Outdoors (General/Chat)
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Back in April of 2020, a British family who was stuck at home during the pandemic lockdown busied themselves with some yardwork at their home in Hampstead and ended up unearthing a cache of 69 gold coins from the Tudor period. The family, who have asked to remain anonymous, registered the remarkable find with the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme, but the discovery was not publicly announced at the time. The coins are all dated between the 1420s and 1530s, showing the images of the four English kings from that time period: Henry VI, Edward IV, Henry VII, and Henry...
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If that snowstorm felt unusual for this time of the year, it was. Saturday was the snowiest November day ever recorded in Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. The storm dumped over 8 inches of snow on parts of the city. O’Hare International Airport got 8.4 inches as of Sunday morning, and Midway had 6 inches, forecasters said. But the storm isn’t over yet. The area’s winter weather advisory was extended from 6 a.m. to noon Sunday. “A band of snowfall is moving across Chicago, bringing a quick coating of snow again,” Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yak said. “We...
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Seoul police were called to a cafe on November 16, when a cheeky parrot was caught drinking from a patron's coffee cup. The bird, which is believed to be a Yellow-headed Amazon, is an endangered parrot native to Central America. How it made its way to a coffee shop in South Korea remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure: that bird needs its coffee. The police who responded to the call said that the parrot was very friendly, no doubt perked up by its afternoon caffeine. The parrot even allowed customers at the cafe to feed and pet...
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After more than a century of munching on her favorite foods of romaine lettuce and cactus fruit, beloved Galapagos tortoise Gramma, the oldest resident of the San Diego Zoo, has died. Gramma was born in her native habitat and was estimated to be about 141 years old, zoo officials said. She died Nov. 20. It's not clear exactly when the tortoise arrived at the San Diego Zoo, but zoo officials said she came from the Bronx Zoo in either 1928 or 1931 as part of their first group of Galapagos tortoises. As the world changed around her, she delighted visitors...
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The next time you notice a pigeon acting suspiciously, you may need to notify the authorities, as news broke this week that Russia had launched a flock of remote-controlled cyborg spy pigeons. Putin scientists unveil 'spy pigeons fitted with brain implants and cameras that can be controlled like drones' https://t.co/t1lUBm1zAf— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) November 27, 2025This confirms what many had long feared: the pigeons cannot be trusted. As reported by the Daily Mail: A state-linked Moscow neurotechnology firm boasts its operators can steer flocks of the flying pests across the sky at will. Researchers have launched field tests of so-called...
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There are sunken treasures, and then there is the legendary shipwreck of the San Jose. Considered by many to be the ‘Holy Grail’ of shipwrecks, we have been reporting on the explorations of the massive treasure since November 2023: The San Jose Galleon, the ‘Biggest Sunken Treasure in History’, Hasn’t Been Salvaged Yet – But It’s Already Causing Dispute in Court. The remains of the Spanish galleon San José, estimated to be worth nearly $20 billion, has been located off the coast of Colombia. pic.twitter.com/Tsb02Cgu87— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) December 16, 2023This week, it was reported that Colombian scientists have recovered...
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Scientists say they have captured the first direct acoustic evidence of lightning on Mars — tiny crackling electrical discharges triggered by swirling dust devils and storms, picked up by a microphone on NASA’s Perseverance rover. A French-led team reported in the journal Nature that it found 55 episodes of what it calls “mini lightning” — brief, static-like sparks inches long — hidden in 28 hours of rover audio recorded over nearly four Earth years. The faint pops and crackles, barely audible amid howling wind and dust grains pinging the microphone, occurred almost exclusively during the Red Planet’s dustiest, windiest days....
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Cigdem Boceck, 27, and her husband Servet, 38, fell ill just two days after travelling from Hamburg, Germany to the Turkish city of Istanbul with their two children Masal, three, and Kadir, six, on November 9. Two days later, they left their hotel shortly after midday and took a taxi to Ortakoy, where they ate midye, a popular street snack of stuffed mussels served cold with lemon, from a street vendor. After the midye they each ordered different dishes at a restaurant, including kokorec, a dish made from calf intestines and tavuk tantuni, a type of Turkish chicken wrap. They...
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The Department of the Interior announced a series of changes Tuesday for America the Beautiful passes, which cover entry and amenity fees at over 2,000 federally managed areas, including the country’s national parks. Among the differences visitors can expect beginning in 2026 are new digital passes, original artwork featuring President Donald Trump and “America-first” prices that will see international visitors paying steeper fares. A mockup of the new design does away with the traditional images of scenic vistas or species like bighorn sheep and instead shows Trump beside a painted rendering of George Washington — a bold choice that has...
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A shark killed a woman and seriously wounded a man taking an early morning swim with her at a national park beach on Australia’s east coast Thursday, police said. Experts say a shark rarely attacks more than one person. The attack occurred at Crowdy Bay National Park, which is known for beach camping, fishing spots and hiking tracks 224 miles north of Sydney. Beaches in the area and to the north of the attack were closed to swimmers indefinitely, Police Chief Insp. Timothy Bayly said. Emergency services were called to Kylies Beach following reports that two people in their mid-20s...
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I regret to inform you that a Hawaii tourist has picked up a sea turtle. VIDEO AT LINK............ A man was caught on video picking up a sea turtle on a beach in Hawaii, sparking outrage among many. Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are protected under both state and federal laws. Even approaching one too closely can result in a citation. Conservation officers have taken a report… pic.twitter.com/zt1X2syVNk— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) November 24, 2025
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The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia, located about 500 miles from the capital city of Addis Ababa, erupted on Sunday for the first time in about 12,000 years. The eruption was not too devastating as such events go, but it did release an enormous plume of ash, which rode the subtropical jet stream and quickly expanded to cover parts of Yemen, Oman, India, and Pakistan. Air India announced it canceled at least 11 flights on Tuesday due to concerns over the cloud. “The affected altitude is between 8.5 kilometers (5.2 miles) and 15 kilometers above the sea level,” said Mrutyunjay...
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You may be better off traveling throughout the 'ocean state' via boat. (Credit: Mark F Lotterhand on Shutterstock) ============================================================================ In A Nutshell * Rhode Island has the worst roads in America, with 37.2% of major roads in poor condition and nearly 14% of bridges deteriorating * Washington state leads the nation in pothole complaints at 61.67 per capita, about 60% higher than Michigan’s rate * High spending doesn’t guarantee results: Pennsylvania spends $820 per capita on maintenance but still has 17.3% of roads in poor condition * Poor roads cost drivers hundreds of dollars annually through tire wear, suspension damage,...
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Experts warn drought and water mismanagement have made the city's development unsustainable Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has suggested his country's capital will need to be moved from Tehran due to ecological unsustainability in the city. Speaking at a meeting in Qazvin, the president warned that relocating the capital would become unavoidable given the overcrowding and water shortages in the city of 9.7 million. His government has proposed the underdeveloped Makran region in southeastern Iran as a possible new location. "When we proposed relocating the capital, we lacked the budget - otherwise it might have happened," Pezeshkian told officials. "People said...
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According to tradition, “Sangre de Cristo”, which means “Blood of Christ” in Spanish, were the supposed last words uttered by a dying priest. Despite the legend, history suggests the name originated from a much more practical beginning: an expedition.
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SWAIN COUNTY, N.C. -- A driver in rural North Carolina was left in shock when a bald eagle dropped a cat onto her car's windshield, leaving a massive hole. The woman was not injured but understandably shaken by the incident. According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the event occurred shortly after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, on US-74 in Swain County. "You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield. It absolutely shattered my windshield," the woman told a 911 operator. "I do believe you, honestly," the operator responded. "I...
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An animal rescuer reported that he got a call regarding a six-foot alligator discovered inside a woman’s house in Detroit. Animal Magic’s Mark Rosenthal stated that the woman found the gator in her late son’s room just days after his funeral. According to Rosenthal, the rescue operation took around 30 minutes. “I used the sweatshirt again, put it over its head, and just grabbed it by the tail and lifted it by the tail until it was balanced at the top. Then I got off the milk crate, got him down, and then put him in the container you’ll see...
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Teachers fended off a grizzly bear that attacked a school group walking along a trail in British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday, officials said. "The group had stopped along a trail near the community when a grizzly bear emerged from the forest and attacked," Inspector Kevin Van Damme of British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service, said in an update on social media. "Teachers successfully repelled the bear using pepper spray and a bear banger."
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U.S. airlines are predicting another record Thanksgiving holiday travel period and are upbeat now that the travel-snarling government shutdown has ended. Airlines will carry more than 31 million people between Friday, Nov. 21, and Monday, Dec. 1, Airlines for America, a lobbying group representing the largest U.S. carriers, predicted Thursday. The busiest days are expected to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with about 3.4 million people flying, followed by the Monday after Thanksgiving, with around 3.1 passengers. Airline executives have expressed relief after the longest-ever government shutdown ended Nov. 12. Shortages of air traffic controllers, who were required to work...
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A Florida sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Friday morning, another deputy was wounded and a locksmith was left in critical condition while helping a mother evict her son from a gated home in a coastal community north of West Palm Beach, authorities said. Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, a 25-year veteran of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, was gunned down inside a residence at the Bermuda Club on Orchid Island near Vero Beach. She was one of three deputies who arrived at the home with a locksmith just before 9 a.m. to remove 37-year-old Michael Halberstam under a court order...
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