[hija]

Cheeky art installations cut to the chase at the G7



Recent G7 summits have been panned for failing to tackle the big issues of the day. Some have suggested that the world leaders present are better at generating hot air than reducing it.

Reminding the G7 about its obligations to people and the planet this week were the artists Joe Rush and Alex Wreckage (main picture, above). They created a Mount Rushmore-style sculpture of the G7 leaders out of electronic waste, which they dubbed ‘Mount Recyclemore’.

The robot-like faces will stare across Cornwall’s Carbis Bay at the real leaders this weekend as they convene for the latest G7 summit. The installation will quietly urge them to tackle the growing scourge of electronic waste, 15.9m tonnes of which is produced by G7 nations annually.

Separately, two giant footprints appeared on the sand in Carbis Bay to highlight the size of the G7’s carbon footprint compared to the rest of the world. Other activist-led activity taking place alongside the G7 includes Sea7, an event where conservationists will discuss solutions to ocean degradation.

Virginia bear rescued after getting itself stuck in factory ceiling

Volvo manufacturing plant employees were told to stay in the cafeteria during the bear’s evacuation



Wildlife will always be free, until limitations curb their liberation.

A bear managed to somehow get stuck in the ceiling of a western Virginia manufacturing plant on June 4, according to state wildlife officials. The bear was 20 feet up far from stairs or a ladder.

"After assessing the situation, it was apparent to staff that given the location of the bear, odds were low that it would soon safely leave on its own," Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources officials said on social media. "Considering the plant’s production needs, (it was) decided that the best course of action would be to immobilize the bear and remove it from the area."

Employees of the Volvo manufacturing plant were told to stay in the cafeteria during the bear’s evacuation.

State biologists used a "chemical immobilization dart" to knock out the bear and then used the plant’s heavy equipment including a forklift to bring the bear down.

The bear, found to be unharmed, was taken to "a suitable site for release."

Earlier this week across the country, a bear in Arizona similarly emerged unscathed from quite the power trip when it became stuck on a utility pole.

Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, a utility company based in the southern Arizona city of Willcox, was notified Monday morning that a bear was tangled in power pole wires on the outskirts of town.

The bear eventually climbed down and ran off into the desert.

There were no injuries, and the power outage, which affected residential customers, only lasted about 15 minutes.

That was the second time in a month that a bear has been spotted in a southern Arizona city.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-bear-rescued-after-stuck-factory-ceiling

[goldie0608]

Dog rescued after wandering through Arctic ice for more than a week



A dog has been rescued by sailors after wandering through the Arctic for more than a week, according to Russian state media.

The crew of a Russian icebreaker ship came across the Samoyed deep in the ice fields near the village of Mys Kamenny in northern Russia, state channel Russia 1 reported.

Yegor Agapov, the captain of the Alexander Sannikov icebreaker, told the network the dog approached the side of the vessel as it traversed the sparse and freezing landscape toward an oil terminal in the Gulf of Ob.

Video footage showed the white dog, named Aika, wagging her tail and walking gingerly on the jagged ice before the crew lowered a ladder for her to climb.

"We put out the ladder, by which the dog climbed aboard on its own. Later, with the help of mobile phone, we established contact with the local population, found the owner of the dog," Evgeny Nagibin, a navigation assistant, told Russia 1.

They took the dog to the nearby village and located the owners, who said Aika had run away during a walk around the village and would probbaly not had survived without the intervention of the crew.

"The dog didn't go anywhere without us, we have no idea how she got there," said owner Svetlana Chereshneva, a resident of Mys Kamenny.

The Samoyed, a herding dog with a thick, fluffy white coat, is a native breed to northern Russia and Siberia.

Aika's remarkable feat of endurance is rare, but dogs are known for their ability to survive in difficult conditions.

In 2019, a dog was found by workers on an oil rig some 135 miles off the coast of Thailand.

The same year, a French bulldog survived a six-story plunge from a New York building.

[lush]

How Many Times Can You Fall Into a Storm Drain?
June 10, 2021 *

• This woman seems to defy the odds.

A woman that was found and rescued from a storm drain in South Florida, has now been rescued from a storm drain in Texas. It kinda makes you wonder if it’s happened before? (To her, I mean.)

A woman who spent three weeks in a sewer system in Delray Beach disappeared into a storm drain in Texas.

Lyndsey Kennedy, 43, was posted on the Grand Prairie Facebook page. The post said they were looking for her. Four days later, the woman was found by her mom and best friend at a nearby canal.

Kennedy told police in March that she went for a swim in the canal near her boyfriend’s house, as she was “curious,” and that she wandered through the tunnels before getting lost.

Kennedy’s family said that a little over a week after checking into a rehab facility in Texas, she wandered off and was reported missing by the local report. Brady Morgan who’s best friend’s with Kennedy said Grand Prairie Police spotted Kennedy near a creek but that when they got closer to her, she slipped into a nearby storm drain.

Her family used a tracking app to find Kennedy’s phone, and they were able to ping her last location. They entered the underground system so and began their search.

This wasn’t the first (or aptly the second, since she fell in twice) time that this happened in 2021. An elderly man fell into a storm drain earlier this year in January.



His neighbor found him after he had fallen 10 feet into a storm drain. Charles Marshall went to take his dog for a walk, when he realized the man’s car was parked funny in the driveway and that there was no grate on the nearby storm drain.

Marshall called down to the man after realizing he was in there. The man who had fallen said he was ok, but that he hit his head.

911 was called but got him out within the hour. He was taken to the hospital with severe injuries.

He lives alone now, since his wife passed last summer. He is a prince of a guy according to the Marshall, his neighbor who found him, and has support from his friends and family.

Student who collected garbage to pay for college admitted to Harvard Law

One man’s trash became this student’s treasure.

A 24-year-old Maryland man has been accepted into Harvard Law School after working as a garbage collector for three years to pay for his education.

“I had to go to the ‘bottom’ of the social hierarchy — that’s to say formerly incarcerated sanitation workers — in order to be uplifted,” Rehan Staton told CNN.

It’s an accomplishment Staton never imagined was possible.

Staton had struggled to find security since he was 8 years old, when his mother abandoned him, his brother and his father. Things got worse when Staton’s father lost his job, and had to pick up three others at once to pay the bills.

“There were often times without food on the table and no electricity in the house,” Staton told the Washington Post. “That was common throughout my childhood.”

‘No one can promise that life will be fair — but if you keep your eyes on the prize, everything will fall into place.’

School wasn’t any better than home. His grades weren’t strong, and teachers gave up on him, going so far as to call him “handicapped,” he said. When it was suggested he be placed in remedial classes, Staton’s father found him a tutor at a community center.

“I ended up getting on the honor roll the rest of that year,” Staton said. “The same teacher who suggested I be placed in special education actually wrote my dad an apology note.”

Staton turned to athletics to keep him, and his grades, in shape. Through high school, he hoped to become a professional boxer after graduation — until a devastating injury to his shoulder forced him to put down his gloves for good. “I couldn’t go to the doctor, because we didn’t have health insurance,” Staton said. “I was crushed.”

With low SAT scores, he was rejected from every college he applied to. That’s when Staton got a job at Bates Trucking & Trash Removal. His new colleagues gave him the support he needed. “It was the first time in my life people were lifting me up for the sake of lifting me up and not because I was good at sports,” he told CNN.

The son of the company’s owner introduced Staton to a professor at Bowie State University. Impressed with the young sanitation worker, the professor helped Staton appeal to the school’s board of admissions. It worked: He started undergrad classes later that year.

“I got a 4.0 GPA, I had a supportive community and I became the president of organizations,” said Staton. Staton’s brother, Reggie, was also enrolled at Bowie State at the time but decided to drop out and work at the same trash company to support his brother.

After two years, Staton transferred to the University of Maryland. His father suffered a stroke, so the future law student continued to do sanitation work to pay the medical bills. Starting at 4 a.m., he would be hauling trash into a truck before class. Sometimes there wouldn’t be enough time for Staton to shower after work, and he would sit in the back of the classroom to hide.

In December 2018, Staton graduated and was asked to be his class’ commencement speaker. He ditched the neon vest for a suit, taking a job at the Robert Bobb Group, a consulting firm. He took the LSATs while working full time.

In March, the acceptance letters rolled in: In addition to Harvard Law, Staton was offered admission to Columbia University, University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania and Pepperdine University.

Staton will start online classes at Harvard this fall. He’ll specialize in sports law and hopes to become an agent. A GoFundMe to cover his tuition has been set up, and as of Thursday morning, it had raised almost $74,000.

“No one can promise that life will be fair — but if you keep your eyes on the prize, everything will fall into place,” said Staton.

[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
FRIDAY JUNE 11
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]

Loyal dog chases ambulance taking sick owner to hospital

A Turkish woman and her golden retriever have demonstrated the unshakeable bond between human and dog in one heartbreaking video.

The animal was spotted chasing after an ambulance that rode away with its owner on Buyukada island, the largest of the Princes’ Islands of Istanbul, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The unidentified sick woman was reportedly treated in her home while her loyal pup monitored the situation at her side. Eventually, first responders made the call to bring her to a clinic for closer observation.

Her dog continued its guardianship as they loaded the patient into the back of the ambulance. Despite its anguished plea – and those big, puppy eyes – medics could not allow the animal to ride inside due to health policies and hygienic safety.

They shut the doors, likely assuming the dog would wait there for its caretaker’s return.



But the determined pooch would see to it that its friend was OK, running after the vehicle as they made their away through town to the hospital.


The devoted dog followed the ambulance to hospital.

There, again, the faithful furry friend continued its vigil at the medical centre until reportedly reuniting with the woman.


The devoted dog continued its vigil at the hospital, refusing to leave until the woman returned.

It’s certainly not the first time a dog has made the agonising trip to the hospital for their human mates. Boncuk, also from Turkey, was seen pacing outside hospital doors earlier this year while its owner was being treated for a brain condition.

In the US, a New Jersey labrador mix named Moose was found grieving by his late owner’s hospital bedside. (Don’t worry – Moose was soon adopted!)

Two years prior, in Argentina, Tony was there when his owner fell from a tree, which knocked the man unconscious. But the dog’s warm hug teased the injured man awake – and there they waited, embracing until paramedics arrived at the scene.

Source with video

[prokroustis]

Karaftu Caves, The Mysterious Lair of Hercules in Western Iran



The Caves of Karaftu are a magnificent spectacle formed by both nature and human activity over the course of millennia.

The structures, which are located approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Iran’s city of Saqqez, are situated at an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level.

The magnificent caves are located in the province of Kurdistan in Western Iran, where Alexander the Great’s arrival in the area formed the basis of the Seleucid Empire.

The Seleucid Empire and Alexander the Great

The Seleucid Empire was a major center in the east after the Macedonian ruler’s vast empire was divided in 321 BC.

Although the Seleucid Empire was generally quite tolerant of the various cultures and religions among the many peoples in its domain, Greek language and customs were widespread and preferred before others.

The cave complex comprises a series of smaller and larger caves formed inside a massive limestone outcrop, and many believe that they served as an encampment or garrison for Seleucid fighters.

According to archaeological evidence, they had been inhabited for centuries by humans, and were particularly important during ancient times since they were located along the passage of the famous Silk Route which connected Europe with China.

Karaftu caves home to an Ancient Greek inscription
In one of the most spectacular finds in the area’s history, a Greek inscription was discovered in the early nineteenth century by European explorers inside one of the caves.

The marvelously well-preserved inscription reads: “Here is the home of Hercules. Whoever enters this cave shall be safe.”

This mysterious and intriguing find is one of the very few examples of ancient Greek artifacts found and preserved in situ in Iran.

Archaeologists believe that those who inhabited the caves at some point honored the ancient Greek divine hero Hercules as their protector, proving a direct connection of the people of this remote place with Greece and Greek culture, most likely by way of the Seleucid Empire.

The amazing cave formations offer a unique experience to the area’s fortunate visitors, since apart from their own beauty, they offer spectacular views over this mountainous area of West Asia.

The caves of Karaftu are believed to have been formed several million years ago by geologic and hydrologic forces.

Scientists believe that these very cliffs were once underwater, and over the course of millions of years, they emerged, forming the mountain ranges of western Iran.

While the caves were formed naturally, ancient people carved the small passageways that connect the cave complex together, making it into a small settlement.

Archaeologists have found pottery and objects that cover most of the region’s historical periods over time inside the caves.

The magnificent Karaftu Caves are a popular and unique tourist attraction in the region, and thousands of people visit them every year.

[Fivetide]

Scientists hail golden age to trace bird migration with tech

By CHRISTINA LARSON


The antenna of an Argos satellite tag extends past the tail feathers of a female American robin as she feeds a worm to her hungry nestlings on a front porch in Cheverly, Md., Sunday, May 9, 2021. A new antenna on the International Space Station and receptors on the Argos satellite, combined with the shrinking size of tracking chips and batteries, are allowing scientists to remotely monitor small animal and songbird movements in much greater detail than ever before. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

A plump robin wearing a tiny metal backpack with an antenna hops around a suburban yard in Takoma Park, then plucks a cicada from the ground for a snack.

Ecologist Emily Williams watches through binoculars from behind a bush. On this clear spring day, she’s snooping on his dating life. “Now I’m watching to see whether he’s found a mate,” she said, scrutinizing his interactions with another robin in a nearby tree.

Once the bird moves on at season’s end, she’ll rely on the backpack to beam frequent location data to the Argos satellite, then back to Williams’ laptop, to track it.

The goal is to unravel why some American robins migrate long distances, but others do not. With more precise information about nesting success and conditions in breeding and wintering grounds, “we should be able to tell the relative roles of genetics versus the environment in shaping why birds migrate,” said Williams, who is based at Georgetown University.

Putting beacons on birds is not novel. But a new antenna on the International Space Station and receptors on the Argos satellite, plus the shrinking size of tracking chips and batteries, are allowing scientists to remotely monitor songbird movements in much greater detail than ever before.


An American robin sits in a nylon net at sunrise, Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Silver Spring, Md. Avian ecologist and Georgetown University Ph.D. student Emily Williams uses nets to catch robins and possibly fit them with an Argos satellite tag. “It’s astounding how little we know about some of the most common songbirds,” said Ken Rosenberg, a conservation scientist at Cornell University. “We have a general idea of migration, a range map, but that’s really just a broad impression.” (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

“We’re in a sort of golden age for bird research,” said Adriaan Dokter, an ecologist at Cornell University who is not directly involved with Williams’ study. “It’s pretty amazing that we can satellite-track a robin with smaller and smaller chips. Ten years ago, that was unthinkable.”

The device this robin is wearing can give precise locations, within about 30 feet (about 10 meters), instead of around 125 miles (200 kilometers) for previous generations of tags.

That means Williams can tell not only whether the bird is still in the city, but on which street or backyard. Or whether it’s flown from the Washington, D.C., suburbs to land on the White House lawn.

A second new tag, for only the heaviest robins, includes an accelerometer to provide information about the bird’s movements; future versions may also measure humidity and barometric pressure. These Icarus tags work with a new antenna on the International Space Station.

That antenna was first turned on about two years ago, “but there were some glitches with the power-supply and the computer, so we had to bring it down again with a Russian rocket, then transport it from Moscow to Germany to fix it,” said Martin Wikelski, director of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, whose scientific team is honing the technology. After “the usual troubleshooting for space science,” the antenna was turned back on this spring.


Avian ecologist and Georgetown University Ph.D. student Emily Williams fits an Argos satellite tag to an American robin, like a backpack, Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Silver Spring, Md. Scientists have previously put GPS-tracking devices on larger raptors, but the technology has only recently become small and light enough for some songbirds. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

As researchers deploy precision tags, Wikelski envisions the development of “an ‘Internet of animals’ — a collection of sensors around the world giving us a better picture of the movement of life on the planet.”

The American robin is an iconic songbird in North America, its bright chirp a harbinger of spring. Yet its migratory habits remain a bit mysterious to scientists.

“It’s astounding how little we know about some of the most common songbirds,” said Ken Rosenberg, a conservation scientist at Cornell University. “We have a general idea of migration, a range map, but that’s really just a broad impression.”

An earlier study Williams worked on showed some robins are long-distance migrants — flying more than 2,780 miles (4,480 km) between their breeding area in Alaska and winter grounds in Texas — while others hop around a single backyard most of the year.

What factors drive some robins to migrate, while others don’t? Does it have to do with available food, temperature fluctuations or success in mating and rearing chicks?

Williams hopes more detailed data from satellite tags, combined with records of nesting success, will provide insights, and she’s working with partners who are tagging robins in Alaska, Indiana and Florida for a three-year study.


Avian ecologist and Georgetown University Ph.D. student Emily Williams fits an Argos satellite tag to an American robin, like a backpack, Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Silver Spring, Md. The device can give precise locations, within about 30 feet (about 10 meters), instead of around 125 miles (200 kilometers) for previous generations of tags. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Scientists have previously put GPS-tracking devices on larger raptors, but the technology has only recently become small and light enough for some songbirds. Tracking devices must be less than 5% of the animal’s weight to avoid encumbering them.

In a Silver Spring, Maryland, yard, Williams has unfurled nylon nets between tall aluminum poles. When a robin flies into the net, she delicately untangles the bird. Then she holds it in a “bander’s grip” — with her forefinger and middle finger loosely on either side of the bird’s neck, and another two fingers around its body.

On a tarp, she measures the robin’s beak length, takes a toenail clipping and plucks a tail feather to gauge overall health.

Then she weighs the bird in a small cup on a scale. This one is about 80 grams, just over the threshold for wearing the penny-sized Argos satellite tag.

Williams fashions a makeshift saddle with clear jewelry cord looped around each of the bird’s legs. She then tightens the cord so the tag sits firmly on the bird’s back.

When she opens her hand, the robin hops to the ground, then takes a few steps under a pink azalea shrub before flying off.


Avian ecologist and Georgetown University Ph.D. student Emily Williams releases an American robin, too light to be fitted with an Argos satellite tag, after gathering samples and data and applying bands, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in Cheverly, Md. The American robin is an iconic songbird in North America, its bright chirp a harbinger of spring. Yet its migratory habits remain a bit mysterious to scientists. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In addition to providing very precise locations, the satellite tags transmit data that can be downloaded from afar onto Williams’ laptop. The data on older tags couldn’t be retrieved unless the same bird was recaptured the following year — a difficult and uncertain task.

Wikelski hopes the new technology will help scientists better understand threats birds and other creatures face from habitat loss, pollution and climate change.

“It is detective work to try to figure out why a population is declining,” said Ben Freeman, a biologist at the Biodiversity Research Centre at the University of British Columbia. Better information about migration corridors “will help us look in the right places.”

A 2019 study co-written by Cornell’s Rosenberg showed that North America’s population of wild birds declined by nearly 30%, or 3 billion, since 1970.

He said tracking birds will help explain why: “Where in their annual cycles do migratory birds face the greatest threats? Is it exposure to pesticides in Mexico, the clearing of rainforests in Brazil, or is it what people are doing in their backyards here in the U.S.?”

[hija]

The G7 backed a ‘historic’ deal to tax multinationals



Before their representatives decamped to Cornwall for the G7 summit, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Canada and the US reached a “historic” deal to make multinationals pay more tax.

Finance ministers of the seven nations agreed to tackle tax avoidance by making companies pay more in the countries where they do business. They also agreed to a minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent.

The rules will only apply in the G7, and 15 per cent is on the low side compared to existing corporate tax rates. Nevertheless, the move is considered a progressive step towards a global agreement on tax reform, which once seemed unlikely.

[BigGlen]

Florida man bitten by shark, punched by monkey (twice), struck by lightning, bitten by snake




TAMPA — Nature apparently has it out for some people. For instance, Erik Norrie, a man who, in his 40 years on Earth, has had run ins with monkeys, sharks, rattlesnakes and the hammer of Thor himself.

Norrie is currently recovering from his latest attack, in which a shark bit off a chunk of his leg during a spear fishing trip in the Bahamas.

"I felt this shark grab my leg, and the ripping sound, and when I turned around the water was filled with blood. It looked like a Jaws movie," Norrie told WTSP News.

He used part of his spear fishing equipment to make a tourniquet after making his way to a sandbar. His daughter called for help over a radio and he is now in a Tampa hospital awaiting surgery.

"That was a tough ride," Norrie told FOX News in Tampa. "I really did think I was going to die."



Norrie's encounters with the dangers of Nature goes all the way back to his childhood, according to the New York Daily News. When he was 10 years old, a tree under which he stood was struck by lightning. He was blown over by the strike, but was unhurt.

Years later, he was bitten by a rattlesnake while walking at a country club and nearly lost his leg. He spent two weeks in intensive care.

The New York Daily News also reports that he was attacked by monkeys twice, once because he wandered too close to a simian while in the Amazon. The second time was the result of a joke, of sorts, played by his wife.

She locked Norrie in a cage with a small monkey, which then proceeded to bite, hit and pelt him with his own keys. His wife, Spryng, wasn't worried, though.

"She took photos and giggled," he said.

[Fatima99]

The couple rescuing the house they bought by accident



Cal Hunter went to an auction to buy a flat in Glasgow but instead accidentally ended up with one quarter of a derelict, eyesore property 35 miles away in Dunoon.

Cal, 28, from Hull, and his 26-year-old Canadian girlfriend Claire Segeren wanted to start a new life in Scotland.

The pair first met on a ski trip in the French Alps and, after backpacking across Europe and Canada, decided they wanted to live in the "vibrant city of Glasgow".

While Claire was back home in Canada, Cal was set the task of buying a flat in the city at a house auction.

But matters did not go as planned.



Cal said: "I was struggling with the auctioneer's Glaswegian accent."

He tried working out what was going on from the auction brochure, but said some lots had been added that were not in the magazine.

A property came up Cal liked the look of. He put his hand up to bid - no-one else did.

Outside the auction, Cal frantically called Claire to ask if she wanted to go ahead with the sale.

The battery on Cal's phone was dying, so a decision had to be made quickly and they agreed to proceed with the £10,000 purchase.



Claire said: "At the time I was excited that we had managed to get a property. It was only when we got to the house that it really shocked me."

"I accidently bought the wrong house," said Cal.

"It was a little further than we were planning to be commuting. It's about an hour, an hour and a half out of Glasgow, if you take the ferry."



But it was not only the location that was wrong for them, the couple soon realised they had bought just one quarter of the rundown Victorian villa.

"It was completely derelict, and it had been for 20-30 years," added Cal, who believes the picture used at the auction was taken from a flattering angle several years ago.

The roof was falling in, one of the walls was on the verge of collapse and all the timbers were rotten.

The property was in such a bad way Claire said her dad was silent for two days after seeing the extent of its dereliction while on a visit from Canada.

But Claire and Cal were determined to make a home for themselves in the historic villa called Jameswood.



They tracked down the owners of the three other parts of the house, eventually managing to buy the whole property.

One of the three other owners was even willing to lose money on the sale after seeing the state of the 120-year-old property.

Next up is what Cal describes as the "colossal task" of fixing it up.

The couple moved into a little caravan in the property's garden and started work on it, carrying out repairs a bit at a time and when they could afford it.

"Claire always likens it to playing a game of Jenga with the massive stones that make up the house," said Cal.

About two years after they made their purchase they have still to move in.

Cal, who was trained in carpentry by his dad, and self-described "apprentice and labourer" Claire have had help from friends and the "incredible" local community in the restoration work.

The villa had been a well-known eyesore and many residents of Dunoon were happy to see new life being breathed into it.

Cal said: "It's on the main road so everyone has been watching it crumble and disappear."

Claire said for her the project has been "empowering".

She added: "We have made incredible friends and strengthened amazing relationships with people."

Visiting friends have lived in tents "on a dirty building site" and then later sat around a campfire having fun.

Claire said: "It has made this such an amazing experience."

[PennySerenade]

Toronto mayor jokingly calls for 'complete investigation' after CN Tower is lit up to honour Montreal Canadiens




TORONTO -- Maple Leaf fans may have thought that things couldn’t get much worse after their team lost another first round series in heartbreaking fashion but a decision to light up the CN Tower in the colours of the rival Montreal Canadiens appears to be putting that theory to the test.

The local landmark, which is federally owned, was lit red, blue and white on Tuesday night after the Habs beat the Winnipeg Jets to become the only Canadian team left in the NHL playoffs.

The move prompted a significant outcry on social media with many Leafs fans wondering aloud whether somebody lost a bet and others using relatively choice words to question the decision and the motivations behind it.


“Clearly there is something here that needs to be looked into,” Mayor John Tory said during an appearance on CP24 on Wednesday morning. “Obviously there is somebody over there who is a Habs fan in which case there needs to be a full and complete investigation or somebody lost a bet.”

The CN Tower tweeted out a picture of the Canadiens-inspired lighting scheme on Tuesday night, noting that it was done to honour the team “that will go on to represent Canada’s hope for a 2021 Stanley Cup.”

But the decision did not sit well with many Leafs fans, including Tory who will soon have to raise a Habs flag at Nathan Phillips Square to fulfill a bet with Montreal’s mayor.

“I've had it in my possession (the flag) for two or three days and I just haven't been able to bring myself to go to the square, attach it to the rope and actually reel it up. In fact I even thought maybe somebody could do it in the middle of the night, take a picture and then just say it was done and we can get it back down again. But having said that, a bet is a bet,” Tory said Wednesday.



Tory did take to social media on Wednesday to confirm that the Toronto sign will not be lit up in Canadiens colours.

He also told CP24 that he expects the CN Tower to look into its decision to honour the Montreal Canadiens given the bad memories it has brought back for Leafs fans.

“You just think about any one of those games at the latter part of the series there if we've won that we'd gone on and taken those Jets out. We would be down to the final four and we would have so much momentum that I think we'd be getting organized for something much better but it is what it is,” he lamented.

Dad dumps 80,000 pennies for child support payment; daughter donates it
Published: Jun. 10, 2021 at 4:43 AM UTC
RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - A Virginia man went to extreme measures to show he was not happy about paying child support.

He dumped 80,000 pennies in front of his daughter’s home as his final payment. Avery Sanford, 18, took those pennies and turned his act of anger into a positive for families in need.

What looked like a landscaping trailer dropped the pile of pennies in front of a mailbox last month.

“When I was in the middle of class, my dad came by. He had rented a trailer,” Sanford said Tuesday.

The high school senior will spend the summer at home before venturing to Virginia Tech for her freshman year.

She had to use a snow shovel in the summer to scoop up the domestic drama.

“It’s not just her (my mother) that he’d be trying to embarrass,” Sanford said. “It’s also me, it’s also my sister. And it’s upsetting that he doesn’t really consider that before he did this.”

Once the pennies were picked up, Sanford and her mom decided to flip the script.

They donated his last child support payment - every penny - to Safe Harbor, a domestic abuse shelter.

“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need, like I feel like that just really turns the situation into a positive one,” Sanford said. “You can learn a lesson from it.”

Sanford said she hasn’t spoken to her father in years.

“It is really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that,” the daughter said. “And it doesn’t matter how old your kids - it doesn’t matter if they’re a young child or an adult. The actions of your parents will always have some effect on you.”

https://www.knoe.com/2021/06/09/dad-dum ... onates-it/

Magneto in real life! A man from Nashik claims to have gained magnetism after using Covishield



Until now, there have been reports of minor headaches, slight fevers, or tiredness after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, but a weird video that has gone viral on social media has left everyone in awe, showing a 71-year-old man claiming to have grown magnets on his arm and neck.

Arvind Sonar, a 71-year-old senior man from Nashik, claims in the video that steel objects are clinging to his hands after receiving the second dosage of the Covishield vaccine.

Arvind Sonar lives in Nashik's CIDCO neighborhood, in Shivaji Chowk.

According to the video, coins and steel spoons became stuck to Mr. Sonar's arms like a magnetic pull.

According to reports, Mr. Arvind received his second dosage of Covishield vaccine two days ago at a private facility.

After seeing similar incidents on social media, he tried it on himself - that magnetism is formed after taking the vaccine. Iron and steel utensils, coins, and spoons were stuck to his body, he discovered.

The district health officer has stated that they will act only after conducting an investigation.

Notably, after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, people on social media have started posting videos of themselves with magnets adhered to their arms and bodies.

According to a report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) addresses the magnetization issue specifically on its website under "Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines," writing, "receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will not make you magnetic, including at the site of vaccination, which is usually your arm."

The CDC explains that COVID-19 vaccines do not contain ingredients that can generate an electromagnetic field at the site of your injection and that all COVID-19 vaccines are free of metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth alloys, as well as any manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, and nanowire semiconductors.

https://www.folkspaper.com/topic/magnet ... 87104.html