Roger Waters denies ‘powerful idiot’ Mark Zuckerberg’s bid to use Pink Floyd song in Instagram ad: ‘No f—ing way’

Roger Waters won’t be another brick in Facebook’s wall.

The Pink Floyd bass player and principal songwriter revealed in a press conference last week that he has rejected Mark Zuckerberg’s request to use the British band’s 1979 hit “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” in a film to promote Instagram.

And a clip of him calling the Facebook CEO “one of the most powerful idiots in the world” has gone viral on Twitter. It led Waters’s name and Facebook to trend on Twitter on Tuesday morning. Be warned that there is some strong language.

While speaking at a pro-Julian Assange event, Waters, 77, read a letter he claimed was from Zuckerberg. “It arrived this morning, with an offer for a huge, huge amount of money,” said the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. “And the answer is, ‘F— you. No f—in’ way.”

Many in the audience can be heard clapping, and one person on the discussion panel rises to give Waters a standing ovation.

Waters accused Facebook and Instagram of being part of “an insidious movement of them to take over absolutely everything,” and added, “I will not be party to this bull—-, Zuckerberg.”

According to the letter that Waters read aloud, Facebook feels that the core sentiment of the song — which calls out institutions, such as formal education — is “still so prevalent and so necessary today, which speaks to how timeless the work is.”

Rogers countered that the social network missed the point of his song. The lyrics, as you may recall, go: “We don’t need no education/We don’t need no thought control/No dark sarcasm in the classroom/Teacher leave these kids alone/All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall/All in all, you’re just another brick in the wall.”

“And yet, they want to use [this song] to make Facebook and Instagram more powerful than it already is,” said Waters.

Indeed, Facebook is facing formal antitrust probes by the European Union and the United Kingdom over its Marketplace classified-ads service. And Congress has spent 15 months investigating the power of the country’s biggest tech companies, including Facebook, Amazon Apple and Google

Pink Floyd has long refused to allow the band’s music to be used for any advertisements that weren’t for a “good cause,” although the group did write a song for a Dole bananas spot in the mid-70s to help make rising ticket prices cheaper for their fans.

Waters also brought up Zuckerberg’s pre-Facebook website FaceMash, which he built at Harvard in 2003 to rate the looks of women on campus. “How did this little prick who started out as ‘She’s pretty, we’ll give her a four out of five, she’s ugly, we’ll give her a four out of five,’ how did we give him any power?” asked Waters. “And yet here he is, one of the most powerful idiots in the world.”

Reps from Facebook and Instagram were not immediately available for comment.

This isn’t the first time an artist has balked over requests to use their songs, of course. It’s especially common for politicians and musicians to butt heads over music rights, with Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Bob Dole all drawing rebuke over using artists’ songs on the campaign trail without their permission.

The Rolling Stones threatened former President Donald Trump with legal action last year after his re-election campaign repeatedly used their songs at his rallies despite being told to “cease all use” of their singles. And the Stones joined the likes of John Fogerty, the Prince estate, Nickelback and Rihanna in telling the Trump campaign to stop playing their songs.

Facebook shares have risen more than 23% this year, and were up slightly on Tuesday morning.

[Zbignieww]

Lightning strikes car on Florida highway, leaves gouge in road



June 14 (UPI) -- A lightning strike on a car traversing a Florida highway caused damage to the vehicle and the road -- but not the driver.

The Florida Highway Patrol said lightning struck a Nissan Rogue traveling westbound Monday morning in Interstate 75 in Broward County.

The lightning strike about 11:20 a.m. caused damage to the vehicle's antenna and electrical system. The strike also left a 7-foot-long, 4-inch-wide gouge in the road, FHP said.

The driver of the car, a 48-year-old Naples man, was not injured in the strike. The car was towed from the scene and highway crews were alerted to the damage to the pavement.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/06/14 ... 623699936/

[BigGlen]

June 15 is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 199 days remain until the end of the year.

Pre-1600
763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.[1]
844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.[2]
923 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.[3]
1184 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed.
1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta.
1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia.
1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria.
1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded.
1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba.
1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians.
1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor.
1410 – Ottoman Interregnum: Süleyman Çelebi defeats his brother Musa Çelebi outside the Byzantine capital, Constantinople.[4]
1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage.
1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in Exsurge Domine.

1601-1900
1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys.
1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta.
1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown).
1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania.
1800 – The Provisional Army of the United States is dissolved.
1804 – New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document.
1808 – Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain.
1836 – Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state.
1844 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
1846 – The Oregon Treaty extends the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean.
1859 – Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers.
1864 – American Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins.
1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Arlington estate (formerly owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee) are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.[5]
1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy.[6]
1878 – Eadweard Muybridge takes a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs; the study becomes the basis of motion pictures.
1888 – Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II; he will be the last Emperor of the German Empire. Due to the death of his predecessors Wilhelm I and Frederick III, 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors.
1896 – The deadliest tsunami in Japan's history kills more than 22,000 people.

1901-present
1904 – A fire aboard the steamboat SS General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1,000.
1916 – United States President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter.
1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete the first nonstop transatlantic flight when they reach Clifden, County Galway, Ireland.
1920 – Following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Northern Schleswig is transferred from Germany to Denmark.[7]
1921 – Bessie Coleman earns her pilot's license, becoming the first female pilot of African-American descent.
1934 – The United States Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded.
1936 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
1937 – A German expedition led by Karl Wien loses sixteen members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat. It is the worst single disaster to occur on an 8000m peak.
1940 – World War II: Operation Ariel begins: Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany's takeover of Paris and most of the nation.
1944 – World War II: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan's South Seas Mandate.
1944 – In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government in North America.
1951 – The love of my life was born
1970 – Charles Manson goes on trial for the Sharon Tate murders.
1972 – Red Army Faction co-founder Ulrike Meinhof is captured by police in Langenhagen.
1977 – After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the first democratic elections took place in Spain.
1978 – King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor.[8]
1985 – Rembrandt's painting Danaë is attacked by a man (later judged insane) who throws sulfuric acid on the canvas and cuts it twice with a knife.
1991 – In the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupts in the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, killing over 800 people.
1992 – The United States Supreme Court rules in United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries.
1994 – Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations.
1996 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people.
2001 – Leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
2007 – The Nokkakivi Amusement Park was opened in Lievestuore, Laukaa, Finland.[9]
2012 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to successfully tightrope walk directly over Niagara Falls.
2013 – A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 25 people and wounding 22 others.

[mrvictor]

80-Year-old Bonsai Master Creates Incredible Tiny Forests As the Rock-n-Roll Rebel of This Ancient Art



Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing ornamental, artificially dwarfed trees.

Masahiko Kimura began creating his first bonsai designs in his mid-teens.

Featuring dead wood sculpted by tools of his own design, they broke traditional rules dating back centuries.

Perhaps Kimura’s rebellious rule breaking shouldn’t be too surprising: His first dream? To be a rock and roll star.

Over the decades, Kimura’s unique style has gone on to become accepted and even revered—with fans nicknaming him “The Magician.”

These days Kimura—who is now in his 80s—is one of the country’s rare bonsai masters, and he has apprentices all over the globe.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bonsai- ... ko-kimura/

[hija]

A rare orchid that vanished from the UK has been found on a London rooftop



A rare orchid that vanished from the UK has been discovered on a rooftop in the City of London.

The 15-strong colony of small-flowered tongue orchids was found growing on the green roof of Japanese investment bank Nomura.

Serapias parviflora is generally found in the Mediterranean basin and along the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal. However, in 1989 a colony of the plant mysteriously appeared in Cornwall, only to disappear again in 2009.

The newly discovered orchids in London are the only known wild colony of the species in the UK. It is not known how they got there, but ecologist Mark Patterson, who manages the rooftop, has some theories.

“Orchid seeds are incredibly small and can travel great distances by wind,” he said. “The plants could have originated on the continent and been brought over the Channel on southerly winds. Once settled on the Nomura roof the seeds would have formed a symbiosis with a mycorrhizal fungus enabling them to germinate and grow – while possible, the odds are astronomical.”

Another possible explanation, according to Patterson, is that the seeds could have been embedded in the soil used to create the green roof over a decade ago. The plants take years to mature when growing in dry soil conditions, which would explain why they are only coming into bloom now.

One thing is for certain: the find is a testament to nature’s ability to thrive when it is given space.

“To find Britain’s second colony of small-flowered tongue orchids is exciting in itself, but to find them on a green roof in the City of London is extraordinary – on another level, if you’ll excuse the pun,” said Mike Waller, author of Britain’s Orchids. “This is clear evidence that with patience and dedication, even the most unlikely places can become havens for some of our rarest wildlife.”

Wild orchids face many threats to their survival, including overgrazing, trampling by walkers and theft by illegal collectors. Given its location, the newly discovered colony will be well protected from such threats.

The orchids are not the only rare species to have colonised the bank’s roof – a pair of black redstarts have also been spotted there. According to the RSPB, there are fewer than 100 nesting pairs of the bird in the UK.

[HogwartsExpress]

Petition to deny Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight reentry to Earth making the rounds



A new petition is looking to make Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos' upcoming suborbital spaceflight a one-way trip.

The Change.org petition, which was launched five days ago and had been signed by nearly 7,000 people as of Tuesday morning, is urging that the Amazon founder be denied reentry into Earth's atmosphere following Blue Origin's first passenger flight set for July 20.

"Jeff Bezos is actually Lex Luthor disguised as the supposed owner of a super successful online retail store. However, he's actually an evil overlord hell-bent on global domination," petition organizer Jose Ortiz said. "We've known this for years."

"Sign the petition. Share with your friends and family. The fate of humanity is in your hands," Ortiz added.

Bezos first announced in an Instagram post last week he was headed to space along with his brother, Mark Bezos, and one auction winner who was recently sold a seat on the Blue Origin's spacecraft, New Shepard, for $28 million.

The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and to help "invent the future of life in space." Blue Origin said the auction winner's name will be revealed in the coming weeks. In addition, a fourth crew member will also be announced prior to the spaceflight.

The New Shepard, which can hold a total of six passengers, will reach an altitude of over 340,000 feet above Earth's atmosphere. The spacecraft – named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard – has already embarked on 15 successful consecutive missions above the Kármán Line, which is an imaginary boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space, according to Blue Origin. These missions include three successful escape tests "showing the crew escape system can activate safely in any phase of flight."

The aerospace company noted that less than 600 astronauts have ever made it past the Kármán Line to "see the borderless Earth and the thin limb of our atmosphere."

Representatives for Amazon and Blue Origin did not immediately return FOX Business' request for comment on the petition.

source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/deny-bezos-blue-origin-reentry-petition

[lush]

Painting bought for $4.09 at thrift shop identified as David Bowie original
June 15, 2021 / 5:08 PM*


A painting purchased for $4.09 from a rural Ontario thrift store was identified as having been painted by David Bowie and is now expected to sell for up to $12,000 in an auction.
Photo courtesy of Cowley Abbott

June 15 (UPI) -- A painting purchased for less than $5 at a Canadian thrift store is now up for auction after the artist was identified as music legend David Bowie.

Auctioneer Cowley Abbott said the painting was purchased for $4.09 from a donation center for household goods in South River, Ontario, and was subsequently discovered to have been painted by Bowie in 1997.

The auction house said the painting, titled D Head XLVI, is part of a series the singer created between 1994 and 1997.

"The sitters ranged from band members, friends, and acquaintances and there were also some self-portraits," Cowley Abbott spokeswoman Andrea McLoughlin said. "It has been suggested that, for some of these important paintings, Bowie drew inspiration from the Ziggy Stardust era. With long hair and a pronounced profile, this energetic and enigmatic portrait is truly a rare representation from a celebrated artist."

The painting is being sold as part of Cowley Abbott's International Art Online Auction and is expected to fetch a high bid of $9,000-$12,000.

[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
WEDNESDAY JUNE 16
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

[Fivetide]

Idaho men break Guinness record for behind-the-back disc catches



Watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aElZujnWMUw

A pair of Idaho men who lost the Guinness World Record for most behind-the-back flying disc catches in 1 minute reclaimed their title with 67 catches.

David Rush, who has broken more than 150 Guinness World Records to promote STEM education, initially teamed with Mike Beacham to break the record with 51 catches, but their title was taken by a Japanese team who managed 57 catches during a TV show taping.

Rush said it took multiple tries to reclaim the record, and one attempt with 68 catches was disqualified when he stepped over the line that denoted the 15-foot distance required by Guinness.

The pair ended up reclaiming the record with 67 catches. Rush said he believes that with more practice they could break their own record with 70 or more catches.

[ozswede]

Toronto rallies to save tiny kitten who was born without a butthole



A young kitten born with an incredibly rare birth defect may get a new lease on life thanks to the efforts of a Toronto rescue organization and cat lovers around the world.

Dora, an adorable little tortoiseshell, recently came into the care of Annex Cat Rescue at the tender age of just eight weeks old.

"On June 9th, Dora was brought to the vet because she was showing signs of severe constipation," wrote the rescue in an Instagram post. "Unfortunately, Dora was diagnosed with an extremely rare birth defect: an Imperforate Anus. In other words, she was born without a butthole."

Prior to her revelatory veterinarian visit, Dora had miracuously survived all eight weeks of her life without ever having a bowel movement (though, as the rescue writes, "she gets in the litterbox and tries.")

Annex Cat Rescue sought to raise $6,500 for a complicated surgery to remove the "painful and life-threatening amount of fecal matter built up in her colon" as well as to construct an anus, reroute her insides and repair an internal tear.



A member of the rescue group tells blogTO that instead of $6,500, the rescue managed to raise over $10,000 in just a few days. Dora had her emergency surgery on Friday and now has an anus — but her aftercare has been difficult and she must recieve 24-hour support.

"Thank you to everyone who has donated on Dora's behalf. We love you!" wrote Annex Cat Rescue in an update on the post."Dora still hasn't passed a stool and may need another surgery. They are trying to de-clog her and the enemas aren't working."

The rescue organization is asking for a bit more help little Dora — who is described as an "adventurous and curious kitty known for her love of cuddles and gentle kisses."

Interested angels can donate to the cause right here.

"Annex Cat Rescue is a volunteer-run rescue and we rely entirely on donations. We want to provide Dora the best care possible, but we need your help!" writes the rescue. "Will you help Dora keep exploring?"

Source

Cristiano Ronaldo snub wipes billions off Coca-Cola’s market value
Wed 16 Jun 2021 03.05 BST

Cristiano Ronaldo’s removal of two Coca-Cola bottles during a press conference at the Euros has coincided with a $4bn fall in the share price of the drinks giant.

The Portugal captain is a renowned health fanatic and made it clear what he thinks of the carbonated soft drink. The 36-year-old shifted the bottles of Coca-Cola away from him during a press conference in Budapest on Monday in the prelude to his country’s Group F game against Hungary.
Ronaldo followed it by holding up bottle of water before declaring in Portuguese: “Agua!”, appearing to encourage people to choose that instead.
Coca-Cola’s share price dropped from $56.10 to $55.22 almost immediately after Ronaldo’s gesture, a 1.6% dip. The market value of Coca-Cola went from $242bn to $238bn – a drop of $4bn.
Coca-Cola, one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020, replied on Tuesday with a statement that said “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” with different “tastes and needs”.
A Euros spokesperson said: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences.”
Ronaldo is a pop culture colossus, boasting nearly 300 million Instagram followers.
On Tuesday, he scored twice in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary – moving beyond France great Michel Platini as the record goalscorer at the European Championship finals with 11.

[HogwartsExpress]

Family's shock as cat they thought they had cremated comes home




A family got a "huge shock" when their pet cat which they thought they had cremated turned up alive and well.

Frankie, a 16-year-old tabby, went missing from his home in Warrington, Cheshire, on 19 May.

Days later owner Rachel Fitzsimons saw a similar looking dead cat on the M6 motorway and Highways England staff gave it to the family to be cremated.

When Frankie reappeared Mrs Fitzsimons' son Remy, seven, declared: "It's a miracle. We thought he had died."

The meandering moggie had been missing for a few days when the family sent out search parties.



Mrs Fitzsimons then saw the dead cat which looked identical to Frankie on the motorway near to her home. Highway England workers confirmed the markings.

The family had it cremated and even brought the ashes home in a box.

Mrs Fitzsimons said: "Then he came back, frail and hungry but alive.

"So we cremated someone else's cat."

source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-57487383

[BigGlen]

Historic doorknob taken from Tybee Island Lighthouse found in Indiana
The police used social media to recover the doorknob from the observation deck door at the top of the tower, an 'important piece of Tybee's history'



The 155-year-old doorknob of the historic Tybee Island Lighthouse in Georgia was found in Indiana, according to reports.

Charges are pending for a man after the stolen doorknob was found in his home in Greene County, Indiana.

The police used social media to recover the doorknob from the observation deck door at the top of the tower, an "important piece of Tybee's history."

Tybee Island police wrote on Facebook: "The suspect in this photo has been successfully IDENTIFIED. While the investigation is still ongoing, we’d like to thank each one of you who took the time to share this post or send in tips. As always, we greatly appreciate your help!***"



Surveillance video from the lighthouse allegedly caught the man in the act: confiscating the doorknob and hiding it in the pocket of his cargo shorts.

The staff at the lighthouse discovered the doorknob was missing on June 3.

"We hate to think that someone stole it but, since it has not been found, it looks as if it’s a possibility," a Facebook post from Tybee Lighthouse read before the cops began their investigation.

Police have not publicly identified the man who they say took the historic door knob.

Police did not respond to Fox News in time for publication.

[Fatima99]

Incredible garden behind plain brown house that took dad 10 years to create

One green-fingered dad of two has spent a decade transforming his bog-standard back garden behind his family home into a tranquil Japanese paradise, complete with a koi pond



This unassuming family house has an incredible garden - a beautiful secret paradise that took a decade to build.

Dad-of-two Martin Fitton has spent hundreds of hours in his Bristol back garden, slaving away through winter to create the dream space.

Photos from the 90s show the vast transformation that has taken place - with the garden then mainly taken up by a climbing frame for his children - Rhys, 28 and Vanessa, 25.

Martin said: "When I first looked into the Japanese style, I learned there's a lot more you can do in terms of creativity - so not just a shed, lawn and flowers.

"I could add to it forever whereas with an English one I feel like you can just put flowers in and that's sort of it."



The gardening enthusiast has spent the past 10 years working through awful wintery conditions to build and maintain his beautiful multi-tiered garden in Bristol.

The tranquil space has been carefully filled with far-east inspired features, plants and flowers - in time for the summer.



Martin Fitton, 53, has filled the garden with far-east inspired features, plants and flowers - just in time for the summer.

He began designing it in 2009 and admits he's still often taken aback when surveying the huge undertaking, while visitors are understandably blown away.



Martin said: "When you walk up the steps, you can stop and get this great view, I've had people come in and see the garden for the first time - they always stop and just go 'wow.'

"Looking back now I do think, my god, I've done all of that? You can forget how much has been done in that time with the amount of work that goes into it."

Martin turned the old children's climber into a Japanese style frame and installed a koi pond in the bottom of the garden. He has collected fish for over 25 years after following in his grandfather's footsteps.

The green-fingered dad said: "You look at Japanese stuff and you know right away if it's right - you have to take the time to look at it and appreciate it."



One of his most difficult projects was creating a Japanese garden room on the second level, which has become a favourite spot for family gatherings.

He started the lengthy construction in September 2018 after being given the nod to go ahead by his wife, Cyndie, 52.

The dad says he has spent thousands on materials, but have saved a lot of money by designing and doing the work himself.

He also used wood treated with a Japanese technique - shou sugi ban - which is believed to help ensure the material will last for roughly 100 years.
The dad even built a stunning tea house, complete with a bridge going over a scenic pond, and a contained zen garden.

Martin said: "That was my biggest project and the hardest, which I believe I started around my wife's birthday, she told me 'you're not touching the garden until after my party.'

"I was putting down slabs, decking and bricklaying. I built a breeze bloc wall to contain the water and above there is the wooden structure which keeps the koi warm during the winter."

But it's a labour of love, with the entire family appreciating the incredible outdoor spce.

The gardener said: "If we're having lunch she always says let's go up there, so we can sit up there together, taking in the view of the garden or we might sit down at the table by the pond and watch the fish."
If you're inspired, be warned, Martin is out there in all kinds of weather tending to the garden - but he says it's worth it.

He said: "When I redid my pond and the waterfall, I was out every single day since last November, and I mean every single day in all conditions. "I had to break the ice on the pond to get in there and do some cementing.

"I don't mind though, I love it out there, it's my life - being out there in the garden."

[goldie0608]

Hero Dog Survives Rattlesnake Bite After Saving His Owner from Snake: 'My Heart Just Dropped'



A 7-year-old Labrador retriever named Marley saved his owner's life by intervening during a rattlesnake attack.

Alex Loredo, 18, was doing laundry recently at his family's house in San Diego when Marley came to his rescue. The family's laundry room is separated from their house, so Loredo walked outside after hearing the dryer's buzzer. After stepping outside, the teen heard rattling underneath a table, a foot away from him. Underneath the table was a rattlesnake ready to strike.

"It was really loud," he recalled to NBC San Diego.

"Before I could even turn, Marley had run out the door, pushed me out of the way, and gotten in between the snake and me," Loredo continued. "My heart just dropped. My first thought was, 'Oh no, I'm going to lose my best friend.'"

The college student noted that the rattlesnake bit Marley twice - "one on his tongue and the other his neck" - after the dog stepped in to protect his owner. As the snake slithered away following the attack, Loredo and his mother rushed Marley to the hospital.

"It was complete panic," he said. "My heart was racing, and I didn't know what was going to happen next. To be completely honest, I thought he was just going to die in the car."

After a few doses of antivenom and two days in an animal hospital, the brave dog returned home to recover from the ordeal fully. Two weeks after his homecoming, Marley is back to his playful self.

"That's the longest I've ever been away from him, so it was a really sad experience for me," Loredo said of Marley's time in the hospital.

"Marley is no longer in danger but suffers nerve damage on his tongue and jaw and will require medication and weekly therapy visits," Loredo wrote on a GoFundMe he posted to help cover the hero dog's medical expenses.

Rattlesnake sightings in Southern California happen year-round, but they are most common from April to June. San Diego County is home to four types of rattlesnakes: the Colorado Desert Sidewinder, the Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake, the Red Diamond Rattlesnake, and the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.

The San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation recommends keeping on trails when in parks to avoid rattlesnake encounters. Hikers should wear long pants and boots if they plan on hiking through brush, and they should use a flashlight if hiking at night. If bitten, the following first aid steps are suggested:

Remain Calm
Immobilize the Bitten Extremity. Do not apply a tourniquet or constriction band. Do not apply ice to the wound. Do not attempt to cut the wound or suck out the venom.
Wash the Skin. If soap and water are available, wash the skin over the bite or use an antiseptic wipe.
Remove Jewelry and Tight Fitting Clothing in Case of Swelling
Call for Help. If possible, send someone to telephone 911. If alone, walk at a relaxed pace to the closest telephone and call 911. Get medical attention as soon as possible.