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Jul 13th, 2023, 6:58 pm
Toronto man, 36, in 'complete disbelief' after finding ultra-rare card



A Toronto man says he's in "complete disbelief" after finding an ultra-rare and extremely valuable collectable card.

The One Ring is a collectible card created for the tabletop, deckbuilding game “Magic: The Gathering” (MTG), as part of the recently released collection honouring the “The Lord of the Rings” series.

What makes this particular card so special – the one trading card that debatably rules them all – is that it is the only one to be printed in the Black Speech of Sauron using Tengwar letterforms, which is one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional languages in the hit series.

“There’s only one in existence, this is something very new for Magic: The Gathering,” Jeff MacDougall, manager of 401 Games, told NEWSTALK1010.

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Gaming companies worldwide have publicly declared bounties to become the bearers of The One Ring. Dave and Adam’s Card World, a New York-based collectibles shop, placed a US$1-million bounty (or roughly $1.3 million Canadian) for the card, while Spanish-based store Gremio de Dragones offered two million euros (roughly $2.9 million Canadian).

WHO FOUND THE CARD?
The card owner has chosen to remain anonymous, but in a statement to CTV News Toronto provided by marketing and PR firm, Notable Group, they said the person is a cashier and forklift operator living in Toronto.

The elusive trading card-bearer said he has been playing MTG ever since he was a kid.

While he kicked the hobby when he went to university, he says he picked it back up a few years ago.

He said he had pre-ordered the collector’s box and was set to pick it up on June 17.

“But, for some reason, I woke up early on June 16 and decided to head to the store when it opened,” the statement reads, adding he went to Face to Face Games in Toronto.

“I was the first one in. I asked if they had any collector boxes for sale, and they said they had a few left. So, I bought two. I opened the extra boxes at home, and there it was, in the sixth pack of the second box!”

When he saw the card, he said he was “in complete disbelief.”

“My hands were shaking, and my heart was racing. I knew it was a life-changing moment,” the statement reads.

Matthew Schmaltz Tziritas, general manager of Face to Face Games, told CTV News Toronto the anonymous card owner is a regular at the store.

“I’m happy that one of our customers, [that] someone in Canada got it. He seems like a really nice guy,” Tziritas said.

“All around I’m happy. I’m very happy that it’s out in the public because it’s been quite a few weeks that we’ve had to sort of keep the secret.”

‘YOU CAN JUST FEEL ITS SIGNIFICANCE’
Few knew The One Ring was drawn in mid-June, including MAXimum Cards and Collectibles co-owner James Hammond, who told CTV News Toronto he found out through the card owner’s cousin the following day, as he is a regular at the store.

“We were just advising him on next steps until legal representation, and after that we kind of stepped back and are just watching all of the stories,” he said.

Everyone else found out on June 30, after its authentication was announced.

Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the largest third party grading service according to its website, announced it graded the card that day.

“The One Ring is found, authenticated, and now rules them all,” PSA said in a tweet.

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The card was graded a Mint 9, which is second highest on the grading scale, meaning it is in superb condition that shows only minor flaws, like a minor printing imperfection for example.

“There were fakes being released on the Internet, so no one would have believed it was real without authentication,” the card owner said. “When you see it and hold it, you can just feel its significance.”

He says he plans to sell the card, adding he is still receiving and reviewing offers.

Before The One Ring, the most expensive Magic card was Black Lotus, one of which was purchased by musician Post Malone for $800,000.

“It’s amazing to see how much joy and wonder this has brought to others in the community,” the card owner said.
Jul 13th, 2023, 6:58 pm

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Jul 14th, 2023, 2:33 am
Woman Who Lost Eye As Baby Wears Glitter Eyeballs to Own Her Difference

By Andy Corbley

July 13, 2023

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Rachel Mayta – via SWNS

Rachel Mayta was just 18 months old when her doctor spotted a white glow in her eye which led to her retinoblastoma diagnosis, or cancer of the eye.

The cancer was so advanced doctors made the choice to remove her eye in a two-hour operation, but far from donning an eyepatch and feeling sorry for herself, she filled a prosthetic eye with glitter to create an unforgettable persona, and now helps others “own” their difference.

Rachel grew up without any concern for the missing eye, but after surgery in her 20s made the prosthetic eye more apparent, she began to lose her confidence a little. As an eventual remedy, she began to look for fun or creative prosthetics, rather like a quirky piece of jewelry, to transform her disability into a bit of “bling.”

“They are full bling,” said Rachel from Portland, Oregon of her more than 20 fake eyes. “I just get to focus on being me rather than looking normal.”

One day, Rachel, who hadn’t thought to wear glittery or glow-in-the-dark eyeballs, met a little girl who also had been diagnosed with retinoblastoma.

“I knew I never wanted her to feel the way I was feeling about myself; I thought—‘why am I allowing myself to feel that way?’” she said.

That’s when she got the idea to find someone who would make her a gold eye—instead of a regular-looking prosthetic, since there was no movement in her eye anyway and it was always quickly noticed to be a fake.

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Rachel Mayta / SWNS

“I had a gold crystal one and one with holographic mirrors,” she said. “I had a brand new one made for my bachelorette party that looks like a turquoise stone.”

Rachel set up a Facebook group called ‘One-eyed and Wonderful’ and began connecting with others who had one eye like her, as well as hosting fundraisers to buy fun fake eyes for people who want them.

She also helps raise awareness for retinoblastoma in children and helps educate people on the early signs of the disease.

She set up the fun eye fund with her ocularist Christina King and between them have helped fund 43 eyes.

“For every $500 raised we get one prosthetic made,” she says. “I want others to see they are not alone, and it is something to be proud of. Own the fact you are different.”
Jul 14th, 2023, 2:33 am
Jul 14th, 2023, 2:41 am
Former Nebraska missile silo for sale after YouTuber renovation
By Ben Hooper




July 12 (UPI) -- An unusual home for sale in Nebraska was formerly a missile silo before being remodeled by a popular YouTuber.

Andrew Flair, the influencer behind the FLAIR channel on YouTube, bought the former nuclear silo for $550,000 in 2022, and spent 45 days transforming it into an underground home.

Flair, who chronicled the space's transformation in a YouTube video, added a full kitchen and 3/4 bath

to the bunker, as well as luxury vinyl plank flooring, a movie theater screen, a popcorn machine and a foosball table.

"I wanted to sell it as a turnkey, 'You could literally live down there if you wanted to property,'" Flair told KHGI-TV.

The home is now being listed for $750,000 by Polly and Mike Figueroa.

"Here's an opportunity to own a piece of cold-war military history and the ultimate survivalist retreat, weekend escape or perhaps an Airbnb," the listing states.

The Figueroas said they have already received multiple calls about the property.
Read More
Jul 14th, 2023, 2:41 am
Jul 14th, 2023, 4:46 am
Inmate Has Sentence Reduced by Over 4 Years for Executing 26 Fellow Inmates
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An inmate in Bangladesh sparked controversy in his own country after being released four years and four months earlier for hanging 26 people during his time in prison.

in 1991, Shahjahan Bhuiyan was sentenced to 42 years in prison for murder, but he served four years and four months less by carrying out executions of 26 fellow inmates during his time in prison. The 74-year-old man received two months’ commutation for each execution, which, coupled with his good behavior and other aspects, shortened his sentence by almost a decade. Shahjahan became a hangman at Dhaka Central Prison in 2001, after informing prison officials that he knew how to handle a rope. Bangladesh is one of the few countries in the world that carries out death sentences by hanging, so Shahjahan Bhuiyan’s skills were valued highly.

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“I had a good time,” Bhuiyan told reporters as he exited Dhaka Central Prison. “I served a prison term for a long time, but the authorities ensured my comfort and honored me.”

Among the man’s victims during his stint as executioner were Islamist leader Ali Ahsan Mujahid, Siddique Islam, known as Bangla Bhai, an Islamist leader of the banned Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh organization, and military officers found guilty of plotting a 1975 coup and of assassinating Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding leader.



“If I didn’t hang them, someone else would have, Shahjahan explained. “Even if I feel sympathy for them, as a convict, I have to do it. I did not order the hangings, the State ordered me to do it.”

With no family to return to and no home to call his own, the man nicknamed ‘Jallad’ (executioner), said that he would go live with a former inmate that he had befriended in prison.
Jul 14th, 2023, 4:46 am
Jul 14th, 2023, 11:59 am
‘Hugely exciting and rare’: Neolithic polishing stone found in Dorset
‘Polissoir’, discovered in Valley of Stones nature reserve, was used about 5,000 years ago to hone tools such as axes

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At first glance it looked like nothing more than a rugged boulder jumbled among many others on the floor of a valley in the West Country.

But a smooth, glossy dip in the stone indicated that it was something very special – a vanishingly rare “polissoir”, or polishing stone, used 5,000 years ago by Neolithic people to hone tools such as axes.

Discovered in the Valley of Stones national nature reserve in Dorset, it is only the second polissoir found “earthfast” – stuck firmly into the earth in its original position – in England.

The polissoir was found by chance as volunteers cleared scrub to expose sarsen stones that had been hidden by vegetation over the decades.

Anne Teather and Jim Rylatt, directors of Past Participate CIC a non-profit company that helps people find out more about local heritage, were working in another part of the valley when they decided to stroll over to see how they were getting on.

Rylatt got there first and saw the boulder. “It’s a relatively unprepossessing boulder on one side,” he said. But then he flicked away some leaves and found the shiny, polished area. “It’s safe to say I was surprised. The only other one found in situ in England was found in the 1960s at Fyfield Down [in Wiltshire].”

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Rylatt said he enjoyed thinking of the work that had gone on there so long ago. “There are more imposing stones here but this one ticked the boxes for them. They must have spent many hundreds, thousands of hours polishing here.”

It may be that this was a work area rather than a living one. “There may have been people doing other things here, processing animal skins perhaps, cutting up meat to make dinner.”

Teather said the polissoir was close to an ancient routeway. “You can imagine people coming to the stone to polish axes. This was not necessarily a place of settlement but a place people came to and moved through.”

She had been joking that if anyone found a polissoir she would buy them a bottle of whisky. “I maintain that Jim got to the spot because he has longer legs than me.” She has bought him a Scottish single malt to celebrate the find.

Stone axes were used by the early farming people of the Neolithic to clear woodland and build houses and monuments. The axes were made of various raw materials such as flint, volcanic tuff and granite.

There is evidence that many stone axes were moved around widely in prehistoric times, possibly traded as part of exchange systems or carried by their owners from distant sources where the stone was quarried.

After the discovery of the polissoir, the area around the stone has been subject to excavation and specialist analysis to see if any traces of the makers of the stone axes are still present.

Sasha Chapman, inspector of ancient monuments at Historic England, said: “This is a hugely exciting and rare discovery in this little understood historic landscape, which is giving us an opportunity to explore the use of the stone, and the communities who were using it.”

Polissoirs can be earthfast or portable with many found in France – hence the name.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... -in-dorset
Jul 14th, 2023, 11:59 am

Book request - The Mad Patagonian by Javier Pedro Zabala [25000 WRZ$] Reward!
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=5412023
Jul 14th, 2023, 2:08 pm
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I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
FRIDAY JULY 14

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
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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 14th, 2023, 2:08 pm

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Jul 14th, 2023, 2:08 pm
‘Revolting’: Burger King Thailand shocks fans with new cheeseburger

There comes a time in all of our lives when we must confront the question: how much cheese is too much cheese? If Burger King in Thailand is to be believed, the limit (allegedly) does not exist.

The fast food giant – which is the international counterpart of Australia’s Hungry Jacks – has caused a stir this week with its latest offering, “The Real Cheeseburger”, a burger with no meat or condiments, and a cardiac arrest-inducing amount of American cheese (20 slices, to be exact) sandwiched inside a sesame seed bun.

It sounds almost too revolting to be real. But Burger King insisted in a social media post on Sunday – when the “burger” landed on menus – that the monstrosity is, indeed, legitimate.

“This is no joke. This is for real,” it wrote on Facebook. “The real cheeseburger is full of flavour for those who love cheese.”

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Burger King Thailand’s latest offering, ‘The Real Cheese Burger’.

Launching at a reduced price of 109 Thai baht ($4.70), The Real Cheeseburger swiftly went viral, with dozens of people flocking to Burger King for a taste after seeing it on social media.

At one branch in Bangkok, CNN reported a shift manager was overheard saying the product was so popular the outlet had to stop accepting delivery orders so they could have enough stock left for walk-in diners.

But a viral sensation does not, a delicious meal, make. Most customers who’ve tried the burger and then shared their thoughts online have struggled to make it through more than a few bites.

In a damning review of The Real Cheeseburger for Lifestyle Asia, reporter Eric E Surbano admitted that two mouthfuls “were all I could endure before chucking it into the bin”.

“It sucks … It is horrid. It isn’t really shocking that it’s bad. It’s literally burger bun, 20 slices of cheese, and burger bun. There’s no sauce,” he wrote.

“It was as revolting as you thought it would be: dry, a shock to the digestive system, and literally a thousand calories worth of unnecessary processed cheese. That’s another thing: for something called the ‘Real Cheeseburger’, there’s nothing real about any of the cheese here.”

Surbano added the experience left him wondering “why Burger King thought of this aside from the viral aspect of it”.

“Perhaps they just have a surplus of cheese lying around. Perhaps they just hate us.”

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Popular Thai travel guide and blogger, Richard Barrow, also admitted on Twitter that he “struggled eating even half of this ‘burger’”.

“A trend in #Thailand is to put cheese on literally everything. Now Burger King has joined in with the Real Cheese Burger. Though I think they forgot the meat,” he wrote.

“I love cheese but I struggled eating even half of this ‘burger’. Maybe I should grill the other half? What do you think?”

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The item consists of 20 slices of American cheese inside a bun.

Those sampling the burger in-store didn’t have anything better to say.

One customer, IT engineer Im Jeepetch, told CNN she tried the burger after seeing it on social media. Despite being a self-confessed cheese fiend, “this was a bit too much”.

“I could only finish half of it. This is an insane amount of cheese added into one burger. Food is good when things are at the right combination.”

Jeepetch said she wouldn’t order The Real Cheeseburger again.

Another diner, skincare entrepreneur Alisa Chuengviroj, agreed, telling CNN it was “too intense”.

“I may not try it again. I like a few slices of cheese in my burger but not this much.”
Jul 14th, 2023, 2:08 pm

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Jul 14th, 2023, 2:53 pm
ORNATE MARBLE HEAD FOUND IN ROME’S PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE

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Archaeologists have uncovered the head from a marble statue during excavations in Rome’s Piazza Augusto Imperatore near the corner of Via di Ripetta along the Tiber.
The discovery was made during remodelling works of the square which was created in 1937 by the Fascist regime to enhance the Mausoleum of Augustus.

The mausoleum is a large tomb built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC following his victory at the Battle of Actium. The structure is circular in plan and measures 90 metres in diameter by 42 metres in height, originally capped by a conical roof with a huge bronze statue of Augustus.

The restoration of the mausoleum was part of Mussolini’s grand restructuring of Rome to connect the aspirations of Italian Fascism with the former glories of the Roman Empire. Mussolini saw himself as intimately linked to the accomplishments of Augustus, perceiving his own persona as a “reborn Augustus,” poised to initiate a fresh era of Italian supremacy.

In January 2017, Italian authorities announced a grant from Telecom Italia (now the TIM Group) for a restoration project of the Mausoleum of Augustus, allowing it to open to the public for the first time since the 1970s.

Archaeologists excavating in the Piazza Augusto Imperatore have found a marble head depicting a woman from the Roman period. The head has female features clearly defined with details such as waves of hair, lips, nose and eyes still preserved.

Roberto Gualtieri, the incumbent Mayor of Rome, said: “Rome continues to return precious testimonies of its past: a splendid marble head, intact, has just been found during the ongoing works in Piazza Augusto Imperatore curated by Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali. Archaeologists and restorers are now busy cleaning and studying the find.”
Jul 14th, 2023, 2:53 pm
Jul 14th, 2023, 3:15 pm
Doctors Reattach 12-Year-Old Boy's Head After It Was ‘Almost Completely Disconnected’ in Bike Accident

Jerusalem boy recovering from “complicated” surgery after “extremely rare” injury, doctors reported

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A 12-year-old boy from Jerusalem, Israel is recovering after surgeons reattached his head following a bike accident that left him internally decapitated.

Suleiman Hassan’s “routine bike ride almost ended in disaster” when he “was forcefully run over by a wild driver," said the hospital in Jerusalem where the surgery took place — Hadassah Medical Center Ein Kerem — in a statement on their website.

“The injury left him with a fracture in the head and neck joint and tears in all his supporting ligaments,” they continued, adding that Hassan “was turned to Hadassa Ein Kerem by helicopter and was immediately admitted for a long and complex emergency surgery.”

“Due to the serious injury the head almost completely disconnected from the base of the neck," said Dr. Ohad Einav, a specialist orthopedist who performed the surgery on Hassan, in the statement.

Dr. Ziv Asa — another surgeon involved in the operation — said that there is typically a "50% chance of survival" for a case like Hassan’s. "Despite the serious injury — the surgery went very successfully, and Suliman was released to his home with a neck fixed and under close supervision of the hospital staff," the statement continued.

On Instagram, the hospital shared an image of Hassan with Einav and Asa following what they described in the post's caption as an "extremely rare and complex operation," where Hadassah Medical Center surgeons "reattached a 12-year-old boy’s head to his neck after a serious accident in which he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle."

The caption on the July 6 post continued, "Suleiman Hassan, from the Jordan Valley, was airlifted to Hadassah’s trauma unit in Ein Kerem, where it was determined that the ligaments holding the posterior base of his skull were severed from the top vertebrae of his spine. The condition, bilateral atlanto occipital joint dislocation, is commonly known as internal or orthopedic decapitation. The injury is very rare in adults, and even more so in children."

Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD), is also known as orthopedic decapitation or internal decapitation and occurs when ligaments and/or bony structures connecting the skull to the spine are damaged, according to a paper published in the World Journal of Orthopedics. It is a common cervical spine injury in motor vehicle accident deaths.

“We fought for the boy’s life,” Einav told The Times of Israel. “The procedure itself is very complicated and took several hours. While in the operating room, we used new plates and fixations in the damaged area… Our ability to save the child was thanks to our knowledge and the most innovative technology in the operating room.”

“The injury is extremely rare,” he added, “but we do know that because children between ages four and 10 have heads that are large in relation to their bodies, they are more susceptible than adults.”

The surgery was carried out in June, but the doctors waited a month to reveal the outcome, Fox News reported. Hassan was recently sent home from the hospital with a neck brace and will remain under medical supervision, according to the outlet.

"The fact that such a child has no neurological deficits or sensory or motor dysfunction and that he is functioning normally and walking without an aid after such a long process is no small thing," Einav said, according to the outlet.

Hassan’s father did not leave his son’s bedside during his recovery, the medical staff said, per The Times of Israel.

“I will thank you all my life for saving my dear only son,” the boy’s father said. “Bless you all. Thanks to you he regained his life even when the odds were low and the danger was obvious. What saved him were professionalism, technology and quick decision-making by the trauma and orthopedics team. All I can say is a big thank you.”

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Jul 14th, 2023, 3:15 pm

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Online
Jul 14th, 2023, 3:59 pm
Keep your eye doctor appointments — or risk dementia, study warns

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Failing eyesight could be an indicator of dementia, a study has found.

Research published Thursday in JAMA Ophthalmology found a link between untreated visual impairments and the likelihood of developing dementia.

The study, led by clinician Dr. Joshua Ehrlich, analyzed data from nearly 3,000 participants, all over 71 years old and all of whom were screened for dementia using the AD8 Dementia Screening Interview, which tests for normal aging vs. mild dementia.

Everyone involved in the study was a part of the 2021 US National Health and Aging Trends Study.

Researchers tested their eyesight and found that those with sight loss were more likely to have dementia compared to people with no problems with their vision.

They also found people suffering from multiple vision problems were more likely to develop dementia in comparison to those with only one visual impairment.

The researchers tracked the eyesight of the participants, giving them a vision test for both near and distance vision, as well as contrast sensitivity.

“We did all the research to make sure that in fact, the iPad tests are equivalent to (the) gold standard test in the doctor’s office, and we implemented this in the homes of thousands of older adults,” Ehrlich explained, per CNN.

According to the study, 12.3% of those involved showed signs of dementia. Those with distance visual impairment jumped to 19.5% and near visual impairment to 21.5%.

For those with severe visual impairment or who were blind, 32.9% showed signs of dementia.

“Visual loss is associated with social isolation, difficulty reading and in general a decrease in personal and social stimulation,” Sheila West, a professor in the Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, wrote in the study commentary.

“Personal and social isolation are risk factors for cognitive decline,” she added. “If there is even an indirect link between vision impairment and loss of cognition, then improving vision should decrease the risk of dementia or at least slow progression.”

The study noted that the research team was unable to determine for sure if the vision impairment caused dementia, only that they were correlated, but added that it’s important to seek medical help for any vision problems.

https://nypost.com/2023/07/13/keep-your ... udy-warns/
Jul 14th, 2023, 3:59 pm
Jul 14th, 2023, 5:00 pm
Ontario woman breaks record for largest toothbrush collection in the world



The only plaque you’ll find around Kelly Hardy is the one she received from Guinness World Records for the largest toothbrush collection on the planet.

“I didn't actually even know that it was something you could set a world record for it until a couple of years ago and then it became my new goal in life. So it's exciting,” the Mississauga, Ont. resident told CTV News Toronto in an interview.

In total, Hardy has 1,618 packaged toothbrushes in her collection, which was certified by the British record publication as the world’s largest on March 9 after a 13 week wait.

“It was the longest wait of my life,” she said.

Hardy has been growing her arsenal of oral hygiene tools for the last 30 years and says the collection really started when she was 12 years old and purchased a toothbrush with a built-in floss dispenser.

“I was like, ‘that's so interesting, that toothbrush,’ and I never bought it the first time I saw it. But I kept thinking about it for a few weeks, like I'd see it and I said ‘I need that toothbrush’….that’s really how it all started.”

From there, Hardy’s collection grew, and eventually surpassed the previous record of 1,320 held by Russia’s Grigori Fleicher.

Among the toothbrushes she’s amassed, Hardy says there are a few that standout from the rest. Those include several brushes featuring The Simpsons, Star Wars characters, one shaped as the Eiffel Tower, and the first one she bought with the floss dispenser.

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To certify the record, Hardy displayed all of her toothbrushes on tables at a local school’s gym where each one of the brushes was counted, one by one.

“It took about 40 minutes to just count from one to 1,618,” she said, adding that Guinness requires record applicants of this sort to film the entire process in one continuous shot for review.

As well, a line-by-line inventory and photo of each brush was required.

Now that she’s set the record, Hardy was asked what she’ll do with the brushes.

“I have three daughters. So I always joke, “this is your inheritance,’” she laughed. “For now, I still love toothbrushes. I still like the hunt…So I'm still collecting but it is a bit more curated in that, I'm not just kind of adding everything that I don't have.”

In the off chance her daughters don’t want the toothbrushes, Hardy said she’ll likely donate them.

As for what Hardy personally uses for her daily dental hygiene. The answer might surprise you:

“I actually just use the one that my dentist gives me.”

Hardy received confirmation of her successful record attempt from Guinness last month.

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Jul 14th, 2023, 5:00 pm

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Jul 14th, 2023, 5:20 pm
Fare-dodging snake found riding D.C. commuter train




The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said a train was taken out of service when a snake was spotted on board.

At least one passenger captured photos when the snake was spotted on the floor of the Blue Line Train at Reagan National Airport.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority spokesperson Sherri Ly confirmed the incident. She said officials do not know how the slithering strap-hanger got onto the train.

"It did not have a farecard and clearly slipped onto the train without tapping in," Ly told WDVM-TV.

Ly said the train was removed from service and parked in the WMATA yard overnight with its doors open. She said animal control officers searched the railcar the next day and confirmed the snake had left on its own.

WMATA reported some delays as a result of the train being taken out of service.
Jul 14th, 2023, 5:20 pm

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Believe me, you are someone's crush. Yes, you are!
Jul 14th, 2023, 5:44 pm
Water Cremation May be the Ultimate Low-Carbon End-of-Life Option, But What is it?

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In the UK, the nation’s largest end-of-life service provider is now going to add “resomation” or water cremation, to its offerings.

Perhaps the most eco-friendly funeral procedure beyond just illegally burying someone in a forest somewhere, resomation has a lot of work to do in terms of gettings its name out there.

Resomation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, neatly deconstructs a human body all the way down to a skeleton in just 4 hours using an alkaline solution. After that, the bones are ground into a powder and placed in an urn for the family.

It’s the method that anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu chose after he passed away in 2021. It uses 5 times less energy than a fire cremation.

The UK’s biggest funeral provider, Co-op Funeralcare, has announced that it will introduce the practice later this year following last year’s approval by regulators.

“[We] will be providing people with another option for how they leave this world because this natural process uses water, not fire, making it gentler on the body and kinder on the environment,” Julian Atkinson, director of resomation company Kindly Earth, told Euro News.

For those who care, Euro News claimed in their write-up of the new resomation service that 245 kilograms of CO2 and equivalents are released for every fire cremation. They also cited polling data that showed 89% of UK adults had never heard of water cremation before.

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GNN has stayed abreast of alternative end-of-life options for several years, reporting on green funeral industry developments as they come. Chemically-treated bodies laid to rest in a chemically-treated wood coffin inside a concrete-lined burial vault isn’t a particularly green process either, and this Dutch entrepreneur is replacing at least the second part with a coffin made of fungal mycelium.

It takes as little as two to three years for the mushroom coffin to completely turn a deceased into nutrients for the soil and the Earth—the ultimate in eco-friendly end-of-life options.

In America, where a double grave plot in a cemetery could cost a family more than their house, a company called Better Place Forests is selling trees like gravestones in memorial forest preserves, with the proceeds from the business going towards protecting these forests for all time—literally, since US law states that once land is declared a cemetery, it can never become anything else.

They protect forests in Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Arizona, Minnesota, and soon Illinois. These preserves feature heritage sugar maple stands, California redwoods, quaking aspen colonies, and views out across the Pacific or the Twin Lakes, and every tree is treated like a gravesite with exclusive ash-scattering rites, allowing families to visit the final resting place of their loved ones.

In 2019, GNN reported that Washington state became the first in the nation to allow human composting, and in 2016, GNN interviewed the “Green Reaper” who was among the first entrepreneurs in the country to offer eco-friendly mortuary services through her company Cornerstone Funeral Services.

All these have to do with the Earth, or fire in the case of traditional cremation, but there have always been human beings who feel an inseparable connection with water, and resomation offers them that connection and the peace of mind to their loved ones that their passions were observed even after they were gone.
Jul 14th, 2023, 5:44 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
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Jul 14th, 2023, 10:51 pm
Ayam Ketawa – Indonesia’s Hilarious-Sounding Laughing Chickens
062223*

Ayam Ketawa, or the Indonesian laughing chicken, is a breed of long-crowing chicken known for the clarity of its crow, which has an unusual similarity to a human laugh.

Originating from Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province, the Ayam Ketawa was originally a status symbol for the region’s Buginese royal family. Its captivating appearance made it a symbol of courage, social status, and heroism, but if you know Indonesian, you will have noticed that the breed’s name, Ayam Ketawa, literally translates to ‘laughing chicken’. That’s because this chicken’s unusual chuckling noises seem to mimic human laughter. It is this distinct characteristic that makes the Ayam Ketawa popular as an exotic pet not just in its native Indonesia, but around the world.

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Photo: Kangwira/Wikimedia Commons

Like with many other domestic birds, the exact origin of the Ayam Ketawa breed is unclear. However, it is believed that breeders crossbred various types of local chickens until they obtained the desired traits for a distinctive-looking and entertaining bird. It is estimated that the breed has been around for at least 350 years.



Primarily because of their distinctive laughing-like crowing, Ayam Ketawa chickens are very popular both with passionate breeders and members of the general public. In Indonesia, enthusiasts take part in large competitions to determine whose bird has the clearest crowing and best mimics human laughter, while everyday people buy them purely for entertainment purposes, as the noises they make are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.



Interestingly, there are two varieties of laughing chickens, the dangut, which laughs in a fast, machine gun-like way, and a slow type that crows with a drawn-out staccato of four to twelve guffaws at a time. Apparently, the dangut is the more expensive variety, with the most valuable specimens selling for tens of thousands of dollars. Due to their rarity and unique characteristics, Ayam Ketawa chickens are generally more expensive than other chicken breeds.



For more extraordinary breeds of chicken, check out the Onagadori, a breed with majestically long tail feathers, the jet black Kadaknath, or the tiny but pompous Serama chicken.
Jul 14th, 2023, 10:51 pm
Jul 15th, 2023, 2:24 am
July 14, 2023 / 1:47 PM
Hundreds of golden retrievers gather in Scotland for breed's anniversary
By Ben Hooper




July 14 (UPI) -- Hundreds of golden retrievers gathered in Scotland with their owners to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the breed.

The Golden Retriever Club of Scotland said Thursday's gathering at Guisachan House in Glen Affric included humans and canines from more than 12 countries, including the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia and Estonia.

The event marked the 155th anniversary of the first golden retriever litter being born at Guisachan House in 1868.

Dudley Marjoribanks bred a Tweed water spaniel with a yellow wavy-coated retriever in an attempt to create a breed of gun dog well-suited to the Scottish highlands.

Golden retrievers were officially recognized as a breed by Britain's The Kennel Club in 1913.
Jul 15th, 2023, 2:24 am