What's in the news today?

[alp]

Pictured: Newborn baby fighting for life after being attacked by one of his OWN parents' Staffordshire Bull Terriers Fizzy and Dotty

• Emergency services rushed to house in Cambridgeshire on Sunday morning
• Weeks old baby boy was taken to hospital and is in a critical condition
• Little boy's grandfather says the incident was a 'big freak accident'
• Two people, aged 28 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of child neglect
  
  The boy's grandfather said the dogs have 'never been dangerous, they've been docile dogs'
  
  Agree with @Esther Knapicius that definitely NO dogs near babies or children unsupervised!

 

[Logan]

Agree with @Esther Knapicius that definitely NO dogs near babies or children unsupervised!

Yes i agree, any breed.

 

[alp]

Yes, a Yorkshire Terrier has killed a new-born as well. Could be jealousy!

 

[alp]

Bad news for foodies! Truffle industry will DISAPPEAR within a generation as climate change wipes out the sought-after fungi

• Researchers at Scotland's Stirling University issued the stern warning this week
• They fear Southern European production could decline by up to 100 per cent
• The highly lucrative industry is worth hundreds of millions of pounds to Europe
  
  
  
  
  
  source

Never tried these! Give me Shiitake mushroom any time!


HOW DO YOU GROW TRUFFLES?
Historically, truffles were simply 'found' and could not be grown.

They were often tracked down by Truffle pigs that had an excellent nose for the fungus.

In the 19th century, many of the attempts at cultivating the truffle failed miserably.

French gourmet Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once called truffles 'the diamond of the kitchen'.

In 1825, he said: 'The most learned men have sought to ascertain the secret [to growing truffles], and fancied they discovered the seed.

'Their promises, however, were vain, and no planting was ever followed by a harvest.'

The truffle fungus requires a host, often the roots of a tree in order to grow properly.

Truffles are produced by inoculating the seeds of trees with the fungus.

This fragile process occurs in a greenhouse and can take some time, the trees are then planted and as the plant grows, so do the roots and, as a result, so do the truffles.

The tubers can then be harvested when they are fully developed.

I bought some white truffle spore-infused hazelnut trees. In the end, I have now several squirrels to attest to my effort. Truffles are still illusive!

 

[alp]

Astronomer captures the incredible moment a meteor explodes and scatters throughout the night sky as the celestial fireball burns up in the atmosphere

• Derek Robson, 58, filmed the spectacle from his back garden on 10 November
• He believes it's about 275 times brighter than Sirius - the brightest star in the sky
• Footage shows fireball hurtling across the sky before exploding in flash of white
  
  source
  
  Would love to see this in reality!

 

[Logan]

Yes, a Yorkshire Terrier has killed a new-born as well. Could be jealousy!

Yorkshire terriers were used for ratting in the mills under the machinery. Could have been the sound that the baby makes.

 

[roadrunner]

The Truffles story was funny



Here in the U.S. we have a very broad warning about Romaine lettuce -- the recommendation/warning: THROW IT AWAY!!

It seems a few people have gotten sick (E. coli), but no one knows the source...

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...atest-romaine-lettuce-e-coli-outbreak-n939026

Excerpt:

This is the second outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce this year. An outbreak this past spring killed five people and made 210 sick in 36 states. It was eventually traced to contaminated canal water in a farming area in Yuma, Arizona.

Until a specific farm or region can be identified, CDC and FDA say it’s safest just to tell people not to eat romaine lettuce and to tell restaurants and stores to throw it out. Other leafy greens appear to be safe.


Although this is the second romaine-linked outbreak this year, it is not clear whether romaine lettuce itself is more likely to be contaminated than other vegetables, said Dr. Laura Gieraltowski, leader of the foodborne outbreak response team at the CDC. “It’s something we’ve been asking,” she said.

“It could have to do with the way the lettuce is shaped. (A head of) romaine lettuce is kind of open and maybe contaminated water can get into it more than into a head of iceberg lettuce or cabbage that is in a ball.”

 

[alp]

Crikey! I love Romaine lettuce! I tried growing them, without much success as I ate it before it grew to full size. Will try again. So it was the water source, not the lettuce. Poor thing - given a bad name by association!

This is even more exciting!

Police investigate theft of an 'exceptionally rare' mushroom after foragers sliced it off a tree trunk in the New Forest

• A large chunk of the rare edible bearded tooth mushroom has disappeared
• Hericium erinaceus is also known as the lion's mane and the bearded hedgehog
• It is said to have medicinal properties which can help with cancer and diabetes
• Hampshire Police told the Forestry Commission they wont arrive until next week
  
  The medical properties of the bearded tooth mushroom
  Hericium erinaceus, also known as Lion's Mane, Bearded Tooth, or Hedgehog Mushroom, is an edible fungus.
  
  According to the US National Library of Medicine it has a long history of use as a herbal cure in Chinese medicine.
  
  Scientists have found the fungus to be rich in components which have been shown to have anti-cancer properties.
  
  Its compounds have also been found to alter the immune system, to reduce fat, to protect brain function and to have antioxidant properties.
  
  A 2013 study found that H. erinaceus has also been reported to have anti-microbial, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, and wound healing properties.
  
  
• 
  
  
  Handsome mane!
  
  Source

 

[alp]

A very sad story

'We've lost everything': Police officer poisoned in Salisbury novichok attack reveals his family can no longer live in their home and had their possessions destroyed due to contamination

• Nick Bailey told how his whole body was 'juddering' after he was poisoned
• He speaks for the first time about how he was contaminated with novichok
• Bailey was one of the first to respond to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in March
• The attack in Salisbury is the subject of BBC Panorama investigation tonight
  
  Source
  
  Meanwhile, In Russia, the head of the Russian intelligence dies
  
  Head of Russian Skripal-linked GRU spy agency dies
  
  Source
  

 

[alp]

Will they make a bundle? Homeware retailer is ridiculed for selling TWIGS online for £40 to 'bring a rustic quality to your home'

• Handful of birch twigs from Anthropologie measure 31in (80cm) by 5in (13cm)
• Bundle wrapped in string comes with 18 twigs - working out at £2.22 per twig
• Social media users have poked for at 'Decorative Birch Bundle' on sale for £40
  
  
  
  
  
  it's all to do with narrative ... a convincing narrative!

 

[alp]

As a journalist phrases it, "Millions for one, misery for many!"

Betting queen who’s made a billion gambling with people’s lives: Meet Stoke mother Denise Coates who's become one of the world’s highest paid women — at a terrible price

• Gambling company bet365 revealed it paid a £265million salary to its founder
• Denise Coates, 51, could be one of the highest paid women in the whole world
• The betting company employs more than 3,000 people in Stoke-on-Trent
• She earns 1,300 times more than Theresa May, and 9,500 times more than the average salary in Britain
  
  She was even awarded a gong by the royal family. What is so royal about this? The government delays clamping down on gambling as they want to rake in more revenue from this sick business!
  
  Don't get me wrong! I will pay the occasional lottery, but a lot of people are not that sensible!
  
  
  
  OK, the family pours money into the local economy, but has it built its business on others' misery?

 

[roadrunner]

Will they make a bundle? Homeware retailer is ridiculed for selling TWIGS online for £40 to 'bring a rustic quality to your home'

• Handful of birch twigs from Anthropologie measure 31in (80cm) by 5in (13cm)
• Bundle wrapped in string comes with 18 twigs - working out at £2.22 per twig
• Social media users have poked for at 'Decorative Birch Bundle' on sale for £40
  
  View attachment 47277
  
  it's all to do with narrative ... a convincing narrative!

I wouldn't ridicule the retailer; I'd ridicule the fool (AKA customer) that bought these twigs



If you want to convert people to Christianity, be careful of who's "door" you knock on...

Story of young American missionary killed by un-contacted tribe on North Sentinel Island.

https://apnews.com/1bda3efee48540baa45f0ea5860743ea

Excerpt:

For thousands of years, the people of North Sentinel Island have been isolated from the rest of the world.

They use spears and bows and arrows to hunt the animals that roam the small, heavily forested island, and gather plants to eat and to fashion into homes. Their closest neighbors live more than 50 kilometers (30 miles) away. Deeply suspicious of outsiders, they attack anyone who comes through the surf and onto their beaches.

Police say that is what happened last week when a young American, John Allen Chau, was killed by islanders after paying fishermen to take him to the island.

“The Sentinelese want to be left alone,” said the anthropologist Anup Kapur.

Scholars believe the Sentinelese migrated from Africa roughly 50,000 years ago, but most details of their lives remain completely unknown.

“We do not even know how many of them are there,” said Anvita Abbi, who has spent decades studying the tribal languages of India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands. North Sentinel is an outpost of the island chain, which is far closer to Myanmar and Thailand than to mainland India. Estimates on the group’s size range from a few dozen to a few hundred.

“What language they speak, how old it is, it’s anybody’s guess,” Abbi said. “Nobody has access to these people.”

 

[Logan]

I heard that on the news very early this morning.

 

[alp]

I wouldn't ridicule the retailer; I'd ridicule the fool (AKA customer) that bought these twigs



If you want to convert people to Christianity, be careful of who's "door" you knock on...

Story of young American missionary killed by un-contacted tribe on North Sentinel Island.

https://apnews.com/1bda3efee48540baa45f0ea5860743ea

Excerpt:

For thousands of years, the people of North Sentinel Island have been isolated from the rest of the world.

They use spears and bows and arrows to hunt the animals that roam the small, heavily forested island, and gather plants to eat and to fashion into homes. Their closest neighbors live more than 50 kilometers (30 miles) away. Deeply suspicious of outsiders, they attack anyone who comes through the surf and onto their beaches.

Police say that is what happened last week when a young American, John Allen Chau, was killed by islanders after paying fishermen to take him to the island.

“The Sentinelese want to be left alone,” said the anthropologist Anup Kapur.

Scholars believe the Sentinelese migrated from Africa roughly 50,000 years ago, but most details of their lives remain completely unknown.

“We do not even know how many of them are there,” said Anvita Abbi, who has spent decades studying the tribal languages of India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands. North Sentinel is an outpost of the island chain, which is far closer to Myanmar and Thailand than to mainland India. Estimates on the group’s size range from a few dozen to a few hundred.

“What language they speak, how old it is, it’s anybody’s guess,” Abbi said. “Nobody has access to these people.”

In this case, the missionary was a bit patronising, thinking that his religion was so good that it should be shared. I would leave these people be and let them lead their own lives and not intrude on their privacy! He might give them disease and vice versa. Respect others' way of life!

Sadly, a lot of customers are suckers!

 

[alp]

Plastic pollution of the seas is laid bare as ENTIRE 500ml bottle is pulled from stomach of a monkfish in South Korea

• Fisherman makes disturbing discovery after noticing one fish had a bulging belly
• Finding is a 'wake up call' for governments to reduce waste in coastal areas
• Earlier in the week a dead whale was found with 115 plastic cups in its stomach
• More than eight million tons of plastic waste are swept into the oceans every year, according to UN report
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The whale had consumed a horrifying collection of plastic trash, including 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, plastic bottles, two flip-flops and a bag containing more than 1,000 pieces of string
  
  source
  
  Another horrible story from South Korea
  
  Samsung executive bows as he apologises for sickness and deaths of factory workers after dozens of employees suffered leukaemia and brain tumours
  • Workers had agreed to accept compensation terms suggested by a mediator
  • This ended a highly-publicised standoff that went on for more than a decade
  • A senior at Samsung said they failed to 'sufficiently manage health threats'
    
    ... hold Samsung responsible for problems related to working conditions galvanized a broader movement to hold businesses and the government accountable for safety lapses in the chip and display industries, which use huge amounts of chemicals.
    
    Source