Capitolina (Capitoline Superintendence) manages, maintains and enhances the capital’s historic and archaeological heritage.


Image
The head was found lying down and covered in earth.


The impressive piece, which is thought to be part of a statue of a female divinity, was discovered in a foundation uncovered during the works for the “redevelopment of the Mausoleum of Augustus and Piazza Augusto Imperatore,” according to a statement published online by Rome city council. It said that the head was found on the eastern side of the area currently being worked on.

It was thanks to the “attentive work of the archaeologists of the Superintendence” that the relic was uncovered, the statement said, adding that it is hoped that the discovery will help experts “deepen the knowledge” of the city’s ancient history.

“The newly found head, of elegant craftsmanship, sculpted in Greek marble, probably belongs to a statue of a female divinity, perhaps Aphrodite, of natural dimensions. [It] shows a refined hairstyle of hair gathered at the back thanks to a ‘tenia,’ a ribbon knotted on the top of the head,” said Capitoline Superintendent Claudio Parisi Presicce.

He explained that the head was unearthed, intact, in the foundation of a late antique wall.

Image
The head was found to be in the foundations of this wall.

According to Parisi Presicce, the head had been “reused as building material.” The workers found it lying face down and protected by a clay bank on which the foundation of the wall rests.

Though it may seem surprising that an antiquity was found in this state, it would not be uncommon, the superintendent said.

“The reuse of works sculptures, even of significant value, was a very common practice in the late Middle Ages, which allowed, as in this case, the successful preservation of important works of art,” he added.

It appears to be from the Augustan era, according to Parisi Presicce. He said conservators and archaeologists now hope to restore it, while also aiming to identify the subject and determine how old it is.
Jul 11th, 2023, 2:07 am
Jul 11th, 2023, 2:58 am
Liquid gold? Sriracha bottles selling as high as $80 on ebay, Amazon amid ongoing shortage
Eric Lagatta
USA TODAY

What was once a ubiquitous green-capped condiment widely available at restaurants and stocked on supermarket shelves has become nearly impossible to find.

And as the law of supply and demand dictates, prices for one of America's most recognizable Sriracha hot sauce brands has skyrocketed on places like ebay and Amazon. It's been more than a year since those red bottles of Sriracha with the green caps and rooster logo manufactured by California-based Huy Fong Foods first began vanishing off store shelves.

The Sriracha shortage − caused by a dearth of the chili peppers central to the recipe of the popular hot sauce − has inspired some enterprising individuals to resell their coveted stock to those willing to spend a pretty penny to obtain a bottle... or two.

Image


What's a bottle of Sriracha likely to cost me?

The price for a bottle of Huy Fong Sriracha that used to cost under $10 has drastically skyrocketed on places like ebay and Amazon, where re-sellers are taking advantage of the product being in short supply with no end in sight.

A search of ebay listings Monday morning showed that some bottles of the sauce are going for three − or even in some cases, 10 − times their original value.

In one of the more egregious examples, a 12-pack of 28-ounce bottles sold for $415 ($34.58 per bottle) after receiving 28 bids. One seller on the site was selling bottles of the same size for around $30, while another offered the product for an even more precipitous $80 a pop.

And people are willing to fork over the large sums if it means they can flavor their food with the chili sauce. A glance at completed listings on eBay reveals dozens of Huy Fong products sold after auction just since Sunday, all well above their retail prices.

One seller offering 28-ounce bottles for $32.99 had made 115 sales as of Monday morning.

Sriracha consumers won't fare much better on Amazon, where two-packs of the 28-ounce bottles could be found Monday for $57, while one seller was even offering up two-packs of 17-ounce bottles for $99.

What's causing the Sriracha shortage?

Huy Fong first announced in April 2022 that the company faced a "severe shortage" of red jalapeño peppers from farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico experiencing hot temperatures and historic droughts.

Limited production resumed in the fall as the company indicated it hoped for a better harvest. But months later, the strain persists and representatives for Huy Fong said in a statement that its unclear when it will end.

"We continue to have a limited supply that continues to affect product availability," the statement read. "We are grateful for your continued patience and understanding during this unprecedented inventory shortage. We are currently working on trying to avoid future shortages."
Jul 11th, 2023, 2:58 am
Jul 11th, 2023, 4:02 am
Poppy Farmers Struggle to Get Rid of “Opium-Addicted” Swans
062023*

A family of poppy farmers in Slovakia has been having trouble getting rid of hundreds of swans that have become addicted to poppy seeds and sometimes even overdose on them.

Poppy farmers near the Slovakian town of Komarno first reported the presence of swans in their fields back in February. It is believed that they were originally attracted by the large puddles of water that formed in the area, but after pecking at the flowers all day, many of them became addicted to the opium-containing seeds and refused to leave. Back in May, Slovakian media reported that around 200 swans had made a poppy field near Komarno their home, causing around €10,000 in damages to the flowers and getting so high on the natural narcotic that many of them couldn’t even fly anymore.

Image
Photo: Nick Fewings/Unsplash

“They came gradually. We counted more than 200 swans here,” farmer Balints Pam told reporters, adding that in all his years planting poppies, he had never seen anything like it.

Swans are usually crazy about rapeseed, and farmers believe that they confused the poppies with their preferred delicacy, which not only made them addicted, but caused serious health issues. Apparently, because the large water birds have an insatiable appetite, several dozen of them have already overdosed on poppy seeds, while many others lost their capacity for flight, making them easy targets for predators.

Image
Photo: Va Lia/Unsplash

After suffering serious damage to their crops, poppy fields have been trying to get rid of the swans for a while now, but the addicted birds refuse to relocate. Because swans have a protected status in Slovakia, farmers are not allowed to hunt or even disturb the birds, even if they are on their property.

“In preparation for next season, the farmer should apply for an exception to be allowed to scare away the protected birds. The swans that are already there can only be scared away with bare hands. At the moment, nothing else can be done,” said Jans Kalavskis, representative of the Slovak State Nature Protection Service.

Swans in Slovakia found a poppy field and munched on the opium-producing plants to their hearts’ content for months pic.twitter.com/RlhCpJxTis

— DW News (@dwnews) June 15, 2023

Animal lovers and volunteers from groups like the Slovak Environmental Protection Agency have been trying to relocate the opium-addicted swans, in an effort to wean them off of poppy seeds, but experts are concerned that they might return to the fields as soon as they have the chance.

A few years back, we also wrote about opium-addicted parrots causing havoc on Indian poppy farms.
Jul 11th, 2023, 4:02 am
Jul 11th, 2023, 4:48 am
Baby wallaby gets stuck in front grille of car in Australia

Image

An Australian couple who felt a slight impact while driving continued to travel for 45 minutes before discovering there was now a baby wallaby stuck in the front of their car.

The Hamilton Wildlife Shelter said the couple discovered the joey had gone through the grille of their car and ended up under the hood while they were traveling near Hawkesdale, Victoria.

The couple arrived in Hamilton before they made the discovery.

"They decided to check the damage done to the front of the car -- they heard a noise and discovered the joey," shelter owner Shelly Burrowes told 7News.

Burrowes said the wallaby was miraculously uninjured.

"It appears he hit the grille in the exact spot that it cushioned his impact and he escaped injury," she said.

Burrowes said the marsupial was uncommonly fortunate.

"He is an incredibly lucky joey. If I hadn't seen him stuck in the car myself, I may not have even believed the story," she said.

Burrowes said the wallaby is being kept in a safe enclosure until it is large enough to survive in the wild on its own.
Jul 11th, 2023, 4:48 am

Image

Believe me, you are someone's crush. Yes, you are!
Jul 11th, 2023, 12:33 pm
Image

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
TUESDAY JULY 11

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 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

EXAMPLE POST
Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag
Image
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 :lol:
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 :lol: :lol: :lol:

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
Jul 11th, 2023, 12:33 pm

Image
Image
Online