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Jul 15th, 2023, 2:42 am
Tiny vase bought at thrift shop could sell for $11,800

Amarachi Orie, CNN

July 13, 2023

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A hand-sized vase bought from a UK thrift store for just £2.50 ($3.30) is expected to sell for up to £9,000 ($11,800) at auction.

The 10-centimeter (four-inch) masterpiece was spotted by a couple in the southeastern English county of Surrey, on the edge of London, according to Canterbury Auction Galleries in a press release.

“My partner Ahmet and I wandered into the charity shop to have a look around – I always head for the books and he heads off to look for art and vintage stuff,” said seller Karen, who only provided her first name, in the release. “He’s not an expert but he does have great taste and an instinct for the ‘real thing.’”

“He came over and showed me the vase and I said something a bit dismissive like ‘very pretty’. ‘No, look at the base!’ he said, and showed me the etched marks,” she added.

They suspected the etchings could be significant but had no idea what the item could be worth, according to the auction house.

They purchased the item for a grand total of £2.50 ($3.30) before contacting the auction house for an expert valuation.

Specialists identified the vase as being the work of late Japanese ceramist and cloisonné artist Namikawa Yasuyuki, who lived between 1845 and 1927, the release added. He was one of Japan’s most famous artists from the Meiji period.

“The beautiful work by Yasuyuki’s Kyoto studio is held in several collections and is highly sought-after,” said specialist Cliona Kilroy, co-director of Canterbury Auction Galleries, in the release. “He and Namikawa Sōsuke were the most famous cloisonné artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries - the ‘Golden Age’ of enamelling in Japan.”


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The naturalistic depictions of cockerels and hens on a black backrground, with birds flying overhead, was "something of a trademark" of the artist, according to Canterbury Auction Galleries


Cloisonné is an intricate enameling technique which involves soldering delicate metal strips or wire, bent to an outline of a design, to a metal surface. The small spaces created in the enclosed outline are then filled in with colored enamel paste, before the entire decorative piece is fired, ground smooth and polished.

Japanese cloisonné is unique for its highly polished, glass-like surface, according to the auction house.

As for Yasuyuki’s vase,”the exceptionally fine work and naturalistic depiction of cockerels and hens on a black background, with birds in flight overhead, was something of a trademark of his,” Kilroy added.

The vase will be available to bid for in a two-day auction between July 29 and July 30. The couple selling it plans to give a “generous donation” to the charity shop where they found the item, according to the auction house.

A larger vase by the same artist sold at Canterbury Auction Galleries for £29,000 ($38,000) in April 2019, the release added.
Jul 15th, 2023, 2:42 am
Jul 15th, 2023, 6:52 am
Iowa man’s collection of 70,000 pencils being evaluated as possible world record


An Iowa man may be well on his way to an official world record — for pencils.

Aaron Bartholmey of Colfax has been collecting wooden advertising pencils since he was a child. Now, he claims to own more than 70,000. That’s substantially more than the Guinness World Record for the largest pencil collection — 24,000, held by Emilio Arenas from Uruguay since 2020.

Bartholmey told KCCI-TV that his most treasured pencils are those from his hometown, noting that in many instances the pencils “are the only place where there is any record of that business still, and I think it’s just a neat way to preserve history.”

Last weekend, two counters from the American Pencil Collectors Society were at the Colfax Historical Society to count Bartholmey’s pencils. Now, he’s waiting to hear if the count is approved by Guinness, which estimated the review process could take up to three months.

src: https://apnews.com/article/pencils-iowa ... f40e1cabfd
Jul 15th, 2023, 6:52 am

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Jul 15th, 2023, 12:48 pm
Woman caught smuggling snakes into China hidden in her bra
The reptiles were identified as corn snakes

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Snakes on a boat instead of a plane?
Not quite.

The dailymail.com reports a woman was caught trying to smuggle five live snakes hidden in her bra by customs officers in China.

She was trying to get into Shenzhen – which links Hong Kong to mainland China – via boat but officers with the Futian Port Passenger Inspection said the “weird” shape of her chest made them suspicious.

The woman was asked to remove her top and the reptiles – identified as non-venomous corn snakes – were tied up in stockings underneath.

China Customs announced the discovery on its official WeChat account on July 8.

Corn snakes are native to the U.S. but are illegal to import into China because the country doesn’t want the unregulated introduction of non-native species into the local countryside and the risk of them carrying diseases or bacteria that could infect locals.

China’s customs regulations say animals from abroad must be declared prior to entry and be quarantined afterwards for a period of time.

The snakes are now at at zoo where they are being looked after.

https://torontosun.com/news/world/woman ... in-her-bra
Jul 15th, 2023, 12:48 pm

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https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=5412023
Jul 15th, 2023, 3:38 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
SATURDAY JULY 15

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 15th, 2023, 3:38 pm

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Online
Jul 15th, 2023, 3:40 pm
The Japanese man who gets paid for doing nothing at all... and has now authored a book he didn't write

Shoji Morimoto, from Japan, is so good at doing nothing, he's made it his job.

'I'm an amateur writer and at the moment I'm writing a novel. When I'm writing on my own, I often get a bit lazy, so I'd like someone to watch me. I wonder if you would sit in front of me while I work. I may say something to you occasionally, but basically I'd just like you to sit there and pass the time.'


This simple and somewhat odd request is commonplace for Shoji Morimoto, a 39-year-old freelance writer from Japan.

Many people dream of a life where they get paid to do nothing at all, or at least very little. This is a reality for Morimoto, aka Rental Person Who Does Nothing.

Dispirited by the monotony and repetition of his freelance writing work, and having quit every job he's ever had and always been told he was a 'do-nothing' by former bosses and co-workers, Morimoto decided that, since he was so good at doing nothing, he may as well do it full-time.

He tweeted his idea, offering himself up as a service to be rented out, as long as it essentially involved doing... well, nothing.

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Many people dream of a life where they get paid to do nothing at all, or at least very little. This is a reality for Morimoto

'Maybe there's a restaurant you want to go to, but you feel awkward going on your own. Maybe a game you want to play, but you're one person short... I can't do anything except give very simple responses.'

Within ten months, his 3,000 followers had jumped to 100,000 (he currently has more than 400,000) and he has since been hired by more than 4,000 people.

He initially charged just expenses for travel and food, but now, to avoid time wasters and to reduce the volume of requests, the price of Rental Person's company is 10,000 yen — roughly £60.

Jobs can be straightforward, such as joining a client for an ice-cream soda — 'I know how awkward it can be for a Japanese man to go into a cafe on his own and order an ice-cream soda, so I said "Yes" straight away' — or accompanying someone when they go to file their divorce papers ('It was an interesting day for me. I felt I'd accompanied her from one stage of life to the next').

Others are less so, from being asked to visit someone in a suicide unit of a hospital after a drug overdose, to the man who hired him so he could share something he felt he couldn't tell anyone else: that he'd killed someone.

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He has since been hired by more than 4,000 people

'Since then, I think I've looked at people in a different way, realising that even the most ordinary, upright-looking people are not what they seem.'

Some people find it easier to work or study if another person is there.

Others use Rental Person's impending visit as an excuse to finally clean their homes after months of avoiding it.

And some are simply bored, lonely or want to be listened to.

Although Rental Person has undeniably helped many people, acting as a sort of companion, therapist and lunch date all rolled into one, he denies he is altruistic — and says this was the case even when he didn't charge for his services.

'I really want to avoid being thought of as a good person,' Morimoto writes. 'I'm absolutely not a good person and I don't want people to expect me to be. Rental Person has been described as "a new-age gigolo" and "a new-age beggar". I think being a gigolo or beggar are potential ways of relating to people, and the word "new" sounds good, so I feel quite positive about these comments.'


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Although he didn't actually write the book, he was interviewed by a writer and editor and gave very simple responses

Although he didn't actually write the book, as this would be 'doing something' — he was interviewed by a writer and editor and gave very simple responses — Morimoto has a detached charm and honest self-deprecation that means you can't help but like him. 'I have, as usual, done nothing. I have simply watched, with interest and surprise, as this book has developed.'

There's a lovely irony that the man who was made to feel like a waste of space has ended up with such a fulfilling and unique job, and earned some £215,000, all from 'doing nothing'.
Jul 15th, 2023, 3:40 pm

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Jul 15th, 2023, 3:42 pm
Bizarre moment ‘furry felon’ burgles a launderette dressed in a bunny onesie


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CCTV footage from the Winners Wash Laundromat in Quincy, Illinois left owners and authorities baffled.

The clip shows a thief in a full bunny suit going through drawers and placing items in a rucksack.

The local police department has launched an appeal to the public to help identify the ‘furry felon’.

Quincy Police Department posted on social media: ‘File this one under, “You can’t make this stuff up.”‘

‘In the early morning hours of July 6, an individual dressed in a bunny suit broke into the Winners Wash Laundromat at 2338 Spring.

‘Officer Holtman is investigating this burglary and would like your help identifying this furry felon.

src: https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/07/usa-mome ... saic_weird
Jul 15th, 2023, 3:42 pm

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Jul 15th, 2023, 4:05 pm
ENGRAVED RELIEF COULD REVEAL THE LOST NAME OF THE MAYA CITY AT OCOMTÚN

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Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have uncovered an engraved relief at Ocomtún in the Mexican state of Campeche.

Ocomtún, meaning “stone column”, is a Maya city recently discovered in the Balamkú ecological reserve using high resolution photography and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDar).

The city covers an areas of around 123.5 acres and dates from around the Classic Period (AD 250-1000). By the 10th century AD, the population declined and the site was abandoned around the time of the Maya collapse, a period that saw the abandonment of many Maya cities in the southern Maya lowlands.

Various large buildings have been confirmed through a ground level inspection, including several pyramidal structures over 15 metres in height, plazas, elongated structures arranged in a concentric circle plan, and evidence of a ball game court.

A large causeway connects the southeastern part of the site to a cluster of buildings in the northwest where an 80 metre long rectangular acropolis is situated. Excavations have uncovered a large engraved megalithic stone block at the stairway in the northwest zone, measuring 1.82 metres in width and carved with scenes and Maya hieroglyphs.

The block was originally part of a large monument such as a stela, stairway or lintel, and is carved with imagery depicting a Maya captive, a zoomorphic representation of a mountain, and incomplete hieroglyphic text in bands of cartouches.

A closer examination of the text shows the logogram, ajaw , meaning “lord”, which alludes to a Mayan ruler or nobleman, and above are syllabograms that make the word Maatz’ – possibly meaning in combination, the “Lord of Maatz’”.

According to the researchers: “Maatz’ could correspond to the original name of Ocomtún or to another place, as the practice of relocating monuments was common in the Maya area. Similar cases have been found in Chactún, Cobá, Calakmul or Tikal.”

Excavations around the block also uncovered offerings, including a carved bone in the shape of an eight-pointed star, a bifacial flint point, and various ceramic fragments.
Jul 15th, 2023, 4:05 pm
Jul 15th, 2023, 4:14 pm
'Superhero' Big Brother, 6, Saves 2-Year-Old from Drowning in South Carolina Pool



A 6-year-old is being praised for his heroics after he jumped into a residential pool to save his 2-year-old brother’s life.

Atticus Whitlock was swimming during a gathering at his grandparents house in Anderson County on July 4 when his younger brother Anson fell into the water, according to CNN and FOX affiliate WHNS-TV.

At first, Atticus wasn’t sure what was happening. But upon scoping out the situation, he was horrified to realize his brother was in danger.

“I saw something on top of the water and I had my goggles on,” Atticus told WHNS-TV. “I didn’t know what it was, so I went under and it was him, Anson.”

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Savannah Whitlock, the boys’ mother, said she was near the pool when the incident occurred, but had no idea what was happening until Atticus jumped into action.

Luckily, Atticus was able to grab his brother at the bottom of the pool and pull him up to the surface, per the reports. The boys’ mother then jumped into the pool herself and “swam to meet them.”

“I literally just hugged both of them and I told Atticus, ‘I am so proud of you,’” Whitlock said, per CNN.

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Local first responders also praised Atticus for his bravery. "The ambulance driver and the fire department asked to speak with Atticus," Savannah told the outlet. "They took him aside and told him, 'You saved your brother's life.'"

Had it not been for his older brother, however, the young boy likely would have been in the pool much longer.

“Thankfully, God was watching out and gave Anson a superhero for a big brother,” their mom told WHNS-TV.
Jul 15th, 2023, 4:14 pm

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Jul 15th, 2023, 8:39 pm
Over 100 people trapped for several hours in mystery writer Agatha Christie’s former home
By Niamh Kennedy
Published 10:44 AM EDT, Sat July 15, 2023

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Greenway Hous and Garden over River Dart, Home of Agatha Christie, Greenway, Galmpton, Devon, England, United Kingdom, January 2023.



Over 100 people were trapped for several hours in Greenway, the former home of famed British mystery writer Agatha Christie, in the English countryside on Friday.

In a series of events which could have been lifted straight out of the pages of one of Christie’s mystery novels, the group of tourists were left stranded after stormy weather knocked down a tree, blocking the road leading down to the property in the county of Devon, southwest England.

Caroline Heaven, a tourist who was visiting Greenway, contacted local news outlet Devon Live to spread the word that roughly 100 tourists were trapped in the grounds of Christie’s former holiday home.

Britain’s National Trust which manages the historic site quickly put a message on its website, announcing that a large tree had fallen on the single-track road leading into Greenway.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said it was aware that there were “visitors, staff and volunteers still at Greenway unable to leave,” adding that the National Trust was “doing everything” to ensure their comfort whilst they waited.

The stranded tourists kept themselves busy, drinking cups of tea in the houses’ tearoom and playing rounds of croquet on the lawn, Heaven told Devon Live.

Heaven, who arrived at the house around 11.30am local time (6.30aET) on Friday, commended the efforts of staff to look after the tourists.

“They are doing a great job, they are giving us free teas and things. It’s a bit bleak,” she remarked.

Christie herself was known to while away the hours on Greenway’s lawns, playing clock golf and croquet and entertaining guests with snippets from her latest mystery novels, according to the National Trust website.

The trapped tourists would also have had the time to explore the estate’s walled gardens and famous boathouse which serves as the scene of the crime in Christie’s novel, “Dead Man’s Folly.”

Despite the seemingly calm atmosphere, some social media users couldn’t help but draw a parallel with Christie’s iconic novel “And Then There Were None,” which sees ten strangers inexplicably invited to a remote mansion off the Devon coast. As members of the party are mysteriously killed off, the group soon realizes there is a killer in their midst.

One social media user shared a link to the Devon Live article with a tweet counting down, “99, 98, 97, 96, 94 (grisly), 93.”. Another user shared the article, advising the trapped tourists to “implement a buddy system immediately.”

However, the tourists ending up meeting a less grisly fate than that of Christie’s characters, managing to leave the estate on Friday evening after local rescue services managed to reopen the road.

Those looking to get a taste of Christie’s murder mystery magic will have to wait a bit longer, however, as the National Trust warned prospective visitors in an update Saturday that Greenway is set to remain closed due to the “extensive storm damage” it sustained.
Related
Jul 15th, 2023, 8:39 pm
Jul 15th, 2023, 9:14 pm
Golden Retriever's Adorable Tantrum Over Leaving Brewery Goes Viral

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The TikTok video of the playful pup garnered over 41.6 million views and 4.2 million likes

A golden retriever stole the hearts of bystanders by doing nothing at all.

TikTok user patric.ryan22 shared a video of an adorable pup lying on its back in the parking lot of Harpoon Brewery in Vermont. Not knowing what to do with their protesting pup, the pet parent in the clip patiently waits out the canine's antics.

"This pup didn't want his day at the brewery to end," the TikTok user captioned the moment.

In the clip, the golden retriever's owner holds on to the dog's leash while they wait for the dog to get up, eventually pulling out a phone to scroll through while the pet's tantrum ticks on. Bystanders filming the video narrate the amusing scene.

"He's like, 'Well guys, I guess we're gonna stay here,'" a person says over the video. Another voice adds the dog's POV, "He does not wanna leave."

In the video, after more time passes, the owner puts away their phone and walks around before looking down at the dog — who hasn't moved an inch and still refuses to leave the brewery.

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"He doesn't know what to do," one of the bystanders narrates as the dog's owner tugs on the golden retriever's harness to get them up and moving.

"He's like, 'C,mon.' 'Alright. Alright,'" the voice continues as the owner finally gets the dog to roll over, get back on its paws, and pull its body up from the ground.

However, this initial jolt of energy isn't enough to get the pet moving. In the clip, the dog sits upright on its paws but still refuses to move from its place in the parking lot despite the owner's efforts.

"He's like, 'I don't think so bud, My day's not over yet,'" one of the narrators says as the dog once again plops down on the ground. "And he's gonna go back on his back," the other bystander adds.

The dog's owner continues to try to get the golden retriever moving before giving up and picking up the canine. The pet parent carries the dog towards the cars in the parking lot as onlookers laugh in delight.

The sassy golden retriever became an overnight sensation, with the TikTok video garnering over 41.6 million views, 4.2 million likes, 188,000 bookmarks, and over 43,000 comments.

One TikTok user commented, "It's always a golden retriever," while another noted, "Golden retrievers seem to do this often." Another one made light of their location, writing, "I mean If ur not carried out of a winery or brewery did u really have a good time."

Jul 15th, 2023, 9:14 pm

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Jul 16th, 2023, 2:39 am
Millions freak out over woman who appears frozen in time: ‘What the f–k?’

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Is this the real-life Twilight Zone?

An unidentified woman appeared to be frozen in time on a busy street, a TikToker has claimed in a now-viral video posted this week.

“She was like that for a minute before,” reads the text on the freaky footage, which has racked up 4 million views in only four days.

Eerie footage captured the woman, dressed in white pants and a black long-sleeve, appearing to be “frozen” in place while walking down the sidewalk.

Her legs looked as if they were mid-stride while her arms hung awkwardly at her sides.

Even her long, blond ponytail appeared to be paused.

“Why she frozen?” asks the person recording as they zoom in on the figure. “Bruh, I’m trippin.’ “


The latest viral optical illusion driving the digital masses mad: A woman appeared to be frozen in time as she ambled down a side street in an undisclosed location.

Then, the woman resumed walking as the cameraman exclaimed, “What the f–k?”

[Warning: Spoilers — and some strong language — featured in the clip below]

Woman walking down streetThe person appeared to be experiencing a real-life glitch, according to users in the comments. Off camera, the person recording uttered words of disbelief as the woman froze mid-stride.

Stunned viewers couldn’t believe their eyes, as skeptics flocked to the comments.

“I’m telling you RIGHT NOW, that mfr… that mfr back there is not real,” one person wrote.

“I actually think the matrix is real,” agreed another.

“Nah even the hair was frozen,” one person pointed out.
Woman walking down streetThe cameraman claimed the woman had been frozen “for a minute” before they began recording.

“She disconnected for a sec,” another quipped.

“We’re in a simulation,” someone else commented.

But this isn’t the first time a real-life glitch has baffled people.

Last October, eagle-eyed art lovers spotted an 1860 painting of a young woman who appears to be holding a smartphone, sending the internet into a tizzy.

Meanwhile, a head-scratching photo of bikini clad partiers went viral as social media users attempted to decode whose legs belong to whom.

Optical illusions such as this are often just intended as a lighthearted diversion from the stresses of modern life — but they also hold actual scientific value for medical professionals.

These brain teasers are credited with helping researchers shed light on the complex inner workings of the human mind and how it reacts to its surroundings.

Dr. Gustav Kuhn, a psychologist and human perception expert at Goldsmiths University in London, once declared that illusions are important to our overall understanding of the brain: “We typically take perception for granted, and rarely think about the hard work that underpins everyday tasks, such as seeing a cup of coffee in front of you.”


https://nypost.com/2023/07/15/woman-app ... t-the-f-k/
Jul 16th, 2023, 2:39 am
Jul 16th, 2023, 3:08 am
Buried 500-Year-Old Gold Coins Hidden by Monk 'in Danger' Discovered

Archaeologists have uncovered several 500-year-old gold coins during excavations at the ruins of a medieval monastery in Germany.

The discovery was made in the former Himmelpforten monastery near the town of Wernigerode in Saxony-Anhalt state, German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported.

Wernigerode is renowned for its well-preserved historic center, with its colorful medieval buildings, as well as its 12th-century castle.

In total, researchers identified four gold coins in the monastery ruins that would have been very valuable.

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A stock image shows ancient gold coins. Archaeologists have uncovered several gold coins from around 500 years ago in the ruins of a monastery in Germany.
ISTOCK


Archaeologists think that the coins, some of which are heavily worn, may have been hastily hidden by monks when the monastery was stormed by rebellious farmers in 1525.

"The gold coins were of great value, and the small fortune was probably hidden by a monk in an acutely dangerous situation," project manager and archaeologist Felix Biermann of the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology told the DPA. "The whole thing did not end well because the coins could not be recovered."

The artifacts are known as guilders—the name of several gold coins used during the Holy Roman Empire. The HRE was a political entity spanning western, central and southern Europe that lasted for around 1,000 years from the tail end of the first millennium until its dissolution in 1806.

At the empire's greatest extent, its territory covered the entirety of modern-day Germany. Rather than being a single unitary state, the HRE was a confederation of numerous small- and medium-sized political entities.

The coins found at the monastery in Wernigerode, which was once located within the territory of the HRE, measure just over 1 inch across. They include a guilder minted in Frankfurt before 1493 by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, as well as one produced in Schwabach, near Nuremberg, between 1486 and 1495. The other two guilders were minted in Bonn, a city in western Germany, around 1480-1481.

In addition to the coins, archaeologists have uncovered numerous artifacts dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries during their recent work at the monastery site. These items include brass book clasps from the monastery library, ceramics, animal bones, a cavalry spur and ornate cloth seals made of lead. Archaeologists said these artifacts indicate large-scale trade and a prosperous monastic community.

The Himmelpforten monastery was founded before 1253 by the noble von Hartesrode family and once housed Augustinian hermits. The Augustinians are members of Catholic Christian religious orders who live in a manner inspired by Saint Augustine's rules of life.

In 1516, the Himmelpforten monastery was visited by German priest, theologian and Augustinian friar Martin Luther, a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

The Reformation was a religious movement marked by widespread political and social upheaval that spread across Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in a splintering of the Catholic Church and the formation of Protestantism.

The Himmelpforten monastery was abandoned during the Reformation, with the buildings subsequently falling into disrepair. They were later almost completely demolished.
Jul 16th, 2023, 3:08 am
Jul 16th, 2023, 6:33 am
Stir-Fried River Rocks – Chinese Street Food That’s Literally Hard to Stomach
062223*

Suodiu is a bizarre type of Chinese street food that consists of small river rocks stir-fried with a mixture of spices and herbs. You are supposed to suck on the stones and then spit them out.

Roughly translated as ‘suck and throw away’, suodiu is believed to have been invented hundreds of years ago by boatmen who would prepare the dish when they became stranded in the middle of the river with no real food while delivering goods. To trick their stomachs, they would stir-fry some river pebbles with various condiments and then suck the stones dry. The traditional dish was passed down through several generations, and today roadside vendors in China can sometimes be seen stir-frying bunches of river rocks with cilli oil, garlic sauce, garlic cloves and a mixture of spices.

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A series of videos showing the preparation of suodiu at roadside stalls have recently gone viral on Xiaohongshu, China’s version of Instagram, sparking the curiosity of millions. It wasn’t only the peculiarity of the dish that intrigued viewers, but also the steep price of 16 yuan ($2.30) per serving, considering that there is hardly any edible stuff in it.

Suodiu consists of river rocks coated in this spicy dressing that you’re supposed to suck off of the rocks before spitting the hard pebbles out. Some wouldn’t even call that a meal, let alone pay money for it. However, it’s important to note that river rocks are used because they apparently acquire the taste of marine life with time, so sucking on them while eating suodiu, you get the taste of fish combined with the spices.

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Once you suck on all the rocks, you are left with the sauce, which, some say has a distinct fishy taste from the river pebbles. Just don’t get carried away and chew on the rocks unless you miss your dentist.

“Do I have to return the pebbles to you after I finish?” one patron can be heard asking in one of the viral videos doing the rounds on Chinese social media, to which the vendor replies “Bring them home as a souvenir”.



For more unusual street foods, check out fire paan, the hottest snack you’ll ever eat.
Jul 16th, 2023, 6:33 am
Jul 16th, 2023, 7:21 am
Paris Olympics Gets 11,000 Stadium Seats Made of Recycled City Plastic

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Spectators of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be watching the aquatic events from seats made of plastic collected in recycling bins from around the area.

In fact, 80% of the 100 metric tons of plastic needed to make the seats came from a single neighborhood—which is also where it’s being processed into new material by a firm called Le Pavé.

“It’s collected in Seine-Saint-Denis, shredded in Seine-Saint-Denis, processed in Seine-Saint-Denis, all for a swimming pool that’s still in the area,” Augustin Jaclin, co-founder of Lemon Tri, the company which collects the recycling, told Euro News.

Numerous tests have been carried out on the chairs, which include UV resistance, fire resistance, and toxicity, but also mechanical resistance tests to see how well they remain anchored to the floor under persistent attempts to rip them off of it—perhaps by a drunken angry spectator.

Marius Hamelot, co-founder of Le Pavé, said that in the lead-up to the Olympics, manufacturers have been encountering problems getting a hold of new plastics, so they switched to using waste streams. One rich vein in particular was soda bottle tops, of which 5 million were shredded by various companies looking to produce infrastructure like seating for the games.

“It’s a huge communication tool,” says Augustin. “When we tell children to come and put your bottles in the bins, tomorrow they’ll be in the seats of the Olympic swimming pool, it raises awareness [of waste recycling].”

Paris, and France at large, have set ambitious targets of sustainability for the games, hoping to reduce downstream emissions by half compared to the 2012 and 2016 games.

But their approach isn’t only about carbon, they’re also trying to advocate against general environmental degradation with a flagship effort to make the Seine swimmable for the first time in many decades so as to host the triathlon there.

As GNN reported earlier this year, the Seine was well on its way to being ecologically dead in the mid-2010s, and despite being immortalized in song, poetry, and art, the river had an unappealing green-brown color—typical of the waste it was subjected to.

Tests from August and July of last year have found the water quality “overwhelmingly good,” making Parisians realize that for the first time in most or perhaps all of their lives, they can swim in their own river again.
Jul 16th, 2023, 7:21 am

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
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Jul 16th, 2023, 10:59 am
Police commissioner caught in car with prostitute has bizarre explanation: 'Done talking about it'

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A member of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners who was caught in a car with a prostitute by law enforcement is claiming that the incident is a "big misunderstanding."

Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputies say they found Bryan Ferguson in his car at about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday in Detroit engaging in a sex act with a prostitute, the Detroit Free Press reported. Undercover narcotics officers were in the area at that time and saw Ferguson with a woman who was known to them.

Ferguson has denied the allegations as a "big misunderstanding."

"I’m done talking about it, that’s just not what happened," he told the Detroit Free Press.

Ferguson claims that a woman whom he did not know tried to get into his truck on Wednesday morning when law enforcement "just pulled up right on me."

"This is rough. This is rough to tell. Because now I’m going to have to have this conversation with my family," Ferguson said, adding that he had told the deputies that he is police commissioner and wasn’t "hiding anything."

Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jason Bates said that Ferguson had asked law enforcement on the scene whether they could "help him out."

"At that time, Mr. Bryan Ferguson stepped out, identified himself as a Detroit police commissioner," Bates told Fox 2 Detroit. "A title or position doesn't make them above the law."

Ferguson was issued a misdemeanor citation for indecent or obscene conduct involving a sex act with a prostitute, Bates told the Detroit Free Press.

Ferguson is expected to resign from his position on the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, Fox 2 Detroit reported.

https://news.yahoo.com/police-commissio ... 3q6maFBG63
Jul 16th, 2023, 10:59 am

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