[goldie0608]

Grandmother and Her Granddaughter Delight Community With Enchanting Fairy House Tours



This grandmother-granddaughter team have been making fairy houses for years, but when COVID-19 hit they got busy creating little magical vignettes they could place outside for the community to enjoy.

The fairy tour begins on a New York state street, at a tiny mailbox next to a tree that holds a listing of each little house and its name—14 all together.

An arrow points the way to a lovely flower-filled garden where the houses are nestled in between greenery and colorful blooms.

The first stop on the Finger Lakes tour is ‘Bernie’s Buttons’: a round mosaic house with a bright pink door and jewels that sparkle in the sun. It’s made out of a tin can, plaster of Paris, old buttons, glitter, and beads.

“We love to use things that can be recycled, and other found objects, like old buttons” says the grandmother Carol. “We especially enjoy making the pathways. We just use plaster from the hardware store and inset all types of things from pebbles to glitter and plastic jewels.”

Next stop is ‘Finley’s Shanty’, where an old stone pathway welcomes visiting fairies to enter via the round wooden door. A huge crystal ball glows with mysterious powers. A tiny handmade sign says ‘Welcome’ and a decorative wire bench invites tired fairies to sit for a spell.

Where do the fairies go for lunch? ‘Beans Pod’.

“The fairies can sit by the waterfall and sneak into my grandma’s garden to steal fresh raspberries”, according to the granddaughter. “They can also play tic tac bug.”

After lunch the fairies can head over to ‘Flo’s Creek’ to sit under the gazebo and read or collect pink petunias.

‘Aqua’s Flip Flop Inn’, looks very inviting for a swim, boat ride, or just for relaxing in the sun and sand.

The Inn has a turquoise roof imbedded with shells, a rainbow door, and a one-inch tall sandcastle. A sparking boulder painted with a mandala pattern sits to the left of the door and a crystal covered rock to the right.

Each teeny-tiny house has a special feel about it: They’re certainly places any fairy would love to live. Hidden under bushes and burrowed at the bases of huge trees, surrounded by the smell of showy flowers and the gurgling of a waterfall, the settings couldn’t be more enchanting.

At the end of the tour sits a three-inch tall treasure chest filled with colorful jewels. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your fairy garden tour”, say the words on the sign, “because I really enjoyed it so much. Please take a jewel to remember your visit.”

This fairy land has been put away for the upcoming winter for now, but you can still take the full guided tour through this video.

It’s a wonderful reminder of the magic all around us—and how we just need to slow down long enough to see it.

[Fatima99]

Australia Declares its Largest Feral Predator-Free Safe Haven – in Massive Mallee Cliffs National Park

Just in time for September and Biodiversity Month, conservationists in Australia announced they have eradicated all feral cats and foxes from a vast 9,570-hectare area, creating the largest feral predator-free safe haven on the country’s mainland.



This, in turn, paves the way for the largest re-wilding project ever to be undertaken in the state of New South Wales.

Ten native mammal species that became extinct in the state are set to be restored to the massive Mallee Cliffs National Park, a major milestone for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Feral cats and foxes are the primary reason why Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate in the world.

Establishing the feral-free area over a 40-square-mile area at Mallee Cliffs has been a major undertaking, involving construction of a fence 37 kilometers-long, consisting of 8,400 posts, more than half a million clips, and 378 km of wire.

Although this is one of the State’s longest feral predator-proof fences, AWC completed construction in just 12 weeks. This was followed by a prolonged period of intensive feral predator eradication—with one sly interloper outfoxing AWC’s animal control officers for six months.

“We began the eradication program in August last year, but didn’t trap that last fox until February,” said Bruce Summerfield, AWC’s Operations Manager at the park.

Although the last fox was finally trapped, to ensure the area was indeed feral predator-free, months of intensive monitoring was undertaken, using motion camera and searching for footprints.

“Even though this project is still in its infancy, it’s already delivering a positive ecological ‘return’ for the people of New South Wales” Tim Allard, AWC’s Chief Executive said.

more about this article here
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/mallee- ... and-foxes/

[Fivetide]

Holocaust Survivors Renew Wedding Vows for 70th Anniversary


Boris and Rita Sachs

Married Holocaust survivors renewed their marital vows on Monday night in a touching ceremony attended by family and friends.

The association behind the function, the Claims Conference, is the world’s biggest body for remuneration and reclamation of Holocaust survivors’ advantages. This was one of a considerable rundown of occasions the Conference has composed for survivors and their families in Israel and around the globe.

Among the couples who took part in the contacting function were Boris and Rita Sachs, who met in Kiev. The two were hitched after the war finished within the sight of just a couple of enduring relatives – the majority of their families were slaughtered in camps. After the couple made aliyah, they had two children, and today have grandkids and extraordinary grandkids.

Another couple taking an interest in the occasion, Ira and Alex Friendland, initially met at a party club in the town of Komosomulk in the wake of enduring the war. The two have two youngsters, grandkids and incredible grandkids.

The couples were praised and got well wishes by the Claims Conference VP Shlomo Gur and the network’s rabbi, Yigal Zippori.

Zippori, who has known the couples for quite a long time, expressed gratitude toward the Claims Conference and considered them a wellspring of motivation for delight of life and good faith.

[hija]

Forging a bond of love



One spring day, Gillian Assor was walking home with her dog past a railway bridge outside London when she heard strange noises. A man was on the bridge, crying hysterically.

“I could see he was in a really bad state,” says Gillian. She persuaded him to sit with her and talk about his troubles. The suicidal young man was called Tommy and just 23 years old. She convinced him to call his parents, waited until they arrived and then quietly slipped away.

Months later, Gillian discovered Tommy was appealing online for help in finding the mystery woman who had helped save his life. She got in touch and when they met he flung his arms around her, telling her, “You saved my life.” The two are now firm friends. “It is the most overwhelming feeling,” says Gillian. “The bond is there and it’s unbelievable.”

[PennySerenade]

Songwriter honours Terry Fox as greatest Canadian hero


When Terry Fox was forced to stop on Sept. 1, 1980, 143 days after his quest to run across Canada had been launched, he had covered 5,373 kilometres but was not yet halfway to his destination. He died in June 1981, and within months Canadians picked up where he left off, organizing the first Terry Fox Run

Sunday is Terry Fox Day in Ontario and the 40th anniversary of the courageous Canadian’s Marathon Of Hope.

In 1980, Fox set out to run from sea to sea to raise awareness about cancer and the importance of finding a cure. At 18, he had lost a leg to bone cancer and was determined to do what he could for other cancer patients.

The Marathon of Hope began in the spring and continued for 143 days, taking Fox through the Atlantic provinces, across Quebec and into Ontario; despite the pain involved in running on a prosthetic leg, Fox actually did run a marathon — about 26 miles — every day.

It all stopped near Thunder Bay after Fox had a reoccurrence of cancer.

He died a year later, a month before his 23rd birthday.

Terry Fox had a dream — a world without cancer.

He has been commemorated in a new tribute from singer/songwriter Vic Macina, who also has a dream — to see Fox recognized globally as a true Canadian hero.



“His cause and his dream should never be forgotten.”

Macina, a retired music industry executive, recalls watching Fox on TV as he began his Marathon of Hope by dipping a foot into the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland. Initially, there was little fanfare over this run across Canada.

“His purpose and his athleticism first attracted my attention,” said Macina.

And he was fascinated by Fox’s determination.

“We’re about the same age, and I was quite athletic then, and I thought, ‘This guy is going to run a marathon every day?’ How could he think about running with that prosthetic leg — imagine the brutal pain every step of the way.”

Macina came to regard Fox as representative of everything good about Canada.

“People talk about where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the assassination of JFK. To me, it was the same when Terry Fox passed in 1981. I remember where I was and how terrible I felt. I couldn’t believe it.”

A lifelong musician, Macina has been performing with a band called Nighthawx for 15 years. As he learned more about Fox’s life, Macina began to investigate whether any songs about him had been composed by a leading Canadian singer/songwriter.

“I was hoping there might be something from one of our great songwriters, a Lightfoot song or something from Gord Downie or Jim Cuddy. For years I wanted to write one, but I didn’t do it. I’ve written 45 or 50 songs over the years, and I just knew it had to be right.

When the pandemic started he was finally motivated to put pen to paper.

Macina wrote I Hope They Remember Me – A Song In Memory of Terry Fox in about two hours, recorded it and began to send it out to his bandmates.

“There was something special about it … I wrote the song from Terry’s perspective, I think that’s what gives it more power.”

He got an immediate reaction from everyone who heard the song. The feedback was so positive he asked a nephew to create a video for the song from archival news footage of the Marathon of Hope.

And now he hopes the song will be heard far and wide.

“It’s just about awareness. Terry Fox was a very special person and I am so proud he’s a Canadian.”

Macina’s song for Fox is special too. He knows it’s powerful.

“But I’m a nobody. I wish someone well-known would record it, someone already established. That would be so great.

“Then the song could really build awareness for Terry Fox.”

[Governor3]

Spain triathlete gives up medal to rival who went wrong way



A Spanish athlete is being applauded on social media after he sacrificed a top tier win in the 2020 Santander Triathlon to give it to a competitor who took a wrong turn on the course.

British athlete James Teagle was on course to win third place in the competition in Spain last weekend when he made a mistake metres from the finish.

Diego Méntrida overtook him but noticed the error and stopped to allow Teagle to cross first.

"He deserved it," Méntrida said later.

The race took place on 13 September but footage from the race has spread on social media in the past day, as many congratulate 21-year-old Méntrida for his show of sportsmanship.
On Friday Méntrida was awarded honorary third place by the organisers and the same €300 (£274) prize money as Teagle, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

"This is something my parents and my club taught me since I was a child. In my view it should be a normal thing to do," Méntrida wrote on Instagram on Saturday where he thanked followers for applauding him.

Teagle's wrong turn happened less than 100m from the end of the race when he mistakenly ran towards spectators in a fenced area.

"He didn't notice the signs or they were misaligned," Méntrida told Eurosport after the race.

Méntrida had been behind Teagle and overtook him to continue on the final stretch - but then slowed his pace to allow his competitor to catch up.
Teagle shook hands with Méntrida in gratitude and stepped over the finishing line.

"When I saw that he had missed the route, I just stopped. James deserved this medal," Méntrida told Eurosport, adding that he would do the same a second time.

The race winner Javier Gomez Noya described his gesture as "the best in history".

Footballer Adrián San Miguel said on Twitter that it demonstrated "the real values of sport".

Meet The Goliath Birdeater, The Biggest Spider In The World By Weight

Measuring nearly a foot wide, the Goliath bird-eating tarantula takes down prey like mice and birds, then liquefies their internal organs.


The Goliath birdeater is one of the world’s most recognizable arachnids. Its impressive size allows it to prey on a variety of creatures, including birds, making it the biggest — and possibly the scariest — spider in the world.
But there is more to this Goliath spider than meets the eye.
At nearly one foot wide and weighing six ounces, the Goliath birdeater is the biggest spider on the planet in terms of weight. However, they drop down to second place behind the giant huntsman spider for the honor if measuring by leg span.
Indeed, the Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) can easily strike fear in the hearts of those who come upon it. It has a large body covered in barbed hairs known as urticating hairs — which are both intimidating and painful if ever caught on another creature’s skin — and equally enormous fangs.
This giant spider breed makes its home on the dusty forest floor of the rainforest in northern South America. It creates silk-lined burrows under the forest rocks and roots in parts of Venezuela, French Guiana, and Brazil.
When preparing to attack prey or fend off forest predators like the coati, the Goliath birdeater rises on its hind legs to make itself appear even bigger, showing off its long limbs and inch-long fangs.
As part of this intimidation tactic, the Goliath tarantula rubs its hairy legs together — a common technique called stridulation that is used by other spiders, snakes, and insects — to create a hissing noise that can be heard from 15 feet away.
This leg-rubbing also releases the sharp hairs which stick and cause discomfort when they come into contact with skin, creating the perfect diversion for the giant tarantula to escape an imminent threat.
The Goliath birdeater’s name has given the spider a terrifying reputation, but the reality is less scary than it sounds. Although it has the physical ability to prey on birds — and occasionally it does — the so-called Goliath bird-eating tarantula mainly preys on frogs, insects, and rodents.
The Goliath birdeater is nocturnal and typically hunts at night. These fearsome arachnids actually have terrible eyesight so they use the hair on their legs to catch the vibrations from animal activity, be it predator or prey.
These tarantulas are stealthy hunters who wait until a victim is close enough for them to pounce on and trap within their leggy embrace. Their big fangs are strong enough that they can easily slice through flesh, including human skin. As its victim tries to struggle free, the spider releases neurotoxic venom, paralyzing its prey.
Because spiders don’t have teeth, they must liquefy the insides of their prey so they can suck it dry. The Goliath birdeater does this by regurgitating digestive juices onto its victim which breaks down soft tissue, turning the insides into a slurpy concoction. By the time the Goliath tarantula finishes feeding, only bones, skin, and fur remain.
But if the Goliath birdeater doesn’t kill birds as frequently as its name suggests, where did the scary nickname come from?
The name “birdeater” originated from an 18th-century engraving that showed another kind of tarantula eating a hummingbird. The discovery inspired the moniker “birdeater” which is now used to describe the entire Theraphosa spider genus of South America.
Human encounters with the Goliath birdeater are rarely lethal. Although their venom is dangerous enough to kill their prey, it is relatively nontoxic to humans. A Goliath birdeater bite would likely only cause some discomfort and swelling.
A bite from the Goliath bird-eating tarantula can become deadly, however, if the person bitten has an allergic reaction to the venom or if the puncture wound becomes infected.
By now, it seems that the Goliath birdeater’s notoriety has more to do with their size rather than the actual danger they pose. Their unique appearance has made them a hot commodity in the world of exotic pets, but that popularity might be a double-edged sword.
Goliath birdeaters are listed as Not Evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN, the body which monitors the status of the planet’s wildlife. Because of this, the current situation of their species is unknown. But their status as quirky pets and the low-level harm they pose to humans could have an effect on their population.
Goliath birdeaters are listed as Not Evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN, the body which monitors the status of the planet’s wildlife. Because of this, the current situation of their species is unknown. But their status as quirky pets and the low-level harm they pose to humans could have an effect on their population.

More pictures here - https://allthatsinteresting.com/goliath-birdeater

[Governor3]

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

[Governor3]

FOR STORIES POSTED THE W/O SEPTEMBER 14th

BOOK KEEPING NOTES:

• John Griffen aka Mr. Green aka Kermit had to step away this week leaving IN OTHER NEWS once again under my dubious, capricious oversight. From my vantage hiding under his desk taking swigs from a bottle marked "In Case of Emergency" it's going to be a bumpy ride. Strap in, hold tight and know that our beloved Editor-in-Chief will be back in the chair soon.
• John is still playing around with format and rules issues, so be patient if you notice any changes, or receive any reach outs from the Editors desk.

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
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 7 ACE REPORTERS WHO FILED A NEW STORY EVERY DAY

Fatima99
Fivetide
FKRJ
Goldie0608
Hija
PennySerenade
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. Last week, the category was "ANIMAL TALES"
But this week, the category was "NEW BEGINNINGS"
For those interested in how the category is decided, it's simple. When the week begins, before ANY story is posted, I randomly select a category and record it on my spread sheet. And the reason why I don't post up front the category, is also simple. I'm sure we would all like to see many different diverse types of stories each week, and I don't want people to focus on past categories. Yeah, as time passes, some of the old categories will appear again, but it will remain pretty much random to keep our reporters on their toes

W/O SEPTEMBER 14th CATEGORY = NEW BEGINNINGS
REPORTER = FATIMA99
DAY = WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 16TH
STORY = The manager of a grocery store down in Nashville, Tennessee took a chance and hired a woman who was homeless and had been sleeping in the store's parking lot for the past year. Ten months later, this leap of faith has proven a success and has been a positive experience for everyone. With all of the economic uncertainty and job loss over the past months, Gov feels that a reminder that people are worth taking a chance on deserves to be highlighted.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS WEEKS MOBI PULITZER PRIZE WINNER = 100 WRZ

THE NEXT NEWS CYCLE WILL BEGIN SHORTLY

[Governor3]

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 SEPTEMBER 21st

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
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
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

[Fivetide]

Qantas 7-hour flight to nowhere sells out in 10 minutes



Pre-pandemic, many of us viewed flying simply as a method of getting from one destination to another as quickly as possible.

But amid global restrictions, travelers have been daydreaming, not only about far-flung destinations, but the flying experience itself -- from the thrill of the take-off to the unmatched views of the Earth from the cabin window.

That's where "flights to nowhere" come in -- air travel that takes place purely for the purpose of the journey, not the destination.

Proving how popular these now are, a sightseeing flight to nowhere offered by Qantas sold out within 10 minutes, according to the airline, with passengers eager to take to the skies at a time when Australia has grounded almost all international flights paying premium prices.

"It's probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history," the airline's CEO, Alan Joyce, said in a statement. "People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, we'll definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open."

The seven-hour scenic flight will perform a giant loop taking in Queensland and the Gold Coast, New South Wales and the country's remote outback heartlands.

From above, keen fliers should be able to spot famous Aussie attractions including Sydney Harbor and the Great Barrier Reef. The jet will do a low flyover over certain landmarks, including Uluru and Bondi Beach.

Special onboard entertainment is promised too, including a surprise celebrity host.

The journey will take place on a Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, usually reserved for intercontinental journeys across continents. Right now, there are very few flights operating to and from Australia due to travel restrictions and Qantas international fleet has been grounded.

The Dreamliner is renowned for its big windows, making it ideal for sightseeing from 30,000 feet.

Flight QF787, due to depart Sydney Domestic Airport on October 10 and return to the Australian metropolis seven hours later, had 134 tickets on sale -- spanning business class, premium economy and economy and costing from US$566 to $2,734.

Across Asia, where the majority of borders remain closed, limiting leisure tourism, there has been a spate of recent flights with no destination.

Qantas' flight follows on the heels of EVA Air's Taiwan-based flight to nowhere, which offered a one-off journey on August 8, on board its Hello Kitty-themed A330 Dream jet.

Meanwhile All Nipon Airways (ANA) also operated a short scenic flight in Japan in August, which the airline said sought to replicate "the Hawaiian resort experience," with 300 travelers boarding the 1.5 hour flight.

And on September 19, a scenic flight is due to depart Taipei Airport, offering 120 Taiwanese tourists the opportunity to view South Korea's Jeju Island from the sky.

The journey is due to be an experience in itself, according to the Korea Tourism Organization's press release, offering an in-flight quiz show and local cuisine.

Singapore Airlines is also reportedly considering operating flights to nowhere from October, according to the local Straits Times newspaper.

A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines told CNN Travel that the airline "is considering several initiatives that would allow us to continue engaging both our customers and members of the public. Currently, none of these plans have been firmed up."

From an environmental perspective, the proposal of a flight to nowhere is potentially contentious.

But while there might be concerns about unnecessary fuel usage, COVID-19 worries might be mitigated by recent scientific studies that suggest the odds of catching the virus on an airplane are less than you might think, due to the air ventilation systems.

That said, all the airlines are operating their scenic flights with COVID-19 regulations in place.

Check this link for the video news report on the story (starts off with an unskippable advert):
https://abc13.com/flight-to-nowhere-qan ... c/6454022/

[Fatima99]

Fires Have Helped These Endangered Woodpeckers Make a Comeback, and It’s a Reminder of Nature’s Resiliency

It’s hard to imagine that the infernos burning in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges in California and Oregon would be good for anything—but for the native black-backed woodpecker it’s the best of times, and necessary for them to continue their transformative practices on the forest.




US Fish and Wildlife Service, CC license
Relentlessly drilling holes in the sides of fire-hardened trees in pursuit of insects, they create ready-made shelters for dozens of different animal species, who eat fire-retardant plants seeds and distribute them hither and yon in their droppings; thus allowing the forest to regenerate.

This amazing avian is just one of an entire web of plant and animal species who have evolved around the necessity of seasonal fires. The woodpecker deliberately seeks fire-damaged forests out in search of their favorite food: the larvae of the black fire beetle, which have evolved heat-sensing organs to find which trees are still warm from fires to lay their eggs in.

Indeed both of these species have evolved to interact with the pine forests of the Northwestern United States, where the trees have thick coatings of resin-soaked bark that protect them from high-intensity blazes.

“Woodpeckers are ecosystem engineers,” Teresa Lorenz tells National Geographic. A wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station in Olympia, Washington, she has tracked black-backed woodpeckers in the forests of the Cascade Range, where this year’s fires have burned catastrophically.

“Many small animals, from chipmunks to flying squirrels to mountain bluebirds and wood ducks, compete for the woodpeckers’ vacated nests because they are so protected from the elements and other predators. We wouldn’t have swallows, swifts, or bats without woodpeckers.”

[PennySerenade]

Project provides supplies to those experiencing homelessness in Toronto



TORONTO -- When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Kate Hanley noticed an immediate need for some people in Toronto.

“It was so apparent just by looking at the streets that there was a huge crisis going on with people without homes,” Hanley told CTV News Toronto. “They had been inadvertently locked out if their means of survival, whether it was a bathroom, a drink of water or they had trouble finding food.”

It was that realization that prompted Hanley and a few of her friends to take action.


“It was myself and a bunch of my oldest friends, life-long friends,” Hanley explains. “We are women, and entrepreneurs, and non-profit executives and artists, and we just couldn’t not do something.”



Together, they created Project FoodChain – a grassroots initiative to get food and supplies to front-line organizations helping the city’s population experiencing homelessness.

“What we do is we secure and deliver shelf-stable products and we bring them to drop-in centres across Toronto,” Hanley said. “We wanted to provide the kind of food that people can put in their backpacks and have some kind of sustenance while they’re searching for their next meal.”

The products are brought to front-line organizations to help distribute the goods. Ve’ahavta has been one of the recipients, as they work to deliver meals, clothing and safe supplies around Toronto.

“During the COVID pandemic the demand for our services has increased wildly,” says Cari Kozierok, Executive Director of Ve’ahavta. “Programs like project food chain provide us with the supplies we need to get out onto the streets into the hands of the people who need them most.”

One of Project FoodChain’s biggest successes this summer has been dispensing nearly 100,000 bottles of water to drop-in centres in Toronto.



“It’s been a really hot summer, and during COVID the city largely turned off water. So there wasn’t a lot available to folks experiencing homelessness,” said Diana McNally, training and engagement coordinator at the Toronto Drop-in Network.

“We were forced to seek private donations and charity, and that’s how we came across Project FoodChain. They’ve been an actual literal life saver during COVID.”

Hanley and her team of volunteers had planned to wrap up operations in June, but say the need continues to be so strong that they are now strategizing for a potential second wave and the upcoming winter season.

“What I’ve learned is that when a whole bunch of people come together, we can do so much more than we can do apart,” Hanley said. “We’re just a group of women, but we’ve been able to do so much more than we could ever do alone by bringing a community together.”

Kozierok agrees, saying Ve’ahavta’s 1500 volunteers have demonstrated how to make a difference during a time of need.

[FRKJ]

Parrot interrupts Brazilian soccer practice, lands on player's head

A training session for Brazil's national soccer team was interrupted when a parrot flew onto the field and landed on a player's head.



Bruna Benites, a player for the national team, posted a video to her Instagram showing Saturday's practice being interrupted by the avian, which landed on Benites' head before flying around the field and landing again on a goal net.

"I will take advantage of what happened today as, someone from Mato Grosso, I can't hide my feeling of profound sadness for everything that is happening in the Pantanal wetland," Benites wrote.

"Thousands of animals are losing their lives due to the fires and if this continues, (rare) moments like what you are seeing in this video will become impossible to see. Let's be aware. Let's take care of our biggest heritage which is nature," the post said.

Benites said in a follow-up post that the parrot lives with a family in Rio de Janeiro and the bird is allowed to fly free because it is domesticated and always returns home. She said the bird frequently visits the soccer field, but was able to "see things from a different angle" at Saturday's practice.

Dutch Inventor Creates ‘Living Coffin’ That Uses Mushrooms To Compost Dead Bodies

It can take up to a decade for a human body to decompose from within a conventional coffin, but the "Living Cocoon" can compost a corpse in just two to three years.



Have you ever thought about what happens to your body after you die? Well, designers in the Netherlands have, and they’ve come up with an eco-friendly solution to burying the deceased.
According to Dutch News, designers from Delft University of Technology teamed up with a local natural history museum to develop these so-called “Living Cocoons,” a biodegradable coffin that’s made out of moss and fungi.
The concept of these Living Cocoons is to facilitate the natural decay of the human body in a way that will benefit the surrounding environment.
“The Living Cocoon enables people to become one with nature again and to enrich the soil, instead of polluting it,” said Bob Hendrikx, founder of Loop, the startup company behind the eco-friendly coffin.
How it works is pretty simple. These cocoons are made out of construction material embedded with a fungi-like bacterial colony known as mycelium. This bacterium is known to form into underground networks and possesses the ability to neutralize toxic substances including oil, plastic, and metal.
Mycelium, or “nature’s recycler” as Hendrikx likes to call it, also releases nutrients that nearby organisms can thrive on. Furthermore, these eco-coffins can also speed up the decomposition time of the human body. What would typically take decades for complete decomposition within a conventional coffin would only take two to three years in the Living Cocoon.



It’s the perfect solution to our destructive impact on the planet, which Hendrikx described as “parasitic.” Conventional burials can often result in polluting the surrounding environment. Caskets that are made of plastics or varnished wood may take years to degrade and could release toxic materials into the ground.
“We are degrading organisms into dead, polluting materials, but what if we kept them alive?” Hendrikx mused. “Just imagine: a house that can breathe and a T-shirt that grows with you.”
Constructing one coffin, which can carry about 440 pounds each, takes about a week. The mycelium fungus is grown in the shape of the coffin then naturally dried out, allowing it to keep the cocoon’s shape. But once the coffin comes into contact with ground water, it begins the process of composting.
Thus far, the company has “grown” at least 10 living cocoons. They’ve also performed a burial ceremony using one of their unique caskets which the company claims is the first type of burial of its kind in the world.
So how much does it cost to make sure your body isn’t burdening the Earth long after you’re dead? For now, the Living Cocoon goes for $2,000 a pop, roughly the same as an average casket depending on its make and model.



“It is important to be involved in sustainable innovation like this,” said Frank Franse, director of the funeral collectives CUVO and De Laatste Eer. “It fits our objective to be a sustainable co-operative funeral service.”
In the U.S., morticians reportedly use about 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid per year, according to data from Cornell University. As for casket-making materials, roughly 20 million feet of wood are processed to make coffins each year. Having your body cremated also poses its own environmental hazards due to the toxic fumes it releases into the air.
It turns out that issues of sustainability continue long after we’re gone, and the idea of “sustainable death” is catching on.
In 2019, Washington became the first state to allow “human composting,” which is the process of transforming human remains into soil as opposed to opting for a conventional burial or cremation. The effort was spearheaded by the human composting company known as Recompose, which promises to transform a body into one cubic yard of soil. That soil will then be returned to the deceased’s family, who can repurpose it for trees or plants.
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, more than half of Americans are interested in a green funeral. Recompose previously told NBC News that it planned to charge $5,500 per body. For comparison, the National Funeral Directors Association listed a traditional burial at $7,360 in 2017. As it turns out, some of the reasons people are turning to eco-burials are based as much on saving money as they are about saving the environment.
It’s an important — albeit morbid — idea to think about. But in light of the devastation wrought by environmental events such as the California wildfires, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to consider how we can be better to the Earth even when we are no longer here.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/living-cocoon