[Zbignieww]

George Miller Spent 78 Days Shooting a 15-Minute ‘Furiosa’ Action Sequence with 200 Stunt Workers



George Miller has pushed the “Mad Max” franchise to new levels of spectacle with each film, but the Australian might have topped himself with an action sequence in the upcoming “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”

Miller’s new “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel, which is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of the titular character made famous by Charlize Theron. The film is based on the extensive backstory about Furiosa that Miller created to help his “Fury Road” cast and crew members immerse themselves in the film’s world.

While the massive success of “Fury Road” would be a hard act for any filmmaker to follow, Miller’s collaborators seem convinced that he found a way to match the scale of his Oscar-winning 2015 film. In a new feature in Total Film magazine, Miller’s producing partner Doug Mitchell revealed that the film features a 15 minute action sequence that “took us 78 days to shoot” with 200 stunt workers. The crew gave the scene the codename “Stairway to Nowhere.”

While specific details about the sequence were kept under wraps, Taylor-Joy also shared her thoughts about the grueling process of shooting it.

“George and I would have these big conversations about why this particular set-piece was so long,” Taylor-Joy said. “It’s because you see an accumulation of skills over the course of a battle, and that’s very important for understanding how resourceful Furiosa is, but also her grit. It’s the longest sequence any of us have ever shot. On the day we finished, everybody got a ‘Stairway to Nowhere’ wine!”

“Mad Max: Fury Road” made roughly $380 million in the global box office, with a budget of $150 million. “Furiosa” costars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, and Alyla Browne, with a script by Miller and Nico Lathouris. It is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, followed by wide release in Australia on May 24 and in the United States on May 24.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/george-miller-spent-78-days-221500592.html

[johngriffen]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days.
It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it,
protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters,
or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
THURSDAY APRIL 25
What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You can post as many stories as you like, but you will only get paid for One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can only earn WRZ$ once a day.
Each news day will start when I post announcing it
OR at:
9:00 AM CHICAGO TIME (UTC -5)
3:00 PM GMT (UTC -0)
on those days I space out and forget to post or can't due to Real Life
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them short, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
All payments will be made at THE END of the weekly news cycle.
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[ozswede]

Prisoners break out only to be arrested by police training outside

This is the bizarre moment a group of bungling prisoners tunneled their way out of jail only to be met by a team of police officers who were training outside.

Twenty daring suspected criminals were seen realising their error in real time as they emerged from a hole in the wall onto the police headquarters training course in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The officers were seen helping the red-faced inmates through the tight gap in the wall before leading them back inside the prison.

The situation became nervy for the group of some 30 police who were not carrying weapons.

But police later confirmed that 'everything is now under control', noting three inmates needed treatment for minor injuries sustained during their escape.


Whoops! A suspect realises his mistake after burrowing through to the police training course

The clip of the great escape shows several red-faced men in yellow boiler suits being apprehended - again - after burrowing through the outer wall.

As the tunnel opening was so small, the escapees were only able to squeeze straight into the arms of the waiting cops.

Members of the Bolivarian National Guard, the Bolivarian National Police Corps, Civil Protection and the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service were all reportedly called in to help defuse the situation, according to El Sol de Puebla.

The mayor of Maracaibo, Rafael Ramírez Colina, said later on April 17 that order had been restored.

'In the morning today we have an incident, a fight that broke at 8.30 in the morning.

'That fight came with consequences: three injured.

'At the moment of the three injuries, all the police bodies that live in the region came and acted.

'After that, they proceeded to attend to the injured and I know already they are informing the families that right now there is no reason to doubt our municipal police.


Officers are seen holding on to one of the apparent escapees

'It is also important to say that there was no escape nor danger of escape from those deprived of liberty.

'Everything is under control,' he concluded.

'There are no deaths in any of the cells, we do not have any seriously injured and the three slightly injured were duly treated by Maracaibo Firefighters.'

In his speech, the mayor made no reference to the hole made in the wall.

Police Chief Commissioner Gustavo Basabe said they are investigating the attempted break-out to prevent a similar situation occurring in the future.



One local commented: 'Only in Venezuela.'

Another said: 'The cops told each of them 'you're nicked, you're nicked, you're nicked...'

Desiree wrote: 'Hahaha, what a thing to happen.'

[Alessa9]

Massive fire breaks out at iconic hotel made famous by Jack Nicholson’s ‘The Shining’


Jack Nicholson preparing to film The Shining’s axe scene.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/Gw7fKwis

A huge fire has broken out at the Oregon hotel made famous by the iconic Jack Nicholson movieThe Shining.

While many Stanley Kubrick fans will recognise the remote setting as The Overlook Hotel where spooky twins chillingly told Nicholson’s character Jack Torrance to “Come play with us”, in the real world the Timberline Lodge serves as a family-friendly resort among the snowy landscape of Mount Hood.

On Thursday evening, while guests were staying at the hotel, a commercial fire broke out inside the iconic 55,000-square-foot building.

The Clackamas Fire Department said on social media that multiple crews including from the Hoodland, Gresham, and Estacada fire departments were called to the scene.

No injuries were reported with all guests and staff safely evacuated, KGW reported.

By around 11pm, the fire department reported that firefighters had “a good knock-down on the fire and are doing everything they can to preserve the historic assets that exist here,” KTVZ reported.

By 11.12pm, the fire – which impacted the roof and part of the attic – was finally declared under control and had not spready any further throughout the building, fire officials said in an update.

Crews also helped to remove furniture and artwork from the hotel after the main lobby was drenched with water.


Muliple fire crews on scene to extinguish a blaze coming from Timberline Lodge, Oregon.


Fire crew spent time cleaning up the scene after the blaze was extinguished.

Timberline’s management told KGW that damage to the interior appears to be minimal, with no internal smoke or fire damage.

John Burton, the lodge’s marketing director, said that he was grateful for the fire crews, adding that this has been “a first” for them at the iconic hotel.

“I think we just need to look at this as it could have been a lot worse,” Mr Burton told the outlet. “It was extremely windy, so it didn’t help the cause, but [I] can’t thank the first responders enough.”

Mr Burton added that he suspects it was embers from the main chimney that started the blaze, but authorities are yet to confirm this.

The US Forest Service will further investigate the cause of the fire.


Jack Nicholson sitting in the lobby in a scene from The Shining. Timberline Lodge was made famous from the cult film.

Taylor Hatmaker was staying in the Timberline Lodge with her wife when they suddenly started to hear the fire alarm blaring. Once they exited the building, they could see sparks flying off the central chimney spire, she said.

“It’s emotional seeing something so emblematic of our state with such history on fire. It’s such a historic, special building,” she told The Oregonian.

“Timberline means a lot of things to a lot of people.”

Much of The Shining was filmed at Elstree Studios in the UK, but the Timberline Lodge appears in the opening scene of the movie as the fictional The Overlook Hotel and some other shots throughout the film.


Jack Nicholoson in the iconic scene ‘Here’s Johnny’ scene in The Shining.

During the filming, Kubrick was asked not to use the room number 217 (the room in the book) in the production, as it could be offputting for future guests of the lodge.

A nonexistent Room 237 was used in its place.

However, the lodge says on its website that Room 217 is requested more often than any other room.

Tthe lodge isn’t only famous because of the 1980 cult-classic film.

When it opened in 1937, the Timberline Lodge hit headlines as then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt officially opened it and delivered a speech to crowds.

The lodge was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977, and is now one of Oregon’s most popular tourist attractions, according to the lodge’s website, drawing nearly two million visitors every year.

[midgemental]

Alzheimer’s risks can be detected 15 years in advance with breakthrough blood test: study

Breakthrough research shows that a simple blood test can flag symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) up to 15 years in advance, according to a Times of London report.

Neurological scientists from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg have found ways to simply test for the residue of a protein known as phosphorylated Tau 217 (pTau 217), which is commonly associated with the disease known as phosphorylated Tau 217 (pTau 217) — with “impressive” results.

The testing procedure — called an assay — was created by the company ALZpath and offers a comparatively painless, less costly alternative to spinal taps for insight into a person’s risk of the disease, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“ALZpath’s pTau217 test can help healthcare providers determine the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Andreas Jeromin, the chief scientific officer of ALZpath.

Three independent clinical studies of 786 patients showed that ALZpath delivers “high diagnostic accuracy” in the identification of AD-inducing proteins within the brain such as amyloid plaques.

The company announced that its latest breakthrough will be available for clinical use by the end of January and will also become commercially available — CNN reported a price between $200 and $500 — at some point as well.

“This is an instrumental finding in blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s, paving the way for the clinical use of the ALZpath pTau 217 assay,” researchers Kaj Blennow and Henrik Zetterberg stated in a release, adding that the “robust” assay is already in use in various labs around the world.

“What was impressive with these results is that the blood test was just as accurate as advanced testing like cerebrospinal fluid tests and brain scans at showing Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain,” lead author Nicholas Ashton told CNN.

“Now we are close to these tests being prime-time and this study shows that.”

https://nypost.com/2024/01/22/lifestyle ... est-study/

[Fatima99]

Two Big Cats from Infamous Tiger King Captivity Thriving in San Diego After Sanctuary Helps Save 69 Tigers



A San Diego wildlife sanctuary is proud to report that two of the 69 tigers rescued from the infamous collection of the ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic are thriving at their Alpine, CA location.

Participating in the rescue of the cats, it took Lions, Tigers, and Bears Animal Sanctuary 3 years to help the pair of Bengal tigers, Jem and Zoe, to put on normal weight and get back to their wild ways, but that perseverance has paid off.

Netflix broke the world of the US tiger trade to the world with a landmark docu-series Tiger King in 2021, which centered around the private menagerie collection of Joe Exotic, and his difficulties with a woman named Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue.

Exotic is now in prison serving 21 years for conspiracy to commit murder after attempting to hire two hitmen to take Baskin out. Tiger King Park in Oklahoma was closed for ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act.

An organized effort to relocate his 69 captive tigers to sanctuaries around the country saw Lions, Tigers, and Bears (LTB) take in two adults Jem and Zoe.

“Their condition was dire, marked by severe malnutrition, emaciation, dull skin, and other issues,” LTB told Fox News 5 San Diego. “The trauma from long-term abuse led to the development of uncharacteristic behavior, such as not eating for days at a time.”

However, LTB’s efforts succeeded, and after three years the pair are “living their best lives in their forever home.”

People can visit Zoe and Jem at the LTD Sanctuary by reservation only, but the sanctuary relies on visitors as well as contributions to perform life-saving rescues like those from Tiger King Park.

As their name implies, there are more than just tigers there, and visitors can see lions, bobcats, and leopards, along with other large animals beyond the Panthera genus.

[lush]

Woman Files Lawsuit Against Husband for Not Showering Often Enough
013124*

A Turkish woman recently filed a lawsuit against her husband, claiming that he rarely showered, smelled of sweat, and brushed his teeth only once or twice per week.

The woman, identified only as A.Y. by Turkish news media, filed for divorce from her husband, C.Y., citing his lack of personal hygiene as the main reason. The plaintiff’s lawyer told the 19th Family Court in Ankara that the defendant wore the same clothes for at least 5 days in a row, rarely showered, and constantly reeked of sweat. Witnesses were brought in to confirm these claims, including mutual acquaintances and even some of the husband’s co-workers. They all gave statements confirming the defendant’s poor personal hygiene. The court approved the woman’s request for a divorce and also ordered the husband to pay her 500,000 Turkish lira ($16,500) as compensation to his now-former spouse for putting up with his lack of personal hygiene.


Photo: Olichel/Pixabay

“Spouses must fulfill the responsibilities of the shared life,” A.Y.’s lawyer, Senem Yılmazel, told Turkish newspaper Sabah. “If the shared life becomes unbearable due to behavior, the other party has the right to file for divorce. We must all be careful in human relations! For this reason, we must pay attention to both our behavior and cleanliness.”

In Turkish civil law, the accepted reasons for divorce are divided into two categories – special reasons and general reasons – with the latter including all the reasons that make life unbearable for one or both parties. In this particular case, the husband’s poor personal hygiene was deemed valid grounds for divorce by the Regional Court of Justice and the Supreme Court of Appeals, whose recent verdict was final.


Photo: Stevepb/Pixabay

Court documents showed that, according to witness testimonies, C.Y. took a shower at most once every 7-10 days, and only brushed his teeth once or twice a week, which caused his breath to smell “unbearable”. Interestingly, some of the man’s coworkers agreed to appear as witnesses in this case and stated that his foul body odor made working with him torture.

Poor personal hygiene has been used as a cause for divorce before. In 2018, we wrote about a Taiwanese man who divorced his wife because she only bathed once a year, and three years later we featured the case of an Indian man who tried to divorce his wife because she didn’t shower daily.

[PennySerenade]

Sculptures Of Famous Characters, And Other Things Made Out Of Penicil’s Lead By Salavat Fidai



If you’re still rubbing your eyes, wondering if the cover of this post featured an authentic art piece made by a human, you can stop. Trust us, we also couldn’t believe it could be real, but it is. The micro-sculptures made by Salavat Fidai are unique creations carved into pencil leads. These pieces of art showcase fictional characters inspired by famous books and movies, plants, cars, and many other things. What connects them all is how tiny and fragile they are. Take a look for yourself, and let us know which of the sculptures impressed you the most and made you start thinking: “How is it even possible?”



creating sculptures on the tip of a pencil. We were wondering how the artist discovered his passion for this unique form of art. We learned that: “About 10 years ago, I started studying miniature art. In the process of this creative search, I was interested in pencil graphite as an interesting material. Most people use a pencil as a tool, but I decided to use a pencil as a material for creating works of art.”

Fidai also shared with us what made a graphite pencil so special to him that he decided to use it as the main medium for his sculptures: “Graphite is a very fragile material and carving a sculpture on such a small scale is a big challenge for me. Also, when I got into it, very few artists cut anything out of graphite, there were literally only a few of them. I managed to take this art form to a new level and make pencil graphite microsculpture popular all over the world.”



The artist was kind enough to tell us more about the creative process behind his work and the tools he uses while working on a new piece: “I use a craft knife with interchangeable blades and a microscope to create sculptures on the tip of a pencil. I use regular school pencils with a 2mm and 5mm tip, which can be bought at any store. The process of creating a microsculpture is like meditation for me. I have to concentrate on the tip of the pencil and literally listen to my heartbeat. Every movement of the tip of the blade must be carefully precise.”



While looking at tiny sculptures created by Salavat, it’s easy to guess they could have taken a lot of time to be completed and demanded a lot of patience throughout the whole process. Asked what the biggest challenges the artist faces while working on his micro-sculptures, he answered: “Sculptures are very fragile and often break. It doesn't upset me because it's part of the process. I've been creating a sculpture in my imagination for a long time. It's like creating a 3D model on a computer, only everything happens in my head. If I've imagined how it can be done, then I'm just doing it.”



Lastly, we wanted to know more about the sculptor’s aspirations and goals for the future of his art career. Fidai shared with us: “Right now, my personal exhibition is taking place at the Miniature Museum in Tucson, Arizona, USA, where more than 50 of my best works are presented. Next, this exhibition will move to other cities and states. My big dream is to create a museum of microsculptures made of graphite. Not only would my works be displayed, but also sculptures by other authors from all over the world who followed my example.”

[rflash8]

Long-lost Klimt portrait goes under the hammer at Vienna auction



Copyright im Kinsky. "Bildnis Fraeulein Lieser" (“Portrait of Miss Lieser”)im Kinsky

The auction house estimates the painting's value at up to €50 million, but Klimt works have sold for higher prices at recent auctions.

A painting by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt that reappeared after nearly a century will be sold at auction in Vienna today, despite questions surrounding its provenance.

"Bildnis Fraeulein Lieser" (“Portrait of Miss Lieser”) was commissioned by a wealthy Jewish industrialist's family and painted by Klimt in 1917 - a year before his death.

The unfinished portrait of a dark-haired woman was likely last seen at a Viennese exhibition in 1925. It reemerged this year when Austria’s second-largest auction house im Kinsky announced its sale.

"No one expected that a painting of this importance, which had disappeared for 100 years, would resurface," said im Kinsky expert Claudia Moerth-Gasse.

The auction house estimates its value at up to €50 million, but Klimt works have sold for higher prices at recent auctions.
"Bildnis Fraeulein Lieser" (“Portrait of Miss Lieser”)

Mystery surrounds the identity of the model. It is believed to be one of the daughters of either Adolf or Justus Lieser, who were brothers from a wealthy family of Jewish industrialists.

The first catalogue dedicated to Klimt, dating from the 1960s, states it is Adolf Lieser's niece, Margarethe.

The im Kinsky auction house in Vienna, which is auctioning the artwork, suggests the painting could depict one of the two daughters of Justus Lieser and his wife Henriette (Lilly) - Helene and Annie,

Lilly Lieser remained in Vienna despite the Nazi takeover, was deported in 1942 and murdered in the Auschwitz internment camp in 1943.

Before her death, Lieser seems to have entrusted the painting to a member of her staff, Austrian daily Der Standard found based on correspondence in an Austrian museum.

It then turned up in the possession of a Nazi trader, whose daughter inherited it and who in turn left it to distant relatives after her death.

Im Kinsky, which specializes in restitution procedures, insists it has found no evidence that the work was stolen or unlawfully seized. However, some experts have called for a more in-depth investigation of the work's provenance however.

"Several points should be questioned more critically, as the provenance of the picture has not yet been completely clarified," Monika Mayer, head of archives at the Belvedere museum, which houses Klimt's famous "Kiss", was quoted as saying by Austria's Profil magazine.

Last June, Klimt's final work "Dame mit Fächer" (“Lady with a Fan”) broke the European auction record by selling for £74 million (€86 million) at Sotheby's in London.

[goldie0608]

Tourist Mauled After Rolling Down Window to Take Selfie with Bear

"I thought he wanted to be friends," the victim's friend said of the wild bear



A Scottish tourist is thankful to be alive after a close encounter with a wild bear sent her to the emergency room.

Moira Gallacher, 72, had been vacationing in Romania with her friend Charmian Widdowson when the women decided to go for a drive through the Carpathian Mountains.

During the outing, the women came across a couple of brown bears and did their best to get a photo of the wildlife.

“What happened was the bear came up to the window at my friend’s side, and no problem. It let us take a picture and went away,” Gallacher said in a video shared by Scottish outlet STV News on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday, April 23. “But I didn’t get a proper picture, so we went back and it was at my side.”

In the clip, the injured Gallacher was seen being rolled away in a stretcher.

“I’m not going to be on STV News,” she said with a laugh.

In addition to the brief clip shared online, both women detailed the incident to the news channel.

“We saw these bears – a mummy bear, and a baby – they were gorgeous,” Widdowson said.

“But they weren’t gorgeous. The mummy bear was hungry, and thought my friend was going to be lunch,” she added.

They shared a video of their day prior to the mauling. A winding road with tall and dense trees was seen in the footage before the friends took photos of the two bears.

Recounting the moments before the mauling, Widdowson said she parked her car to be able to get a better photo.

“I thought he wanted to be friends,” she said. “The bear came and wanted to get into the car, but he started getting into the car and bit my friend.”

The women think that their conversation about food may have triggered the attack.

“My friend said, let’s get something to eat,” Widdowson told the news station. “No, you are not allowed to give food. Absolutely nothing, nothing, nothing. And I think he heard it and decided he had to eat my friend instead.”

Widdowson credits Gallacher’s survival to a particular piece of clothing.

“She was wearing a thick Marks & Spencer jacket and the poor bear got more jacket than arm,” Widdowson told the outlet.

The survivor realizes the outcome could have been much worse.

“I’m a very lucky woman,” Gallacher said.

“I was wearing a padded jacket and a top and another top – that’s what saved my arm. I’ve been very, very lucky,” she continued. “The shock has set in today, but everything’s OK now.”

Curtea de Argeș Municipal Hospital manager Andreea Gheordunescu told the outlet "a foreign patient" was being treated "on her right hand" after being bitten by a bear.

STV News notes that the largest population of European brown bears can be found in Romania. The animals, who tend to hibernate in the winter and emerge in March and April, can reach speeds of 30 mph and stand at 7 ft tall.

New Mosquito Nets Prevent Millions of Malaria Cases in Insecticide-Resistant Areas


Malaria hospital in Tanzania – credit Olympia Wereko-Brobby, SMS for Life

For years, aid workers knew that among all the billions being poured into aid foundations for Africa, if a measly few million could be spent on providing insecticide-treated mosquito nets for people to sleep under, it could do the same as a decade of pharmacological research looking for malaria treatments.

It actually did more: with one program that distributed 54 million nets over 3 years having saved 24,600 lives and prevented 13 million cases of malaria across 16 countries, according to estimates.

Called the New Nets Project, funded and implemented by Unitaid, Global Fund, and Innovative Vector Control Consortium, it aimed to rapidly distribute a pair of new mosquito nets, the first treated with chlorfenapyr, and the second pyroproxyfen—two next-generation insecticides that when combined with previous insecticides, proved to be more effective than standard nets.

Like bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics, some mosquito genera have developed resistance to insecticides that coat mosquito net thread. The nets still provide a barrier from physical entry, but only for a short time because the tight, lightweight weave tears easily.

According to a statement from Global Fund, between 2019 and 2022, the New Nets Project supported the distribution of 38.4 million mosquito nets across sub-Saharan Africa, while Global Fund’s collaboration with the office of the President of the United States saw the number increased to 56 million nets in Nigeria and 16 other countries.

In countries that reported insecticide resistance, the new nets increased control of the spread of the parasite by 20 to 50%.

The reduction in malaria cases and deaths from using the nets, compared to a standard net, equated to a potential $28.9 million in financial savings to health systems.

“We are delighted to see that the dual active ingredient insecticide-treated nets have demonstrated exceptional impact against malaria,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund.

“The success of the New Nets Project is proof that, by fostering collaboration across global health partners, harnessing innovation, and using market-shaping approaches, we can fight insecticide resistance, make our interventions highly cost-effective, and accelerate progress against malaria.”

[HogwartsExpress]

All Seven ‘Harry Potter' Books to Be Recorded as Full-Cast Audio Productions With More Than 100 Actors





Listen up, Potterheads: J.K. Rowling's seven original Harry Potter books are getting a massive new audiobook series.

Amazon's Audible and Pottermore Publishing, the global digital publisher of Rowling's Wizarding World, will co-produce a brand-new audiobook series for the original seven Harry Potter stories. The new audiobooks are scheduled to premiere in late 2025, with each of the seven English-language titles to be released sequentially for a global audience, exclusively on Audible.

The companies said the full-cast audio productions - with more than 100 actors - will "bring these iconic stories to life as never heard before." The new audiobooks will provide "immersive audio entertainment through high-quality sound design in Dolby Atmos, stunning scoring, a full range of character voices and real-world sound capture," Audible and Pottermore Publishing said.
The original single-voice English-language Harry Potter audiobooks, featuring Stephen Fry and Jim Dale, will continue to be available. Those were first published in 1999. Since they launched on Audible in 2015, the audiobooks have reached 1.4 billion global listening hours in total.

Further details about the new Harry Potter audiobooks - including content and production, global release dates, voice casting, and how to access the audiobooks - will be released later. The project is unrelated to the eight Warner Bros. movies chronicling the saga of the boy wizard.

"Beloved the world over, Harry Potter stories have captivated and enchanted fans of all ages for nearly three decades," Audible CEO Bob Carrigan said. "With millions upon millions of Audible listeners devouring Harry Potter at an astonishing rate, we are thrilled about the opportunity to be part of this next chapter - delighting new and old fans alike with a reinvigorated listening experience that Audible is expertly positioned to create."

Neil Blair, chairman of Pottermore Publishing, said: "We are delighted to be collaborating with Audible on what will be a groundbreaking audio edition of the beloved Harry Potter stories. J.K. Rowling's storytelling lends itself perfectly to the application of new audiobook technologies, and we're certain this sophisticated, immersive audio experience will not only add a new listening dimension for existing fans but will introduce a whole new generation of listeners to the wizarding world."

Audible's complete Harry Potter audiobook collection includes "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" performed by Jude Law; "Harry Potter: A History of Magic" performed by Natalie Dormer; "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" performed by Eddie Redmayne; and "Quidditch Through the Ages" performed by Andrew Lincoln.

Watch the video announcement of the new Harry Potter audiobooks:



The new audiobooks are scheduled to premiere in late 2025

src: https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment ... r-AA1nEms8

People in Estonia throwing away books they spent hours in line for years ago
Source: ERR


Discarded books.
Image: ERR

Books have traditionally occupied a place of honor in Estonia homes, while they are increasingly thrown away these days. Works people were willing to stand in line to get back in the day are also destined for recycling.

While people were willing to go through a lot to find some books back in the Soviet period, many formerly coveted books are ending up in recycling centers today.

"People throw away all kinds of books. You can find all sorts in containers. I visit recycling centers weekly, and it's quite possible to also find newer literature there," said Rene Noni, head of NGO Raamaturinglus that accepts and buys used books.

Noni said that a lot of Soviet print editions, including literary classics, end up as scrap paper as people are reluctant to put up with the low quality of print and paper.

While used books are many times cheaper than new alternatives, finding buyers is not at all easy. More sought-after second-hand books include the "Seiklusjutte maalt ja merelt" (Adventure tales from the land and sea) series, but also Astrid Lindgren's children's books. All manner of handbooks and textbooks are the most coveted.

The National Library's Repository Library also makes an effort to collect books all over Estonia.

"Next to Soviet literature, which people do not really need anymore as so many new books are published, the Repository Library is receiving newer literature people have read and wish to pass on to others. We're getting Nordic noir and beautiful children's literature now. Libraries all over Estonia are waiting for such works," said Kai Lugus, director of the Repository Library.

Of the 380,000 books donated last year, 45 percent were given a new lease on life, while the rest ended up in recycling. Utilizing books is labor-intensive.

"The hard covers of books are mixed waste, while the paper we can recycle," Lugus explained.

Those looking to unload books quickly should know that some works are especially sought-after by libraries.

"We still long to see Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," Orwell's works and Lindgren's children's books. We can add to that newer children and youth literature by Estonian authors," Lugus said.

[Misstee]

Hundreds of black 'spiders' spotted in mysterious 'Inca City' on Mars in new satellite photos
By Stephanie Pappas

Every spring, creepy black 'spiders' sprout up on Mars as buried carbon dioxide ice releases dusty geysers of gas. New ESA images show the phenomenon has begun in the strange Inca City formation.


Mars' Inca City formation (left) is overrun with mounds of black 'spiders' (right), a regular springtime phenomenon on the Red Planet (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (left) ESA/TGO/CaSSIS (right))

Arachnophobes need not fear: A new European Space Agency (ESA) image of Martian "spiders" actually shows seasonal eruptions of carbon dioxide gas on the Red Planet.

The dark, spindly formations were spotted in a formation known as Inca City in Mars' southern polar region. Images taken by ESA's Mars Express orbiter and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter show dark clusters of dots that appear to have teeny little legs, not unlike baby spiderlings huddling together.

The formations are actually channels of gas measuring 0.03 to 0.6 miles (45 meters to 1 kilometer) across. They originate when the weather starts to warm in the southern hemisphere during Martian spring, melting layers of carbon dioxide ice. The warmth causes the lowest layers of ice to turn to gas, or sublimate.

As the gas expands and rises, it explodes out of the overlying ice layers, carrying with it dark dust from the solid surface. This dust geysers out of the ice before showering down onto the top layer, creating the cracked, spidery pattern seen here. In some places, the geysers burst through ice up to 3.3 feet (1 m) thick, according to ESA.

Inca City is also known as Angustus Labyrinthus. It's named for its linear, ruin-like ridgelines, which were once thought to be petrified sand dunes or perhaps remnants of ancient Martian glaciers, which could have left high walls of sediment behind as they retreated.

In 2002, however, the Mars Orbiter revealed that Inca City is part of a circular feature approximately 53 miles (86 km) wide. This feature may be an old impact crater — suggesting that the geometric ridges may be magma intrusions that rose through the cracked, heated crust of Mars after it was hit by a renegade space rock. The crater would have then filled with sediment, which has since eroded, partially revealing the magma formations reminiscent of ancient ruins.

This 8-foot-long ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thought

For years, paleontologists thought this ancient salmon was like a saber-toothed cat, but now facial reconstruction offers a brand new look.


In a new study, experts present a new vision of the spike-toothed salmon, formally known as Oncorhynchus rastrosus.
Illustration By Ray Troll

When paleontologists announced the discovery of the largest salmon to have ever lived in 1972, they thought they had found the aquatic equivalent of the saber-toothed cats that roamed the landscape when this fish was alive between 12 and 5 million years ago.

The eight-foot-long fish was believed to have had two curved teeth jutting down from its upper jaw. But now, a new reconstruction has fundamentally altered the face of this iconic fish, proposing instead that its impressive teeth stuck out sideways from its snout—like a warthog.


Growing to more than 8½ feet long on average, the prehistoric fish were the largest salmonid to ever exist, swimming the waterways of what is now the Pacific Northwest more than 5 million years ago. The researchers believe the spikes, about 2 inches long and slightly curved, were useful when they swam upstream to spawn.
Illustration By Illustration courtesy Ray Troll

In an April study published in PLOS ONE(open access), experts present a new vision of the spike-toothed salmon, formally known as Oncorhynchus rastrosus. The changes to the salmon’s face reflect new knowledge about the fish gleaned from the fossil record. In 2016, paleontologists found that the ancient salmon’s distinctive teeth changed as the fish aged, growing as the salmon reached adulthood and transitioned from the sea to freshwater.

This study, by Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine paleoecologist Kerin Claeson and colleagues, now finds that the fish’s famous teeth stuck out sideways like tusks.

A bold new look

Refining what the fish looked like rested on both new fossil finds and a reanalysis of the first fossils to be described half a century ago. Among the earliest finds, the part of the jaws holding the prominent teeth were disarticulated from the rest of the skull. “Part of the reason why scientists didn’t recognize the position of the teeth at first was because they were all found in isolation,” Claeson says. A downward, saber-like position seemed reasonable given that no other known fish had such teeth.


In this photo, paleoartist Ray Troll demonstrates the size of the fish relative to a modern human.
Photograph By Rich Grost

But in 2014, paleontologists searching a locality in Oregon found new fossil skulls of Oncorhynchus rastrosus that showed the prominent teeth still in articulation. Combined with CT scans of the original finds, the new fossils confirmed that different sexes of the spike-toothed salmon had the prominent teeth in adulthood.

Finding the spikes on different salmon sexes came as a surprise to the researchers. “When I talked to the collectors of the 2014 fossils, they kept finding fossils in close proximity in such a way they were likely breeding pairs, which both possessed the enormous spikes,” Claeson says. All spike-toothed salmon started to go through skull changes as they approached adulthood, each fish growing the iconic spikes.

“The new reconstruction is supported by very convincing evidence,” notes University of Alberta paleontologist Mark Wilson, who was not involved in the new study. The fact that the spikes were found as a species-wide trait, he noted, is especially remarkable.

Naturally, the unusual nature of the spikes has led paleontologists to wonder why such features evolved and what they were used for. Previous research indicated that some of the teeth in adult fish were blunted and worn, hinting that they were rubbing against hard surfaces. Perhaps the fish were using the teeth to scrape and move sediment in constructing nests, and could have also been helpful in defending those nests from other fish looking to dig their own divots in the riverbed.


Close-up images of the Spike-tooth Salmon fossil and display.
Photograph By University of Oregon

Claeson and colleagues prefer a defensive function for the spikes. The prehistoric salmon, just like their living counterparts, swam with side-to-side motions of the body. Their strongest muscles were devoted to these movements, and also would have allowed the fish to take strong swings against predators or other rivals. Not all experts agree, though. Wilson notes that the fish could have been using the spikes to dig nesting areas, and males could have been using the spikes to intimidate competitors for mates during spawning season.

Regardless of whether the fish were using the spikes for defense or in competition, the teeth were surely formidable. “Imagine a one-pound geology hammer, sharpened, and wielded by 200 pounds of lateral muscle,” Claeson says. The salmon is no longer a sabertooth, but its teeth were just as formidable.