BBC
Week in pictures: 21 – 27 August 2021
Snake slithers out of spice shelves at Sydney supermarket
A grocery run turned into a snake rescue for an Australian woman when she was greeted by a python poking out from a supermarket shelf.
Helaina Alati, 25, was at a Sydney store on Monday when the 3m non-venomous snake slithered out.
The Woolworths supermarket lies on the edge of a large expanse of bushland on the city’s north- west outskirts.
But encountering a snake in the spice aisle is not what Ms Alati expected.
Fortunately for both parties, Ms Alati is a wildlife rescuer and familiar with snakes.
“I just turned my head and he was about 20cm from my face, just looking straight at me,” she told the BBC.
She did a double-take but remained calm. No one else was around.
Recognising it instantly as a diamond python, Ms Alati knew it wasn’t venomous as it protruded and flicked its tongue.
“He was looking straight at me the whole time, almost like he was saying: ‘Can you take me outside please?'” she said.
After filming the snake, Ms Alati alerted staff and said she could help them get it out.
She retrieved a snake bag from her home, returned to the store, “tapped him on the tail and he just slithered in”.
She then released it away from houses in bushland – a natural habitat for the species around Sydney.
‘Like a scene from Harry Potter’
A trained snake handler, Ms Alati has conducted at least 20 snake rescues before.
She says her friends have previously joked about her being “the snake girl”, referencing a zoo scene in a Harry Potter film where the boy wizard finds that he can talk to snakes.
Ms Alati says she can’t speak Parseltongue like Harry, but “that scene’s been mentioned to me a few times”.
“They kind of just gravitate to me, like maybe they just sense that I’m the kind of person into caring and protecting animals,” she said.
“To be honest, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in a little while given lockdown. The staff were all taking photos of it.”
Australia’s largest city has been in a lockdown since June to fight a Delta outbreak. Grocery shopping is one of the few reasons people are allowed to leave their homes.
Ms Alati said she suspected the snake had been in the shop overnight, probably initially in the ceiling where diamond pythons like to nestle.
It had probably lurked on the shelf all morning as “dozens of people… passed it and grabbed spices”, she added.
Quarter-Mile-Long Stretch of Bean Field in Minnesota Collapses 25 Feet
A farmer in Minnesota was left scratching his head when a quarter-mile-long swath of his bean field mysteriously collapsed a staggering 25 feet and created an enormous ravine in the process. According to a local media report, the jaw-dropping development occurred on Wayne Erickson’s farm near the community of Climax. “When I drove out here, it looked like the Grand Canyon,” he marveled, noting that he and his wife had never seen anything quite like it in all their years working the land. Reflecting on the “kind of scary” and “sad” collapse of the field, Erllene Erickson thoughtfully mused that “Mother Nature does what she wants.”
As for why such an enormous portion of the field wound up falling upon itself, speculation among experts is that the ravine could have suddenly formed as a result of recent rainfall combined with a drop in the water levels at the nearby Red River. That said, researchers hope to visit the site in the not-too-distant future to study what some are calling a geological wonder. While the fourth-generation farmer and his wife may appreciate the wondrous display of Mother Nature’s power, we’re guessing that he would rather have all those beans back rather than the enormous ravine that is likely to only produce curiosity seekers.
Gotta love the name of that town.
Porcupine Bests Leopard in Odd Battle
In one of the weirder showdowns between two members of the animal kingdom, a pugnacious leopard wound up on the losing end of an odd battle with a porcupine in South Africa. The strange conflict reportedly unfolded in the middle of a road crossing through Kruger National Park and was captured on film by wildlife photographer Mariette Landman. Before an audience of several captivated tourists safely watching in their cars, the skirmish began with the ferocious feline stalking the quill-covered rodent before finally making its move and swiping at its intended prey.
Alas, the big cat’s plan of attack proved to be rather foolish as the porcupine was able to deftly maneuver itself so that the quills protruding from its body provided a natural shield. Nonetheless, the determined leopard kept attempting to claw at the creature until it wound up with one of the spikes in its paw. While one might think this put an end to the battle, it had actually only just begun as the porcupine opted to remain in the road, leading to several more ’rounds’ between the two animals which saw the rodent continually get the best of the big cat. Amazingly, the odd encounter lasted a staggering 90 minutes before the leopard finally gave up and the fight came to an end with the porcupine being the clear victor.
The Eerie Connection Between ‘The X-Files’ And 9/11
The X-Files is known for taking inspiration from real-life events or stories but isn’t known for predicting the future. Yet, the X-Files spinoff show, The Lone Gunmen, eerily predicted the events of 9/11 six months before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
The Lone Gunmen and Dana Scully on an episode of the X-Files, circa 1993. (Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting Company/ MovieStillsDB)
If you have never heard of The Lone Gunmen television show, that’s okay — we hadn’t either. The series only ran for one season, from March 2001 to June 2001. The single season only had a total of 13 episodes and dealt primarily with all kinds of secret activity happening within the government.
Throughout the X-Files series, special agent Fox Mulder often would read a publication called “The Lone Gunman.” The newsletter in the show was published by three conspiracy theorists who took the name from the Warren Commission that investigated the John F. Kennedy assassination.
The conspiracy theorists who published “The Lone Gunman” newsletter are named John Fitzgerald Byers (played by Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (played by Tom Braidwood), and Richard Langly (played by Dean Haglund). These three men are the main characters in the television show The Lone Gunmen.
The Lone Gunmen cast, from left to right- Tom Braidwood (Frohike), Bruce Hardwood (Byers) and Dean Haglund (Langley). (Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting Company/ MovieStills DB)
Strangely enough, the pilot episode of The Lone Gunmen featured a plotline that eerily echoed the events that would come to pass on September 11, 2001. In the episode, a computer hacker took control of a Boeing 727 airplane to crash the plane into the World Trade Center in New York City.
In the episode, Byers, Frohike, and Langley are able to launch a counter hack-attack against the original hacker and prevent a disaster just moments before the airplane was about to hit the World Trade Center. However, these events were just half the story of this pilot episode. The trio uncovers the fact that the event was created by a group deep within the United States government. In the episode, the intention was to blame these attacks on foreign dictators to start a profitable war for the US.
There are not only connections between the events that occurred on September 11, 2001, but also the theories that arose after these attacks. It should be stressed that the writers and producers of The Lone Gunmen had no prior knowledge of 9/11, and the people involved in producing this pilot episode were horrified to learn about the events on September 11, 2001.
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World Trade Center before the September 11 attacks. (Photo Credit: Leonardo Cendamo/ Getty Images)
In reality, the timing of the show’s air date and the events of 9/11 is perhaps why they are entangled. The pilot episode aired on March 6, 2001, in America, but the episode aired in Australia only 13 days before the terrorist attacks happened.
Furthermore, there are similarities in this episode of The Lone Gunmen, but other television shows and books have also covered ideas similar to the one touched on by The Lone Gunmen. Stephen King’s short story, The Running Man, ends with the protagonist crashing an airplane into a television studio. Even the sitcom Friends had to cut scenes because they alluded to the events that happened on 9/11.
Canadian authorities repel invasion of U.S. floaters
And no, it wasn’t this kind of floater invasion.
Or this kind of Yankee hoser invasion.
Some 1,500 people, participating in the Port Huron Float Down, on inflatable rafts and boats drifted across the border from Michigan during high winds on the St. Clair River.
PORT HURON, MICH.—Canadian authorities stopped an invasion this weekend: 1,500 people on inflatable rafts and boats that drifted across the border from Michigan during high winds on the St. Clair River.
The rafters were participating in the Port Huron Float Down, an annual event on the river that divides Michigan from Ontario.
The winds turned it into an international incident on Sunday.
Police in Sarnia, Ont., say the event has no official organizer and poses “significant and unusual hazards” given the fast-moving current, large number of participants, lack of life jackets, and challenging weather conditions.Article Continued Below
They say it took hours for a bus service to transport some 1,500 U.S. citizens back to Michigan.
Staff Sgt. Scott Clarke told the Times Herald the float-down participants were “unprepared to be stranded anywhere.”
“It was a bit of a nightmare, but we got through it,” he said. “There were long waits and long lines. They were cold and wet, but they all made it home.”
The event started at Port Huron’s Lighthouse Beach and was supposed to end at Chrysler Beach in Marysville.
Sarnia city workers spent several hours Monday picking up beer cans, coolers, rafts, even picnic tables, that washed up on the Canadian shore, said spokeswoman Katarina Ovens.
“I guess they were on the rafts,” she said of the picnic tables.
The Most Grandiose Mansion in the United States
Biltmore Estate is a large (8,000-acre) private estate and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House, the main house on the estate, is a Châteauesque-styled mansion built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 square feet (16,622.8 m2) of floor space (135,280 square feet (12,568 m2) of living area). Still owned by one of Vanderbilt’s descendants, it stands today as one of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age.
In the 1880s, at the height of the Gilded Age, George Washington Vanderbilt II, youngest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, began to make regular visits with his mother, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt (1821–1896), to the Asheville, North Carolina, area. He loved the scenery and climate so much that he decided to create his own summer estate in the area, which he called his “little mountain escape”, just as his older brothers and sisters had built opulent summer houses in places such as Newport, Rhode Island, and Hyde Park, New York. Vanderbilt named his estate Biltmore derived from “Bildt,” Vanderbilt’s ancestors’ place of origin in Holland, and “More”, Anglo-Saxon for open, rolling land.
William A. V. Cecil, Sr. returned to the estate in 1960 and joined his brother to manage the estate and make it a profitable and self-sustaining enterprise like his grandfather envisioned. He eventually inherited the estate upon the death of his mother, Cornelia, in 1976, while his brother, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, inherited the then more profitable dairy farm which was split off into Biltmore Farms. In 1995, while celebrating the 100th anniversary of the estate, Cecil turned over control of the company to his son, William A.V. Cecil, Jr.
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin that was prominent during the Gilded Age (1870-1900). Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy. Cornelius Vanderbilt’s descendants went on to build grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City, luxurious “summer cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island, the palatial Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, and various other opulent homes.
The Vanderbilt’s were once the wealthiest family in America. Cornelius Vanderbilt was the richest American in history until his death in 1877. After that, his son William acquired his father’s fortune, and was the richest American until his death in 1885. The Vanderbilts’ prominence lasted until the mid-20th century, when the family’s 10 great Fifth Avenue mansions were torn down, and most other Vanderbilt houses were sold or turned into museums in what has been referred to as the “Fall of the House of Vanderbilt”.
Branches of the family are found on the United States East Coast. Contemporary descendants include fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, her youngest son, journalist Anderson Cooper, musician John P. Hammond, screenwriter James Vanderbilt and actor Timothy Olyphant.
The Best Star Trek Models, Props and Toys
Scratch that collector itch and buy yourself some branded and licensed plastic lifestyle Star Trek accouterments.
1:350 Scale Enterprise Model
If you’re a modeler, this is the replica kit to get. The completed USS Starship Enterprise is over 32 inches long, but more impressive than the size is the incredible detail. There’s even an optional lighting kit that will set the portholes aglow. Also makes a great holiday dinner centerpiece. $140
DST Communicator & Phaser
If you are wandering in the outskirts of space, you are going to need these bad boys. Talk with fellow shipmates via the Communicator and stun your enemies with the Phaser. Diamond Select Toys is known for its excellent replicas, and this $75 two-pack is essential TOS hardware.
Bat’Leth
A 1:1 replica of the most choice Klingon battle weapon, crafted of aluminum and finished with real leather. Phasers? Earthling nonsense. Hand-to-hand blade combat to the death is what really makes a warrior. $500
Tribble
These tiny, hairy creatures are totally adorable. Buy 50 of them, throw them on your bed, jump into their furriness, then curse their existence. Fun! $10 each.
Custom Uniform Shirt
Meet eBay user Murraymousie. Send in your measurements, and 10 days later you’ll be sent a custom-sewn velour replica uniform shirt or dress, complete with rank and insignia. Pick gold for Kirk, a red shirt for Scotty, or a red dress for Uhura. $100 and up.
DST Retro Cloth Figures
The vintage 8-inch action figures from Mego are highly collectible, and Kirk and Spock go for about $50 each on eBay. But the plastic on these 40-year-old toys is disintegrating, so get yourself some modern-day redos from Diamond Select Toys. Pick from any number of characters. $160 for two.
The Klingon Dictionary
If you’re going to demand that an enemy “Surrender or die,” then you’d better get your pronunciation right. $11.33
TR-590 MK 9 Science Tricorder
This $500 replica prop is not only stunningly accurate, but it also lights up and makes the appropriate sound effects. No more walking around with your iPhone going “bloop beep weee-ooh” when it’s time to play doctor.
Gorn Action Figure
All of the ReAction figures are pretty cool, but we’ve got a soft spot for Gorn. $19
Hot Wheels Klingon Bird of Prey
Never mind the little cars. Hot Wheels makes some pretty decent Trek stuff, and this Klingon BOP ($39) is a good example. The wings fold just like the real thing, but the cloaking device will cost you a whole lot extra.
Playmates Klingon Disruptor
You’ll have to go to eBay for this vintage toy from the 1990s, but the cool sounds it makes are worth the hassle of all the hunting, bidding and sniping.
Enterprise Bridge Playset
The ultimatest ultimate. This replica of the original Mego set from the ’70s works with any figure built to the scale of the originals, as most of the current “retro” toys are. $60
Tri-D Chess Set
This recreation of the original Franklin Mint Tri-D chess set from the 1990s will set you back $275. But that’s real silver and gold on there. And whoo boy is this thing extra nerdy or what? How do you play it? Who cares!?
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