Two Software Engineers Are Revolutionizing India’s Fight Against Poaching and Wildlife Tracking



Indian elephant bull in musth in Bandipur National Park – credit Yathin S Krishnappa CC 3.0.

Rather than taking their software and programming degrees into the tech sector, two young Kerala men are using them to bring India’s efforts to track, prevent, and punish wildlife crime into the 21st century with a suite of sophisticated apps and tools.

They believe they are the first to bring this level of digitization into wildlife conservation, allowing courts to rapidly process wildlife crime cases, rangers to track and analyze patterns of criminal activity in forests, and much more.

Paper records, written by hand, recorded by memory, are the kind of data that so many ranger teams and criminal prosecutors of wildlife crime have to rely on around the world in the course of their noble work, and India is no exception.

“I realized how there is a gap in the market. There is almost zero technology to track any kind of wildlife crime in India,” said Allen Shaji, co-founder of Leopard Tech Labs. “Working with the Wildlife Trust of India and with their support, our company was able to make HAWK or ‘Hostile Activity Watch Kernel’ with the forest department of Kerala,” he says.

Along with his college buddy and fellow cofounder Sobin Matthew, Leopard Tech Labs developed four unique programs now in use by the Kerala Forest Department, called Cyber HAWK, SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue and Protection App), Jumbo Radar, and WildWatch.

“HAWK is an offense management system that includes case handling, court case monitoring, communication management, and wildlife death monitoring,” Allen told The Better India, explaining that before this, all casework was recorded on papers. Now, HAWK can quickly summarize vast amounts of data into various kinds of digital documents, like a Google spreadsheet, PDF, Microsoft Excel, etc.

HAWK can surf the data inputs in seconds, enabling real-time answers to be generated while court or parliament is in session, whether that’s a spreadsheet on the year-over-year rate of elephant deaths, or a police report from the scene of a wildlife crime arrest or trafficking bust.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Indian Man Quits Tech Job and Becomes Environmentalist–And Turns Infamous Dump into Green Oasis

HAWK is not only used by the authorities, but contains big datasets provided by the IUCN, the world’s largest wildlife conservation organization.


Sobin Mathew and Allen Shaji of Leopard Tech Labs – credit Leopard Tech Labs, released to The Better India

In addition to HAWK, Jumbo Radar allows the forest departments of India to track elephants in real-time in case they should depart a nature reserve, while WildWatch uses machine learning to predict future incidents of human-wildlife conflict before they happen.

In particular, it uses seasonal movements of animals, past records of violence against wildlife, and data on crops including the amount of land cropped, the proximity to nature reserves, and when in the year humans are working on the boundaries of the cropped areas all to predict where conflicts will happen before they do.

“This information allows for targeted interventions, such as advising villagers to relocate or alter crop cultivation practices, thereby mitigating conflicts and promoting coexistence,” Allen says.

Already Leopard Tech Labs’ products are moving beyond Kerala to Tamil Nadu, and three tiger reserves have begun using their suite of solutions. Leopard Tech has even developed an app for Brazil—to help reduce human-snake conflict.

Wildlife trafficking is the third-most lucrative illegal trade in the world, and nations with weak enforcement of environmental laws risk becoming hotbeds for poaching of far more than just elephants and rhinos.

[goldie0608]

Hundreds of Birds Take Over Texas Parking Lot in Scene 'Straight Out of a Hitchcock Movie'

On Jan. 2, a large group of birds descended on a shopping center in Cypress, Texas, with a Marshalls and Home Goods



It appears as if 2024 is already for the birds.

On Jan. 2, a massive flock of hundreds of birds decided to touch down in the middle of a parking lot in Cypress, Texas. The incident, caught on camera by Yvone Gomez, was described as "straight out of a Hitchcock movie."

"These birds were not scared as I honked," Gomez told Storyful.

In Gomez's video — a scene that looks like a modern adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror classic The Birds — hundreds of dark-colored birds monopolize the shopping center lot in Cypress. The clip shows birds sitting atop cars, above shopping cart holders, inside truck beds, and — perhaps most obstructively — in the middle of the lot itself, preventing cars from moving easily and from shoppers from reaching stories like Ross, Home Goods, and Marshalls. The birds cover a tree in one frame with a few fliers on each branch.

Gomez told Storyful that the birds refused to move for anyone or anything — staying still when cars honked at them and even doing the same when a child screamed at them, too.

The birds were great-tailed grackles, a species common during all seasons in areas of the southern U.S., according to the Houston Audubon.

"Great-tailed grackles are a permanent sight in Houston and can be found in any area inhabited by humans that has some trees," per environmental educator Vicki Stittleburg on Houston Audubon's website.

"They tend to congregate in large flocks and prefer shopping centers and fast-food store parking lots where there's trash for food and trees or light posts for perching."

The conservation organization also noted that the birds are "fierce parents" and may defend nests by "chasing, mobbing or diving at perceived predators," including humans.

In news that affects many of the birds in the U.S., the American Ornithological Society (AOS) revealed in November that in "an effort to address past wrongs and engage far more people in the enjoyment, protection, and study of birds, it will change all English bird names currently named after people within its geographic jurisdiction."

The AOS will start changing the English names of American and Canadian birds in 2024. The changes will affect dozens of species, including 70-80 bird species with names tied to humans or "deemed offensive and exclusionary."

"There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today," Colleen Handel, Ph.D., AOS president and wildlife biologist, said in a release.

"We need a much more inclusive and engaging scientific process that focuses attention on the unique features and beauty of the birds themselves."

Half a Billion Years Ago, These ‘Terror Beasts’ Ruled the Seas
Spoiler alert: They’re giant worms.


Meet Timorebestia, the terror beast of the Early Cambrian, a giant predatory worm discovered recently in Northern Greenland. Bob Nicholls/@BobNichollsArt

Take a ride on the way, way, way back machine to about 520 million years ago. The Cambrian Explosion—Earth’s biggest bang of biodiversity, when the variety of living things increased exponentially—was just wrapping up. Terrestrial plants and animals had not yet evolved so the land was still barren, but oceans teemed with life. Early arthropods, invertebrates with tough exoskeletons, were becoming fierce predators.

Now meet the terror beasts who ate arthropods for breakfast (and lunch and dinner).

Paleontologists working in Peary Land, the northernmost edge of Greenland, have found fossils of an extraordinary animal previously unknown to science: a giant predatory worm, equipped with large jaws, that they named Timorebestia, or “terror beast.” One of the 13 specimens found at the site had a small arthropod still in its maw; several other specimens had arthropods in their digestive systems, suggesting Timorebestia was one of the world’s earliest (and best-equipped) predators.

As for its giant size, well, everything’s relative. The largest specimen was nearly a foot long, which may not sound impressive until you consider that most animals during this period were well under an inch.

While fossilization typically preserves bones and very occasionally skin, the team was able to tease out additional details about the species by using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) to essentially map carbon signatures preserved in the specimens. The EPMA revealed fins running down most of the length of the body, long antennae, and even some of the musculature and nervous system.


An image (and corresponding illustration) created by mapping carbon signatures in a Timorebestia fossil reveals details of the animals’ body plans, including fins and muscles (left); the fossil of the largest specimen, nearly a foot long, and an illustration of it based on carbon-mapping (right). JAKOB VINTHER (2)

Timorebestia is related to today’s arrow worms, a group of marine animals known to be “strongly carnivorous.” Modern arrow worms are considerably smaller than the Cambrian beast, however, and have evolved external, spiky bristles to catch prey instead of the formidable jaws of their ancient relative, making them somewhat less impressive.

Paleontologists were able to determine Timorebestia was related to today’s arrow worms, also known as chaetognaths, in part because the ancient animal has an anatomical feature unique to this phylum. All chaetognaths have a distinct structure in their midsection that’s part of their nervous system. This so-called ventral ganglion plays a role in the animals’ sense of touch, and in how they move through the water. Timorebestia’s ventral ganglion is particularly large relative to its body size; together with its well-developed fins, it suggests the ancient predator may have been a particularly efficient swimmer and successful predator, the Jaws of its Cambrian day.

The terror beast’s reign did not last, however. In the wake of the Cambrian Explosion, arthropods in particular continued to diversify and get bigger. By about 515 million years ago, they included the shrimp-like predator Anomalocaris, which may have reached lengths of three feet or more. According to a study published in 2023, Anomalocaris preferred soft prey, just like Timorebestia—perhaps one reason the terror beast vanished from the fossil record.

[lush]

Street Cleaner Becomes Professional Ballet Dancer at 63, Is Living His Best Life
111023*

A 63-year-old Chinese man who only started learning ballet a decade ago has gone viral on social media as a living example that you are never too old to follow your dreams.

Liu Ziqing has been a fan of ballet for as long as he can remember. He fell in love with it as a little boy, after watching The Red Detachment of Women ballet show in the early 1960s, more than 10 times, but he never really got the chance to practice it himself. Growing up in a poor family in a village near Baotou, the largest city in Northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, his main focus was always on helping his family and putting food on the table. Dancing was a luxury he could not afford. He ended up becoming a farmer but also worked as a street cleaner in order to make ends meet. But he never got over his love for ballet, and at age 53, he decided to become a ballet dancer.



Most people in their early 50s call themselves lucky if they can lightly jog a few times a week without suffering any pain, but ballet requires a degree of fitness and flexibility that are almost impossible to attain at a certain age without a lifetime of training. But Liu Ziqing wasn’t going to let a trivial thing as age stand between him and his dream.

“I had been thinking of dancing all those years. One day, I saw a ballet basic training course on TV, which sparked the idea that I should try to learn to dance,” Ziqing said in an interview.



Becoming a ballet dancer at age 53 wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, especially since most of his friends and acquaintances just didn’t understand why he put himself through this arduous training at his age. But Liu Ziqing ignored them all with the help of his family, who have always been very supportive of his passion.

Staying in good enough shape to dance alongside performers less than half his age is tough, and Liu sometimes has to sleep in a leg press position to increase his strength, but it’s a sacrifice he is willing to make. Not only does ballet make him a happy man, but he is convinced that it has done wonders for his health as well.



“In the past, I had stomach problems. After dancing regularly over the past decade, the stomach issues have mostly gone away,” the 63-year-old ballet dancer said.

“When I am in this class, I feel like those young students, as if I have become young again,” Liu added. “I am now doing what I wanted to do when I was young.”

'My parents named me after a designer clothing brand - it's so tacky and cringe'
A woman admits she's 'embarrassed' by her unusual name but can't bring herself to change it as her family would 'hate' her for it - she's seeking out advice online



A woman has revealed she wants to change her 'embarrassing' name but fears she could upset her parents with her decision.

The conflicted social media user says she was given an unusual name by her family at birth and is now picked on in school because of it. Taking to Reddit, she admitted: "My sister named me and my mother and father were dumb enough to listen to her. My family likes my name and so do some people at school but I literally hate my name. I sometimes got picked on for my name as well."

The woman was named Armani after luxury fashion brand founder Giorgio Armani, but she says it doesn't suit her personality in the slightest and finds the name 'embarrassing' and 'tacky.'

"I don't fit it. I don't like how it's spelt or how I say it. I don't really want to say my name [because of] how embarrassing and tacky it is," she confessed.

Despite her parents calling her by a nickname, some of her classmates continue to use her real moniker. "I really want to change my name when I'm older and spoke to my mother and sister about this and they got upset and said that my name is fine," she said. I don't really speak about it to them anymore as I don't want to make them upset" she added.

She says her name brings her unwanted attention, which makes her uncomfortable. "If I did want to change my name I have no idea what to. My personality is quite shy and quiet at first but then I'm loud when people really get to know me. I'm one of the first people you notice in a room but because of my name people don't really forget me."

Unsure of what to do, she asked people for advice on the forum. Some people were able to relate to her situation, while others urged her to change her name. A person said: "I think I'm a bit older than you, but I am in a similar situation. I don't like my name at all; it's trendy and just doesn't suit me.

"As someone who can empathise, I'd say just change it. It's your name, and your life. If you want to make things easier for family and friends - and you are in no way obliged to, you could pick a name that is similar or starts with the same letter as your current name. But it's also ok if you want to go with something completely different.

Another user added: "You can still change your name even if they don't approve. You don't need their permission or anything. My mum's cousin changed her name from Lisa, which she always hated, to Tristan when she turned 18.

"My mum said a lot of the family, including my mum, were resistant at first, but Tristan persisted and people have pretty much forgotten she ever was called anything else."

A third user said: "You have every right to change it if you dislike it. It is yours after all. If you're not old enough to do it yet you could still decide what you want and start using it to introduce yourself. This gives you time to try out different things until you find one that feels more you."

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-new ... r-31802648

[johngriffen]

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 JANUARY 6
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

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

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
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

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

[ozswede]

Dogged determination! Doberman is too TIRED to walk down England's highest peak - sparking mountain rescue

Mountain rescuers showed 'dogged determination' after they were called out after a 40kg doberman was too tired to walk down England's highest peak and staged a sit-down protest.

Dexter, a doberman/Belgian malinois cross, had been walking up Scafell Pike in the Lake District with his owners when, close to the summit, he suddenly decided he'd climbed far enough.

The hulking hound sat down and refused all attempts to coax him into carrying on with the walk.


Dexter was too tired to walk down England's highest peak and staged a sit-down protest.

As darkness started to descend and Dexter showed no sign of relenting, the walkers had no option but to call in mountain rescuers, who trekked up the 3208ft peak at 11.30pm on Tuesday.

As the rescuers approached they were able to find the stricken climbers because Dexter began to bark and howl when he heard their approach.


Dexter (sensibly) suddenly decided he'd climbed far enough

But no amount of coaxing, pushing and pulling could persuade him to leave his perch so a plan was made for Dexter, his owners and eight members of the rescue team to camp out on the mountain and hope for better luck at daybreak.

His owners were well equipped for spending a night outdoors but rescuers also erected bivvy shelters to protect from the wind and cold.

Thankfully, the following morning, Dexter got over his stubbornness and was led down the hill on a 50M rope.

Recounting the rescue, the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team said on Facebook: 'Search teams were sent via the normal routes in Wasdale and Eskdale. The team sent to Sty Head were clearly "barking" up the wrong tree and found nothing.

'Other teams were 'poodling' around for some time with nothing heard or seen.

'However, the search team in Hollow Stones heard a woof and a howl in response to their whistles, and so we finally had a "Scooby Doo". The hunt was on.

'A light was seen high on the flanks of Scafell, but due to the mist it was very difficult to tell exactly where. "Dogged" determination kept the teams searching in Lord's Rake, up Black Crag and in Red Gill.

'Finally a clear line of sight could be made and fortunately the group was thankfully found to be 'dogfast' rather than cragfast, on steep ground but manageable with care.

'Dexter, the 40kg Doberman/Belgian Malinois cross had decided not to move any further on nightfall, despite much encouragement.

'The walkers were uninjured, cold, and had not wanted to leave their dog on the fell.

'They were equipped well enough to spend an unplanned night on the fell, and we found that Dexter was trained to bark and howl, thus initially attracting our attention.'


Mountain rescue were called to rescue Dexter the doberman from Scafell Pike

A spokesman for Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team said: 'Due to the weather conditions, and potential for hypothermia, a full callout was made and additional support from Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team and Lake District Search Dogs.

'After searches of several areas, the team assigned to Hollow Stones heard barking and howling and spotted a light high on Scafell.

'The walkers were uninjured, cold, and had not wanted to leave their dog on the fell.

'They were equipped well enough to spend an unplanned night on the fell, and we found that Dexter was trained to bark and howl, thus initially attracting our attention.


The mountain rescuers had the climb the peak to rescue the stubborn dog

'Other rescuers harnessed the energy to make the hard pull up to their location but no amount of encouragement could make Dexter move downhill.

'The agreed course of action was to wait for daylight and hope that he regained his confidence to move downhill with better visibility. As such, bivvy shelters were deployed for all, and a long "paws" ensued.

'After a "woof" night, as dawn broke, further attempts were made but Dexter stood fast. As hope was fading a last ditch attempt was made with a 50m rope lead and he was gently encouraged downhill.

'Thankfully once he started moving there were no further problems and a brisk, boisterous and friendly walk with Dexter was then made back to Brackenclose.'


The exhausted mountain rescue team with Dexter after they rescued him from Scafell Pike

The mother of Dexter's owner, Sara Kelly, thanked the rescuers. She said: 'No witty puns from me just a MASSIVE Thank you to the whole team for their amazing work that night and for every rescue.

'This was my son and dog they have climbed all of the local mountains as far as Ben Nevis together without any issues. Something just spooked him this time.

'We knew something was wrong when they didn't check in as planned.

'We called the police and the team were there in no time.

'We cannot thank you all enough. A special thank you to Merseyside Police Cumbria Police and of course Wasdale Mountain Rescue. This could have ended so differently without your help.

'As an aside one of Dexter's litter is a search and rescue dog.'

(I'm glad my pooches were only 3½ kg. Too tired? I could just pick them up and carry them home in a backpack - Proof )

[Fatima99]

Scientists Hail New Antibiotic That Can Kill Drug-Resistant Bacteria



An entirely new kind of antibiotic has been found to be 100% successful in animal trials in eliminating one of three antibiotic-resistant infections believed to pose the greatest risk to human health.

Known as Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, or CRAB for short, it is classified as a priority 1 pathogen by the WHO, a significant cause of damaging infections in patients, particularly those on ventilators, and resistant to several antibiotics.

Designed by Roche Pharma Research in Basel, Switzerland, the new antibiotic is called Zosurabalpin, and it was able to defeat strains of CRAB-induced pneumonia and sepsis in mouse models.

Many resistant bacterial species come from a family known as Gram-negative bacteria, which boast a defensive shell made of a toxic substance called lipopolysaccharide.

The Guardian reports that no new drug has been developed to combat Gram-negative bacteria in 50 years. In one of the preliminary studies for efficacy, a team from Harvard found that Zosurabalpin prevented the bacteria from transporting the LPS to its exterior shell, rendering it vulnerable to all kinds of attacks.

“LPS allows bacteria to live in harsh environments, and it also allows them to evade attack by our immune system,” Dr. Michael Lobritz, the global head of infectious diseases at Roche Pharma, told the Guardian.

“This is the first time we’ve found anything that operates in this way, so it is unique in its chemical makeup and mechanism of action.”

Stopping CRAB is not the end of the medical crisis of antibiotic-resistant infections, but some of those involved in Zosurabalpin’s development believe it opens something of a door to experimenting with similar mechanisms against antibiotic-resistant E. coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the latter of which has been shown to be vulnerable to similar drugs.

Roche Pharma is tempering expectations as efficacy in animal trials doesn’t equate to human efficacy. A Zosurabalpin trial is already underway in humans.

[goldie0608]

How a Family’s ‘Emotional Support Monster’ Became a Symbol of Comfort to Hundreds

Alison Weaver has turned her son's beloved stuffed animal into a local Florida celebrity



Alison Weaver takes her "emotional support monster" everywhere she goes, with the goal of bringing joy and comfort to others.

“He became an emotional support monster for everyone, for our family, and then my friends," she says. "Everybody just fell in love with him."

It all started a few years ago Weaver, now 47, was having a hard day and asked her son if she could hug his stuffed monster, Gilly.

“I just really needed to hug him,” Weaver, 47, recalls. And he made her feel better. So she started taking the stuffed monster to work with her at a theme park. If a coworker was having a bad day, they hugged the monster. Soon, she bought duplicates for all her friends and family.

Eventually her two children convinced her to start a YouTube channel documenting all of Gilly's adventures and good deeds.

“My son was like, ‘Everybody needs to know Gilly because he makes everybody so happy,’ ” she recalls. “I was like, 'All right, but I'm going to stop this if it's just getting ridiculous.’ ”

His channel now has nearly 500 subscribers.



“He is making other people happy every day,” she says. “It's amazing. The thing that makes me the happiest is the joy that he brings to people, not just to my family and friends, but to complete strangers."

Gilly is also a kindness ambassador for the Yellow Band Project — an organization that promotes the doing of good deeds in memory of a young boy who did the same — and hands out kindness bracelets with Weaver's help.

“Wherever we go, if we think someone needs a smile, then Gilly gives them a bracelet,” she says. “I know that Gilly is bringing happiness to everyone.”

Since going public with Gilly's goodness, Weaver has received an overwhelming response from viewers and fans.

“People have told me that they have suffered from depression, and Gilly is the only thing that makes them smile. It makes me cry thinking about it, because all I wanted was to make other people feel as happy as we did," she says.

Her goal is to continue spreading the joy Gilly brings her family.

“It amazes me every day how many people love him,” she says. “It's complete craziness, but it's really fun.”

2008 receipt has fast food fans flipping out at how much prices have changed: ‘Take me the f–k back’



A photo of a receipt from 2008 has left many Australians yearning for simpler – and much cheaper – times.

The well-preserved 16-year-old receipt was uploaded to Reddit this week, after a man discovered it in his grandmother’s car.

But it’s what was on the back of the receipt that really drew his attention: coupon deals, which many users remarked in the thread’s comments they “forgot even existed”.

The first promotion was for a hairdressing salon, advertising free add-on foils with any cut or color; while another, from a local butcher offering a 2 pounds of sausage for free if a customer spent $30 [$20 USD] or more in-store.

A coupon for Pizza Hut advertised that diners could get three large pizzas for just $15.95 [$10.72 USD] if they picked up in store, as opposed to home delivery.

The equivalent deal in 2024, of three large pizzas and three sides, sets Aussies back $36.95 [$24.83 USD].

A promotion for McDonald’s may have stung the most, however: two Big Macs for a mere $5 [$3.36 USD]. More than a decade-and-a-half later, a single Big Mac, without a meal, is now $7.75 [$5.15 in American McDonald’s].

“Oh how prices have changed,” the man captioned the photo.

“How I yearn for 2008,” one user responded, while another lamented: “Oh how I miss docket deals! I forgot they even existed.”

“Take me the f–k back,” a third wrote.

McDonald’s Australia last year confirmed it had increased prices, amid consumers’ continuous claims it was “way more expensive” than it had ever been previously.

“Like all businesses we are operating in a higher-cost environment, which does impact the cost of running great restaurants in communities across Australia,” a spokesperson told news.com.au in June.

“We will always work hard to provide our customers with great value.

“We’re committed to our ‘Value means more at Macca’s’ promise, which not only includes great everyday pricing but also providing great customer service, 24/7 convenience and focusing on year-round offers like our family bundles.

https://nypost.com/2024/01/05/lifestyle ... -f-k-back/

[rflash8]

Zoo Miami announces births of two sloth bear cubs



Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A Florida zoo announced the births of two baby sloth bears, the first members of their species to be born at the zoo since 1998.

Zoo Miami announced Friday that 4-year-old first-time mother Kematee, who came to the facility from the Philadelphia Zoo in 2021, gave birth to the first cub in a secluded area behind her public habitat at 4 a.m. on Dec. 4 and the second cub followed about 9:30 a.m.

The cubs, which are female, were fathered by 11-year-old Hank, and they also mark his first surviving cubs, the zoo announced.

The sloth bears, native to the Indian subcontinent, are the first to be born at Zoo Miami since 1998.

"Kematee will remain off-exhibit, secluded in her den with the cubs, to help ensure that they are able to continue to establish a strong bond with minimal interruptions or distractions," the zoo said.

The mother "is demonstrating excellent maternal care, and the hope is to introduce mom and cubs onto their outdoor habitat as soon as the staff is confident that they are able to safely navigate the area."

Officials said it could still be several weeks before the cubs are ready to go on public display.

Houghton Conquest lost dog found by thermal drone

A thermal drone has been used to find a dog that was missing for 12 days.

Ulysse went missing on 20 December during a walk in Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire.

A team from Nottinghamshire-based charity Drone to Home spent fewer than two hours searching for the missing Hungarian wire haired vizsla when they spotted him in nearby Haynes on Sunday.

The dog's owner Sam Boyle is fundraising to buy the charity another drone.

"How many dogs go missing each year and all it needs is a thermal drone," said Ms Boyle, who has raised about £9,000 of her £12,000 target.

Ulysse was stuck in a hedgerow, with his retractable lead tangled and tying him to the spot.

His owner and search parties had already looked in the area, albeit in vain.

Drone to Home chief executive and former police officer Phil James, who spotted Ulysse, said: "I've seen a lot, but this is the first time I've jumped up in the air after finding an animal - the dog had been missing for so long."

Ms Boyle said: "When Phil rang and said I can see him on the camera I said a very bad word and then asked if he was alive. Phil said 'yes, we can see him moving, just get here'."

Ulysse had lost 10kg (22lb) in weight and needed veterinary treatment after appearing to live off a diet of sticks and twigs.

He returned home on Friday and Ms Boyle said "his eyes are bright and tail wagging".

Mr James said he was "humbled" that Ms Boyle was raising money to buy the charity another drone.

The charity is currently locating horses who have gone missing during the heavy rainfall and flooding.

[PennySerenade]

Want to cut back on your drinking? Here's some expert advice



It's a tradition to raise a glass to toast the new year. And for most Canadians, that glass usually contains alcohol.

But some people may be rethinking that drink in light of national guidelines on alcohol and health, released in January 2023.

"The new guidance essentially says if you drink more than two drinks a week, you're probably elevating the risk of health and social harms in your life," Dr. Evan Wood told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC's The Dose.

Canada's previous low-risk drinking guidelines recommended no more than 10 drinks a week for women and 15 for men.

But the evidence now shows that more than two standard drinks a week can increase the risk of some types of cancer and is also associated with a greater risk of harm to self and others, including injuries and violence.

If you'd like to cut back on drinking, experts say there are many ways to do it — or to assess whether your relationship with alcohol has become a problem.

What's the risk?
It's important to weigh the risks of more than two drinks per week against your own personal risk, said Wood, an addiction medicine specialist and professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

"For somebody who has a family history of cancer, that 10 per cent increase might be very meaningful," he said.

Someone with no family history of cancer may face less risk overall.

But for those with a history of low moods or suicide, alcohol could be particularly risky, he said.

The risk also depends on how many drinks you have.

"Once you get to five drinks a week, for liver disease like cirrhosis, that starts to go up really dramatically," Wood said.

How can I cut back on my drinking?
Reducing our drinking can be tricky because alcohol is embedded in our culture, said Kara Thompson, an associate professor of psychology at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.

"Particularly this time of year around the holidays, we see alcohol sales skyrocket because we use alcohol to celebrate," said Thompson, who was a scientific member on the panel that developed the new alcohol and health guidelines.



Thompson and Wood both recommend trying some of the many new non-alcoholic beverages on the market.

"It lets you still feel like you're having a drink that's special and that you're still part of the celebration, without the alcohol," Thompson said.

She also suggests asking a friend to cut back with you — whether it's just for one night or for a longer period of time — which can help keep you accountable.

Using alcohol to deal with stress
For Canadian wine writer Natalie MacLean, the warning signs began during a stressful year when she found herself using wine to cope.

In 2012, MacLean, who has been a wine writer for 25 years, found cocktail hour was arriving earlier and earlier.

Dealing with stress from her divorce and anxiety from cyberbullying, "I started relying on wine too much as a crutch," she said.



MacLean said she remembers one dinner party when she wandered into her home office and passed out on the couch after drinking too much.

"That was probably rock bottom for me," she said.

MacLean started therapy and taking antidepressant medication — and realized she was using alcohol to deal with stress.

She shares strategies based on her own experience in her book, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much.

Her first piece of advice is to deal with the underlying issues in your life that may be causing you to drink. Specifically, identify the thought that comes before you think, "I need a drink," MacLean said.

If that thought is about stress, try to find another way to cope with it.

Warning signs you have a problem with alcohol
MacLean said she considered quitting alcohol altogether but decided that for her and her career, harm reduction was the right choice.

"Now I feel I am in a really good place with wine," she said.

For those who may be struggling with their relationship with alcohol, it's less about how much you are drinking and more about how it's negatively affecting you, Thompson said.



Alcohol use disorder affects someone who uses alcohol even though it causes them harm, and they try to cut back or quit and struggle to do so, said Wood, who sat on the committee for the new Canadian guidelines for high-risk drinking.

"It may be that they're not sleeping well or maybe that they're anxious — or it may be that their blood pressure has become elevated," he said.

Thompson suggests starting with "Dry January" if you want to try to cut back or quit alcohol. "I'm going to be doing it myself, and it's a great opportunity to connect with other people who are on a similar journey as you," she said.

If you are drinking heavily, however, it can be unsafe to quit cold turkey, said Thompson, who recommends first talking to a medical professional.

How to treat alcohol use disorder
There are effective treatments for people with severe alcohol use disorder, including cognitive behavioural therapy and medications such as acamprosate and naltrexone, Wood said.

But those medications are rarely prescribed in Canada, he said.

"There just hasn't really been the pharmaceutical industry push to have it normalized, and there's lots of stigma," Wood said.



Many people suffering from alcohol use disorder are prescribed antidepressants, frequently selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), he said.

There is evidence to show that for some people, SSRIs may not only be ineffective but can cause them to drink more than when taking a placebo.

"If you go to your average physician in Canada, they have no idea that they may actually be giving a medication that will make people's drinking habits worse," Wood said.

'Drastic change'
The new data around alcohol and risk of cancer and other harms may be difficult to face if you drink regularly, Thompson said, especially when alcohol is so culturally accepted in our society.

But the evidence on alcohol-related risk has advanced significantly in the past 12 years, she said.

"The evidence linking alcohol to things like cancer and diabetes and liver disease has strengthened," Thompson said.

"The drastic change is a reflection of that advance in science."