[lush]

Four women set world record for rowing from California to Hawaii
uly 27, 2022 / 3:24 PM*



July 27 (UPI) -- An all-female rowing team broke a world record by rowing more than 2,400 nautical miles from California to Hawaii in 34 days, 14 hours and 11 minutes.

Libby Costello, Sophia Denison-Johnston, Brooke Downes and Adrienne Smith, also known as the Lat35 crew, set off from San Francisco in June and arrived in Honolulu on Tuesday morning.

The four-woman team set a world record for the fastest time to make the journey unassisted for an all-female team.

"I think something that I want people to take away is that these women are so incredible but we're not superhuman. There's nothing that we were born with that makes us any different than anybody else," Downes told Good Morning America after arriving in Hawaii.

The team's journey raised money for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

A four-man team rowed from San Francisco to Honolulu in 30 days, 7 hours and 30 minutes in 2021, setting the male version of the record.

Indian politician drinks ‘holy water’ but ends up with a stomach infection


It was all fine until Bhagwant Mann ended up in hospital three days later (Picture: Gagandeep Singh)

An Indian politician who said he was drinking ‘holy water’ from a polluted river ended up in hospital with a stomach infection three days later.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was admitted to hospital in Delhi on Wednesday.

He had drunk the water from the Kali Bein river, ironically on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of its cleaning, in Sultanpur Lodhi on Sunday.

During he visit, he had announced the launch of a statewide campaign to clean rivers and drains in the state.

While he was at the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with a stomach infection, according to the New Indian Express.

He was kept under observation by a team of medical experts for two days before being discharged on Thursday.

Mr Mann is not the only person who believes they were drinking something for a good cause.

Harry Matadeen, started drinking his own pee in 2016 and swears it has ‘cured’ his depression.

He drinks a 200ml cup of pee each day, some of it near a month old. Harry described the fluid as an ‘acquire taste’, adding that his more-aged urine tends to have a more ‘refined’ taste.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/22/india-po ... -17052719/

[BigGlen]

Police: California burglar forgot keys inside crime scene



SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California burglar returned to the scene of the crime this weekend after he forgot his keys inside a doughnut company’s corporate office.

The thief stole some petty cash from Johnny Doughnuts’ office in the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday night, police said. In another twist, he also grabbed the keys to a bakery vehicle, but didn’t steal the vehicle itself.

San Rafael police are seeking the public’s help to identify the burglar, who used an unknown tool to “manipulate” the office’s doorknob and get inside around 10 p.m., according to Lt. Dan Fink. The crime was reported to police on Monday.

Surveillance video shows the man moving between the office and a back storage area, where he pried open a filing cabinet, Fink said.

The lieutenant said the thief took a bank bag with an unknown amount of cash.

“Part of the investigating is finding out why this specific business was targeted,” he said.

Craig Blum, founder of Johnny Doughnuts, said his company plans to deliver a few dozen doughnuts to the San Rafael police officers “who came to our aid to ensure that we can continue serving our community hand-crafted doughnuts without interruption.”

“It was an unfortunate incident, but we’re glad no doughnuts or team members were harmed,” Blum said. “Sometimes even the thought of a doughnut makes you do crazy things.”

[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
THURSDAY JULY 28
What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You can post as many stories as you like, but you will only get paid for One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can only earn WRZ$ once a day.
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -5)
2:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)
on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them short, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[ozswede]

Flashy Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead defends lifestyle after $1M jewelry heist

The flashy Brooklyn bishop known for flaunting his Gucci suits, diamond-encrusted chains and stable of luxury vehicles says it’s not his fault he was targeted in a $1 million jewelry heist.

Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead — who’s cozy with Mayor Eric Adams and previously did five years in prison for identity fraud and grand larceny — insisted on Instagram that his public displays of wealth didn’t lead to Sunday’s gunpoint robbery during his livestreamed service in Canarsie.



“It’s not about me being flashy,” said the Rolls-Royce-driving clergyman, 44, in a video shortly after three thieves robbed him and his wife in the middle of his sermon at the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries.

“It’s about me purchasing what I want to purchase. It’s my prerogative to purchase what I want to purchase.”

The bishop said he can’t be blamed for standing out in the community, given his status, as critics suggested his “blinged-out’’ look could have made him an outsize target.

“Sometimes when you’re a known bishop, it’s a gift and a curse,” Miller-Whitehead said. “You become the talk of the town.”

At the time of the robbery, Miller-Whitehead and his wife were wearing more than $1 million in jewels and gold.


Miller-Whitehead and his wife were wearing a $390,000 Cuban link chain, a $200,000 men’s gold chain
and a pair of his and hers wedding rings worth $175,000 during the robbery.

The thieves made off with a treasure trove of items totaling $1,060,000: a $75,000 Rolex watch, a $75,000 Cavalier watch, a $25,000 Episcopal ruby and diamond ring, a $25,000 Episcopal diamond ring, a $25,000 pair of earrings, a $20,000 diamond and emerald cross, a $20,000 Episcopal ring, a $20,000 Episcopal cross and a $10,000 Episcopal gold cross.

“When I see them come into the sanctuary with their guns, I told everybody [to] get down, everybody just get down,” Miller-Whitehead said in one of two lengthy Instagram videos he posted late Sunday.

“I didn’t know if they wanted to shoot the church up or if they were just coming for a robbery.”

The suspects were all wearing masks, but Miller-Whitehead said he could see their faces.

“They took all of my wife’s jewelry and took all of my jewelry, and then they left,” the bishop said, pointing out that he was even robbed of his wedding band and the debacle left his congregants “traumatized.”


Miller-Whitehead downplayed criticism over his blinged-out look with “material things” that might have made him an outsize target.

“However, these young men didn’t know that cameras were on, and we know what car you were driving.”

The three suspects fled in a white Mercedes, Miller-Whitehead said. He said he saw them change their clothes in the car as he futilely ran after them. They are still in the wind, police said Monday.

“For you to kick in a church door and come with guns in the middle of service — what God is gonna do to y’all is above my pay grade,’’ the bishop said of the suspects while shaking his head. (Interesting that retribution may be above his pay grade, but a fleet of luxury vehicles, designer suits, and diamond-encrusted chains are not… )

Speaking again on Instagram, Bishop Whitehead defended his extravagant lifestyle, saying he was "going to live his life the way God has it set up for him". (and he said this with a straight face?)

He has offered a $US50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the robbers. Miller-Whitehead, who said he understands the “rules of the streets,” called on the public to submit any tips to the NYPD.

(My tip to the NYPD is that it's a set-up - an insider job, with him collaborating with the thieves to get the insurance money)

[Fatima99]

Spiders are being brought back from the dead and turned into 'necrobots' for science



To many, spiders are already nightmare-induced hell demons that needs to be destroyed with fire regardless of what purpose they serve.

And now, thanks to one team of scientists, we've all been given a a new reason to burn the house down should we see one – because it might be a zombie robot spider.

Yes, you read that right.

A team of experts at Rice University in Houston, Texas, lead by mechanical engineer Daniel Preston, dead wolf spiders are being turned into “necrobots” which will see them have their legs unfurl so that they can grip onto objects using robotic machinary.

According to the experts, spider legs don't have muscles for extension, and can only move their legs via hydraulic pressure.

So, horrifyingly, the scientists jabbed a needle through the spider's back, sealed it with superglue and kept squeezing air into the bodies to activate the spider's legs.



This gave the (thankfully, dead) creatures a full range of motion in less than one second.

A spokesman for the team said: “We took the spider, we placed the needle in it not knowing what was going to happen.

"We had an estimate of where we wanted to place the needle.

“And when we did, it worked, the first time, right off the bat.

“I don't even know how to describe it, that moment.”

The team managed to get the spider to pull the body over another spider up using this method – for what reason, they have not yet made clear.

No actual purpose or solid suggestions as to the reason for the experiment has been detail as yet.

But, a spokesman said: “One of the applications we could see this being used for is micro-manipulation, and that could include things like micro-electronic devices.

“We experimented with coating the wolf spiders in beeswax and found that its mass decrease was 17 times less than the uncoated spider over 10 days, which meant it was retaining more water and its hydraulic system might function longer.”

Creepy, vengeful spider bots anyone?

screammmmmmmmmmmm

Nebraska man hits ax throwing target from 90 feet for world record



A Nebraska man broke a world record by throwing an ax to a target 90 feet away at the Cornhusker State Games.

Jesse Rood, 25, a Lincoln firefighter, attempted the Guinness World Record during the opening ceremony of the Cornhusker State Games at Seacrest Field in Lincoln.

Rood said he was told by Guinness World Records that the record was 72 feet, a mark he bested with a 90-foot throw that struck the target.

Rood, who got into ax throwing while working part time Craft Axe Throwing in Lincoln while attending college, said he has hit targets from up to 120 feet away during practice.

"Maybe in the future, I'll try again," Rood told the Seward Independent.

View: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/07/27 ... 658944092/

[prokroustis]

Germans taking fewer showers due to energy crisis



A poll conducted by INSA on behalf of Bild newspaper finds that almost two-thirds of Germans are now taking shorter showers in response to numerous government appeals to do so

Germans are taking fewer showers in response to energy shortages and the cost of living crisis, it has been revealed.

A poll conducted by INSA on behalf of Bild newspaper finds that almost two-thirds of Germans are now taking shorter showers in response to numerous government appeals to do so.

62% of respondents to the poll said they had reduced their shower time and are showing less frequently compared to just a few weeks ago, while 35% say they haven’t changed their cleaning routine.

Unsurprisingly, those in the lowest income group said they had changed their behavior more significantly than any other group.

Almost half of respondents (45%) also said they were making preparations for a difficult winter, such as buying an emergency power generator.

As we previously highlighted, Germans are being told they will have to accept a reduction in their living standards to accommodate support for ‘the current thing’.

Many have responded by panic buying stoves and firewood, leading to exhausted supplies across the country.

Earlier this month, Hamburg’s environment minister warned Germans that hot water could be rationed and limits on maximum room temperatures introduced as a result of the energy crisis.

[HogwartsExpress]

[Governor3]

Mysterious Monkey Mayhem
Macaques Are Suddenly Terrorizing People in Southwestern Japan

There've been at least 58 attacks on people since July 8. It's so bad that the city of Yamaguchi has created a special unit to hunt and tranquilize the animals.

In just the past few weeks, wild monkeys have attacked at least 58 people in and around the city of Yamaguchi in southwestern Japan, and no one seems to know exactly why, according to a report from the Associated Press. “I have never seen anything like this my entire life,” city official Masato Saito told the AP on Wednesday. Things have gotten so bad that Yamaguchi city hall has assembled a special unit to tranquilize and capture the primates.

So far, there have been no serious injuries but victims have incurred scratches and bites all over their bodies, according to a report from CNN. And the number of confirmed attacks has increased two-fold in less than a week. The monkeys have targeted people of all ages, from toddlers to the elderly.“They are so smart, and they tend to sneak up and attack from behind, often grabbing at your legs,” Saito further said to the AP.

And, even though there hasn’t been any severe injuries yet, attacks like this are serious business. Monkeys are known to actually kill people in India.

The monkeys involved in Japan are macaques, or “snow monkeys”, which are widely known on the internet for pictures of the primates relaxing in hot springs. Yet the ones attacking people seem anything but relaxed. The best advice for staying safe if approached by a macaque, from the AP:

When confronted by a monkey, the instructions are: Do not look them in the eye, make yourself look as big as possible, such as by spreading open your coat, then back away as quietly as possible without making sudden moves, according to Saito.

Initially, authorities believed that a single macaque could be responsible for the spate of violence. However, it’s since become clear that that’s not the case. One male monkey, known to have attacked someone, was captured by the tranquilizer team on Tuesday and euthanized. Yet more attacks have been reported since that one monkey was killed.

Additionally, early attacks took place inside, after at least one monkey entered peoples’ homes and a school through open windows and doors. However, now that people are on alert and ensuring buildings are more secure, people are increasingly facing monkey assaults outside, according to CNN. For instance, one woman was attacked while hanging laundry outside her home, said the AP.

Though the cause of the attacks remains unclear, it could be the culmination of years of increasing conflict between people and the macaques. “In Japan, more and more monkeys are coming into homes and farms, damaging crops,” said Mieko Kiyono, a wildlife management researcher at Kobe University, to CNN. “Local governments have measures to chase the monkeys away — for example, they may use fireworks to chase them back into their habitat.”

But that sort of response may be stoking hostility among the macaque community, Kiyono told CNN. Like all primates, these monkeys are social and learn from one another. “Monkeys who learn to react against humans will join other herds, leading to more monkeys that do not fear humans,” Kiyono said. Maybe, in Yamaguchi, the macaques have finally reached their limit.
https://gizmodo.com/monkey-attack-japan-macaques-1849339596
----------------------
First the sharks, now the monkeys are coming for us. Nature is angry, my friends, and wants us gone. And - purely from a reporting standpoint - while there have been a number of interesting articles this week, none of them have the headline "Mysterious Monkey Mayhem" - which I believe just may have Pulitzer potential Gauntlet, thrown - Gov

[PennySerenade]

Florida Deputies Relocate Alligator Found in Garage Near Sheriff's Office: 'Later Gator!'



Florida 911 dispatchers were greeted by an alligator on Sunday when they left the administration building of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in Largo after a busy shift.

The sheriff's office wrote about the wild animal encounter, which occurred in the administration building's parking garage, on Facebook.

"After a long night of responding to 9-1-1 calls dispatchers were serenaded by this scaly gal in the parking garage at the Sheriff's Administration Building in Largo. Ok, it was more of a croak than a serenade but the message was clear 'we've been trying to reach you about your vehicle's extended warranty,'" the law enforcement agency wrote on social media.

"Being dispatchers they knew just the number to call. Deputy Duckers with the assistance of one of our Sheriff's Volunteer Patrol members safely relocated the gator. See ya later, gator!" the post continued.

The alligator that waddled into the parking garage was released in a less populated area.

Unfortunately, not all alligator encounters have peaceful endings.

On July 15, an older woman died after she fell into a pond near her home in Englewood, Florida, and two alligators attacked her.

The woman "struggled to stay afloat" after she fell into the water at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, CBS News reported.



"While in the water two alligators were observed near the victim and ultimately grabbed her while in the water," deputies said, per ABC News.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and a death investigation was launched at the golf course following the incident.

Last Monday, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office issued a statement to PEOPLE, indentifying the woman as Rose Wiegand, born on August 9, 1941.

Wiegand "was pulling weeds from the water side of a retaining wall" before "the caller heard a scream and observed Wiegand fall into the water," the statement read. "The caller then entered the water and swam to her location but was unable to locate the victim as the alligators had pulled her beneath the water."

"Over the weekend, the medical examiner ruled the death of Ms. Wiegand as a result of the alligator attack," the statement added.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Doug Foote, the general manager of the Boca Royale Golf & Country Club, said, "This is a tragic situation, and we are deeply saddened that it happened. Our hearts go out to the family members and friends affected by this loss, and we offer our deepest condolences."

He added: "There is an ongoing investigation into details of what happened, and we are working with authorities to provide any information we have."

[goldie0608]

Terminally Ill Student Fulfills Bucket List Dream of Presenting TV Weather Forecast

Laura Nuttall was told she had 18 months to live when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018



A British student who was told she had 18 months to live after a brain cancer diagnosis lived out her bucket list dream of presenting the BBC's TV weather forecast Monday.

Laura Nuttall, 22, met with BBC North West Tonight forecaster Owain Wyn Evans and read part of the program's evening weather report, a video posted by the BBC on Facebook and shared by the Doing it For Laura fundraising website showed.

"I never thought I'd be standing there doing the weather forecast," Nuttall, who was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma in October 2018, told The Times Wednesday. "But then again, I never thought I'd be doing a lot of the things I've done in the last couple of years."

"My policy is if someone suggests something then basically I am up for doing it," added Nuttall, who has also met Michelle Obama, fished with actor Paul Whitehouse and spent a day with Manchester police in her bucket list journey since her diagnosis.

"There is so much in the world that I still want to see and do," she added to The Times.

Video of Nuttall's visit to the BBC studios showed her having her makeup applied and explaining the details of pressure systems to viewers. She also had a nameplate on the screen behind her to identify her as part of the BBC Weather team.

Her mother, Nicola Nuttall, told The Times that Laura had fulfilled her bucket-list wishes since her diagnosis thanks to people "being very generous with their time" when they hear her story.

"We're just trying to give things for Laura to look forward to and having something to get up for each morning really helps," Nicola, 52, told The Times. "She does of course have bad days, when the chemo takes its toll and she struggles to get out of bed. And when that happens, it's really good to know that there's a great day out coming down the line."

Laura was studying at prestigious King's College London when an optician who examined her eyes "recognized abnormalities." Further tests revealed that she had two brain tumors and "at least six lesions on her brain," according to the Doing it For Laura website.

"I thought it was something minor. I just started getting headaches for two weeks. I thought it was just a common cold or a bout of headaches," Laura told PEOPLE in 2019 during her first semester at Kings College.

"That's not something you're really prepared to deal with at such a young age," she added. "Being told your life is going to get cut short, it's been emotionally draining for me and my family as well."

Despite undergoing intensive chemotherapy, the student from Lancashire in the north of England returned to her studies at Manchester University and recently graduated with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, according to The Times.

"In the last 3 years [Laura has] had: 19 weeks of immunotherapy treatment in Germany, 11 cycles of chemo, 6 rounds of keytruda checkpoint inhibitor, 4 units of blood & 2 further brain surgeries," reads a July 6 update from Nicola on the fundraising website.

"It's been so tough, working through sickness and fatigue and in little air b&b's in Cologne with dodgy WiFi, but she did it and we could not be any prouder of her."

An update made to the Doing it for Laura Facebook page last Monday reads that the audience at Laura's graduation audibly gasped and gave her "a ridiculously long round of applause" when the university's vice chancellor spoke about her.

In addition to reading the weather report for the BBC, Laura also took in the semi-final match of the women's Euro 2022 soccer tournament between England and Sweden Tuesday, which England won 4-0, according to The Times.

Tragically, fewer than three to five percent of people diagnosed with Diffuse Glioblastoma Multiforme survive longer than five years, according to Doing it For Laura website. The median length of survival after diagnosis is 12-15 months and just three months without any treatment, the website added.

The Nuttall family did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment regarding her experience guest-presenting at the BBC Wednesday.

[lush]

Beaver rescued after running through pub in English village
July 28, 2022 / 12:47 PM*



July 28 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers responded to a pub in an English village when a beaver went running through the establishment and hunkered down in the smoking shelter.

Linjoy Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue - Midlands said a rescuer was called to the Yew Tree Pub in Norton Canes when a beaver ran through the main bar area about 8:45 p.m. and made its way to the smoking shelter outside, where it found a hiding place beneath some chairs.

"Well, this is a first," the rescue said in a Facebook post.

Linjoy founder Lindsay Newell said rescuers initially found the call difficult to believe.

"We were called about this and were a bit surprised to hear it was a beaver as we've never seen one up close and were struggling to believe a beaver would actually walk into a pub," she told the Express & Star newspaper.

A rescuer was able to coax the beaver into a cage and bring it to the rescue.

"We were surprised about how big it was, but it was a such a nice and docile creature and just sat there eating leaves as we worked out the next step with it," Newell said.

The rescue said in a follow-up post that the beaver was transferred to a specialist center and will hopefully be returned to the wild.

Alligator captured at daycare center in Georgia



Police and a professional reptile wrangler were summoned to a Georgia daycare to round up an alligator spotted under a chair outside the building.

Sandra O'Neal, owner of Angel's Childcare in the Cloverdale neighborhood of Savannah, said a parent informed her Wednesday morning that a large alligator was under a chair outside the building's front door.

O'Neal's daughter, Katrina Bostick, said children were kept inside the building while police were summoned to the scene.

"It was literally just staring us down like, 'I'm not going anywhere,'" Bostick told WSAV-TV.

Police arrived and called local gator wrangler "Trapper Jack" Douglas for backup.

"He was able to pull the alligator from up under the furniture, he pulled him out into the yard and really just wrangled him," Bostick said.

Douglas said the 7 1/2-foot gator is being kept at his facility until state wildlife officials give him clearance to return it to the wild.

Couple enjoyed noshing on 14-inch banana together while on holiday



A couple believe they’ve found the world’s biggest banana and have had some fun together getting their chops around it.

Gabrielle Testa, 22, and Ollie Porceddu, 25, had a good nosh on the 14-inch elongated fruit.

They came across the girthy banana – which was the same length as Ollie’s forearm – while travelling in Borneo.

After peeling back the skin, it took them two days to plough through the six and half monster fruit.



Gabbie said: ‘When we first saw the banana, we just looked at each other and knew we were going to end up with it.

‘It honestly didn’t taste any different to the small banana that Ollie eats in the videos. It was more the genetics of the banana that were weird.

‘It’s hard to explain but it looked like it was two bananas that grew together and then encircled by more banana.

‘We did eat the whole fruit; it took the both of us two days to finish and we made ourselves very full trying to eat it all the night we bought it.

‘Ollie thinks it weighed around three kilograms, it had a lot of weight to it.

‘We have also seen some giant durians in Indonesia but haven’t had the means or method to transport one, so maybe that’s next on the big fruits safari.’



https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/17/couple-d ... -17013225/