Interesting News Stories...From Your Communities and the World....

[Spin_Drift]

Incredible photos show homes on Lake Erie encased in ice following holiday blizzard


Rebecca Corey
Thu, December 29, 2022 at 9:32 AM AKST·2 min read

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A resident and his dog walk by homes covered in ice at the waterfront community of Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, after a massive snow storm that knocked out power in the area to thousands of residents. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images)

Looking eerily like a snowy scene from the movie "Frozen," waterfront homes in the aptly named Crystal Beach were encased in ice after a blizzard that pummeled the area over the holiday weekend.


The community is located in Fort Erie, a town adjacent to Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada. The National Weather Service had forecast that winds over Lake Erie would reach 60 mph and waves could top 25 feet at the peak of the storm, CNN reported, pushing freezing water onto buildings along the coast of Lake Erie.

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Houses on the lakefront along the shores of Lake Erie covered in ice on Tuesday. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Authorities urged caution as the cinematic frosty facades quickly became a hot spot for tourists.


"There are photos circulating of the ice covered lake front homes in #FortErie & #PortColborne," the Niagara Regional Police Service tweeted on Wednesday. "The problem is people are traveling to see them on roads that still have deep snow and closures. We have cars getting stuck & people walking on unsafe lake ice. Stay home – Stay safe."

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Someone snaps photos Wednesday of a scene of frozen houses in Crystal Beach. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images)

Fort Erie is located just west of Buffalo, N.Y., where "the blizzard of the century" left thousands without power and 34 people dead as of Wednesday.


Now, with temperatures in the Erie County area expected to rise into the 50s in the next few days, authorities are getting ready for all the ice and snow to start thawing. At a press conference on Wednesday, Erie County Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security Emergency Services Dan Neaverth Jr. said authorities are taking measures to prepare for possible flooding.

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"We're focused on the potential for a rapid melt ... but we feel very comfortable," Neaverth said.

An image taken by drone of the Crystal Beach houses Tuesday. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)

[Durnik]

a little fun, completely SFW..

"va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_rmdlt4JtbE1yzbs45.mp4"

[Peerie Maa]

BAE Systems buys empty Barrow shopping centre units

• Published 7 hours ago

Part of a vacant shopping centre has been bought by submarine builder BAE Systems to regenerate a town centre.
The Barrow shipyard owner has bought a number of retail units in Portland Walk where almost half are unoccupied.
It will renovate and refurbish the four empty stores, including the former Debenhams and WHSmith shops, into a "multi-use facility", which will also offer workforce training.
The council said the move would "inject much needed activity and vibrancy".
Jenny Fazackerley, who chairs Barrow Business Improvement District (BID), welcomed the announcement as "absolutely the best thing that could happen for our town centre".
She said: "We've got a large gap on Portland Walk attracting anti-social behaviour which isn't enticing anyone to open a business.
"With it occupied with some of the BAE workforce, it will bring a vibrancy back."


Image caption, BAE Systems says its regeneration of the empty units will 'champion the town' to potential workers and investors
In October, BAE Systems said it was looking to hire about 1,200 people, mostly based in Barrow, to work on the Royal Navy's new generation of submarines.
Steve Timms, managing director of BAE Systems' submarines business, said: "This investment is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to develop and champion the town.
"We already have a workforce of more than 11,000 people and with that number set to grow, including a significant increase in graduates and apprentices, these new facilities will play an integral role in ensuring we have the right skills and capabilities."
The company has promised to work with local authorities to contribute to regeneration of the town centre.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-64239804

[Spin_Drift]

6785592[/URL]]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-64239804

This iS wonderful.

[Spin_Drift]

Nice article of friendship.

How an Airbnb disaster led to a beautiful friendship




https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/c...nds/index.html

[NickW]

From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-64322794


Image source, NAtural England
Image caption, A laser survey is being carried out along Shute's Lane holloway near Bridport as part of the project

A project is under way to survey ancient sunken paths in Dorset.


The Natural England-funded scheme is mapping the paths, called holloways, to assess their ecological, historic and cultural value.


Experts are carrying out 3D surveys at Shute's Lane, a holloway near Bridport, and also studying Hell Lane, which runs between Symondsbury and North Chideock.


Following the study a map will be created to show the locations of sunken lanes across the UK.



Image source, Natural England
Image caption, Many holloways feature detailed graffiti carved into their banks

Andy Jefferies of Natural England said: "Often described as sunken lanes, a holloway is a road, a lane, track or path with tall banks that tower over the sides with tree canopies closing over the top.


"They are really quite dark mysterious places... some are at least 10m deep into the ground and formed by the movements of people, animals and carts along routes with soft ground."


The English name holloway, or hollow-way, derives from the Old English "hola weg", a sunken road.


The paths have evolved over hundreds of years, sometimes beginning as trenches or boundaries between fields or estates.


Many feature graffiti carved into their banks, "it isn't just 'I woz here' they are really quite elaborate carvings with ghouls and gargoyles and Celtic patterns, they clearly inspire some sense of mystery", Mr Jefferies said.



Image source, NAtural England
Image caption, Andy Jefferies of Natural England said the 3D survey would give a "ultra detailed measurement" and create a digital visualisation showing the "mystery and the magic of the holloways"

The initial project will be completed by the end of March, and a report of the findings will be published through Natural England.


Mr Jefferies added: "Nobody knows the full extent of them right across the UK - so we are trying to collect them and create this map."


The holloways project is inviting people to share pictures and details of their local ancient paths via twitter using #sunkenlanes.

Nick

[NickW]

Battered storm teddy bear found in Cornwall lovingly restored

From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-64318700


Image source, Lost Lego at Sea/ Eleanor Ashton
Image caption, Sinbad has been given a new life after a year of restoration work

A teddy bear's head found washed up on a beach following storms has been transformed into a cuddly toy after a year of work.


The bear's battered face washed up on Porth beach near Newquay, Cornwall, after storms in January 2022.


After seeing a photo on Twitter, Eleanor Ashton, a vicar from Wiltshire, got in touch and asked if she could attempt to restore him.


Sinbad is now complete, and is being used as a therapy bear.


The remains of Sinbad were found on a beach by beachcomber Tracey Williams.



Image source, Eleanor Ashton
Image caption, Sinbad looked, and smelt, better after a wash

She said: "After the winter storms of last January, masses of seaweed washed ashore and it was full of plastic. So a group of us spent days and weeks and months picking it up.


"It was his nose we noticed first - it was actually sticking out of the kelp.


"It was only when I pulled his nose out I realised it was attached to a teddy bear's head."


Ms Ashton had never restored a teddy bear before but when she saw the photo, felt compelled to get in touch.



Image source, Eleanor Ashton
Image caption, By June, Sinbad had the lining for his new body in place

"He just looked so sad, but also so hopeful. It was just the head of a bear but he seemed alive," she said.


It was posted in a cardboard envelope and "absolutely stank" she said, filled with sand and seaweed.


Her son, Bill, 13, named the bear Sinbad after Sinbad the Sailor, because of the adventure he had been on.


Ms Ashton, who is rector of Shrewton near Salisbury, said: "I was careful not to over restore him - so he still has the same eyes and nose, and his ears are still a bit bare."



Image source, Eleanor Ashton
Image caption, Sinbad has been a hit with schoolchildren and care home residents

Talking of his new life as a therapy bear she said: "People just want to give him a cuddle.


"I have taken him to the local care home and he is comforting, and very cuddly. He will accompany me on various visits".


"The fact that he was battered and wounded but could still have a life and a future - it's a story we all understand and relate to."


She and her son now plan to visit Cornwall in half-term, and to take Sinbad along for the trip.





Nick

[Peerie Maa]

"They are really quite dark mysterious places... some are at least 10m deep into the ground and formed by the movements of people, animals and carts along routes with soft ground."

The ones pictured were carved through sandstone, most unusual.

[NickW]

The ones pictured were carved through sandstone, most unusual.

If the rock was soft enough a trackway would be formed. Examples are the Little Covert ( Link https://www.atlasobscura.com/article...-earth-by-time ) and from wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunken_lane )

Sunken lanes are a characteristic feature of the landscape of southern England, especially in the chalk areas of the North and South Downs, and greensand areas such as the Weald. The Surrey Hills AONB has many sunken lanes. Seal Hollow Road in Sevenoaks is a fine example of a sunken lane in southern England.^{[citation needed]}
They are a particular feature of the West Country, in counties such as Dorset,^[11] and west Wales – areas unaffected by the land enclosures of mediaeval England.^[12] The English name holloway (hollow-way) derives from the Old English "hola weg", a sunken road.^[11]
While many sunken lanes are now metalled, some are still unsurfaced green lanes, typically now designated as either bridleways or byways.

Another good reference is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ma...lish_Landscape

Nick

[Peerie Maa]

If the rock was soft enough a trackway would be formed. Examples are the Little Covert ( Link https://www.atlasobscura.com/article...-earth-by-time ) and from wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunken_lane )

Another good reference is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ma...lish_Landscape

Nick

I know what they are. The one I questioned looked as though it was cut through hard rock, which is not how they form.
This one near Yeovil will be in oolitic limestone, a hard form of chalk, so fairly soft.

Little Covert, Bradford Abbas, England, where a holloway was worn in the soft rock over centuries (photograph by Nigel Mykura/geograph.org.uk)

The one in the original post, Shute's lane looked like hard sandstone, but looking where it is, it is probaly in the Lias formation, which is a real mixed bag of rocks, mud stones, limestones and so on.

[NickW]

Escaped beavers recaptured with apples and parsnips in Dorset

Or how to tempt a Canadian

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-64370625



A pair of beavers have been returned to their home after 10 days on the run.The Eurasian beavers, Woody and Twiggy, broke out from their enclosure on the Mapperton Estate in west Dorset following storm damage.


The estate said they were found after a member of public reported "evidence of beaver activity" about a mile away at Melplash.


They were caught in traps over two nights using "a trail of parsnips and apples", the estate said.


Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, said "They broke out together.... it was a real Bonnie and Clyde effort... and went on holiday for about 10 days.


"They were spotted up the river in response to the call we put out asking for help - they had found evidence of beaver activity - hazel coppicing where beavers had been chewing because they leave little wood chips.


"We put out a trail camera so that we could identify them and we saw that both beavers were there. The way to a beaver's heart are parsnips and apples so we laid a trail into the traps."


The pair are now in a holding pen waiting to be re-released once repairs have been made to their eight-acre enclosure, the estate said.


Having been apart for a night, Viscount Hinchingbrooke added: "They were delighted to see each other - when they came to Mapperton they were already a couple - they are very fond of each other."


A post on the Mapperton Facebook page also thanked "members of the local community for helping identify their location and for all the messages of support".


The pair were introduced to the estate near Beaminster from Scotland last year under licence from Natural England.

Nick

[Peerie Maa]

This is literally a 20 minute drive from my door.

Human remains unearthed in a cave in Cumbria have been dubbed the "oldest northerner" after being found to date back 11,000 years.
Bone and a shell bead discovered at Heaning Wood Bone Cave, near Great Urswick, were analysed by the University of Central Lancashire.
Dr Rick Peterson said the site had been used for burials.
He described it as evidence of "some of the earliest dates for human activity" in northern Britain after the Ice Age.
The site had been excavated since 2016 by local archaeologist Martin Stables with the university brought in to "try to interpret the evidence".
Dr Peterson, who teaches archaeology and cultural anthropology, led the academic team.
He said several bodies from the cave had been dated and the group was amazed when one set of remains was found to be much older than thought.
"The caves have been dug before, in the 1950s, and work by Liverpool John Moores University about 10 years ago dated some of the material to the early Bronze Age [about 4,000 years ago].
"There were at least eight people buried in this cave. Some of them came back [dated] from the Bronze Age, some of them were Neolithic which is about 6,000 years ago.
"One individual and one piece of shell bead buried with him came back with a date roundabout 11,000 years ago which is astonishingly early for the north.
"To put it in perspective, the last Ice Age lasted until about 11,600 years ago. After that period, the global temperature warmed rapidly over about 100 years to give us the climate we've got today.
"These people are just about as early as we could expect them to be - the pioneers reoccupying the land after the Ice Age."

Image source, University of Central Lancashire
Image caption, Archaeologist Martin Stables has been excavating the site since 2016

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-64400523

[The Q]

In a village I can see in the distance,
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/2326708...-ahead-rescue/

[Spin_Drift]

CNN) - Here's something you don't see everyday. Pet fish playing a video game in Japan managed to log on to the Nintendo Switch store, change their owner's avatar, set up a Pay Pal account and rack up a credit card bill.

In Japan, pet fish playing Nintendo Switch run up bill on owner's credit card
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/28/asia/...hnk/index.html

[NickW]

From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...shire-64332764

A replica steam locomotive built in Warwickshire is about to be shipped across the Atlantic to form the centrepiece of a $9m open-air museum railroad project.
The engine has been built over the last 18 months at Severn Lamb, a company employing 30 people in Alcester.
The firm, headed by the grandson of the man who created it in the late 1940s, builds trains for amusement and theme parks around the world.
This latest battery-powered creation is destined for the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio.
Severn Lamb has also just signed a contract to deliver two trains to a theme park in Mexico.

Video at the BBC link. More from the manufacturers website here https://www.severn-lamb.com/SL_Open_House_2023

As we kick of 2023, we are delighted to invite friends, family, and local community to visit our production facility here in Alcester where we will be showcasing the completion of our latest project, a ¾ scale steam outline locomotive with a fully battery electric tender and two classic period style, 80 capacity passenger coaches destined for Carillon Historical Park, Dayton, Ohio.

Nick

[John B]

A scandalous story from the Bay of Islands... Pablo the Russell Macaw has gone missing in troubling circumstances.
He's a bit of an attraction for most in the very small village of Russell, but one local has taken exception to him and according to himself , has given him a kick. He's been named on social media , cops and vigilantes are involved, I think there might be shunning to come...
( reminds me of a certain wooden boater and the dog a few years back)
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-...NIY7EVA4BLQHA/

In positive news , the hunt is on ( days now) much further south .. 250 odd kilometres south in a suburb of Auckland after sightings... its on going and there are teams of would be Macaw wranglers flooding the streets trying to get a word in. He evidently spoke to one person using an English accent and to paraphrase the owner.. " and I'm a Pom"..
Did he fly there ( there was a tail wind) or has he been stolen and let go.. or is there more than one English accented Macaw on the loose ?
It is engrossing.

[John B]

^ .. its getting big, only time before it goes viral. Next .. Ellen/ etc.... It did make one TV stations news, soon the others will pick up on it.
Current theory is the bird was captured and removed' in a cardboard box' to Auckland where its escaped or was released . Perhaps a geographic solution to a noise problem by a fed up but ruthless neighbour?
Anyway, serious mobilisation by the community around the aptly named Pigeon mountain in Auckland, watches , reporting and networking community wide, more sightings and validation by accent/ conversations with the bird. No footage. Strategy changes from the primary searchers/ owners and team who are now staying put at known visited locations.
Most fascinating is a comparison map of home town V current location. Far more built up but certainly some serious similarities geographically. I could see that.
Home town on right, current search area 250km away south on the left. Could a nicked, escaped parrot be seeing parallells in the two places, be flying around thinking' something just ain't right?'
Yes I do believe so...
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Days of our lives meets Dallas, dastardly crooks doing dirty deeds done dirt cheep.
Save the parrot !

[Spin_Drift]

How scientists are kept fed and happy in one of the most remote places on Earth…

How a research station eats in eastern Antarctica

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/a...hef/index.html



://www.cnn.com/travel/article/antarctica-polar-research-station-chef/index.html

[Spin_Drift]

# 1731 & 1732 has Pablo been located yet?

[John B]

No, but it's very close.

3 hrs ago in this gripping tale... ( actually the stress and exhaustion is coming out now)

" 100% visual.
5.20 flying direction St Kents. Over 10 Sarah place

Can you take videos if at all possible.

Please do not call him.

Possibly looping back to Pigeon Mountain"

[Garret]

https://mymodernmet.com/bus-driver-knits-7000-hats/

Bus Driver Has Knit Over 7,000 Hats for the Students She Drove to School Throughout the Years

[John B]

Parrot hunt is still going, those people are wearing themselves out physically and financially it seems.
Latest in the saga is ' a man' has been seen walking down the hill with a bird. is it the bird? No sightings since.
Reward now offered, is it innocent , is it nefarious, is it gonna be ransom. the plot thickens.

[Spin_Drift]

^#1736 she’s so nice <3


#1737 what a trip

[sandtown]

Disclaimer - no matter how wacko Idaho gets, Ohio is worse and more corrupt . . . from Kos

Just a short note to let everyone know that iduho is doing its part in the craziest legislation contest. My “representative” Judy Boyle (on the butt of society) introduced a bill today in the House to make it a misdemeanor for anyone to administer the covid vaccine in the state

[Spin_Drift]

(CNN) - The sailor who spent weeks lost at sea in January, surviving largely off of ketchup, could have a new, state-of-the-art boat coming to him.

Heinz wants to buy a new boat for the man who survived off ketchup while lost at sea
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/world...rnd/index.html

[Spin_Drift]

Game wardens discover 7-foot ‘pet’ alligator living in woman’s backyard


By Camelia Juarez

Published: Mar. 4, 2023 at 6:19 AM AKST|Updated: 4 hours ago
BUDA, Texas (KSAT) - Texas wildlife officials discovered a seven-foot American alligator in a woman’s backyard that she had been keeping as a pet.
Texas Parks and Wildlife discovered the reptile while investigating another case in Buda, Texas, just south of Austin.
“It was very friendly with her,” game warden Joann Garza said.
They learned the woman was keeping it as a pet but did not have the proper permits to keep the alligator.
She told game wardens she had been caring for it for more than two decades.
“She did take it a little bit tough,” Garza said. “But she does still have to follow all of the rules and regulations in the state.”
Texas law allows people to keep alligators if they are farming, educating or using it for zoological reasons.
She told investigators she was volunteering at the Animal World & Snake Farm zoo in New Braunfels, Texas, and stole an alligator egg.
“Alligators will have a nest of 50, 60 eggs at a time. So, it would have been very easy for someone to take an egg or a hatchling home, just kind of without anyone noticing,” Jarrod Forthman with Animal World & Snake Farm.
Game wardens say the alligator is healthy and well taken care of, but it had outgrown the space the woman provided.
The gator was recovered and returned to Animal World & Snake Farm.
“You know, my heart goes out to her and we’re going to give it a good home,” Forthman said.
The woman will face up to $1,000 in fines and fees for illegally having an alligator.
Charges for stealing the egg are past the statute of limitations, but she can always visit the alligator here at Animal World & Snake Farm.
Copyright 2023 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

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[Garret]

I've never, ever understood why someone would want an alligator for a pet...

[Spin_Drift]

You can now live on a cruise ship for $30,000 per year
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/3...ini/index.html

[birlinn]

Cruise ship "The World" has offered that for years. Even been here a couple of times!
A penthouse apartment can be yours for around $20 million.

[Stiletto]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/300...ot-on-its-head

[Spin_Drift]

Awww, lucky cat to have been rescued from the teapot.

An amazing young woman. Much respect for her.

She flatlined three times, lost both legs and had a failing heart. Yet she told doctors she's 'the luckiest person on this planet'

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/05/healt...ess/index.html

[Spin_Drift]

Interesting article.

Scientists have revived a 'zombie' virus that spent 48,500 years in permafrost
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/world/permafrost-virus-risk-climate-scn/index.html

[Ian McColgin]

The Curse of the Mummy.

[Spin_Drift]

Mediterranean and MIND diets reduced signs of Alzheimer's in brain tissue, study finds
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/healt...ess/index.html


People who consumed foods from the plant-based Mediterranean and brain-focused MIND diets had fewer of the hallmark signs of Alzheimer's — sticky beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain — when autopsied, a new study found.

[sandtown]

Our local oligarchy decided it would be a great idea to put Condo Towers in a historic waterfront park.

They are charging ahead.