Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

[Быкоросёнок]

Hemingway book returned to Connecticut library after 56 years

A copy of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises was returned to a Connecticut library 56 years late, along with a note explaining the delay and a check to cover the cost of the book.

The Greenwich Library said on social media that the tome might be the facility's "most overdue book of all time."

The returned book was accompanied by a note, reading: "I was born and raised in Greenwich — my family moved to upstate New York in 1980. I was recently going through some old boxes and found this book. I re-read it and am now returning it — 56 years late. I am enclosing a check that I hope will cover the cost of replacing the book. Many thanks."

Library officials thanked the former patron in the social media post.

"Luckily we no longer have overdue fines," they wrote. "Thanks to the former patron that mailed this book to us, including a check to replace it with a newer copy."

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

'Drug-addicted rats' destroying evidence in Houston police lockers

Police and city officials in Houston said evidence in storage lockers is being destroyed by "drug-addicted rats."

Mayor John Whitmire said at a news conference that drugs being stored in evidence lockers are attracting rats that feast on the illicit narcotics and cause damage to other evidence in the process.

"We got 400,000 pounds of marijuana in storage that the rats are the only ones enjoying," Whitmire said.

The mayor announced the start of an initiative in partnership with the Harris County District Attorney's Office to organize the 1.2 million pieces of evidence stored by the city and discard any drugs stored since before 2015.

"So much evidence is kept and stored that is no longer needed, that has no impact on the resolution of that charge, that conviction or even that innocence," Whitmire said.

Peter Stout, head of the Houston Forensic Science Center, said at the same news conference that the large amounts of narcotics evidence stored by the city is putting other, unrelated evidence in danger.

"They're edible, they're tasty, they're all kinds of things. You can't store large quantities of drugs without expecting some of these things to happen," Stout said.

He said police have hired exterminators, but the rodent problem has proven persistent.

"They're drug-addicted rats. They're tough to deal with," he said.

Officials said only one active case has been affected by the rat problem. They said rodents managed to get into a bag containing hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The problem is not limited to the city of Houston. New Orleans Police Department officials said in March 2024 that drug evidence was under assault from pests including rats and cockroaches.

"The rats eating our marijuana, they're all high," Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a meeting of the City Council's Criminal Justice Committee.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

Shark takes a big bite out of surfer's board

An Australian surfer got into "a bit of a tussle" with a bronze whaler shark and was able to walk away uninjured — but his board wasn't quite so lucky.

Dale Kittow, 37, was surfing off Cheynes Beach in West Australia when he spotted the face of a shark in an oncoming wave.

"I just sat on my board and it circled me a few times before it charged at me," Kittow told 9 News' Today. "I jumped off the back and shoved the board in its face and had a bit of a tussle with it."

Kittow said he was lucky to escape without being bitten.

"I swung my board around and it took a bite out of the back. I jumped off the back of the surfboard," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "I didn't swim off, I didn't want to splash too much. I got back on my board and caught the next wave in."

Kittow discovered once he returned to shore that the shark had taken a big bite out of his surfboard.

"It was a bit of a miracle, really, I was lucky to see it when I did so I could keep my eyes on it and move when I had to," he said.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

Rare corpse flower greets the public with putrid bloom in New York

New Yorkers lined up for hours outside the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to catch a glimpse — and a whiff — of the facility's rare blooming corpse flower.

The Amorphophallus gigas plant, better known as a corpse flower, was obtained as a seedling from a nursery in Malaysia seven years ago and started its first bloom Thursday night.

The plant, famous for the foul odor it emits while blooming, is one of only four Amorphophallus gigas plants known to be kept in the United States. They are smaller, but more rare, than their cousins, Amorphophallus titanum, which are also commonly referred to as corpse flowers due to their similar stench.

"Amorphophallus gigas is a close relative of the more common in cultivation Amorphophallus titanum, the corpse flower that often makes the news," BBG gardener Chris Sprindis said on social media as the plant began its bloom. "I think this is an equally impressive species, though less known in cultivation. Like the titanum, it will smell like rotting flesh."

Crowds lined up Friday and Saturday to experience the sights and smells of the plant, dubbed "Smelliot" by the garden's social media followers.

"It's the worst thing I've ever smelled," Flatbush resident Saul Pulido told WCBS-TV.

Sprindis said he noted a change in the smell from Friday to Saturday.

"Yesterday at least was dead rat with a little garlic, a little burnt plastic. Today's been a little fainter, but it's still coming in waves, and I'm getting more of a stinky cheese, foot smell," Sprindis said.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

London man visits 42 museums in 24 hours to break world record

A London man took an educational tour of his home city and broke a Guinness World Record by visiting 42 museums in 24 hours.

Ben Melham, 42, said his kids, Matilde and Henrik, inspired him to attempt the record for the most museums visited in 24 hours.

"This record began as a conversation with my children about how hard it could be to break a world record while we were reading their Guinness World Records book together," he told Guinness World Records.

Melham's kids joined him on some of his museum visits during his whirlwind record attempt. He said London is an ideal city for such a project.

"London was an obvious choice for this attempt. With over 200 registered museums, it is one of the world's great museum cities, offering a unique diversity — from renowned institutions like the British Museum and the V&A to smaller gems like the Bank of England Museum and the Bow Street Police Museum," he said.

Melham visited 42 museums during his 24-hour attempt, breaking the record of 33 museums set by Sujoy Kumar Mitra and Swaroop Dawrani in Delhi, India, in 2024.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

A pair of German daredevils took a walk across a slackline suspended between two hot air balloons and earned a world record for their stroll at an altitude of 8,202 feet.

Friedi Kühne and Lukas Irmler took to the skies over Riedering and walked across a slackline 8,202 feet over the ground, breaking the Guinness World Record for highest slackline walk in the process.

They broke the previous record of 6,236 feet, which was set in 2021.

"The main attempt of breaking the world record was pretty difficult for me," Irmler, who took the first walk, told Guinness World Records. "The pressure was really high. It was a great relief of pressure, and it was glorious moment."

Kühne then followed in his friend's high-altitude footsteps.

"Watching Lukas struggle on the slackline was also very intimidating for me," Kühne said.

"Not only did the balloons spin the entire time, they also went up and down," he said. "At one point we were walking kind of downhill — the next minute uphill. The tension of the line was going up and down."

Kühne celebrated the successful record attempt by parachuting off the slackline.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

Report suggests $50 garage sale find is a long-lost van Gogh

A New York-based art firm announced its experts have verified that a painting bought for $50 from a Minnesota garage sale is a long-lost work by Vincent van Gogh.

The painting, titled Elimar, was previously analyzed by the Netherlands' Van Gogh Museum, which determined the artwork was not created by the famed painter, who died in 1890.

The museum said its determination was based on "stylistic features."

The painting was purchased for $50 from a garage sale in Minnetonka and was sold to LMI Group International, a New York-based art research firm, in 2019.

LMI Group released a 450-page report this week arguing in favor of the previously-unknown painting's authenticity as the work of van Gogh.

The report posits that van Gogh painted Elimar in 1889 while confined to a French psychiatric asylum, the same place he created other famous paintings such as Starry Night.

LMI Group said its team included art experts and historians, scientists and data analysis. Their evidence includes an analysis of the writing in the word "Elimar" in the corner of the painting, an analysis of the materials used to create the painting and a DNA analysis of a red hair found in the painting that was determined to have come from a human male.

The report also states the painting contains several stylistic elements consistent with van Gogh's known works.

LMI Group said it plans to present the report's findings to a group of van Gogh scholars and dealers. If authenticated, the painting would be worth an estimated $15 million, the firm said.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

Man hits ax target from more than 183 feet away

A Turkish man used his powerful throwing arm to lob an ax a distance of 183 feet, 8.72 inches — earning his eighth Guinness World Records title in the process.

Osman Gürcü, 43, broke the record for the farthest distance ax throw when he struck his target from a distance further than the length of an Olympic swimming pool, which is 164 feet long.

The previous record of 143 feet was set by American Jesse Rood.

"It was an incredible feeling to break the record, because the distance is very far and you have to be able to get far and at the same time the ax has to get stuck in the target board," Gürcü told Guinness World Records. "I hit it many times but it didn't get stuck and I never gave up."

Gürcü's previous Guinness World Records titles include the farthest basketball hook shot (82.02 feet), the longest cornhole shot (85 feet, 3.6 inches) and the farthest throw of a rubber chicken (114 feet, 9 inches).

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

First-time Powerball player wins $150,000 in N.C.

A North Carolina woman decided to buy her first-ever Powerball ticket and ended up winning $150,000.

Hurdle Mills resident Sydney Davis told North Carolina Education Lottery officials she went to the Country Store on Hurdle Mills Road and bought her first-ever Powerball ticket.

The ticket matched four white balls and the red Powerball in Wednesday's drawing, earning her a $50,000 prize that was tripled to $150,000 thanks to her choosing the Power Play option and the 3X multiplier hitting.

"I couldn't believe it," she recalled. "I had never even done that before."

Davis said she was especially shocked because it was her first time playing Powerball.

"Something like this just doesn't happen," Davis said. "We all hardly slept that night after that."

The first-time player said her prize money will go into savings.

[Быкоросёнок]

[Быкоросёнок]

NOAA study ranks groundhogs for weather-predicting accuracy

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a study analyzing the annual prognostications of weather-predicting groundhogs and found the most famous, Punxsutawney Phil, didn't even crack the top 10.

NOAA released the study ahead of Groundhog Day, which falls on Sunday, to analyze which groundhogs — along with one prairie dog statue and a tortoise — were the most accurate in predicting whether spring would come early or late.

Only groundhogs who have been predicting the weather for at least 20 years were included in the study, and each had to still be active as of Feb. 2, 2024.

The most accurate weather predictor of the bunch was found to be Staten Island Chuck, who accurately predicted the arrival of spring 85% of the time.

The rest of the top five were Georgia's General Beauregard Lee, at 80%; a Wyoming Prairie Dog statue named Lander Lil, with 75%; a mythical West Virginia groundhog named Concord Charlie, at 65%; and Illinois' Gertie the Groundhog, with 65 percent.

The most famous weather-predicting groundhog, Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil, was all the way down at 17th place, having predicted the weather accurately 35% of the time.

"A beloved national celebrity, legend has it that he has been prophesying when spring would arrive from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob since 1887," NOAA said. "How has he lived for so long? The answer is simple... the 'groundhog nog' fed to him each fall at Punxsutawney's annual Groundhog Picnic!"

[Быкоросёнок]