In Other News

[pchang]

Don't Cry For Me, Argentina!

[Berzerker]

Insider interviewed a cartel cook explaining 'rainbow fentanyl', he said they make it that way because some dealers in the US were cutting cocaine and heroin with fentanyl so they artificially colored it

[Proteus_MST]

Of course every fundamentalist christian who believes in the truth of the bible (so around half of the Americans AFAIK) (as well as, I guess, every "true believing" muslim) knows that this cannot bee true, as the earth is only 6k years old and humans already used fire to cook dinosaurs (which ultimately led to their extinction)

[BeBMan]

Human beings used fire to cook food hundreds of thousands of years earlier than previously thought, an Israeli-led group of researchers have suggested.

They found evidence in the 780,000-year-old remains of a huge carp-like fish discovered in northern Israel.

The scientists noted "the transition from eating raw food to eating cooked food had dramatic implications for human development and behaviour".

The previous earliest evidence of cooking dated from about 170,000 BC.

The remains of the two-metre (6.5ft) fish were found at the Gesher Benot Yaaqob archaeological site which spans the River Jordan about 14km (8.5 miles) north of the Sea of Galilee .

Researchers studied crystals from the enamel of the fish's teeth, which were found in large quantities at the site. The way the crystals had expanded was a sign that they had not been exposed to direct fire, but cooked at a lower temperature.


"Gaining the skill required to cook food marks a significant evolutionary advance, as it provided an additional means for making optimal use of available food resources," said Professor Naama Goren-Inbar from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who directed the excavation.

"It is even possible that cooking was not limited to fish, but also included various types of animals and plants."

(...)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63596141

I'm glad humans had it first

Imagine wild lions, sharks and whatnot had dev'ed cooking before humans.

Nah, but the 780,000-year figure surprised me, thought it to be a much later thing.

[Broken_Erika]

It's like a real life version of that onion article

https://www.theonion.com/new-subway-promotion-to-honor-subtember-11-1819575535

[BeBMan]

Fail

They could rebrand it for Fall of the Berlin Wall (Nov 9 1989) use. Or for the more niche history nerds for the End of the Kaiserreich/Monarchy in 1918.

[Broken_Erika]

KFC apologises after German Kristallnacht promotion


KFC has apologised after sending a promotional message to customers in Germany, urging them to commemorate Kristallnacht with cheesy chicken.

The Nazi-led series of attacks in the country in 1938 left more than 90 people dead, and destroyed Jewish-owned businesses and places of worship.

It is widely seen as the beginning of the Holocaust.

The message, heavily criticised for its insensitivity, was later blamed on "an error in our system".

The fast food chain sent an app alert on Wednesday, saying: "It's memorial day for Kristallnacht! Treat yourself with more tender cheese on your crispy chicken. Now at KFCheese!"

Around an hour later another message was sent with an apology, according to the Bild newspaper.

"We are very sorry, we will check our internal processes immediately so that this does not happen again. Please excuse this error," the message is reported to have said.

Germany takes the 9 November anniversary of Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) seriously, with numerous memorial events and discussions scheduled to reflect the Nazis' murder of more than six million Jewish people.

Daniel Sugarman, Director of Public Affairs at the Board of Deputies of British Jews described the original KFC message as "absolutely hideous".

Dalia Grinfeld, the associate director of European affairs at the Jewish NGO Anti-Defamation League, tweeted: "How wrong can you get on Kristallnacht KFC Germany. Shame on you!"

In a statement issued to Newsweek magazine, KFC Germany blamed the message on a bot.

The fast food chain said the "automated push notification" was "linked to calendars that include national observances".

It added that it "sincerely" apologised for the "unplanned, insensitive and unacceptable message" and said app communications had been suspended while an examination of them takes place.

"We understand and respect the gravity and history of this day, and remain committed to equity, inclusion and belonging for all," the company finished by saying.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63499057

[BeBMan]

Balls

[Dauphin]

Halloween is over, and the UK doesn't have thanksgiving, so that means.....time for Christmas fun:

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-11-01/giant-runaway-christmas-baubles-tumble-through-london-street-wreaking-havoc

Two runaway Christmas baubles, each larger than cars, were spotted tumbling through central London.

The decorative balls were seen flying down what appears to be Tottenham Court Road.

Bouncing into the path of on-coming traffic, one of the oversized baubles was filmed hitting a lamppost, causing it to shed its glittery skin.

It is unclear where the balls had escaped from, but as they rolled down the street, drivers were filmed having to take evasive action to dodge their ricocheting path.

The footage was posted on social media on Halloween, as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning over Storm Claudio's strong winds and rain.

Video in the link

[PLATO]

The days of fax machines may be over, or so asks the Bibs:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63472371

I have to admit I never used a fax machine in my life.

I'm wondering if I should scramble to still get one. just for the experience.

Later I can look towards younger folks with an-oh-so-superior-attitude enabling me to spread wisdoms like:

"I have used a fax machine long before you could even say 'smartphone', son."

Or:

"If you never used a fax machine you haven't lived".

etcetc.

I remember when the office I worked in got its first fax machine. It used thermal paper and was amazing. Before that we had to wait on the U.S. Mail. Haven't seen one around an office in years though. Technology has moved at an incredible pace.

[BeBMan]

The days of fax machines may be over, or so asks the Bibs:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63472371

I have to admit I never used a fax machine in my life.

I'm wondering if I should scramble to still get one. just for the experience.

Later I can look towards younger folks with an-oh-so-superior-attitude enabling me to spread wisdoms like:

"I have used a fax machine long before you could even say 'smartphone', son."

Or:

"If you never used a fax machine you haven't lived".

etcetc.

[BeBMan]

Piet Mondrian artwork displayed upside down for 75 years




Who'd have known?

[Broken_Erika]

Attacked owl rescued by fishing crew 100 miles out to sea

A long-eared owl shocked crew on board a fishing boat over 100 miles off the north coast of Scotland.

The bird was rescued by a crew member who spotted it being attacked by seagulls.

It suffered minor injuries but was cared for by the team on board Peterhead-registered Benarkle II for the rest of their trip.

It is believed the owl had been blown off its normal course before landing on the boat.

The Benarkle II crew said the poorly creature perked up a great deal after being "beefed up" with some chopped steak.

• The latest headlines from Scotland

After returning to harbour, the owl was handed over to the Huntly Falconry Centre who said it was very unusual for it to have been so far from land.

Crew members said the bird appeared on board the trawler in the middle of their trip last week - and seemed perfectly happy once it had settled into its new surroundings.

A social media post from the team added: "[It] was starting to become used to the comings and goings of crew in the wheelhouse, even letting him out to stretch his wings.

"Although getting an unwilling owl to go back into his temporary home isn't the easiest of operations!"

Once the trawler returned to Peterhead, the owl was taken to the Huntly Falconry Centre to fully recover.

John Barrie, who owns the centre, said: "The owl is just tired after the journey.

"They'd fed it up on the boat, and we'll do the same here.

"It just needs a bit of beef on it.

"It'll be here for a week or two then released back into the wild."

Mr Barrie said the bird was over 100 miles out from the coast.

He added: "It wasn't in its own environment, it must've just got blown off course.

"These same guys brought in a hobby falcon a couple years ago and it was about 400 miles out.

"It's funny that that's twice they've brought in a bird. There's obviously someone on board who knows about birds."

Long-eared owls are known for their distinct white eyebrows and striking bright orange eyes.

Despite being called the long-eared owl, the tufts on its head aren't actually ears at all.

The large head feathers are simply used to make it look bigger when the bird is alarmed.

They are said to be the most nocturnal of all the owls.

The breed looks deceptively long and thin while flying, but is usually no larger than a woodpigeon.

And they traditionally prefer dense coniferous woodlands to being at sea.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63425826

[BeBMan]

Bees ‘count’ from left to right, study finds

Latest finding adds to theory that animals, including humans, naturally arrange things in a certain order, even without being able to count

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/27/bees-count-from-left-to-right-study-finds

[BeBMan]

Oh deer...