[Fivetide]

Martial artist breaks pushup Guinness record while wearing 60 pounds


Pakistani martial artist Irfan Mehsood broke a Guinness World Record when he completed 49 finger-
tip pushups in 1 minute while wearing a 60-pound pack. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records

(UPI) -- A Pakistani athlete achieved his 34th Guinness World Record when he completed 49 pushups with his finger tips while carrying 60 pounds on his back.

Guinness announced Irfan Mehsood captured the record for most pushups (finger tips, carrying 60 pound pack) in 1 minute when he managed to complete 49 repetitions during his attempt in Dera Ismail Khan.

The martial artist broke the previous record of 44 pushups, which was set by Iraqi athlete Jarjees Rasheed.

The successful attempt marked Mehsood's 34th Guinness World Record. His previous accomplishments include other pushup records and exercises such as jumping jacks.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/09/22 ... 600803943/

[Fatima99]

Blind Teen Swims For Gold With a Guide Dog Helping Her Prepare for Tokyo Paralympic Games

Paralympian Anastasia Pagonis’ remarkable success story began when she lost her vision at age 14. Granted, it’s a tough age for any teen, but dealing with a life-changing disability made things even more challenging.



Paralympian Anastasia Pagonis’ remarkable success story began when she lost her vision at age 14. Granted, it’s a tough age for any teen, but dealing with a life-changing disability made things even more challenging.

“It took me about eight months to kind of regroup myself,” she told TODAY, “and then I got it in my head, ‘Okay, I’m blind. Now what am I going to do with my life?’”

A Long Island native, Pagonis practically grew up in the water. She’d taken up competitive freestyle swimming just a few months prior to going totally blind. While she excelled at the sport even with limited vision, an “abusive team” atmosphere prompted her to quit competition.

Losing her sight so close on the heels of giving up the pastime she loved took a heavy emotional toll. After months of therapy, the tenacious teen was ready to get back in the swim—only swimming wasn’t enough for Pagonis. She wanted to compete.

Now she was faced with another dilemma. “Nobody wanted to train the blind girl,” she recalled in an interview with TEAM USA. “I ended up after about eight months finding an amazing coach who was willing to train me and actually put on blackout goggles to try to figure out a way for me to swim.”

By the age of 16, Pagonis was earning a reputation as a fierce competitor, taking two gold medals at the World Para Swimming World Series in Australia. Even with her newfound sense of accomplishment, Pagonis was reticent at first to tap into social media.

When Pagonis realized her experiences and positive outlook might be a boon to others, however, she eagerly donned the mantle of role model. “I want to help people the way that I needed help,” Pagonis told TEAM USA. “I started doing Instagram and social media and was soon getting a bunch of (direct messages) and replies saying, ‘Wow you really helped me get through little things,’ or, ‘I was getting bullied in school and you helped me get through that,’ or, ‘You let me know how much I was worth.’”

Back in the water, Pagonis was truly in her element. “It’s my happy place,” she told TODAY. “It’s the place where I feel like I don’t have a disability and I feel like that’s the only place where I feel free. When I dive in the water, it’s just me in the pool and I feel such a connection with it.”

[PennySerenade]

Siblings raise $3,000 for Food Banks Canada with virtual lemonade stand



TORONTO -- When life gives you lemons in 2020, you make lemonade—in a slightly different way.

“Me and Maya wanted to make a lemonade stand,” eight-year-old Maxim Mounter told CTV News Toronto. “But my dad changed it into a lemonade stand ‘COVID-safe’ to make it virtual.”

With the help of their parents, running a virtual lemonade stand became a fun summer project for Maxim and his little sister Maya, age five.

“It’s so yummy!” Maya said, referring to her home-made lemonade.

“We were stuck at home, like everyone else, and looking for fun things to do with the kids,” Natalie Mounter, Maxim and Maya’s mother, told CTV News Toronto. “Being entrepreneurs ourselves we thought it would be fun to teach the kids about entrepreneurship.”

Together, they launched ‘M&M Lemonade’ – a business for the kids to run, and a virtual experience for those looking to enjoy their own refreshing glass of lemonade.

“They took part and built everything themselves,” the children’s father Oreon Mounter said. “And then seeing it come to life has been awesome.”

The virtual experience for the customer includes a downloadable recipe book so that clients can safely make their own lemonade at home.

“We have five kinds [of lemonade],” Maxim explained. “They are Classic, Strawberry Slush, Lime, Peach and Watermelon.”

“My favourite part was testing all the recipes,” Maya added.



The recipe book is free to download on the M&M Lemonade website, with an option for customers to donate.

“We’re saving half for our university and were also giving half to the Canada Food Banks,” explains Maxim. “So we could help people in need.”

“They’ve raised over $3,000 for Canadian Food Banks,” Oreon said. “And that was 100 per cent their idea. So we’re very proud of them, and they’re doing great.”

The Mounter family says the generous response from friends, family and neighbours has been overwhelming.

We’ve had donations from far-away places like California, Texas, even as far away as Uganda,” Natalie said. “We’ve been really, really just touched by the support we’ve received.”

Knowing other kids or families might be interested in pursuing a similar venture, M&M Lemonade includes a guide in their virtual experience about kids and entrepreneurship.

“Ideally for the kids, we would love that they continue on some kind of an entrepreneurial venture that also gives a portion of their proceeds to charity kind of every summer,” Oreon said. “Maybe it’s not this exact project, but it would be something new next summer where they get to challenge themselves and find new skills and also make sure that they’re giving back in some way.



For Maxim and Maya, summer 2020 has been one of fun and learning as a result of their virtual lemonade stand. The say they’re grateful to everyone who has helped them with M&M Lemonade.

“Thank you for your support!” Maya said.

[hija]

Queen knights Captain Tom, 100-year-old raising millions for healthcare workers, in rare ceremony



Queen Elizabeth II knighted a 100-year-old WWII veteran, Captain Sir Thomas Moore, who's become a hero of the pandemic era for raising millions for healthcare workers, in a unique outdoor ceremony in the castle quadrangle.

This ceremony people got to see, as it was covered by the media. Pictures and video showed the queen and Moore, both maskless, step through the investiture ritual – the royal chair, the sword taps, the handshake (she wore gloves, as per usual) – on the grass in bright sunshine. (Usually, people are knighted in indoor ceremonies.)

A bit hunched due to his age, Moore approached his monarch with his trusty walker across the grass. After the ceremony, he posed for the pool cameras, holding up his insignia proudly.

At one point, the two – both WWII veterans – were a only a sword's distance away from each other, but otherwise it was a socially-distanced affair. The queen used the sword that belonged to her father, George VI, Buckingham Palace said. Captain Moore was accompanied by a small number of members of his family.

[Governor3]

Sotheby’s Hopes Banksy’s Painting About the ‘Excesses of Consumerism’ Will Generate $6 Million in Excess Consumerism at Auction



Banksy's 'Show Me the Monet' will appear at a virtual Modern and contemporary art auction in Paris and London next month.

Banksy’s dingy interpretation of a Monet masterpiece will highlight Sotheby’s live-streamed auction in Europe next month.

The 2005 painting, aptly titled Show Me the Monet, recreates the famous Japanese Footbridge from Giverny, which the French landscape artist himself painted over a dozen times. Banksy’s take, though, is decidedly less serene, turning the placid pond into a derelict repository for old shopping carts and safety cones. Sotheby’s estimates the work will go for £3-5 million ($3.9-6.5 million) at the October 21 sale.

“Ever prescient as a voice of protest and social dissent, here Banksy shines a light on society’s disregard for the environment in favor of the wasteful excesses of consumerism,” says Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s European head of contemporary art, in a statement.

“Recent years have seen a host of seminal Banksys come to auction, but this is one of his strongest, and most iconic, to appear yet.”

Show Me the Monet belongs to the street artist’s “Crude Oils” series of paintings that ape canonized artworks with a Banksyian twist. Hazematted workers dump chemicals in the background of a knockoff of Jack Vettriano’s Singing Butler, for instance, while the titular Sunflowers of Van Gogh’s classic painting are shown dead and petal-less.

The Monet take was shown once before, at Banksy’s first gallery show in 2005. The artist filled the exhibition space with 164 living rats.

Following in the steps of its hybrid auctions in New York in June and London in July, Sotheby’s will merge its Modern and contemporary art sales into a hybrid, live-streamed event. Sotheby’s European chairman Helena Newman will kick off the auction houses’s “Modernités” sale in Paris before another chairman, Oliver Barker, presides over the contemporary evening auction in London.
It was at the latter event last year that Banksy’s Devolved Parliament, a controversial sendup of the British House of Commons, hammered down at a startling £9.9 million ($12.1 million)—setting an auction record for the artist.

https://news.artnet.com/market/sothebys ... ssion=true

Man Caught On Camera Breaking Into Australian Museum To Take Selfies With Dinosaurs

The 25-year-old student left with a staffer's cowboy hat and a picture of unknown value.


Paul Kuhn, a 25-year-old German studying at a local university, spent 40 minutes in the closed museum.

In the era of social distancing, spending a night at a museum to wander its halls in peace seems like a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, doing so while the museum is closed is considered a crime. It is unclear whether a 25-year-old man who recently broke into the Australian Museum in Sydney to take selfies in the dinosaur exhibit knew that.
On May 10, an adventurous German student at a local university illegally entered Australia’s oldest museum at 1 a.m. According to The Guardian, the place has been closed since August of last year for renovations.
The young man reportedly spent 40 minutes strolling around the shuttered museum and making himself at home. He stole a staffer’s cowboy hat from a coat rack and blissfully posed in the open jaws of a T. Rex, apparently blind to the security cameras tracking his every move.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmJ3FzAPPmw
It was therefore simple for New South Wales (NSW) police to track him down. The force published the museum’s CCTV footage online and asked the public for help. To his credit, Paul Kuhn turned himself in without objection. The 25-year-old then voluntarily appeared at a Surry Hills police station and was subsequently charged with breaking and entering and refused bail.
Meanwhile, the response from locals on social media has been nothing short of congratulations and has been more focused on buying the man a beer than coordinating vigilante justice against him.
According to Newsweek, deputy chief inspector Sean Heaney of the New South Wales police publicly reminded citizens that this isn’t Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum, and that real world repercussions await those who break the law.
“He certainly enjoyed his night in the museum,” Heaney said. “If this gentleman is watching, all I can say is it’s not going to be a movie producer knocking on his door, NSW police will be knocking very shortly.”


The Australian Museum in Sydney is the country’s oldest and is currently undergoing $70 million renovations.


Fortunately, the worst that Kuhn did at the museum was to remove a picture of unknown worth from the walls and leave with a staffer’s cowboy hat. None of the 21 million priceless objects showcasing the environmental and cultural histories of Australia and the Pacific were damaged or removed. At one point, Kuhn even rang a doorbell for access to one of the locked rooms, suggesting his intentions were perhaps not nefarious.
But Kuhn’s bit of fun has nonetheless resulted in fairly serious consequences. The student was granted bail after a court hearing on Monday, but only on the condition that he surrender his passport and adhere to a curfew — which is punishment enough for any college student.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/paul-kuhn-breaks-into-museum

[krazny9]

Teen Drives Across Country To Surprise Best Friend Since Childhood Dressed As FedEx Deliveryman

A thoughtful teen travelled across America to surprise his best friend since childhood dressed as a FedEx deliveryman – causing her legs to give way in complete shock.

Soultana Kotrides, 16, and Jory Knauf, 15, became best friends growing up as neighbors in Rochester, New York, from 2006 until 2016, when Soultana’s family moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Despite the distance between them, Soultana would still make an annual visit back to Rochester to visit Jory and his family.

But this year, because of the precautions with COVID-19, that trip was cancelled, adding to the disappointments Soultana was already facing during her senior year of high school.

Knowing how sad this had made his best friend, Jory and the families started working on a plan to pay a surprise visit to South Carolina.

Then, when it was time for ‘grandma’s package’ to arrive, the Kotrides family began filming Soultana as she went to collect it.

Initially, Soultana accepted the package without realizing what was happening.

Then, as Jory removed his mask, a moment of realization struck, and Soultana darted to hug her best pal, her knees giving way in shock just as she was about to do so.

Speaking of the moment, dad John said: “I was near tears watching the strength leave Soultana’s legs as Jory removed his mask.

“It could not have been more perfect.

[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
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH

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

[goldie0608]

Abandoned Senior Dogs Are Living Out Their Golden Years With Love At This New Retirement Sanctuary



All dogs may go to heaven, but when older pooches wind up in shelters, chances of them living out their final years in contentment are slim.

At Marty’s Place in Upper Freehold, New Jersey, however, the resident family of senior sanctuary dogs is getting a whole new “leash” on life.

Marty’s Place founder Doreen Jakubcak understood that older dogs have significantly less chance of getting adopted, so she made it her mission to look out for the underdogs. The focus is on rehomed canines, age 7 and up.

Amenities at the upscale doggy retirement village include generous living quarters, medical and dental care, regular exercise, and activities geared toward their capabilities and limitations.

With plenty of sofas for just hanging out—and even an in-ground pool for those inclined to take a dip—every dog here is ensured of having his or her day.

While some dogs that pass through Marty’s Place eventually find adoptive pet parents, none of them ever have to worry about being abandoned. “When we commit to a dog that comes to Marty’s Place they do have a forever home,” Jakubcak told ABC News. “That forever home can be here at the sanctuary and when we can we try to place a dog into a new adoptive home.”

Jakubcak noted that recently Marty’s Place has been catering to dogs of more advanced age, from 10 to 18. Many also have pre-existing health conditions, making finding new “furever” homes more of a challenge. Even so, Jakubcak says that prospective adopters shouldn’t rule out older dogs.

“When people hear the term senior dogs, they immediately think, ‘Ugh they’re boring,’ but some are high energy and require lots of exercise and stimulation,” Jakubcak told Good Morning America. “I do believe they know instinctively what you did for them and they are forever grateful. That bond… is nothing like you could imagine.”

“They’re so lucky that they can live out their golden years in this amazing place. We should all be that lucky, as human beings, we should be that lucky,” Volunteer Rennie Rankin added. “Every time I walk in the door, I think about that. Wow, this is how I should live out my last days.”

Jakubcak notes that Marty’s Place is more than just a sanctuary, it’s a family. “That family consists of our dogs, our staff, and our volunteers,” she said. “Everybody that’s here truly embraces the dogs and truly cares about them like they’re their own personal dogs.”

Of course, Marty’s Place isn’t alone in its appreciation for the gifts of love and companionship older dogs bring their owners. Steve Greig, heartbroken over the passing of his own pet, went on to become a serial adopter of senior pooches as part of the healing process. “They’re just wiser animals, he’s said. “These dogs know who they are and it’s easy to develop a relationship with a person or pet who knows who they are.”

Interested in helping senior dogs in your area? The Grey Muzzle Organization and the Senior Dogs Project are great places to get started.

[FRKJ]

Boy's message in a bottle gets reply from 'The Tooth Fairy'

A Tennessee boy who addressed a message in a bottle to the tooth fairy after losing his tooth at a South Carolina beach received a reply in the mail from a generous stranger, his mother said.



Ashley Hamrick of Knox County said her young son, Lucas, was visiting Myrtle Beach with his family in June when he lost his tooth while boogie boarding and it disappeared into the surf. Hamrick helped Lucas write a letter to the tooth fairy explaining the incident and the note was put inside a bottle and thrown into the ocean.

The mother said she was surprised when a package showed up at the family's home months later bearing a Dayton, Ohio, postmark. The package contained a letter addressed to Lucas and signed by "The Tooth Fairy."

"I hope you had a fun vacation at the beach! I'm so sorry that you lost your tooth in the surf. I got your message in the bottle, so I wasn't worried about not finding it right away," the letter reads. "Good news! Mermaids found your tooth and gave it to me! The mermaid wanted you to have this shark tooth to remember your vacation. Brush your teeth 2 times every day to keep them pretty for me. Flossing is good too. Stay safe," the anonymous person wrote.

Hamrick said the package contained a shark tooth necklace for Lucas, but did not include any information that might identify the kind stranger. "Wish I could find the person who found our #messageinabottle and tell them how appreciative we are of their gift, their kindness & their love to spread tooth fairy cheer," Hamrick wrote in a Facebook post.

[Fatima99]

Beaked whale smashes diving record with 'amazing' 4-hour stint under water

The animal stunned scientists after hunting squid for three hours and 42 minutes - without coming up for air once.



Scientists studying the world's deepest diving mammal were left twiddling their thumbs when timing a dive off the coast of North Carolina.

The average dive for Cuvier's beaked whales usually lasts around one hour, at a depth of 1,400m, according to Duke University in the US.

But one of the mammals left scientists astonished after disappearing under water for three hours and 42 minutes, without coming up for air once.

In a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers found that only 5% of the 3,680 dives they analysed lasted over 77 minutes.

But one of the cetaceans almost trebled that figure with its 222 minute-long hunt for squid.

The previous record, set in 2014 by the same whale species, was around two hours.

The experts believe the Cuvier's beaked whale is able to last so long under water because it can rely on large stores of oxygen, is able to slow its heartbeat and has a low metabolism.

[PennySerenade]

Kraft Dinner releasing limited edition Pumpkin Spice KD



Kraft Dinner is spicing up its mac and cheese – specifically with the help of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger.

KD announced on Tuesday that it’s unleashing a limited edition Pumpkin Spice KD in October to the public for free.

For those interested in trying the concoction, the company said they can sign up online at PumpkinSpiceKD.com to be on the “waitlist” and will be notified when the Pumpkin Spice KD is released. The company is making only 1,000 batches of the odd flavour.

“Ever wondered what KD with Pumpkin Spice would taste like?” the company teased on the website. “Like if your mac and cheese had hints of cinnamon, dashes of allspice, and layers of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves all slathered in KD cheese? Probably not, but we made it anyway.”

Kraft Heinz Canada said in a press release that those selected will receive a packet of KD, a “Pumpkin Spice Boost Pack,” a fork, and “a signature white coffee style cup with their name written on it (spelled wrong of course).”

“KD has always been known for its one-of-a-kind cheesy taste and after years of watching Canadians get excited for pumpkin spice season, we felt that it was time to combine the two iconic flavours and create Pumpkin Spice KD,” said Brian Neumann, senior brand manager, brand building and innovation, for Kraft Heinz Canada.

MY THOUGHTS:

[Fivetide]

Visitor finds second largest diamond in Crater of Diamonds history


Kevin Kinard, 33, found a 9.07-carat diamond at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park that officials
said is the second-largest diamond discovery in the park's history. Photo courtesy of Arkansas State Parks

A visitor to Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park unearthed a 9.07-carat gem -- the second-largest diamond discovery in the park's history.

Arkansas State Parks said Kevin Kinard, 33, of Maumelle, Ark., was visiting the park with friends on Labor Day when he came across a marble-sized crystal with a rounded, dimpled shape.

"It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching. I just thought it might've been glass," Kinard said.

Kinard said he didn't think any of his discoveries would turn out to be valuable, but he decided to have them checked by staff at the Diamond Discovery Center because his friends wanted to have their finds examined.

"I almost didn't have them check my finds, because I didn't think I had found anything. My friend had hers checked, though, so I went ahead and had them check mine, too," he recalled.

The employee going through Kinard's discoveries took the marble-sized crystal into the office for further examination, and a few minutes later Kinard was brought into the office and told he had found a 9.07-carat diamond.

"I honestly teared up when they told me. I was in complete shock," Kinard said.

Officials said Kinard's discovery is the second-largest to be found since Crater of Diamonds became a state park in 1972. It is second only to a 16.37-carat white Amarillo Starlight diamond found at the park in August 1975.

"Congratulations to Mr. Kinard on finding this impressive diamond -- the second largest found at the park since 1972," said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

"A find like this is always thrilling for the park guest, as well as the park staff, who get to help identify the gem and share in the excitement."

Kinard said he decided to give his discovery a name that would honor the good time he had with his friends at the park: the Kinard Friendship Diamond.

"We love to travel together and had such a great time out here. It was a very humbling experience," he said.

[hija]

Slashing water use



A Swedish startup has invented a nozzle for taps that could dramatically cut household water use. Altered’s Dual Flow gadget fits on to existing taps to atomise water into a mist of millions of droplets, reducing the flow of water by 98 per cent.

“From an ordinary tap, as much as 10 to 12 litres of water run out every minute,” says Kaj Mickos, who developed the device with his son-in-law, Johan Nihlén. “But only a small part of that touches your hands or rinses off the plate.”

Altered’s nozzle can also be adjusted to create a steady stream, though still at a reduced flow rate of 85 per cent compared to standard taps.

“The most important thing to us is to make a difference to the serious water situation in the world today,” says Johan Nihlén.

Firefighters rescue frog stuck in drain cover

The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service crew used an electric saw to cut the cover and release the amphibian.

A frog stuck in a drain cover has been rescued by firefighters.
The unhoppy amphibian was found by a concerned passerby in Wirral, Merseyside.
RSPCA inspector Leanne Cragg, who was called out to Howell Drive in Greasby last Tuesday, said: “A woman found the frog with his nose poking out of the drain at the side of her house. But she became concerned when he tried to push his way through the gap and got himself stuck.



The frog was rescued when firefighters used an electric saw to cut it out (RSPCA/PA)
“When I arrived, his whole body was wedged tight with his back legs stuck in the drain.
“I’ve heard of toad-in-the-hole – but this is my first frog-in-a-drain!”
When she was unable to help, Ms Cragg contacted Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and asked them to assist with specialist cutting equipment.
She said: “I don’t think the fire service could believe it when I turned up at the station with a frog stuck in a drain in a bucket!
“The crew at Saughall Massie were brilliant and very helpful. They didn’t even laugh at me!”
The fortunate frog escaped uninjured after the crew used an electric saw to cut the cover and has since been released into a pond.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/vir ... ain-cover/