[Fivetide]

Teen catches world record paddlefish in Oklahoma lake



Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i-zDYHE_w4

A Kansas teenager fishing in Oklahoma broke a world record when he reeled in a 164-pound paddlefish.

Grant Rader, a Wichita teenager who took a fishing trip to Oklahoma to celebrate his high school graduation, reeled in the massive paddlefish while angling at Keystone Lake, near Tulsa.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said the 164-pound fish is a new world record, taking the title from a 151.9-pound paddlefish reeled in by Corey Watters, of Ochelata, Okla.

Watters heard about his record being broken and stopped by the lake to congratulate Rider in person. The department shared a photo of Mefford holding his fish with Watters and Jeremiah Mefford, the fishing guide who assisted Rader with his catch.

[johngriffen]

IN OTHER NEWS...
CURRENTLY OFFLINE

Hold off posting your news stories
The editors and accountant department are reviewing last weeks reports to insure that all our reporters get their proper paycheck

[johngriffen]

FOR STORIES POSTED THE W/O JUNE 21
Our news editors at IN OTHER NEWS have carefully reviewed all the stories submitted by our reporters
Following is last weeks Reporter Log

LEGEND:
X = Acceptable Story
X = PULITZER PRIZE
NA = Not Acceptable Story
DS = Duplicate Story
NOTE: If you feel the editors made a mistake, please feel free to PM me so that we can review your claim

A SPECIAL THANKS TO 10 ACE REPORTERS WHO FILED A NEWS STORY EVERY DAY
Fatima99
goldie0608
hija
lasos1
lush
mrvictor
ozswede
PennySerenade
prokroustis
Zbignieww



Every week the editors will review all the stories and pick the one story that we feels deserves a
MOBI PULITZER PRIZE
There are many different categories for submissions. The previous week, the category was "FATHER'S DAY"
But this week, the category was "YOU'RE GOT TO BE KIDDING"

W/O JUNE 21 CATEGORY = YOU'RE GOT TO BE KIDDING
BigGlen
DAY = WEDNESDAY JUNE 23
STORY = "A Well-Planned Retirement"
This story is simply mind bending. At England's Bristol Zoo, a man who'd apparently had a ticket booth installed completely on his own, simply began to show up every day, commencing to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about $560 per day for 25 years. Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts to just over $7 million dollars. 25 FRICKIN YEARS
And they never even knew his name

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS WEEKS MOBI PULITZER PRIZE WINNER = 100 WRZ

THE NEXT NEWS CYCLE WILL BEGIN SHORTLY

[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
MONDAY JUNE 28
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 -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 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]

Keeping elephants in UK zoos to be banned after claims animals suffer mental illness in captivity


The intelligent animals suffer from mental illness - and new laws are allegedly going to ban them being kept in zoos and safari parks

Keeping elephants in zoos or safari parks in the UK is set to be banned after claims the animals suffer from mental illness in captivity.

According to campaigners, the highly intelligent animals suffer while in zoos – and new laws will reportedly ban the importation of new elephants into existing locked-up populations.

UK Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith is said to be introducing the legislation to help the future population of the animals after seven centuries of keeping them in captivity in Britain.

The first elephant arrived to Britain in 1255 under King Henry III.

There are currently 51 elephants in 11 zoos across the UK – including at Woburn, Whipsnade, Colchester and Chester.


Elephants live far shorter lives in captivity compared to in the wild.

But since January 2020, it has been illegal for circuses to keep elephants for entertainment.

According to the RSPCA, elephants are plagued by illnesses while in captivity – and live on average just 17 years, compared to their brothers in the wild who live until they’re 50.

And a report into their welfare is set to form the argument against their captivity in zoos – which will be announced as part of the Kept Animals Bill later this year.

A senior source told the Mail: “Once the current load of elephants die out we will say you can’t replace them.

“It’s impossible to keep them in conditions where they are happy, the space is too small.

“In the UK the biggest elephant enclosures are so minute.

“They grub up the environment so quickly too – they have an incredibly important role in that but if they are in such a small area they destroy everything.

“It’s very likely we are going to say you can’t make elephants happy in zoos, we should instead be focusing on elephant conservation in areas that have elephants.”


Elephants won't be in captivity in the UK.

Mark Jones of the charity Born Free said: “There are many species that don’t belong in zoos, elephants are very much one of those species.

“It should be phased out, the needs of these very wide roaming, very complex social animals cannot be met in a captive environment.”

Lorraine Platt, chairman of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, said: “It isn’t appropriate to keep elephants in zoos.

“They need to have large spaces in which to roam and also they have close knit family groups as well.”

Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said: “Elephants are iconic, thoughtful and highly intelligent animals, and deserve to be looked after in environments that reflect that.

“We have been clear that all zoo elephants must enjoy the highest possible welfare standards, and that is why we commissioned a robust 10-year-long report from the UK Elephant Welfare Group to suggest and make improvements in the way elephants are kept in UK zoos, and monitor progress.

“They have been given free rein to explore the issue and deliver whatever final recommendations they see fit, and their report will be completed this year and then considered by the UK’s Zoos Expert Committee. Government will respond early next year.”

This comes after the “world’s loneliest elephant” who was living in a zoo in Pakistan was moved to a sanctuary in Cambodia.

The elephant, named Kaavan, became the focus of a campaign by animal rights activists amid concerns about the conditions in which he was being kept.

Kaavan left Islamabad Zoo last year for a facility in Cambodia, said Four Paws International, a charity which has led a campaign since 2016.

Source

[Fatima99]

German Shepherd Rex taught clever trick to help clear up pub at closing time

Rex, a seven-year-old German Shepherd, would pick up bottles in his mouth and carry them one by one behind the counter, and stacked them in crates



Pub-goers are once again enjoying supping a quiet beverage and the lifting of lockdown has brought table service taking away timely queues at the bar.

But one Surrey pub in the mid-1960s was ahead of the times after it got a canine companion on the job.

A Daily Mirror photographer met Rex in 1965 and catalogued his remarkable talents when it came to tidying up after last orders at the Punch Bowl in Dorking.

“As the final, plaintive cries of ‘Time, gentlemen, if you please’ stirred the customers into draining their glasses before making their way home, Rex gets his teeth into his nightly task of collecting up all the empty bottles at the Punch Bowl in Dorking.”



Rex, a seven-year-old German Shepherd would pick up bottles in his mouth and carry them one by one behind the counter, where he stacked them in crates.

His owner Stanley Gill told TeamDogs how at the time that Rex had only needed a 15-minute lesson from him to grasp the task, although the pub licensee added that at first the German Shepherd had found it hard to tell the difference between full and empty bottles.

“But the customers were not slow in instructing him in the art…”

Rex may be long gone, but we will raise a glass (or a bottle) next time we’re in a pub to this clever, conscientious canine.

Buck naked Naked sunbathers flee from deer, fined by NSW Police

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has revealed two of the 44 people handed fines for breaching COVID restrictions were nude beachgoers.

The two men, aged 30 and 49, were sunbaking naked on a south coast beach on Sunday when they were startled by a deer and fled into the nearby national park at Otford.

“Not only did they get lost and require assistance from SES and police to rescue them, they also both received a ticket for $1000,” Mr Fuller said.

Ray Hadley was mystified by one of the missing details from the Commissioner’s account.

“There must have been a mobile phone. I don’t know where you put the mobile phone when you’re naked.

“I can only imagine, might have been a bit crackly.”

https://www.2gb.com/naked-sunbathers-flee-from-deer-fined-by-nsw-police/

[prokroustis]

The World’s Oldest Living Olive Tree is on Crete


The most ancient olive tree in the world, in Crete

The oldest olive tree in the world is located in the village of Ano Vouves of Kissamos in Chania, Crete. The ancient tree is 3000 years old, as determined by the international scientific community.

The ancient olive tree in Vouves has a trunk with a circumference of 12.5 meters (41 feet), and a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet). It belongs to the local tree variety of tsounati, and was grafted at a height of 3 meters onto a wild olive tree.

Because of the grafting, its trunk has been so beautifully shaped by nature that it resembles a sculpture. In 1990, after a unanimous decision in the prefecture of Chania, the Vouves Olive Tree was declared a Natural Monument of great importance due to its status as the world’s oldest tree of its kind.

The oldest olive tree still produces high-quality olives
The fruits of the ancient olive tree make the best olive oil in the world, making the area the cradle of olive cultivation on the island of Crete. The trunk of the tree is now hollow as there is no heartwood, so the olive is renewed outward and the heartwood gradually rots away.

Since the olive tree is constantly renewing its wood, it has served as a a symbol of immortality since ancient times.

Thousands of tourists visit the stunning tree every summer to marvel at it and learn its history. They are mainly impressed by its enormous shape and the imposing volume of the trunk, but also by the fact that it has remained alive and fruitful for 3000 years.

The site of the olive tree, including the entire hill on which several villages are situated, has thousands of olive trees and the villages are widely believed to produce the best olive oil in the world.

[Fivetide]

Lost Rembrandt painting rediscovered after falling off a wall



A Rembrandt painting that was long considered to be lost has been rediscovered after it fell off the wall of a home in Italy and was sent for restoration.

The Italian Heritage Foundation said the painting, The Adoration of the Magi, was painted by the famed artist around 1632-1633, and was considered to be one of Rembrandt's lost paintings until it fell off the wall of a country home in Rome province in 2016 and was sent to art restorer Antonella Di Francesco for repairs.

Di Francesco said the painting had been darkened by old varnish, but during the cleaning and restoration process it became clear that the work was a long-lost Rembrandt.

The painting was studied by an international team of experts attending a symposium at the French Academy of the Villa Medici in Rome and they confirmed the work appears to be a legitimate Rembrandt.

Guido Talarico, president of the Italian Heritage Foundation, said the family that owns the painting is currently having it stored by art dealers, but it will eventually be made available to museums and galleries. He said they have not expressed an interest in selling the artwork.

91-Year-Old Colorado Man Finally Celebrates PRIDE As An Openly Gay Man

While most Coloradans were staying in, some residents were coming out. The pandemic altered or canceled many Pride events in June 2020. Much of the LGBTQ community is ready to make up for lost time in 2021, but one man is making up for the last 79 years.

Ken Felts knew he was gay at the age of 12, but he says that wasn’t acceptable in the 1940s. Felts was raised in a conservative, Christian home that went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. He eventually joined the Navy, went to college and met a young woman.

“I got married in 1963 and had a child in 1972. The marriage was not a good one. I was doing my best to be as straight as I could,” said Felts. “It was just constant alertness. I was being very careful and dressing very conservatively all the time because I never wanted people to know that I was gay. I didn’t want to be outed because I could lose custody of my daughter.”

In 2019, then 89-year-old Felts began treatment for cancer. He felt isolated, and even more so when the pandemic struck. He began writing a memoir, jotting down memories that included Phillip, a man he had feelings for decades earlier. Felts eventually explained to his daughter who Phillip was.

“When I got married, I destroyed everything about Philip that I had, except for one picture, because I was ‘straight.’ I still have that picture,” Felts said to his daughter, who also came out to him 25 years prior.


After coming out to his daughter, Felts worked up the courage to let his close friends know. But a posting error ended up sharing the secret he’d kept for over 70 years with the world.

“I posted it on Facebook for my friends, so I thought, but I posted it to the public! I was getting messages from people all over about my coming out,” said Felts. “It was almost all positive, very positive, over and over. ‘Congratulations’ and ‘welcome’ and things like that.”

Since then, Felts entered a relationship with a man he cares for dearly. He shares his newfound pride on social media. For the first time in his life, Felts can live as his true self.

5ft 8in teacher and her 3ft 7in husband who used a stepladder at their wedding win the Guinness World Record for the couple with the biggest height difference

Guinness World Records revealed married couple with biggest height difference
James Lusted, 33, who has dwarfism, is 3ft 7in, while wife Chloe, 27, is 5ft 8in
Couple who live in Wales, first met at a local pub through friends in 2012

By Latoya Gayle

Published: 06:27 EDT, 23 June 2021 | Updated: 06:29 EDT, 23 June 2021

A 5ft 8in teacher and her 3ft 7in husband have won the Guinness World Record for the couple with the biggest height difference.

James Lusted, 33, and wife Chloe, 27, who live in Wales, are standing tall in the record books because of their 1ft 10in height difference.

Guinness World Records has revealed the couple have the greatest height differential of a married couple in the different sexes/taller woman category.

Pantomime actor TV presenter James, who has a rare type of dwarfism known as Diastrophic Dysplasia, met Chloe through mutual friends at a local pub.
James Lusted, 33, and wife Chloe, 27, (pictured) who live in Wales, have the greatest height difference of any married couple according to Guinness World Records
+10

James who has a rare type of dwarfism known as Diastrophic Dysplasia, is 3ft 7in, meanwhile his wife is 5ft 4in. Pictured: Couple at their wedding
James admits that he doubted whether he would ever get married while growing up and longed to be the same as everyone else. Pictured: James and Chloe
+10

James and Chloe were married in 2016, with the groom using a stepladder in order to kiss his bride at the altar. They have since had a daughter named Olivia, two.

Chloe admitted that in the past she would usually have said she was attracted to taller men - however that changed when she met James.

She said: 'There is someone out there for everyone, and it perhaps won't be who you imagine.

'I hope that our love story teaches others that you can never judge a book by its cover and everyone has their own personal story underneath what they look like.'

James, who is known as Jay to his family, was born with a type of genetic dwarfism called diastrophic displasia but has not handed the condition down to his daughter.
Chloe who had previously been attracted to taller men, said she has learned there is someone for everyone and it perhaps won't be who you imagine. Pictured: The couple with their Guinness World Records award
+10

Chloe said she hopes their love story will teach others not to judge a book by its cover. Pictured: Chloe and James on their wedding day

James, who has not handed diastrophic displasia down to his daughter, said he felt 'ten feet tall' when he found out that Chloe was expecting. Pictured: James with his daughter in 2019
James said holding his daughter and marrying Chloe are among the two best days of his life. Pictured: The family
+10

Diastrophic Dysplasia is a rare condition, which results in deformities and a short stature.

According to The Portal For Rare Diseases, the disorder affects males and females but has a prevalence of just 1-1.3 in 100,000 people. Those who have Diastrophic Dysplasia may often at birth have a clubfoot, short limb deformation of the wrists and abducted thumbs.

Deformations of joints can limit movement, however the severity of the condition varies. Despite the impact on quality of life, Diastrophic Dysplasia has a good life expectancy and surgical corrections can be beneficial.
Advertisement

He said he felt 'ten feet tall' when he found out teacher Chloe was expecting while on a trip to Disney World, Florida.

James said: 'Holding my daughter in my arms is definitely in the top two of the best things I've ever done. Marrying Chloe was the other best day of my life.'

Also a Conservative county councillor in Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales, James was featured on the Sunday Songs of Praise last year where he discussed his faith helping him to cope with his disability.

Chloe was a student living in Cardiff when she first dated James.

On one date, he was handed a children's colouring book and crayons by a waitress who mistook him for a child.

It was only when the waitress at the Harvester restaurant heard James's deep voice that she realised her embarrassing blunder.

James admits that when he was growing up, he initially doubted whether he would ever get married, but says now that their relationship proves there is someone out there for everyone.

He added: 'I came to a point where I had to say to myself that dwarfism doesn't own me, I own dwarfism. I just wanted to be the same as everyone else and I just wanted to live my life in a big way, in a little body'.
James appeared on Sunday Songs of Praise last year to discuss how his faith has helped him to cope with his disability. Pictured: Chloe and James
+10

James appeared on Sunday Songs of Praise last year to discuss how his faith has helped him to cope with his disability. Pictured: Chloe and James

James was once handed a children's colouring book and crayons by a waitress who mistook him for a child. Pictured: James and Chloe on their wedding day
Chloe and James (pictured) first met through friends, while at a local pub shortly after the actor had carried the Olympic torch through their hometown
+10

Chloe and James (pictured) first met through friends, while at a local pub shortly after the actor had carried the Olympic torch through their hometown

[PennySerenade]

Woodbine Entertainment to celebrate Canada Day with some fans in stands for races



TORONTO -- Ontario horse racing fans will be allowed back to watch live events starting next week.

Jim Lawson, the CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, says both Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto and Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville, Ont., will allow spectators at 25 per cent capacity starting Canada Day (July 1).

The move comes after the Ontario government announced Thursday it will move into the second stage of its reopening plan next Wednesday.

The move to the second stage was slated to take effect July 2 but COVID-19 vaccination targets have already been reached, and other health indicators have improved since strict measures took effect in April to control the third wave of the global pandemic.

Under terms of the second stage, outdoor horse racing can be held at 25 per cent capacity.

The move to the second stage is also a very good sign for Ontario's three CFL franchises, with the 14-game schedule slated to start Aug. 5.

All three Ontario teams will open the '21 season on the road, with the Toronto Argonauts being the first to have a home game -- Aug. 21 versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Ottawa Redblacks will host the B.C. Lions on Aug. 28, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats returning to Tim Hortons Field to face the arch-rival Argos on Sept. 6 in the annual Labour Day Classic.

Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Soccer's Toronto FC are playing out of temporary homes in Buffalo, N.Y., and Orlando, respectively. Because of border restrictions and the large amount of American teams in those two leagues, it is much more difficult for the Blue Jays and TFC to play in Toronto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2021

Man refuses to sell home surrounded by $790 million development
Everyone else on the street has sold up, but the man has refused over 60 offers to buy his family home, including one for over $1 million.

A feisty Florida man is refusing to sell his cherished family home even as it’s swallowed by a massive $US600 million ($A790 million) commercial development.

Orlando Capote told CBS4 News that his father bought the humble single-family home in 1989, after escaping Cuba and working double jobs to achieve his American dream.

“The house is my soul,” Mr Capote said. “So what good is it to sell your soul for all the money in the world?”

The surrounding construction zone “is the most mega commercial development in Coral Gables history,” according to the local report.

The Plaza Coral Gables, developed by Agave Ponce LLC, features shops, restaurants, residences, office space and a 242-room luxury hotel.



The development “will have a positive impact on the quality of life and safety of the community through the creation of new spaces for dining, recreation and the promotion of artistic, cultural and outdoor activities,” according to The Plaza Coral Gables website.

Capote has refused offers of up to $US900,000 ($A1.18 million) for the two-bedroom, two-bathroom 120sq m home – as many as 60 offers over the past six years.

Mr Capote’s father died in 2005. He then lost his mother last year, who asked before she died that the son not sell the “family treasure”.

“This was my father’s dream house. It took 20 years for him to find it,” Mr Capote told the Miami Herald.

“This house is like a hard drive. As I look around and live in it and move through it, I relive a lot of memories. That I could not find in another house.”



In scenes reminiscent of 1997 Australian film The Castle, the fearless Floridian not only refuses to dishonour his mother’s wishes, he’s fighting back against the developers and City Hall.

He says the city has broken numerous codes while trashing his property. Mr Capote can be seen on video showing people around his house wearing a heavy-duty contractor’s mask to protect his lungs from dusty debris, while cranes and trucks blare noise from the other side of a towering green construction fence.

“You can see some of the trash that has already fallen on the side,” Mr Capote said.

“Which would not happen if the building was actually 35 feet (10m) high or at least 50 feet (15m) away.”

Coral Gables officials claim the development has broken no laws or fire codes.

“The issues raised have been extensively reviewed and investigated,” they told the Miami Herald.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and is reproduced here with permission

https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-es ... af97a3cec7

[mrvictor]

Engineers surprised by the power of an elephant’s trunk

Air can move through it at hundreds of miles per hour



A 34-year-old African elephant at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia has just taught engineers a thing or two about how to move water. For one thing, she showed that her trunk doesn’t operate as a simple straw. To suck up water, she dilates that trunk — expands it. This cuts how many snorts she’ll need to pull in drinking water or the moisture she uses to hose herself down.

Elephants are the only living land animals with a long, boneless trunk. A septum stretches its entire length. This creates two nostrils. But precisely how elephants use those muscular trunks for feeding was always been a bit of a mystery. So mechanical engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta decided to take a few peeks.

Andrew Schulz led the group. Other than aquatic animals, he notes, few creatures other than pachyderms suck up food using something other than simple lung power. Using ultrasound, his team monitored that interior trunk action. In some trials, the elephant snorted up known volumes of water. Other times, that water was mixed with bran.

Ultrasound imaging showed that the available volume of each nostril could balloon as it snorted in liquid (although the elephant used only a small fraction of this extra space). The starting capacity was about five liters (1.3 gallons) but could become more than 60 percent bigger. Water also flowed through the trunk fast — at some 3.7 liters (1 gallon) per second. That about equals how much can spray out of 24 shower heads at once.

In other trials, zookeepers offered the elephant small cubes of rutabaga. When given just a few cubes, the elephant picked them up with the prehensile tip of her trunk. But when offered piles of cubes, she switched into vacuum mode. Here, her nostrils didn’t expand. Instead, she breathed in deeply to hoover up the food.

An elephant’s trunk is iconic. But understanding what happens inside that muscular structure during feeding has been a mystery. Experiments with a patient pachyderm at Zoo Atlanta reveal its tricks for inhaling everything from small cubes of rutabaga to massive volumes of water.

Based on the amount and rate of water snuffed up by the elephant, Schultz’s team estimates that airflow through her narrow nostrils can at times exceed 150 meters per second (335 miles per hour). That’s more than 30 times as fast as a human sneezes.

Schultz and his team shared their findings online in the June Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Except for the nostrils, the inside of an elephant’s trunk is similar to an octopus’s tentacle or a mammal’s tongue, says William Kier. He’s a biomechanist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The trunk’s intricate muscles and lack of joints come together to offer diverse and precise motions, he says.

“How elephants use their trunks is pretty fascinating,” agrees John Hutchinson. He, too, is a biomechanist. He works at the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, England. Engineers have already designed robotic devices based on an elephant’s trunk. The new findings by the Georgia Tech group may yield even wilder designs, he says. “You never know where bioinspiration will lead.”

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/ ... er-airflow

[hija]

Manchester joins London in launching plans for New York-style High Line



An abandoned railway viaduct in Manchester is to be turned into an ‘urban oasis’ inspired by New York’s High Line.

Unused since 1969, Castlefield viaduct’s Victorian grandeur has slowly faded with the passing of each soggy season. Tracks that once brought coal into the city have been overrun with weeds. Meanwhile, many Mancunians demand more green space.

This week their calls were answered as plans were announced to bring a bit of Manhattan to Manchester. New York’s High Line has provided an inspiring template for urban regeneration since opening in 2009. The 1.5-mile park has breathed new life into a disused railway and many of the neighbourhoods that it wended through. Pre-pandemic, the park attracted around 8m visitors annually.

The National Trust hopes to pull off a similar feat in Manchester by transforming the cast iron Castlefield viaduct into a green space.

“Our ambition is to give more people the opportunity to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of green, nature-rich havens on this remarkable heritage structure in the city,” said Duncan Laird, head of urban places at the National Trust. “This feels especially important in urban areas like Manchester where there is need for more high-quality green spaces. This project will also help bring people back to the city centre and support local businesses to recover [from the pandemic].”

The scheme is being designed by the firm Twelve Architects, and the first phase of the project is due to open in summer 2022. The public will then be consulted on future plans.

Similar schemes are afoot in London, where James Corner, the designer of the New York High Line, has been brought in to reimagine a disused railway in Camden.

Like its Manhattan muse, the Camden Highline would run along abandoned viaducts between Kings Cross and Camden for three quarters of a mile. Local volunteers got the project off the ground, and a £35m fundraiser was launched in February to turn the dream into reality.

“This innovative project has the potential to become a real asset for Camden and is a great example of a local community taking an idea and garnering support in order to make it a reality,” said Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London.

South of the river, another High Line-style project is being planned for Peckham. Like in Camden, the Peckham Coal Line started as a grassroots movement, and its future appears secure after it was included in local government planning policy.

The project aims to transform a stretch of railway, along with an abandoned coal storage site, into an urban oasis that navigates “Peckham’s contemporary chaos and industrial heritage”