[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 JULY 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 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]

Could tarantulas hold the secret to relieving chronic pain? UC Davis researchers think so

Using $1.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at UC Davis, are looking into whether venom from the widely feared tarantula spider could help relieve chronic pain.

“Spiders and scorpions have millions of years of evolution optimizing peptide, protein and small-molecule poisons in their venom, which we can take advantage of,” said Bruce Hammock, a distinguished professor of entomology who is working on the new pain reliever. “The same venoms that can cause pain and neurological dysfunction can also help nerves work better and reduce pain.”

Hammock has decades of experience in developing a novel approach to relieving chronic pain. His Davis-based EicOsis earned a Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the development of an oral drug candidate, EC5026, which prevents the breakdown of compounds in the body that keep people from feeling pain out of proportion to their injury.

In total, 20 researchers are studying the potential of venom from one particular spider, the Peruvian green velvet tarantula, to keep pain signals from transmitting between nerves and muscles. This spider’s venom has a particular peptide associated with a specific channel that transmits pain, the Nav1.7 channel.

The researchers’ challenge will be getting the protein in the tarantula venom to block the Nav1.7 channels in only the sensory nerves without affecting the Nav1.7 channels in the body’s muscles or brain. It’s about modifying the toxin, they said, to prevent unwanted side effects.

The hope is to find a pain treatment as potent as opioids, but without the addictive properties of those drugs.

“For strong pain, drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin are just not strong enough,” said Heike Wulff, a professor of pharmacology. “Opioids are strong enough, but they have the problem of tolerance development and addiction.”

Wulff and Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy, a professor of physiology and membrane biology, are leading the team trying to develop the new treatment.

The researchers described their preliminary work as promising, but noted that a lot more work remains. They have been using the Rosetta computer program developed by the University of Washington to create numerous iterations of the tarantula peptide, allowing their team to synthesize and test them in the lab.

“Using the Rosetta software, we can take a natural peptide and then redesign it and make it into a therapeutic,” said Yarov-Yarovoy, an expert in computational structural modeling of peptide toxins. “Our lead peptides already show efficacy at the level of morphine, but without the side effects of opioids.”

Hammock said “no one scientist could have any hope of tackling a project that is this hard,” praising Yarov-Yarovoy for assembling an interdisciplinary team that can feed off one another and tackle complex puzzles.


Tarantulas’ venom could help relieve pain, researchers believe.

Any potential therapeutic candidates will need to be tested in animals to ensure it’s safe and effective for testing in humans, the researchers said, so it will be at least five years before any medication is ready.

Pain medications have a broad potential market. The Davis researchers note that roughly 50 million people adults in the United States are affected by chronic pain. Some 11 million people experience high-impact chronic pain that lasts three months or longer and restricts significant activities such as the ability to work outside the home or to do chores around the house.

Source

[BigGlen]

‘Cleaning Fairy’ Accidentally Breaks into Home and Cleans It Up
BY ILE KAUPPILA



If anyone’s ever going to break into your home, hope it’s this guy.

One of the worst surprises you can get is to come home and realize someone has broken in. At worst, you might’ve lost thousands of dollars’ worth of stuff – or run into an armed burglar.

Even if you lost nothing, you’ll probably never trust a lock again. Unless the person who broke in is Louis Angelino III. Angelino – from Barrington, NJ – work as a clerk at a liquor store. However, to make ends meet, he also runs private cleaning gigs on the side.

One day in June, Angelino was on his way to clean a new client’s apartment. However, he ended up at a wrong address and unknowingly broke into somebody else’s home.

Of course, the residents of the home were shocked that someone broke in. But they were also incredibly confused when they realized the place was now impeccably spotless.

Let’s find out how this bizarre chain of events unfolded.

A Series of Unfortunate Events
As mentioned, Angelino cleans his friends’ houses for a bit of extra cash. In June, he managed to get a new client through word-of-mouth – a friend’s coworker hired him to clean his place.

The client gave Angelino an address in Cherry Hill and said he’d left a key under the doormat. However, by mistake, Angelino wrote down the wrong house number.

He arrived at the house he thought he was supposed to work on with his cleaning gear. He checked under the doormat, and what do you know – there was a key.

Really, you can’t really blame the guy. Everything matched with the client’s description, so naturally he assumed he was at the right place.

Angelino entered the townhome and dutifully got to work. He spent the next two and half hours cleaning the place, scrubbing the stove and mopping the floors.

After he was done, Angelino thought he’d spend a moment playing with the two cats that were running around. That’s when he got a phone call from the original client.

The man on the phone asked if Angelino ever got around to cleaning his place, since it looked like no one had touched it.

“I said: ‘I’m literally in your living room right now playing with your cats and waiting for you to walk in,’” Angelino recalled.

“He was like: ‘Louis, I don’t have any cats.’”

“In that moment, I froze. My heart dropped. I was just like: ‘Where am I right now? What is going on?’”

Angelino friend came over and wrote a quick apology note to the home’s real residents, before the two took off.

Coming Clean
Those real residents are Beth Motzel and her husband. Motzel said that she received a panicked phone call from her husband on the day when he got home.

It’s easy to see why Motzel’s husband might’ve been confused. The couple has been renovating their home, so they expected it to be a mess – but everything inside was suddenly squeaky clean.

“[He] called me in a panic and he said that someone was here and they cleaned the whole place,” Motzel recalled.

Her husband also told her that the person had left them a strange note. It said that the mysterious cleaner had accidentally entered the wrong house, and included a name and phone number.

Motzel contacted Angelino’s friend, who put her in touch with Angelino. The two exchanged text messages to clarify the situation.

“Hi, my name is Louis. … I am the guy that accidentally cleaned your apartment. I just wanted to say I’m so sorry!” Angelino texted Motzel.

She was understanding, though, and said she felt bad for him since she knew the place had been a total mess. Motzel even said she’d keep Angelino’s number on file in case they ever needed a cleaner in the future.

Do I Smell a Business Opportunity?
The accidental break-in might just have turned into a business opportunity for Angelino. He shared his story on his TikTok account and it blew up.

He’s now considering starting up an actual full-time cleaning business. Angelino’s hoping that the viral video could help bring in new clients for him.

The secret cleaner man has also received a catchy nickname that would make for a perfect business name, too. The commenters on his video have dubbed him the Cleaning Fairy.

“That’s 100% the best name for me. I mean, the Tooth Fairy leaves you money under your pillow after she takes your teeth away,” said Angelino.

“Well, I break into your apartment and I clean [it],” he laughed.

Some of the comments wondered why Motzel didn’t pay Angelino for his cleaning service. But the man himself said he’d feel wrong accepting money for the job.

“At the end of the day, I am okay with not getting paid for accidentally breaking into someone’s apartment and cleaning it, because things could have been far worse.

“The cops could have been called, there could have been a lawsuit,” he said.

Luckily, everybody involved were able to just laugh the whole thing off. And really, you couldn’t really get much better publicity for a fledgling cleaning company.

[Fatima99]

Hundreds offer to donate cars to mechanic who fixes them for those in need

A few weeks ago, CBS News profiled a South Carolina mechanic who fixes old cars and donates them to rural families without a ride. The response to the story was astounding: People have offered to donate nearly 800 cars to the cause.



"My phone started exploding from all over the place," mechanic Eliot Middleton told CBS News.

"Whatever glowing feeling is inside me, it just transferred from that TV screen and went inside them," he said, describing the response as "soul-soothing."

As CBS News previously reported, Middleton's yard is a cemetery of used cars. He gives the clunkers new life, to help those in South Carolina's low country.

"There's no public transportation," Middleton told CBS News in June. "There's no Ubers, there's no taxis or nothing like that."



Some of the recipients of the fixed cars are single moms, jobs seekers and older folks with doctor's appointments. Last Christmas, he gave a 2004 Suzuki to single mom Jessica Litchfield — who described his work as "a lifesaver."

"Some folks don't believe it," Middleton said. "It's like, 'No, that's not my car.'"

When asked if it gives him a buzz to help those in need, Middleton said, "It's beyond anything in this world."

Middleton's sister is helping organize the overwhelming response to his good deeds — which also includes more than $100,000 in cash donations.

When asked if he ever could have imagined such a response, Middleton said "never in this lifetime."

[prokroustis]

Chania: A Guide To the Stunningly Beautiful City of Crete



Chania is a breathtaking city on the north west coast of the island Crete. The city is historically significant while remaining a hotspot for young and modern Greeks, making it the perfect vacation spot — Chania is a city with something to offer any traveler!

History of Chania, Crete

In the town of Chania, Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman buildings coexist in the landscape of the city. As far as Muslim architecture is concerned, one of the most emblematic corners of the city is the famous Mosque of the Janissaries.

The mix of architectural styles make for a stimulating but still largely harmonious skyline. However, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Chania’s history; the town has likely been inhabited since the end of the Stone Age, or the “Neolithic period”.

Excavations near and within the city have revealed some of its history to modern day Greeks, and archaeologists have been able to find evidence of the city’s Minoan history as well as its more distant past. The modern day city lies on the site of the Minoan settlement named Kydonia, which acted as a namesake for the fruit quince.

The first era of Byzantine rule lasted from 395–824 AD, and then the city was briefly ruled by the Arabs for around a century. They renamed the city “Al Hanim” (the Inn) before it was retaken by the Byzantine Empire, who reverted back to calling the city by its Greek name, Chania.

After the Fourth Crusade (1204) and the fall of Byzantium in the Hellenic area, the city was once again conquered by foreign powers. This time, Venice begun to rule over Chania, renaming it “La Canea” and strengthening its fortifications, giving Chania the form that it still has today.

Finally, the Ottoman Empire defeated the Venetians during the beginning of the Cretan War, taking over Chania. New mosques and public baths were built in the city, adding to the beautiful landscape that is still around today.

During the 19th and early 20th century inter-ethnic violence on Crete eventually led to the mass migration of the island’s local Muslim population to other Mediterranean islands or coastal cities. Mass conversions also occurred. The population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922 resulted in the deportation of the island’s last Muslim residents.

Best Beaches in Chania

The prefecture of Chania hosts some of the most beautiful beaches on the island of Crete.

Falassarna on the west side is well known for its privileged location, being perfect for water sports and unique sunsets. The beach is a bit outside of the city, and can be accessed by car or bus ride. However, the trek is worth it in order to experience one of the most beautiful and well-known beaches not only on Crete, but in the entirety of the country.


The magical pink beach of Elafonisi.

To the south, world-famous Elafonisi beach can be found. The beach is around an hour and a half drive from the main city, but you would be hard-pressed to find any tourist that does not make the effort to visit it. The beach features crystal waters and magical pink sand, making it look like it was conjured up in a fairytale — certainly not one to miss!

For the more adventurous type, the peninsula of Gramvousa and the unique landscape of Balos beach are well worth the trip over the dirt path.

Perfect for tourists

Chania is the perfect place to spend a family, romantic, or even solo trip. The town is diverse and has something for everyone, as well as being very convenient for travelers, with multiple direct international flights touching down daily.

Travelers to Chania can expect to have enough cultural and local activities available, with the option to fill multiple days worth of time with these pursuits. However, the town also has much to offer the more laid-back tourist, with beautiful beaches and world-class restaurants abounding in the town.

A visit to the Municipal Market, or Dimotiki Agora, is the best excuse to take back some of the traditions of the island.

Considered to be an architectural gem and one the most important public markets in the region, the Municipal Market gives visitors the opportunity to shop for local produce of excellent quality.

Olives, honey, spices, herbs and cheese are some of the Cretan tastes that tourists typically choose to return with.

Otherwise, visitors can visit the historic and beautiful Mosque of the Janissaries. Located in the old Venetian Harbor, the mosque was built on the grounds of a former church with one nave. It no longer functions as a religious building and it remains the oldest structure from the Ottoman period.

Also known as the “Kucjk Hassan Mosque,” the building dates back to 1645 when the Turks captured Chania and it’s the oldest Ottoman building on the island.

It stopped functioning as a mosque in 1923, and since then the venue has been used as a café, a restaurant, and a tourist office during the years. In the recent past, the mosque was renovated, becoming a space dedicated to exhibitions.

Hiking the one-of-a-kind Samaria Gorge is another fun activity to do in Chania. The 15 kilometer (10 mile) long walk takes you through a stunning UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and some of the most unique scenery to be found in the entirety of Greece.

An Amazon Delivery Driver Killed A Spider For A Grateful Customer. There's A Video



An Amazon delivery driver has become TikTok famous after a video of him killing a spider for a customer gained over 10 million views on the app. Now the Texas woman who posted the video is trying to find him to tell him: "Thank you."

@gwenniesanchez, known as Gwen on the app, posted the video on Wednesday. In it, the self-described "spider-hater" shows a message she had written to her Amazon delivery driver using the company's special instructions tool, which included a particularly creepy-crawly request.

"There is a huge spider on my front porch who is refusing to leave and I'm too scared to go out my front door," she wrote. "If you could kill the spider for me that would be amazing. Thank you!"

The video also shows footage of the spider crawling over the porch's doorbell camera. The arachnid, which several commenters on the video identified as a wolf spider, horrified many viewers with its large size.

"That was not a spider. That was a demon from the underworld and I would have burned the whole house down," one commenter wrote.

The video, played to the song and popular Tik Tok audio "Bezos I" by comedian Bo Burnham, shows the Amazon delivery driver approaching Gwen's door with her package. He then turns to look around at the walls and removes one of his shoes, which he appears to use to hit and kill the spider.

After ordering another item, Gwen posted another video in which she left a thank you note for the delivery driver. "Hello Amazon! Thank you for killing the spider yesterday!" it read. "You are actually Tik Tok famous now."

The note also asked whether the driver was single and whether he had a Venmo account, two popular questions in the comment section of the video.

"Not all heroes wear capes," one commenter wrote. Another replied, "Some wear Amazon shirts."

The STONED age! Cannabis was domesticated in China around 12,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, study reveals

University of Lausanne-led experts analysed the 100 whole cannabis genomes
They found that cannabis today can be genetically divided up into four groups
These are basal cannabis, drug-type, drug-type feral and hemp-type accessors
The drug and hemp types diverged from basal cannabis in the Neolithic period

By Ian Randall For Mailonline

Published: 07:21 EDT, 19 July 2021 | Updated: 08:11 EDT, 19 July 2021

Cannabis is among one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, having been domesticated in China some 12,000 years ago, a study has concluded.

Researchers led from the University of Lausanne analysed the whole genome sequences of 110 Cannabis sativa to discover where the plants have their roots.

Their investigation revealed that cannabis — as we would be familiar with it — emerged in China by the Neolithic period.

Despite having long been an important source of fibre as well as both medicinal and recreational drugs, much has been unknown about Cannabis' domestication history.

This is because legal restrictions around the plant make collecting samples for analysis difficult, the team explained.
Cannabis is among one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, having been domesticated in China some 12,000 years ago, a study has concluded. Pictured: Cannabis landraces seen growing in Qinghai province, central China
+3

Researchers led from the University of Lausanne analysed the whole genome sequences of 110 Cannabis sativa from across the globe (pictured) to discover where the plants have their roots

The drug is widely used for recreational purposes and can make users feel relaxed and happy, but smoking it can also lead to feelings of panic, anxiety or paranoia.

Scientific studies have shown the drug can alleviate depression, anxiety and stress, but heavy use may worsen depression in the long term by reducing the brain's ability to let go of bad memories.

It can also contribute to mental health problems among people who already have them, or increase users' risk of psychosis or schizophrenia, according to research.

The study was undertaken by molecular ecologist Guangpeng Ren of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and colleagues.

'Cannabis sativa has long been an important source of fibre extracted from hemp and both medicinal and recreational drugs based on cannabinoid compounds,' the researchers wrote in their paper.

'Here, we investigated its poorly known domestication history.

'We show that C. sativa was first domesticated in early Neolithic times in East Asia and that all current hemp and drug cultivars diverged from an ancestral gene pool currently represented by feral plants and landraces in China.'

(A landrace is a locally adapted, traditional variety of a plant that develops distinctive characteristics over the course of time following isolation from other populations of the same species and the impacts of agriculture.)

In their study, Dr Ren and colleagues compiled 110 whole cannabis genomes from across the globe — including both 28 existing, publicly-available genomes and 82 new ones which the team sequenced.

Together, the team explained, these genomes cover the full spectrum of wild-growing feral plants, landraces, historical cultivars and modern hybrids from both the hemp and drug types.

Analysing the genomes they had collected, the team were able to characterise the genetic relationships between 104 different genetically unique cannabis plants.

They found that these so-called accessions were clustered into four genetic groups — basal cannabis (plants from China and the US), drug-type feral (from southern China, India and Pakistan) and Hemp-type and drug-type (both distributed globally).

Furthermore, the researchers concluded that the early domesticated ancestors of both the drug and hemp types diverged from basal cannabis some 12,000 years ago.

The analysis also indicated that the closest descendants of the ancestors of hemp and marijuana are the feral cannabis plants and landraces seen in China today — while the pure wild progenitors of C. sativa have may now be extinct.

'Contrary to a widely accepted view, which associates Cannabis with a Central Asian centre of crop domestication […] our results are consistent with a single domestication origin of C. sativa in East Asia,' the researchers wrote.

This, they added, is 'in line with early archaeological evidence.'

Analysing the genomes they had collected, the team were able to characterise the genetic relationships between 104 different genetically unique cannabis plants. They found that these so-called accessions were clustered into four genetic groups — basal cannabis (plants from China and the US), drug-type feral (from southern China, India and Pakistan) and Hemp-type and drug-type (both distributed globally)

The team identified several genes that may well have been selected for during the cultivation of cannabis. These included those relating to branch formation, the timing of flowering, cannabinoid biosynthesis and potency and lignin formation.

These genes, for example, are what distinguish current varieties used for hemp from those used to manufacture drugs — which, according to the genetic analysis, split some 4,000 years ago.

Hemp varieties have been cultivated to grow tall and non-branched, with lots of fibre, while shorter, branched drug strains have been selected to generate more resin with psychoactive effects.

The researchers concluded that the early domesticated ancestors of both the drug and hemp types diverged from basal cannabis some 12,000 years ago. Pictured: A feral cannabis plant growing in the middle of a grassland in Qinghai province, central China

'Our study […] provides new insights into the domestication and global spread of a plant with divergent structural and biochemical products at a time in which there is a resurgence of interest in its use,' the researchers wrote.

This interest, they added, is 'reflecting changing social attitudes and corresponding challenges to its legal status in many countries.'

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Science Advances.
Despite having long been an important source of fibre as well as both medicinal and recreational drugs, much has been unknown about Cannabis' domestication history. Pictured: Cannabis plants seen today growing in a corn field in northeast China

Despite having long been an important source of fibre as well as both medicinal and recreational drugs, much has been unknown about Cannabis' domestication history. Pictured: Cannabis plants seen today growing in a corn field in northeast China
DID EARLY CHRISTIANS PUT CANNABIS EXTRACTS IN THEIR ANOINTING OILS?

Some cannabis advocates claim early Christians, including Jesus himself, put cannabis in annointing oils used to heal the sick and elderly.

The Hebrew version of the holy oil recipe in Exodus includes kaneh-bosem, a mysterious herb that some suggest was a cannabis extract.

This extract, which was absorbed into the skin, could have helped cure people with physical and mental illnesses long before the first mass-produced medicines.

Historians and other experts strongly dispute the claims Jesus and his apostles used marijuana.

Lytton John Musselman, a Professor of Botany at Old Dominion University, said evidence claiming marijuana was part of the holy anointing oil is 'so weak I would not pursue it.'

He told Vice that keneh-bosum more likely refers to calamus than any psychoactive substances.

'Calamus is a very important component of Ayurvedic medicine and has been shown to have efficacy,' he said.

'For example, in Sri Lanka it is available in any herbal remedy shop and also universally grown in home gardens.

'The North American species was and is so important to Native Americans in the Northeast that land with natural populations is highly sought after.'

[PennySerenade]

Miranda Ayim, Nathan Hirayama named Canada's flag-bearers for Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony



TOKYO -- Women's basketball player Miranda Ayim and men's rugby sevens player Nathan Hirayama have been named Canada's flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

They are the first members of a team sport to be chosen to lead Canada's athletes into a Summer Olympic Games.

“I feel so honoured to represent Team Canada and lead Team Canada in the opening ceremony alongside Nate,” Ayim said Monday in a video conference. “This past year and a half has demanded a high level of teamwork, and Canadians from coast to coast to coast stepped up and demonstrated togetherness, resilience and solidarity.”

The opening ceremony will take place Friday.

Tokyo will be the third and final Games for Ayim, who made her Olympic debut at London 2012 and announced she would be retiring after Tokyo.

Ayim and the fourth-ranked women's basketball team start their quest for Canada's first ever medal in the sport next Monday.

Hirayama is co-captain of Canada's men's rugby sevens team and helped the squad capture two gold medals and a silver at the last three Pan American Games.

Canada's men's sevens team is making its Olympic debut in Tokyo and starts play Sunday.

“It's a massive honour to be asked to do this, especially alongside someone as decorated and (who) has had the kind of career Miranda has had,” Hirayama said. “Very excited to get over there with my squad and get into these Games.”

The reveal of Canada's flag-bearers was made Monday morning by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Miranda and Nathan are leaders on their respective teams,” Trudeau said. “They embody the resilience, perseverance and excellence of Team Canada.”

Trampoline champion Rosie MacLennan carried the Canadian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Women's hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser was the last member of a team sport to carry the Maple Leaf in any Olympic ceremony, opening the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Women's soccer captain Christine Sinclair, who held the flag at the 2012 London Olympics, was the last at a Summer Games.

[goldie0608]

Bride Dislocates Knee During First Dance, Then Returns to Reception After Hospital Visit

Paul Richter and Julie Benn were ready to dance the night away after their wedding — until Julie dislocated her knee during their first dance as newlyweds



Anyone who has ever planned a wedding knows the amount of time and energy that goes into planning the big day, from selecting a venue, food for guests, and the perfect first dance song.

But no matter how hard you try, there are some things you can't plan for, as Paul Richter and Julie Benn found out during their ceremony over Independence Day weekend.

The couple, who have been together three years, have eagerly anticipated their wedding day following its postponement last July amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After so much waiting, Paul and Julie saw an opportunity and decided on a July 3 ceremony near their home in Philadelphia at a residence owned by a friend.

On the day of the wedding, the two exchanged vows in front of loved ones, and before the reception, things appeared to be going off without a hitch.

"I felt so much love and happiness there. And you're just seeing all these people you love and you're like, 'This is amazing,'" Paul, a second lieutenant in the Army, tells PEOPLE. "There was a couple of moments where I just wanted to stand back and just watch, it was so cool."

That is, until "the first dance happened and the day changed," he adds.

Shortly after the two began their first dance as husband and wife to the Dave Matthews Band hit, "Stay," Paul gently dipped his newlywed wife — that's when the trouble began.

"I can't watch the video of it," 32-year-old Paul says of the moment Julie's left knee dislocated on the dance floor.

"[Her knee] went out and Julie looked at me right away and she goes, 'I dislocated my knee.' Just like that, she knew," he recalls. "So then my mindset goes from like, 'Oh yeah, we're having a great dance right now,' to, 'All right, get her a chair.'"

Julie, 34, doesn't know what caused her knee to give way (she says she was even wearing flats instead of heels to play it safe while dancing). What she does know, however, was that she was in excruciating pain.

"He's holding my entire body weight and my dress, which is massive," she remembers. "And I'm like, 'I need to get a chair.' I'm simultaneously screaming. One of our dear friends is an orthopedic physical therapist, she works on knees. I saw her face, and I'm screaming."



Another friend, a nurse practitioner, told Julie her knee had moved completely to the right side of her leg.

"[They're] holding my knee in place, supporting it, and it was blinding, searing pain," Julie says. "I have a lot of respect for athletes who play through their injuries. I never dislocated a knee. I broke a bone when I was a kid, but nothing else. So it was shocking, disbelief."

Emergency services arrived and took Julie to a local hospital where she remained for hours as doctors treated her injured knee. Hospital staff frequently came by to check out the bride — still in her wedding attire — waiting in the emergency room.

After being given a max dosage of pain medications, doctors placed Julie under light sedation and reset her knee around 8:30 p.m. The couple then returned to the reception to rejoin the others who stayed following their abrupt departure (their band agreed to play the entire event).

"All of our friends and family were standing there, cheering and shouting for us," Julie recalls.

"I felt like a professional athlete for a second. I got out of the car and there are people taking pictures," Paul adds. "I'm like, 'This is how they feel. I get it now.'"

Today, Julie's knee remains swollen, and she does physical therapy on it three times a day. While the couple hasn't yet had the chance to make up their first dance, they're focused on enjoying their next few months together before Paul heads to Oklahoma with the Army until next year.

The dance mishap isn't the ideal way to begin their marriage, they admit, but the most important thing is they finally made the day happen — hospital trip or not.

"We have felt so loved by everyone," Julie says of the support she received after the accident.

"I can't imagine what it would have been like to have a normal wedding at this point," Paul adds. "But the love and support and everything we felt has been amazing."

Concerned Canadian goose checks on mate undergoing surgery



July 16 (UPI) -- Through sickness and health, Canadian geese stick together.

A concerned Canadian goose went to check on her mate who was undergoing surgery at the New England Wildlife Center's Cape Cod Branch on Wednesday.

The staff noticed that Arnold, who lives in a pond near the center, was limping. When the staff discovered he had two fractures on his foot, they took him in for surgery.

Just as Arnold was about to go to surgery, they heard a tapping on the clinic door.

Arnold's partner tracked him down and was attempting to get into the clinic to be by Arnold's side.

"She had somehow located him and was agitated that she could not get inside," the center wrote on their Facebook page. "She remained there throughout the entire procedure, watching us work, never moving from the doorway."

The center said this was its first animal visitor and that it had to make an exception to accommodate her visitation request.

A snapping turtle or other predators may have attacked Arnold while he was swimming, the center said, and the best chance at survival was surgery.

After the surgery, the center let him recover by the doorway from which he could see his mate.

"His mate immediately calmed down and began to groom him through the door," the center wrote. "They both seemed much more at ease in each other's presence."

The pair may be separated for several weeks as Arnold recovers.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/07/16 ... 626456163/

[mrvictor]

Student Invents Toilet That Converts Poop into Energy – With Cryptocurrency Payment for Contributors



One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, they say. Well, in a South Korean school, one man’s poo is another man’s pennies.

The invention of a toilet that composts human excrement and turns it into methane biogas for use in the school’s energy system has the students there re-evaluating waste like never before, as the amount of waste they contribute to the electric bills is returned to them in the form of a digital currency.

The dirty mind behind the brilliant invention was Cho Jae-weon, an urban and environmental engineering professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), who insists that humanity can solve all kinds of problems if we think “outside the box.”

Known as the BeeVi toilet, a condensed form of “bee” and “vision,” the compost/currency commode uses a powerful vacuum to pull feces down into a composting tank, thereby eliminating all water usage.

Next, bacteria breakdown the feces and the methane is channeled into a solid-oxide fuel cell which powers several building functions such as the hot water heater.

On average, a human’s daily excrement can generate around 0.5 kilowatt hours of electricity.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/south-k ... oom-users/

[lush]

The Government Unknowingly Commissioned Furry Art To Promote The Tokyo Olympics
16 July 2021*



Woolworths and the federal government have teamed up to release a new sticker collection for kids just in time for the Tokyo Olympics — but they don’t appear to realise that the new mascots are, without a doubt, furries.

Available from Woolies, the anthropomorphic stickers put a new twist on the original Sydney 2000 Olympics mascots, Syd, Ollie, Millie and Lizzie. In the 2021 design, the iconic Lizzie the Lizard and the classic yellow boxing kangaroo are joined by a new red kangaroo.

And while the art is undoubtedly impressive, there’s no denying that Woolworths have created new Olympic and Paralympic mascots that are most definitely furries — and Woolies and the government don’t quite seem to realise that.

If you’ve somehow been able to avoid this part of the internet as it seems the government has, furries are people who have a keen interest in anthropomorphic animals that have human personalities and characteristics.

Furries also often have a fursona, which is their personalised animal identity used when interacting with other members of the furry fandom. A fursona can be represented both online through animal avatars and offline with fursuit costumes and animal-like behaviours.



The collectible “fursona” sticker series was actually commissioned by the government and created by Landeg — a 2D artist usually focused on comics — who is based in South Australia.

While Landeg isn’t exactly a “furry artist”, they told Junkee the collection was designed together with the Royal Australian Mint (RAM), which was looking for artists who could draw in “anime style” for their Tokyo Olympics coins.

After hearing that the RAM was interested in replicating art similar to what Tokyo has used to promote the Olympics —iconic anime characters like Sailor Moon, Astro Boy, Naruto and Goku — Landeg submitted their portfolio and, to their surprise, was selected for the project despite not having any furry drawing experience.



Once Landeg took on the project, they quickly realised what the RAM were looking to create — even if the RAM didn’t quite understand what they were doing by choosing these anthropomorphic character designs.

“I had no anthropomorphic art in my portfolio, so it was a bit of a surprise when it came out what they were asking for,” Landeg told Junkee. “I had been assuming they were looking for someone to draw humans since that’s all I drew!”

“On some level RAM were aware that anthro characters were ‘a thing’ since there were some anthro pieces in the references they sent me, but I don’t think they had any idea that there was this sort of community/subculture surrounding it,” they continued.

“To be clear, they knew exactly what they wanted — we worked together to make sure they got what they envisioned, I tailored what I made to their examples/feedback — they just didn’t know there was a word for it, basically, or that it was SO popular.”

“I knew immediately what kind of market there was for a campaign like this, though, because I’ve been on the Internet for longer than fifteen minutes.”



Despite the Royal Australian Mint not being fully aware of how deep furry culture is, Landeg was still nervous about disappointing the furries who would, and did, find their art.

Luckily, furries were impressed by the sketches and have gone out of their way to ensure Landeg gets the recognition they deserve as the images circulate around the furry community.

“I was actually quite nervous about getting them right because I knew furries would be able to tell if I made them look terrible,” Landeg continued. “The response from the community has been great, though. They really care about giving artists proper recognition and compensation.”

But while furries are happy with the new Olympic characters, jokes about the anthropomorphic creations are expectedly pouring in, too.

“The only part that’s been annoying so far is all the Gen X-ers leaving ‘omg ew is that a furry!?’ comments,” Landeg told Junkee. “But I can’t really blame them because the NBN is only just now loading jokes from 2012.”



Even though jokes about the project were expected, Landeg just hopes that the whole furry thing doesn’t deter parents from allowing their kids to enjoy the art for what it is.

“My main concern is that parents and others might see the jokes/response and think that there’s something deviant about this campaign when there absolutely isn’t,” Landeg shared.

“The mascots are just fun, cartoon characters, and if your kids like them, that’s great!” they concluded. “It just so happens that there’s a big group of other people who also like these kinds of characters a whole lot, a bit like My Little Pony.”

“I just hope the kids think the stickers are fun and inspiring and that the furries think I did okay.”

So there you have it folks. Maybe the government-commissioned fursonas are a good thing after all.

You can follow Landeg on Twitter here and you can get your government-commissioned fursona stickers at your local Woolworths.

Candle thief sprays dozens of people with bear mace in Miami International Mall, cops say




A Bath and Body Works candle heist involving bear mace injured dozens of Miami International Mall goers Saturday afternoon. Fire Rescue is working quickly to help those affected by the strong-odored repellent.

“This is an only in Miami story,” Doral Police Spokesperson Rey Valdes said. “You can’t make this up.”

Around 4 p.m., an unknown man walked into the mall’s Bath and Body Works armed with a can of bear mace, he said.

With a stolen bag of candles in one hand and the bear repellent in the other, he aimed at customers doing some weekend shopping and sprayed away, Valdes says video showed.

He got around 35 people, which included about 15 staff members and other customers inside along with mall shoppers outside the store who caught a whiff of the repellent, Valdes said.

The store manager had to be taken to an emergency room since she took a direct hit from the spray. Valdes said her injury is is not life threatening but serious. She was having trouble breathing.

The symptoms a person could get after being maced are irritated eyes and nasal passageway, along with trouble breathing, he said.

After dosing the store, he made his getaway with his bag of stolen candles. He jumped into a yellow cab and fled the scene.

His identity is not known, but police say he is a heavy-set man with short, cropped black hair wearing a black shirt and blue jean shorts.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said some people had to be transported to local hospitals but could not say how many.

A portion of the mall, in the immediate area of the Bath and Body Works, was evacuated after the macing since the repellent can get in the AC system and affect more people, Valdes said. It is unclear if parts of the mall are still closed.

Once the man is arrested, Valdes said he could be facing up to 35 felonies. These would include several counts of armed robbery for each staff member he hit with mace and other counts of aggravated battery for the customers he injured with a “chemical agent.”

[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
TUESDAY JULY 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 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.
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OR at:
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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
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And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

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All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
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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

[prokroustis]

Pregnant Man Makes List of Proposed New Emoji


The new draft emojis.

On July 17, the World Emoji Day, the Unicode Consortium announced a series of new proposed additions to their list, including the figures of a pregnant man emoji.

Additionally to a pregnant man, a multiracial handshake was also added along with tens of other faces, symbols and gestures.

The new changes aim to include more gender-neutral options, as well as more skin tones to the already-extensive list of emojis.

The new proposed additions to the list are on top of already-made changes. One of the most recent was the one that allowed billions of users to choose between a male and female bearded face.

This ”will mean that nearly all emojis can have default a gender-neutral option, with the choice to use a woman or man where relevant,” Jeremy Burge, the chief emoji officer of the reference site Emojipedia was quoted as saying by the British newspaper The Guardian.

Why pregnant man as an emoji?

First of all, we need to understand what emojis are.

These symbols are mainly pictograms, as well as logograms, ideograms and even smileys that have been used for years in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of an emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from the typed conversation, which can sometimes be misinterpreted.

Emojis exist in various types and genres, including facial expressions, everyday objects, existing places, types of weather, and animals. They are much like emoticons, but emojis are pictures rather than typographic approximations.

The term “emoji” comes from the Japanese word emodzi, which means picture character. The popularity of emoji has caused pressure from vendors and international markets to add additional designs into the Unicode standard to meet the demands of different cultures.

However, scientific research has shown that emojis are often misunderstood.

In some cases, this misunderstanding is related to how the actual emoji design is interpreted by the viewer, whilst in other instances, the emoji that was sent is not shown in the same way on the receiving side. Additionally, some emojis have been involved in controversy due to their perceived meanings.

Multiple arrests and imprisonments have followed the usage of pistol, knife, and bomb emojis that authorities in many countries deemed credible threats to the security of the community or an individual.

Now, according to the Unicode Consortium, the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee regularly reviews proposals for new emojis, as they aim to include more people, cultures, ideas, religions and beliefs.

”The selection criteria are fully defined here, but in essence, they boil down to this: a) will the image work at the small size at which emoji are commonly used, b) does the emoji add to what can be said using emoji or can the idea be expressed using existing emoji, c) is there substantial evidence that a large number of people will likely use this new emoji,” the Consortium states in its website.