Have fun, win prizes, participate in our contests!
Jul 12th, 2023, 3:59 pm
NYC medical investigator’s time probing death taught her more about life

Image

Barbara Butcher came back to life by investigating death.

In the early 1990s, Butcher’s alcoholism had left her in “disgrace,” crashing in a tiny Greenwich Village apartment and losing good jobs as a physician’s assistant and hospital administrator.

She often imagined her own suicide, going so far as to fire an empty handgun at her temple.

Eventually, she was able to control her drinking through Alcoholics Anonymous, and a connection there suggested she try vocational rehab to find a new career.

A test that was part of New York’s Employment Program for Recovering Alcoholics suggested Barbara become either a vet tech or a coroner.

“I’ll take coroner!” she exclaimed, as Butcher writes in “What The Dead Know: Learning About Life As A New York City Death Investigator” (Simon & Schuster).

In 1992, she embarked on a 22-year career as a medicolegal investigator (MLI) with New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).
A test that was part of New York’s Employment Program for Recovering Alcoholics suggested Barbara Butcher become either a vet tech or a coroner — she opted for the latter. Anthony Robert Grasso

“I scrutinized the scenes of fatal accidents, suicides, and homicides to determine cause and manner of death. And I loved every minute of it,” Butcher writes.

Investigating New York City’s dead took her to every corner of the city, from Bowery flophouses to Park Avenue penthouses.

At the Whitehouse Hotel, one of the downtown’s last SROs (single-room occupancy), Butcher investigated the death of an elderly man in a tiny room who likely expired from poverty and hunger.

Meanwhile, in lavish digs in Soho, there was a moneyed woman so thin the only explanation was that she didn’t eat.

In 1992, Butcher embarked on a 22-year career as a medicolegal investigator. In 1992, Butcher embarked on a 22-year career as a medicolegal investigator.

“She died of starvation, a wealthy woman in the richest neighborhood of the most expensive city in the world,” Butcher writes.

Barbara was only the second female MLI in New York City, but if her colleagues tried to frighten her with gruesome stories and pictures, she never flinched.

She worked the death scenes of the Carnegie Deli Massacre and the crash of American Airlines flight 587 crash in Queens, both occurring in 2001, as well as the fatal crash of the Staten Island Ferry in 2003.

For more than a year she focused on the remains of those lost at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Butcher worked on many crime scenes, including the 2001 Carnegie Deli massacre.Butcher worked on many crime scenes, including the 2001

She writes that her job those days was to “find them, name them, honor them.”

Throughout Butcher’s career, there were dead of every kind.

There were lost hoarders, trapped in piles of their own things, including one who so valued his collection he booby-trapped it to prevent theft.

Unfortunately, that man tripped one of his own wires and perished under a pile of his own junk, his Rube-Goldberg death machine working exactly as planned.

Butcher worked at the crash site of the 2001 American Airlines flight 587 crash in Queens.Butcher worked at the crash site of the 2001 American Airlines flight 587 crash in Queens.

“Stuff will kill you,” Butcher writes.

Sex becoming deadly — or “bad boy games,” Butcher liked to call it — was a regular occurrence.

“No one was more persistent than those who were driven by sex to try exciting new things,” she writes.

She saw men who had apparently died in the throes of auto-erotic asphyxiation, adventurers who wrapped themselves in latex but suffocated when their breathing apparatuses failed, and kinksters who desired to be electrocuted but ended up shocked to death.

“In the land of the dead, I felt alive.”
Barbara Butcher


She was once sent to an East Village crime scene only to discover the murder victim was a friend of hers, the superintendent of a building where she did community theater.

One young man threw himself from a Wall Street window and died when crashing into a headstone at the Trinity Church cemetery.

Another asked a real estate agent to see one-bedroom apartments with high balconies, and then he hurled himself over the side of one.

At the Marriott Marquis, with 48 floors of hotel rooms opening on a huge atrium, numerous people leapt to their deaths. (One reportedly yelled, “Tell them to watch out below” before jumping.)

As for the murders, they were myriad. In 1992, New York City had 2397 of them, compared to just 434 in 2022.

“I saw two or three homicides a day, in addition to the usual suicides, accidents, and naturals.”

Perhaps the only thing that got Butcher and her co-workers through their grim days was dark humor.

An old man who expired in an adult movie theatre was described as having “came and went.”

When Butcher was investigating the dismembered body parts found jammed into two Coleman coolers in The Bronx in 1998, she asked a nearby cop for help.

“Eddie, could you give me a hand? Oh, never mind, I found one,” she said to groans.

She didn’t give up, though. When Butcher found that the coolers did not include any lower extremities, she noted there wasn’t “even a foot to hang a toe tag on.”

While the dark humor was an attempt to process the daily deluge of death she faced, Butcher was always respectful to the lost.

And, she realized, the job had been her salvation.

“In the land of the dead, I felt alive.”

https://nypost.com/2023/07/08/nyc-medic ... ing-death/
Jul 12th, 2023, 3:59 pm
Jul 12th, 2023, 4:05 pm
Birds have learned to use 'anti-bird' spikes to build their nests


Image

Birds are stealing anti-bird spikes put up by humans - and using them to build their nests.

Researchers from two Dutch natural history museums first came across the phenomenon in a hospital courtyard in Antwerp.

Magpies had ripped about 50m of anti-bird spikes from the hospital building and used them to build a huge nest of 1,500 spikes.

Anti-bird spikes are often installed on buildings to discourage birds from nesting there.

Biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra of the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre said the magpies were using the pins in the same way humans do - "to keep other birds away from their nest".

"It's like a joke, really," he said.

"Even for me as a nest researcher, these are the craziest bird nests I've ever seen."

source: https://news.sky.com/story/birds-have-l ... s-12919522
Jul 12th, 2023, 4:05 pm

Twitter @HgwrtzExprss
Join Mobilism Discord server to get instant updates on contests: https://discord.gg/JqD2wAWSGw

Image
Jul 12th, 2023, 7:44 pm
A wedding dress restorer brings new life to more than 150 years of history

Image

On a spring day in Oakland, California, under the beams of a Victorian-age mansion, Karen Tierney stood surrounded by centuries of history. Tierney is a professional dressmaker and textile restorer, and had gathered 12 of her clients to model wedding dresses sewed or restored by Tierney’s own hand. Some of the creations dated back to the 1800s, and others were handmade to evoke the age of Lord Byron and Jane Austen – or whatever style and era a bride could dream of.

The April fashion show was held in the carriage house of an 1868 mansion that used to belong to California Gov. George Pardee, and served as a fundraiser for the property. It was also a celebration of tradition, family and more than 150 years of wedding dress history.

Tierney has been restoring wedding gowns and creating her own custom work for 18 years. She operates her business, Studio Trousseau, out of her historic home in Alameda, California. Before that, she had a successful career as a graphic designer for Adobe, followed by several years of teaching. However, Tierney’s career as a textile specialist began on the dance floor.

“While I was teaching, I had started doing vintage ballroom dancing,” Tierney told CNN. “I got into a dance troupe where I had to have historically accurate costumes. People loved my costumes so much they asked me to start making some for them.”

A lifelong seamstress, Tierney delved into the research and artistry of historic wedding gown and lace restoration. Such work isn’t just highly specialized, it is sometimes so specific, it could be a science. Tierney says repairing lace requires fine, sharp needles and thread as thin as a spider’s web.

Image

“Then, there’s everything that goes under a dress to make its shape. I once had to make type of crinoline (a stiff, cage-like undergarment worn under a skirt) called a ‘elliptical’ crinoline that required 40 yards of wire boning,” she said. “It was quite a feat of engineering.”

Interestingly enough, Tierney found the practicality of her graphic design skills – the problem solving, a tendency toward perfection – served her well in this new pursuit.

When it comes to emotionally charged fashion, wedding gowns likely take the cake. Tierney said she’s been honored to work on dresses that have been donned by multiple generations of one family. One dress she restored was on its 11th wearer.

“Families love being involved in the process. They love to see it come alive. And I love the fact that these people care so much about these dresses, they are honoring their past. They’re very, very sentimental about them. There is a lot of trust involved.”

That may mean taking the entire thing apart and repairing it piece by piece, like Tierney did with one wedding gown dating back to 1894. Some clients request original, custom-designed historical pieces that Tierney calls fantasy gowns.

Whatever the project, it’s something that takes a lot of time and care.

“Sometimes, when I receive a dress for restoration, I just put it on a dress form and look at it for a few days, deciding how to solve the problem.”

Historical wedding dress restoration is a highly specialized industry, and Tierney said she has deep, trusting relationships with many of her clients. So when Tierney was invited to show some of her creations for April’s fundraising fashion show, she cast a net far and wide to bring some of her creations together.

“I contacted the brides and and everybody responded very positively,” she said. “I got one gown from Maine, one from Montana, one from Oregon, and a couple from Southern California. They were sent in from all over the place.”

All of the usual work came next; the fittings, the extreme measures to protect the precious gowns from wear and tear while hanging in the carriage house’s designated “backstage.”

“I thought there were going to be about 50 people. That’s what the organizer said,” Tierney said of the attendees. “But then there were 75. Then 100, 120, 150 people until the place was full.”

Image

One by one, the creations floated by: An 1865 top hand-crocheted in Ireland, fitted over a flowing, dove-gray backless gown. A confection of linen and lace that survived the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Pink taffeta adorned with fabric flowers, an original creation in the style of an 1868 reception dress. Among the models were a mother and her two daughters, wearing restorations and remakes showing off different eras: The bright white and lace cap sleeves of the 1960s, an ivory corset from 1883, and a draping, bias-cut silhouette from the 1930s.

Tierney says the people who lent their dresses to the show were thrilled to see them appreciated in a different light. And Tierney, who has spent a lifetime learning, creating and evolving, got to witness a new appreciation of her craft.

“I love making things,” she said. “And more, I love making things beautiful again.”
Jul 12th, 2023, 7:44 pm

Image
Jul 13th, 2023, 12:25 am
Lonely Birthday Boy Receives Big Surprise When Convoy of 40 Truckers Come to Parade Him Through Town

Image

Oliver Johnson turned 8 years old yesterday in his home in New Zealand. Lonely by nature, his mother had just the idea of what might cheer him up.

Young Oliver is obsessed with trucks. He knows the name of every truck, every truck manufacturer, and every trucking company, and his mom Katherine offered $50 to anyone who would come give him a ride in their big rig for his big day.

Katherine hoped one truck driver would take up the offer, but instead, Barry Hart, owner of Hart Haulage Trucking, decided to take it two steps further and organize a whole convoy.

Then it got almost out of hand, with 40 truck drivers signing up to be part of the Oliver Johnson convoy.

“Every one of these truckies that are doing this, and there are probably 10 trucks at least that are coming from Auckland, those guys, it will cost them $500-600 to get that truck down there, do their thing, and go away, and not one of them is asking for anything,” Hart told the NZ Herald.

Scheduled for Yesterday, (Sunday, July 9th), so many signed up that Hart had to organize the convoy like a parade, and call authorities to help manage traffic. He said he saw a boy who felt like he needed some friends around him, and he couldn’t do any less.

Katherine has heard from other members of her community who donated a birthday cake and their best wishes to her son.

“I would like to say a massive thank you from the bottom of my – and my husband’s – heart and for giving up your time,” she said. “[I] just can’t get over the community… how wonderful everybody’s been.”

A follow-up by the NZ Herald found Ollie on Cloud 9 for his special celebration, which included best wishes from heavy machinery giant Isuzu.

Image
Jul 13th, 2023, 12:25 am

Image
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:09 am
'Airborne' elephant dangles from a crane by its feet in award-winning photo

By Aimee Gabay

"Translocations have come to symbolize the mixed feelings I have about our relationship with the natural world," photographer Marcus Westberg said.

Image
Airborne by Marcus Westberg, winner of the Change Makers: Reason for Hope category in the Environmental Photography Awards. (Image credit: Marcus Westberg)


As conservationists look on, an elephant is dramatically hoisted feet-first into the air by a truck, its long trunk dangling down towards the ground.

The stunning shot is one of the winners of this year's Environmental Photography Award — the third annual photo contest hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Photographer Marcus Westberg, who observed the chaotic scene in Malawi's Liwonde National Park, was named winner of the Change Makers: Reason for Hope category.

Human settlements are increasingly overlapping with elephant habitats, resulting in problems for both elephants and people. In Liwonde National Park, elephant numbers have risen to almost 600 in the last eight years as a result of better law enforcement and security. The local population, which was increasing at a rate of 10% each year, had been spotted raiding crops in nearby villages. Translocation — in which the animals are moved to a different area away from people — is one solution to mitigate conflict in surrounding villages.

In 2022, after three years of planning, the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks and wildlife translocation specialists Conservation Solutions relocated 263 elephants 220 miles (350 kilometers) from Liwonde in the south of the country to Kasungu National Park in the northwest.

Image
The full image of Marcus Westberg's winning photograph. (Image credit: Marcus Westberg)

Conservationists identified a suitable herd, darted the animals with tranquilizers from helicopters, and then placed them in trucks using cranes. Meanwhile, a team of specialists worked quickly on the ground, monitoring the elephants' health to ensure their safety.

Although translocation of wild elephants has become common, there are still many difficulties that need to be managed throughout the process, such as the risk of elephants falling or hurting themselves or their calves. Some elephants may have underlying health problems that are not immediately obvious, such as heart conditions, and these can be exacerbated by the general anesthetic that is administered for the translocation. The process can also pose a risk to humans — three men were killed by the elephants after they were relocated because of an unfinished fence, the Guardian reports.

In Malawi, protected areas are fragmented, meaning the rising elephant population can no longer migrate naturally. By moving some of the animals from areas with large populations to areas where there are fewer elephants, experts can safeguard populations and protect the needs of communities.
"Translocations have come to symbolize the mixed feelings I have about our relationship with the natural world," Westberg said in a statement emailed to Live Science.

"On the one hand, they are an essential tool for strengthening endangered wildlife populations, bringing them back to areas from where they have disappeared. So, they are worth celebrating. On the other hand, they are only necessary because we have relentlessly destroyed habitats, blocked migration corridors and hunted wild animals to the brink of extinction."
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:09 am
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:39 am
Wanted: Authorities on the lookout for adorable surfboard-hijacking sea otter menacing Santa Cruz surfers
Wildlife experts trying to capture aggressive critter known as Otter 841

Image
Local officials call this female sea otter 841, raised in captivity, the otter has been climbing aboard and commandeering surfer’s boards as they wait for waves at various Santa Cruz beaches. (Photo by Mark Woodward/Native Santa Cruz)

Surfers, y’otter watch out.

A sea otter with a mean streak has been aggressively hijacking surfboards in the Santa Cruz area, authorities warn, and they’re scrambling to capture it before things get ugly.

That’s right, a sea otter — the impossibly cute, playful, beagle-sized fur-balls once hunted to near extinction for their luxuriously thick pelts that frolic in the water to the delight of millions of aquarium visitors a year.

It turns out these wild animals can be, well, wild. They also have sharp teeth and a bite force said to equal that of a 600-pound black bear, all to gnaw through the tough shells of the crabs and sea urchins they eat.

“While there have been no confirmed reports of injury, due to the highly unusual behavior of this otter, kayakers, surfers, and others recreating in the area should not approach the otter or encourage the otter’s interactions,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a straight-faced statement Wednesday.

And at Santa Cruz’s Cowell Beach, where the mellow summer waves are popular with longboard surfers and surfing schools, a sign posted on the stairwell down to the water carries a similar warning under an image of the innocent-looking creature: “Aggressive sea otter in this area. Enter the water at your own risk.”

That didn’t deter Ken McMullen from enjoying a morning surf with his teenage son and daughter.

“You see them out there all the time,” McMullen, 54, of Capitola, said of the critters after leaving the water unmolested. “They’re usually really friendly. You do your thing, they do their thing.”

Perhaps he was just lucky. Mark Woodward, a local photographer who posts his work on Twitter under @NativeSantaCruz, said he was surprised to see the creature approach a surf club in the water on June 18, hopping atop a riders’ board and refusing to get off.



“I thought it was a unique one-off,” Woodward said. “But now there’s been three incidents that I’ve captured in the last three days.”

Although some surfers he photographed seemed to enjoy the otter’s antics, others were a little freaked out. None of them was injured, but the otter damaged at least one surfboard, and Woodward said the encounters he witnessed were “scary.”

“These animals look cute and cuddly, but they are extremely strong and vicious when they want to be,” Woodward said. “Surfers are coming out of the water terrified.”

In one viral video posted on Instagram by Joon Lee, the creature can be seen mounting the back end of his surfboard, biting into it and chasing him off the front end. He tried to discourage it by flipping the board over, but the otter continued trying to climb on it. Lee posted photos of deep bite marks in the board afterward.

“Had an interesting weekend,” Lee deadpanned in his Instagram post.

The rogue otter is believed — based on a distinctive identification tag — to be Otter 841, a 5-year-old female with a tragic family history of rescue and relapse.

A Santa Cruz surfer had found her mother, Otter 723, abandoned in 2016 as a seven-week old pup. Wildlife officials took her to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where she was cared for and released back into the wild the following year, said aquarium spokesman Kevin Connor.

But Otter 723 was seen approaching kayakers, paddle boarders and boaters, some of whom had fed her squid and other fishing bait, Connor said. So she was recaptured in 2018 and found to be pregnant. She was taken to an otter research center at the University of California-Santa Cruz, where she gave birth to Otter 841 — our feisty gal, he said.

Both animals then were sent to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Once Otter 841 was weened, she was released into the ocean, Connor said. Her mother, Otter 723, was sent down to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, where she’s now known as Millie, he said.

But it wasn’t long before Otter 841 developed a rap sheet of her own. In the late summer 2021, Connor said, she was seen pestering kayakers and boaters.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said she was also seen with a pup of her own in May 2022. By September of that year, she was showing aggressive behavior toward surfers and boaters.

State wildlife authorities and aquarium experts “hazed” the troubled Otter 841 to discourage her from interacting with people, and there were no further incidents reported for the remainder of the year.

Apparently, the reform effort didn’t take. Now, she’s back, and authorities say this time Otter 841’s days in the wild are over. Like her mother, once they capture her, she’s headed back to captivity for good.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said that “due to the increasing public safety risk,” a team of state wildlife officials and Monterey Bay Aquarium experts “has been deployed to attempt to capture and rehome her.” The sea otter will be examined by experienced veterinary staff at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Then federal and state wildlife officials will work with Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions “to find a long-term home for the otter.”

There are now about 3,000 southern sea otters since they were protected under the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s as well as the Marine Mammal Protection Act and California state law. Connor said captive breeding of sea otters is prohibited, and all aquarium exhibit otters are rescue animals that wildlife authorities say cannot live in the wild.

Wildlife authorities and aquarium staff go to great lengths to avoid letting otters develop attachments to people or associating them with food, Connor said. To feed captive otters intended for release, they wear shapeless black ponchos and welding masks.

Woodward, whose images posted to social media drew widespread attention to the otter incidents, said Otter 841’s return to captivity is probably for the best.

“It hasn’t hurt anybody yet, but we’re afraid that’s going to be the next step,” Woodward said. “If she ends up biting someone, she’ll probably end up being destroyed.”
Local officials call this female sea otter 841, raised in captivity, the otter has been climbing aboard and commandeering surfer's boards as they wait for waves at various Santa Cruz beaches.
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:39 am
Jul 13th, 2023, 3:11 am
Chinese Farmer Claims to Have Created Half-Melon Half-Watermelon Hybrid Fruit
062123*

A Chinese farmer claims to have successfully created a hybrid fruit that allows people to enjoy the taste of both melon and watermelon in equal measure.

A 40-something watermelon farmer from Fuyang, in China’s Anhui province, referred to only as Mr. A by Chinese news outlets recently lit up Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, with photos of a strange-looking fruit that he claimed was half-melon and half-watermelon. He had apparently documented his efforts to create a melon-watermelon hybrid for a while, but last week he posted the fruits of his labor on Weibo, claiming that he had finally achieved success after several failed attempts. The unusual fruits look like watermelons growing on top of melons, which he claims allows people to enjoy the taste of both fruits at the same time.

Image
“I have made several new attempts to transplant melon seeds into watermelon seeds, but this time I finally succeeded. It is possible,” Mr A recently wrote on Weibo.

Although the fruits shown in the photos and videos doing the rounds on Chinese social media are about the size of a human fist, thus still in development, they have already captured the imagination of millions, many of whom have expressed their excitement in the comments. However, seeing as this is still a work in progress, expectations should be held in check.

Image

Despite boasting about his achievement, Mr. A himself admitted that the process still needs perfecting, as the results are not always as planned.

“Some of the modified varieties planted in the field grew exactly half the watermelon and melon as expected. However, others were 10% watermelon and 90% melon,” the Chinese farmer wrote.

Image

For more extreme hybridization, check out this unique tree that produces 40 different fruits.
Jul 13th, 2023, 3:11 am
Jul 13th, 2023, 11:22 am
Ancient windcatchers in Iran give architects cooling inspiration
Tall chimney catches breeze, channelling it into house, displacing warm air that is then expelled through windcatcher

Image

Electricity consumption rises with the temperature as people turn on air conditioners in the summer. But many homes in Iran are still built with a simple but effective cooling device known as a windcatcher, which requires no electricity and dates back centuries.

A windcatcher looks like a tall, decorative chimney, usually with two or more open sides. It catches the breeze that blows well above ground level and channels it down into the house below. This displaces warm air that is expelled through the opposite face of the windcatcher. In some designs the incoming air blows over water, providing further cooling. Studies show that this simple design can reduce the temperature inside a building by 8C to 12C.

Even in the complete absence of wind, a windcatcher acts as a solar chimney: warm air rises through it, drawing down cooler air into the building from the other side.

Nobody knows how far back windcatchers date. Ancient Egyptian art depicts what might be windcatchers from more than 3,000 years ago, but some scholars maintain that structures found on the remains of a Persian temple are the oldest genuine windcatchers.

Now architects are taking another look at windcatchers, redesigning them with computer-aided tools for maximum environmentally friendly cooling and ventilation.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nspiration
Jul 13th, 2023, 11:22 am

Book request - The Mad Patagonian by Javier Pedro Zabala [25000 WRZ$] Reward!
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=5412023
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:08 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
THURSDAY JULY 13

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 13th, 2023, 2:08 pm

Image
Image
Online
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:10 pm
Man finds ‘small fortune’ buried on his farm

A lucky man has discovered a “small fortune” buried in the dirt at his farm after unearthing more than 800 rare gold coins.

A Kentucky man has discovered a “small fortune” buried in the dirt at his rural farm after unearthing more than 800 Civil War-era coins potentially worth more than a million dollars.

The stunning treasure trove has been dubbed the “Great Kentucky Hoard” and includes hundreds of US gold pieces dating to between 1840 and 1863.

In a short video released by collectable coin seller GovMint, the man — whose identity and specific location have not been made public — says: “This is the most insane thing ever. Those are all $1 gold coins, $20 gold coins, $10 gold coins,” as he aims his camera at the artefacts lodged in the dirt.

GovMint described his find as the “discovery of a lifetime”.

Image
The Great Kentucky Hoard.

According to the Numismatic Guaranty Co (NGC), which certified the coins’ authenticity, and GovMint, where the coins were sold, 95 per cent of the hoard consisted of gold dollars, known as $1 Gold Indians, along with 20 $10 Gold Liberty coins and eight $20 Gold Liberty coins.

The rarest is the 1863-P $20 1-ounce gold Liberty coin. Just one of these coins can sell for six figures at auction — the Great Kentucky Hoard boasts 18 of them.

Image
The 800+ coins after they were authenticated.

NGC’s website notes that the $20 Liberty coin, which circulated from 1850 to 1907, was minted by the Treasury Department after gold was discovered in California. The $20 Liberty coins found on the man’s property are even rarer because they do not include the words “In God We Trust,” which was added in 1866 after the end of the Civil War.

NGC also noted “several interesting varieties and errors (that) were also discovered”, which can make a rare coin even more valuable. One of the most sought after coins in US history is a 1943 Lincoln Penny that appeared entirely by accident after a handful of coins were accidentally made from copper.

Image
An 1863 $20 gold coin and an 1861 $1 with a mint error, found in the hoard.

Rare coin dealer Jeff Garrett, who was brought in to handle the Great Kentucky Hoard, said it was a “virtual time capsule of Civil War-era coinage”.

As well as providing an unexpected fortune to the rural farmer, the coins also shed light on a troubled period of American history when the newly independent country was embroiled in civil war.

Kentucky was a neutral border state between the north and south, which meant residents frequently found themselves torn between the warring sides.

Many wealthy Kentuckians are rumoured to have buried huge sums of money to prevent them from being stolen by militaries.

In 1872, James Langstaff left a letter saying he had buried $20,000 worth of gold coins on his property in Paducah, Kentucky, while fellow Kentuckian William Pettit buried $80,000 worth of gold coins near Lexington. According to LiveScience, neither of these bounties have been recovered — though, unlike in many countries, Americans aren’t required to report historic finds discovered on private property.
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:10 pm

Image
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:15 pm
NASA Celebrates ‘One Year of Science’ From Webb Telescope with Jaw-Dropping Image

Image

It’s been a long and successful year for the James Webb Space Telescope, and to mark the anniversary of its entry into service, NASA has shown off Webb’s vibrant picture of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.

“From our cosmic backyard in the solar system to distant galaxies near the dawn of time, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered on its promise of revealing the universe like never before in its first year of science operations,” NASA stated.

The first-anniversary image displays star birth “like it’s never been seen before,” full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth.

“It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you’d never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up,” boast NASA. “Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disk, the makings of future planetary systems.”

Two critical differences single out the JWST as such a remarkable machine: the first is that it sees into infrared light—a spectrum which the human eye cannot see, and the second is that it orbits the second LaGrange Point a million miles from Earth, removing any light pollution of our world from diluting its imagery.

It’s made some important discoveries and snapped some incredible photographs. From our own solar system, Webb has clarified details on Jupiter, such as the planet’s minuscule rings, as well as the Jovian aurorae, on Neptune where the telescope was able to clearly image the planet’s rings and moons together for the first time, and from Saturn where it was able to gather exquisite data on the effect of methane clouds in Saturn’s atmosphere.

Webb has also been studying Saturn’s moons and managed to record a plume of water erupting from the surface of the ocean world Enceladus that was 6,000 miles long.

Outside the solar system, the JWST has taken amazing photos of the oldest galaxies ever found, created just 500 million years after the Big Bang, of an exploding star in the constellation Cassiopeia, and also lent a hand to a European effort to study X-ray light in the universe with a 4-panel mosaic of technological artwork.

“In just one year, the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed humanity’s view of the cosmos, peering into dust clouds and seeing light from faraway corners of the universe for the very first time,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Every new image is a new discovery, empowering scientists around the globe to ask and answer questions they once could never dream of.”

“Thousands of engineers, scientists, and leaders poured their life’s passion into this mission, and their efforts will continue to improve our understanding of the origins of the universe—and our place in it.”
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:15 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
Image
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:18 pm
WORKSHOP DISCOVERED IN FORMER WARSAW GHETTO

Image

Archaeological works in the area of the former Warsaw Ghetto in Warsaw, Poland, have led to the discovery of a completely preserved workshop.
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II. It was established in November 1940 by the German authorities, housing as many as 460,000 imprisoned Jews in an area of 3.4 km2.

During the summer of 1942, the Nazi’s initiated the “Großaktion Warschau”, a codename for the transportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to concentration camps and mass-killing centres. The ghetto was demolished by the Germans in May 1943 in response to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the largest single revolt by Jews during World War II.

Excavations in the area of present-day Anielewicza Street at the former site of 33 Gęsia Street have uncovered a completely preserved workshop. The workshop dealt with the production of cutlery, decorations and emblems for the needs of the pre-war inhabitants of the district, as well as during the war – as evidenced by the discovery of cutlery with the image of the German eagle.

Michał Grabowski, an archaeologist involved in the excavations said: This discovery is unique because the workshop is almost completely preserved. The wooden floor and the bases of the machines are preserved.”

Beneath the wooden floor, archaeologists uncovered packaging of pre-war Makówki sweets, part of a book, and a fragment of the badge worn by employees of the Fiat factory that opened in 1935. The researchers also found badges from the Dror, a Jewish organisation that helped prepare young people leaving for Palestine, and whose members joined the resistance movement and took part in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Jul 13th, 2023, 2:18 pm
Jul 13th, 2023, 3:56 pm
Mail delivery suspended in Texas neighborhood due to dive-bombing hawk



Mail delivery has been temporarily suspended to a Texas neighborhood due to a dive-bombing hawk that has been targeting postal workers -- and anyone else who goes outside.

Residents of Milam Place and Kenwood Avenue in the Travis Heights neighborhood of Austin said they have recently been forced to keep an eye on the sky to avoid being struck in the head by the bird.

"My brother was on a run, and he thought I punched him in the back of the head, which I haven't done in 15 years," Alfred Del Barrio told KTBC-TV. "I've always been able to dodge it. I just kind of like go underneath my awning or run into my car."

The U.S. Postal Service recently informed residents they would have to retrieve their mail from South Congress Post Office for the time being.

"The Postal Service always strives to provide the best possible service; however, the safety of our employees and customers is our priority," officials wrote in a statement.

Wildlife biologist Blake Hendon with the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife said the hawk is likely protecting its young.

"This is the time of year that they have constructed nests earlier in the season. They've laid eggs. And now at this point in time in the season, they are raising their young," he said.

He said the hawk's aggression should subside once the newly hatched birds are large enough to fly off, usually about six to seven weeks.

src: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/07/12 ... 689193495/
Jul 13th, 2023, 3:56 pm

Twitter @HgwrtzExprss
Join Mobilism Discord server to get instant updates on contests: https://discord.gg/JqD2wAWSGw

Image
Jul 13th, 2023, 5:21 pm
To fertility and beyond: AI-powered IVF will increase pregnancy success rates

Image

This is the new frontier for fertility.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to help fertility doctors choose the most ideal embryos during in vitro fertilization — resulting in more healthy pregnancies.

“IVF is one of the most important medical developments in the last 50 years, but it’s not good enough,” the CEO and co-founder of AIVF, Daniella Gilboa told Fox News Digital.

“Success rates are about 23% to 25% across all age groups, which means only one in five result in pregnancy,” she added.

Over recent years, there has been more demand for the costly fertility treatment, which can cost upwards of $30,000 for a single cycle, driven by more women freezing their eggs to focus on their careers, Gilboa said.

But the industry can’t seem to keep up.

“In the US, only 20% of the need is served, which means 80% of those women are giving up on the dream of having a child,” the embryologist said.
Microscope holding petri dish of fertilizing eggIVF is an option for those who struggle to get pregnant on their own, but is often costly and can require multiple attempts.

see also
First babies made with ‘sperm robot’ are born, potentially lowering IVF costs

Israel-based AIVF’s cutting-edge embryo evaluation software can detect certain features that contribute to genetic abnormalities, gender or implantation odds.

Those microscopic details, Gilboa said, “can’t be seen with the human eye.”

Without the use of AI, traditional clinicians have been tasked with guessing which embryo will be most viable.

“Imagine if you’re an embryologist, looking at multiple embryos in a hectic lab environment, and you have to decide which one has the best potential to become a baby,” Gilboa continued.

“You might have eight, 10 or 12 embryos that all look the same — and you have to make that crucial decision, sometimes by yourself. It’s basically you and the embryos under the microscope.”

Not only will AI “reduce uncertainties and produce clear, accurate information,” but it will also speed up embryo evaluation. Such efficiency means increasing demands for IVF have the potential to be met.

Clinics that have purchased AIVF’s software have seen a 30% increase in success rates, Gilboa claimed.

“With traditional IVF, it takes an average of three to five treatments to achieve pregnancy — but with AIVF, the average is 1.6 treatments,” she claimed.

The Post has reached out to AIVF for comment.

Gilboa’s team is not alone in their new-age fertility efforts.

Fairtility, a software developing company, has also created a smart assistant dubbed Chloe EQ, which can be utilized in laboratories to choose optimal embryos for IVF success.

Sperm in a test tube“With traditional IVF, it takes an average of three to five treatments to achieve pregnancy — but with AIVF, the average is 1.6 treatments,” Gilboa claimed.

The companies’ impressive developments coincide with the rapid growth of AI software around the globe.

ChatGPT’s rise to popularity and shocking artificial intellect took the internet by storm, while the new-age tech has been utilized as a breakthrough tool in healthcare, detecting medical conditions from cavities and gum disease to breast and brain cancers.

Amid fears that AI will drive unemployment, Gilboa assured AIVF’s intention is not to pry jobs away from embryologists, but rather act as an imperative tool for decision-making.

“At the end of the day, the human makes the decision, not the AI,” she said. “It’s just a tool that helps the clinician evaluate the embryos, consult with the patient and provide better IVF care.”

“It’s not ‘humans versus AI’ — it’s ‘humans with AI.'”

https://nypost.com/2023/07/12/to-fertil ... ess-rates/
Jul 13th, 2023, 5:21 pm
Jul 13th, 2023, 5:31 pm
Mexican company creates 1,429.47-pound marshmallow

Image

A Mexican candy company earned a Guinness World Record by creating a massive marshmallow weighing more than a grand piano.

Dulces Mazapán de la Rosa created the marshmallow outdoors at Plaza Fundadores in Guadalajara as part of celebrations surrounding the state of Jalisco's 200th anniversary.

The company said it took a team of about 100 people around 53 hours to prepare the giant, fluffy treat.

The marshmallow weighed in at 1,429.47 pounds, more than a 1,058-pound Steinway D274 grand piano, Guinness World Records said.

A GWR adjudicator was on hand to verify the colossal confection beat the previous record of 205.25 pounds, set by Britain's Berkhamsted School in 2019.
Jul 13th, 2023, 5:31 pm

Image

Believe me, you are someone's crush. Yes, you are!