Author Topic: The Lighter Side of the News  (Read 46639 times)

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Offline Unorthodox

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #165 on: September 16, 2015, 02:56:21 PM »
What is happening around the country, and world, with regards to the weather? What weather events or preparations are occuring in your area? How does it feel to see Fall arriving in the Northern Hemisphere on September 23?

September has been dry and crappy with smoke from surrounding fires trapped in the vally and making me feel like crap.  However, this week specifically, it's rainy and cool and washing out the air and making me feel better.  Fall in the stores always brightens my day. 

If this tree that changed early is any indication, we should have a great show of colors this fall (which is not always the case here). 


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Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #166 on: September 16, 2015, 03:05:06 PM »
The leaves turn much prettier here in dry years.

Offline gwillybj

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #167 on: September 19, 2015, 01:02:14 AM »
New York Grilled-Cheese Truck Wins Top Street Food Award
Associated Press
September 13, 2015 3:20 PM

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York grilled-cheese food truck whose proceeds go to help formerly incarcerated youths has won the top Vendy award for best street fare.

The Street Vendor Project sponsors the annual event. It announced this year's Vendy Cup winner is Snowday, a truck specializing in grilled cheese sandwiches with a touch of maple syrup using ingredients from New York farms.

The half-dozen Vendy categories include the People's Choice, which Snowday also won.

Vendy's Rookie of the Year went to Coney Shack Tacos, Best Market Vendor to Home Frites, Best Dessert to Doughnuttery and Best Street Drink to Renegade Lemonade.

More than 2,000 people gathered Saturday on Governors Island, where eight food experts voted.

The Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center provides advocacy and legal services to vendors.

http://news.yahoo.com/york-grilled-cheese-truck-wins-top-street-food-192023899.html
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline gwillybj

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #168 on: September 25, 2015, 01:14:40 PM »
Police apologise for 'nee-nah or woo-woo' school siren debate
BBC News | Wiltshire
25 Sept 2015



Police who set off sirens to settle a debate over whether they go "nee-nah or woo-woo" have apologised to residents.

The sirens were sounded during a visit by police community support officers (PCSOs) to Haydonleigh Primary School in Swindon.

Becky Muckleston, from the school, said staff consensus was "it's a woo-woo" but pupils thought it was a "nee-nah".

PCSOs admitted they sounded the sirens "quite a bit" and apologised to anyone in the area for the disturbance.

The debate arose during a "People Who Help Us" session with three classes from the school's reception year.

According to PCSO Emma Harryman, it was during a tour of her police fleet car that the children began debating "nee-nah or woo-woo".

"That's why we ended up setting off the sirens quite a bit," she admitted.

'Official vote'

According to the PCSO, the school's headmistress had "officially put it out there" that it was actually a wah-wah.

But following a vote at the school earlier, it was announced that "woo-woo" was the winner by 60 votes to 28.

Ms Muckleston, said the result was surprising as the children had been "leaning more towards the nee-nah".

"Nee-nah is a bit of a classic but when it came to it they decided woo-woo was the way to go," she said.

"I would say it's probably a surprise - although I think it's more of a wah-wah myself."

North Swindon Police has apologised to residents in the Haydonleigh area for any disturbance on Wednesday morning.


http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-34356790
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline gwillybj

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #169 on: September 30, 2015, 12:34:47 PM »
Loose emu recognizes owner, returns home in back of a Prius
Associated Press
September 28, 2015 9:08 PM

BOW, N.H. (AP) — An emu famous for running wild through New Hampshire for more than a week has been reunited with its owner and returned home safely to Vermont in the back of a Toyota Prius.

The Concord Monitor reports (http://bit.ly/1LX460C ) Kermit Blackwood figured it was a long shot that the emu loose in New Hampshire was his bird, Beatrice. It wasn't until the Townshend, Vermont, resident traveled roughly 80 miles to the Henniker-based nonprofit Wings of the Dawn when he knew for sure.

Maria Colby, manager of the wildlife rehabilitation center, said she knew the emu was Blackwood's as soon as they were reintroduced Sunday.

The emu moved closer to Blackwood and rolled its neck toward him, possibly recognizing him by the jacket he was wearing, Colby said.

Blackwood says Taft Hill Farm had lost two other emus about a month ago. One died after being attacked by another animal and the other was found in a neighboring town.

Getting Beatrice ready to go home wasn't easy. Blackwood and a farm worker struggled a bit to put her into the trunk of their Prius, with the back seats folded down for extra space.

The 90-minute ride back to the farm went smoothly, after they removed a sock from the emu's head, Blackwood said.

"Everything is well," he said. "Beatrice is home."

___

Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com


http://news.yahoo.com/loose-emu-recognizes-owners-silver-jacket-returns-home-170046487.html
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline Unorthodox

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #170 on: September 30, 2015, 04:37:02 PM »
Quote
“Generally speaking, real life uniformed female police officers do not wear short skirts and low-cut shirts,” a furious mother has fumed on Facebook in an open letter to Party City that’s going viral.

Urging the store to stop selling “sexualized” Halloween costumes for young girls, Lin Kramer’s Sept. 14 post explained that she was “appalled” by the options available to her 3-year-old daughter on Party City’s website when she browsed their Toddler Costumes category.

STORY: Most Popular Halloween Costumes in 2015


“While Halloween costumes are undoubtedly about ‘make-believe,’ it is unfathomable that toddler girls and boys who might be interested in dressing up as police officers are seeking to imagine themselves in the incongruent way your business apparently imagines them,” she blasted. “Toddler girls are not imagining and hoping that they will grow up to become a ‘sexy cop’…Please, Party City, open up your view of the world and redesign your marketing scheme to let kids be kids, without imposing on them antiquated views of gender roles.”

Party City responded to the note, but not in the way Kramer had hoped. The company deleted her letter, as well as the comments on it, and blocked her from posting on their page in the future.

STORY: Kids’ 31 Halloween Looks in 31 Days, by Mom, Are Amazing


Not that the mom is deterred. “In so doing,” she noted in a follow-up comment on Facebook, “they ignited the passion of people who already had an interest in seeing *this* particular change happen.” (Party City did not respond to request for comment from Yahoo Parenting, nor did Kramer). Kramer’s hope in sharing her concern, she told The Huffington Post, is that “others will be encouraged to pause and critically think about what they are seeing — and accepting — from retailers.”

This retailer, however, is standing by its merchandise — and the manner in which they market it. “Nothing we carry is meant to be offensive,” reads a statement from Party City issued to the Huffington Post on Sept. 25, the same day that the company explained in a Facebook comment that Kramer’s original note was deleted against their corporate policy by an employee since let go. “We expect parents to be as involved in their children’s costume selections as they are in selecting their everyday wardrobe, and we encourage parents to shop with their children. We supply the types of products that our customers, and specifically parents, demand.”

The policewoman costume that Kramer calls out, they noted, is “one of our most popular costumes.”

But do Halloween duds really matter all that much in the end? Child development specialist Dr. Robyn Silverman tells Yahoo Parenting that a limited, sexist range of costume options does impact kids’ ideas, if only for that one day.

“When girls are repeatedly shown ‘girls costumes’ that provide short skirts, tight tops, and fishnets, they can begin to believe that this is the only acceptable way for a girl to dress on Halloween,” explains the body image expert and author of Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls And How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It. “Girls should have a range of choices and choose whatever feels right to them whether it’s more traditionally ‘girly’ or more gender neutral. A greater range of choices that are marketed towards both girls and boys would make it easier for parents who are trying to get their girls to see that they can be whatever they want to be.”

If parents don’t approve of the options that they see, though, Silverman says they should simply take action: “Thankfully, there are many more choices for girls [than exist in big box stores like Party City] through other smaller or niche companies, from more realistic police officers and firefighters to female Presidents of the United States.”

The lasting message that kids receive about gender roles ultimately depends on mom and dad. “Parents do need to be strong and talk to their girls, even at younger ages, about media literacy and advertising,” Silverman says. “You can say, ‘There are many costumes to choose from and even if a boy is shown on the front, these costumes can be for a boy or girl.’” It’s not as easy as if both sexes were depicted on the costume’s container and marketing displays, she admits, “but as the trusted source in your daughter’s life, your words still matter.”

That’s a takeaway Kramer is counting on. “I look forward to one day sharing with my daughter this story,” she wrote on Facebook about her costume crusade, “of how I genuinely tried my very best to make this world a better place for her.”

(Photos: Party City).

Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.



I kinda have to agree here.  Last year, Talia wanted to be Maleficent, and the only thing commercially available was what I termed Malefitramp costumes. 

Now, I'm a big "just make it yourself" kind of person, but not everyone is, and I get that. 

Costume this is about:  http://www.partycity.com/product/girls+cop+costume.do

Offline gwillybj

Public Has Chance to Name New Moth Species
« Reply #171 on: October 21, 2015, 11:57:45 PM »
Public Has Chance to Name New Moth Species
Associated Press By ASTRID GALVAN
October 18, 2015 12:55 PM



This undated photo provided by Eric H. Metzler shows a new species of moth, discovered by Metzler, that will be named by the lucky winner of an online auction whose proceeds will benefit the Western National Parks Association, which has funded some of Metzler's research. The auction on eBay allows the public to purchase the right to name the new species of moth. (Eric H. Metzler via AP)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — An auction on eBay allows the public to make a different kind of purchase as they peruse the used clothing, electronics and war relics on the site. Up for sale: naming rights to a new insect.

A moth that weighs less than an ounce and measures about an inch was discovered eight years ago at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico by entomologist Eric H. Metzler.

The rigorous process to have a new species approved has taken several years, but now Metzler, a volunteer at the park, is ready to give his flying friend a name.

That honor is usually bestowed on the person who made the finding.

But Metzler wanted to give back to the Western National Parks Association, which has funded some of his research. So he asked the organization to start an online auction for the naming rights and to take the proceeds.

"I am not a rich man and I don't have a lot of money to give to charity but this is the way I could give them money in the form of service. I could use my brains to help them," Metzler said.

The auction went live Saturday on eBay and ends Oct. 23. Bidding starts at $500.

"When are you ever going to have the opportunity to have your own moth named after you?" said Amy Reichgott, development manager for the Western National Parks Association.

The winner will work with Metzler to Latinize the name. An international organization has to approve the name.

Others have auctioned off naming rights with varied success. Last year, Nova Southeastern University, for example, auctioned off the naming rights to a newly discovered type of sea lily.

The university's public affairs department touted it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, suggesting it was the perfect holiday gift that would also help benefit the school's Oceanographic Center.

The winner of the auction, a Florida resident, shelled out $6,150. The sea lily hasn't been officially named yet as it's still undergoing a peer-review process, university spokesman Joe Donzelli said.

Reichgott knows a moth may be even less appealing than a sea lily, so the organization sent out emails reminding members and others that moths are butterflies without the bright colors that fly at night, not the daytime.

"We're trying to break the stigma against the moth. Give the moth a fair shake," she said, laughing.


http://news.yahoo.com/public-chance-name-moth-species-163638715.html
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline Unorthodox

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #172 on: October 22, 2015, 02:01:01 PM »
Reichgott knows a moth may be even less appealing than a sea lily, so the organization sent out emails reminding members and others that moths are butterflies without the bright colors that fly at night, not the daytime.



Quote
Moths have a frenulum, which is a wing-coupling device. Butterflies do not have frenulums. Frenulums join the forewing to the hind wing, so the wings can work in unison during flight.

There you go.  That's the difference. 




Offline gwillybj

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #173 on: October 27, 2015, 02:52:27 PM »
Woman Trying to Repair Gas-Fueled Water Heater Blows Up Home
Associated Press
October 26, 2015

TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — Investigators say a Massachusetts woman who was trying to perform repairs on her house ended up blowing it up instead.

The homeowner escaped from her Taunton residence before the fire and explosion Sunday afternoon. No one was hurt.

State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw said Monday that the woman was trying to repair her gas-fueled hot water heater and inadvertently removed the gas shut-off valve. This allowed gas to pour into the basement, where it ignited.

The house is considered a total loss.

http://news.yahoo.com/woman-trying-repair-gas-fueled-water-heater-blows-165613334.html


I'm nervous enough changing the air filter on my gas furnace; forget messing with the pipes!
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline Unorthodox

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #174 on: November 18, 2015, 02:53:16 PM »
http://mashable.com/2015/11/17/mystery-science-theater-3000-joel-hodgson/#hTvzNQJEz5qT

Quote





'Mystery Science Theater 3000' is officially coming back, but there's still work to do


By Sandra Gonzalez

23 hours ago


 
LOS ANGELES — One week after Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Joel Hodgson launched an effort to bring back the show via Kickstarter, fans have answered his call and raised more than $2 million that will fund three new episodes of the show.

But there's still work to do, says the former host.


See also: 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' creator hoping for a Kickstarter-funded comeback




In an exclusive interview with Mashable, Hodgson opens up about reaching that first goal and talks about what comes next.

MASHABLE: First off, congratulations. Did you anticipate how quickly the first goal would be reached?
JOEL HODGSON: Oh, man. I have nothing to compare it to. I've never done a Kickstarter before, but it's been amazing and I'm just really grateful and happy. This is just the first goal. The real goal is to get to $5.5 million, but it shows what the fans are capable of doing in a few days.

Absolutely. But $5.5 million is a pretty big goal, considering Veronica Mars raised $5.7 million. Are you feeling good about your chances of getting there?
You know, I think so. For some reason I believe we're going to do it — and I don't know if that's being naive, but I guess I just assumed that we'd do it. I don't know, it's so uncertain. It's very weird but pretty exciting, too.

So you mentioned on the Kickstarter page that this has been percolating in your brain for awhile now — and admitted you had some legal issues with the rights for the show. How much time passed between your official OK and you launching the Kickstarter?
It seems like it's been about three months since they kind of shored it all up, and while we were doing that, we were wondering how to proceed. So planning the Kickstarter coincided with the MST deal, and we've been talking about that and working on that in earnest for the last two years.

During those two years, TV has changed a lot. We've seen a lot of nostalgia-based revivals. Were you worried at all that you'd miss that wave?
Well, yeah. I'm happy it seems to be a trend right when we're emerging. It's not by design, but it's really just lucky that that is happening at the same time, because we've been talking about this and working on it so long. So it's just kind of a coincidence. ... It's weird; it seems that once Mystery Science Theater closed, it got more famous than it ever was. And I think it's because people said we can just kinda look at it as this whole body of work. There's a lot you can explore. If you like it, you can binge on it for months and months.


 

 
graphicMST3k


A graphic explaining the various Kickstarter goals set by the MST3K team.


Image: MST3K Kickstarter

So we have three episodes happening for sure. Tell me about the vision for those, and what your goal is with them. You've said you want them to be reinventions. 
Yeah, this is not a revival show. There's a little bit of a misunderstanding there — I think because there were only two hosts, [people think] there's this finite universe of MST3K. I'd always hoped it'd keep being refreshed, with new hosts and new people playing the robot. So that's kind of the idea — bringing in new people to be the hosts, people to do the new robot, a new Mad. But also, having said that, we're going to invite the original cast too to be there as a resource and to do cameos and also write. It's like Doctor Who.

Tom Servo and Crow — will they be back?
Absolutely, yeah. They're like C3PO and R2D2; they're the ones who keep living through it.

Or the Tardis.
They play the Tardis, yeah.

The RiffTrax guys [former MST3K host and writer Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett] have said they're not involved with this — but will they be invited back on a creative level?
Oh, yeah. You know, the idea is once we are funded and we know we have the money, we can go out and really make offers and we'll know schedules. I really want them to be involved. Individually, they're so much a part of the story of Mystery Science Theater. It's really important they're invited back. So yeah, I'm really into that, and I know how important it is to fans, too. I think that's the best way to proceed with something new — to go, 'Hey, we don't want to forget the past. We don't want to forget how it got here.'

You've mentioned that you plan to stick to the look that people know but also bring it up a notch. Tell me about your plans to evolve the look of it.
Well, they were a couple of things built into Mystery Science Theater that worked really good, and that is that it appears to be a live document of a day in time. I was really careful about that; I didn't want to do a lot of post-production on the show. I wanted all the effects to be in camera, and we're seen a lot of that come around, with [the way] J.J. Abrams [did] Star Wars.

People are sort of on the other end of [the argument] that seeing everything is the best way to tell a story; sometimes just having a really solid world you're in works really good. So I want to stick with that. I don't want to go too far out with that. But I also don't want to arrest the look of Mystery Science Theater and kind of stick with what we were doing in the '90s, which at the time was really provocative. I think we can move it along a little bit further. I'm not sure if I can, but I'd like to try.

The thing I think will really protect it is that everything has to be done live. No matter what we do, it will have its own kind of charm.








 
In terms of the movies you're picking: I know you said it's going to be a mix of older and newer movies, but what are your early thoughts on what the balance will be for the first three?
Well, it's one of those issues that's so out of my control that I don't feel like I can really [talk about it]. This is how Mystery Science Theater has always worked. We get what we can and do the best with what we got. That's going to be true for this, too. I think out of the 12 episodes, I maybe feel like there are three we got for sure. The rest we're in the process of acquiring. So I can't even speculate about it and how they'll be arranged and what the movies will be at this point.

As for the delivery of the actual episodes: Where are you imagining these will live?
We're open to a lot of things; it's not like we're not imagining this as a web series, unless you count House of Cards as a web series. It's like the next season of a well-established TV show, and whether it goes to a broadcast or online platform, I don't know. We just kind of want to find the best home for it.

The thing I'm most interested in is that I don't just want it to get siloed away. I want people to be able to find it, like so many people found Mystery Science Theater back in the day. I know the fans who are funding these episodes will get to see these shows no matter what, but where it will end up is one of the key things.

What are the benefits of finding a home for it on Netflix, for example, versus just putting it out on YouTube and letting people see it?
Well, to me, one thing that's really cool about a platform is that they'll promote it; you know what I mean? They'll get it to more people and get the word out and we won't have to rely completely on a street team. More people are going to discover it on television or a big digital platform than if it's just on YouTube. That's kind of the idea.

[We want] someone who's enthused about it as we are, and wants to promote it and get it out there. In some ways, Mystery Science Theater has a lot of fans, but it's never been famous. Maybe now it's supposed to be.

So now that you've crossed one goal, what's your message to fans?
It's really just "thank you." Thank you so much for what you're doing. And more than anything, it's, "Let's keep going." We'll get it there.

Mystery Science Theater has always been dependent on the fan base, going back to "Keep Circulating the Tapes." We just need them now to get us to this next level, hopefully. Now we say, "Keep Circulating the URL."

This interview has been edited for clarity and condensed.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Offline gwillybj

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #175 on: December 03, 2015, 03:18:22 PM »
The New York Times
N.Y. / Region
Painted Bunting, a Rare Visitor to Brooklyn, Gives Birders Cause to Stare
By ANDY NEWMAN / DEC. 2, 2015


A male painted bunting in Prospect Park on Wednesday. Credit Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

On the edge of a dull patch of brown grass and Brooklyn weeds, a little media scrum jockeyed quietly for position.

“There you go,” the Channel 2 cameraman said to the Channel 5 cameraman. “You got him?”

Twenty feet beyond their lenses, the star of the show appeared, a small finchlike bird. What he did was unremarkable: Duck, bob, peck, hop. Duck, bob, peck, hop.

But how he looked doing it was off the charts: brilliant indigo head, yellow shoulders shading to chartreuse to green, with scarlet-orange underparts.

The object of fascination was a male painted bunting, an avian connoisseur of grassland never before seen in Brooklyn — and rarely found much north of Arkansas — that has drawn crowds of bird-watchers to Prospect Park since its discovery on Sunday.

“It’s like the Liberace bird,” said Tom Stephenson, a bird-book author who lives near the park.

On Wednesday, for a fourth straight day, the bird grazed and played hide-and-seek with birders and reporters in a swath of native grasses planted outside a skating rink complex called the LeFrak Center.

“It’s a very skulky bird,” said Rob Bate, president of the Brooklyn Bird Club, “down in the weeds, feeding on seeds.”

This bunting is not just out of range, he is out of season. His kind breeds in the southern Plains and Ozarks and migrates in September to Florida and Mexico, though they occasionally wander as far north as Canada.

“It’s known for vagrancy, but this is very rare,” said Mr. Stephenson, a retired percussionist who has developed a bird-identifying app, Bird Genie, that he calls “the Shazam of birdsong.” Painted buntings have been spotted perhaps seven or eight times in New York City, Mr. Stephenson said.

Rarer still is to see an adult male — they are the ones with the fancy colors.

Painted buntings, Mr. Stephenson said, “show up in Cape May in New Jersey fairly regularly, but those are immature birds.”

“Typically it’s the first-year bird that wanders,” he continued, “and those birds are very drab.”

A female adult was seen in Brooklyn in 1999.

Though the city had a record warm November, Mr. Stephenson said he doubted it was the unseasonable temperatures that brought the bunting here. “A wind from the west might have done it,” he said. But now that the bird is here, the warm weather has certainly encouraged him to stay.

So have the native grasses, planted in 2012 as part of the $74 million project that created the 26-acre LeFrak Center: little bluestem, sideoats grama, poverty oatgrass.

“It’s good to have a functional landscape,” said Ronen Gamil, an assistant gardener for the park, who stopped for a peek at the bunting dining on his handiwork.

As dreary morning slipped into afternoon, birders and reporters traipsed along a path that curved up from the LeFrak Center as skaters glided oblivious across the misty rink. The humans craned their necks. The bunting stayed low. Skulk, skulk, skulk.

“There goes,” Mr. Stephenson called. “Flying left, flying left.”

The bird turned up just off the path, mostly screened in a thicket of switch grass and daisy fleabane. A small crowd gathered as he hopped onto a dead stalk.

Then, for 30 breathtaking seconds, he put on a show, no binoculars necessary, flitting up into a bare serviceberry shrub, then darting right across the path to land in a patch of orange winterberries until a mockingbird swooped in and chased him off.

Scott Schulman, the manager of LeFrak Center, who happened to wander up the hill just in time, looked around in wonder.

“That was remarkable, to say the least,” he said. “Wow."


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/nyregion/painted-bunting-bird-making-rare-brooklyn-visit-adds-color-to-a-dreary-day.html
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline Unorthodox

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #176 on: December 03, 2015, 03:37:18 PM »
Perdy

Offline gwillybj

Re: The Lighter Side of the News
« Reply #177 on: December 03, 2015, 03:43:34 PM »
Perdy
I'm waiting for the cardinals to come around here. We get lots of them.
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline gwillybj

Denmark: Nature Agency Offers Free Ponds to Landowners
« Reply #178 on: December 12, 2015, 03:42:47 PM »
BBC News: New from Elsewhere... as found by BBC Monitoring
Denmark: Nature Agency Offers Free Ponds to Landowners
9 December 2015


The moor frog population has fallen in Denmark, but they could benefit from the pond giveaway

Denmark's nature agency is offering to pay for people to have ponds installed on their land in an effort to protect endangered wildlife.

The government's AgriFish Agency is offering to foot the bill for creating water features up to 1,000 sq m (10,764 sq ft) in size, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation reports. But such is the level of interest in the new scheme, officials say they probably won't be able to meet demand. So far there have been more than 100 inquiries by interested landowners, the report says.

"There are lots of callers at the moment," says Tine Eggertsen, regional head at the Hede Denmark organisation, which is dealing with the inquiries. "For a pond of up to 1,000 square metres, almost all costs can be covered," she says, adding that they can be installed on both agricultural or unfarmed land.

The scheme's aim is to improve and create new habitats for species which are in decline, including the moor frog. The amphibian is protected in Denmark but has seen a fall in numbers, largely because breeding ponds and marshes have either been filled in, drained or become overgrown or contaminated, the AgriFish Agency says.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-35052028
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

Offline gwillybj

Papua New Guinea: Police Seek Yeast Ban Over Home Brew
« Reply #179 on: December 12, 2015, 04:46:31 PM »
BBC News: New from Elsewhere... as found by BBC Monitoring
Papua New Guinea: Police Seek Yeast Ban Over Home Brew
8 December 2015


Police want yeast to be removed from shops to make it harder to produce home brew

A police chief in Papua New Guinea is asking for a ban on the sale of yeast in an attempt to tackle alcohol-related crime, it's reported.

Yeast is a key ingredient in the production of illegal home brew, also referred to locally as jungle juice. Police blame the consumption of the potent drink for rising crime rates, the Post Courier website reports.

Commander Lincoln Gerari, who heads the Northern Province police force, is calling on the Chamber of Commerce to stop yeast from being sold in supermarkets and other shops, and says it's partly to stop people injuring themselves while under the influence. "I have had enough of visiting the hospital and arresting someone who is in possession of home brew," he tells the paper.

Consumption of the fruit-based drink is seen as a major problem in the Pacific nation. In 2012, the head of the National Narcotics Bureau said the country's young people are particularly vulnerable due to peer pressure. (http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/marijuana-and-homebrew-use-alarming-in-png)

Mr Gerari says a recent police awareness campaign succeeded in encouraging a group of 20 youngsters from one village to surrender their home brewing equipment, and he hopes more people will follow suit in future.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-35052028
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. ― Arthur C. Clarke
I am on a mission to see how much coffee it takes to actually achieve time travel. :wave:

 

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