[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
SUNDAY OCTOBER 24
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

[prokroustis]

1,800-Year-Old Rock-Cut Tombs Explored in Turkey

Many of the tombs, designed with vaulted ceilings and decorated with painted walls, contained multiple sarcophagi

Live Science reports that 400 rock-cut chamber tombs have been explored at Blaundos, a 1,800-year-old city site located on a hill in a branch of western Turkey’s Uşak canyon system. “Due to the rocky nature of the slopes surrounding the city, the most preferred burial technique was the chamber-shaped tombs carved into the solid rocks,” explained archaeologist Birol Can of Uşak University.

Many of the tombs, designed with vaulted ceilings and decorated with painted walls, contained multiple sarcophagi, suggesting that families used the tombs and added chambers over many generations, he added. The wall paintings depict vines, flowers, wreaths, garlands, geometric panels, mythological figures, birds, and dogs.

The tombs also contained pottery and artifacts dated to between the second and fourth centuries A.D., including mirrors, diadems, rings, bracelets, hairpins, medical instruments, belts, drinking cups, and oil lamps. Can’s team has also identified two temples, a theater, a public bath, a gymnasium, a basilica, city walls and a gate, and an aqueduct at the site.

[Fatima99]

Humans could 'live forever' as firm offers 'immortality' freezing for £478-a-year



Many people throughout human history have had the seemingly-impossible ambition of living forever.

But now we live in the most scientifically advanced period in mankind's time on Earth – and immortality might not be the pipe dream it always has been up to now.

Thanks to a select few companies, that dream could become a reality, and it may not break the bank as much as members of the public might think.

The firm Alcor, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, markets themselves as the world leader in cryonics, the process of freezing a body after death to later be brought back to life.

Corpses and brains are frozen in liquid nitrogen after legal death with the hope of being resurrected and restoring them to full health in the event some technology allows humans to be brought back to life in the future.



A full body preservation at Alcor costs a staggering $200,000 (£145,000), with annual costs totalling $705 (£510) per year after the person's death. $80,000 (£58,000) for a neuro-patient, where they just have their brain preserved.

But according to the company's British CEO Max More, the procedure is actually quite affordable for the majority.

He said "Most people think: 'I don't have $80,000 or $200,000 lying around,' but neither did I when I signed up.

"I signed up as a student in England, quite poor. Almost everyone, well the vast majority of our members pay through life insurance.

"They just make Alcor the beneficiary, you just pay standard monthly for life insurance.

"So for the vast majority of people, it's actually quite affordable. If you can afford to go out to Starbucks every couple of days for a coffee, you can afford cryonics."

Alcor currently has 1,379 members, including 184 patients who have died and whose corpses have been subject to cryonic processes.



Membership are $660 (£478) per year for the first family member, with an almost 50% discount for every subsequent relative over the age of 18.

It costs $96 (£70) per year for relatives under the age of 18, while members can even have their pets preserved in a bid to maintain their full family when technology allows it.

Alcor says patients can be preserved for an indefinite period of time until technology allows patients to be revived.

The company is confident memories will be preserved through cryonic preservation, and research on worms suggests this could be the case.

Commenting on the incredibly findings in the 2015 study, Mr More's wife, Natasha Vita-More - who is a researcher for Alcor - said: "This is the first evidence of preservation of memory after cryopreservation.

"Further research on larger organisms with more complex nervous systems could prove to be beneficial to the issue of cryopreservation, including, specifically, memory retention after reviving."

The company was founded by Fred and Linda Chamberlain in 1972, initially in California, after Fred's fragile father had a stroke.

He died in 1976 and made history as the first neuropreservation patient ever.

Fred himself died on March 22, 2012, and is cryopreserved at Alcor.

Despite a growing profile, the industry is extremely controversial and has attracted criticism from scientists.

Although a popular theme in science fiction films, it has never been possible to successfully revive a human or any mammal - and such a procedure is likely to be a long way off.

Mr More said: "To me cryonics is just an extension of critical care medicine. 50 years ago people who keeled over, and the heart stopped beating, there's nothing at all that could be done for them.

"Today we routinely bring these people back to life. But 50 years from now the standard may change again because of changing technology.

"We're pointing out that what you call dead is not a sharp line. It changes over time depending on your level of technology and expertise.

"Our job is to stop you getting worse. To preserve you and let the future have a shot at bringing you back.

"It just means you don't want to die, you enjoy living. Why would you not do that?

"You'd have open-heart surgery or experimental cancer treatment, why wouldn't you do cryonics?

"Cryonics is your last option, it's your only possible chance you could be brought back.

"We don't know if it's going to work for sure, our paperwork is full of disclaimers and things we don't know and might happen.

"But it's really the only option you have once your body gives out. And we do have some reasons to think it might be workable."

[ozswede]

An Art-Making Robot Was Detained on Her Way to Show at the Pyramids Because Egyptian Customs Officials Thought She Was a Spy

Border agents kept the robot artist Ai-Da in custody for 10 days and debated removing her eyes, which have built-in cameras


Ai-Da the artist robot with her self-portraits.

The British artist Ai-Da was looking forward to the opening of her first show in Egypt, until security forces denied her entry into the country. The issue? Officials suspected she was part of an espionage plot—because, you see, Ai-Da is actually a robot.

Ai-Da was held by customs officials for 10 days before her release earlier today. Her work is set to appear in the first contemporary art show ever staged at the Great Pyramid of Giza, opening tomorrow. The extended detention led to something of a diplomatic crisis between Egypt and the U.K.

“The British ambassador has been working through the night to get Ai-Da released, but we’re right up to the wire now,” said Aidan Meller, an Oxford art dealer who is both Ai-Da’s creator and representative, before she was cleared by customs. “It’s really stressful.”

Ai-Da’s creators have billed her as the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist. But her high-tech capabilities raised the suspicions of border guards, who had concerns about her built-in modem as well as the cameras in her eyes, which Ai-Da uses to draw based on algorithmic responses to her observations. (She can also hold a conversation, thanks to a combination of human inputs and an AI language model.)


Ai-Da with Her Paintings.

“Let’s be really clear about this. She is not a spy,” Meller said. “People fear robots, I understand that. But the whole situation is ironic, because the goal of Ai-Da was to highlight and warn of the abuse of technological development, and she’s being held because she is technology.” He added: “Ai-Da would appreciate that irony, I think.”

Ai-Da was powered off during her detention, so she hopefully wasn’t too traumatized by the incident. And following diplomatic negotiations, fortunately, she was allowed to keep her ocular cameras. “I can’t take her eyes out. They are integral [to making her art],” Meller told the London Times. “She would also look weird without them.”

Named in honor of the pioneering computer programmer Ada Lovelace, the artificial-intelligence-powered robot was created in 2019 by computer programmers, working with experts in both art and robotics, as well as psychologists. Ai-Da has previously shown work in London at the Design Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Egyptian exhibition, “Forever Is Now”, was organized by consultancy firm Art D’Égypte with the Egyptian ministry of antiquities and tourism and the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs. Featuring works by both Egyptian and international artists including Stephen Cox, Lorenzo Quinn, Moataz Nasr, and Alexander Ponomarev, it runs through November 7.


Portrait of Ai-Da the robot artist.

Ai-Da’s contribution is a clay sculpture, also temporarily impounded by Egyptian officials, inspired by the sphinx’s riddle about human development: “What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?” (Answer: a person, who crawls on their hands and knees as a baby, and must often use a cane in old age.)

The statue—based on Ai-Da’s drawings, which were rendered into 3–D form by a computer scientist in Sweden—is a “self portrait” of the robot artist with three legs, suggesting possible genetic alterations through Crispr technology that might extend the human lifespan. That is a concern that the ancient Egyptians shared.

“We’re saying that actually, with the new Crispr technology coming through, and the way we can do gene-editing today, life extension is actually very likely,” Meller told the Guardian. “The ancient Egyptians were doing exactly the same thing with mummification. Humans haven’t changed: we still have the desire to live for ever.”

[PennySerenade]

The winter holidays are quickly approaching and that means the return of wrapping presents, advent calendars, and looking at all the twinkly Christmas light displays.

This year Toronto will be getting a magical walk-through festival that will take you on a trip through a winter wonderland.

Just like Snow Magic, Polar Winter Festival returns next month to help you get into a cheery holiday spirit.

Walk through the festival grounds and head over to the Christmas market where you can buy goods from local vendors. Why not start your holiday shopping early and check out some handmade gifts.



If you love amusement parks as much as I do, then you're in luck because Polar Winter Festival is offering nostalgic rides such as the Christmas train, a carousel, a ship excursion and a massive slide.

After some fun on the rides, take a break and grab a bite at the food trucks serving up some festive treats. Don't forget to stop by the holiday-themed cocktail bar that has fire pits to keep you warm and cozy.

There will be a ton of photo ops with massive decorations featuring giant teddy bears and the Polar Ice Tunnel that's filled with thousands of crystals.

This winter wonderland will be located at Bandshell Park at the Exhibition Grounds and runs on select nights starting Nov. 25 through Dec. 26.

[Mintydreams00]

Golden retriever and kitten love watching Disney’s The Lion King together

Nobu the retriever, and Caesar the cat, can't prise their eyes away from the screen when Simba is on

The Lion King is a firm favourite for most people when it comes to classic Disney movies - but it appears animals love it too.

And one golden retriever and his kitten sibling can’t get enough of the 2019 computer animated remake, which brings the story to life.

In a TikTok video posted by the account @nobu_smaj, golden retriever Nobu is standing in front of the television set with his tail wagging, with Caesar the cat sitting on the media stand engrossed in the movie.

The scene playing shows Simba’s ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ song, with a whole savannah of animals parading behind him.


Nobu and Caesar watching The Lion King ( Image: TikTok @nobu_smaj)

As the song plats, Caesar even creeps closer to the screen for a better look at the lion cubs.

Posted by owner Bria Smajstrla, the video is captioned: “dreaming of being king” - and has been viewed more than 865,400 times.

One viewer joked: “I wonder if they talk about it later?”, whilst another commended them on their movie taste.

Now, some might say it was simply a coincidence that the dog and cat were both watching the TV, but a second video posted weeks later sees the duo sitting on a bed beside their baby twin brothers with the film on.

And much like the first clip, they’re captivated by the Disney classic, which stars Seth Rogan and Beyonce.

And when Caesar and Nobu aren’t watching The Lion King, they’re reenacting it. Another TikTok saw a compilation of the canine and moggy play fighting Mufassa and Scar style, clearly taking inspiration from the film.

Golden retrievers have proven to be one of the most popular breeds on the video sharing app, racking up 14 billion views.

But they’re not the only dogs to be fans of Disney - with one dalmatian obsessed with a very apt movie.

Little Dottie loves to watch the 1961 Disney classic 101 Dalmatians - and fits right in with the cast as she watches a scene where Perdita, Pongo and the pups are watching a Kanine Krunchies advert, jumping up at the TV for a closer look in the Adorable TikTok video.

[Basia1971]

Kenya's 'World's Best Teacher' gives away 80% of his monthly income to help the poor.

In a small overcrowded classroom in Pwani village, rural Kenya, Peter Tabichi teaches his students science.

Born in Kiisi, 37-year-old Tabichi is from a family full of teachers.

In March, he won the Varkey Foundation 2019 Global Teacher Prize for his achievements in the remote and overpopulated Keriko Mixed Day Secondary school where he teaches math and physics.



The award, which comes with a $1 million prize was announced in a ceremony in the United Arab Emirates, recognizing his "dedication, hard work and passionate belief in his student's talent."

Tabichi's students face many challenges including teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and young marriages, the foundation said.

Most of them -- 95% -- are from poor families, and almost a third of them are orphans or have only one parent.



It's a community that is in a rural setup ... they don't have access to many facilities like banking and health facilities. There also are a number of challenges, there is water shortage, food insecurity, and poor infrastructure," Tabichi told CNN.

Despite limited resources, Tabichi's students have won multiple science awards under his direction and even traveled internationally.

He expanded the school's science club, helping his students design projects that now compete in local and international competitions.

In 2018, he mentored students through the Kenya Science and Engineering Fair where they showcased a device they invented to allow deaf and blind people to measure objects. The science club also won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry after using local plant life to generate electricity.

"It gives me great joy when you work with students, when you give them that close mentorship, and then at the end of it, they are able to come up with something really creative," he said.
"When you see that a student is able to shine, is able to get the best grades, is able to beat other students or move to the regional level even international level it gives you joy," he added.

Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School has poor internet connection but Tabichi still uses technology in 80% of his lessons to engage students. He says he visits internet cafes and saves online content to be used offline while in class.

Promoting STEM learning

Tabichi says he wants to use his 2019 Global Teacher Prize to give back to the society and promote Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM).

He has plans to mentor more students in the science club to build solutions to everyday problems faced in their region.

"I want to use this award to empower and inspire the society ... I want to use it to address challenges that society is facing and I have been promoting STEM learning," he said.

Part of his winnings have also been put into repainting classrooms and providing access to water for the students and the community.



The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, described Tabichi as a "shining example of what the human spirit can achieve."

"Peter, your story is the story of Africa, a young continent bursting with talent," Kenyatta said in a video.

Tabichi says he will continue to inspire his students and community to be better.

"My message to people is that every person is in existence because of a reason ... There is a special reason why you are born and therefore you have a special role to play in the society."

Man Inundated With Job Offers After Making Hilarious TikTok Application Video



A man who was made redundant and decided to create a TikTok job application has now had so many offers that he's having to turn companies away. You can see his inventive job-seeking idea below - honestly, the production values are great.

WATCH HILARIOUS JOB APPLICATION VIDEO ON TIKTOK

Jay Beech was working happily in marketing, until recently the company he was working for hit upon difficult times.

So, as one of the most recent staff in the door - as so often is the case - he was told that he would have to look for work elsewhere.

Instead of updating his LinkedIn, checking up on his CV, or heading down to the Job Centre, he decided that he'd give something different a chance, and recorded a bespoke song and dance about how he wanted another job to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's disco classic 'I Will Survive'.

Weirdly enough, this isn't the first time that he's done this. In fact, the last job that he had was the result of another video.

So, why not give it another go?



He explained: "That [the first video] led me to where I am now.

"Unfortunately, the company ran into some financial issues, and they've had to let a bunch of people go.

"Being in the marketing team and one of the newest means that you are - unfortunately - one of the first to drop.

"So, I was made redundant last Monday.

"I knew the success that I had last time, and I also knew that I couldn't come out with something more traditional this time, because people would think it was underwhelming.

"I thought 'what can I do?' - I will survive, right?"

"Let's turn it into something fun, and now two days later I'm interviewing with all the companies and hoping I'm going to get snapped up soon."



The TikTok video went viral, and has been viewed a whole heap of times on LinkedIn as well.

That has translated into quite a bit of interest. Perhaps too much, as it happens.

Jay continued: "I've had a variety of people reach out, and I've actually at this point started saying no to some of them based on whether it's going to be suitable or not.

"Yesterday I had seven interviews."

So, his job prospects are looking up, then?

"It's a little bit too early [in the process for job offers] but it's likely to happen by the end of this week or beginning of next.

"Last time I was saying yes to everyone because I was in panic mode, but this time I'm trying to value my time a little bit more.

"I'm definitely in a good position now."



His methods over the two times have been so successful that Jay reckons that he'll never apply for a job in the traditional - and boring - fashion again.

He explained: "At this point, I've not only set the standard for myself, but I don't think I'm able to translate who I am on traditional CVs.

"I've always struggled with that.

"When I go to work I can't help but bring my entire self."



"I'm tattooed, I've got a big ginger beard, I'm quite out there, I dress quite out there, and I don't want to have to suppress that for 40 hours a week.

"I want to be able to bring that to the workplace as well.

"This is a great way for me to filter out places that won't accept that, and to find the places that would love that.

"I just can't really do that with a CV."

WATCH HILARIOUS JOB APPLICATION VIDEO ON TIKTOK

Meet the 15-year-old blind quarterback hoping to reach the NFL

By Alaa Elassar, CNN
Updated 2:40 PM ET, Sat October 23, 2021



(CNN)Jasen Bracy is unstoppable when he's on the football field.

The 15-year-old Modesto Raiders starting quarterback is completely blind -- and a merciless athlete, passing the ball, running touchdowns and breaking tackles.

"I never used even once that I can't see as an excuse. Never have, never will," Jasen, who lives in Modesto, California, told CNN. "I told my team that the only difference between me and the other quarterback is that he has a different number, and that's it."

The young star grew up enjoying the sport three days a week every time football season came around, with his father narrating every detail. Immediately, Jasen says, he knew that was his passion.

"Maybe one day I'll be on TV on the football field myself," Jasen said he told himself every day. "There's no limits, and if there's something in the way, I'll find out how to get around it or over it. I'll find a way to achieve my goal in the best way possible."

Jasen has been blind since he was a young child. When he was 1 year old, he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer that causes tumors in the retinas.

Over the next six years, he underwent numerous treatments, but nothing was successful. By his 7th birthday, he was completely blind. All he can tell, he says, is when it's morning or night time.

Despite growing up without his sight, Jasen never felt self-conscious or hesitant to follow his dreams. And football was just one of the firsts he was going to make come true.

Aiming for the top
When Jasen turned 13, his parents gave him an iPhone to offer more accessibility options.
He got to work, calling every football team in the area and asking if they would give him a try without his parents knowing.

"All of a sudden, one day we get a call from Coach David Nichols saying, 'Hey, I got a call from your son asking if he can come play football for us, but did he say he was blind?'" Jasen's father, Jasen Bracy Sr., told CNN.

But unlike the many other teams who rejected Jasen, Nichols, who coaches the Modesto Raiders, was ready to give him a chance.

"When I first took him on I was a little skeptical, but once I saw him as a person, I knew this kid could do anything," Nichols told CNN. "I've always accepted him, but I was like 'How am I going to do this?' Once you see him out there it's different."

Jasen shocked his team, immediately putting on the uniform and mastering techniques needed to play football without seeing the field, players or ball.

He memorized each play, including the position every player has to maintain on the field. His father stands on the sidelines, speaking to him through a walkie talkie to narrate the visuals.

"He knows where to be at, where to hand the ball off, where the kid's going to be at, he knows how to get the points," Nichols said.

Jasen has proved he's a force to be reckoned with, even leading his team to a victory in September by scoring a running touchdown during a match against a team that had rejected him.

Usually, the opposing team doesn't even realize Jasen is blind, and if they don't already know, he doesn't tell them.

"I don't tell them, not before or after the game, so they don't even think about easing up on me," he said. "I'm the quarterback, and one of the quarterback's jobs is leading the team. As a leader, I have to take control of this team, lead them through good and bad times no matter the situation I have to get us through. And I'm tough as iron. I am going to play hard."

A team that made it possible
When Bracy realized his son would be blind for the rest of his life, his first thoughts were that he would never get to see him play baseball or football, he said.

"All I know is that we are lucky the cancer didn't spread to his head or into anything life threatening," he said. "I was always grateful I still had my son, I can still talk to him, laugh and joke with him because he has a great sense of humor. I can still watch sports with him by commentating to him what was happening throughout the game."

Football isn't the only thing Jasen can do. He excels in numerous sports, including swimming, golf, baseball and wrestling. His dreams are boundless, and nothing seems out of reach to him.

But his heart, Jasen says, lies in football and his focus is on reaching the National Football League. Nichols is determined to help the young talent reach whatever goal he has in mind.

"Just seeing him, he shows me there's nothing you can't do, and that reflects on the other kids. Ever since hes been on my team, the team gravitate around him," Nichols said. "It changes their whole outlook on life. He makes the season. Even if we don't win, just having that chemistry with the team has probably been one of the best things I've ever been around."

Along with his perseverance and talent, Jasen also credits the support of his father, friends and team in making his dream a reality.

"I want to especially thank my coach for giving me the chance to put on the pads, put on the helmet, and prove what i can do on the field," he said.

[goldie0608]

An Indiana town is wooing new residents with on-demand grandparents



Would you move to a small Indiana town for on-demand grandparents?

That's part of the benefit of moving to Greensburg, Ind., a town that's offering incentives for new residents who move there, including $5,000 in cash, a YMCA membership, gift cards to the local farmers market and a service they're calling "Grandparents on Demand."

Greensburg is about 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis. It's a small community with a population of about 12,000. But the town is hoping to grow and one of the incentives it's offering is having grandparents on standby.

Tami Wenning, the director of the Decatur County Community Foundation, and her husband Dan are the grandparents up-f0r-grabs in town. They've held local positions in town and hosted foreign exchange students in the past — and they are also grandparents themselves. Stepping in to be grandparents, or babysitters at times, to help out new residents would help ease the transition into moving to Greensburg, Wenning said.

"When we have a grandparents day thing, it's packed," Wenning told NPR's Weekend Edition. "I would be more than happy to go to school and be there for a child so they don't have to go without a grandma."

In order to meet eligibility requirements for the benefits, you'd have to move to Greensburg within the next 6-12 months, have a remote job that's based outside the town, be at least 18 years old and eligible to work in the U.S.

[BigGlen]

Pablo Escobar's hippos recognized as legal persons in the U.S.



Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A group of about 100 hippos, who are descendants of hippos that were owned by late drug lord Pablo Escobar, have been recognized as legal persons in the U.S.

This marks the first time ever that non-human creatures have been legally considered people.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio recognized the hippos as legal persons recently, an important step in trying to save the animals as authorities in Colombia have discussed killing them since 2009.

Escobar illegally imported animals at his ranch in Colombia until his death in 1993. The animals were sent to other zoos with the exception of four hippos too difficult to move. The four have now multiplied over the years with authorities referring to them as an invasive species.

Colombian attorney Luis Domingo Gómez Maldonado filed a lawsuit on the animals' behalf in July to save them from being killed, stating that sterilization would be a better option.

Non-human animals in Colombia have the right to bring lawsuits to protect their interests. Interested parties in the country are allowed to go to a federal court in the U.S. to obtain documents or testimony.

The Animal Defense League applied on behalf of the hippos and to compel two Ohio wildlife experts who study nonsurgical sterilization to provide testimony.

"Animals have the right to be free from cruelty and exploitation, and the failure of U.S. courts to recognize their rights impedes the ability to enforce existing legislative protections," Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells said in a statement.

"The court's order authorizing the hippos to exercise their legal right to obtain information in the United States is a critical milestone in the broader animal status fight to recognize that animals have enforceable rights," he continued.

People Baffled By 'Absurd' Harry Potter-Themed House Listing



People browsing for houses online have been left baffled by an 'absurd' Harry Potter-themed house listing - which describes a home seemingly devoid of any features relating to the beloved franchise.

An ad for a three-bedroom semi-detached property on Station Road in Coleshill, Birmingham, was shared by Andrew Downing Booth Estate Agents.

While the home, which is being sold for offers in excess of £250,000, doesn't seem to have any links to the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry, the listing's description on Zoopla is littered with references to Harry Potter and co.


Credit: Jam Press/Andrew Downing Booth Estate Agents


Credit: Jam Press/Andrew Downing Booth Estate Agents

It reads: "Welcome to Kings Cross Station, platform Nine and three quarters, and all aboard the Hogwarts Express!

"Unfortunately, this time, the platform isn't invisible to other muggles, so you'll have to move quick to get this home as it is sure to be popular.

"Sitting within the convenient spot of Coleshill, this superbly appointed home has been renovated throughout and comprises an entrance hall, two reception rooms and a fabulous modern kitchen to the ground floor.

"Upstairs, in the Gryffindor house, you have three bedrooms, including two doubles and a small third which would be the perfect nursery or study and an uber stylish family bathroom.


Credit: Jam Press/Andrew Downing Booth Estate Agents


Credit: Jam Press/Andrew Downing Booth Estate Agents

"Outside, be sure to book a window seat as you will want the vistas over the sweeping front garden overlooking a green, and the generous rear garden.

"So sneak past any other buyers in your invisibility cloak and call us today to book in your viewing, as it won't take a wizard to work out that this is a wonderful home!"



A screenshot of the listing was shared on Reddit, where many people commented on the 'absurd' sales approach, with one confused user writing: "There is nothing Harry Potter themed about the actual property."

Someone else said: "Someone was either very bored at work or is stuck in an estate agent job when they really aspire to be a writer."

A third quipped: "The only link I can see is that the kitchen is about the same size as Harry's childhood bedroom."

A fourth joked that prospective buyers are 'clearly wearing invisibility cloaks' as the property was listed back in May before being reduced in price in July, while another added: "Absurd, I was at least expecting it to be near actual Kings Cross Station but no it's in Brum."


Credit: Jam Press/Andrew Downing Booth Estate Agents

Someone else suggested: "Some older Victorian house being marketed to younger folks might fit the bill, but just imagine an older person wrapping their heads around this nonsense."

My best guess is that the house is on Station Road, which could be seen as a nod to King's Cross, where Potter and his friends board the Hogwarts Express.

Anyone else have any better ideas?



(I'm not surprised that most can't see the wondrous and amazing things that I can see in those pictures. Naturally most of the people reading this article, are muggles. And muggles are blind to the true world around them. Only those of us who are wizards can see the world as it truly is. Take for instance the picture with the dragon whelp in it. Can't see it you say? Of course not silly boots, your a muggle! But to us wizards, that dragon whelp is magnificent looking. I would buy the place in an instant if I thought there was a snowballs chance they would leave it behind, but let's get real here, no one is leaving behind a dragon whelp that is that cool looking. Naturally there gonna take it with them. I guess for now I'll have to just stay here in Texas.

Scottish man finds second message in a bottle from Canada



A man walking on a beach in Scotland found a message in a bottle and discovered it was the second such message to travel across the Atlantic Ocean from the same man in Canada.

Andrew Eaton-Lewis, a 48-year-old Uig resident, posted about the discovery on Facebook, seeking help translating the message, which was written in French. He found the bottle washed up on the beach during a recent outing at Cliff Beach with friends and family.

"They wanted to go to the beach, so we just quite randomly chose Cliff Beach," he said, according to The Press and Journal. "There are lots of different beaches you can go to, so it was sheer chance that we ended up on this one."

Eaton-Lewis initially thought the bottle was trash left behind from a picnic. But a closer look revealed it had barnacles stuck to it with a note inside dated Jan. 26, 2020.

The message, signed by Andre Huet of Quebec, Canada, and placed inside a plastic bag, wasn't the first to be sent across the Atlantic Ocean by the same man.

Last year, a woman participating in a beach cleaning event in Portland, England, made a similar discovery. Mary Bird found a bottle on the beach containing a note in French inside a plastic bag from Andre Huet.

"I'm going to send a letter to Andre Huet tomorrow, with my email address," Eaton-Lewis posted on Facebook. "Hoping he'll get back to me."

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/10/22/Scotland-message-bottle/6061634914172/

"Free drinks for two" machine aims to spur workplace exchanges

A Japanese beverage maker has taken the wraps off a workplace vending machine it hopes will help restore interactions and creativity to offices and factories amid the coronavirus pandemic -- by providing free drinks when two employees scan their ID cards at the same time.

Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd., which unveiled what it has dubbed the "company president's treat" for corporate customers last Tuesday, aims to install the vending machines at 100 companies by 2022, beginning in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The cost of the free drinks will be covered by the client firms

The idea for the special vending machine emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in those working from home, consequently reducing interactions with bosses and colleagues. Suntory said it hopes the machines will increase opportunities for small talk when people do go to the workplace and foster new ideas.

The machines, which otherwise serve as normal vending machines when work IDs are not scanned, can be customized to limit the number of beverages an employee can get per day, or limit the time or day of the week when the free drink service is offered, among other modifications.

It generated positive feedback when office supply manufacturer Kokuyo Co. installed the machine for a trial at its Tokyo office in February.

Altogether, 97.8 percent of surveyed Kokuyo users said the vending machine acted as a nice conversation starter, with employees noting it was both fun to use and raised office morale. One respondent also said it had provided a chance to talk to a colleague for the first time in several years.

"We want to create a little more happiness across a range of different offices," a senior Suntory official said.

[lush]

70-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to Her First Child
October 21st, 2021*

At an age when most women are either busy playing with their grandchildren or are long past thinking about having children, a 70-year-old Indian woman just gave birth to her first child.

Jivuben Valabhai Rabari and her husband had been trying to conceive ever since they got married, 45 years ago, but their every attempt had been unsuccessful. A couple of years ago, Ms. Rabari, a milk farmer from rural Gujarat, contacted a gynecologist about the possibility of trying an IVF treatment to finally fulfill her dream of having a baby. The doctor, Naresh Bhanushali, had helped several members of the woman’s family conceive, and she was convinced he could do the same for her. Despite receiving negative counseling and being told that her relatives were between 45 and 50 years old, not nearing 70 like her, she would not take ‘no’ for an answer.


Photo: Aditya Romansa/Unsplash

“I explained that those family members were all between 45-50 years old so IVF treatment was possible. I tried to give her negative counseling, explaining the risks that she may even lose her life, but she was so emotional that I eventually gave in,” Dr. Bhanushali said.

“I told her that she is too old and this is too dangerous for your health, but she would not listen. She ultimately started crying and said ‘Even if I die, I will be happy that at least I tried to have a child,'” the Indian gynecologist added.



Getting Jivuben ready for insemination was a massive challenge for Bhanushali and his team. Ms Rabari had been post-menopausal for over 20 years, so she was first given hormone treatments to start menstruation. Then, they widened her uterus which had shrunk owing to age, and finally transferred a single embryo using IVF, because that’s all her uterus could handle.

Miraculously, a test conducted 15 days after insemination revealed that Jivuben had conceived. Doctors later found a heartbeat and despite the obvious health risks to the elderly woman, they went on with the pregnancy, egged on by the mother-to-be herself. However, by the eighth month, the woman’s blood pressure had become worryingly high, so doctors decided to deliver the baby a month before she was due.

Getting Jivuben ready for insemination was a massive challenge for Bhanushali and his team. Ms Rabari had been post-menopausal for over 20 years, so she was first given hormone treatments to start menstruation. Then, they widened her uterus which had shrunk owing to age, and finally transferred a single embryo using IVF, because that’s all her uterus could handle.

Miraculously, a test conducted 15 days after insemination revealed that Jivuben had conceived. Doctors later found a heartbeat and despite the obvious health risks to the elderly woman, they went on with the pregnancy, egged on by the mother-to-be herself. However, by the eighth month, the woman’s blood pressure had become worryingly high, so doctors decided to deliver the baby a month before she was due.



“Though we took utmost care, I have to say that she was lucky and we were lucky that the procedure was successful,” Dr. Naresh Bhanushali said. “This is a rare case, you can call it a miracle. I have been practicing for 20 years and conducted over 1,000 IVF treatments but I have never seen a case like this. While we are happy that the case was successful, we still urge people to not attempt pregnancies in old age.”

Like many of her peers born in rural India, Jivuben Valabhai Rabari doesn’t have a birth certificate to confirm her age, but she told doctors that she was between 65 and 70-years-old when she gave birth to her healthy baby boy. Her age estimation was also confirmed by the doctors.



Successfully impregnating a woman at such an advanced age may be considered a scientific miracle, but it also raises ethical concerns for the doctors involved, because of the parents’ probable deaths before their son has reached adulthood. However, several of Jivuben’s relatives have offered to take in the child and raise it, should anything happen to his parents.

In 2019, we wrote about the world’s oldest woman to ever give birth, an Indian woman named Mangayamma, who managed to have a child at the ripe age of 74.