Gold and precious gems unearthed in a 5th-century grave in Bohemia

Other skeletons nearby had been looted, but the woman's grave was untouched



About 1,600 years ago, a woman in eastern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) was buried with a treasure trove of precious objects, including a headdress and four silver buckles that were inlaid with gold and studded with semiprecious stones.

Archaeologists with the East Bohemian Museum in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, found the fifth-century burial in 2019, and they recently described their initial findings in a statement. One exceptional find was the headdress, decorated with golden discs. Glass beads, a bone comb, a ceramic pot and an iron knife also lay near the remains.

Five other graves at the burial site contained skeletons, but looters picked them clean of any precious artifacts, plundering the corpses soon after burial. Only a handful of mundane funerary objects in those graves, such as knives and a sword, were untouched, the scientists reported.

Researchers estimated that the woman was between 35 and 50 years old when she died. They identified pieces of fabric on the silver buckles that belonged to two different textiles; one was likely the article of clothing that the buckles clasped together, and the other may have been a coat or cloth that covered the woman's body at the funeral. The scientists also detected traces of leather and fur on the buckles, possibly from another garment. Analysis of the ceramic pot revealed chemical traces of certain fats and acids, suggesting that it was used for cooking and storing meat.

All of the people in the graves were between 16 and 55 years old when they died, but most of the skeletons were so badly damaged by looters that it was impossible to determine the sex of the individuals. However, close examination of individual bones did reveal some clues about the health of the deceased people.

"In one individual, traces of cancer were found on the skull and pelvis," the researchers said in the statement. Some bones indicated signs of arthritis, and one person's leg bones showed that they carried muscle mass asymmetrically, hinting that they favored one leg — perhaps as the result of a stroke.



Further tests will include radiocarbon dating, to more accurately establish the ages of the graves. Evidence in the ratios of oxygen isotopes (variations of the same element with different numbers of neutrons) could further reveal if the individuals were local to the region or if they migrated there from another location. Other chemical analyses of the bones could tell scientists what these people were eating and if their diets changed dramatically during their lifetimes.

The researchers also expect "significant results from the DNA analysis," which will be conducted with scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, and the Institute of Archaeology and Museology at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, according to the statement.

"Perhaps we will learn more about the kinship of the dead and where they came from," the scientists said.

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-grave-treasures-eastern-bohemia.html

[johngriffen]

(Image courtesy of goldie0608)

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
FRIDAY MARCH 19
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 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 -5)
2:00 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 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

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

[goldie0608]

Winnipeg musician gets social media boost after CNN anchor discovers cousinly connection

'I want to share his music with the world,' CNN's Jake Tapper says after contacting long-lost cousin Nic Dyson



When Nic Dyson got a Facebook message from an alias account claiming to be his long-lost third cousin — and CNN anchor Jake Tapper — he assumed it was fake news.

"I thought, why does he know so much about my family?" Dyson said.

"He started throwing out names and stuff and I was like, maybe this is some creepy, stalkery stuff."

But when the high-profile American journalist told his 3.3 million Twitter followers about the "amazingly talented" third cousin he just discovered on Ancestry.com, things got real — fast.

"My social media has not calmed down since," Dyson said.

The tweet was coupled with a link to Dyson's Spotify page, and Tapper sent out a number of tweets since then praising his rhythmic relative's music.

"I've been listening to it non-stop," Tapper told CBC News.

"His music is so haunting and sad and beautiful, and I'm so excited to share it with people … I guess all the talent in the family went down the Dyson branch right to Nic."

The cousins have already begun to bond over their shared love of music — and a fascination with their great-great grandfather, who briefly held the top spot in Winnipeg's City Hall.

A prodigious Prairie pedigree

Tapper's been enamoured by his family's history since 2013, when CNN partnered with Ancestry.com to dig into its anchors' pasts. His mom's Canadian — a descendant of British loyalists who fled from the United States.

Dyson and Tapper's shared great-great grandfather was Winnipeg pickle merchant David J.J. Dyson, who owned Dyson and Gibson Spice Mills, known for its Seven Day Pickles.

He was also the mayor of Winnipeg for four days in 1917, making him the city's shortest serving mayor. He was unseated when a recount favoured his opponent, and successor, Frederick Harvey Davidson.

Tapper has found himself digging into his past quite a bit lately.

Dyson's father, David Dyson, died just over a year ago. It was a late night spent sifting through memorial documents that led Tapper to reach out to his newly found cousin.

"There's something to the fact that during this time of pandemic, when we're all so isolated from each other, we're all looking for connection," Tapper said.

"And that's probably part of what was motivating me."

A striking resemblance

Dyson didn't really know much about Tapper before he reached out. He finds watching the news too depressing.

"But I looked him up and immediately I saw pieces of my dad," Dyson said.

"It was very surreal … I don't usually see myself in my parents or my family, but I saw it, and it was almost eerie, but it made it really real in that moment."

And when Tapper shared Dyson's music with his millions of followers it meant a lot.

"As a disabled musician, I don't really get out of the city much," said Dyson, 27, who lives with cerebral palsy. He got his driver's licence two years ago with the help of hand controls.

"It's really hard for me to grow my audience, especially without any backing."

So when that backing came, it was unexpected, but much appreciated.

"This is just immediately global, pretty much with the click of a button, and that's just amazing to me," Dyson said.

"I'm just riding the wave at this point."

The cousins plan to keep in touch, and want to visit in person when the pandemic's over.

And Tapper hopes this isn't just 15 minutes of fame for his newly discovered Canadian kin.

"I'm very proud of him," he said.

"I want to bring his music to the world."

Owner convinced they were given 'the wrong dog back' after visit to the groomers

TikTok user @Mirandalawler shared a comparison of her dog before and after it visited the groomers, and the video has been viewed more than a million times in a matter of hours

A dog owner has joked they must have picked up the wrong animal from the groomers after their pet was left almost unrecognisable.

TikTok user @Mirandalawler posted a video showing a before and after video of her companion, capturing the fluffy white dog looking into the camera prior to the haircut.

It then jumps to the results of the makeover and the clip has racked up more than 1.2 million views in a matter of hours as she captioned the video 'This ain't it'.

The close shave appears to have completely transformed the shape of the dog's body as it turned the furry ball into something far more slender, and completely exposes the floppy ears which were previously hidden under the white hair.





The video says: "I think my groomer gave me the wrong dog", as it racked up more than 63,000 likes, leaving viewers stunned by the change.

It's not the only dog to be sporting a questionable new look after another user shared a similar clip of their pet, explaining that their dad had asked staff to "shave off as much as they could".

The results left the small fluffy dog looking rather worse for wear, almost completely bald and with an expression that hinted she is less-than-impressed with her new-found fame after the clip went viral.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/owner-convinced-were-given-the-23757798

[hija]

Deb Haaland became the first Indigenous US cabinet secretary



History was made in Washington, US, this week with Deb Haaland being confirmed as the country’s first ever Indigenous cabinet secretary.

The 60-year-old from New Mexico will oversee the country’s land, seas and natural resources, and be responsible for tribal affairs.

The US Senate confirmed the Democrat to the post by a vote of 51-40. Haaland secured the support of Republican senators, including Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Dan Sullivan and Susan Collins.

[Fatima99]

IKEA’s New Cookbook Puts Kitchen Scraps to Good Use With 50 Recipes From Top Chefs

IKEA’s recent collaboration with 10 super chefs led to the creation of a new kind of scrapbook—one that contains recipes made from food scraps.

Utilizing the less-loved parts of produce or cheese, the SCRAPSBOOK curates 50 recipes for kitchen scraps that would otherwise be thrown away.

As much as Americans try to pull kale and broccoli into their diets, what happens to the greenish white stems? What about the leaves growing from our favorite carrots, turnips, and radishes? What about those banana peels and apple cores—that no one thinks to use for nutrition? Can one really make great recipes with them?

To answer, let’s listen to what Chef Christa Bruneau-Guenther from Winnipeg’s Feast Cafe Bistro had to say on behalf of her “Banana peel bacon” recipe served with wild rice flapjacks.

“Who knew you could eat a banana peel? Although it is thinner than bacon, it has a balance of sweet, smoky, salty, and heat, plus with the hint of banana it is oh so delicious!”



Banana flesh can also be used in pancakes, or frozen to use for smoothies or baking. Try the Banana Peel Chutney, on page 30, that Jason Sheardown serves with shrimp.

Adrian Forte from Ontario and David Gunawan from British Columbia turn radish leaves and kale stems into risotto and pesto, while Bruneau-Guenther contributes again to a pan-baked dish of squash and potato skins with maple syrup and cheese to help people get the most amount of fiber and nutrients out of their starches of choice.

“Scrapcooking is about finding the beautiful possibilities in that banana peel, radish top, or even the chicken bones you’re about to toss, and make the most of everything available to you,” explain the authors of the book in the foreword. “It’s little things like these that can add up to make a big difference.”

The epitome of this concept may be Adrian Forte, a celebrity chef heading up the Toronto-based Chef du Jour catering service, and his recipe “Clear-out-the-Crisper-Soup”—the ultimate in tasty recycling.

“I often save food scraps throughout the week — everything from chicken parts to vegetable trimmings. Usually, these discarded scraps end up in my weekly soup stock,” he writes as an intro.

The 111-page SCRAPSBOOK, downloadable in PDF here, also contains instructions for all kinds of different ways to reuse food scraps, beyond simply composting them—although it has instructions for starting a compost pile, too!

How to regrow produce from chopped ends
Using ground eggshells as a limescale cleaner
How to prepare cucumber leftovers as an insect repellent
Tips for how to store different produce that you wouldn’t expect
How to clean your finest skillets with leftover food instead of steel wool
It can be a great feeling to know that every taste inherent in a piece of food was turned into talent to make your life more nutritious and closer to Mother Earth.

[PennySerenade]

Milton, Ont. fitness trainer building hope in Ghana one basketball court at a time



TORONTO -- Hope Agbolosoo grew up in Ghana with dreams of becoming a basketball player, but he didn’t have the means.

“The closest thing I got to basketball was taping a hula hoop next to the side of my house. We’d use balloons for the ball and it would take so long for the ball to come down,” he said.

The 21-year-old moved to Canada when he was 10 years old. He played basketball in Milton, until he broke his leg in high school.

“I realized I wasn’t the best at basketball and so I realized I had to find others way to play the sport because I loved it so much.”

Agbolosoo went back to Ghana a few years ago to run basketball camps for some of the local kids, but the courts were in worse shape than he remembered and unsafe.

“When I finished the camp, I was trying to figure out ways to give back to the community, to give back to the place that I grew up in,” he said.



He launched a fitness company in Milton called Hope Fitness, where he trains kids.

He also founded “Project Hope” with a goal of building basketball courts in communities across Ghana.

He’s already built two courts in Ghana with his saved-up money — one in his old neighbourhood and the other at his dad’s former high school.

“I want to make sure that they can find basketball and play it too, because basketball is a vehicle that can take you places,” he said

For Agbolosoo, the project isn’t about turning kids into pro-athletes. It’s about keeping kids engaged, healthy and giving them opportunities.

Project Hope has a GoFundMe goal of $20,000. https://ca.gofundme.com/f/hopefitness-basketball-court

With the funds he’d like to build more courts and provide kids with balls, shoes and uniforms.

[BigGlen]

20 Crazy Sports Stats You Never Knew
ZACK PUMERANTZ

Friday's fun facts.....



Behind every magical athletic performance is a concealed packet of facts.

Not breakfast preferences, pregame rituals or tendency to fold during a poker game, but rather a collection of unknown pieces of knowledge that keeps fans eager to learn more.

These stats form the backbone of the sports world and give fans a true perspective on different achievements and records. A necessary asset indeed.

Let's take a look at the craziest sports stats you never knew. Some may be loosely classified as facts, but necessary shares either way.

Grab that record book.

20. Mark McGwire's Statistical Climb
1 OF 20
Mark McGwire's record-setting 70 home runs in the 1998 season traveled a total of 29,598 feet, enough to fly over Mount Everest.

The baseball did most of the work.

19. Hammerin' Hank
2 OF 20
Take away Aaron's 755 home runs and he still has more than 3,000 hits.

The statistics don't lie. The man was a beast.

18. Desmond Howard Returns the Favor
3 OF 20
Howard is the first and only player to win the Super Bowl MVP (Super Bowl XXXI) from solely special teams.

His 99-yard kick return was the dagger.

17. Baseball's Intricacies
4 OF 20
Each baseball game has 12,386,344 possible plays.

And somewhere around 10 times as many sunflower seed shells.

16. Three Quick Ones
5 OF 20
An 18-year-old Tommy Ross scored the quickest soccer hat trick ever...90 seconds.

Clearly an early bloomer.

15. Frank Robinson Switch Hits
6 OF 20
Frank Robinson is the only player to be named MVP in both leagues.

Sheer focus.

14. Brett Favre's First Packer Completion
7 OF 20
Brett Favre's first completion as a Packer was to himself.

13. Scoring Prowess
8 OF 20
Scoring five or more goals in a single NHL game has only been accomplished 60 times.

By 44 talented individuals.

12. Jon Rauch vs. Jose Altuve
9 OF 20
6'11" Rauch facing 5'5" Altuve on May 1 was the biggest height differential in baseball history (excluding Eddie Gaedel).

The biggest height discrepancy ever was far more than just another routine at-bat.

11. Hockey Developments
10 OF 20
NHL overtime was eliminated during WWII because there were restrictions on train travel, so they couldn't risk going long and missing the one and only train that night. It was only reinstated in 1983-84.

We continue to yearn for epic shootouts.

10. America's Slow Pastime
11 OF 20
The actual playing time in an MLB game is nine minutes and 55 seconds, despite routinely finishing at around three hours.

The rest of the time features spitting, scratching and salivating.

9. Gridiron Flop
12 OF 20
There have only been 14 four-interception games in NFL history.

From a single defender, of course.

8. Ruling Their Field
13 OF 20
Brian Rudge (2012, pictured) and Drew Coble (1990) are the only two umpires to be behind the plate for two no-hitters.

The clutch gene rules again.

7. Defensive Attack
14 OF 20
Ten goalies have scored a goal in a National Hockey League game.

Some didn't even have to touch the puck.

6. Early October
15 OF 20
A total of 63 errors were made in the 1886 World Series.

The St. Louis Browns beat the Chicago White Stockings 4-2. Old school classic.

5. The Golden Arm
16 OF 20
Four strikeouts in an inning has only occurred 60 times.

Sixty is clearly the new lucky seven.

4. Hole in One
17 OF 20
JFK's golf clubs sold for $772,500 at a 1996 auction. The buyer was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

3. The Finances of a Pigskin
18 OF 20
It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.

And just as many reporters to surround Tim Te'Bro after every movement.

2. The Formula to Victory
19 OF 20
From a complete stop, a human is capable of outrunning a Formula One race car for about 30 feet.

Time to juice up those competitions.

1. Nearing Perfection
20 OF 20
The perfect inning (nine pitches, nine strikes, three outs) has only been achieved 46 times.

[Fivetide]

“Free Beer” sign helps new homeowners meet their neighbors in Cape Coral


"Free Beer" sign helps new homeowners meet their neighbors in Cape Coral

Amanda and Thomas Evans decided to move from Fort Myers to Cape Coral weeks before the pandemic started. As first time homeowners, this is not what they expected.

“We moved to Cape Coral in April of 2020. So the start of the pandemic. It was a different experience I think than most first time homebuyers,” said Amanda.

While they were excited to move to a new place, they were unsure if they would ever get the chance to meet their neighbors.

“It was definitely hard to meet neighbors. Luckily, we have a rescue dog that we walk around the block everyday, so we met some people in passing. Typically, you would bring people cookies or pie or invite them over for dinner, but we weren’t sure about how people were feeling,” Amanda added.

The couple decided to try something new and create flyers that read:

Hi, we’re new to the neighborhood and would like to meet our lovely neighbors. We will be in our driveway with drinks, ready to meet any neighbors who would like to stop by. We can’t wait to meet you.

At first, Thomas wasn’t sure anyone would show up, but once they place a “Free Beer” sign outside the driveway — that attracted almost everyone in the neighborhood.

“It’s always funny to see a sign on the table that says free beer, just to get people to stop and turn their head and drive by and say what did that sign just say. We had a few people do a double take, free beer is a pretty easy way to get people to show up,” said Thomas Evans.

For those going through a similar struggle, the couple suggests trying this idea around your neighborhood.

‘I can’t believe it’: Sydney woman’s precious find in ‘super random place’

A Sydney woman has been left pleasantly surprised after locating a missing Pandora earring which she had been trying to find for a month.

She described the earring as being in a “super random place” - hidden in her floorboards which were under renovation.

The woman had been beside herself searching for the lost earring, believing she had misplaced it in the Narabeen Rock Pools in Sydney’s north on February 6.

She was so convinced she would never see the earring again that she had even tried to buy a single earring to complete the set.

The Pandora store told her this wasn’t possible.



After spotting the missing jewellery in the floor of her own home, the ecstatic woman took to social media.

“I posted a while ago that I list my Pandora earring and had anyone seen it near North Narra rock pool, remember?” she wrote in a community Facebook group.

“Stop looking! I found it in a super random place near a hole in our floor (we’re renovating) I can’t believe it!!!”

Replying to a comment, the woman added: “I went in and asked (Pandora but) they said they don’t sell these ones in singles.

“I’m so glad I don’t have to worry now anyway!”



Locals shared their own stories of earring misadventures.

“Had the same issue, similar post! I found mine stucked(sic) in the onion net in the onion basket about a week later I didn’t cook much that week I guess,” said one person.

Another person commented: “Decades ago I was breastfeeding my bub and glancing down noticed the sapphire out of my ring was missing. I was sooooo upset, I cried and cried.

“A couple of months later whilst packing up the baby’s bassinet I noticed to my horror a cockroach egg, turned out to be my sapphire. How it managed to not be reefed out with all those sheet changes I’ll never know. Like your earring, it was meant to be,” they finished.

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/i-cant-b ... -c-2364586

[lush]

Goats that took over Welsh town are now shopping at Primark
Thursday 4 Mar 2021 1:26 pm*



They’ve been spotted queueing up outside the barbers and invading hotels, but these famous mountain goats are clearly in need of some retail therapy.

Will Roberts came across at least 15 of the curious goats outside Primark in Llandudno on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for them, the Government’s closure of non-essential shops during lockdown means they will have to wait several weeks before they reopen.

Will said: ‘I was cycling to work at 8am expecting to pass through an empty Parc Llandudno when I noticed the goats heading straight for Primark.





‘It made me laugh so I stopped to take some photos. I think I counted 15 in total.

‘I thought I was getting accustomed to seeing them about but they keep managing to pop up in new and more surreal places.’

In the spring lockdown last year, the goats – who live on the Great Orme headland by the Welsh seaside town – achieved global notoriety for invading the traffic-free streets.

And when Wales went into lockdown again, they became even more adventurous, with one even ‘checking in’ to a hotel.











Before the pandemic, the 120-strong army of goats were more commonly spotted munching on the grasslands of the Great Orme.

But they are now regular visitors who seem to enjoy having free roam of the deserted streets, climbing walls, eating plants and hedges, and generally causing mischief.

They are descended from Kashmir mountain goats and were given to Llandudno as a gift from Queen Victoria.

[johngriffen]

(Image courtesy of goldie0608)

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 MARCH 20
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 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 -5)
2:00 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 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

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

[goldie0608]

Mother of NHL Hockey Star Donates Kidney to Ice Rink Manager who Kept her Kids Out of Trouble



To make it in any professional sport takes skill, determination, and practice. Having someone who believes in you and goes out of their way to help can be the difference between living the dream or hanging up your skates.

Throughout the many years that Graham Nesbitt managed the local skating arena in Seaforth, Ontario, he routinely went above and beyond the call of duty—opening the rink early, staying late, and even in the face of snowstorms—to ensure neighborhood kids could get in as many hours on the ice as possible.

No-one is more aware of or as grateful for Nesbitt’s dedication than Bonnie O’Reilly. Her two sons, Ryan and Cal, who skated under Nesbitt’s watchful eye, both went on to play in the NHL.

Ryan captains the Stanley Cup-winning St. Louis Blues. Cal is currently on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ roster.

Even though he retired from the Seaforth rink in 2003, when the community learned Nesbitt needed a kidney donation, local folks lined up to be tested to see if they might be a match. One of those people was Bonnie O’Reilly.

Nesbitt was diagnosed with Berger’s disease nine years ago. A progressive condition that lessens the kidneys’ ability to filter blood, by 2019 the medication keeping his illness under check was no longer working. A kidney transplant became the 65-year-old’s only option for survival.

Once O’Reilly learned she was a match, the only thing left to be done was arrange for the surgery. “She says that ‘What you’ve done for my boys, helping them achieve their goal of playing professional hockey, it’s the least we can do,’” Nesbitt’s son Joe said quoting O’Reilly in a conversation with CBC.

The transplant took place just a couple of weeks ago, on March 3. Both O’Reilly and Nesbitt came through the procedure in good form and were soon on their way to recovery.

Nesbitt’s wife, Pam, deeply touched by O’Reilly’s generosity, posted her thanks on Facebook: “From our family to you and yours Bonnie, thanks for the gift of a lifetime…Your selfless act means more than you’ll ever know.”

“Something my dad’s always taught me is to be kind and helpful and generous to everybody,” Joe Nesbitt told CBC. “It just goes to show that those thoughtful acts and caring for people, it pays off. It truly paid off for my dad and saved his life.”

So, why is good Karma like an ice rink, you ask? Because what goes around comes around.

[BigGlen]

High Score: California Man Finds Hyper Rare Video Game Buried Under a Tree
POSTED ON MARCH 19, 2021 BY ILE KAUPPILA



Even if you’re not a gamer, you have to marvel at this incredible stroke of luck.
It’s not that strange to find treasure, but it rarely takes a form of a gold-filled chest. Instead, it could be a priceless ancient Chinese bowl at a yard sale or a bunch whale puke on a beach.

A man from California has discovered a different kind of relic altogether. What makes this find particularly impressive is that his find really shouldn’t have remained intact in the conditions it was found in.



Craig Weiss, a Sacramento-based pinball repairman, has found an exceedingly rare 1997 prototype version of the Samurai Shodown 64 tournament fighter videogame. And he came upon it in a box buried under a tree, reported Eurogamer.

Granted, some 20 years isn’t that long of a time in the grand scale of things. But for electronics, particularly computers and computer accessories, it’s more than a lifetime.

Compounding on that, being buried in soil isn’t really the optimal way to store electronics. Moisture, temperature changes, and bugs are all mortal enemies to game systems.

But this thing actually works. Sometimes, people just get lucky.

Forgotten Relics
Weiss made his discovery after a client called him to repair a particularly damaged pinball machine. Despite its terrible condition, it was an impressive piece of pinball technology.

Weiss asked the client where she had gotten the machine from. She told him she had purchased it from a lady whose husband had run a pinball and arcade game repair and vendor store in the ‘90s.

Curious whether she would have other rarities laying around from her husband’s business, Weiss contacted the original seller. He was invited to come visit and browse through the inventory.

There, in a field under a collapsed tree, Weiss came upon six pallets of various electronics. When he asked if he could go through them, the woman said he might as well – she was about to send it all to a junk yard anyway.

In the pallets, Weiss came upon a real treasure. They contained warehouse materials from the legendary Japanese video game firm SNK.

Apparently, the woman’s husband had bought the pallets from a Chinese ex-SNK employee. The materials within had once belonged to SNK’s U.S. branch, which shut down in 2000.

Among the other miscellaneous stuff in the pallets was an arcade machine motherboard containing the Samurai Shodown 64 prototype.

‘One-of-a-Kind Item’
Since its discovery, the game and its system have passed to the ownership of video game enthusiast Anthony Bacon. He runs the Video Game Esoterica YouTube channel, covering rare and obscure video games and game systems.

Bacon paid Weiss $300 for the game. This may not have been the most valuable treasure ever found, but from a gaming history standpoint, it’s very significant.

For starters, Samurai Shodown 64 – known in Japan as Samurai Spirits – was originally developed for the failed Hyper Neo Geo 64 arcade system. SNK launched the platform in September 1997, but ended up discontinuing it only two years later.

Weiss’ Samurai Shodown 64 is remarkable because it’s the first time the game has been seen in public. But this is also the first time anyone outside SNK has laid eyes on a development version of the Hyper Neo Geo 64 system.

“Nothing has ever shown up from the development process from SNK with this hardware. So just to start off the top, no-one’s ever seen it before, no-one knew it existed,” Bacon told Eurogamer.

According to Bacon, just the game and its system existing is a miracle in itself. But the fact that it actually works means beating some astronomical odds.

Bacon says that there never were that many prototypes of the Hyper Neo Geo 64 made. He guesstimates – based on photos and development stories – that a single digit number will cover all test units SNK built.

“I can’t say that there’s not another one sitting somewhere. But I would highly presume this is a one-of-a-kind item, never seen before, and probably won’t ever be seen as a duplicate again,” said Bacon.

This unit’s circuit board is numbered 00001. That probably means that it once resided inside the first Hyper Neo Geo machine ever made.

Better than the Official Release
But what about the game itself? Samurai Shodown 64 did actually see the light of day within the Hyper Neo Geo’s short lifespan, and it even got a sequel in Japan.

Bacon said he is a big fan of the game. But having played the prototype, he thinks the published version is actually inferior.

“I actually think it plays better, in my opinion. If I was going to go play one version now, I would play the prototype because I like it better,” Bacon said.

The camera in the prototype, he explained, is closer to the characters than in the published version, which makes the game easier to play. The prototype also contains some game mechanics that were toned down or cut altogether in the final version.

But since the game isn’t a polished retail release, it has some issues. For example, there’s no final boss – after the player beats the eighth stage, the game simply restarts.

“It’s definitely not done. And there’s a lot of fundamental differences,” Bacon concluded.

In any case, it’s a great piece of gaming history, and we’re lucky that it survived for us to see.

24-year-old photos found in antique camera returned to family



A Toronto man who bought an antique camera from Pennsylvania off eBay discovered there was still film inside -- and he was able to reunite the photos with the family that took them in 1997.

Adam Wilson said he bought a camera from eBay and discovered there were photos on the film inside, but the Lewisberry, Pa., seller could only tell him it was found in a storage locker in Lewisberry.

Wilson posted the recovered photos to Twitter, estimating they were 10-20 years old.

A TV news report about Wilson's discovery aired on WHTM-TV, and a viewer recognized Maria Bartoletti, a former Lewisberry resident who now lives in Florida.

"My sister called me, and she said, 'Bob, you're not gonna believe this,'" Maria's brother, Bob Bartoletti, told the TV station.

Bob Bartoletti said the photos were taken at Christmas in 1997. He said one of the pictures recovered by Wilson is the only photo he has together with Maria and James Bartoletti, the siblings' father, who died not long after.

The photos also feature Maria's husband, Marv Bulson, who died in 1999.

Bartoletti said the Christmas depicted in the photos was the family's first since the death of his mother and mother-in-law.

"It was a very meaningful time for us, and it was a very difficult year because both mothers were very ill for six to seven months of that year," Bartoletti said.

Wilson said he was happy to return the memories to the family.

"I just knew that if we could get them out there and get them back home they would be appreciated," Wilson said.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/03/19 ... 616185075/