Daily News

[Jimbuna]

North Korea TV censors Alan Titchmarsh's trousers

North Korea's state television channel has censored a BBC gardening programme - by blurring out presenter Alan Titchmarsh's trousers.

Central TV aired a 2010 edition of Alan Titchmarsh's Garden Secrets for its morning audience, but made sure that viewers could not see his jeans.

Jeans are seen as a symbol of western imperialism in the secretive state and as such are banned.

North Korea's rules prohibiting jeans have been in place since the 1990s.

Back then, leader Kim Jong-il declared denim trousers to be a symbol of Western - and specifically American - imperialism, which had no place in a socialist state, according to Seoul-based NK News.

In recent years, a crackdown on Western culture has reiterated this ban, with state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun telling citizens in 2020 to reject what it termed "bourgeois culture" in favour of a "superior socialist lifestyle".

Current leader Kim Jong-un, himself a fan of voluminous legwear, is reportedly irked by skinny jeans and T-shirts bearing Western logos which are popular in South Korea.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68664644

[Jimbuna]

Mike Tyson hopes to deliver knockout blow with cannabis edible ears - in a nod to his most notorious fight

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is hoping to deliver a knockout blow with his new cannabis product - edibles in the shape of nibbled ears.

The bizarre products are a nod to when Tyson infamously bit off part of the ear of his opponent Evander Holyfield in their WBA Heavyweight Championship bout in Nevada in 1997.

The edibles have been released by Tyson 2.0 - a cannabis company founded by the iconic boxer known as "Iron Mike".

They come in flavours including black eye berry, sour apple punch and watermelon.

The edibles are available from the company's online store, but have already been spotted in dispensaries in New York.

The 57-year-old is reportedly planning a promotional tour at shops next month, including an event in Times Square.

Not everyone in the cannabis industry is said to be enthused about the release of Tyson's product.

The former boxer was convicted of rape in 1992 and has also been accused of domestic violence.

Stu Zakim, a publicist for the cannabis dispensary The Travel Agency in Union Square, told the New York Post: "They're honouring this convicted rapist and wife beater as a role model. We should use much better role models."

Tyson's 1997 bout against Holyfield, the second time they had met in the ring, became known as The Bite Fight following Iron Mike's act of partial cannibalism.

Tyson's boxing licence was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined $3m.

He retired from professional boxing in 2005 with 50 wins, including 44 knockouts, and six losses.

Earlier this month he announced he will be fighting YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a bout that will be shown live on Netflix later this year.
https://news.sky.com/story/mike-tyso...fight-13102590

[Jimbuna]

Pungent 'stinknet' plant in Arizona forces idyllic picnic area to shut for a month

A picnic area at a tourist attraction in Arizona has been closed to visitors because of the presence of a pungent plant called stinknet - which smells as lovely as it sounds.

Officials at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument announced on Wednesday the area will be shut until 30 April due to the density of the invasive and noxious winter weed.

Stinknet has pretty yellow blossoms on narrow green stems and can grow more than 0.6m (2ft) tall - but has a potent smell similar to nail polish remover or burnt rubber.

It can cause serious breathing problems as well as severe skin rashes, according to the University of Arizona.

Officials at the attraction in Coolidge are asking visitors not to walk near or step on the flowering weed to avoid spreading it.

They said staff are working on a solution to get the picnic area reopened as soon as possible, but it may take until 1 May.

The monument showcases the ruins of an ancient desert farming community that includes the preserved Casa Grande, meaning Great House.

The group of structures were built by the Hohokam tribe more than 700 years ago.

Arizona Native Plant Society officials said stinknet explosively spread in Maricopa County during the wet autumn and winter seasons of 2016, 2018 and 2019.

This caused heavy infestations on the northern fringes of Phoenix and Scottsdale along with rapid movement southward to Casa Grande.
https://news.sky.com/story/pungent-s...month-13103122

[mapuc]

Harvard University has said it will be removing the binding made of human skin from a 19th-century book held in its library because of the “ethically fraught nature” of how the unusual binding took place.

https://www.theguardian.com/educatio...ook-human-skin

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[Moonlight]

BBC Look East is slammed for having 'all-white' production team despite corporation spending £600,000 last year on 'diversity and inclusion' staff

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ion-staff.html

If these people who are complaining took a quick look at Africa or Asia they wouldn't see any white people in their governments or on the TV either, when are the rest of the world going to start preaching about 'diversity and inclusion' then?, thought not, now **** off up your rear ends and stay there you currants.

[Jimbuna]

Bedfordshire: Black bears at Woburn Safari Park ride on swan pedalos

A lucky group of black bears were treated to a pedalo ride after a lake formed in their enclosure.

After heavy rain created a mini lake in their 13-acre reserve, keepers at Woburn Safari Park decided to float a swan pedalo on the water.

According to Tommy Babington, deputy head of the carnivore section at the park in Bedfordshire, the bears were "immediately intrigued" by their new neighbour and "wasted no time in investigating" it.

The pedalo is usually used elsewhere on the site but was awaiting new pedals, Mr Babington said.

"It was great fun for visitors to seeing them climb on board, and we love devising new ways to provide food, scent and habitat enrichment that stimulates their natural foraging behaviours," he said.

"Bears are naturally very curious animals, and keepers will encourage this with all kinds of enrichment through their habitat as this keeps their minds and bodies active.

"The swan boat enrichment may be a less conventional approach to stimulating their natural behaviours, but it certainly was a hit."

The four black bears are two pairs of siblings - two male and two female - named Harvard, Maple, Colorado, and Aspen.

Originally from North America, they can grow up to 2m long and weigh more than 45 stone.
https://news.sky.com/story/bedfordsh...dalos-13100638

[mapuc]

Officials from MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ confirmed to Naval News that they were working on ‘second-generation’ designs leveraging technology and techniques proven in the DragonFire prototype tested in conjunction with the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) – the science arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news...-weapon-plans/



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