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Jan 26th, 2021, 2:31 pm
Volcanic Rock Unearthed In Brazil Bears An Uncanny Resemblance To Cookie Monster

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Buyers are already offering $10,000 for this astounding piece of agate quartz, though its owner isn't sure whether he'll sell or not.

Over the years, geologist Mike Bowers of California has seen all kinds of astounding gemstones. But this stunning piece of agate rock he recently got his hands on is unlike anything he — or anyone else — has ever seen.

While its craggy tan exterior may look thoroughly unremarkable, the rock’s interior is a dead ringer for none other than Sesame Street‘s beloved Cookie Monster.

Bowers first shared the stone with the world in a Facebook video posted on January 16, which has since been viewed more than 630,000 times. The video shows Bowers opening up the small, egg-shaped stone to reveal the Cookie Monster-esque quartz crystals within.

Though Bowers made sure to draw the connection between Cookie Monster and his spectacular find by scoring the video with one of the puppet’s songs, there’s no doubt that viewers recognized the uncanny likeness to the iconic Muppet on their own.

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A close-up of one half of the now-famous Cookie Monster agate.

The patterns of light blue, off-white, and golden-brown crystals create a near-exact replica of Cookie Monster’s wide eyes and gaping maw. As Bowers himself told The Sun, “This is probably the most perfect Cookie Monster out there.”

The 55-year-old geologist specializes in agate and has seen his fair share of interesting gemstones, but this one has left him particularly stunned.

“This is very unusual,” he said. “There are a few famous agates out there: the owl; the scared face. But it is rare to find one so well defined like this.”

The world is certainly in agreement. In a matter of days, Bowers says he’s already received five offers from would-be buyers willing to pay up to $10,000 for this one-of-a-kind rock. “Prices can be very high,” Bowers confirmed.

However, Bowers isn’t yet sure whether he’ll sell or not. Bowers also hasn’t revealed what he may have paid to acquire the rock from its original owner.

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Lucas Fassari, the geologist who initially found the stone in southern Brazil.

The Cookie Monster crystal was first unearthed by a geologist named Lucas Fassari who was working in the ancient volcanic cavities of the Rio Grande do Sul region of southern Brazil in November. But after the crystal was found there, its path to Bowers remains unclear at this point.

As for how rocks like this are formed in the first place, agate is born in the cavities within volcanic rocks. According to Penn State geosciences professor Peter Heaney, “Volcanic rocks that erupt to the surface and harden contain a lot of water and carbon dioxide, which will bubble out. It’s exactly the same as how Swiss cheese is formed. The rock is filled with holes.”

Then, water filled with minerals will eventually seep into those holes. Once inside, the minerals will crystallize and harden while the water dissipates over time.

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The humble exterior of the so-called “Cookie Monster rock” gives no hint of the incredible likeness hiding inside.

When the mineral in question is something like quartz, the crystallized pattern that’s left behind can present in any number of dazzling shapes and colors, depending on the other elements trapped inside, which can range from iron to titanium to nickel. Unsurprisingly, stones like these have been coveted, traded, collected, and sold since the time of the ancient Greeks, if not earlier.

So, all the fuss and frenzied bidding over the newly-found Cookie Monster gemstone is nothing new. But still, after all this time, scientists are largely baffled as to all of the specifics of agate’s formation process.

As Heaney told the Peninsula Clarion, “Agates are one of the few gem materials that have not been successfully synthesized, even today. So nobody knows exactly how agates formed. After many decades of studying crystal growth, I regard agates as the most complex example of hierarchical pattern formation in minerals, and most of the complex patterning is not even visible to the naked eye.”

While we have some idea of how Cookie Monster’s face appeared in this small Brazilian rock, the truth is that even the experts couldn’t explain it completely. Who knows what other faces, shapes, and patterns are sitting out there, defying explanations, inside humble-looking rocks the world over.
Jan 26th, 2021, 2:31 pm

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Jan 26th, 2021, 2:40 pm
Oklahoma lawmaker proposes ‘Bigfoot’ hunting season

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Oklahoma State Rep. Justin Humphrey prepares to speak at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has
now become the target of Rep. Justin Humphrey. Humphrey, a Republican House member has
introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season, He says issuing a state hunting
license and tag could help boost tourism. (Steve Gooch/The Oklahoman via AP, File)


A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state lawmaker in Oklahoma.

A Republican House member has introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season. Rep. Justin Humphrey’s district includes the heavily forested Ouachita Mountains in southeast Oklahoma, where a Bigfoot festival is held each year near the Arkansas border. He says issuing a state hunting license and tag could help boost tourism.

“Establishing an actual hunting season and issuing licenses for people who want to hunt Bigfoot will just draw more people to our already beautiful part of the state,” Humphrey said in a statement.

Humphrey says his bill would only allow trapping and that he also hopes to secure $25,000 to be offered as a bounty.

Micah Holmes, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, which oversees hunting in Oklahoma, told television station KOCO that the agency uses science-driven research and doesn’t recognize Bigfoot.
Jan 26th, 2021, 2:40 pm
Jan 26th, 2021, 5:30 pm
Zoo offers to name roaches, rats after patrons' ex-lovers

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A Texas zoo is offering jilted lovers the chance to get some Valentine's Day revenge by naming a cockroach or a rat after their exes before it is fed to a larger animal.

The San Antonio Zoo said scorned lovers can pay $5 to have a cockroach named after their ex before it is served to a larger zoo animal as a meal.

The zoo said someone looking to make a stronger statement can pay $25 to name a pre-frozen rat for their former lover before it is fed to a snake.

"You can also symbolically purchase a herbivore option and we will feed it to one of our mammals," the zoo said.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/01/25 ... 611612676/
Jan 26th, 2021, 5:30 pm
Jan 26th, 2021, 5:43 pm
Dog spent days outside Turkish hospital waiting for owner

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Devoted dog Boncuk looks for his owner, Cemal Senturk, at the entrance of a medical care facility in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Boncuk has spent
five days waiting in front of the hospital where her sick owner was receiving treatment. Senturk was discharged from the hospital later on Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.(DHA via AP)


A devoted dog has spent days waiting outside a hospital in northern Turkey where her sick owner was receiving treatment.

The pet, Boncuk (Bon-DJUK), which means bead, followed the ambulance that transported her owner, Cemal Senturk, to hospital in the Black Sea city of Trabzon on Jan. 14. She then made daily visits to the facility, private news agency DHA reported on Wednesday.

Senturk’s daughter, Aynur Egeli, said she would take Boncuk home but the dog would repeatedly run off and return to the hospital.

Hospital security guard Muhammet Akdeniz told DHA: “She comes every day around 9 a.m. and waits until nightfall. She doesn’t go in.”

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Cemal Senturk, owner of Boncuk, outside of a medical care facility in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, Turkey, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Boncuk has spent five days waiting in
front of the hospital where her sick owner was receiving treatment. Senturk was discharged from the hospital later on Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.(DHA via AP)


“When the door opens she pokes her head inside,” he said.

On Wednesday, Boncuk was finally reunited with Senturk when he was pushed outside in a wheelchair for a brief meeting with his dog.

“She’s very used to me. And I miss her, too, constantly,” he told DHA.

Senturk was discharged from the hospital later on Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.

News item for the 26th of January:
johngriffen wrote:Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You may post One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can enter only 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:
Jan 26th, 2021, 5:43 pm
Jan 26th, 2021, 6:17 pm
'Super Sophia' releases her first song to inspire kids and help fund 'Love Boxes'

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TORONTO -- Sophia Megan’s ‘Love Boxes’ have been brightening the lives of sick children across Ontario for four years now.

“’Love Boxes’ are boxes filled with lots of fun things like books, toys and colouring books,” she told CTV News Toronto. “They’re to cheer up kids in the hospital.”

The 10-year-old from Pickering created ‘The Super Sophia Project’ and her love boxes after receiving treatment for an illness herself at a young age.

"When I was in the hospital fighting leukemia, a custodian gifted me with a pack of stickers,” Megan said. “When I got older, that really changed me because it made me feel like I wanted to help other kids and make them happy.”

The love boxes are made possible with donations, and Megan’s efforts have continued through the pandemic.

Recently, she was given a ‘super’ musical opportunity with a local Latin music artist.

“My first song ‘Horizons’ is with Ekiz Fantazma, and it is just an amazing song,” Megan said. “[Fantazma] was going through some tough times. So he came across us, and then we made a song about never giving up hope.”

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‘Horizons’ is now being streamed to help ‘Super Sophia’ spread the love. Artist and Composer Ekiz Fantazma says he learned about Megan’s story on social media and wanted to support her.

“She’s my hero. She really and truly is an inspiring human being,” Fantazma told CTV News Toronto. “I thought, what would be the longest-lasting way to help this child? And I thought, just making a song.”

Fantazma featured Megan’s voice on his track, and he says that every stream of the song will help fund the ‘love boxes.’

“100% of the royalties are going to the Super Sophia Project,” he explained. “It was just the easiest decision to make! And it’s just my way to give her forever.”

Fantazma admits that he and Megan come from different words, but says he was happy to work with her to share a message of hope for kids everywhere.

“I just want them to see that no matter what you go through, you can always turn that negative into a positive,” Fantazma said.

“It makes me feel really good inside,” Megan says of her song, and of helping others.
Jan 26th, 2021, 6:17 pm

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Jan 26th, 2021, 6:35 pm
Dad designs line of swimwear for trans girls named after his own daughter

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After watching his own daughter Ruby, 12, struggle to find bikini bottoms that made her feel both comfortable and confident as a transgender girl, Toronto dad Jamie Alexander decided to solve the problem himself.

Alexander created a new clothing brand, Rubies, with the specific goal of producing form-fitting clothing for transgender children up to a size 20. His first product: the Ruby Shaping Bikini Bottom.

Though he told TODAY Parents Ruby was drawn to high heels, Disney princesses, and Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" video as early as age 3, Alexander and his wife Angela were not sure at first whether her preferences meant anything significant about her gender. After all, who doesn't love Beyoncé?

With the help of their local public school system, the Alexanders gave their child space and support to figure out if she identified as male, the gender she was assigned at birth, female, or neither. By grade 3, it became clear she knew the answer.

But as Ruby grew into adolescence, Alexander noticed that transgender girls have one specific issue when it comes to fashion: finding bikini bottoms they could confidently wear in public — that can "magically turn a pointy poker into a dainty dune, no tucking required," as the Rubies website explains.

"An item of clothing like Rubies swimwear can be a total game-changer for transgender and gender-creative children," said Jessica Herthel, co-author of children's book "I Am Jazz" with transgender activist Jazz Jennings.

"Being able to do something that most of us take for granted — namely, to go swimming without fear of being stared at or teased, or even targeted — can give a child a feeling of normalcy and belonging," said Herthel.

Alexander, an entrepreneur and veteran of the tech start-up world, developed the swimwear with Ryerson University's tech start-up incubator The DMZ, where he had access to a fashion accelerator and a garment engineer.

"Everything I saw was heavily branded just to trans people and had a quilted pad in the front. They didn't look like normal bikinis," Alexander said. "I wanted to create a garment that looks and feels like a regular bikini and a brand that resonates with kids, not just trans kids."

He interviewed 50-60 different families he found in Facebook groups for parents of transgender children to see what they were looking for in swimwear. "The best businesses are ones that solve real problems," Alexander said. "I knew we had a problem, but I didn't know if everyone else did."

His designer made a prototype bikini bottom using spandex on the outside with a mesh liner that is able to gently compress and "pull things in" without causing discomfort. Alexander sent samples to 25 families in North America and Australia in December 2019 to solicit feedback. "The key was, they had to functionally work," he said.

Now, after finding children who have bought the bikini bottoms are wearing them as underwear because they make them feel so much more confident, Alexander is expanding the company to include real underwear made with a cotton fabric.

His goal, he says, is to make the lives of trans children like his own daughter better — and more unremarkable. "I want to focus on the positive stories about these kids and normalize them," Alexander said. "They're just kids. That's how people need to see them."

Herthel said the fact the swimwear line was developed by the father of a trans kid makes Rubies all the more inspiring. "The world needs more dads like Jamie Alexander who don’t just accept their children’s gender, but celebrate it," she said.
Jan 26th, 2021, 6:35 pm

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Jan 26th, 2021, 7:39 pm
The breast cancer home-testing kit inspired by a dog’s nose

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A device that could save lives by improving breast cancer testing owes part of its success to the humble pooch

Man’s best friend has proven a loyal ally once again – this time in the fight against breast cancer. The humble pooch is the inspiration behind a new device that provides affordable, pain-free and non-invasive testing for breast cancer.

Most of the credit for the home testing kit, however, must go to Spanish engineer Judit Giró Benet (pictured above), who invented it. The Blue Box uses artificial intelligence that mimics a dog’s nose to analyse urine samples and identify breast cancer biomarkers.

Hounds were first accredited with sniffing out cancer in 1989, when a canine was observed showing unusual interest in a mole that was growing on its owner’s leg. The mole turned out to be cancerous.

“This event proved that cancer causes metabolic changes, altering the body’s taste,” said Benet. “And so we mimicked the dog’s sensory system into an AI based software.”

Benet decided to focus on breast cancer testing after coming across a study by the Catalan Department of Health, which found that 41 per cent of women skipped mammogram screenings because they found them too painful. Benet’s mission subsequently took on added poignancy when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“That just continued to make it even more meaningful to pursue this project,” said Benet.

The Blue Box is easy to use; all women have to do is put a urine sample inside the device and wait for the result to be sent to them via their smartphone.

“Every second that the urine is inside the Blue Box it is sending a signal to the cloud, where our artificial intelligence algorithm is hosted,” explained Benet. “Then the signal will go back to the phone so the user gets a result.”

In early trials, the Blue Box gave an accurate reading more than 95 per cent of the time, offering the potential for early diagnoses and better patient outcomes. Larger trials are now needed.

Benet says that the more people use Blue Boxes, the more intelligent the software becomes.

“Every time that someone gets screened, [they] would be feeding this artificial intelligence algorithm with new data,” she said. “So, you are helping the next women who will come after you have a better diagnosis.”

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women and despite advances in medicine the number of people dying from it is rising. However, Benet’s device could lead to earlier diagnoses and therefore better patient outcomes.

The Blue Box’s potential to boost cancer survival rates was acknowledged at the 2020 James Dyson Award, which awarded Benet first prize and £30,000 to develop her invention.

“What we dream is a world in which every household has one of these Blue Boxes giving every woman the possibility to get screened at home, giving them the power to own their own health,” said Benet. “If the Blue Box can reach the market it can be empowering for every woman in the world.”
Jan 26th, 2021, 7:39 pm

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Jan 26th, 2021, 7:47 pm
Meet the world's smallest giraffes! Two animals living in Africa were born with rare cases of dwarfism that stunted their growth to no more than nine feet tall - half of the average size

    Dwarfism is found among humans and animals in captivity due to inbreeding
    However, a team found the first cases in giraffes living in Africa
    A Nubian giraffe in Uganda that is nine feet, four inches tall
    Then an Angolan giraffe that stood just eight and a half feet
    The Nubian giraffe, named Gimil, has limited mobility due to his shorter legs

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The average height of a giraffe is around 18 feet, but scientist stumbled upon two that are half the size.
Conservation scientists discovered a Nubian giraffe in Uganda that is nine feet, four inches tall and then an Angolan giraffe that stood just eight and a half feet.
Baffled by both observations, the researchers could only come to one conclusion – dwarfism.
Also known as skeletal dysplasia, the condition results in abnormalities bone development and is characterized by a shortened and irregularly proportioned anatomy.
The dwarfism is known among humans and captive animals due to inbreeding, but has rarely been observed among wild animals – and the recent finds are the first to be documented in giraffes.
Although the disorder has lowered the survival rate among domestic animals, the giraffes are now mature adults and the dwarfism should not decrease their lifespan, according to scientists.
The two giraffes, nicknamed Gimil and Nigel, were spotted by conservation scientists working with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, as first reported on by the New York Times.
The Nubian giraffe, named Gimil, was first observed in 2015 at Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park.
Researchers noticed the male, a calf at the time, had disproportionate limb dimensions relative to its torso and neck.
The team returned to the park over the next few years to take photos and measurements as he grew.
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Gimil was last observed in July 2020, when the last images and measurements were taken.
An Angolan giraffe, nicknamed Nigel, was living on a private farm in central Namibia and was also monitored in the same fashion as Gimil over the course of a few years.
Scientists compared the images and measurements of both giraffes, both mature adults, with that of other giraffes that are similar in age and stem from the same population.
‘Using digital photogrammetry techniques, we performed comparative morphometric analyses to describe skeletaldysplasia-like syndromes in two wild giraffe from different taxa and demonstrated that the skeletal dimensions of these dysplastic giraffe are not consistent with the population measurements of giraffe in similar age classes,’ researchers shared in the study published in the journal BMC Research Notes.
The team found that the smaller giraffes had shorter legs than their counterparts, specifically shorter radius and metacarpal bones.
The pair also exhibited shortened fore-limbs to varied degrees and had different neck length.
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The Nambian giraffe has limited mobile due to his shorter legs and the researchers fear it makes him susceptible to predication, even as an adult

Skeletal dysplasias has been found to lower survival rates among animals in captivity, but due to the giraffes living past the age of one year, the team notes that the condition should not impact their survival rate.
However, the Nambian giraffe has limited mobile due to his shorter legs and the researchers fear it makes him susceptible to predication, even as an adult.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech ... -tall.html
Jan 26th, 2021, 7:47 pm

Book request - The Mad Patagonian by Javier Pedro Zabala [25000 WRZ$] Reward!
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=5412023
Jan 27th, 2021, 2:21 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
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27

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 may post One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can enter only 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 to under a minute, 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
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


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Jan 27th, 2021, 2:21 pm

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Online
Jan 27th, 2021, 2:38 pm
The History Behind Japanese Kit Kats

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Did you know that although Japanese Kit Kats, most widely known for their unique flavors, didn’t actually come from Japan - but instead originated from England?
Almost 70 years after they were first made in the UK, Japan released the very first non-chocolate flavored Kit Kat and things were never the same again. Now, there’s officially over 400 Kit Kat flavors — giving lovers of the famous Japanese candy an abundance of options to choose from.

How did Japan come to take over this popular snack item anyway? And just how ingrained is it in today’s Japanese food culture? Here, we’ll take a look at the decades of history packed inside each and every one of these small but sweet wafer treats.

Japanese Kit Kats are available in a plethora of unique flavors

The Origins of Japanese Kit Kats
From its origins tracing back to the 1930s at a Northern England chocolate company, Kit Kat bars have gone through quite the journey to become a distinct part of modern Japan.

The history of Japanese Kit Kats began in 1973 when they were first imported here by the original manufacturer, Rowntree’s. Around a decade later, the Swiss food and drink company, Nestlé, took over the product, and during the early 2000s, their Japanese division started experimenting with all sorts of flavors.

The very first Kit Kat flavor that was developed specifically in Japan was strawberry. They were initially sold in Hokkaido and ended up becoming a big hit. Because of their popularity, the Japanese Kit Kat team conducted a market test, and found out that they were popular not only with locals, but with visiting domestic and foreign tourists as well.

Experience all of the the unique flavors Japanese Kit Kats have to offer with TokyoTreat’s Japanese snack box!
TokyoTreat Japanese subscription box

After this discovery, they had the idea of strategically targeting a common Japanese tradition: the gift-giving custom of omiyage. An omiyage is essentially a small gift or souvenir that you give to family, friends or coworkers after you’ve gone on a trip. Traditionally, omiyages are chosen to be representative of the place or country you visited.

This led to them releasing unique flavors to appeal to other parts of Japan, and by doing so, Nestlé didn’t just make Kit Kats a staple of Japanese souvenirs, but they also helped foster a hometown connection between the snacks and Japanese people. Some examples of these regional Kitkat flavors include the Ocean Salt Kitkat, which uses sea salt from the Seto Inland Sea in southwestern Japan, the Uji matcha flavor inspired by a special type of tea that grows in Kyoto, and the purple sweet potato flavor representing the island of Kyushu.

Ocean Salt flavored Japanese Kit Kats

The Evolution of Japanese Kit Kats
As they grew in popularity, Kit Kats also adopted more luxurious style, and incorporated their brand into the everyday aspects of Japanese people’s lives.

Back in 2003, Nestlé hired pastry chef Yasumasa Takagi to collaborate with them to develop a series of gourmet flavors. With each new flavor, Chef Takagi and other collaborators always conduct a taste test.

The taste test can last from a few weeks to more than a year, depending on when they feel like they’ve perfected the taste and texture. In fact, it wasn’t until 2005 — two years after he was hired by Nestlé Japan — that Takagi came up with his first contribution, the Passion Fruit Kit Kat.

Since then, Takagi has added more flavors to the line-up, many of which are exclusive to the Kit Kat Chocolatory — the “luxurious” side of Japanese Kit Kats. The Chocolatory is a series of specialty stores all across Japan that offer more high-end ways of consuming the snack. You can buy limited edition Kit Kat flavors and enjoy luscious cakes and desserts, all of which, of course, features a type of Kit Kat bar.

Japanese Kit Kats are a token of good luck

For further proof of how Kit Kats have become more than just a snack in Japan, one only needs to look at entrance exams, arguably one of the biggest turning points in a Japanese student’s life. Because of how Kit Kat is pronounced in Japanese (“kitto katto”) and its similarity in sound to the phrase for “You’ll surely win” (“kitto katsu”), students in Japan often bring a Kit Kat bar with them to serve as a good luck charm for the exams. Conveniently enough, it can also double as a quick snack in between answering the tests.

When they were first introduced to the country in the 1970s, it’s safe to say that nobody back then anticipated what a big role Kit Kats would eventually play in Japanese people’s lives: from giving tasty souvenirs to loved ones, to becoming a fine dining experience and even becoming symbolic of wishes for good luck to a test-taking Japanese student.

And so, despite not originally coming up with the now-famous chocolate wafer bars, Japan turned the seemingly simple Kit Kat and transformed it into a snack that’s full of depth and endless flavor possibilities.

https://tokyotreat.com/news/the-history-of-japanese-kit-kats
Jan 27th, 2021, 2:38 pm

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Believe me, you are someone's crush. Yes, you are!
Jan 27th, 2021, 2:57 pm
British Colombia Officers Chop Firewood For Elderly Woman Who Was Busting Furniture To Burn, Heat Home

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In the village of Midway, British Colombia, RCMP officers recently responded to assist paramedics on a medical call. As an elderly man was taken to the hospital, one of the officers visited the home to check on the man's wife. What he found broke his heart: she was in the process of breaking down household furniture to burn in the wood stove for heat.

Immediately, the officer rounded up his colleagues to gather and chop wood in the backcountry. They returned to the woman's home to deliver all the wood. The officer described this as just one example of his colleagues stepping up in these unprecedented time of pandemic, noting, “We hope this small act of kindness encourages other British Columbians to step up, reach out to those around them and help out where they can.”
Jan 27th, 2021, 2:57 pm

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Jan 27th, 2021, 3:11 pm
Book returned to New York library 72 years overdue

A New York library said a biography of Theodore Roosevelt was returned recently, nearly 72 years overdue.

John Moss, of Mattituck, said he isn't sure how the book, Great Heart: The Life Story of Theodore Roosevelt, by Daniel Henderson, came to be in his possession, but he recently found it in a big plastic crate of books he had in storage.

Moss said the book might have been at his parents' house when he cleaned it out in 2013, or it might be one of dozens of books he has accumulated from yard sales and other sources over the years.

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Moss returned the book to the Amagansett Free Library, where officials said they determined had been due back on April 5, 1949.

"It is a first edition from 1919 and has the original library bookplate, as well as the circulation policy on the back cover," library director Lauren Nichols told The Southampton Press. "I've only seen one or two items at the library with these features, but none with both."

Nichols said the late fee for the book would have amounted to about $262 at the 1949 rate of one penny a day. The library has since done away with all late fees.

The Winnipeg Public Library in Manitoba, Canada, revealed in December that an issue of Car Craft magazine was returned 45 years past its due date. The library said the magazine still was in good shape and officials did not plan to charge late fees.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/01/26 ... 611695297/
Jan 27th, 2021, 3:11 pm
Jan 27th, 2021, 4:50 pm
New Alzheimer’s Treatment Shows Real Promise in Slowing Cognition Decline Using Antibody in Human Trials

The major pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has just demonstrated efficacy of their Alzheimer’s drug donanemab in phase 2 clinical human trials.

The results are a major development for the treatment of a disease that currently affects six million Americans, but that has almost no methods of alleviation.

Alzheimer’s is caused by the buildup of tau protein structures called plaques. One such plaque, called beta-amyloid, is the major culprit of the neurodegenerative disease.

The investigational antibody Donanemab was shown in a trial of 272 patients with mid-stage Alzheimer’s to significantly reduce clinical decline by 32% over 18 months by targeting a type of beta-amyloid known as N3pG.

Various markers, such as cognition and better brain function, were found to be positive, though others showed no improvement.

Patients were switched from donanemab to a placebo after the levels of beta-amyloid returned to those of a healthy person, a process which took only a few months in some participants.

“We are extremely pleased about these positive findings for donanemab as a potential therapy for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, the only leading cause of death without a treatment that slows disease progression,” said Mark Mintun, M.D., vice president of pain and neurodegeneration, Eli Lilly and Company.

A brain-swelling side effect, known as ARIA-E, occurred in 27% of patients treated with donanemab, the company said. However Alzheimer’s has no cure and is fatal, so generally such side effects are more tolerated by FDA regulations, since there aren’t other options for patients.

“Alzheimer’s disease is uniformly fatal… I think this safety profile matched with this efficacy profile is something that we can be excited about,” Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer, told Reuters.

A second trial with 500 participants is currently being organized with hopes the effects can be replicated.
Jan 27th, 2021, 4:50 pm

Twitter: Fatima99@fatima99_mobi
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Jan 27th, 2021, 5:57 pm
16-year-old sweethearts create their own sweet company

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TORONTO -- Like many great ideas, a Toronto-based confectionary business known for its chocolate smash hearts was born out of boredom.

“We were supposed to be camp counsellors this summer,” Samantha White told CTV News, “and then since (COVID-19) our jobs got cancelled, and we needed something to do in place of it.”

White, and her long-time classmate Ryan Taub had been baking to pass the time during the pandemic. Six weeks ago, they founded their own confection company called ‘Sweet Sweets.’ Along with being business partners and classmates, the 16-year-olds are also dating.

“On our one year anniversary we were here, and she turned to me and said ‘we should start a business’ and I’m like ‘ok’,” Taub said.

At the centre of their creations are personalized smash hearts.

“it’s like a chocolate geometric heart and we fill it with candy- and then the customer, or whoever buys it, smashes it open,” White said. “And people are also able to put special messages inside, little secret gifts as well.”

The company also makes other treats, including cake-sickles, described as large-sized cake pops filled with cake, edible cookie dough, or banana bread.

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To take orders, the pair created their own website and made an Instagram page. The response was almost immediate.

“At the star we thought maybe we were going to get like 10 followers and a few orders,” Taub said. “We’ve gotten so many and they keep coming in.”

“The response, that’s been very overwhelming,” White said. “It’s been very, very amazing, how many people have reached out to us, supported us.”

The couple are now creating on-demand delicacies every day, while also attending high school full time.

“I mean (COVID-19) actually helped us out in a way because we’re able to stay at home now instead of being at school for six hours of the day,” White said.

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Another pandemic hurdle—the pair aren’t spending any time together during the lockdown. But according to Taub, they’ve found a way to work around it.

“I’m going out and getting all the ingredients and what not. Everything that she needs to make stuff. And once it’s made, I’m also going out and delivering the stuff to people.”

The pair both say they’d like to open a store one day, one where much of the merchandise is made to be broken.

“I’ve been very tempted to destroy it myself because I’m just like, I made this- I want to do it,” White admitted with a laugh. “But it’s fun because they send us videos of them smashing it as well, so it’s nice to see people enjoying it.”

https://sweettsweetss.wixsite.com/sweet
Jan 27th, 2021, 5:57 pm

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Jan 27th, 2021, 8:02 pm
Book of ‘nature spells’ to be turned into free livestreamed show

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The Lost Spells has become a hit at a time when many of us are looking to connect with nature. It will soon get a stage adaptation

A children’s nature book designed to conjure wonder in the natural world will be put to music for a live concert to be broadcast by the Natural History Museum.

The Lost Spells book is the work of nature writer Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris, the same pair behind the award-winning children’s nature tome The Lost Words.

Their latest offering contains conjurings, charms, tonguetwisters, blessings and lullabies, all designed to evoke wonder in everyday nature, and serve as a reminder of what we lose when nature slips away. The pocket-sized book is accompanied by educational notes, printable poems and a free-to-download explorer’s guide.

The Lost Spells has proven a hit online. A video showing schoolchildren in Doncaster reciting one of its poems has been viewed more than 11,000 times on Twitter. Many people – adults as well as children – have also responded to callouts from bookshops, which asked people to write their own poems about nature and post them on social media.

Released in October, The Lost Spells arrived at a time when many people were looking to re-establish their connection with nature having been shut away at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Inspired by the book’s success, the Natural History Museum in London has announced that it will put poems from The Lost Spells to music as part of a livestreamed show also featuring content from The Lost Words. The Spell Songs performance is due to take place on 27 April and will be free to watch, although donations are encouraged.

Fittingly, the show will raise money for the museum’s Urban Nature Project, which aims to transform an unremarkable five-acre site in South Kensington into an accessible and biologically diverse green space.
Jan 27th, 2021, 8:02 pm

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