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Jul 16th, 2023, 2:50 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
SUNDAY JULY 16

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 16th, 2023, 2:50 pm

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Online
Jul 16th, 2023, 2:54 pm
Woman treats herself to John Deere tractor for 97th birthday

SWANSEA, Mass. (WJAR) – A woman in Massachusetts decided to buy herself something she’s always wanted for her 97th birthday – a top-of-the-line John Deere tractor.

While most people at an older age sometimes spend more time in the house or start to slow things down a bit, that couldn’t be further from the truth for Marie Erickson. She likes to take her tractor out for fun.

“I’m on that tractor every day,” Erickson said. “Whether the grass needs cutting or not, I go around and check and when I see it, I cut it.”

Her home sits on a beautiful 2.5 acres of land.

“It keeps me busy,” Erickson said, explaining she doesn’t like to do housework. (We're on the same page about housework! :lol:)

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A woman in Massachusetts decided to buy herself something she’s always wanted for her 97th birthday.

Even before her husband died, the 4-foot-8-inch firecracker always had a love of landscaping.

“I had a push mower, but I was a younger girl. I could push that, but now forget it,” Erickson joked.

She saved her money for over a year so she could treat herself to a new John Deere tractor with power steering.

“I said, ‘I think I’m worth it,’” Erickson said. “I’m not going to take the money with me. I’m going to spend it.”

She took a trip to the dealership in Massachusetts in May and bought the tractor in cash.

Some of the salespeople were curious why someone her age wanted a John Deere so Erickson explained that though she doesn’t drive a car anymore, this was the next best thing.

Since the purchase, Erickson has been taking out her tractor for a daily dose of relaxation. As she inches closer to 100, she said it’s been quite the ride and you’re never too old to take out your toys.

See her driving around on her new toy HERE
Jul 16th, 2023, 2:54 pm

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Jul 16th, 2023, 2:55 pm
Gas Station Clerk Asks Someone to Rob Him So He Could Leave Work Early
062323*

A Tulsa gas station clerk is being accused of staging a robbery because he felt tired and needed an excuse to get off work early.

On June 5th, Isaias Jones called the Tulsa Police Department that a masked man had walked into the gas station store he was working in, pulled out a firearm, and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t give him all the money in the register. Jones allegedly complied and the masked robber left in a hurry. Surveillance cameras confirmed the clerk’s version of the events, but the footage also helped police identify the robber, and when they managed to apprehend them, they learned that there was more to this case than they originally believed…

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Photo: Maxim Hopman/Unsplash

On June 8th, police managed to catch the robber, a man named later identified as Steven Jones. He had no relation to the clerk, Isaias Jones, but he did tell investigators that he wasn’t the one who planned the robbery. Apparently, a woman by the name of Alyia Locke, who turned out to be a mutual friend of the two men involved in this case, had asked Steven to rob the store, because Isaias, the clerk, was feeling tired and wanted to leave early.

Locke was arrested for an outstanding warrant and confirmed the robber’s version, even providing texts between herself and the two men as proof. The young clerk was also arrested and ended up confirming that he had indeed asked Alyia Locke to find someone to rob the gas station because he was tired and needed an excuse to leave early.



Isaias Jones is currently charged with embezzlement and conspiracy to commit a felony, while Steven Jones is charged with conspiracy to commit embezzlement and possession of a firearm. Both men were released on bond, while Locke remains in the Tulsa County Jail and could face charges of embezzlement.
Jul 16th, 2023, 2:55 pm
Jul 16th, 2023, 2:59 pm
Fossil Hunter Finds 4-Foot-Long Mammoth Tusk Sitting in Plain Sight

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A 33-year-old paleontologist is celebrating a mammoth discovery after finding a four-foot-long tusk in a quarry 90 miles north of London.

Jamie Jordan spied the 450,000 year-old steppe mammoth tusk last week while on a routine visit to a local quarry where he often leads groups on fossil-finding tours.

The incredible find from the last ice age has now been taken to Jamie’s Fossils Galore centre in March, Cambridgeshire, where he will carry out research and preservation.

“I could not believe my eyes,” said Jamie, who found his first fossil when he was four-years-old, but has never found a tusk. “It was sticking out like a sore thumb.”

“They normally get broken up when they are quarried – but this one was in one piece.

“It was just on top of the ground—and very heavy to pick up.”

In its own day, the mammoth would have looked much bigger than a modern day elephant, up to 13 foot tall, and weighing 14 tons.

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After recovering it from the quarry floor, the tusk was carefully wrapped to transport it– but the Fossils Galore team had to ensure it stayed wet, to prevent it from becoming damaged. They will now spend six months working to preserve the tusk, and then be able to examine it to find out more about the animal’s life.

“You can learn a lot about the animal by looking at the rings of the tusk—like looking at a tree trunk.

“If the rings are tight, then it shows the habitat was not good, and the food supply was poor. But if the rings are thick, then it shows it had a good habitat.

“We will also look for signs of predation – whether from early humans or other animals.”

Along with the mammoth tusk, the team at Fossils Galore are also working on analyzing a skeleton they found in Surrey in 2017—an Iguanodon dinosaur that lived more than 100 million years ago. In 2008, they also discovered of a nearly complete skeleton of a Plesiosaur.

Every summer, Jamie’s centre conducts a range of activities for families, such as fossil hunting and cracking open geodes, that allowing youngsters to get involved and become the paleontologists of the future.

To visit Jamie and find more information, visit FossilsGalore.com.

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Jul 16th, 2023, 2:59 pm

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Jul 16th, 2023, 3:04 pm
Gen Z flocks to eat bizarre, weeks-old ‘medieval’ stew: ‘A true NY experience’

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Joanna Gerber spends one night a week gathering with strangers in a public park over a pot of stew they’ve all helped concoct — and it’s been cooking for over a month.

“I thought it was such a goofy and fun idea, and I was excited by the prospect of meeting people with similar interests and a similar sense of humor to me,” Gerber, 23, told The Post. And that’s exactly what happened.

The self-proclaimed soup enthusiast from Bushwick first heard about the communal stew nights in Fermi Playground from a friend who saw a post about the open invite online.

Although it might sound like a gross new Gen Z trend — it’s actually historic. Some legendary “medieval” broths have cooked for more than 300 years, according to food historian Reay Tannahill, author of the culinary classic “Food in History.”

Fast-forward to last month: Annie Rauwerda, 24, who runs the popular account Depths of Wikipedia across multiple platforms, posted a series of now-viral videos deeming this sweaty season “perpetual stew summer.”

One clip features the meal’s Wikipedia entry, which explains that “perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter’s pot or hunter’s stew, is a pot into which whatever foodstuffs one can find is placed and cooked.”

And then comes the historic, albeit slightly stomach-churning reality: “The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. Such foods can continue cooking for decades or longer, if properly maintained.”

Annie Rauwerda smiling and serving soupAnnie Rauwerda posted a now-viral TikTok video deeming this season “perpetual stew summer” as she began simmering her concoction on June 7. But she’s not the first: A family in Bangkok has been cooking soup from the same broth for over 50 years — and food historians have documented a pot-au-feu in Normandy that’s stewed for some 300 years.

‘This perpetual stew … reminded us of how great it is to be around a sense of a loving community. It was a true New York experience.’

Rauwerda began simmering potato leek in her Crockpot on June 7. She told The Post she planned to keep it cooking for at least five days — and now it’s been over a month.

After initially inviting some friends over to add to the stew, which was documented in a TikTok video that has now amassed over 2 million views, Rauwerda put out a call for prospective “stew-friends” near Bushwick to join the stew crew.

Her first public event at Fermi saw about 50 attendees, among whom it was generally agreed upon that the gathering and grub were equally “stewper-duper.”

The stews have carried on for several weeks now, with people gathering in the Brooklyn park to add their vegan ingredients to the cauldron and join the “stew-mmunity,” including Gerber, who has now attended four stew nights.

Annie Rauwerda serving stew to the crowdShe posted flyers around Bushwick and put out calls online inviting anyone and everyone to come bring a vegan ingredient and sip on the stew in Fermi Playground in Brooklyn. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post

“Everyone comes with a shared curiosity and mild amusement, with the intention of getting to know the other people who come,” Gerber said.

“The technique of making the stew seems almost symbolic of the community it creates — everyone contributing to the meal turns the entire night into a communal, shared experience with a heightened sense of community,” the fan continued. “We’re all a part of creating this bizarre, and surprisingly delicious, thing together.”

Rauwerda shares daily updates of the stew, info on the next meet-ups (7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18) and frequently asked questions, including how to RSVP, on an official website.

She’s shared that some stews have tasted better than others (check out the June 18 update highlighting Gerber’s spice mix) depending on what ingredients her “stew-dents” bring — but she makes sure to keep the concoction simmering at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (she connects to a generator while at the park) for flavor and food safety reasons.

Perpetual stews are commonly associated with medieval inns. However, the concept has stood the test of time and traveled all around the world.

Cauldron holding the perpetual stew The stew is kept at 200 degrees Fahrenheit and nearly finished every week. A small batch of mostly broth is left behind to continue cooking and flavor the next meal.

Perpetual StewThis round of the soup has been simmering for 36 days. Rauwerda hasn’t announced how long she plans to continue cooking, but her meet-ups have become more popular every week.

A family in Bangkok has been cooking soup from the same broth for over 50 years now, and coverage from 1981 detailed a French beef stew that had then been cooking for 21 years.

Historians have also documented a pot-au-feu in Normandy that has reportedly been burning for 300 years, and another one in Perpignan that began in the 1400s but didn’t survive World War II.

Food writer Arthur Prager recommended refrigerating the soup overnight if unfinished, then skimming the fat off the top — where bacteria tend to build up — and simmering for at least 20 minutes before serving again.

While leftover veggies and meat are discarded after two rounds of reheating, the broth, Prager said, “will never spoil.”

Elaina GiannettiElaina Giannetti, 23, attended the event “that was a bit out of the ordinary” after her friend who lives in Colorado begged her to go and report back to him. Stefano

However, like Rauwerda’s, the pots are typically nearly depleted by the end of a meal, leaving behind only broth that will be used to start and flavor the next batch — one that Elaina Giannetti, 23, plans to taste.

The virology researcher living on the Lower East Side traveled across the bridge last week to sip on some stew after her friend who lives in Colorado begged her to go in his place. She plans to return.

“It felt like a group of genuine people who wanted to do something together that was a bit out of the ordinary,” she told The Post.

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Garrett Zelada, 33, was a part of that group. He attended the event last week with his fiancée, Nafisa Khan, 27, after reading about the event online while trying to decide what to do with their night after their flight back home to San Jose, California, was canceled.

“The soup was balanced, had tremendous depth and left us sated,” the X-ray technologist told The Post.

“This perpetual stew experience not only gave us sustenance in the literal sense — but reminded us of how great it is to be around a sense of a loving community,” Zelada said. “It was a true New York experience.”

https://nypost.com/2023/07/14/gen-z-eat ... xperience/
Jul 16th, 2023, 3:04 pm
Jul 16th, 2023, 4:43 pm
Party Drug Ketamine Can Stop Severe Depression–Researcher Wants Funding for the ‘Powerful Treatment’

A low-cost version of ketamine to treat severe depression has performed strongly in a double-blind trial that compared it with placebo.

In a study published this week in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers from University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia found that more than one in five participants achieved total remission from their symptoms after a month of bi-weekly injections—while a third had their symptoms improve by at least 50 percent.

“This brings definitive evidence to the field,” said lead researcher Professor Colleen Loo.

“For people with treatment-resistant depression—those who have not benefitted from different modes of talk-therapy, commonly prescribed antidepressants, or electroconvulsive therapy—20 percent remission is actually quite good.”

Funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the researchers recruited 179 people, which makes this, according to Prof. Loo, the largest study in the world to date that compares generic ketamine with placebo in treating severe depression.

Participants were given an injection of either a generic form of ketamine, which is already widely available in Australia as a drug for anesthesia and sedation, or placebo. They received two injections a week in a clinic where they were monitored for around two hours while acute dissociative and sedative effects wore off—usually within the first hour.

The treatment ran for a month and participants were asked to assess their mood at the end of the trial and one month later.

As a double-blind trial, neither participants nor researchers administering the drug were aware which patients received generic ketamine or placebo, to ensure psychological biases were minimized. Importantly, a placebo was chosen that also causes sedation, to improve treatment masking. Midazolam is a sedative normally administered before a general anesthetic, while in many previous studies the placebo was saline.

“Because there are no subjective effects from the saline, in previous studies it became obvious which people were receiving the ketamine and which people received placebo,” Prof. Loo says.

“In using midazolam – which is not a treatment for depression, but does make you feel a bit woozy and out of it – you have much less chance of knowing whether you have received ketamine, which has similar acute effects.”

Other features of the recent trial that set it apart from past studies included accepting people into the trial who had previously received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

“People are recommended ECT treatment for their depression when all other treatments have been ineffective,” Prof. Loo says. “Most studies exclude people who have had ECT because it is very hard for a new treatment to work where ECT has not.”


Much more affordable

Apart from the positive results, one of the standout benefits of using generic ketamine for treatment-resistant depression is that it is vastly cheaper than the patented S-ketamine nasal spray currently in use in Australia.

“This is why we’re applying for a Medicare item number to fund this treatment now, because it’s such a powerful treatment,” explained Loo.

“And if you consider that many of these people might spend many months in hospital, or be unable to work and are often quite suicidal, it’s quite cost effective when you see how incredibly quickly and powerfully it works. We’ve seen people go back to work, or study, or leave hospital because of this treatment in a matter of weeks.”

The researchers will next be looking at larger trials of generic ketamine over longer periods, and refining the safety monitoring of treatment.
Jul 16th, 2023, 4:43 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
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Jul 16th, 2023, 6:52 pm
EVIDENCE OF THE 9TH COHORT OF BATAVIANS AMONG NEW FINDS AT ROMAN VINDOLANDA

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Volunteer archaeologists excavating at Roman Vindolanda have uncovered evidence of the 9th cohort of Batavians.
Vindolanda (translated as “white field” or “white moor”) was a Roman auxiliary near Hadrian’s Wall that guarded a major highway called the Stanegate.

No less than nine forts were built of timber or stone at Vindolanda from between AD 85 to 370, creating one of the most complex archaeological sites in Britain and a unique cultural legacy of frontier life.

Today, Vindolanda is an ongoing active archaeological site, with previous excavations uncovering thousands of perfectly preserved shoes, textiles, wooden objects, and the Vindolanda tablets (the oldest surviving documents in Britain that date from the 1st and 2nd century AD).

Recent excavations have found a copper alloy lion head pommel that dates from AD 90 to 105 when the 9th cohort of Batavians were stationed at Vindolanda. The 9th cohort of Batavians were a mixed infantry-cavalry unit of about 1,000 men that came from a region close to the mouth of the Rhine near the modern day city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Batavian soldiers were first brought to Britain during the conquest period in AD 43, and also fought at Ynys Mon in present-day Anglesey where they attacked the Druid stronghold in an amphibious assault.

Excavations at Vindolanda have also uncovered a bone handled knife that dates from around the same period as the Batavians, a sherd of a mortarium bow with indications that it was repaired using lead and copper alloy, a pit containing hundreds of nuts (mostly hazelnut) which dates from AD 105-108, and samian pottery depicting a hare.

This season has also seen the start of a groundbreaking five year project to excavate Roman Magna, a fort that predates Hadrian’s Wall which was constructed to guard the junction of the Maiden Way Roman road with the Stanegate.

Dr Andrew Birley, the Director of Excavations for the Vindolanda Charitable Trust said: “Magna has waited patiently for thousands of years to start to tell us its story and history and that time is now. The project is vital, as it comes at a time when the rapidly changing climate is having a devastating effect on the preservation of some of the most precious buried archaeological deposits. This threatens our future ability to explore and understand our past.”
Jul 16th, 2023, 6:52 pm
Jul 16th, 2023, 7:15 pm
Why dozens of turtles march through this Connecticut dry-cleaner each year

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How did the turtle cross the road? In Middletown, Conn., with the help of a dry cleaner.

Middletown is home to a Best Cleaners, where an unofficial part of staff member Jennifer Malon's job has become protecting turtles from perhaps the most perilous stage of their migratory journey: two lanes of asphalt.

Malon and other staff help mother turtles across the road in front of the business and let them follow the path to the marsh where they lay their eggs, which happens to run through the building. Then, once hatched, the babies come back through and staff help them avoid the man-paved death-trap separating them from the pond where they live.

"It was all wetland here before the building was built," Malon told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.

"So we figured since we kind of took part of their home from them, we feel kind of obligated to at least try to help the ones we can across the roads."

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She's only worked at the business for five years, but says the shepherding of the turtles has been going on for more than a decade.

The adults start to mosey through in the late spring and babies usually hatch a few months later, according to Matt Dionne, regional manager of the cleaner.

David Seburn, a freshwater turtle specialist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, says it's great to hear about the work being done by Best Cleaners's staff.

"It would be very easy to do nothing. So it's very rewarding to see people taking care of the wildlife," he said.

Becoming roadkill is a major threat for turtles, he said, whose natural reaction to the cars that whiz by actually puts them in more danger.

"When a turtle is crossing the road and a car comes by, a turtle's response is not to run, because turtles can't run," he said.

"Their response is to freeze in place and pull their arms and legs and head back into their shell."

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That means a turtle spends more time on the road, which increases the chances they get hit by a car.

For drivers who might spot a turtle as it's crossing, Seburn says they can pick them up and help them get to safety. He recommends people first pull over to the shoulder and safely make their way onto the road.

"You certainly shouldn't run onto a busy road," he said. "You're just gonna get killed yourself."

Once it's safe and the turtle is secured, move it in the direction it was already going, he says, not back where it started.

"If you move it back to the side where it came from, It may just turn around and cross the road after you leave."

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Among the turtles traversing through Best Cleaners are Eastern painted turtles. The ones crossing the road to lay eggs are likely eight, nine or ten years old, Seburn says. If they can survive the journey, they can live decades more.

Malon hopes that with all the attention she and her fellow turtle shepherds are getting, people will lend a helping hand to turtles making their way across roads.

It's not just turtles that come through Best Cleaners — there are also customers too. Malon says they don't mind dropping off their delicate fabrics amidst the cold-blooded travellers.

"They're thrilled about it, actually," she said. "I'm sure they have taken pictures."

She estimated the adult turtles that come through are about the size of a shoe box, while the hatchlings can be about the size of a quarter. But the humans towering above them always keep a watchful eye.

"We've never stepped on or run over any," Malon affirmed.
Jul 16th, 2023, 7:15 pm

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Jul 17th, 2023, 3:02 am
Star Trek creator sent into orbit for first deep space burial
Updated on: 16 July 2023

Stefanie Schappert

Senior journalist


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Nearly 200 separate remains, including those of the late Star Trek creator and two of the show's cast members, will be part of an inaugural deep space mission to permanently orbit the sun as their final resting place.

Celestis, a company that has been promoting space burial service since 1994, will launch the first-of-its-kind memorial spaceflight to take place in nearly 30 years.

It marks a new twist in space burials for the non-traditional Houston, Texas-based company.

"It's going to be the first and only repository of our civilization out in the universe…330 million kilometers out into space,” said Celestis President Colby Youngblood.

“No one's done that before,” he said.

Celestis already took part in NASA’s successful mission to send the cremated ashes of legendary scientist Dr. Eugene Shoemaker to the moon back in 1998 and has completed dozens of round-trip space flights since.

During the Voyager Memorial Spaceflight Mission, the company plans to send 196 capsules of cremated remains of people who have passed away, as well as some DNA of people who are still living.


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Celestis memorial spaceflight DNA kit


The flight, set to launch sometime in 2024, will carry the ashes or DNA of notable individuals such as sci-fi legend and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who passed in 1991, and his wife.

Star Trek cast members also making their final trip include James Doohan (DECD 2005), who played the beloved character “Scotty,” and Nichelle Nichol (DECD 2022), known as the USS Enterprise crew member Uhura.

Instead of getting "beamed" into space, the personal flight capsules will be catapulted into the universe by way of an explosive rocket launch to take place during a three-day memorial event at Florida's Cape Canaveral, the cradle of the American space program.

“We've got a hair follicle from George Washington, President Dwight Eisenhower, and President John F Kennedy are all on board that flight as well,” Youngblood said.

The rocket is aptly named the Vulcan Centaur.

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Vulcan Centaur rocket. Image by United Launch Alliance.


Other notables making the journey in the afterlife include NASA’s first woman astrogeologist Mareta West and astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.; Masaru Tomita, two-time, all-star Japanese professional baseball player; and battlefield hero, bronze star, and Purple Heart recipient SSGT John James Cleaver.

The Celestis’ own Enterprise Flight will travel into deep space, beyond the Earth-Moon system, and past the James Webb telescope orbit around the Sun indefinitely.

Once the rocket makes it to its interplanetary destination, the most distant permanent human repository outpost will eventually be known as the Enterprise Station.

The company also provides a real-time tracking tool for family and friends to keep tabs on their loved ones while their remains travel through deep space.

One couple from Arizona, who are also sending their DNA on the inaugural Voyager mission, called it “the ultimate road trip” and said they liked the idea of being “the furthest human genome from the planet."

"We all want to be immortal in some way, and this was an opportunity for us to be able to do something that no one else has done, to go where no one else has gone before,” the couple said.

The launch vehicle for the Voyager mission is being provided by the spacecraft engineering company United Launch Alliance.
Jul 17th, 2023, 3:02 am
Jul 17th, 2023, 3:09 am
Residents Raise 15k for Beloved Milkman–Retired But Not Due His Pension for a Year


Jul 16, 2023

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Mick Tutton (center) with residents in St. Albans – SWNS

Grateful residents have raised thousands for a popular milkman who is retiring after nearly half a century. They’re helping him out until his state pension kicks in next year.

Mick Tutton has been delivering jugs to doorsteps in the neighborhood of St. Michaels in St Albans, a historic town 25 miles north of London, England, since 1976.

Known as ‘Mick the Milk’, the community saw him as much more than only a cheery milkman—he was the unofficial security guard, a social worker, football pundit, and cheerleader for local residents.

But the 65-year-old decided to take the opportunity to retire after his decades-old electric milk truck broke down beyond repair.

When local residents heard he was retiring they arranged a special fundraising night at the local pub and raised $20,000 (£15,280) as a retirement present.

Mick won’t receive his state pension until next year, so the town’s donations will be a bridge for him until then.

More than 100 residents signed an online card wishing him a happy retirement.

“Mick has been an integral part of our community, working through the night in all weather to deliver day in, day out to our doorsteps,” said organizer Kate Crick, who also lives in the Hertfordshire area.

“But he was so much more than our milkman. He looked out for people, especially the elderly, and became a family friend to many of us. Our children have grown up knowing and loving him, and our dogs too.

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Mick Tutton delivered milk for 47years – SWNS

“Mick always carried some doggie treats – they got so excited when they saw him coming down the road.

“When we started this collection, we couldn’t have dreamed we would raise more than £15,000 for our dear friend Mick.

“The huge size of the collection is testament to the love and regard in which Mick was held by the residents of the streets he served.”

Apart from cheering up residents, Mick ran in the St. Albans half-marathon for many years, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

And, in 1999, Mick was awarded his MBE in the Queen’s birthday honors list for his service to the community.

His father was a milkman and Mick followed in his footsteps as a 16-year-old apprentice.

“I’m grateful he made me do it, as I’ve had a wonderful career, meeting a community full of wonderful people,” Mick told SWNS news.

By the time he retired at the end of March, he was delivering milk to 600 houses a week.

“My wife and I are using the money to help pay our rent, and to potentially visit our daughter’s husband’s family in Brazil.

“At the moment I’m enjoying having the free time to spend with my granddaughter Florence, but it goes without saying I’m already missing seeing everyone everyday.

“I’ve never been somewhere where there is so much love and compassion and I’ve had an incredible 47 years serving the community.”
Jul 17th, 2023, 3:09 am
Jul 17th, 2023, 1:27 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
MONDAY JULY 17

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.

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IN OTHER NEWS


NOTE: THE RECAP AND REWARDS WILL BE DONE LATER
Jul 17th, 2023, 1:27 pm

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Jul 17th, 2023, 1:33 pm
Romance novels ditch hunks for ‘squishy-centered’ men — Fabio calls it ‘hogwash’

Back in the swinging Eighties and into the Nineties, an “Italian stallion” by the name of Fabio graced the covers of hundreds of schmaltzy romance novels that hit the paperback racks and sold like the proverbial hotcakes.

Untold millions swooned over the 6’3” 225 pounds of mucho macho hotness. His flowing locks, chiseled chest, incredibly ripped abs, muscular arms, and deep brown, mesmerizing eyes, were irresistible to female romance novel readers — and even some males.

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Fabio was the king of romance covers.

Sometimes alone, sometimes tightly gripping a swooning beauty, Fabio could be found on throbbing titles like “Savage Promises,” “Golden Temptation,” and “Hearts Aflame,” always leaving readers wanting more.

Fabio and the publishers were happy to oblige – and many millions of the books flew off the shelves.

But that was then and this is now: welcome to the era of sensitive woke men, and the women who desire them.

A slew of the new generation of romance books are transitioning to “soft masculinity”: lovers who give readers “the warm fuzzies,” according to trade magazine, Publishers Weekly.

Kaitlin Olson, a senior editor at Atria, a division of Simon & Schuster, told PW, “More readers are asking for ‘cinnamon rolls’ — described as sweet, supportive and kind types of dudes, and ‘golden retrievers’ — men sporting floppy energy and positive attitude.”

In romance novel publisher-speak, that means male lovers who are more, well, puppy-like, soft and cuddly, and less toxic — certainly not the hard-bodied, fiery Fabio type.

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Fabio’s era was one of topless hunks, but new romance novels will have a different look for their covers.

“We’re seeing changing views on identity and masculinity and consent in the larger population,” asserted Olson, “and readers are looking for romance novels to reflect what they see in the culture.”

According to PW, “squishy-centered men” in the soon-to-be-released books “typify the changing face of attraction.”

Instead of the Fabio-esque, hard-bodied, virile lover, the male protagonist in Atria’s September title, “The Long Game,” described as a “slow-burn romance,” is a children’s soccer team coach — a “deceptively kind” guy who has two cats, and takes care of his girlfriend.

Other covers feature men carrying lattes (presumably soy); pet goats; flowers; and even candles.

“That’s something we’re seeing more of in romance,” notes PW. “Men as emotional and physical caretakers.”

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Even the steamiest novels are not offering Fabio-esque covers — with this one focusing on female pleasure, not ripped men.

“Hogwash!” declares Fabio Lanzoni, the multimillionaire retired cover boy star of romance novels, who turned 64 last March, and still looks as hunky as ever.

The Italian stallion left Milan at 19 and thanked America for his success; he is now a citizen. He scoffed at romance publishing’s “soft masculinity” concept, and blames it on the “progressive woke movement” that he feels is being promulgated by “the political far left and the Biden administration.”

“In life, there are trends, and this is nothing more than a trend. It’s ridiculous, like all the rest of the woke movement. I talk to many people, I talk to many women and the women say, ‘We can’t find real men anymore,’ and they say, ‘We want a real man, not a metrosexual,’ so what they say is happening in the new romance novels is detached from reality. It’s La-La Land.”


And the new breed of romance novels also will include trans men. A top romance novel editor said, “Don’t be shocked when the romance reading public will see jacket covers and storylines featuring sexy trans men as the ‘male’ lover protagonist.”

She requested that her name not be used for fear of retribution, noting the “blowback” from the recent Bud Light controversy involving trans spokeswoman and influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

“The romance novel is being updated to take advantage of this new age. Already in the works are such books, and we expect them to do well,” the editor, a millennial Wellesley College grad with an advanced literary degree, revealed.

“We’re finding that the romance novel readership is a lot younger and more liberal and more open to the trans revolution that’s happening in society. Still, the plan is to subtly introduce him-her in the books and on the covers, and see if it flies.”

Asked what she thought Fabio would think about all that, the 30-something editor was puzzled.

“Fabio, who?

Fabio himself has an answer to that: Since his retirement from modeling, Fabio has appeared in movies, “The Exorcist III”; “Dude, Where’s My Car?”, and “Zoolander” — and enjoyed being a multi-millionaire.

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No need to ask “Fabio, who?” because since retiring from being a novel cover model, he has gone from strength to strength

He became the first bestselling romance author using his real name – producing such titles as “Viking,” “Pirate,” “Rogue,” “Comanche,” and “Champion,” in collaboration with the prominent romance writer Eugenia Riley. He’s had a bestselling pin-up calendar and released a partial spoken word album, “Fabio After Dark,” about love, inner beauty, and humor, with the singing being handled by Dionne Warwick and Billy Ocean.

He’s been on a number of TV shows, including playing himself on one episode of America’s Next Top Model in 2006, and he appeared in the music video, “I Kissed a Girl.” One of his managers produced a biography in the early 1990s, “Fabio,” and over 55 million Fabio romance covers had been sold.

With exercise and diet, he’s been able to stay as fit at 64 as he was decades ago when he appeared on those romance novel covers. While he says he doesn’t believe in plastic surgery to look more youthful, he acknowledges sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which he believes “reverses the aging process.”

As for beta men taking their place on the cover of romance novels?

Fabio is confident his look – not the “golden retrievers” — is what women really want.

“This is just a trend and masculinity in those books is eventually going to come back,” he said.
Jul 17th, 2023, 1:33 pm

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Jul 17th, 2023, 2:30 pm
Fireball lights up early morning sky over Louisiana



A large fireball illuminated the early morning sky over Louisiana and the possible meteor was caught on camera by some residents' security cameras.

The American Meteor Society confirmed it received multiple reports of a fireball in the sky over southeastern Louisiana around 4:30 a.m. Friday.

The fireball was captured by home security cameras in Gretna, Madisonville and Eunice.

Fireballs are commonly caused by meteors entering the Earth's atmosphere. Meteorologists said Friday morning's fireball may have also been space debris burning up while descending.

The American Meteorological Society is investigating the incident.
Jul 17th, 2023, 2:30 pm

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Believe me, you are someone's crush. Yes, you are!
Jul 17th, 2023, 4:00 pm
Fisherman Forms Touching Bond with 4-Meter-Long Crocodile
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An Indonesian fisherman claims to have shared a friendship with a four-meter-long saltwater crocodile for over 20 years and calls the reptile part of the local community.

59-year-old Ambo, a fisherman from Bontang City, in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan, has become somewhat of a celebrity in his country because of his unusual friendship with a giant saltwater crocodile named Rizka. The giant reptile has been a constant part of Ambo’s life for the past 26 years, ever since he first laid eyes on her in the waters of Pupuk Kaltim. She was only about one meter in size back then, and he didn’t pay much attention to her as she swam past his boat, but when he noticed that she had followed him home, Ambo grabbed some food and tossed it in the water. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship spanning 26 years and who knows how many more going forward.

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“I first ran into Rizka when I was on a boat passing through the waters of the Pupuk Kaltim area 23 years ago,” Ambo told Kompas back in 2020. “She was then only about a meter long, so I ignored her as I made my way home. [But] I noticed that [Rizka] followed the vessel home. I even saw her next to the boat, which I also named Rizka. I called her over to give her something to eat, and she came around. She has since been doing that.”

“If I don’t see her for two or three days, I go looking for her,” Ambo added. “I treat her as my own child.”

Over the years, these two unlikely friends became really close. Rizka often floats near Ambo’s boat when she sees him, and doesn’t go away until he strokes her back for a while. She also visits his home whenever she is hungry, and he is more than happy to throw her something to eat.

“I usually give Rizka three chickens. Once she has been fed, she swims away,” Ambo said. “When I leave the village, I’ve to tell my neighbors to feed Rizka while I’m gone. I had to get neighbors to look after Rizka after my wife told me once that the croc came around when I was away.”

When Ambo was away for about two years, working in the provincial capital Samarinda, he asked local fishermen to take care of Rizka for him, and they would throw the crocodile some of them catch when they saw her. Since then, Rizka has become part of the community, and people see her as their guardian.

Ambo claims to love Rizka as if she were his child, and although he admits that he still fears scared sitting so close to a four-meter-long crocodile that could literally swallow him whole, he is willing to put his life on the line in the name of their friendship.



“Sure the fear is there, but my ancestors believed that one can bond with crocodiles and other animals as if we have familial relations with them,” the fisherman said.



To keep up with Ambo and Riska, check out their official Instagram.
Jul 17th, 2023, 4:00 pm
Jul 17th, 2023, 4:16 pm
All Kinds of Trash is Turned into Valuable Graphene That Can Cut the Environmental Impact of Concrete by a Third

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Imagine if you could turn a material that costs $100 per ton into one that costs thousands of dollars per pound—it’s the kind of story attached to the fable of the Philosopher’s Stone.

At Rice University, a group of scientists started turning coal, an energy source of little value, into graphene, a raw material with dozens of applications in electronics. Then, the scientists realized they could use any carbon source, which for their experiments included dead cockroaches, coffee grounds, and girl scout cookies.

Graphene comes from a mineral called graphite, a carbon allotype, and one of only two forms of naturally-occurring carbon. It has metal-like properties and is valuable for use as a conductor in aerospace, medicine, and electronics.

The global demand for this material is predicted to top $1 billion at an average price of $67,000 per ton.

Using a technique they created called “flash graphene” the scientists were able to create high-value graphene flakes from a variety of raw materials by hooking them up to a pair of capacitors and electrodes that delivered a 3,000° Kelvin shock.

This, according to experiment lead Dr. James Tour, a professor of materials and nanotechnology at Rice University, passes a current through the trash or coal with enough energy to break every carbon-carbon bond in the substance, before they reorganize themselves as graphene.

“You can put your finger right on the container a few seconds afterwards,” Tour said. “And keep in mind this is almost three times hotter than the chemical vapor deposition furnaces we formerly used to make graphene, but in the flash process the heat is concentrated in the carbon material and none in a surrounding reactor.”

This, Tour says, has unique advantages and allows the team to create flash graphene in bulk.

“All the excess energy comes out as light, in a very bright flash, and because there aren’t any solvents, it’s a super clean process,” he said.

Graphite mining comes with all the environmental unhappiness of any other kind of mining, and the team identify two ways in which bulk flash graphene, along with making a variety of products much cheaper, could really improve the environmental footprint of manufacturing.

The first is shown in the paper Tour et al. published in Nature on their work—that adding just 0.1% of graphene to concrete could reduce its environmental footprint by one-third.

“Essentially, we’re trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that waste food would have emitted in landfills,” Tour told his university press. “We are converting those carbons into graphene and adding that graphene to concrete, thereby lowering the amount of carbon dioxide generated in concrete manufacture. It’s a win-win environmental scenario using graphene.”

Second, as he explains in the video below, existing coal mines and companies which mine coal could sell their product to flash graphene production rather than coal power plants. This would eliminate any CO2 emissions that would normally come from that coal being burned, and would likely save thousands of jobs for coal companies.

Jul 17th, 2023, 4:16 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
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