How a beer-loving elephant contributed to the establishment of Adelaide's northern suburbs

Tommy, an elephant shipped from Calcutta in India to Hobart in 1851, before being transported to Melbourne where he lived at the Cremorne Gardens menagerie with other exotic animals. Tommy was later bought by the licensee of Adelaide's Cremorne Gardens Hotel, where the playful youngster created havoc — before he found a better pub to the north where he helped build Adelaide's northern suburbs.

Full story.

The full story is well worth reading IMO.

Mider gender gaps'

 

© (AAP: Richard Wainwright) WA Premier Mark McGowan says the idea of a vaccine stockpile was news to him, and any spare vaccines should be distributed amongst all states.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has questioned an extra 50,000 Pfizer doses being supplied to New South Wales, saying if there are any spares they should be given to all states.

The federal government offered New South Wales the extra doses after National Cabinet rejected the NSW government's request for other states to hand over some vaccines.

"We don't know what this national stockpile is, that's news to us," Mr McGowan told reporters on Monday morning.

 

"If there is a big warehouse sitting there full of Pfizer, my view is they should give it to the states and we'll put it in people's arms.

"If you have spare Pfizer, please give it to us."

No stockpile of Pfizer: Commonwealth

In a statement, a Health Department spokesman said the Commonwealth did not have a stockpile of Pfizer vaccines.

"In mid-July, to support the NSW government's response to the outbreak in Sydney, the Vaccine Taskforce brought forward an additional 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for NSW," the spokesman said.

"This included 150,000 doses of AstraZeneca and 150,000 doses of Pfizer from future allocations.

"The Commonwealth provided the additional 150,000 doses of Pfizer to NSW over the past fortnight.

"In addition, the Commonwealth is able to provide NSW with an additional 50,000 doses of Pfizer this week.

"These additional doses are due to more doses than expected being delivered by Pfizer.

"The Commonwealth does not have a stockpile of Pfizer vaccines.

"As the supply of vaccines increases, we stand ready to work with the states and territories to support the rollout of vaccines and we will constantly assess requests against any additional doses received by the Commonwealth."

'Badly worded': NT

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner also questioned the extra doses going to New South Wales.

"Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer said that New South Wales has received 50,000 additional doses from the national stockpile," Mr Gunner said.

"I hope that's a very poorly chosen set of words. I'm not aware of a national stockpile.

"What we have done is make sure we are not holding large amounts of doses.

"If we were holding doses, people would say 'they should be out', if we aren't holding doses people would say 'why not?'

"We make sure we have the second doses, we also make sure that everything that possibly can be distributed each week is distributed."

Mr Hunt said Victoria also received extra supplies during its outbreak.

"This is exactly in line with what happened in Victoria, and I believe those states and territories were supportive of those additional doses to Victoria," he said.

"Every state and territory is seeing a significant increase in their doses, that is as the additional Pfizer has come on board.

"For Victoria, when they had their outbreak, we were able to provide 150,000 from unallocated doses. New South Wales we've been able to provide 200,000 from unallocated doses.

"Right across the country what we are seeing is an increasing all jurisdictions receiving on a per capita basis sustained weekly increases."

NSW made 'terrible mistakes': McGowan Mark McGowan also made his strongest criticisms yet against the New South Wales government's handling of COVID-19, and urged it to "lock down properly".

"Obviously, the New South Wales government has made some terrible mistakes," he said.

"We just want them to put in place measures that work. They have got to take it more seriously.

"They have got to lock down properly.

"What we are saying to the New South Wales government is it is a risk to the entire country and they need to put in place measures that work like other states have done.

"Have a look at what happened here when we had the Delta outbreak, Adelaide, Melbourne. Every single state government took it seriously and got on top of it.

"The New South Wales government needs to do the same.

"They need to do what is required, like every other state has done. We have all done it, there is one state government that has not."

"All of the advice that we've previously received through National Cabinet and other forums is that the vaccine, Pfizer, is distributed immediately and we get it in arms, immediately," he said.

"I hope that's a very badly chosen set of words, I am worried that maybe it's just code for the fact they took it out of other people's allocations and didn't want to say who or which state they took it from.

"For me, vaccinating the entire Australian population is critical.

"Do it now. Do it immediately. Get the vaccine out. Every state needs it.

"It's not just the Territory, WA needs it. They're the lowest at the moment. Get a lot of vaccine into WA, SA, Queensland, the lot of us. We all need it."

No state to miss out: Hunt

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said no state or territory would have their vaccine supply reduced.

"These were previously unallocated doses, the first 150,000 [and] the 50,000 is coming forward from the supplies that are arriving," he said.

"All states and territories are receiving exactly the per capita amount which was pledged at the commencement of July.

Mr McGowan said the NSW government was late to act.

"The genie got out of the bottle," he said.

"They need to get on top of it now, otherwise this will go on for months and months, it will cost people their lives and it will cost the nation billions.

"Their moment of truth is now with serious measures as soon as possible."

Mr McGowan described people who protested against lockdown measures in Sydney as "terrible" and "hooligans".

"I hope they deal with them very forcefully," he said.

"I think the people taking to the streets are just idiots. They just want to act like morons, like hooligans."

                                                                .......................................

 

Mark would make a good Prime Minister for Australia!

Researchers at UC San Francisco have successfully developed a “speech neuroprosthesis” that has enabled a man with severe paralysis to communicate in sentences—translating signals from his brain to the vocal tract directly into words that appear as text on a screen.

Dr. Edward Chang/Barbara Ries, University of California San Francisco

The achievement builds on more than a decade of effort by UCSF neurosurgeon Edward Chang to develop a technology that allows people with paralysis to communicate even if they are unable to speak on their own.

“To our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration of direct decoding of full words from the brain activity of someone who is paralyzed and cannot speak,” said Chang, who’s senior author on the study. “It shows strong promise to restore communication by tapping into the brain’s natural speech machinery.”

Each year, thousands of people lose the ability to speak due to stroke, accident, or disease. With further development, the approach described in this study could one day enable these people to fully communicate.

MORE INFO:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/paralyzed-mans-brain-waves-turned-into-sentences-on-computer

Wish we could do something like this in Australia to help the homeless.

A realtor in Missouri is determined to make her hometown “a city where no one sleeps outside.”

Courtesy of Linda Brown

For nine years Linda Brown and her husband David organized a nightly drop-in shelter where homeless people in Springfield could eat, shower, do laundry, use a computer, and socialize during bingo games and karaoke—but they wanted to do more.

So they transformed an abandoned mobile home property into a village of tiny homes that provides permanent housing to the chronically disabled homeless.

They raised $4.75 million and opened Eden Village in 2018, erecting 31 tiny homes that are now occupied by people like Jonathan Fisher. He was battling substance abuse, and had lived on the streets for two years when he met Linda Brown, who changed his life.

“In the worst moments of my life, Linda gave me guidance, care, and made me feel like I was still worth something,” Fisher says. He says that Brown took the time to learn about how he became homeless, and then encouraged him as he rebuilt his life. She even offered him a job.

Now sober, Fisher works full-time for Brown, doing construction and maintenance on the 31 homes, and helping others experiencing struggles similar to what he went through.

The driving philosophy behind Eden Village is the same that fuels the Housing First movement: The root causes of a person’s homelessness cannot be thoroughly addressed until his or her immediate housing needs are met.

“I watched as my (homeless) friends walked off into the darkness to a hidden, wet, cold camp while we went home to a warm bed,” Linda told the National Association of Realtors, who honored her with their Good Neighbor Award in 2020. “I had to do something,”

That was the moment that formed her vision for the tiny-home village that serves as a place where the chronically disabled homeless “can live with dignity and self-worth.”

Changing Lives, One Village at a Time

After drawing sponsorship money from Coldwell Banker, the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors, local banks, churches, and area residents, by February 2019, all 31 tiny homes, which cost about $42,000 each, were occupied.

Linda Brown

“It takes someone who wants to do something, and then believes they can. I’ve watched Linda Brown live that out,” says Nate Schleuter, who helped launch a tiny-home village for the homeless in Austin, Texas, but now is the chief visionary officer for Eden Village.

“It’s exciting to watch the homeless who thought they’d live the rest of their life on the street now have a home.”

Eden Village, courtesy of Linda Brown

Brown’s 13 years of real estate expertise has been essential to the development of the tiny-home community. She learned of a listing for an abandoned 4.2-acre mobile park on Springfield’s east side. The property wouldn’t need to be rezoned for tiny-home trailers, and the infrastructure and utilities were already in place.

The tiny homes are rolled in on wheels attached to their steel frames, qualifying them as recreational vehicles. The 400-square-foot individual homes are fully furnished, including dishes and bedding. Residents pay $300 per month, which includes utilities. Most receive government disability checks of $725 per month to cover expenses. They can remain in their home as long as they wish, provided they remain a good neighbor in the community.

Wide-angle photo of interior of tiny home – courtesy of Linda Brown

The village includes a 4,000-square-foot community center where residents can hold cookouts, do laundry, and access a medical office staffed with student nurse volunteers and mental health professionals. Eden Village was even the site of a marriage ceremony for two residents.

Linda Brown with Eden Village resident

Plans for additional villages are already underway on donated land. Eden Village 2 will house 24 residents in tiny homes and is close to opening.

Then, work will begin on Eden Village 3, which could house up to 80 residents in duplexes. Over the next six years, Brown, who is a realtor for Amax Real Estate, plans to have five villages across Springfield, housing an estimated 200 homeless people.

RELATED: Community of Tiny Homes Breaks Cycle of Addiction and Homelessness for Single Moms

Fisher says Brown’s devotion helped him emerge from the grip of homelessness. “She helped me to build a better life,” Fisher says. “Even when I was struggling with homelessness and sobriety, she showed me I was valuable and that my potential shouldn’t be wasted. She made me feel like I belonged somewhere.”

Other cities are seeking to duplicate Eden Village. One project is underway in Wilmington, N.C., and 34 other communities are making plans. You can visit the Eden Village website to donate to the 501(C-3) nonprofit or volunteer with them

 

The oldest family photograph ever taken at Stonehenge – a pioneering 3D image showing group enjoying the attraction in the 1860s – goes on display after being discovered in Queen guitarist Brian May’s personal collection.

The 3D stereoview image was taken by photographer Henry Brooks during the 1860s and shows his family enjoying a day out at the historic landmark, the heritage organisation said. The image will been seen in a new exhibition at Stonehenge.

'He thought he was immortal': Twin sister's heartbreak as fit and healthy brother, 42, who rejected jab because he 'didn't want vaccine in his body' died four weeks after catching Covid... 'wishing he'd listened' to her 

A fit and healthy 42-year-old father has died of Covid-19 after refusing the vaccine because he thought he would be OK if he contracted the virus, his twin sister said. John Eyers had been climbing the Welsh mountains and wild camping one month before his death last week, which came exactly four weeks after he tested positive. His twin sister Jenny McCann from London said he was the 'fittest, healthiest person I know' and had thought he would only have a 'mild illness' if he got coronavirus . She added that he had a 'belief in his own immortality' but before going onto a ventilator in hospital he told his consultant that he wished he had been vaccinated. Mr Eyers, of Southport, Merseyside, died in intensive care after suffering from an infection and organ failure, and leaves behind his parents and a daughter aged 19. Writing on Twitter, mother-of-two Ms McCann, of Pinner, North West London, said on Monday: 'My 42-year-old old twin brother died in ITU of Covid-19 last week. He died exactly four weeks after testing positive. He was the fittest, healthiest person I know. He was climbing Welsh mountains and wild camping four weeks before his death.' 

There are two types of lung ventilators

An Australian soldier's remains identified after more than a century in an unmarked grave on the Western Front.

For 103 years the remains of an unknown World War I soldier lay in a grave in France, a mystery to historians and to the Australian Army, until now. The body has been identified as 21-year-old Australian Albert Nicholson. The Broken Hill-born ammunition driver was part of the Australian Imperial Force in France when he was killed in action at Villers-Bretonneux on 3 August 1918.

French children tending graves of Australians killed at Villers-Bretonneux's Adelaide Cemetery. Photo: Australian War Memorial.

According to his family, Mr Nicholson's death was particularly tragic given he was supposed to be getting married the day he died.

The Cemetery today.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-05/aus-soldiers-remains-reunited-with-family-after-a-century/100352334

Mount Warning through the mist ... there was fog this morning from Kingscliff to Wollumbin.

Bryan Ricketts Photography, 15 August 2021.

I was playing online Suduko tonight when I checked the latest news online to find that Maki  Kaji, known as the "Godfather of Sudoku", died in Japan on August 10. 

Maki Kaji, the creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life's work was spreading the joy of puzzles, died aged 69 from bile duct cancer. Born in the main northern island of Hokkaido, Mr Maki started Japan's first puzzle magazine after dropping out of Keio University in Tokyo. He founded Nikoli in 1983 and came up with Sudoku about the same time.

Originally, Sudoku was called "Suji-wa-Dokushin-ni-Kagiru," which translates to, "Numbers should be single, a bachelor." It wasn't until 2004 that Sudoku became a global hit, after a fan from New Zealand pitched it and got it published in the British newspaper The Times.

Full ABC story.

    US troops fire warning shots and use teargas on crowds of Afghans blocking entrance at Kabul airport | Daily Mail Online  

ABC journalists were blocked from even getting to the airport on Thursday despite having paperwork proving who they were. The Taliban's leaders say they are letting people through but the fighters on the ground aren't following the orders strictly and are blocking many of those trying to gain access

Shenyang, China

Tourists visit a paddy featuring images created by the cultivation of different varieties of rice.

126 sleeps to XMAS

North Sentinel Island: Facts And Mysteries Surrounding The Sentinelese TribeTravelFebruary 12, 2021North Sentinel Island: Facts And Mysteries Surrounding The Sentinelese Tribe

Written By Zoya Ali.

Have you ever imagined a place where no one has been, no one has seen? People who normal technology-based homo sapiens have never met? Somewhere where no human like you and me have ever stepped foot? North Sentinel Island… 

North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal, home to one of the last isolated and uncontacted tribes in the world- hunter-gatherers called Sentinelese tribe. It is not allowed for any human to enter or be within 9.26 km distance from the island, nor would you want to.

Sentinelese TribePicture Credit- National Geographic

The tribe doesn’t have friendly relations with outsiders and are staunch protectors of their homeland, previous attempts to contact the tribe were welcomed with showers of spears and arrows, some might even call them the most aggressive uncontacted tribe on Earth.

Till day there has only been one friendly meet with the tribe in 1974 they took lots of food from the visitors.

However, in 1992 the Indian government banned people to go near the island not just because they would kill them but also because the tribe had no immunity against normal diseases, we face every day and even if one Sentinelese got infected all of their existence would wipe off the face of Earth. 

The Sentinelese are 15-400 in number, they are short people 165cm tall with dark shiny skin and teeth, with strong muscles as they are hunter-gatherers.

Picture Credit- Sick Chirpse

They used spears, arrows and bows to kill and hunt animals. Some stories believe that the Sentinelese had migrated from Africa tens and thousands of years ago. They have been isolated with no proper contact with a modern-day technology-based human for 60,000 years.

Using technology like a satellite to get pictures of the island is impossible as it is covered in a dense forest all around except at the shore. The island is a coral dinged island the size of Manhattan.

The most bizarre part is that they might not know how to use fire and depend on lightning to create natural fires for them. The Sentinelese know how to build canoes and do not engage in agriculture, they live in temporary huts, use metals and speak an unknown language.

Picture Credit- newstime.boThe Onge Tribe of Andaman Islands

Another group of indigenous people at the Andaman and Nicobar islands are the Onge. They are believed to have come from Africa, their culture seemed the same and language sounded the same too.

However, when the British government governed India they took the Onge to meet the sentinels but the 2 tribes seemed confused and were unable to communicate as they had different languages.

PictureCredit- India The Destiny

In 2004 there was an earthquake at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that killed many people the Indian government sent a helicopter to check on the tribe they were fine but were not happy with the helicopter which was welcomed with a shower of many arrows and spears.

The disaster took the life of 200000 people in the inhabited islands of its not known how the tribe survived such a disaster which should have destroyed the sentinels no doubt about it, no one knows how they survived.

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Also Read: Unsolved Mysteries Of The Bermuda Triangle.

Story Of John Allen Chau

John Allen Chau, a brave and determined investigator of the island, was killed as recently as 2018 by the tribe. Chau, in his journal, wonders if the North Sentinel Island is the last stronghold of Satan the reason the tribe doesn’t welcome outsiders.

Picture Credit- CGTN

In his journal, he wrote his plan of going to the island by tipping the fishermen 30000$ just to take him to the island at night. He expressed his frustration of not being welcomed the last few times he went. The night Chau was taken to the island he told the fishermen not to wait for him.

He was killed by the Sentinelese and was seen being dragged to bury on the shore by the fishermen the next day. The fishermen were arrested for helping Chau as it was against the law. Chau has never seen again no one knows if the body the Sentinelese were dragging was his or not. 

Chau isn’t the only person who was killed by the Sentinelese 2 fishermen drunk and, in their boat, late at night drifted towards the island even after many fishermen warned them, as they were drunk, they didn’t seem to care.

They drifted onto the shores of the island and were killed by the Sentinelese. Attempts to recover their bodies were stopped as every time a helicopter or ship went close to the island it was welcomed with arrows and spears, their bodies were never recovered.

Another story of fishermen illegally fishing for crabs near the shore of the island was also killed and never seen again. 

First And Last Friendly Contact

In 1974 National Geographic gifted the Sentinelese a pig, doll, toy car, cooking utensils and coconuts. This is the first and must say last friendly visit the Sentinelese ever had with technology-based humans. Not only because the government has banned going to the island but also because the Sentinelese have become increasingly dangerous over the past few years.

Picture Credit- The Indian Anomaly

The reports say that the Sentinelese ate the coconuts happily even though it is not a native fruit of the island. It was also reported that the Sentinelese killed and buried the pig and the doll but surprisingly not the cooking utensils which they must have found use in killing and hunting.

According to this meet in 1974 Adams Goodheart’s wrote an article called- ‘The Last Island of Savages’. The last contact to and with The Sentinelese was with journalist Chau who was killed and buried on the shore. The fishermen and 6 others who helped Chau are in jail.

Study By Maurice Vidal Portman

There should be no further contact with the tribe because of all the viruses floating around and also a study by Maria Vidal Portman.

In the 19th century, Maurice Vidal Portman studied the inhabitants of the island and says that the studies cannot be called human.

Portman went into the island searching for Sentinelese (the only known human to have made it passed the shores and into the island) he found many deserted settlements full of shells, later they found a family of 6 and kidnapped them there were 2 adults and 4 children, he took them to the nearest major city all the natives soon fell sick and the adults died.

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Portman hesitated and soon returned the 4 children back to the island’s shore and despite the diseases the children might have carried the tribe survived. It would have been very unlikely for them to survive and yet they did.

It is still a mystery how they survived an earthquake and how after the 4 diseased children Portman kidnapped returned the tribe still survived. We might never know what lies under the heavily covered forests of the island- it could be a civilization, aliens or even technology.

But this article is not to show the horrors the people faced when they went near the island but the horror the Sentinelese have to face and how scared they must be by humans and flying metal that looks like a dinosaur.

Effect Of The Modern World Problems On The Sentinelese Tribe

The Sentinelese are one of the last isolated hunter-gatherer tribes in the world, their existence on Earth is limited because of climate change, waste, technology and much much more. They need more protection than just a law and a boundary.

Picture Credit- Scientific Mystery

They might have survived deadly diseases and an Earthquake but the ones to come are deadlier than both of them combined. The Indian government must protect them come what may.

How to save the Sentinelese you ask? The only way to save them is by leaving them alone. The more and more humans like us try to interact with them the more prone they are to diseases and viruses.

The coronavirus the disease of the Anthropocene- has thankfully not managed to crawl into The North Sentinel Island as far as scientists know but there is still a possibility that the virus has infected the island.

They are extremely vulnerable to all sorts of diseases and viruses- mostly Covid 19 as it spreads like a wildfire. They survived a disease before left by Portman and his 4 kidnapped diseased animals but might not survive a virus-like corona.

Thanks to the global lockdown fishermen, boats- people haven’t gone close to the island in months. The government has tested the Onge tribe as they are not an isolated tribe and they have tested negative, so it is implausible that the Sentinelese have tested positive-we might never know.

The Sentinelese are a very lucky tribe as the government has made sure no one goes close to the island unlike the other tribes of the Andaman whose lands have been taken away. 

The Rohingyas- on January 13th were fleeing Bangladesh after facing violence and forced return to Myanmar they fled on boats and were spotted by fishermen near the island at a 36km distance. The boat contained 66 people, 27 women, 23 men and 15 women.

Thankfully the boat never touched the shore or no one knows what the fate of the Sentinelese and the 66 Rohingya’s might have been. No one knows if the Rohingya’s had corona but thankfully they couldn’t have infected the Sentinelese from 36 km away.